Steam Shortlines Southern Style

Steam Shortlines- Southern Style

A&R Productions

Length: 40 minutes

Time Period: 1960’s

Locations: small towns in Appalachia.

Sources: Andy Schools

MSRP: 29.95

Four steam shortlines are visited in the 1960’s. All in 8mm color. Narrated by Ted Dalaku.

This is an older release. Narration is nicely done. Script is well written. Editing appears messy for the most part. The scene to scene transitions are often rough. Other audio is music. No train sounds.

Cass Scenic. Bald Knob, VA. Amateur shot in the 1960s. This is a short segment, and looks like a home movie of tourist line. Not anything worth watching.

Buffalo Creek & Gauley. This was in Clay County Virginia. The year was 1962. A coal hauler behind 2-8-0 Consolidations. Majority of the program centers on the visit here. There are numerous pacing shots on a mine run. Interchange with B&O and a logging line connection.

The BC&G is the best filmed road of the bunch. Plenty of action. Also another rarity.

Virginia Blue Ridge Railway. Andy Schools filmed in the early 60s. This one features number 9. An 0-6-0 operating. He gets a caboose ride on a local freight. Not pretty film, but a rare one.

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. This is the Tweetsie. Shows a former Southern consolidation, in revenue freight service.

Atlantic Coast Line boxcars are easily found within this show.

The Cooker looks like a piece from a model railroad. Tweetsie crews ran it at the plant.

The rare nugget to see, is a fireless steam switcher at a chemical plant.

A&R is a hit or miss as far as film quality. This is not one of the better shows for general viewing. It will be satisfactory for those who are interested in the subject railroads.