Railfanning with the Bednars Volume 18

Producer: John Pechulis

Locations: Allentown

Timeframe: 1988- 89

Length: 59 minutes

Source: Joe Bednar (videotape)

Been slow to pickup an early videotape from the Bednar series. Perceived a significant drop in picture quality versus the film sourced shows. Yes, noticeable difference.

The positive is that good Conrail, plus D&H trains are out in force. On the other hand, Mike Bednar’s narration continues on a rather negative/ downward trend. Long past the time to stop grinding on Ardmore. Hates CSX paint, too! Relax, dude…

October, 1988 to June, 1989 for this release. Delaware and Hudson is seen in Allentown. Some Guilford painted power. Plenty of Norfolk Southern locomotives. CSX on Delaware and Hudson moves. A little bit of Susquehanna.

A single DVD-R. Main Chapter Menu. No maps or any extras. Mike Bednar narrative. Audio levels favor the voiceover. Narration is loud. Trains are lower and sound muted – even on the big stereo.

To the Trains…

Train ALSR approaches Burn in October, 1988. AL designation for Allentown. SR is not disclosed. Conrail 3219 leads.

Conrail train Mail 9. Led by a General Electric locomotive number 5035. These 5000 series were targeted for Mail Train service.

At the familiar curve called Allen. CSX 7051 still wearing Family Lines livery.

Access seems focused to Burn, Allen, and the yard leads at the Western end. Note the fuzzy picture. The vertical lines on both sides appear intermittently but frequently throughout this show.

Videography is a step down from the earlier sharp film based shows. Many grab shots appear handheld. Continuing focus problems. While the assorted power lash-ups are interesting. The lower video quality is a drag.

D&H PYRP goes through Allentown Yard with CSX locomotives. 6521 GP40 leads. November,  1988.

The Allentown Conrail tracks are very  busy! Plenty of foreign power in the lash-ups. CSX and Norfolk Southern are commen.  There are still some cabooses in service.

Former Reading 7412 is a D&H patch job. Note the Susquehanna F45 in the lashup at Burn. In this show, CP Burn is a regular hangout for Joe Bednar.

Couple of freights at the West End.

He shoots at the West End of Allenton Yard. These SD40-2 engines head both moves in 1989. Action is viewed on the ground. The panoramic yard views are very limited in Volume 18.

ALCA adds to the street blockage. Even Pops complains about more SD40s. Those were the standard and seemingly everywhere. The progression of railroad standardization. Good for railroads. Less interesting for those who went trackside.

D&H

Guilford painted Delaware & Hudson on the West End.

Conrail N5C

Conrail caboose at Allentown in 1989.

Railfanning with the Bednars Volume 18.

I passed on some earlier Bednar videotape based shows. Pretty much what I expected here. The timeframes are close. Not a whole bunch changes for Conrail in a short window. Yes, the D&H plus Susquehanna offer the most noticeable changes in this latter part of the long running series. A fine variety on the D&H trains.

There are videotape flaws throughout the show. Good colors. Focus is a problem throughout. It is annoying. Closeups fare somewhat better. Live audio at a lower level to the narrative. Earlier shows are better balanced.

All in all. It is one of the weakest volumes in the series. To value rate this show. It is not a good value for the price. Conrail is a common railroad. Easy to obtain in much higher quality.  There is no need to be forking out good money for the other videotape volumes with the significant  decline in quality.

Bump it up for the Delaware and Hudson locomotive variety. Barely rates a good show.

Rating: 3 Stars

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Reflections of the C&O Volume 1

Producer: James Herron

Locations: Kentucky, West Virginia

Timeframe: 1940- 1971

Length: 76 minutes

Sources: multiple

Old and rare Chesapeake and Ohio films from various sources. Contains black and white, to color films.

Lexington subdivision covers Louisville to Ashland line. The Logan sub and more.

A regular DVD on this one. Main Chapter Menu. Maps and diagrams are included. Narration by Danny Harmon. On/ Off narration choice.

Film quality varies by years. The early black and white footage is fair to good. Color is better. Audio is dubbed with train sounds and music. Script is excellent with many details and history. Still photographs and plentiful maps augment the program.

To the Trains…

Louisville in 1951

C&O 2737 arrives at Central Station in Louisville. Kanawha 2734 2-8-4 is the power. The year is 1951 for this rare scene. IC plus B&O are also shown, along with more C&O locomotives.

C&O Mikado 1166 was one of the 2-8-2 class usually assigned to freight duty. Arrival of Train 295 from Louisville passing MN Tower. Nice mix of freight and passenger moves.

Color is a major step up. The steam in color is hard to find.

In 1959 a rare BL2. This #1841 is a substitution for the regular C&O E8 power. The George Washington train.It arrives at Frankfort, Kentucky.

Electromotive only sold 59 units. This model was a modified F3 design. Several of these Chesapeake and Ohio units were equipped for passenger service. The BL2 was a predecessor to the highly successful GP7 and similar road switchers that followed.

 They were traded into EMD for GP30 locomotives in 1962. Probably cut up at neighbor Pielet Brothers. 

Lexington Yard

Over to Lexington. Train 23 at Lexington yard office. The area is visited with many trains.

Lexington Station

The last L&N led by 607 pulls into Lexington Station in June, 1956.

1971

Train 21 departing Lexington en route to Louisville in this pre-Amtrak scene from 1971.

C&O EMD GP7 5815 brings freight to the L&N yard. Note the modern livery.

B&O E8 at Louisville

B&O 1465 backs it’s consist into Louisville Station in 1969 on a cold day.

MN Tower

L&N GP7 404 at MN Tower in South Louisville.

The 610 en route to Hinton, WV.

Eastbound #93 freight is behind engine 610 as it leaves the Ashland Yard. Additional 1950s steam engines are in color at Russell, Kentucky and beyond.

2716 moves to a museum

The 2716 is donated to a museum in Louisville May, 1959.

Caboose 3545

Reflections of the C&O Volume 1

First. Vintage C&O film is rare. Not much in the marketplace. Generally, there were few filming trains South of Ohio in the East.

This collection is fairly extensive with ten film sources. Several of the mainline stations have highly detailed visits.

Film quality is source dependent. Much is grainy or soft focus 8mm. Especially the black and white footage. Some brief scenes in color are very good. 

Danny Harmon is the smooth announcer on Herron Video. He is their best man.

Vintage Chesapeake and Ohio was seldom filmed. Especially steam era. This railroad was difficult to access in most places. Bad automobile roads in those days. Easier to cover railroads like Baltimore and Ohio or Pennsylvania Railroad were the popular choices.

This show provides an interesting look at assorted C&O as advertised. Well paced and constructed. It moves along quickly. The main caveat is the overall film quality. Historical value is paramount here. Vintage Chesapeake and Ohio is one of those hard to find railroads. Herron has done a good job, considering the old film sources.

Bump this up for the scarcity factor.

Rating: 5 Stars

U-Boat Survivors

Producer: Pentrex

Locations: USA, Mexico

Timeframe: 1993-1994

Length: 2 Hours

This show is exactly what is advertised. Pentrex recorded surviving General Electric Universal series locomotives. They are still serving (mostly) on secondary lines in the United States. Mainline power in Mexico.

Each individual U-Boat type is featured. Statistics include years built and amount purchased by railroads. Naturally,  horsepower ratings and spotting features, as well. Contains some footage from previous Pentrex releases.

A single DVD-R. Main Chapter Menu by model class. Narrated by Dave Drui.

Models with various statistics

The program is chronologically organized. Vintage photos accompany the video. Informative narrative and screens. Some highlights in this review. There is much more in the program.

To the Trains…

U25B. Southern Pacific 3100. Museum owned for this ex: SP diesel.

LS&I in Michigan

U25C. Lake Superior & Ishpeming 2501. Longer chapter with some smoky action.

U28B. TTI. Transkentucky Transportation Inc. fostered 18 units. Ohio River Barge Loader to Paris, Kentucky for reload. A load of empties is chased. A loaded coal move from Paris with 6 units is also highlighted.

Georgia Central

U30B. Georgia Central. A U33B fronts a trio of U30B engines near Lyons, Georgia. Passing over Highway 29 to Dublin.

U30C. Guilford. Boston and Maine 663 in 1992 at Portland, Maine.

South Hamburg

U33B. Blue Mountain & Reading 3303 is an ex: Conrail. South Hamburg, Pennsylvania to suburban Reading territory. Excursion Train.

U23C. LS&I 2304 in 1994. Conrail 6902 is working at Selkirk Yard in New York.

P&W at New Haven, Connecticut

U23B. Late production to 1977. Second best seller. P&W 2208 (Conrail 2798) leads at New Haven, CT  They haul a Stone Train in 1994. MoPac paint on 4502 on Central Michigan. Norfolk Southern with 2 at Kings Mountain,  KY. Ex: L&N 3281 on CSX in Kentucky.

U34CH.New Jersey Transit. Double ended Excursion in 1994.

Train 27

U36C. The U36CG for Mexico. Seen in Mexico. The 415 on a Mixed Train #27. This footage is from Mexico’s Pacifico Railroad show.

U18B aka Baby Boat

U18B. Baby Boat as Seaboard System 1907 runs through Beaver Creek, Kentucky. U18B travels through Beaver Creek, Kentucky. This CSX engine is still wearing Seaboard System paint as 1907.
The U18B, also known as Baby Boats. This was the GE answer in their U-Boat line to manufacture a smaller model for railroads.

U-Boat Survivors

A well organized catalog of the General Electric Universal series from the 1960s to 1970s. This show does not focus on vintage films. The  is is a masterclass using contemporary examples. All models do not include movie footage. Some no longer survive.

GE Super 7 began with parts from the earlier incarnations. These get a look to close the show.

An obvious must-have for fans of older General Electric locomotives.

Rating: 5 Stars

Into the 90’s Soo Volume 3

Producer: Clear Block

Locations: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri

Timeframe: 1990s

Length: 1 hour 50 minutes

Source: Todd Miller

Third and final volume of the Soo Line in the 1990’s series. Focus is on Kansas City and Louisville lines. Trackage is mostly, ex: Milwaukee Road and Rock Island.

A single DVD-R. Videotape source. Live audio. Todd Miller narrates. Maps are included. No main menu or advance feature.

The Videography is solid. Appears somewhat faded for much of the show. Videotape flaws throughout although minor ones. Soundtrack is lively. Good balance of narration and train sounds. Obviously, not modern sharpness. Historical value.

Some other railroad locomotives. Burlington Northern, Chicago Northwestern, GATX, Norfolk Southern and more…

To the Trains…

CP Rail with 2 Flags logo

CP Rail 5773 is street running with a Soo unit. Albany, Indiana.

Note the semaphore dropping

At Mitchell, Indiana. Here is an Eastbound as it splits the semaphores. Soo Line SD60 6002 leads red 6050. The B&O had crossed Monon in Mitchell.

Street running

6604 in the rain travels through Bedford.

Linton

Multiple old Milwaukee Road bandits on a lash-up with a Coal Move. Linton, IN.

Blue Island bridges in the background

The show continues with a look at the Chicago to Kansas City route. Begins at the famous Blue Island bridges. Soo train 240 to Louisville passes the street tower. 6034 leads. There is some good traffic here.

Along the Mississippi River

Soo SD60 6028 passes under the former Rock Island main at Davenport.

EMD switchers

Bandit Milwaukee Road MP15 switchers stand around at Muscatine.

Soo 6055 fronts this red pair on joint trackage with Union Pacific.

Three birds with one stone. A meet of CP Rail power with Union Pacific nearing Kansas City. There are plenty of freights around Santa Fe Junction in Kansas City.

Soo caboose in late paint.

Into the 90’s Soo Volume 3

A tour of additional trackage of the Soo Line up to 1996. The show is well done for its age.

Fine companion to the previous two volumes. Not modern picture quality. However, Soo is one of those harder to find railroads. Good for Soo Line fans.

Rating: 4 Stars

Big Boys, Cab Forwards Challengers & Daylights

Producer: Pentrex

Locations: Western USA

Timeframe: 1950s – 1970s

Length: 1 hour 25 minutes

Source: Hank Griffiths

Pentrex has compiled two Video Rails shows into a single disc. Notably, Hank filmed nine 16mm color film. Steam to Diesel. Narrow gauge to Standard. Old logging lines, as well.

A single DVD-R. Chapter Menu by Railroad. Narrated. No maps. Previews.

Image quality and Cinematography are excellent. That 16mm film is the ticket for vintage films. Color balance is fine. Dubbed train sounds for the soundtrack. Informative narration.

Filmed primarily in Northwest US States. A jam-packed collection. Some highlights only.

To the Trains…

Oregon and Northwestern

Oregon and Northwestern Lumber Company in January 1955. Mikado 1400 is hauling logs to Edward Hines Lumber. Eastern Oregon.

St. Regis #7 is a Shay operating on Klickey Klack. Assorted saddle tankers are shown.

Colorado and Southern double-header of 2-10-2 types. North of Cheyenne. C&S was a Burlington Route subsidiary road.

Vintage D&RGW narrow gauge steam. Checkout the revenue freight trains. A helper #487 shoves this freight upgrade. Chama to Antonito. Early era Tourist trains. Hank filmed these in 1960-61.

Union Pacific Steam. Transition era. Some wild steam and diesel combined lash-ups!Gas Turbine 64 with Northern 843 nears Green River, Wyoming.

Big Boy 4005 at Green River roundhouse in 1958. Plenty of Big Boy led trains operate on the mainline.

Challenger 3712

Plenty of Challengers are seen. The 3712 is on Pusher duty from Riverdale Yard in Ogden, Utah.

Union Pacific Diesels. A Lumber train travels downhill with F3A 507.

Filmed in Idado 1970. Ski special with a 5 unit lash-up. Consist of 23 cars. Portland Rose and Ski Specials behind E units receive coverage.

Southern Pacific.  April, 1955. San Joaquin Valley steam powered Daylights. 4-8-4 GS class locomotives. Passenger and non streamlined freight service models.Cab Forwards in 1955. 4183 gets going on Alturas trackage.

Northern Pacific circa 1956. A behemoth Z8 class. Laurel- Billings Montana line. Other Z8 locos are shown.

Milwaukee Road. Electrified.  1970-1971. Little Joe’s on Avery Helper District. Rocky Mountain Division. Boxcabs, as well.

Milwaukee Road. Electrified.  1970-1971. Little Joe’s on Avery Helper District. Rocky Mountain Division. Boxcabs, as well.A Little Joe meets waiting boxcabs on St. Paul Pass at East Portal.

Big Boys, Cab Forwards Challengers & Daylights

Hank Griffiths is among the top railroad cinematographers of his era. Residing in Idaho, he captures some rare action.

Northern Pacific is hard to find,  especially steam. Logging lines are also uncommon. He was present at the right time for Union Pacific in the transition years.

Solid entries for Rio Grande, Milwaukee Road, and Southern Pacific steam. Freight trains dominate. Excellent, as many others shot mostly passenger service.

There is much more within this fine collection.

A must-have for anyone with interest of 1950s to early 1970’s railroading. That 16mm all color film is great!

Rating: 5 Stars