Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental Railroad
The Railroad Series combines still pictures & drawings w/ live action gathered from historic operating railroads throughout the U.S. & Canada. Building a railroad across the continent to the Pacific Ocean had been on people's minds almost from the beginning. Doing it, however would take a lot of time and money. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, but the Civil War delayed construction. After the war, money came through land grants, and the race was on! This is the exciting story of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific. The building of the first transcontinental is one of the most astounding achievements in the history of the railroad. Originally shot on film.
Transcontinental Railroad
Panning LS desolate desert hills; diss to panning MS iron rail, railroad work camp & tents in BG. Nice MS old American flag w/20 stars flying from flagpole, blue sky BG. Good CU antique telegraph on table; MS men in 19th century clothing at table w/ telegraph.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Archival photos of historic Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, May 10, 1869-- the meeting of two railways spanning ocean to ocean.
Transcontinental Railroad
Panning MS old iron railroad tracks in country. Nice LS of rocky New England beach & ocean, lighthouse on inlet in BG. H/a TLS large rocks jutting from ocean near California shore.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Credits over image of old steam engine locomotive traveling through prairie.
Transcontinental Railroad
Historical reenactment of replica of early steam train Tom Thumb traveling through countryside, two older Caucasian men in 19th century dress manning engine. Panning LS steam engine locomotive passing through country, horse grazing in yellow field; TLS/MSs train w/ cow catcher through wooded area; l/a shot train over bridge.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Color map of United States circa 1850s, states in green and territories in yellow.
Transcontinental Railroad
Nice TLS stagecoach pulled by two mules moving through prairie at sunset. MS horses and wagon passing cam. MS maiden on bow of tall mast clipper ship Balclutha, zoom out to TLS mess of riggings. Panning LS Panama jungle; TLS Panama railroad rail car; shot of view from train traveling through jungle.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Map.
Transcontinental Railroad
Great CU Confederate flag (Stars and Bars), zoom out to MS flag flying from pole. Great MS of antique American flag with 34 stars forming one large star in blue field. TLS man riding horse away from camera, through snowy field (reenacting the Pony Express). Tilting MS of telegraph pole. Good historical re-enactment of U.S. Civil War: Union soldiers on horseback at tent camp; artillery unit firing cannons, smoke filling air.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Map of the United States.
Transcontinental Railroad
Panning LS semi-arid desert area. Panning LS snowy mountains dotted by evergreen trees. LS/TLSs great wafts of smoke rising from old steam train traveling through scenic winter landscape, snow abounding. LS steam engine train in prairie.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Map. Archival illustrations & stills of bustling Old West towns, late 1800s. Archival still of Central Pacific trustees Colis Huntington.
Transcontinental Railroad
LS train moving steam engine train moving along track.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Still of Mark Hopkins
Transcontinental Railroad
LS train moving steam engine train moving along track.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Still of Leland Stanford.
Transcontinental Railroad
LS train moving steam engine train moving along track.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Still of Charles Crocker.
Transcontinental Railroad
High angle LS looking down at river, shadow of train passing on overhead bridge is seen.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Map. Archival stills of Union Pacific president Thomas Durant.
Transcontinental Railroad
Nice panning TLS Iron Horse with cow catcher crossing small bridge on prairie.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Archival still of General Grenville Dodge, followed by stills of railroad construction: surveyors, graders, bridge & tunnel crews, and track layers.
Transcontinental Railroad
TLS rain clouds over prairie. L/a shot of "burning sun" with flares aplenty. Panning WLS western plain landscape, mountains in BG. Great MSs statue of mounted American Indian brave holding spear in silhouette, sunset sky in BG.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Illustration of Native American destroying railroad track.
Transcontinental Railroad
Recreation MS of mounted U.S. Cavalry soldiers carrying American flag. TLS snowy expanse of High Sierra Mountains. CU pickaxe chipping at rock wall. Great subjective POV reverse angle shot of train traveling through manmade cut through rock mountain. Historical reenactment MS/CUs of Chinese laborer wearing dishpan straw hat and black pajamas (no pigtail) chipping at rock wall with pickaxe, working on transcontinental railroad. Shot of light at end of dark tunnel, zoom out to shot of tunnel entrance. Subjective POV shot train entering & exiting dark tunnel, coming out to scenic winter scene of snowy mountains, landscape.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Archival stills of Chinese laborers working on railroad.
Transcontinental Railroad
Panning LS snowy Sierra mountains. H/a MS rails speeding by, shot from moving train. Panning MS hooves of horse pulling Union Pacific cart along rails, man's feet dangling from cart; good CU wheels spinning. Panning TLS tents at rail worker base camp (recreation).
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Archival stills of Old West base camps, followed by shots of Union Pacific management, including Thomas Durant, conferring aboard train.
Transcontinental Railroad
Panning LS snowy valley, lake & mountains in Sierras.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Archival stills work crews constructing railroad, protective snow sheds.
Transcontinental Railroad
TLSs old wooden snow shed covered in, well, snow. MSs American Indian brave wearing buckskin shirt & bowler-like hat standing or sitting aboard train (recreation). TLSs steam locomotive traveling through plain. Panning l/a TLS old wooden rail bridge.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: Illustration Promontory Point, Utah.
Transcontinental Railroad
Historical reenactment of Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah, May 10, 1869: panning TLS tent camp by rails; TLS two steam trains facing one another; funny MSs men representing Leland Stanford & Thomas Durant missing spike with hammer; panning MS telegraph pole & wires against blue sky; panning TLS row of telegraph poles along plain; CUs barrels of cannons; CU/MSs bells in belfries ringing; TLS two Union soldier firing cannon; traveling shot of steam train speeding along rails; MS "Central Pacific Railroad" sign at train station; MSs young Caucasian man wearing red vest & white shirt processing train ticket for passenger form inside barred ticket office. TLS/LSs steam engine locomotives traveling through plains, spewing smoke; nice h/a WLS of train cutting through floor of green valley. Recreation TLS cowboys driving longhorn (Texas cattle drive); MS longhorn bulls. TLS old Wichita train station. TLSs empty stockyards and wooden livestock rail cars (cattle cars). Details of archival newspaper advertisements for railroads. Nice WLS prairie with heavy rain clouds. MS old-timey conductor with back to camera waving hat, saying, "All aboard!" Jumpy MSs two Caucasian men being jostled about early railcar. More shots steam engine trains traveling on tracks.
Transcontinental Railroad
DO NOT SELL: End Credits.