Producer: Clear Block
Locations: Owosso, Durand, Ann Arbor, Milan…
Timeframe: 1963-1965
Length: 45 minutes
Source: Emery Gulash
Emery Gulash is an All-time Great! Top shelf moung classic railfan Cinematographers. Using a 16mm movie camera, he covered plenty of other Railroads. Ann Arbor in the 1960s here.
A single DVD-R. Chapter menu. On- screen subtitles. Maps are included. An intriguing preview of a show that, to my knowledge, was not released on DVD. Vignettes of the Detroit and Toledo Shore Line.
Soundtrack is train sounds. Excellent and enjoyable to hear Alco power.
Todd Miller produced this show for Clear Block. He added authentic train sounds. A strength of Todd’s are the soundtracks. His releases vary, along with source film. Emery Gulash is always quality.
The image is a full screen ratio. Appearance is very good (mostly) on HDTV. Although this is unrestored film. So, not as colorful as similar Emery/ Green Frogs.
That being said, this is an action packed program. Many scenes of Ann Arbor FAs being paced hauling freight.
This 1960’s era offers quite a number of the freight cars. This element is hard to find. Plenty of cabooses, as well.
Alco FA2 and S1 plus S2 models were a priority. New Electromotive GP35 are shown.
To some highlights…
Owosso is our first location. Trio of Alco FA-2 locomotives.
The Alco S-1 is working at Owosso Yard.
Durand is briefly visited. Train FT2 with #50 leading, has freight for Grand Trunk Western.
Intruiging sequence of boxcars with the logos featured. Wooden boxcars and reefers were still in service!
Ann Arbor, Michigan is busy. Train FT2 enters and performs setouts there.
Three Electromotive GP35 engines leave Ann Arbor with a freight.
Ferry Yard in Ann Arbor. An S3 works there. Alco FA-2 set stops here with TF1.
Jim Hediger is at Ferry with Emery. Jim wrote for Model Railroader. He often wrote about his own model railroad. That was a fictional railroad that looked much like DT&I. His Ohio Southern used to appear in Model Railroader. A double- decker layout.
Milan has TF1 making setouts at Wabash Rzr interchange. A pair of GP35 locos are new power.
PRR transfer with an Alco RS-3 pair at Toledo, Ohio.
The Ann Arbor caboose and Nickle Plate 40′ boxcar are represenative of the timeframe in this show.
Vignettes of the Ann Arbor Volume 3
A rare and interesting collection of 16mm films. Although it could use restoration, we are lucky this was recorded.
The soundtrack is a strength. Hearing old Alco power at work is a real treat. Single note train horns are not often heard either.
Overall, this is an opportunity to see a hard to find railroad. The timeframe is icing on the cake!
Give it a bump up for rarity.
Rating: 5 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 