STREAMLINED
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Year Published: 1930s
Description: Browse our products on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YILTSD Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: / periscopefilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference. Made in the 1930s, this short film highlights the effort to introduce streamlining into the American railroad industry. It begins with a brief recap of the streamlining concept as applied to buses, aircraft, and even passenger cars before showing the design and manufacture of streamlined locomotives and passenger train cars. The film shows the Silver Streak Zephyr, of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in the American midwest. On April 15, 1940 the Silver Streak Zephyr started operating on a Lincoln-Omaha-St. Joseph-Kansas City round trip daily. The new train was named Silver Streak Zephyr for the train portrayed in the Paramount Motion Picture The Silver Streak, with the starring role by the Pioneer Zephyr. The CB&Q liked the name and assigned it to the new Zephyr. For power the new five car lightweight streamliner was assigned a new EMD E5A unit developing 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW) Passengers were obviously pleased with the new Silver Streak Zephyr as ridership showed a marked increase within days of the new trains entry into service. The background on this film begins with the catastrophic loss of business during the Great Depression. To counter their financial troubles, American railroads cast their eyes on streamlined trains of lightweight material, streamlined to gain speed, and using an internal combustion diesel engine rather than steam. Two early American streamliners were the Union Pacific M-10000 (nicknamed Little Zip and as The City of Salina in revenue service 1934-41) and the Burlington Zephyr. Design of the Zephyr (later named the Pioneer Zephyr to distinguish it) started first, although the train took longer to build due to an advanced design incorporating a diesel-electric power system; the M-10000 used a spark-ignition engine running on "petroleum distillate", a fuel similar to kerosene. These trains were much lighter than the common engines and passenger cars of the day, as the "Zephyr" was constructed using stainless steel and the M-10000 chiefly of the aircraft alloy Duralumin. Both trains were star attractions at the 1933–1934 World's Fair ("A Century of Progress") in Chicago, Illinois. On May 26, 1934, the Zephyr made a record-breaking "Dawn to Dusk" run from Denver, Colorado to Chicago. The train covered the distance in 13 hours, reaching a top speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and running an average speed of 77.6 mph (124.9 km/h). The fuel for the run cost US$14.64 (at 4¢ per U.S. gallon). For a short time in the late 1930s, the ten fastest trains in the world were all American streamliners. A variety of Zephyrs were built for Burlington by the Budd Company. For example, after the introduction of the Pioneer Zephyr, two Twin Cities Zephyrs of the same design briefly served the link between Chicago and the Twin Cities. As a public relations gimmick, the two trains first headed to Minnesota on parallel tracks while carrying twins as passengers. Within a few years, the trains were replaced with a slightly different design, and the original trains went to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The success of the visual styling of the stainless steel locomotives did not go unnoticed by railroads still committed to the steam engine. Many steam locomotives were streamlined during this time to attract passengers, although the streamlining was less effective in improving efficiency for those engines than it was in making a visual statement. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Transcript Follow along using the transcript. Show transcript PeriscopeFilm 759K subscribers Videos About Support Us on Patreon
Complete Record: Browse our products on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YILTSD Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: / periscopefilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference. Made in the 1930s, this short film highlights the effort to introduce streamlining into the American railroad industry. It begins with a brief recap of the streamlining concept as applied to buses, aircraft, and even passenger cars before showing the design and manufacture of streamlined locomotives and passenger train cars. The film shows the Silver Streak Zephyr, of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in the American midwest. On April 15, 1940 the Silver Streak Zephyr started operating on a Lincoln-Omaha-St. Joseph-Kansas City round trip daily. The new train was named Silver Streak Zephyr for the train portrayed in the Paramount Motion Picture The Silver Streak, with the starring role by the Pioneer Zephyr. The CB&Q liked the name and assigned it to the new Zephyr. For power the new five car lightweight streamliner was assigned a new EMD E5A unit developing 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW) Passengers were obviously pleased with the new Silver Streak Zephyr as ridership showed a marked increase within days of the new trains entry into service. The background on this film begins with the catastrophic loss of business during the Great Depression. To counter their financial troubles, American railroads cast their eyes on streamlined trains of lightweight material, streamlined to gain speed, and using an internal combustion diesel engine rather than steam. Two early American streamliners were the Union Pacific M-10000 (nicknamed Little Zip and as The City of Salina in revenue service 1934-41) and the Burlington Zephyr. Design of the Zephyr (later named the Pioneer Zephyr to distinguish it) started first, although the train took longer to build due to an advanced design incorporating a diesel-electric power system; the M-10000 used a spark-ignition engine running on "petroleum distillate", a fuel similar to kerosene. These trains were much lighter than the common engines and passenger cars of the day, as the "Zephyr" was constructed using stainless steel and the M-10000 chiefly of the aircraft alloy Duralumin. Both trains were star attractions at the 1933–1934 World's Fair ("A Century of Progress") in Chicago, Illinois. On May 26, 1934, the Zephyr made a record-breaking "Dawn to Dusk" run from Denver, Colorado to Chicago. The train covered the distance in 13 hours, reaching a top speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and running an average speed of 77.6 mph (124.9 km/h). The fuel for the run cost US$14.64 (at 4¢ per U.S. gallon). For a short time in the late 1930s, the ten fastest trains in the world were all American streamliners. A variety of Zephyrs were built for Burlington by the Budd Company. For example, after the introduction of the Pioneer Zephyr, two Twin Cities Zephyrs of the same design briefly served the link between Chicago and the Twin Cities. As a public relations gimmick, the two trains first headed to Minnesota on parallel tracks while carrying twins as passengers. Within a few years, the trains were replaced with a slightly different design, and the original trains went to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The success of the visual styling of the stainless steel locomotives did not go unnoticed by railroads still committed to the steam engine. Many steam locomotives were streamlined during this time to attract passengers, although the streamlining was less effective in improving efficiency for those engines than it was in making a visual statement. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Transcript Follow along using the transcript. Show transcript PeriscopeFilm 759K subscribers Videos About Support Us on Patreon
Transcription
[Music] [Music] the rhythm of the railroad pounds to the cadence of a country's progress the incessant iron elbow of the driving rod jerks wheel over steel out of Frisco Fargo or Chicopee ball the firebox is spent to turn tons of water into high pressured steam and send a four eight four wheeler on a red ball freight out of st. Paul Sioux Falls or Simpkins which only the throttle can stem the progress of the iron wheel American railroads have traveled far since that day in 1869 went to iron horses met across a Golden Spike at promontory point behind them bisecting a continent late till parallel ribbons of Steel which in 50 years were to spiderweb the map of America these rails led in the early 20s to Flint and Dearborn in Detroit and there the automobile was born to become an industry following on the heels of this new competition came the year 1929 gravely gardens of jimsonweed grew in roadbeds next to deserted Depot's still retaining much of their heavy freight the railroads passenger traffic dwindled truck crowded superhighway slashed like a concrete knife across their vital artery Express busses cut into their passenger traffic and the airplane took its share but the industry which pushed a frontier into the Pacific showed once again its courage and vision or suddenly appeared a silvery streak built like a bullet on the principle of the new science of streamlining it caught on and was sold out for run after run a freak and a fad the old-timer said but after two decades of decline here again was the gravy train here was the greatest forward step since the steel car and the public paid through the wicket to prove it many a famous locomotive disappeared under the teardrop cowling electric and diesel and steam everything but the hand car went streamlined production was expensive but traffic was increased for safety speed and comfort were welded into each gleaming Hall of stainless steel luxury travel was brought to the people and the people brought back the railroad [Music] there are over 200,000 miles of tracks and pies in America 2200 of them will take this train out of Chicago 40 hours west of the night - the Brazilian [Music] the club car of a super streamliner makes it a veritable walled-off on wheels luxuriously appointed and decorated it provides facilities for everything from a highball to a game of not rummy to while away the last fleeting miles of Illinois but comfort sells more round-trip tickets than cocktails or chromium the one piece construction of the cars has eliminated the vibration side wiggle and the 45 caliber creaking at once turned overnight train travel into a grueling third degree night brings the illusion of standing still almost as if the state of Missouri not the train were moving [Music] they break somewhere west of Topeka and outside everything is Kansas the engineer throttles his two diesel motors up to a mile a minute clip a speed that used to make a shower dangerous and a barber's chair fatal open track and open throttle a dead run down the flat to where the rails pin prick the horizon as the morning flashes by at either side on its way back due to bigger [Music] breakfast of all with cantaloupe served in Kansas and coffee in Colorado America's favorite meal served against America's favorite setting the splintered peaks of the Rockies stand off to watch as a slipstream dream of stainless steel it's the Silver State on time [Music] although it's a full day's run the panoramic beauty of Colorado and New Mexico blend so perfectly through the observation car windows that the clear block signal into Albuquerque comes startlingly soon [Music] while the passengers get out to look at the inevitable Indians a maintenance crew restocks the diner in club car commissaries while the dust of five states is removed to restore the silvery finish of a mint a dime to the train before it picks up its run [Music] the engineer crosses Albuquerque off his schedule and checks his watch for the last leg crossing the valley of the Rio Grande its westward still with Arizona head in the alkali haze that shrouds the desert rent here the harnessed power of the four thousand horses pounds out more miles per hour than a 20 Mule team did in a week for the 20th century has provided in the streamliner new traditions for the Old West [Music] the silver dust gathering as though out of a range country ballot paints the desert with long purple shadows which paste the Train Western inside a fair young passenger fixes a face before pounding the pillow with a pretty ear convenience is the key note in these compact smartly furnished living quarters and everything is arranged to utilize as little space as possible [Music] before she has ticked off the regulation Forty Winks she will have reached the border of California a journey's end a journey which covered two-thirds of the continent in little more than a day and a half to complete a miracle in modern transportation across the country to its other coast another silvery streak burns up the run from New York to Florida actually luxurious chair cars they provide extra fare service which includes an attendant nurse and hostess will take care of juniors tantrums or tummy aches while mother has a bite to eat in the buffet car [Music] facilities for a little dignified bending of the elbow and cutting of the rug are provided in this unique tavern car with nothing more in common with nothing more in common than a destination acquaintance ship spring up easily while the atmosphere is one of easy informality [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the special boudoir compartments passengers prepare to retire dressed in comfortable lounging clothes they will spend the night in the reclining chairs of the sleeper coach I could chromium comet the train shoots across the Carolinas into Georgia along the palmetto coast of Florida when they awake they will meet the morning in Miami [Music] the flashing fire of stainless steel following the trail of the iron horse to mark a new era of transporting you
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