Alcos, Iron Ore and More!

Producer: Marc S. Balkin

Locations: Escanaba, Green Bay, Marquette, more…

Timeframe: 1985

Length: 1 hour

Source: Marc Balkin

Join Jim Boyd on a three day tour. Editor of Railfan & Railroad Magazine. He travels with Marc Balkin of Mark 1 Video. They videotaped this show in July, 1985.

They set out to record the still operating Chicago and North Western Alco Century 628 locomotives. Lake Superior and Escanaba, Baldwin in Great Northern colors. Lake Superior and Ishpeming operations. A bit more.

Jim Boyd is an enthusiastic narrator! The script is a little on the sparse side. Time left to hear the locomotives operate. Enough information is provided. 6702 gets a great pacing sequence!

Chicago and North Western. Lake Superior and Ishpeming, are the main railroads featured. Along with Escanaba and Lake Superior. No Chapter Menu. A single DVD-R. Sturdy hardshell plastic case.

Escanaba Yard, has CNW C628, in old and new paint schemes. The big Alco Century engines are nearly worth the price of admission. But wait, there’s more…
Image quality is an obvious video source. Minor tape flaws appear all during the show. It is like watching an old video. Has a constant horizontal distortion bar along the bottom of the screen. Color balance is fine. Sound levels are good. Narrative and live sound. Assorted maps. On-screen graphics with additional information.

On Escanaba & Lake Superior. A clean Baldwin RS12, in Great Northern colors! All the rage it was in 1985. It is great to hear the odd sounding Baldwin operate, as paced.

The pacing sequences are all shot smoothly. This Baldwin pulls a short cut. There are steady pacing shots throughout the program.

Lake, Superior & Ishpeming. The various jobs are described concisely. Yet, detailed enough for viewers. Dock Job shown here.

Good views of the loading of an ore boat. Camera work is rock solid.

C&NW trains are interjected, from time to time.

Excellent details on heritage of the various LS&I units shown. RSD12s from C&O, for example.

Former Santa Fe ‘Alligator’ Alco RSD15, wait for a crew. Eagle Mills Yard.

Alcos, Iron Ore and More! The Diesels of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Delivers on the promised locomotives. Good visual and audio presentation. Video flaws are too much for ignoring. Very good show, with the hard to find power in service, on the Upper Peninsula and Green Bay area.

Rating: 4 Stars