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Diesel Story (1952)

Traces the development of the diesel from the Otto 'SILENT' gas engine of 1877, through Rudolph Diesel's engine, to the machines that now drive ships, trains, tractors, trucks and cars.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Production Company: Shell Oil Company
Audio/Visual: sound, B&W
Keywords: need keyword

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - February 3, 2006
Subject: Chug-a Chug-a Chug-a Chug-a...
This rather dry film, sponsored by Shell Oil, tells the story of the development of the diesel engine. Lots of engines are shown, and they way that they work is described in detail. If youve ever wondered just what fuel injection is, then this is your movie. The dry scenes of internal combustion are broken up in the middle of the film by footage from a German movie about the life of Rudolf Dieselwe get to see the dramatic moment when the engine finally works! Then its back to more boring mechanical diagrams. Still, this could have been a lot more tedious than it is, if only by being longer. And the opening and closing credits are wonderfully designed, adding to the interest of the film. Grease monkeys should enjoy this, others will find it to be a 3-star film if ever there was one.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.

Reviewer: Jamison Bissell - - April 5, 2004
Subject: Diesel Story
While this film maybe very dated it is very interesting. If you are a collecter or restorer of old engines you will find this film fascinating. Imagine being able to see old engines that look like new running and hearing them run. It is also full of information about the history of heat engines. This film will really be of interest only to those that have antique engines and their history.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - September 8, 2003
Subject: The little engine that could
Fairly numbing history of the diesel engine. From the birth of the steam engines, scientist were always looking out for ways to make engines faster and more fuel economical. The secret seemed to rely on the pistons, I guess. I am not that mechanically inclined, so this was a bit beyond my league. Quite interesting to see the stock footage they used though, which was credited at the end, from a German and Swedish movie.