The Big Train (1950)

★★★★ · I been workin on the railroad... · donwert · 2014-01-10

Interesting film about the New York Central railroad from the 1950s. It depicts the assembly of a freight train in Chicago bound for New York, The last quarter of the film is an editorial complaining that railroads are unfairly treated by regulation and taxation compared with air and truck transportation, which use publically-financed roads and airports while railroad infrastructure is paid for by the railroads themselves---on which, to add insult to injury, the railroads have to pay property taxes! OY!

★★ · Like A Little Whine With Your Railroads? · Spuzz · 2016-03-08

Essentially two films, the Big Train combines a rather stirring voyage a freight train makes from Point A to Point B, with a unbelievable whining complaint from the Railroad's head honcho. Alfred Perlman. The film starts out with Perlman introducing the film we're about to see. With jarring narration (A Rod Serling wannabe?) the voyage of the train is told, filmed with great simplistic shots of the tracks going by, this part is actually quite exciting, with it's jarring music and melodrama. The real fun starts when Perlman, realizing that this film is not all about him, comes back on about 5…