SPEED POWER!

Year Published: 1930s

Description:

Dating to the 1930s, this silent film "Speed Power!" promotes Dorfan electric trains. It shows a large Dorfan train set being put together and operated outdoors at the Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick, New Jersey. Aside from the "train race", the movie also shows some of the activities at the camp, so it might also be considered a promo for No-Be-Bo-Sco as well. This includes swimming and diving, and dressing up like Indians (2:00). At (3:58), a Scout takes apart and re-assembles the special Dorfan Take-Apart Engine. The film ends with a great train race, pitting two trains on parallel tracks while the Scouts cheer.

Dorfan was an American toy company based in Newark, New Jersey from 1924 to 1934. The company specialized in O gauge and Wide gauge toy trains. Dorfan produced detailed tinplate rolling stock with diecast power units. Dorfan was the first U.S. train manufacturer to use die casting in its manufacturing process At its peak, Dorfan had about 150 employees, but the Great Depression crippled the company and was not able to recover.