From the archives, here's a 16-page booklet put out by the AAR. I cannot find a date on it, but I would think this must be from the Korean War era, due to the steam-Diesel transition and the emphasis on national defense.Plot synopsis: a young man, whose father is a railroader, is starting out on his first day. He learns first-hand how wonderful railroads are, and what a great place to work they can be.
Of course, when I was young I actually believed all this propaganda.
LCL - how quaint.
This kid gets a cab ride in a 4-8-4. No big deal!
Orders are still being hooped up.
That idiot truck driver (to the right) is driving right down the middle of the road. Get those guys off the highway!
There wouldn't be any national defense without railroads.
And here men are putting blocks of ice into reefers!
That's funny, I didn't see anything about the accidents, wasted time, and general screw-ups I'm always hearing about from guys I know who actually work for the railroads! Maybe things were different back then?Well, we hope you enjoyed your trip back to the fifties!
Ahh, the 1950s, when men were men, women were women, freight cars still had roofwalks on top, trains still had cabooses on the end, and America was still in the era of "loose car" railroading.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting observation, shouldn't Randy's dad have made his son watch them couple the cars at the ordinance plant? After all, he's the student brakeman, and there's plenty of time for cab rides in the future.....