Producer: Steve Branfields
Timeframe: 1930s- 1960s
Locations: Pennsylvania- Ohio
Length: 47 minutes
Sources: Blackhawk, Bill Radcliff, Andy Schools
A&R Productions with a 30 year span of film. Pennsylvania Railroad. Bessemer and Lake Erie, which constitutes- the more!
Great collection of: Steam, Diesel and Electric locomotives. The all encompassing program, contains many examples of the vast Pennsylvania Railroad roster.
Each locomotive has a historical review, with the visual presented. Effective and compact method, to deal with a huge roster.
Dubbed audio. I cannot comment on the accuracy of every engine. The presentation works.
Almost a chapter menu. A show selector. Choice of: Pennsy or B&LE. See GG-1 electrics, along with it’s earlier class.
There are no maps or any visual references. This one moves around the state of Pennsylvania. Ends up in Ohio. Some maps would have been welcomed. Held this show back from an even higher rating.
Regular A&R announcer Ted Daluku performs his usual, professional narrative. An equally, pro written script, makes this one of those traditional, good shows. A&R does it well, this time out.
The one constant is a horizontal distortion bar along the bottom of the screen. Look at the screenshots.
To the Trains… 👉
A variety of film sources, lead to the variable qualities seen. The majority is good to very good. A few down to fair, in earliest scenes. The timeline of the 1930s and up. So it improves along with the later years.
Black and white at the beginning. Movement towards color film usage, as time marches on.
Obvious preponderance of color in the later years. Quality remains variable. Check that GP30, with the Pennsy trainphone antenna!
Pennsy steamers looked… The Business!
High steppin’ T-1 power. Fast, powerful and slippery. Pulled early from service.
Steam era to later years…
Horseshoe Curve. The classic hotspot, in any era!
New fangled diesels, proved worthy over the tough Allegheny grades.
Passenger trains were often heavy on mail cars. These were often the revenue makers. Before the US Mail contracts were discontinued. Check that Alco PA!
Cabin cars, as a caboose was termed. Those funny looking Trainphone antenna were essential for mountainous communications. They were singular to Pennsylvania.
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad. Now, that is a line that you don’t often see on a train video! A bonus feature that fits perfectly!
Geographically and in chronological fashion. Heavy coal hauler, that had limited passenger service.
Pennsy – and More! The Standard Railroad of the World.
A daunting task to cover this railroad. Sheer volume of the locomotive roster. Multiply by 30 years. Again three eras. Steam. Steam to Diesel. Diesel. Do not forget Electrics.
A&R really did an excellent job here! Well organized. Decent soundtrack. Fine film collection. Good narration. All in a program that is suitable for the entire family.
As diverse as Pennsylvania Railroad actually was in equipment. Besides the daily challenge of operating over mountainous territory. A microcosm of United States railroad history, is present within this program.
A solid out of the box experience, from the house at A&R Productions. Comprehensive and succinct!
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 