Producer: Herron Video
Locations: Louisville, DeCoursey, more
Timeframe: 1940- 1976
Length: 72 minutes
Sources: 10 different
This is a collection of films from ten sources. Official Louisville and Nashville is one of them. Vintage coverage from the 1940s to 1970s. Program is heavy on steam and passenger trains.
A single DVD-R. Highly detailed Chapter Menu. On-screen graphics. Some maps. A preview of Volume 2. Narrated by Ralph Morse.
The films begin with black and white, early on. Color film is rare for the steam era. Yet, there is plenty of color on hand. Overall, the images are in the very good range, more or less. Not modern viewing standards. Historical value.
Fullscreen aspect. Audio is largely dubbed train sounds and some bits of music. The narrative is busy and informative.
L&N has a variety of operating settings. Mainline, Roundhouse, and classification Yards. There are many scenes where the locomotives travel at yard speeds. Excellent for trainwatching.
States: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
To the Trains…
Various Electromotive E units are seen, as early as the 1940s. These blue and silver trainsets were on the Hummingbird and Georgian train assignments.
Steam is king. Detailed narration provides needed information. Starts out with 1940s footage. A N.C. & St. L. This J-3 4-8-4 #573 in yellow jacket paint. Subsidiary line shown in Tennessee.
Extensive coverage in the Lousville area. The heart of L&N. A bunch of steam power in black and white on Derby Day in 1951. A pair of L&N Pacifics 230/219 cruise past.
Heavy Mike at South Louisville.
East Louisville is next. Chesapeake and Ohio Heavy Mikado 1183 works upgrade leaving town. Trackage rights authority. This eastbound is going to Lexington. Both steam and diesels are seen around this spot.
A set of EMD F7 A/B/B units with a Southbound freight in 1952. Franklin Avenue.
Train 20 departs St. Mathews. The 295 was de-streamlined and repainted.
This scene is in 16mm film. M-1 1963 hauls a local freight near Richmond, Kentucky. These L&N Berkshires were the largest steam locomotives on the railroad. Served on both freight and passenger trains. Additional M-1 coverage with plenty in black and white film.
Franklin and Cincinnati RR was a 49 mile shortline. Flemingsberg and Northern, ran this old Roger’s built Mogul 359. Check the brakeman doing a stove pipe on the boxcar.
A pair of Alco FA units pull a couple of M-1 class engines 1961/1962 and a Baldwin switcher to get serviced at South Louisville. Derby Day in 1956.
The decade of the 1960s was filmed in 8mm by a guy interested in passenger service. Many scenes in Alabama. This Hummingbird has the austere blue repaint and modern gray/yellow scheme liveries.
The last chapters of 1960s and 1970s do not contain the balance of freight and passenger trains. Forgoing freight trains, the least interesting parts of the show.
Reflections of the L&N Volume 1
An educational narrative supports this cornucopia of L&N locomotives. Steam is the star and has extensive coverage. Dubbed train sounds and some music on a balanced soundtrack.
Images vary from a variety of sources and years. Everything is in its place. Well-edited with good to very good or better visuals.
The final decades are of lesser quality and interest. Fascinating material in the 1940s and 1950s are the strength, and fortunately bulk of the time.
Overall, a worthwhile look into a historical type program of the Louisville and Nashville.
Rating: 4 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 