Dozens stranded for days aboard snowbound streamlined train headed for California

[mahatmakanejeeves]

The classic video about railroad operations in the snow:

Snow (1963 film)

Snow is a short documentary film made by Geoffrey Jones for British Transport Films in 1962-1963. The 8-minute-long film shows the efforts of British Railways staff in coping with the 1963 United Kingdom cold wave. An example of "pure cinema", it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1965.

The film had its origins in primary research for a documentary about the British Railways Board. Jones' test research coincided with one of the coldest winters on record, and Jones approached BTF producer Edgar Anstey with the idea to contrast the comfort of the passengers with the efforts of the railway workmen in keeping trains going in the frozen conditions. Work began on the documentary straight after gaining approval, and Jones and cameraman Wolfgang Suschitzky travelled around the country filming scenes for the rest of the winter.

The film was edited to a re-recorded version of Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" by Johnny Hawksworth, expanded to twice its original length by accelerating the tempo over the duration of the film. BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Daphne Oram then added various effects to the soundtrack.

See also

Snowdrift at Bleath Gill - a 1955 film showing the efforts of British Railways workmen freeing a goods train stuck in a snowdrift on the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway.

I've never seen this one before:

Snowdrift at Bleath Gill

Snowdrift at Bleath Gill is a 1955 British Transport Film documentary directed by Kenneth Fairbairn. The 10-minute-long film presents a first-hand account of a team of British Railways workmen freeing a goods train stuck in a snowdrift on the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway at Bleath Gill in the Pennines on the border between County Durham, Yorkshire and Westmoreland. A fine example of an industrial documentary, the British Film Institute call it "One of the most outstanding films of its kind".

[IronLionZion]

1. This is awesome footage, thanks for sharing

I just watched Murder on the Orient Express where there was some snowy train scenes. When a train is derailed by avalanche, is a prime time to commit murder and/or investigate it.

[safeinOhio]

2. The Blizzard of the Century....PBS

https://www.pbs.org/video/nebraska-stories-blizzard-1949/

[Canoe52]

3. Thanks for sharing!

[rzemanfl]

4. Just recently learned about this one.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/1910-stevens-pass-avalanche-still-deadliest-in-us-history/

[unc70]

5. Fascinating

An incredible amount of shoveling by hand. One thing consistent across all the films.

Interesting to learn about the tracks having miles and miles of roof through the Donner Pass. When that film was made, all but five miles of these track sheds had been eliminated.

Thanks for a great post.