California-1936: Hard Working Men Laying Railroad Track

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only. $149 flat from Stockfilm for documentary, news and educational use, plus internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Year1936
Decade1930s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1936 California

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Before you add to cart: Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement. Checkout will only offer editorial, educational, internal and social/web scopes.

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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.

Hard Working Men Laying Railroad Track — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1936, this archival footage captures a group of laborers working on a railroad track in California. Men in period attire, including hats and work clothes, are seen laying and securing tracks on a sunny day. One shirtless worker uses a hammer while others adjust the rails, with a rocky hillside and utility poles in the background. The footage offers a raw, authentic glimpse into early 20th-century manual labor and transportation infrastructure development.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: editorial use only Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127477069

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Editorial only Direct license: editorial use only. Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Editorial use only; commercial use is not offered for this clip. Review the flags below for your editorial context.

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 (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
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 Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

working
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Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1930s California infrastructure, railroad labor, and manual work sequences in documentary or educational edits.
Period detail: Work hats, hand tools, timber ties, exposed rail, and utility poles may show 1930s railroad maintenance or track-laying practices.
Home-movie behavior: The camera observes workers from close range beside the track, giving the scene an informal home-movie perspective rather than a staged industrial view.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include laborers, railroad rails, wooden ties, hammers or bars, rocky cut banks, utility poles, bright sun, and dark film-frame edges.
Film character: The 8mm scan has soft focus, visible grain, warm color, uneven exposure, and contact-sheet frame edges that preserve the physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as an insert, cutaway, or transition for railroad construction, Depression-era labor, or transportation infrastructure sequences.
Historical context: The clip shows men performing manual railroad work in an outdoor California setting, with period clothing and tools suggesting labor-intensive track maintenance.
Research note: People and faces are visible, so likeness and contextual review may be needed even where copyright status is separately assessed.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1930s California railroad workers, 8mm track laying footage, vintage laborers with hand tools, and home-movie rail construction.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the same reel, then other 1936 California material, then broader railroad labor, transportation work, or manual infrastructure footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1936 California 8mm frame showing laborers near railroad rails, with work clothes, hats, rocky slopes, and utility poles visible. — Laborers stand and work beside railroad track in a rocky cut.

Laborers in a California railroad cut appear to adjust or secure rails by hand, with ties, tools, and utility poles in view. — Workers bend over the rails while a standing man watches the track work.

1936 home-movie frame of men working along railroad rails in California, with a rocky embankment, timber ties, and utility poles behind them. — Men work along the track line in a sunlit railroad cut.

Men continue hand work on railroad rails in 1936 California footage, with rails, ties, tools, and hillside cut banks visible. — Laborers lean over the track as work continues along the rails.

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