A landslide on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad ties up traffic and throws employees into confusion until Dan Thorn, the railroad’s division superintendent, sets about clearing the debris. Realizing that his own men will not be able to clear the tracks quickly enough, Dan enlists the help of a group of hoboes hiding in a boxcar. Among the hoboes is Larry Doyle, a former railroad engineer discharged for insubordination who refuses to work until Dan bests him in a fight. Dan, who boards with retired railroad man Ed Ryan and his daughter Mary, is in love with Mary and hopes to marry her. Although Mary is resigned to marrying Dan because she is grateful to him for his kindness to her and her father, she does not love him. One day, while visiting the railroad yard, Mary meets Larry, whom Dan has hired as a fireman, and the two fall in love. Despite her feelings, Mary refuses to break her engagement to Dan, who plans to marry her when he is given a vacation. On the night of a party during which they will announce their plans, Dan is angered by an emergency call about a washout on the line, but resigns himself to doing one last job for the railroad before his marriage. After Dan and the partygoers leave, a tearful Mary goes to her bedroom, followed by Larry, who convinces her that they should run away together. Later, as the couple walks through the rain along the railroad tracks, Larry’s foot becomes stuck in an electric switch as a train approaches. Having been told of the lovers’ elopement, an enraged Dan finds them on the tracks, but when he realizes that Larry’s foot is trapped, he saves his rival’s life by pulling him to safety. Without enough time to situate himself far enough away from the tracks, when the train passes, Dan is struck and suffers a serious head injury. When the local doctor reveals that Dan will certainly die within a few hours unless he has a brain operation that can only be performed at a Chicago hospital, Larry drives the train, shattering the speed record to Chicago. Several weeks later, when a recovering Dan arrives back in town, he gives his blessing to Mary and Larry, who have stayed by his side, and decides to get back to the work he loves.More on Wikipedia
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