Southern Pacific Eastern Illinois

Producer: Midwest Video

Locations: Chicago area, Eola

Timeframe: 1994- 95

Length: One hour 37 minutes

Source: Bob Calvert

Midwest Video tours pre-merger Southern Pacific. Chicago area is visited. Not the best video quality. Nevertheless, an informative release.

A single DVD-R. On-screen billboard card graphics with train details. Map. Narrated.

Heavy Southern Pacific mainline traffic with largely Intermodals. Long looks as trains pass the camcorder. Live environmental audio.  Imagery is 4×3 fullscreen. Picture quality is fair. Exposure problems. This is better suited to hardcore fans only.

To the Trains… 👉

Train MNGVC in 1995. Newer widecabs with 135 leading. They haul this Mintac to Geneva Ore Train at Eola.

The individual train billboard cards appear as above.

Engines 243/ 109 lead train 1-RVCHQ at West Eola. 1st Roseville to Chicago Quality. 7.22.95 time 24m This AC44CW pair goes to Belt Railway of Chicago. Manifest freight.

Here, we see SP GP60 9721 with a Cotton Belt on 2-CHLAX speed past at West Eola. 08.13.95

Clearing Yard to Forest Hill transfer. SP 4855 GP38-2 single hands this local work. A consist of double-stacks here.

Mixed 4 unit lash-up on a power move. Cotton Belt 9679, SP 7307,  Rio Grande 3084, SSW 9677. Just left the Belt engine terminal.

Southern Pacific 7518 SD45 creeps by with a COFC move outside of Clearing Yard. City of Industry to Chicago Expedite. See the

CNW and Union Pacific units in a mixed bag lash-up. Clearing Yard.

Southern Pacific Eastern Illinois

This is a substandard show for visuals. Even for the Midwest Video Productions line. Although it is well organized with train information. 

The picture quality rates poor to fair. Narrator sounds sleepy here.Pic! Slow paced show. If one likes examining Intermodals, maybe it’s you. Not me!

Predominantly SP long distance Intermodal trains. So, can easily be seen in higher bracket shows. I expected reasonably good looks around Clyde Yard and  Clearing Yard. Nope! They shot the outer lead trackage with zero access inside.

Could be a one-star. Bump it up for the details on the majority of the trains. Maybe for foamers only.

Rating: 1 1/2 Stars