At 17:50 the Atlantic Coast Line purple locomotive with "The Champion" on the front is the #501 and is at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer NC. I worked there in high school and was around it a lot. Beautiful locomotive.
Thank you so much for the footage of steam...on 1950-1970my crew hung out and hopped trains in St Paul familiar scenes👍,grabbed a few "torpedoes",flares & shot w/rock salt shotguns by r.r.dicks in suits👋
@@PeriscopeFilm also that first CNW E2a pacific was the famous 2908 with its giant triangle shaped 400 nameplate on its headlamp. 20:22 This CNW E2 is either 2902 or 2912 with The 400's old green pullmans
Thanks for posting. I actually rode the Milwaukee Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago led by "A" class 4-4-2 #4. And also the North Shore Electro Liner round trip when it was almost new. This brings back some good memories.
Those streamlined locomotive fairings were really something! Wish you had cited the music source tho. Two vague memories I have: my Grandma taking me to the yard in Peoria, Il. To see the last few steam engines when I was about 4 and flying with mother from NY city to Chicago aboard a Lockheed Connie. I was 6. Talk about LOUD!
Some of this footage was shot in places other then the Mid West. I particularly recognized the trestle over the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Seabord units are definitely Eastern. And the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is in California, but still it's a great video. Thanks for posting it.
My word, that guy jumping about all over the tracks doing hand signals with trains coming at him from all directions, literally jumping clear at the last moment ...
At 20:12 we have “The 400”. This was the steam powered version which started running Jan 2, 1935. Here’s what David P. Morgan, in the Nov 1963 Trains Magazine - p.11, says about the train: It all began on Jan 2, 1935, when Chicago & North Western jumped the gun on rivals Burlington and Milwaukee Road by sidestepping streamliners and installing instead a high-speed steam train on the Chicago-Twin Cities run. Rebuilt E-2A Pacifics ran off the 408.4 miles from Chicago to St. Paul in 7 hours flat - hence the name 400. Streamlined and dieselized in 1939, the 400 became a fleet of streamliners. --end- At 20:15, below the center headlight (which is off, the flashing light is mounted on top of the boiler and isn’t the headlight), there is a triangle (with the ends cutoff) which has the name of the train: The “400” (always in quotes). The cutoff triangle was also on the observation car which is visible at 20:27. The initial steam-powered “400” was renamed the Twin Cities “400” when it was streamlined and other trains were added to the C&NW streamliner fleet using the “400” moniker (e.g. Dakota “400”, Chicago to Rapid City; The Flambeau “400”, Chicago to Ashland WI). The diesels for the new 1939 streamlined train were available before the cars were delivered however, and for a short time the new EMD E6 diesels pulled the “400” with the initial heavyweight equipment. This is the train seen at 20:32. At 27:03, we see the streamlined Twin-Cities “400” backing into St Paul Union Station (I think... I believe the passenger trains that started in Minneapolis and went to St. Paul - on their way to other destinations - backed into St. Paul.) This shot is taken from the cab, which is a cab-ride that starts at 26:43. Notice all the people on the platform at 28:26, and the film of the engineer at 28:29. Was this the first run of the streamlined Twin-Cities “400”, or some other special occasion? Twin-Cities “400”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Cities_400 www.american-rails.com/twin-cities-400.html At 23:09 we have an interesting anomaly. A Milwaukee Road streamlined F7 class Hudson, and behind it, a Rock Island streamliner pulled by an EMC TA diesel. The unique TA's were built to pull the “Rock Island Rocket” streamliners (and at 23:19, you can see “THE ROCKET” lettering on the locomotive). Where did the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island share a station with modern streamlined trains in the late 30's? Not Chicago, that's for sure; and "The Rockets" didn't initially go to St. Paul. The train-station sort of looks like the old Milwaukee Road’s Milwaukee Station. Maybe the Rock Island Rocket is on a publicity tour before they were put into regular service? At 23:52 we see the Milwaukee Road’s unique “Beaver Tail” Observation Car. What a video! EMC TA: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_TA Rockets: www.classicstreamliners.com/npt-rock-island-rockets.html The Milwaukee Road Hudson: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_class_F7 Other streamlined locomotives: streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253 Beaver Tail Observation car: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Tail_(railcar)#:~:text=The%20Beaver%20Tails%20were%20a,the%20Chicago%2C%20Milwaukee%2C%20St.&text=They%20served%20as%20the%20observation,by%20the%20new%20Skytop%20Lounge.
The Chicago & Northwestern's E2 pacifics are constantly overshadowed by the Milwaukee roads Atlantics and hudsons and other famous engines that ran to the twin cities, it's a shame really. *Those pacifics were really good, my favorite is 2908 because it had a unique marslight that pointed at the sky*
Part of you thinks "if only there was sound as well ", but these are very good for amateur home movies from the 1930s. Brilliant pacing shot at 4:30, imagine him hanging out of the car window holding the camera to do that
One magnificent Soo Line 4-6-2 toward the end, very rare to see this upper mid west Granger road, especially in color. How I wish I had interest in film back in the early 50s. Ah well, so it goes.
17:19 a Florida East Coast railway 4-8-2 Mountain, these were numbered 401-452, and were built by ALCO in the 1920s in Richmond Virginia, along with the other FEC 4-6-2s and 4-8-2s
17:12 that's a Florida East Coast railway 4-8-2 heavy mountain, these were the last classes of 4-8-2s built for the FEC, and the biggest steam engines on the FEC system.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO, plus I live in St. Paul and recognize many of those sites. One more thing, that is actually the southern pacific daylight at 22:38 not the Hiawatha. You can tell by the ending car being rounded (they did not have that on the Hiawatha in the 30s) and by the gs4 locomotive in the front, similar to (and possibly could be) 4449 daylight that is operational today.
At 19:19, they are shooting the cannons into the St. Croix River at Stillwater MN - that is the famous lift bridge in the background, same location for the boat races at 19:40.
Amazing footage, thanks for sharing! but the film data, website address, and logo at the bottom of the screen were a major distraction and often blocked the view of important details like running gear, pistons, drivers, etc. Please edit and re-post. And, hey, some music from the 1930s would be much more enjoyable and appropriate, instead of those super-modern synthesizers.
I feel very strongly that I should've lived in this era instead of the last quarter of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. I only got to see a few steam trains when I was very young, but I love them and this period of time. Simpler life, hard work, families in tact, a lot less government intrusion into our lives... Sure, we have improvements, but lots more negatives imo, so I'd trade what we have now for the way life was then.
You speak the truth. What an incredible and proud era the early-to-mid-twentieth century must have been. 1930-1960 USA was probably the peak of human civilization (and moral values) in human history. Life was often tough, but it bred strong honest people/families IMO. Shame its been headed downhill ever since.
At 4:14 (the Rock Island train). That is actually the Denver Zephyr. The following text is taken from a picture caption on p.22 of Burlington Bulletin No 50 titled "Overnight, Every Night, Act 1: Burlington's 1936 Denver Zephyr", by John W. Schultz. The picture shows the train above (at a different place). To enable the redeployment of one of its original Twin Zephyrs to service in Texas pending the delivery of new, larger Twin Zephyr trainsets, beginning Sept 23, 1936, the Q matched leased EMC box cab "Diesel Locomotive" demonstrator 511 with six (of 10) cars from one of the new Denver Zephyr trainsets (auxiliary engine-RPO-baggage, baggage-dormitory-lounge, two chair cars, diner, and parlor-lounge-observation) to pinch-hit on Twin-Zephyrs 21 and 24. On Oct 24, the 511 wheels No. 21 out of Aurora, Ill. In nine days, the train will complete its temporary Chicago-Minneapolis Zephyr assignment. - Ted Gay, J. C. Seacrest collection. So we also know the rough date of that portion of the video. Imagine, a video of a train that ran for just over a month, in 1936!
Safety rules have changed a lot since the time of these old scenes. Stepping on the rails, as those yard workers were doing, would probably result in the employee getting fired today.
At 13:44 we have one of the Burlington's streamlined steam locomotives (a class S-4A 4-6-4 Hudson), which were used as backup-power for the 1930's Denver and Twin-Cities Zephyr's (in the event the assign diesels needed repairs). Their names were: Æolus, in keeping with the "Wind" theme of the Zephyr's name. www.classicstreamliners.com/lo-cb-q-class-s-4a.html streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253 www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=72082
At 13:07 we have a Milwaukee Road class A Atlantic (4-4-2) locomotive, pulling one of the Chicago to Twin-Cities Hiawatha trains. www.american-rails.com/hiawatha.html streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_class_A
Wow!! so much amazing footage!! Great video.
At 17:50 the Atlantic Coast Line purple locomotive with "The Champion" on the front is the #501 and is at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer NC. I worked there in high school and was around it a lot. Beautiful locomotive.
Beautiful locomotives and trains. Thanks for saving this one.
Thank you so much for the footage of steam...on 1950-1970my crew hung out and hopped trains in St Paul familiar scenes👍,grabbed a few "torpedoes",flares & shot w/rock salt shotguns by r.r.dicks in suits👋
The music is erie but also calming..
20:12 thats a Chicago & Northwestern E2a pacific!!! I've never seen video of them in color! Thats amazing
Glad you appreciate it. Thanks for your comment. Subscribe! Become a channel member!
@@PeriscopeFilm also that first CNW E2a pacific was the famous 2908 with its giant triangle shaped 400 nameplate on its headlamp.
20:22 This CNW E2 is either 2902 or 2912 with The 400's old green pullmans
Thanks for posting. I actually rode the Milwaukee Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago led by "A" class 4-4-2 #4. And also the North Shore Electro Liner round trip when it was almost new. This brings back some good memories.
The pacing shot with the GN P-2, amazing. That beauty was highballing.
This has made my day. Finally some excellent footage of class A and F7 Hiawathas on CZcams! Thanks!
The heck of a film with some very rare subjects in it..
Those streamlined locomotive fairings were really something! Wish you had cited the music source tho. Two vague memories I have: my Grandma taking me to the yard in Peoria, Il. To see the last few steam engines when I was about 4 and flying with mother from NY city to Chicago aboard a Lockheed Connie. I was 6. Talk about LOUD!
Thank you ...some beautiful 'ol relics.... great footage...
The multitude of tracks sure looks like the SPUD in St. Paul Minnesota.
This is really a treat. The shots are very well composed.
Many thanks!
Beautifully done. My compliments to whoever created this.
as a steam fan this is a treat and a half
Some of this footage was shot in places other then the Mid West. I particularly recognized the trestle over the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Seabord units are definitely Eastern. And the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is in California, but still it's a great video. Thanks for posting it.
My word, that guy jumping about all over the tracks doing hand signals with trains coming at him from all directions, literally jumping clear at the last moment ...
Fantastic footage. Some of the best I've ever seen.
At 20:12 we have “The 400”. This was the steam powered version which started running Jan 2, 1935.
Here’s what David P. Morgan, in the Nov 1963 Trains Magazine - p.11, says about the train:
It all began on Jan 2, 1935, when Chicago & North Western jumped the gun on rivals Burlington and Milwaukee Road by sidestepping streamliners and installing instead a high-speed steam train on the Chicago-Twin Cities run. Rebuilt E-2A Pacifics ran off the 408.4 miles from Chicago to St. Paul in 7 hours flat - hence the name 400. Streamlined and dieselized in 1939, the 400 became a fleet of streamliners.
--end-
At 20:15, below the center headlight (which is off, the flashing light is mounted on top of the boiler and isn’t the headlight), there is a triangle (with the ends cutoff) which has the name of the train: The “400” (always in quotes). The cutoff triangle was also on the observation car which is visible at 20:27.
The initial steam-powered “400” was renamed the Twin Cities “400” when it was streamlined and other trains were added to the C&NW streamliner fleet using the “400” moniker (e.g. Dakota “400”, Chicago to Rapid City; The Flambeau “400”, Chicago to Ashland WI). The diesels for the new 1939 streamlined train were available before the cars were delivered however, and for a short time the new EMD E6 diesels pulled the “400” with the initial heavyweight equipment. This is the train seen at 20:32. At 27:03, we see the streamlined Twin-Cities “400” backing into St Paul Union Station (I think... I believe the passenger trains that started in Minneapolis and went to St. Paul - on their way to other destinations - backed into St. Paul.) This shot is taken from the cab, which is a cab-ride that starts at 26:43. Notice all the people on the platform at 28:26, and the film of the engineer at 28:29. Was this the first run of the streamlined Twin-Cities “400”, or some other special occasion?
Twin-Cities “400”:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Cities_400
www.american-rails.com/twin-cities-400.html
At 23:09 we have an interesting anomaly. A Milwaukee Road streamlined F7 class Hudson, and behind it, a Rock Island streamliner pulled by an EMC TA diesel. The unique TA's were built to pull the “Rock Island Rocket” streamliners (and at 23:19, you can see “THE ROCKET” lettering on the locomotive). Where did the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island share a station with modern streamlined trains in the late 30's? Not Chicago, that's for sure; and "The Rockets" didn't initially go to St. Paul. The train-station sort of looks like the old Milwaukee Road’s Milwaukee Station. Maybe the Rock Island Rocket is on a publicity tour before they were put into regular service?
At 23:52 we see the Milwaukee Road’s unique “Beaver Tail” Observation Car.
What a video!
EMC TA: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_TA
Rockets: www.classicstreamliners.com/npt-rock-island-rockets.html
The Milwaukee Road Hudson: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_class_F7
Other streamlined locomotives: streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253
Beaver Tail Observation car: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Tail_(railcar)#:~:text=The%20Beaver%20Tails%20were%20a,the%20Chicago%2C%20Milwaukee%2C%20St.&text=They%20served%20as%20the%20observation,by%20the%20new%20Skytop%20Lounge.
The steam powered "400" routinely topped 90mph, holding its own against the Twin Zephyrs and Hiawathas
The Chicago & Northwestern's E2 pacifics are constantly overshadowed by the Milwaukee roads Atlantics and hudsons and other famous engines that ran to the twin cities, it's a shame really.
*Those pacifics were really good, my favorite is 2908 because it had a unique marslight that pointed at the sky*
Wonderful, yet a little bit haunting
I kinda wish I lived in those times even though I probably wouldn't be around today
Part of you thinks "if only there was sound as well ", but these are very good for amateur home movies from the 1930s. Brilliant pacing shot at 4:30, imagine him hanging out of the car window holding the camera to do that
17:19 thats a gorgeous Florida East Coast 4-8-2 Mountain, those were built in the 1920s by Alco in Richmond Virginia
Wow, the train is like a huge legendary beast. Thank you for posting - TinyTrainTrack
One magnificent Soo Line 4-6-2 toward the end, very rare to see this upper mid west Granger road, especially in color. How I wish I had interest in film back in the early 50s. Ah well, so it goes.
At 13:44 you can see a CB&Q S-4a "Aeolus" pulling the Twin Cities Zephyr.
Awesome!
The streamlined steam locomotive you see at the beginning was the first brand new one built in 1935 for the Milwaukee Road R.R.
A couple others have complained about the music, but I thought it was perfect! Makes it both poignant and surreal.
17:19 a Florida East Coast railway 4-8-2 Mountain, these were numbered 401-452, and were built by ALCO in the 1920s in Richmond Virginia, along with the other FEC 4-6-2s and 4-8-2s
17:12 that's a Florida East Coast railway 4-8-2 heavy mountain, these were the last classes of 4-8-2s built for the FEC, and the biggest steam engines on the FEC system.
Great film of some rare subjects 😺 fantastic access!
I LOVE THIS VIDEO, plus I live in St. Paul and recognize many of those sites. One more thing, that is actually the southern pacific daylight at 22:38 not the Hiawatha. You can tell by the ending car being rounded (they did not have that on the Hiawatha in the 30s) and by the gs4 locomotive in the front, similar to (and possibly could be) 4449 daylight that is operational today.
Wish I could'a been there.
At 19:19, they are shooting the cannons into the St. Croix River at Stillwater MN - that is the famous lift bridge in the background, same location for the boat races at 19:40.
Amazing footage, thanks for sharing! but the film data, website address, and logo at the bottom of the screen were a major distraction and often blocked the view of important details like running gear, pistons, drivers, etc. Please edit and re-post. And, hey, some music from the 1930s would be much more enjoyable and appropriate, instead of those super-modern synthesizers.
This is nice
12:46 thats Chicago & Northwestern E2 pacific 2903. It's a huge shame none of these gorgeous pacifics were preserved
I feel very strongly that I should've lived in this era instead of the last quarter of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. I only got to see a few steam trains when I was very young, but I love them and this period of time. Simpler life, hard work, families in tact, a lot less government intrusion into our lives... Sure, we have improvements, but lots more negatives imo, so I'd trade what we have now for the way life was then.
You speak the truth. What an incredible and proud era the early-to-mid-twentieth century must have been. 1930-1960 USA was probably the peak of human civilization (and moral values) in human history. Life was often tough, but it bred strong honest people/families IMO. Shame its been headed downhill ever since.
At 4:14 (the Rock Island train). That is actually the Denver Zephyr.
The following text is taken from a picture caption on p.22 of Burlington Bulletin No 50 titled "Overnight, Every Night, Act 1: Burlington's 1936 Denver Zephyr", by John W. Schultz. The picture shows the train above (at a different place).
To enable the redeployment of one of its original Twin Zephyrs to service in Texas pending the delivery of new, larger Twin Zephyr trainsets, beginning Sept 23, 1936, the Q matched leased EMC box cab "Diesel Locomotive" demonstrator 511 with six (of 10) cars from one of the new Denver Zephyr trainsets (auxiliary engine-RPO-baggage, baggage-dormitory-lounge, two chair cars, diner, and parlor-lounge-observation) to pinch-hit on Twin-Zephyrs 21 and 24. On Oct 24, the 511 wheels No. 21 out of Aurora, Ill. In nine days, the train will complete its temporary Chicago-Minneapolis Zephyr assignment. - Ted Gay, J. C. Seacrest collection.
So we also know the rough date of that portion of the video.
Imagine, a video of a train that ran for just over a month, in 1936!
Sorry, it should have read: That's actually the Denver Zephyr trainset.
Your comments give excellent insight on this video. Thank you!
Safety rules have changed a lot since the time of these old scenes. Stepping on the rails, as those yard workers were doing, would probably result in the employee getting fired today.
Cool film. Music was a bit much.
At 13:44 we have one of the Burlington's streamlined steam locomotives (a class S-4A 4-6-4 Hudson), which were used as backup-power for the 1930's Denver and Twin-Cities Zephyr's (in the event the assign diesels needed repairs). Their names were: Æolus, in keeping with the "Wind" theme of the Zephyr's name.
www.classicstreamliners.com/lo-cb-q-class-s-4a.html
streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253
www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=72082
22:00 that's either a Southern railway Ps-2 or Ps-3 light pacific
11:27 Track Inspection Car on the opposite track ?
A sternwheeler pushing a tow of barges at 5:50????
I wonder how many hobos were on these trains?
Depended on the number of bulls (railroad cops) working the yards.
At 13:07 we have a Milwaukee Road class A Atlantic (4-4-2) locomotive, pulling one of the Chicago to Twin-Cities Hiawatha trains.
www.american-rails.com/hiawatha.html
streamlinermemories.info/?page_id=13253
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_class_A
What the heck was that tom-tomming in the background of this supposedly "silent" movie? Annoying, it is.