Producer: Green Frog
Locations: Elkhart, South Bend, ArcelorMittal, Hammond, Chicago
Timeframe: 2007-2010
Length: 93 minutes
Source: Chris Wehman
Tour the line from Elkhart Indiana to Chicago Illinois. Filmed across different seasons. Notice some scenes with snow on the ground. Between assorted power and weather, this show has nice variety.
Fullscreen 4×3 aspect ratio. Solid videography as expected from Chris Wehman. A fine soundtrack to match. Narrator is Chris Wehman. Dependable Green Frog high quality.
No Chapter Menu. There is a hidden Chapter Advance. Some on-screen graphics with train symbols. No maps. A relaxed narrative that features locations and symbols.
Available individually or the multi-disc set.
To the Trains…
Begins at the Amtrak station in Elkhart. Norfolk Southern 2581 hauls M44 passes the train museum across the tracks from the station there. 250 This is a hotspot.
NS 9000 leads a couple of leased engines past the station hauling symbol 19K.
Canadian Pacific 5652/ 6003 with 29T as it hauls auto racks at Mishawaka, Indiana via trackage rights on NS. There are a pretty good amount of CP freights within this show.
NS train 35E is cruising by in a no blow zone in Mishawaka. Engine 6655 at a road crossing with mixed freight.
Conrail paint is still on renumbered 8363. Symbol 16E is at South Bend, Indiana. Plenty of trains are seen in the vicinity of this city.
Union Pacific 5353 leads a mixed road lash-up of UP and BNSF. Traveling Eastbound on a Canadian National auto rack train on the joint trackage at South Bend.
Electric powered Commuter Service. The Chicago South Shore Line unit #7 fronts the arrival near the South Bend airport.
Amtrak 353 with the Burns Harbor Steelworks puffing in the background.
Norfolk Southern CP 502 has action at the massive ArcelorMittal Steelworks. Plant switchers like this 305 work there. The busy neighboring triple track Chicago mainline parallels the former EJ&E. Also, Indiana Harbor Belt crosses over here. An. abundance of rail traffic and industrial structures could be fantastic inspiration for Model Railroaders.
Indiana Harbor Belt 8814 hauls coiled steel as it crosses the mainlines on its own tracks. Trains seen at ArcelorMittal are viewed from a walkover.
Late in this program, we reach Chicago, Illinois. Amtrak has just departed from Union Station. Filmed here from the 18th Street overpass. This show wraps up near the station area.
Norfolk Southern A Tour of the Thoroughbred
A nicely done tour of the Chicago Line from Elkhart to Chicago. Predominantly filmed within Indiana. A variety of roadnames on the locomotives. Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific are the main players.
Videographer Wehman moves the camera to different set-up locations. He provides a basic narrative. Minimal but just enough. Excellent train sounds. Balanced soundtrack. Sharp editing on this briskly paced program.
A winner for Norfolk Southern fans. High quality production that can be interesting for most any modern railfan. A fine entry in this series from Green Frog.
Rating: 5 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 