Look at that! Honest-to-God steel, iron, smoke and sweat American industry!
The way it was and it way it should be. What have we lost?
By the way, try and find yourselves a copy of "A Great Railroad At Work," one of the best railroad promotional fims ever made, all about the New Haven as it was in 1941. Takes you everywhere, even into those roaring shops.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
A scene repeated hundreds of times all across the country. It built the country, won wars. There was pride and craftsmanship. Most of all you had dignity with and in your work. If you told someone in that scene that in a mere ten years time from now it would be rapidly vanishing and in 15 years be extinct altogether they would have thought you were looney, you would not be taken seriously. Same thing up here. There is nothing wrong headed about a policy of full employment, or dignity in work. Wall St. bonuses were not double the combined wages of the entire continent. CEO's and such made good money, but not THAT much money. Not EHH money.
Those were simplier, and I realize, flawed times. Too bad we could not combine the best of what we have and know today with the best of what we had then. That would be a paradise.
The halls of Baldwin and Lima, the backshops of the Milwaukee Road and Chesapeake and Ohio , rows of NYC Hudsons and Mohawks, C&NW ten wheelers and Zeppelins still exist within many of us here at Trains Classic Forum and we know...we know it was all too good too last.
Hopefully it all still exists in time somewhere and one day we can get there.
Miningman, one of the wisest things Mr. Charles Dickens ever wrote was "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
No age was ever perfect, but as a student of history I can tell you as flawed as some times in the past were it wasn't all bad, despite what some sourpusses might think. Some eras were better than others of course, but human beings are resiliant, they make do, they survive and endure, and sometimes, if not most times, they still find ways to enjoy themselves.
Simpler times? Not nesse-celery. Stronger times, prouder times, certainly.
And thanks for posting "A Great Railroad At Work" Balt, so everyone can enjoy it. I'll tell you, for me the end of the film has a poignency that I'm sure the filmaker never intended. There's the rear-end brakeman standing on the caboose platform as the Night Freight recedes into the darkness. Our visit to the old New Haven is over, and the brakeman and the train are going back into the past where they have to be and where we can't follow. As he goes, he gives us a wave. You know what? I always wave back. So long Pop, maybe I'll get to meet you one day...
Wouldn't you love to explore that!
Here's one I wish I could have seen!
NYC/CUT shops at Collinwood for the big P1a's.
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
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