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Home/Browse/California USA-1936: Railroad Workers Clearing Tracks By Hand In The Early Days

California USA-1936: Railroad Workers Clearing Tracks By Hand In The Early Days

  • Year1936
  • Decade1930s
  • LocationCalifornia, United States
  • Duration5s
  • Price$149 USD
  • Collection1936 California
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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Railroad Workers Clearing Tracks By Hand In The Early Days — Clip Details

Black-and-white 8mm home movie footage from California, USA, in 1936 shows a line of railroad workers manually clearing tracks in a rural, arid landscape. Men in period work clothes bend over the rails, using hand tools to remove debris and maintain the line. The camera, likely handheld from a moving train, captures the workers from a low angle as they labor along the curved track. The grainy, high-contrast image and dark frame borders are characteristic of vintage 8mm film. The scene evokes the hard labor and infrastructure development of the early 20th century.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format
8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details
Black & white
Resolution
4K Digitally Restored
License
Royalty-Free Direct from Stockfilm
Delivery
Instant Digital Download
Duration
5s
Price
$149 USD
Clip ID
121505213

Rights & Clearance

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

  • People visible: Yes
  • Minors visible: No
  • Logos / trademarks: No
  • Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel
Reel record not linked for this clip
Date
1936 Estimated (Based on visual or technical evidence.)
Date evidence
Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no independent reel-level note corroborates it.
Location
California, United States Estimated (Based on visual or technical evidence.)
Location evidence
Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no independent reel-level note corroborates it.
Licensing route
Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation RecordRequest source information

Topics & Keywords

  • chain gang workers
  • early days
  • railroad workers
  • track clearing
  • hard work
  • railroad
  • workers
  • clearing
  • tracks
  • hand
  • early
  • days
  • chain
  • gang
  • labor
  • education
  • california USA
  • 1936
  • 1936 railroad workers
  • California 1936
  • hand labor
  • manual track maintenance
  • early 20th century labor
  • vintage 8mm film
  • 8mm home movie
  • archival railroad footage
  • historical labor
  • rural America
  • black and white film
  • grainy footage
  • railroad maintenance
  • manual labor
  • historical documentary
  • vintage home movie
  • 1930s America
  • railroad history
  • old film
  • 8mm footage

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit
Useful for 1930s California railroad, manual labor, public works, transport infrastructure, and Depression-era rural work sequences in documentary or educational edits.

Still Frames From This Clip

In 1936 California home-movie footage, a group of workers appears to clear or inspect a curved railroad track by hand.
Railroad workers bend along the track while others stand farther up the line.

Visually Similar Clips

← Previous in archiveCalifornia USA-1936: Building Train TrackNext in archive →California USA-1936: Railroad Workers Working Hard
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