Midwest Electric Rails

Producer: Charles Smiley

Timeframe: 1950 – 1962

Locations: Chicago, Milwaukee, South Bend..

Length: 1 hour 38 minutes

Sources: R. Gabriel, D. Kydd, B. Warrick, J. Swenson, J. Illman, G. Barnes, W. Whittaker

Visit the streets of Chicago, in the Streetcar era! See the Milwaukee vicinity. Ride an Electroliner, from Milwaukee to Chicago! See the South Shore operation. All of this and much more. Note  the lack of suburban sprawl, in both major cities.. Vintage vehicles, period businesses, and the people.

Consistent with other trolley, streetcar or electric line programs. A time machine like trip into a bygone era. This show has high quality color movie film. Appears to be 16mm for the majority. All restored films. Stunning appearance!

Audio has many scenes with: trolley sounds and often, automobile traffic. Musical backgrounds that vary. Charles Smiley with the narrative. Very informative. Plenty of history. Still photos augment the discussions. A PBS style program.

A single factory pressed DVD. Detailed Chapter Menu. On-screen graphics. The CSP exclusive, custom made maps. All the extras!

Chicago Surface Lines. A humongous system of over 1,000 miles. Intriguing period footage that contains vintage Chicago.

Charles goes into the various Trolley cars, but look at those street scenes! Check the Divco milk truck at left.

The CSL has beautiful footage of Chicago.

Locals know that Chicagoans love their beer! Often visible on: buildings, signs and delivery trucks. It’s fun to find some old brands.

Chicago, Aurora and Elgin in full color. This line seen in 1950. Ran west and is now a recreational Illinois prarie path for biking and hiking. The Forest Park station is seen. The line was closed in 1959.

CA&E quickly escapes the city, back in those days.

Milwaukee Electric, original went as far north to Green Bay, until 1948. Check that Schlitz tavern. That is interesting history, as well. Schlitz Beer having once built beautiful taverns. A quality brew, to boot! At least until the 1960s.

Ride through Milwaukee.

West Junction, this is open country.

East Troy with a box motor. Survives at Illinois Railway Museum, in Union, Illinois.

Chicago, South Shore and South Bend.  They had 80 seat coaches. 803 is a Little Joe and exists today at Illinois Railway Museum. Other freight motors were on the roster.

The South Shore is visited from: South Bend to Chicago. The Illinois Central yards are viewed. This ICRR equipment is included.

Rock Island commuter trains serving LaSalle Street Station make for a surprise Chapter. Action in the 1960s and ’70s.

Even more Union Station and a little Amtrak film, from the 1970s. Burlington Northern mainly. Gulf,Mobile and Ohio with The Plug!

lIlinois Terminal had Interurban service.

North Shore. The last electric line featured. This one ran North to Milwaukee. Here are the well known, Electroliners. Footage from 1962 in Milwaukee. One year prior to abandon.

The highlight of this show. Ride the North Shore Electroliner to Chicago! The sights are pointed out by Charles.

Electric Rails is right at the top of the Charles Smiley Presents shows, on Streetcars. The plethora of clear movie film, gives this one an advantage. Riding the Electroliner, gives a viewer a more complete experience. While, one can’t go wrong with his Los Angeles or Bay Area shows. This Electric Rails of mainly Chicago… rules.

Rating: 5 Stars

 

 

Canadian Electric Rails

Producer: Charles Smiley

Timeframe: 1950s

Locations: Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, more

Length: 1 hour 11 minutes

Sources: William Warrick, William Whittaker, Bentley Salkeld, Lloyd Salkeld, Richard Pratt

Charles Smiley takes us back in time. The decade of the 1950s. Five Electric lines in Canada. Always said that Charles would have made a great History Instructor. Here is an opportunity to see and learn!

A single, factory pressed DVD. Detailed Chapter Menu. A 20 minute bonus section of previews. All the usual CSP extras. On-screen graphics. Custom made reference maps.

Let’s look at the five individually.

Predominantly, a color film program. Small segments, of black and white footage. All restored to best appearance. PBS style program. Period photographs. Meticulous attention; to a recreation of trolley/ streetcar sounds and environment. Background music that is appropriate. Everything is first class. Full narration by Charles Smiley.

London & Port Stanley

This electrified line ran from Port Stanley to London. Recreational passenger service, and local service.

Station @St. Thomas, Ontario.

BX Tower. The Interurban lines had facilities similar to regular railroads. Yards, Towers, Stations and some a turntable. Specialized equipment too.

 

Niagara, St. Catherine’s & Toronto

The largest Company. Controlled by Canadian National. Served Niagara Falls, amoung other areas. Commonly known as the NS&T.

One of many custom made maps.

Charles will use still photographs to augment discussions. NS&T freight motors here. Maintenance of way and various passenger cars, are some additional subjects. Valuable information.

Toronto Transit

Original, 1938 built streetcar. You will learn much about the history of the Toronto system. Excellent city scenes!

1954 Stop with PCC car. What is PCC? Inquire within…

Before the Internet… Newspapers were vital. Big cities offered Morning and Evening editions. A Newspaper truck!

This was the first Toronto Subway. Some sections ran above ground. Many scenes are long gone.

Montreal & Southern Counties

Scenes from the early 1950s to about 1958.

A more involved map. Green line is M&SC. This line ran 47 miles, to Granby.

Connecting the city to countryside. Before, the advent of common automobile travel, with good roads.

Montreal street scene, with a classic 1950s work vehicle. A panel truck. Makes my day!

Quebec Railway Light & Power

 

The most interesting streetcar line, to myself. This turntable was used at Quebec City.

Served a huge textile mill. Scenic Montmorency Falls, as well. Also, the substantial Cathedral at St. Anne’s.

Another Canadian National line. Yes, there are several CN Steam locomotives. Brief appearances, in this show. 

This is an intriguing journey into the past Interurban history of Eastern Canada. Never considered that they had trolley service. Charles Smiley has a class on this subject. Learned quite a bit. Viewed another world, that has long since passed. 

Rating: 5 Stars

 

 

Classic Steam of the ’20s to the ’40s

Producer: Green Frog

Timeframe: 1920s-1940s

Locations: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Kansas City, more.

Length: 1 hour

Sources: Frank W. Schlegel, Vince Ryan, Jack Alexander

A smorgasbord of films. Spanning 4 decades. Some rare and not so rare, steam locomotives. A Collection of: black and white, plus a little color film. Eastern Railroads mainly. Everything is worthwhile.

See: Delaware and Hudson, New York Central, Lackawanna, Central of New Jersey and Frisco (above). Also, Pennsylvania  Erie, Wabash, Rahway Valley, B&O, and much more. Steam, Electric and several early diesels.

Frog DVD-R. Nothing extra. Plays straight through. The Milwaukee Road Hiawatha. Nice runby…in Milwaukee!

The show is narrated by Dan Chandler.  Script is good. Fine work on the dubbed trains.

Camerawork varies by source. As does the visual quality. Majority is fine. About what an experienced Railfan would expect, from a wide ranging assortment. Good on the big screen.

There is way too much to cover the whole show. Highlights of this fine program. New York Central, Empire Star Express. Two steam pushers on the rear. The show’s gem!

Reading Crusader at Dunellen, New Jersey.

Camelback is a strange looking steam engine. It hauls a fantrip out on to the Long Branch.

Turns around, the yard in Bay Head Jct. A joint CNJ and PRR. So, Pennsylvania power is there with K4s. Compare the access the people had, in those days. More PRR is seen, in their home state.

A 1936 fantrip over the former, Ulster and Delaware. This one required a double header with a pusher, and ran two sections!  The New York Central ten wheelers were added to the head end. Former U&D power. Depart Kingston.

Oneonta roundhouse on D&H was destination.

Check the size of the people against this Lackawanna locomotive.

Steam and Electric. New York Central. Harmon, NY.

The big surprise is at Pennsylvania’s Enola Yard. Before retarders were used, brakeman manually controlled the cars, from the hump. Dangerous work in the winter. Unbelievable by today’s safety!

The Alton. Street running! How rare is this?

Middletown and Union, has a face, only a mother could love. Come closer..

Venerable, Boston and Maine Mogul type.

Rock Island at St. Louis.

Erie passes with it’s train.

Indiana Railroad was a large, Electric Interurban. Ran streetcars and freight.

Delaware and Hudson Northern type. Plenty of D&H is within.

Springfield Terminal in it’s original incarnation. Take a trolley. Quite a difference, from later SD45s in grey paint!

A Lackawanna Milk Train, really harkens back to an earlier era.

A Chicago, Burlington and Quincy sits in a huge yard. Burlington Route, was a road that ran steam late, on the Colorado and Southern.

This is a cornucopia of steam era scenes. Here, the ice bunker reefers are loaded at the Chicago Stockyards. South Shore Electric cars to the right.

There are even bonus shots. City pan views (Philadelphia), street scenes, humoungous Chicago stockyards. A well thought-out production. Packs a bunch, into a fast moving one hour program.

Also available on the, Trains around New York and New Jersey – collection.

Closing caboose is a Wabash.

Green Frog has a must see show, for any fans of steam era Railroading. The black and white film, adds to the vintage feel. Fascinating and varied visit to the past.

Rating: 5 Stars

East Broad Top (remastered)

Producer: Green Frog

Timeframe: 1953 – 1976

Locations: Orbisonia, Shirleysburg, more

Length: 117 minutes

Source: Emery Gulash

Green Frog has remastered some of their older shows. This new release features, a brand new remaster. Original source of quality color 16mm film. This from the Master Railroad Cinematographer, Emery Gulash!

East Broad is a narrow gauge coal hauler. Operating in Pennsylvania. The year is 1953. Several time updates, as Emery returns. Witness the 1960 reopening, as a tourist line. Progressive visits conclude in the winter of 1976.Audio is live sound. The early film is likely dubbed. The later material, was probably live recorded. In any case, the soundtrack is excellent.

Check the amazing level of detail, in the screenshots. This bridge scene, tells it.

The show is on a single DVD-R. It has a detailed Chapter Menu. This menu displays on my TV screens, although not the new laptop. No other extra features. Realize, this is an older release. Be happy with a Chapter Menu.

Fully narrated. Good script. Narrative allows for plenty of listening to the trains.

It is not limited to only steam trains. Trolleys, do appear later in the timeline. Several configurations. M-1 Brill type, to the right.

The Remaster has the most vibrant colors! Results are stunning. Trains seem to be in almost 3-D image. Great seperation. Worth it to re-buy. A major upgrade. The Frog hits a home run!

Emery gets some creative views.

Let’s recap.

Original East Broad Top. Hauls coal to a few brick plants in the 1950s. All narrow gauge steam. Limited passenger service.

Reopens in 1960. This, after the entire EBT has been sold for scrap! Now, a tourist event. After the owner exceeded a request to have a static, display train.

By 1963, the owner opens East Broad Top. Now, a serious tourist line.

Expands the roster, over the years. Adds electric trolleys. Constructs a wye, to turn entire consists. Some additional equipment.

Emery makes several trips to the tourist line. These are Baldwin built locomotives.

East Broad Top ran simulated freight trains.

Beautiful scenery in any season.

Winter has a stark beauty.

Roundhouse area access allowed for unique photo opportunities.

An ancient wooden bridge provided multiple chances, for cool scenes.

Triple- header. Are you kidding? Great!

A classic red caboose. Perfect end to the train.

East Broad Top. A successful remaster by Green Frog. The high quality image, looks fantastic on a hi- def screen. Emery’s camera skills are legendary. A fine soundtrack. Classic trains in Pennsylvania scenery. Filmed in all four seasons. Plenty of variety. All good elements. Not limited to Railfans. Suitable for family viewing.

Rating: 5 Stars

 

Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway

Producer: Charles Smiley

Timeframe: 1940- 1963

Locations: Greater Los Angeles area

Length: 1 hour 53 minutes

Sources: Lloyd Salkeld, Ross Salkeld, Ed Minshall, Paul Lukens, Roy Gabriel

Charles Smiley Presents with a double feature. The two streetcar lines, that once served Los Angeles, and vicinity. Pacific Electric is the much larger of the two companies. Los Angeles Railway is the second company.

Both had extensive coverage in their territories. Originally construction, was before the common usage of automobiles and freeways. The commuters traveled in much different fashion.

There is much color movie film, to document the cornucopia of various, equipment and lines. Which serve the area. Years of the restored color footage. They are from 1940 to 1963. Though the scope of the show, goes back earlier in time.

This show is loaded with extras. A factory pressed DVD. Detailed Chapter Menu. A long preview section that runs for 20 minutes.

Custom made Maps throughout. Any line that is discussed, gets highlighted.

On-screen graphics that have all sorts of additional information. These details augment the on going discussions.

Varied soundtrack. Notice the high level of detail on enviornmental scenes. Hear the auto traffic on some scenes? Hear the flanges squeel, as a trolley hits a turn? Background music elsewhere.

Simply, too much to cover everything within, this fully loaded program. This collection of films must be rare. Let’s hit on some highlights…

IF you haven’t seen a Charles Smiley Presents yet. You are in for a treat! These are: part train video, part history lesson, extra information, at no extra charge! All neatly wrapped in a PBS style program. Charles Smiley narrates.

Pacific Electric had about 1000 miles of trackage. Extended beyond Los Angeles. Long Beach, San Pedro, San Bernardino to name a few. Their large red cars were well known.

Los Angeles Railway was Henry Huntington’s, from 1898. This also extended past the city limits, although not so far. Yellow and green colors.

Later on, the so called, fruit salad colors came into usage.

The streetcar system predates the freeway system.

A small portion of the Oakland Key System is included, into this story. Another, El Paso, Texas to Mexico, as well!  Plus more. Learn the dispositions of various streetcars.

Here , at Inglewood viewers get a sense of streetcars running in traffic. Check those two sets of rails.

Later, the now numerous  cars in the downtown area, brought resentment towards the big streetcars.

Watts Station is on the right.

This Watts bound car, originated up on a substantial  elevated platform. 

Electric buses are even included!

The 1938 PCC built cars offered riders many improvements. Charles explains types and improvements.

Notice how massive the streetcar is compared to the bus.

The old Sears building on the P line is gone. Resembles other vintage Sears, in other parts of the US.

The diminutive white safety zones, in the middle of busy streets. These are almost a joke by modern standards.

Here is a scene with potential for Model Railroaders. Have a trolley line that; dead ends, near a standard gauge track!

The many onboard rides, give viewers the feel of streetcar transportation. Assorted lines and years. Fascinating material.

Big Bertha tows a broken down car.

A final fantrip with a couple of streetcars. A discontinued line, complete with rusty rails. Amazing!

These trolley subjects offer a time machine visit into the past. One doesn’t have to be from Los Angeles to enjoy this either. Plenty of these scenes no longer exist.

Vintage is vintage! Autos, trucks, pedestrians, businesses, and the chance to witness the changes. Fascinating material that you see in fine quality here. There is simply too much, to retain everything in a single viewing. That is good news. Rerun value. Suitable and interesting, for family viewing.

Rating: 5 Stars