Railroad industry produced films from the mid-twentieth century describing

operations and the benefits of railroads to the American way of life.

Department of Defense and Civil Service films covering America's atomic weapons testing.

Volume 1       Color and B/W. Running time 80 minutes.

Big Trains Rolling Good film about American railroading, it's benefits and service to the public and industry. A subplot has a nice story about "Carol and Jimmy" travelling across the country by train and is a delight for children to watch.
Wheels of progress The story of the Rock Island Line.
Passenger Train The Santa Fe Chief and all its operations.
Operation Crossroads America's first atomic weapons test following WWII. Tests Able and Baker at Bikini Atol.

Volume 2       Color and B/W. Running time 87 minutes.

Mainline USA Our great country, made better by railroads.
At This Moment How railroads benefit us all.
A Great Railroad At Work The story of the New York New Haven & Hartford Railroad.
A Tale Of Two Cities Filmed by the US military following WWII showing the devistation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Duck And Cover The classic civil defense film on how to suvive a nuclear attack.

Volume 3       Color and B/W. Running time 97 minutes.

This Is My Railroad  The story of the Southern Pacific Railroad. A good one.
March Of Progress  The evolution of San Fransisco and its cable cars.
3rd Avenue El A surrealistic and somewhat disturbing essay of this New York line just before its demolition.
Stay Safe Stay Strong Makes the case for America's nuclear weapons deveopment and deployment.
Operation Cue Civil defense test to measure the destruction of homes and businesses by an atom bomb.

Volume 4       Color and B/W. Running time 88 minutes.

The Big Train  The story of the New York Central and it's progress. Company president Alfred Perlman then gives a lecture where he whines about competition from the trucking and airline industries.
Safe Roads  A Chevrolet film comparing automobile driving and driving a train. Corny story line and acting, but lots of good vintage shots of steam trains.
Coral Gables  Bonus Chevy commercial that has nice scenery and a toy train ride at the beach.
How to Survive an Atomic Attack  Civil Defense film showing how to get nuked properly.
The House in the Middle  Clean your yard and paint your house to make it safe from nuclear attack. Some veiled racism in this one.
Detroit News  A news reel showing lots of atom bomb tests and nuclear research.
Atom Bomb  Another news reel with som real good bomb blast footage.

Volume 5       Color and B/W. Running time 80 minutes.

Train Crash From 1913 California State Fair  A staged event where two steam engines collide head-on at 90 MPH.
Last of the Giants  The ubiquitous Union Pacific film about the Big Boy from which countless documentaries draw material.
Flight of the Century  The story of the New York Central's Twentieth Century Limited.
Panama Canal Train Ride  A film showing the importance of railroads during the construction of the Panama Canal.
Operation Fast Freight  The story of the Norfolk and Western Railway.
A is for Atom  What atomic energy is and how it will benefit all people of the future through peaceful uses. Can't wait for that free electricity!
About Fallout  A little fallout isn't so bad... it may even cure baldness.

Volume 6       Color. Running time 131 minutes.

Power Behind the Nation  A Norfolk & Western film that tells everything you could ever want to know about coal
Snow on the Run  The Southern Pacific has a tremendous workload clearing the snow in the High Sierras during the two snowiest winters in history.
Life-Line of a Nation A WWII propaganda film showing how railroads were of vital significance in America's war effort.
225,000 Mile Proving Ground  A railroad industry association film describing how railroads are tested, maintained and improved.
The Medical aspects of Nuclear Radiation  What radiation is and how it affects the human body.
Radiological Civil Defense The vast network of civil defense facilities and fallout shelters are shown and described. A propaganda film showing how America is prepared to survive, and ultimately win a nuclear conflict.