Producer: Midwest Video
Locations: Bedford Park, Chicago, Porter, IN., State Line Tower,
Timeframe: 1995- 1999
Length: 1 hour 11 minutes
Source: Bob Calvert
*IMPORTANT* Play this show in 4×3 full screen aspect ratio.
Midwest Video Productions. They have some interesting subjects. Detailed narratives. Video quality the usual weakness.
CSX has six major points around Chicagoland. Hence, MVP has two separate volumes.
Principal locations include: Bedford Park Intermodal, Clearing Yard (BRC),
A single DVD-R. Basic video format. No Main Chapter menu. No graphics or maps. Full narration. The narrative is highly informative. Most trains include plenty of verbal details.
Fùll Screen. Video quality is fair to good. You may want it for historical value. Soft focus and has grain throughout. The colors are very good. Live environmental audio. It sounds fine. Balanced with trains lowered in dereference to the narration.
FYI. DVD player originally chose to play in Widescreen. It looked awful. After seeing a notification on their Soo Line show. Replayed this in 4×3 format. Major improvement. Tightened up the picture.
To the Trains…
CSX is the star of the show. Intermodal traffic is the early focus around Bedford Park Intermodal. CSX Train Q135 from Baltimore. Led by 6111 (GP40-2) is on the Bedford Park Ramp. Border of Argo and Bedford Park. Engine 6784 trails in Seaboard Coast Line paint. July, 1995.
Porter Jct., Indiana in July, 1997. A CSX GP40 6150 and SD40 8455 pair with auto racks. Train R227 from Wayne Jct. off Chessie rails onto Conrail to Pine Jct. at Gary. Onward to Barr Yard aka Chicago in CSX jargon.
BRC 530 and 531 with a transfer rolls past CSX Y330 into Clearing Yard. Hayford Jct. is a hotspot in July 1997.
Clearing Yard is a highlight visit. Train 648 led by 7565/ 7560.
A triple meet outside of the Nabisco Cookie Plant. CSX Piggyback from Jacksonville, BRC Cookie Job switcher and a Union Pacific 6122 engine with a St. Louis move.
State Line Crossing is Indiana Harbor Belt managed. This was the world’s busiet interlocking many years ago. An action packed segment. CSX and Norfolk Southern go through here. CSX local J701 is eastbound behind 6145. This move is a Barr Yard to Gary, Indiana turn. Plenty of traffic seen here.
A Conrail Intermodal train is at Gary, Indiana on parallel tracks. TV207 to Englewood Yard.
Hohman Tower at Hammond, Indiana. Action with CSX and IHB traffic. Still manned in 1997. Gibson Yard is nearby. IHB 9004/ 9003 SW9 pair going to Blue Island Yard on a transfer run.
Blue Island Bridges. West of Barr Yard and IHB Blue Island Yard. B&O, GT, joint B&OCT, IHB, and Rock Island were the original railroad lines. A busy hotspot with assorted traffic.
Wisconsin Central SD45 units out of CSX (ex: Chessie System/ B&O) Barr Yard to Fond du Lac Yard.
Blue Island in 1999. CSX from Willow Springs to North Bergen, NJ. General Electric engines 630/ 615 are the power. This is UPS traffic on Q110. A former Conrail Trailvan move.
BNSF 4739. MCKC (McCook to Kansas City) from IHB. Also, Q187 (ex: Conrail TV) from Barr Yard. I have highlighted some of the variety within this release. There is even more.
Chicago CSX’s Midwest Hub Volume 1
Outside of the lower level video quality. This is a well put together show. The narrator is a knowledgeable host. I am told this was the late Bob Calvert. He calls out a majority of the train symbols. Origins and destinations. Even intermediary stops (if applicable). Details on trackage is provided .
The audio is good. There are many freight trains. Not bad if it is on sale. Those positives aside…
The chief concern is overall imagery. Shot well, but it is a marginal watch.
Bump it up a half star for the intelligent narrative. The narration and variety make the show.
Hardcore Railfan appeal is the final comment.
Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 