Santa Fe Mainline Memories

Santa Fe Mainline Memories

Great American Train Ride (deluxe boxset)

Railway Productions/ Topics

Format: DVD

Length: 1 hour 40 minutes

Time Period: 1995

Locations: Chicago to Los Angeles mainline

Producer: Les Jarrett

A grand tour of the Santa Fe mainline. The producer has a unique way of traversing this mainline. The Chicago to Los Angeles trip in under two hours. His focus is directly on the 1995 Santa Fe, with some history.

This is available as a single disc. Also is 1 of 4 DVD’s in Great American Train Ride by Topics Entertainment. Yes, all of these shows will be reviewed on ATVR.

Each subdivision is looked at, and traveled! Very comprehensive program.

For a 1995 journey, this is an interesting program. Santa Fe has many of it’s 1990′s Superfleet locomotives on the hot intermodals. Conveniently, the Superfleet stable gets a quick overview. Blue and yellow warbonnets are still very plentiful.

The train consists are generally unexciting. Unless you just have to see a piggyback train ,where the diesels roll on by, and then trailers that read:, JB Hunt, JB Hunt, JB Hunt… Outside of that problem, inherent in many post 1990′s shows, there are plenty of captivating subjects along the route itself.

In a rather brilliant bit of decision making, the producer gives a tour de force. He serves up, a generous helping of: cities, stations, crew change points, yards and plenty of beautiful scenery. By including a look at the towns and surrounding areas, we get the flavor of Santa Fe. The mainline memories.

Transporting into the cabs of Santa Fe locomotives give us the premium view from the train. There are multiple rides like this. A stunning one, is crossing a bridge at the Missouri River. Check all of the lattice and trusses!

Narration is excellent on this show. Current operations and status of what is seen. Historical info that adds background. Sometimes a bit nostalgic, but always engaging.

Beginning in Chicago at Corwith Yard. We travel westward towards California. Passing through wooded Willow Springs and into Lemont. We arrive and visit Joliet Union Station. This is a blueprint for this show. Roll off many miles, see towns, stations, add a highlight.

Variety then, actually lies within the journey across the mainline to California.

Good map displays and frequent usage makes sense of the vast amount of mileage covered. The Santa Fe trip is broken down into the subdivisions of the railroad. They range from about 150 to 280 miles. Some are well known. Chillicothe from Chicago. Seligman has Arizona to Needles, CA.

This has many stations and division point structures. Large ones like, Amarillo, Belen,  Flagstaff. Smaller stations such as: Henrietta, Carrollton, Kiowa, Galesburg. Division points with impressive ones that are mostly out of service in Argentine, Chillicothe, Seligman, Barstow, San Bernadino. Classics that appear in vintage films like Vaughn, NM.

There are plenty of Amtrak trains. The Southwest Chief is encountered frequently.

Scenery is an element that constantly evolves. From the big city, to farmlands. Texas, green in the east, to the drier plains west. New Mexico with it’s rock faces and moody look. Arizona with that authentic western flavor. Into California, across the Mohave desert, to Barstow. Onwards to the Cajon sub.

By 1995, the once important San Bernadino was being transformed into an intermodal facility.

Abo Canyon is one very scenic area for Santa Fe. Cajon Pass was a photographic hotspot since the days of steam. Both landmark locales get extended visits.

Canyon Diablo, in  Arizona gets a brief visit. Flagstaff, Kingman and Seligman, as well. Arizona gets good coverage, as do the rest of the states.

We end up at Hobart yard in LA. An abrupt end to our long journey. It is as if time ran out.

This is a dynamic show. The viewer will gain a vast amount of experience of this mainline.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Early Diesels 2

Early Diesels 2                                                     

Greg Scholl Video Productions

Format: DVD

Length: 57 minutes+previews

Time Period: 1989- 1999

Locations: Western USA

Source: Greg Scholl

MSRP: 29.95

Early Diesels 2 is the next entry in this fine series about first generation locomotives. More variety and focused mainly in the Western United States. This volume is a fitting continuation as Greg Scholl had found even more rare diesels that were operating, well past their prime years of mainline service.

These shows are all business. It is our kind of business. Trains.

CSVP has: natural sound audio, sharp video and straight ahead narration. This volume provides some maps. High quality production throughout. Some highlights now…

Council Bluffs is our first stop. We see a BN SD-9 and SW1000 on a transfer in 1989.

Chicago Central has former orange and white GP10 from Illinois Central Gulf. The ‘near beer’ Chicago Central green diamonds, look like the original Illinois Central logo, from a distance. Reminds me of Chicago, to see the GP10 switching a yard. Satisfies!

Trona, California with the well-known Baldwin AS-616 silver locomotives. Any big Baldwin is rare. One of those engines appears to be on replacement trucks. The Trona Railway was a Borax railroad hauler originally, with an interesting history. Good visit to this location.

Alberta Prairie resembles the 1950′s era Canadian National. SW1200 is a former CN unit. Montana Rail Link was known for starting up with older EMD power. Some MRL painted GP9′s on a freight are seen. A fast look at each road are seen.

Apache Railway had an Alco fleet in 1991. A trio of C-420 locomotives are trotted out to work. Assemble a train to interchange with Santa Fe. The classic Alco burble is clearly heard, as the engines move around. The line is 45 miles from Snowflake to Holbrook, AZ. Next, the train is seen traversing the track, headed to Holbrook. We chase it and the Alcos smoke black, like they should. A great visit, to a small railroad, in the desert.

Odd looking and rare Alco C415 locos power a dinner train in Oregon.

Mount Hood Railroad operates in Oregon. An ex: Southern Pacific GP9 hauls mixed trains. It has a factory low hood from EMD. An extended chapter on this operation.

Santa Fe Southern is located in Santa Fe,New Mexico. A rebuilt GP9 is now a GP16 standard. It does mixed train service there on ex: ATSF track. Excursions, dinner trains and the freight too.

Same basic concept as seen in Volume One. The addition of some map references, are a nice addition. Another solid release in the Early Diesels series. This one is a shade under the first volume for excitement. Get it individually, or in the 3 volume set. These are the final years of these venerable classic locomotives. Nice for the railfan and collectors. The variety makes the hour pass quickly.

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Southern Pacific in SE Arizona

Southern Pacific in SE Arizona

Highball Productions

Format: DVD

Length: 75 minutes

Time Period: 1994

Locations: Southeast Arizona

Source: Peter Crook

This show is filmed in the desert, with many Southern Pacific trains, on the Sunset Route. In this time period, there are plenty of solid sets of SP locomotives. Additional run through and leased locomotives add color. COFC and TOFC traffic is prevalent. That’s double-stacks and pigs , in simpler terms. There are still general merchandise freight trains with boxcars to see. The caboose is long gone. The graffiti hasn’t appeared in large numbers. There are some cool old hopper and ballast cars in original SP paint.

The Sonoran Desert is a great place to railfan. It has an openess and large, unobstructed vistas. There aren’t even trees and barns in the rural areas. Mountain backdrops can provide some stunning backgrounds. Telephoto shots can take advantage of all the scenic beauty that is present in Arizona. Modern videography results in clear imagery. We also get natural sound.

So this program has the potential to be a great show.

We have a big supply of trains. The wide selection of motive power keeps the head end interesting. CSX, Santa Fe ( some Kodachromes), Conrail, BN, C&IM, UP and more..

Personally, double stacks and piggyback traffic isn’t interesting to me. Trucks on trains. Yawn. As a reviewer, I have to make allowances for varying trains. I do prefer, general freight trains. Boxcars, old hoppers and beat-up gondolas are more to my taste.

On this program, both types are plentiful. There is a slant towards the COFC/ double stacks. Yes, the height factor and long train can be impressive. You will notice these trains are often shown longer with a better view. That’s fine for those that like this, and no points marked off, because it’s not my preference. However, I do expect equal treatment when my desired trains are on camera. That’s fair.

When the boxcars  show up, the camera is much too tight to the action. If you want to see the roadnames, car types and often even locomotive numbers… you are out of luck. Really, this would have been a modern classic, had the camera been a little distanced to get a good view of the individual cars. This is prevalent throughout. The lone Arizona Eastern train looks interesting but, we don’t get past the power set.  This viewpoint is too bad, as even this timeframe, is now bygone. So, while the quality is great, the choices made do lack.

The show does have good moments. A CSX , SP kodachrome SD40T2 and a grey unit are long shot from a higher elevation. I enjoyed the C&IM SD38 with a Santa Fe B30-7 on a ballast train?  Santa Fe (old warbonnet/ new superfleet) locomotives at speed with a coal train!  CSX and SP locos passing an old, concrete coaling tower!  Mountain backdrops provide stunning scenery. Many trains are on parade, at numerous locations. Other telephoto scenes, of an approaching train, do give a good sense of the vastness in the desert.

Natural sound is very good overall. There are shots with too much wind against the microphone. A little editing would have smoothed this over.

Narration is done well. There is an emphasis on origin and destination, a nice touch. Some callouts have more info, I always like more detail. A narrative sparseness, but the open desert is a sparse place, oddly enough it fits.

If you are seeking a large number of pre merger SP trains in Southeastern Arizona, this does accomplish the task. Just don’t go looking for car numbers, roadnames, or desert weathering on individual cars and many locomotives. This film’s emphasis is on trains as a whole, with some stunning scenic vistas… to host, ‘the train’.

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Your Colorful Southern Pacific

Your Colorful Southern Pacific   (D-133)

Charles Smiley Presents

Format: DVD   

Length: One hour and 36 minutes

Time Period: 1991- 1995 and 1976

Locations: Yuma Subdivision

MSRP: 29.50

Covering the last 5 years of the Southern Pacific, is another ‘top of the class’ Charles Smiley program. The 1990′s railroading scene is a standardized and modern version of the SP. The head end and its assorted roadnames are a focal point. As usual, Charles Smiley’s interesting mixture of current and historical aspects of the Yuma Subdivision make the program.  Did I mention? There are trains galore in this show!

The Custom made maps are always a nice bonus feature of a Charles Smiley Presents program. Like the other CSP videos, these are extremely well-organized shows.

Southern Pacific fields a varied line-up of EMD and GE power. Surprisingly, GP9, SD9 and GP35 locomotives are still in service. Tunnel motor SD40T-2, GP60, GP40, SD45 types are common. Cotton Belt lettered  engines, as well as speed lettered SP and kodachrome SP are also present. Large third generation GE products are seen.

There are run through and leased locomotives on quite a few trains. CSX, DRGW, Helm and EMD are a few outside locomotives.

Much of the freight at the time was in the double stack and single stack container trains. The general merchandise traffic is shown, in a lower percentage than earlier decades.

Sugar Beet trains get extended coverage. El Centro is the major town for the railroad. Holly Sugar and loading of the beets are viewed. Plentiful information about the operation.

A 1976 cab ride on an eastbound from San Diego through Carriso Gorge is a rare treat ! The train is led by a pair of U25 B locos and a GP 30. Traversing mountainous desert area. Curving trackage and many tunnels make for a great ride. Fast forward to 1992, more sugar beet  are operations featured.

SP Coastline is visited. Santa Maria Valley shortline with its tiny GE switchers are shown in 1992 and 1970′s.

The live audio is very well done. Some music is included too. Cinematography is first-rate.

This is an excellent look at the targeted Southern Pacific subjects. There are additional CSP releases covering: many years and locations, along with the varied Southern Pacific operations. Check the reviews for more of these first class programs.

Rating: 5 Stars

Santa Fe Odyssey Volume Two

Santa Fe Odyssey Volume Two

Green Frog Productions

Format: 2 DVD Set    Length: 2 1/2 Hours

Time Period: 1979

Locations: Systemwide

Source: Emery Gulash

SF Vol.1 was filmed over 23 years. SF Vol.2 was shot over 23 days. The yellow warbonnet is now the standard issue freight scheme. Second generation locomotives dominate the mainlines. First generation locomotives are still operating. Some blue with yellow Cabooses are a welcome sight. The modern, for the year freight cars, still sport the variety of the older roadnames. Prevalent in the mix of traffic, are the piggyback trains. In retrospect, the cabooses on the TOFC moves are a sight!

Locomotives: GE C30-7. B23-7 , U36C EMD: GP30, SD45, SD40-2, GP39, GP38, GP20, F45,

Conrail shows up with pool power and run thru trains., Amtraks Lone Star, Southwest Limited, TP&W is seen.Some Rio Grande tunnel motors as run thru power at Amarillo, now devoid of passenger service as seen in Vol.1.

 Nice bridge and trestle shots, mostly farms across Kansas. The old stations ade frequently included. Lebo station is in bicentennial paint. Moving across OK, TX, NM with many stations, that are Emery’s base of operation for filming along the route. I especially liked the scenic New Mexico film.

 Arizona is next and the Canyon Diablo feature is a winner. Westward we see: Cajon Pass, Cajon Summit,Tehachapi Loop and we get to Barstow Yard. Nice SD26′s are there. Those are modified SD24 locomotives. Union Pacific,Amtrak and Southern Pacific trains. Yes, there some huge UP locomotives here. A tribute section and a slide show. Also, an indexed Chapter Menu, that comes in handy, there’s alot of scenes spread over the DVD pair.

 All the elements of a great train video are in this Odyssey. Emery is spot on with the film, and Green Frog really nails it, in the production department.

 For lovers of the Santa Fe, this Volume 2 is a no-brainer.  

   Rating 5 Stars