The Roar of the Rails is an American children's television series

Children's television series

Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...

 that aired on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 from October to December 1948, and in October to December 1949. Each episode is 15 minutes long and was essentially a live commercial for the A. C. Gilbert Company

A. C. Gilbert Company

The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set to the marketplace....

. The series is notable as being one of the first infomercials to air on a major television network.

Overview

To sell American Flyer electric trains and other A.C. Gilbert products, the live series appeared for the eight weeks leading to Christmas 1948 and again in 1949. The format featured a retired railroad worker reminiscing dramatically about olden times. Each story featured actors plus in-studio electric trains and elaborate layouts to substitute for authentic train footage as the old-timer told his grandson exciting stories of earlier times in railroading.

Episode status

Seven 1949 kinescoped episodes of the series exist at the Library of Congress in the J. Fred and Leslie W. MacDonald Collection. The episodes contain complete commercials for American Flyer electric trains, Erector sets, Microscopes,and Chemistry sets.
The episodes include:

1. "Episode at Red Gulch Siding" (aired October 24, 1949)
2. "Runaway Trains" (aired October 31, 1949)
3. "The Johnstown Flood" (aired November 7, 1949)
4. "Operation Explosion" (aired November 14, 1949)
5. "Death Valley Scotty" (aired November 21, 1949)
6. "Baltimore Fire" (aired November 28, 1949)
7. "Acme Plant Fire" (aired December 12, 1949)