Erie Steam

Producer: Marc S. Balkin

Locations: New Jersey, New York

Timeframe: 1940s- 1950s

Length: 90 minutes total

Sources: Ted Gay, John Briggs, Bob Collins, Dick Loan, more

*Listed as Memories of Erie Steam on DVD spine slipcase. Erie Railroad had over 600 Steam Locomotives. There are 2 separate shows in this release. Some early diesels appear.

A single DVD-R. Main menu has the choice of show 1 or 2. Chapter advance. Dubbed sound and music. Narrated by Tom Moran. Previews. Plenty of map references. The 43 minutes include the previews.

Picture quality is variable. Filmed across a span of years. Ted Gay shot most of the 8mm films. Restoration of films and audio by Marc Balkin.

To the Trains… 👉

First Show Commuter Operations in Northern New Jersey 35 minutes plus previews.

Erie had the huge Jersey City Terminal on the Hudson River. Located across from Manhattan, New York. Multiple commuter lines were served from here.

The assorted 4-6-2 Pacific models were dominant. Rebuilt K5a were the largest and hauled the crack passenger trains. They were serving in Commuter Operations late in the era. Ferry boats between New Jersey and New York City.

The big K-5 engines were running on Commuter Trains. A sprawling Commuter facility is ultra busy at Jersey City.

In color, Alco PA and Susquehanna RS-1 were replacing Steam. Ted films a 1951 diesel cab ride outbound.

Westbound freight stops for a pickup. This is hauled by a  2-8-0 at Hackensack. New Jersey and New York trackage.

This 1903 Baldwin Erie 4-6-0 at Hawthorne is leased on Susquehanna. Steam ended here in 1947.

John Briggs filmed some color footage here in 16mm. K-1 is near Walnut Street station on the West Orange line.

Erie Steam Volume One

The time passes quickly on this well edited show. The color bits of 16mm film a highlight. Picture is generally very good to excellent. Soundtrack is strong and nicely done!

Second Show Mainline between Jersey City and Port Jervis. 40 minutes + previews

Mainline between Jersey City and Port Jervis

Ted Gay and Bob Collins filmed this show. Begins at Jersey City with 8mm black and white film by Bob Collins. He was a CNJ Towernan there. So, a parade of Steam passes him.

Another Ted Gay cab ride. Begins at Rutherford.  Runs through the center of downtown Passiac. This trackage was abandoned in 1963.

A Mikado pulls a long consist of Stillwell cars. Ted Gay segment of Ridgeway Jct. trains.

Waldwick had the famous Collins Curve.  A graceful reverse curve. K5 on the Mountain Express and milk cars.

Erie fielded 105 Berkshire class locomotives. Number 3355 departs Suffern with a freight in 1955. It is a rarity when Middletown and Unionville is visited. The 6 spot steamer there. Port Jervis Yard is highlighted with various scenes.

Triple pushers are awesome on the Forest City grade. Finish with a bonus section of the Erie Northern branch. Many depots are shown. Vestibuling along the route. Plenty of early diesels.

Alco RS-3 932 at Nyack, New York. Both Alco and Electromotive examples are seen in this show.

Erie Steam Volume 2

This one is worth the price of admission. Intriguing variety of the Steam to Diesel Era. Ranges from good to excellent quality. Plenty of map references and detailed narration. A fine assortment of trains. Some real rarities.

Erie Steam Volumes 1 and 2

The first volume is interesting. Looks at the Commuter Service from the huge Jersey Terminal. Some fine color scenes that augment the main black and white films.

The second volume provides a fascinating tour through the Transition Era. While the primary focus is on Erie mainline passenger and freight trains. Many early diesels are included. A bit of a built-in bonus to have so much included. Also, rare footage of New York, Ontario, and Western diesels in color.

Both have excellent soundtracks. Detailed narratives. Judicious map usage. Marc Balkin knocked it out of the park on this old release!

Limited space for the review. There is much more to enjoy across the two volumes.

This should be a great addition to Railfan and Model Railroaders video collections. Recommended for any Steam fan.

Rating: 5 Stars