The Film, Railroaders

[AgentKid]

MidlandMike

And I see that about 30 years later, Calgary was back in business with light rail.

As the authore of "Calgary Transit: Then and Now" by D.M. Bain noted; if transit agencies in North America had known that the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 was going to happen, and raise the price of diesel, they never would have gotten out of the electric powered vehicle buisness. Although they would have used a lot more electric trolley buses instead.

Many existing streetcar routes might have lasted because of the infrastructure that was bought and paid for, and already in place. This would have been spread unevenly across the continent though, due to local variation in electric prices.

Bruce

 

[MidlandMike]

AgentKid

 

 

cx500

Many Canadian cities had streetcar networks at one time,

 

 

 

Calgary's streetcar system, known as the Calgary Municipal Railway made its' last run on December 29, 1950 after 41½ years of operation.

Bruce

 

 

And I see that about 30 years later, Calgary was back in business with light rail.

[daveklepper]

And now both Calgary and Edmonton have excellent expanding light metro systems.  I prefer to call them light metro rather than light rail because they use high-floor cars and station platforms, and have no street running that is shared with regular traffic, only buses and emergency vehicles.

[AgentKid]

cx500

Many Canadian cities had streetcar networks at one time,

Calgary's streetcar system, known as the Calgary Municipal Railway made its' last run on December 29, 1950 after 41½ years of operation.

Bruce

 

[daveklepper]

I am aware that Fort Nelson, Fort William, and Halifax lasted thru WWII.  Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Winnepeg, in the 1950's and early 60's.  I did ride streetcars in Montreal, and a Trackless in Winnnepeg.  And the then CN-owned Quebec interurban.

Two York U. professors were active in saving streetcar lines and the then Mayor Lansky supported them.  The major streetcar abandonments, Young, Dupont, Bloor-Danforth happened when subways were consructed taking most of their riders.

[NDG]

Yes, it is Winterpeg.

One of the sad parts about the Train 406/Turcot Yard film is that the Diesel Locomotive sounds do NOT match the engines shown on the screen. Possibly because of the problems recording Audio out in the field, and in winter?

Many now-long-gone Diesels and their prime movers are featured.

MLW/Alco 539  539T 244 251.

CLC/FM 38D1/8 1600 HP 8 Cyl. Opposed Piston.

And GMD/EMD 567 in various configurations.

Altho' not featured is a quick view of a CN Electric.

There are Operational Errors in the commentary, and locomotive numbers not matching the dialogue.

For those that model CNR, there is a rarish 'Canadas Largest Railway' box car at time 19:50.

In the Melville film, the CN '6500' at 'Boomer's' Send Off is really a 9000 series F7 as painted in the CN Freight Scheme.

( Never checked to see the Grill Type nor if it had an Elesco Bundle in the nose abaft the anticlimber )

Re the Vanderbilt 2-8-2s. It appears the locomotives were under steam, but the fires were out, on oil. Possibly 'On Spot' all day for NFB filming and would not have to be watched so closely with oil fires not lit? Maybe in stored serviceable/tallow awaiting the grain rush in the fall?

All the films were pleasing, regardless.

Thank You

[cx500]

daveklepper

........

I am uncertain, but the equipment looks like Vancouver, which had an extensive streetcar system, including wartime PCCs, and an interurban line.   Now, the mostly elevated linear-motor skytrain system, with a two-level subway portion in a fomer CP single-track tunnel.

 

The data as you open the link says it is Winnipeg, not Vancouver.  And that is correct, as evidenced by the weather.  The Canadian prairies can be brutally cold in winter.  Vancouver was probably green, maybe with daffodils out, on the same night.

Many Canadian cities had streetcar networks at one time, including some surprisingly small ones.  The large systems generally disappeared in the 1950s; the smaller ones earlier.  Only Toronto's network survived, mostly because the slower pace of its abandonment meant it survived long enough to become trendy again in the 1970s.

John

[daveklepper]

my comment on the other two films is to note how much railroading has changew, with very few passenger trains to forcde freights into sidings and unit trains and intermodal replacing most of loose-car railroading.   And the mechanization of track maintenance with crews responsible for longer distances.

But these are all great films and great historical records.

If any USA railroaders can point out differences with the Canadian practices illustrated, I'd like to know what they are.

[daveklepper]

I found the last film deeply moving.  It was a comment in passing, but we know Paul Yonkowitz survived the Nazi occupaton of Poland, and saw people, probably Jews, being led away.

Anyway, the occupaton survives in Jerusalem, just a few days each year, with the switch cleaners doing other maintenane work the majority of the time. 

I am uncertain, but the equipment looks like Vancouver, which had an extensive streetcar system, including wartime PCCs, and an interurban line.   Now, the mostly elevated linear-motor skytrain system, with a two-level subway portion in a fomer CP single-track tunnel.

[NDG]

Here are three 3 more NFB Films, the last OT.


CNR Turcot Yard, Montreal. Near end of steam.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/train_406


Melville, SK. Vanderbilt/Belpaire 2-8-2 oil burners.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/railroad_town


Off Topic, but, on rails.

https://www.nfb.ca/film/paul_tomkowicz_street_railway_switchman

Thank You.

[Yard Limit]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing that.

[THOMAS A MATZELL]

Absolutely wonderful railroad films on the NFB Canada site.  These are the best I have seen for that period.    

[BaltACD]

carnej1

Made your link "live"

http://www.nfb.ca/film/railroaders

A relatively accurate representation of the way things were - back in the day.  The only relation to today's operation is that trains are still running.

[carnej1]

Made your link "live"

http://www.nfb.ca/film/railroaders

[daveklepper]

Features the railroaders at and around Revelstoke and the classic CP Canadian

Well worth your time viewing:    www.nfb.ca/film/railroaders

right time of year