The New Haven in "A Great Railroad at Work" (1942)

This is a really good film of the New Haven Railroad at its best. It shows both passenger and freight operations, with scenes in Boston, New Haven and New York City. It includes both trackside and on-board scenes, as well as a number of extended shots of the locomotive shops and carfloat operations. Locomotives seen include the streamlined I-5 4-6-4 Hudsons, R-1 and R-3 4-8-2’s, EP-4 electrics, several early diesels, and, at the very beginning a G-3 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler. Jam Handy Productions, who made the film on behalf of the New Haven, did an excellent job on it. It appears to use authentic location sound, and continuity has been maintained throughout. Plus they hired Lowell Thomas to narrate! I have edited a few minutes from the film, including a message from the president of the railroad and two sub-plots involving a bicycle shipment and a child’s first train trip alone.