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A frame from The Railroad Builder

1911Thanhouser Company1,000 feetDrama

The Railroad Builder

No copy you can watch online. No print is known to survive. What follows is what does: the release, the cast, the story, and what the trade press said at the time.

The story

“The construction of a new railroad, designed to bring prosperity to a section of the country, brings sorrow to one home. An aged invalid finds that his home must give way to progress, as the line is designed to cut through his homestead, which has been in his family for generations. He fights, of course, but the property is condemned and a legal battle ends in defeat. The old man’s grief arouses the sympathy of his daughter, who tries to succeed where he has failed. She visits the railroad president, and makes an appeal to him, but he curtly rebuffs her, and she returns home, thoroughly despondent. A young farmer, who has vainly sought to win her, sees a chance to win her gratitude, and perhaps her love. He arouses the neighbors, and brings them in a body to the girl’s home. There they promise their aid, determined to drive the construction gang away from that territory. Their anger is more fully aroused after the girl has told them how she has been warned away when she told the workers to leave the property.

“When the farmers arrive at the spot they find that the workmen have knocked off for the day. They wreck the work already done, and seeing a big pile of railroad ties, set them on fire. The young engineer in charge of the work arrives after the blaze is well under way, but speedily sees that he and his men cannot hope to cope with the flames. He rushes to a horse and decides to ride to a nearby town where there is a fire department, and summon the aid of men who can really aid him. But the farmer sees him, binds him, and tells him that no help can reach him. Then they leave him in the woods. The girl has seen this action. The conduct of her neighbors surprises her and causes her terror. She never contemplated arson. And then the young engineer is only one of the evaders who had spoken pleasantly to her when she had ordered his party away. She decides to save him, and bring assistance. She mounts the horse and gallops away, arriving in the town exhausted but still in time to bring the engines before the flames had swept everything away. The engineer realizes that he owes everything to the girl. She sees that her father’s objection to a public improvement was uncalled for, and induces him to withdraw his objections. And the fire that was lighted as a torch of vengeance becomes the beacon light of a happy love.”

Summary from The Moving Picture World · 13 May 1911

What the papers said

4 reviews

“A very clever story with a highly interesting setting and showing in its unfolding, an enormous fire scene which is the best of this kind the pictures have ever shown. Old Mr. Reed is informed that a new railroad is to be run through his property. His daughter petitions the president of the road to change the route but is …

Read in full · 1 min

“A very clever story with a highly interesting setting and showing in its unfolding, an enormous fire scene which is the best of this kind the pictures have ever shown. Old Mr. Reed is informed that a new railroad is to be run through his property. His daughter petitions the president of the road to change the route but is unsuccessful. The men come to build the road and the girl orders them off the property. She, of course, unheeded and exhausted, drops to the ground for a little rest. The head engineer finds her and takes her home. The farmers are appealed to to prevent the destruction of Reed’s farm and they set fire to a large number of creosoted ties. The engineer puts his men to work trying to stop the fire while he starts to go for help on horseback. The farmers capture him and bind him to a tree to prevent this. The girl then changes her mind about the stopping the construction of the railroad with such methods as are being employed by the farmers, so rides a horse herself, calling the fire department. She then releases the engineer. The fire is finally put out after many spectacular scenes and the work on the road progresses. The girl now admires the engineer for the manner in which he is taken care of his undertaking and the two are entirely reconciled, an interesting love affair being started.”

The Billboard · 13 May 1911

“This film easily ranks with the top notchers of the past few weeks, taking all manufacturers’ productions into consideration. It is easily conceived that the story was written around the fire shown in the film, but regardless of this fact (which rather enhances the picture than otherwise) it is an entertaining offering, as viewed from the story writer’s standpoint. The …

Read in full · 1 min

“This film easily ranks with the top notchers of the past few weeks, taking all manufacturers’ productions into consideration. It is easily conceived that the story was written around the fire shown in the film, but regardless of this fact (which rather enhances the picture than otherwise) it is an entertaining offering, as viewed from the story writer’s standpoint. The theme is quite logical, although it is not entirely likely of happening, but it assuredly could occur and unquestionably such happenings have occurred under similar circumstances. The fire scenes are remarkable photographic reproductions, showing the fire engines, firemen with hose playing on real roaring flames, while the more expansive views of the whole range of railroad ties aflame are exceedingly fine pictures. It is needless to say that the film scored a very big hit, and it is one that every picture ‘fan’ should see.”

REVIEW in “Film Charts,” The Moving Picture News, May 13, 1911:

“Start: Flame

“Finish: Smoke

“Moral: Even fire can’t hold some back

“Reception: Hearty

“Biggest moment: The girl freeing the builder”

The Morning Telegraph · 14 May 1911

More reviews2 · 20 May 1911 – 17 May 1911

20 May 1911The Moving Picture World1 min

This review is reprinted in the narrative section of the present work.

17 May 1911The New York Dramatic Mirror1 min

“This is a story built around a real fire in a railroad yard where a large quantity of construction material was destroyed. The scenes and atmosphere are therefore fine, and the theme of the story is excellent, being the opposition of an old farmer to permitting the railroad company to cross his land, ending in the neighbors setting fire to the ties. The scene where the ties were fired was not quite convincing, as they looked too substantial to be sent into a blaze from two or three small torches. The love story that was worked in was a little short of foolish and carried no gripping interest. But for this weakness the film might have ranked high. After the neighbors had started the blaze and tied the railroad company’s construction engineer to a tree, the farmer’s daughter got cold feet and went for the fire company. She also released the captive engineer and the next day agreed to marry him.”

Have you seen this film, or a print of it?

Prints of films thought lost still turn up in attics, private collections and archives. A record like this one is how the next one gets found.

Tell us about a print

Cast and crew

No cast or crew is credited in the surviving sources for this film. Bowers records the title and the release; the names did not come with them.

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More about this film

Posters and media
Still for The Railroad Builder

From Volume II: Filmography of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. Read the history of 1911 →

Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “The Railroad Builder”. thanhouser.org/films/the-railroad-builder/

Where a print is held

Held by
No print known