Hot Spot: Fostoria

Producer: Highball/ MVP

Location: Fostoria

Timeframe: 1990s.

Length: 1 hour 23 minutes

Source: Gary Melford

Here is an original show by MVP Productions that is sold on the Highball label. Fostoria, Ohio is the place. Three Mainlines intersect at this hotspot. Along with three diamonds is the CSX Tower F. Post Conrail merger tape.

Hotspot details. The 3 Mainlines here. 1) CSX (former B&O, now CSX, route between Chicago and Cumberland, Maryland) 2) Norfolk Southern (former Nickel Plate Road, now NS route between Chicago and Buffalo, New York). 3) CSX (former C&O, (Hocking Valley) That route is between Toledo and Columbus, Ohio).

A single DVD-R. The 4×3 aspect ratio picture is best. Typical old camcorder footage. Marginal image quality. Horizontal distortion bar on bottom of screen. Live environmental audio is fine and balanced to the narration. The narrator, who is presumed to be Robert Calvert has plenty of information on each train,except the introduction.

No chapter menu. Note: Narrator references an included paper map to use. No paper map is included in this Highball reissue. Although announced and recommended by the narrator. It is not in the sealed DVD package. Highball cheaps out on this issue.

To the Trains… 👉

Chronological order for the presentation. To keep CSX simple, trains are on either B&O or C&O tracks. A CSX move leads off the show. Hint, if you don’t like the looks of this scene, you may skip to the review conclusion. This is basically how the show appears. CSX 5898 in front. Traffic is mostly CSX. The B&O line to Chicago is dominant.

CSX Tower F at the CSX diamond. Symbol K334 Coke Express. Eastbound on B&O to the C&O track.

CSX Q387 from Selkirk NY to BNSF Cicero with ex: Santa Fe power is Westbound.

CSX 8437, HLCX 5017, UP 9702 and CNW 8505. 8m CSX Q383 goes West. Routed Cumberland, MD. to CSX Barr Yard in Riverdale, Illinois.

This train is CSX Q-217. Seen on ex: B&O iron and it is changing over to the former C&O rails. Conrail paint scheme has been renumbered to CSX 8856. An EMD SD40-2 . Routed from Philadelphia to Walbridge Yard, Toledo and onward to destination at Detroit.

A CSX move. Train Q-690 from Irwin,TN. to Barr Yard. The ex: Conrail 7490 enters B&O from C&O rails.

In September, 1999. SOO 6056 leads this CP Rail move via trackage rights on CSX. Symbol is Z-492 from Louisville to Bedford, Indiana. Unit Grain Train. The Z denotes foreign railroads operating on CSX.

Norfolk Southern train 305 has been patiently waiting for three CSX trains to clear. Traveled on ex: Nickel Plate trackage towards destination at Proviso Yard.  NS 6149 fronts a mixed bag of power. CNW 8516 and two Conrail painted locomotives.

Symbol Q-159 is the former Conrail TV-90 as it speeds past. This Eastbound is from the UPS facility in Willow Springs, Illinois. Displays as Hodgkin’s on UPS tracking app. Destination is North Bergen, New Jersey.

The final train in this busy show. Chicago NorthWestern 8706. This is Norfolk Southern train 306 is out of Proviso Yard and routed to the NS yard at Bellevue, Ohio.

Hot Spot: Fostoria

The intelligent narration sets this Highball Hot Spot show above the standard HBP shows. Unfortunately, the video quality is a major downside. Remember, this is an original MVP production.

Continuous lighting problems are the chief concern. Exposure and backlighting are an annoyance. Most of the video is too close for worthwhile viewing.

Although there is a wide variety of trains and power. The excellent narration loses out to the problematic and disappointing visuals. Overall this is an amateur class production. Best suited for foamers.

Rating: 2 Stars