Life-Line of the Nation (circa 1944, sound)

all right thank you [Music] to a nation that war nothing is more vital than transportation for only that Nation possessing efficient mass transport facilities could hope to survive the ordeal of modern conflict fortunate are we to be a nation whose economy has ever been geared to the steel rail and the driving locomotive as never before is a war of movement today unquestionably the American railroads are the very backbone of the nation's transportation system to them has fallen the formidable responsibility of keeping uninterrupted streams of raw materials flowing to maintain production of delivering foods and essential products to civilian consumer keeping troops and supplies moving to Invasion fronts handling the incredible phenomenon of wartime travel only by Smashing every Transportation record can the job be done America's railroads are determined a job will be done toward that goal they know but one motto keep on rolling even before the outbreak of the Nazi bid for World Supremacy far-seeing men of America's railroads were planning for any emergency at conference tables in Washington the nation's foremost Transportation experts formulated with government officials and military strategists the most effective use of rail facilities should this nation be forced into conflict for they well knew that should War come this time it would be Total War that the most effective use of the railroads would in Great Park determined the ability of the nation to resist thank you then with unexpected suddenness came the treachery of December 7th [Music] but loss of life is feared to be heavy the Jeff bombers came over Honolulu in successive waves tons of Demolition and incendiary bombs were loosed on airfields and harbor installations there is little doubt but that Congress will be called into extraordinary session to declare a state of War to exist between confronted with the most critical undertaking in her history the nation looked to her transportation to her railroads for Assurance of stamina ability and readiness how far the blood tide of aggression would penetrate depended on the speed with which the strength of the nation could be mobilized fully cognizant of their tremendous responsibility utilizing every available car every piece of equipment proof and Supply trains destinations obscured by rigid rules of military security were diverted for immediate activation of trained fighting units this was no rehearsal no practice maneuver this was the real thing this was war benefiting from A Century of hard-earned experience men and machines representing every branch of military service were loaded with flawless efficiency [Music] um with the Precision of a well-rehearsed miracle the nation's railroads were started rolling [Music] pounding relentlessly over never-ending steel paved highways here was a spectacle of unity and action to give dictators nightmares here was unqualified Assurance at the American railroads would meet every demand of the Grim struggle to which they and the nation were irrevocably committed foreign into embarkation areas on schedules meticulously planned to avoid congestion forward weapons Munitions men and supplies countless trainloads of every conceivable component of logistical planning to bestowed aboard waiting transports without delay to any Convoy thank you the might of the mightiest of Nations was gathering momentum by moving men and material with unprecedented speed and efficiency just as surely the American railroads were contributing to that momentum soon decisive battles would be fought on far-flung Invasion fronts on the home front the Battle of Transportation had already begun thank you foreign [Music] demands of total wardrobe America's railroads accept the increasing burden with equally Grim determination today with 26 000 fewer locomotives and 600 000 fewer Freight cars they are carrying double the enormous Freight volumes of World War One [Music] but notwithstanding and in the face of heavy drains on trained Manpower the service and dependability manifests through Decades of progressive Administration to the nation's every Transportation requirement knows no relaxation raw materials food every commitment foreign and domestic is an uncompromising obligation [Music] modern war is waged with steel from mines far removed iron ore indispensable ingredient of Steel depends upon rail transport to initiate the heavy movements to distance reduction plants [Music] each train loads a veritable mountain of embryonic striking power the rich ore is delivered to a specially constructed docks there to be dumped into enormous Lake carriers which share the weight of wartime commitments [Music] this coordination of lake and land transport is of incalculable importance in maintaining deliveries commensurate with every production requirement yeah equally as important in the achievement of industrial Supremacy is coal in war or in peace the leading commodity handled by the railroads in volumes to stagger the imagination the movement is endless a veritable conveyor belt leading directly into the nation's homes into America's teaming industrial plants then has no geared together under the stimulus of Total War the timely juncture of every rail transported essential melds with a skill of American industry to culminate in fiery rivers of molten power foreign only a small percentage of Eastern oil requirements before the outbreak of hostilities the railroads were called upon to perform another Transportation Miracle the movement of up to 100 times their normal daily volume so with typical American adaptability they became a moving pipeline from fields to shortage areas to Ocean terminals or Tran shipment to fighting fronts [Music] from beginning exception the railroads are inextricably integrated into every facet of the nation's economy into every phase the nation's tremendous war effort sure we're building ships we're building plenty of them but we're not building them by ourselves there isn't a steel mill within hundreds of miles of here but we're building no ships out of steel there isn't a force within a thousand miles of here but we're getting the lumber to build our ship from stem to stern almost every part has to be brought in without the railroad there wouldn't be any ships they're building them just as much as we are take it from me those guys are doing a great job [Music] thank you unlike World War One when Transportation all but broke down due to unloading bottlenecks at terminals this war finds such occurrences practically non-existent in Washington the freight car movements on every railroad are closely checked through information received by the Association of American railroads should the particular terminal have too many unloaded cars on hand immediate investigation determines whether further movements to that location should be temporarily discontinued [Music] yeah I know but if I don't keep that stuff in those cars I won't have room in my warehouse for some important stuff is coming in I'm sorry you'll have to get your Freight unloaded and release these cards if you don't want an embargo and vote against you [Music] by adhering to reasonable time limits on loadings and unloading shippers and receivers are playing their vital part in this crucial Battle of Transportation are supplying the railroads with literally thousands of additional cars to keep them rolling right contributing heavily toward creating the greatest pool of carrying capacity ever conceived is one of the common places of American Commerce the fact that the cars of any railroad move unrestricted over the rails of all other lines [Music] the next time you see a freight train look mostly you'll count almost as many different trademarks as you will cars foreign [Music] relieving the necessity of transferring cargos at the Terminus of each individual railroad this Cooperative policy among the operating companies has long been an important factor in keeping Warf rates moving in making 10 Mile Freight charges in the United States the lowest of any country in the world [Music] attesting to the scope of progressive railroading especially designed ships Ferry fully loaded trains across bridgeless waterways returning them to the rails to perpetuate The Continuous motion demanded by Commerce and the exigencies of Total War meanwhile Beyond borders which know no fortifications the strength of working principles of international understanding has long been exemplified by the bands of Steel which come war or peace interlock the enviable Destinies of three nations of an entire continent foreign is the unparalleled performance of America's railroad but behind this crucial Battle of Transportation stands the American railroad employee bravely concerned with growing shortages of materials equally Gravely aware of the disastrous consequences should he fail the nation's critical Transportation requirements each and every one of America's million and a half railroaders is stretching Ingenuity thin to service and repair Irreplaceable equipment thank you [Music] Frank the very foundation of the efficiency and dependability known only to rail transport must be constantly inspected and maintained to keep warframes rolling [Music] and with it all domestic operations no no great disruption a letter arrives from overseas on time an important package is delivered by Railway Express on time multi-power and passenger equipment freed of the grit and dirt of just completed runs is methodically serviced and ready to start driving again on time [Music] every three seconds of the day and night another train is started rolling rolling in the face of every obstacle because every Railroader all along the line is putting behind that movement the spirit of a free and in violent America aware intensely conscious of his Heritage the Railroader is proud that his is one of America's mightiest most vital Industries planned and built to the faith and unstenting courage of free men and Enterprise today as from the very beginning America's railroads are fighting to maintain to justify those principles on which they were founded are expending every energy to ensure that in this land independent opportunity shall never be denied together foreign [Music] ER returns to the peace and security of his home and reads of the progress being made his is the honest satisfaction that the effort he expended that day helped provide another gun another plane which made that progress possible and He will sleep with the firm resolved to do even more tomorrow or he knows that by his efforts he is helping to bring ever close to the end of conflict and a rebirth of respect for the decencies of mankind [Music] he knows that this is a war which must be won he knows that this is a war which will be won he knows that out of this Crucible out of this laboratory of death and destruction must emerge an even greater United States of America mature strong respected that benefiting from knowledge earned under the stimulus of Total War will come an even greater network of Steel rails dedicated to the peace progress and prosperity which this time and for all must endure he knows that the pattern of things to come is replete with demands and plans for ever greater mass transportation combining standards and refinements with service and dependability hitherto one dreamed of a degree of safety with speed and low-cost travel Comfort never before experienced [Music] given the means the opportunity to build new cars new facilities new Motive Power to replace that being expended to one swerving Devotion to conscience and Country it will be the railroads to continue to fulfill those obligations for which they alone are naturally and inherently fitted Theirs to continue to transport the bulk of the product and peoples of an era wrought of unrestricted opportunity foreign faith in the perpetuation of the fundamentals of democracy at War and at peace the railroads will ever remain an exemplification of the power the permanent strength of those principles today they are confronted with the gravest responsibility in the annals of Transportation the struggle may be long the demands increasingly ponderous but with confidence in the future and a future beyond the American railroads are keeping them rolling [Music] unwarying in their efforts unfaltering in their trust they are the lifelines of the nation [Music] foreign