Producer: Green Frog
Timeframe: 1960s
Locations: Springfield, MA, Cedar Hill, South Bend, Brattleboro, Montreal, more.
Length: 62 minutes
Source: Paul Blake
Green Frog has a fresh source of vintage film. Paul Blake had a treasure trove of period Railroad material. First of four volumes. According to the Frog, this spans 4 decades!
My favorite part, is this program is narrated. I have no idea, the reason. Much prefer a narrative. Dislike the trend towards a no commentary. I find that boring.
Northeast Railroads are covered in this release. Nine are advertised. New Haven, New York Central, Pennsylvania, Boston & Maine.
Also: Central Vermont, Canadian National, Erie Lackawanna, Grand Trunk, plus Canadian Pacific.
A Chapter Menu is included. 8mm to HD film transfer. Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Film images vary, good to very good. It ranges a bit better, or not. Single DVD-R.
Narrator throughout. Possibly English. Very dry presentation. Modern Green Frog Projector background. Not a big fan of either one. Still, even this voice beats none.
Rarities abound! Northeast is on the hard to find side. Veteran Railfans’ recognize those.
New Haven alone. This one Railroad, is worth the price of admission. Hard to find in this timeframe.
Boston & Maine could be a co-headliner.
New York Central has Freight and Passenger moves. In fact, Paul travelled to South Bend and filmed NYC passenger trains there. Switching,as well.
Brattleboro, Vermont has some road crossing with trains. Central Vermont plus, Boston and Maine.
Hump yard on the Boston and Maine. Alco RS-3 pair provide the power. Check the old fashioned Tower. No air conditioning. Rotary telephone. No computer. Hey, it’s circa 1968. Life is good!
Electrified lines for New Haven. A brief Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 sequence.
Budd cars are included in this show. I don’t really like them. You can see plenty on the DVD.
Erie Lackawanna is another Railroad seen, in a lesser quantity. Even Hoboken passenger terminal has a short visit.
A plethora of freight cars are present. Absolutely smashing! Model Railroaders will love the sights..
Locations that may have never been seen on film. These appear in this show. At least in this era.
At Montreal. We are now in 1970. Canadian National passenger service is Paul’s main focus.
Caboose fans shall be rewarded. Most every freight has a caboose, or two on the end.
Viewers may be rewatching this one. It is packed with the unusual.
Fallen Flags Of The Northeast in the 1960s. This is a badly needed show. Rare factor is a major bonus. Paul Blake is a serious new source. Recommended, if this in your area of interest.
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
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