Conrail Memories of Big Blue

Producer: Mary McPherson

Timeframe: 1985 – 1991

Locations: Effingham, St. Elmo, Teutopolis, Mt. Vernon, Smithboro

Length: 1 hour 55 minutes

Source: George Redmond

Another Conrail entry in The Heritage Series. Running on former Pennsylvania and Missouri Pacific lines. Big blue was busy in Southern Illinois!

George Redmond the Videographer. Shot beginning in 1985. The quality is a little rough early. It improves as the timeline progresses. Those are some color issues. Picture quality is very good, for video. Sound is live audio.

This has a single DVD-R. Chapter Menu,No which is pictured and numbered. Zero maps. Plenty of on-screen, location graphics. Mary McPherson narrates in an as needed basis. Plenty of space to hear the trains operate.

To the Trains… 👉

Effingham in 1986 & 1987. Much more from this location in this show, various years.

Teutopolis has high speed trains.

Mount Vernon, in 1988. Conrail 3374 is on the point. This on Union Pacific rails.

Mary is a unique Producer. She often has an element of humor or straight up fun. In this show, a collage of Conrail pacing sequences are a gas!

Shot around Teutopolis. The trains operate at road speeds. They are every bit as enjoyable to listen to, as to watch.

A quick break. Return to additional pacing. An SD40-2 on the point The action, is almost as much fun, as a Lionel train running around a Christmas tree!

CR 6273 with a hot piggyback.

The latter half drags off and becomes repetitive. Solid blue lash-ups of trains at the same locations. Effingham again. Union Pacific interchange is shown for a moment.

Finally, a change. Smithboro, Illinois. Here is the Conrail St. Louis line, at the BN crossing.

Compared to the somewhat similar, Conrail St. Loo to Horseshoe. Recommend this one for the better title. No, just kidding! Recommend this one, for higher video quality. Plus, the pacing action. The Illinois sections, cover about the same territory.

This show delivers a big bellyful of Conrail. No doubt about it. Fans of the Big Blue will be satisfied, at the near 2 hour length. Little deviation from the home road. For the rest, it may run too long. No scenic highlights. Already mentioned, is the repetitive nature.