This 1976 Lionel promotional film presents a lyrical look at model railroading, and includes footage of the Lionel Rocket Launching Pad, the premier “Space Age” accessory that Lionel produced from 1958 until 1960. Lionel is an American toy manufacturer which had been founded in 1900. Their major claim to fame was their high quality toy locomotives and model railway accessories, including animated accessories shown in the film. The film opens with footage of the large toy railroad layout which includes Plasticville model industrial areas, towns and steel mills. O scale Lionel trains ride ceaselessly around the track (:52). A Western Pacific rail car (1:18). Other toy trains have Chesapeake and Ohio printed on their sides (1:34). The Pace Maker Freight Service cars carry and deliver cargo (2:14). The trains are seen crossing intersections marked with tiny appropriate street and rail signs (3:01). A Canadian Pacific rail car is viewed (3:42). Trains cut through tunnels carved into toy mountains (4:16). One locomotive takes a pit stop at a toy lumber mill and loads up with timber (5:15). A black Lionel rail car ejects its log load (5:24). The plastic toy logs are fed into a machine to be shredded (5:31). A rail line conductor zooms in and out of a railway station to check on one of the locomotives (5:50). Steel cylinders roll down onto a conveyor belt (5:57). A fork lift moves stacks of lumber removing some from the top of the pile (6:12). Green Lionel rail cars zoom by (6:28). From inside of a factory, a worker sets out yellow containers (6:42). A railway conductor moves back and forth across a board presenting arrivals and departures of the trains (7:41). A police car whips by with its alarm ringing out (8:25). A rail car filled with coal (8:52) is seen emptying its load (8:56). Coal is then loaded into a Lehigh Valley rail car (9:10). A plastic pedestrian grabs a newspaper from a Lionel news stand (9:14). Coal is delivered up and into the mill (9:29). As a crane swings back and forth over an industrial yard (10:16) a tune is heard about trains. The film turns to nighttime over the railway (10:28). Nuclear waste is shown being moved on railroad cars. Missiles launch and hit other rail cars, causing them to crack open (12:07). A Minuteman Missile concealed in a box car is seen being raised (12:19). A countdown is heard as a US Navy missile prepares to be launched from the Lionel Rocket Launching Pad (12:23). Equipment moves towards the missile (12:29). As a finger presses the launch button (13:00) the film switches to footage of an actual US Navy missile launching. Toy missiles are also launched (13:06) and the film concludes with shots of celebratory fireworks (13:16).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com