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, New York roundhouse. 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?
Venerable, Boston and Maine Mogul type.
Rock Island at St. Louis.
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
American Train Video Reviews 