The Reference Standard, for High Quality Train Video/ DVD Reviews. Classic and Vintage Railroads are a speciality. Diesel, Steam, Electric, Trolley and Logging Lines across North America.
Pentrex has compiled two Video Rails shows into a single disc. Notably, Hank filmed nine 16mm color film. Steam to Diesel. Narrow gauge to Standard. Old logging lines, as well.
A single DVD-R. Chapter Menu by Railroad. Narrated. No maps. Previews.
Image quality and Cinematography are excellent. That 16mm film is the ticket for vintage films. Color balance is fine. Dubbed train sounds for the soundtrack. Informative narration.
Filmed primarily in Northwest US States. A jam-packed collection. Some highlights only.
To the Trains…
Oregon and Northwestern
Oregon and Northwestern Lumber Company in January 1955. Mikado 1400 is hauling logs to Edward Hines Lumber. Eastern Oregon.
St. Regis #7 is a Shay operating on Klickey Klack. Assorted saddle tankers are shown.
Colorado and Southern double-header of 2-10-2 types. North of Cheyenne. C&S was a Burlington Route subsidiary road.
Vintage D&RGW narrow gauge steam. Checkout the revenue freight trains. A helper #487 shoves this freight upgrade. Chama to Antonito. Early era Tourist trains. Hank filmed these in 1960-61.
Union Pacific Steam. Transition era. Some wild steam and diesel combined lash-ups!Gas Turbine 64 with Northern 843 nears Green River, Wyoming.
Big Boy 4005 at Green River roundhouse in 1958. Plenty of Big Boy led trains operate on the mainline.
Challenger 3712
Plenty of Challengers are seen. The 3712 is on Pusher duty from Riverdale Yard in Ogden, Utah.
Union Pacific Diesels. A Lumber train travels downhill with F3A 507.
Filmed in Idado 1970. Ski special with a 5 unit lash-up. Consist of 23 cars. Portland Rose and Ski Specials behind E units receive coverage.
Southern Pacific. April, 1955. San Joaquin Valley steam powered Daylights. 4-8-4 GS class locomotives. Passenger and non streamlined freight service models.Cab Forwards in 1955. 4183 gets going on Alturas trackage.
Northern Pacific circa 1956. A behemoth Z8 class. Laurel- Billings Montana line. Other Z8 locos are shown.
Milwaukee Road. Electrified. 1970-1971. Little Joe’s on Avery Helper District. Rocky Mountain Division. Boxcabs, as well.
Milwaukee Road. Electrified. 1970-1971. Little Joe’s on Avery Helper District. Rocky Mountain Division. Boxcabs, as well.A Little Joe meets waiting boxcabs on St. Paul Pass at East Portal.
Big Boys, Cab Forwards Challengers & Daylights
Hank Griffiths is among the top railroad cinematographers of his era. Residing in Idaho, he captures some rare action.
Northern Pacific is hard to find, especially steam. Logging lines are also uncommon. He was present at the right time for Union Pacific in the transition years.
Solid entries for Rio Grande, Milwaukee Road, and Southern Pacific steam. Freight trains dominate. Excellent, as many others shot mostly passenger service.
There is much more within this fine collection.
A must-have for anyone with interest of 1950s to early 1970’s railroading. That 16mm all color film is great!
Here is a grand tour of many tourist/ museum lines across America. Total is 37 visits. Filmed in the early 1990s. There are some that are no longer operational. Check the listings.
A 2 DVD set. Detailed Main Chapter Menu, which lists the Railroads. Graphics contain phone numbers and website information. Basic maps are included for each line. Preview section.
Pentrex high quality in all areas. Clear picture, although obviously, was not modern high definition video. Live sound and good audio levels.
Dave Drui performs the narratives.
Viewers see many different looks. Exteriors, interiors, structures, cab rides, pacing, and plenty of great scenery.
All shows run just under an hour. Western and Eastern States organization.
Disc One
Alphabetical menu. California Western, Cumbres and Toltec, Durango & Silverton, Napa Valley, Nevada Northern, Virginia & Truckee to Yreka Western. Additional, as well.
The introduction offers 8 railroads in a different order. This is Volume 1.
Yreka Western is the first. Northern California. Mt. Shasta area. Mikado #19 for steam power. Closed their passenger train service years ago.
Western Pacific F7 leads past the yard
Portola Museum is next. Western Pacific F7A 921-D operates a caboose train. Parts of an impressive collection are seen.
Virginia & Truckee RR. Virginia City to Gold Hill Depot. Steamer #8 is a fully rebuilt Baldwin. Check for schedule.
Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Ely, Nevada. Steam #40 runs the Ghost Train to Keystone Mine. Baldwin ten wheeler circa 1910. Ely complex is a survivor. This one is a more fully realized operation.
Golden Spike Historic Site. It’s obvious to the title. Recreates the famous two locomotives meeting.
Durango & Silverton
Durango & Silverton. Durango, Colorado. The world famous narrow gauge trains. Former Rio Grande line and equipment.
Georgetown Loop near Silver Plume, Colorado. Shay #12. Westside Lumber was the original owner. Mountain scenery with old mines.
California Western at Tunnel 2
California Western. Fort Bragg to Willits. Motorcar, Steam, and Diesel. Redwood forest scenery.
Volume 2
8 more Tourist Trains in a one hour show.
Cumbres and Toltec
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Another ex: Rio Grande narrow gauge Steam powered line. Northern New Mexico into Southern Colorado. San Juan Mountains. Mikado class locomotives. Chama, NM to Antonio, CO. 64 miles.
Petticoat Junction Special at Railtown 1897
Sierra Railway. Railtown 1897. Jamestown, CA. A State Park. Operating wooden roundhouse. Multiple Steam. Heavily filmed by Hollywood industry.
Geared Shay locomotive at Yosemite
Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Former Westside Lumber Shay #10 locomotive. This is an authentic logging lines engine. As the geared design was well suited to forest operations. Narrow gauge.
San Francisco Municipal 1003
Western Railway Museum. East of San Francisco. Streetcars and Trolleys. Vintage passenger cars. Freight cars. Sizeable collection. Above, San Francisco Municipal 1003. Nicknamed as Magic Carpets for their smooth ride.
Napa Valley Wine Train
Napa Valley Wine Train. Napa, CA. with a 36 mile roundtrip across wine country. MLW built Alco diesels. Eat, drink, and be merry.
Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. Felton, CA. Narrow gauge Steam power with a Shay. Bear Mountain stop.
Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific
Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific. Summertime service. Diesel power. Felton (Roaring Camp) to Santa Cruz. Redwood forest to the boardwalk.
Disc 2
Volume 3 is about 53 minutes long.
Blue Mountain & Reading. GE 3303 in a What If late Reading style paint scheme. They reopened this closed Conrail trackage in 1983.
Connecticut Trolley Museum. East Windsor. Length is 1 1/2 miles. Baltimore Streetcar Museum is another one visited. Both have fine collections.
N&W GP with some of Spencer Shops
Historic Spencer Shops. Spencer, North Carolina. Southern Railway’s old shops. Norfolk & Western 620 GP9 in service here. Aka North Carolina Transportation Museum.
RR Museum of Pennsylvania. Strasburg. All static displays. Wide variety of equipment. Brief visit. The National Toy Train Museum is seen here, as well.
Valley Railroad
Valley Railroad Company. Essex, Connecticut. Steam powered. Locomotive 40 is a 1920 Alco. Ride vintage coaches and more.
Rockhill Trolley Museum is located at East Broad Top Railroad.
Mt. Washington Cog. Runs too long for this subject.
Lowell National Historic Park. This one is in Lowell, Massachusetts. A park trolley. Industrial Revolution structures.
East Broad Top. Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania. Ten mile ride. Steam. The last Eastern narrow gauge in service. EBT has an interesting history. Check for status.
Volume 4
Northeastern States are the overall territory covered here.
Green Mountain Flyer
Green Mountain. Bellows Falls to Chester, Vermont. Roundtrip. Alco RS-1 # 405. The feature train is The Green Mountain Flyer. Rutland passenger cars.
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Washington, PA. They now list a 50 car collection. Since 1953.
Adirondack Scenic Railroad. Thendara, NY. Regular power is 8223 New York Central RS-3. An SW1 is standing in at this time.
NJ Museum of Transportation. Pine Creek RR is narrow gauge. Farmingdale, NJ. Various Steam and Diesels. Industrial size diesels.
Shore Line Trolley Museum
Shore Line Trolley Museum. East Haven, Connecticut. They claim to be the oldest operating trolley line in continuous suburban service.
Cass Scenic Railroad. Cass, West Virginia. Shay 5. Doubleheads with the 2 spot. A former logging line.
B&O Railroad Museum. Extensive collection. This visit is lacking and feels rushed. Very brief visit for its size.
Seashore Trolley Museum. Kennebunkport, Maine. SOAC. State of the Art Cars. A 1972 rapid transit design. Large collection is currently listed there.
Western Maryland Scenic at Frostburg
Western Maryland Scenic RR. Cumberland, MD. Standard gauge. Steam is a Western Maryland # 734 engine. Trip to Frostburg at 32 miles. Excellent segment.
Strasburg Railroad
Strasburg Railroad. Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Locomotive 475. A #90 is seen at the Station.
Caboose rides at Portola
Caboose rides are enjoyable! If you have an opportunity, it is highly recommended.
Great American Train Rides Volumes 1-4.
Some notable missing Tourist/ Museum train rides. Illinois Railway Museum at Union, Illinois. Mid- Continent at North Freedom, Wisconsin. Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, Ill.
Grand Canyon Railway out of Williams, Arizona. The Verde Canyon at Clarkdale, Arizona, is another. Interesting and well-known operations. Better than gimmick Cogs or too many trolleys.
Overall, it is a nice collection to have on hand. Covers many facets of railroading. Seems the Midwest was neglected. Arizona is missing. Becomes a bit Trolley heavy in the second half.
Hence, misses an Outstanding rating.
Remember, this is an older release. Things have changed over the years. Check ahead to get current on anyplace of interest.
The Trains We Missed Volume 2. A continuation of the Catenary Video series. Lucius Beebe theme, from his 1966 book. The Trains We Rode. Focusing on obscure, Railroad operations. Here, we have Logging Lines and Mining Shortlines.
Warren Haack is the Director. Have seen some great shows from him. He is in the Top Tier of Train Video Producers. A PBS style program here. Many elements woven together, to produce a fascinating journey into the past.
John Kirkland was a Sales Manager, for Baldwin Locomotives. He travelled in the Western States. Filmed in color. High quality, 16mm film. Catenary Video has partnered with, additional resources to bring out these films.
A Chapter Menu is included. Maps. On – screen graphics. Guest narrators. You are there, Enviornmental Sound. Extremely detailed, on certain segments. Top quality soundtrack. A must hear!
The main menu alone, reveals a greater diversity, compared to Volume One. There is much material to view. So, we shall hit some highlights.
Logging Shortlines
Michigan – California RR & Cableway 1938. Black and White, plus Color films. Lumber and Rail. Unique Cable Tramway. Single freight car operation across the American River.
Pickering SugarpineRR 72 miles long. Color. Shays used. Very steep grades. Stan Kistler tells of 1950s, on – location recordings, he made there. Fantastic 16mm film and amazing audio!
Pickering Shay on a wooden trestle.
Ride the train through the woods. Stan talks about it. This footage is stunning!
ApacheRailway 72 mile railroad. A Lumber and Railroad. McNary Mill 1952.White Mountain Apache Reservation. Complete story.
Kirkland rode a log job.
John Kirkland filmed a new Baldwin, delivered to Apache Railway and a return visit in 1952. Color film. Nice caboose.
Apache Railway served this McNary Mill.
As with many facilities, or even the Railroads themselves. Most of the subjects are long gone. Fortunately, we can visit these places, via shows like these. The Arizona Logging operation and a later Tourist line, are no longer in existence.
Oregon & NorthwesternRR 51 miles. Burns to Seneca. Extension added later. Steam until 1953.. Color. McCloud River S-12, for a demo filmed by Kirkland, on the O & N. This in 1953.
Oregon & Northwestern ran Steam until 1953.
John Kirkland had even more great footage here.
The new Baldwin pulls a load of logs.
Baldwin delivered an AS 616 Oregon & Northwestern #1.
Mining Shortlines
Minera Mexicana at Avalos Streetcars/ Trolleys. FCM 86 steamer. Dual gauge yards at Mexico City. Louis Stein and Art Alter, filmed this in color. Check the audio!
Super Rare. Streetcars action in Mexico. See and hear.
Some brief Streetcars are operating in Mexico City 1963. That is Mega Rare! Excellent film quality. The creative Catenary, you are there, soundtrack. Amazing sequence!
Baby Gauge at Avalos. Check the size difference!
Various Steam trains are seen operating, passenger service. Ride and follow one. Look at that Baby Gauge Steam Engine, above image! That is at Avalos, Mexico.
Magma ArizonaRR 28 mile line. Built East of Phoenix. Location was Superior, Arizona. It served the Superior Copper mine. Excellent collection of film.
Magma #5 runs at Superior, Arizona.
Magma Arizona Railroad. The #5 is a 2-8-0 Consolidation. Magma Arizona ran one of the last revenue Steam Locomotive operations in the United States.
The Baldwin S8 replacement for Steam, at right.
A Baldwin S8 was sold to them used by John Kirkland More Baldwin power. RS3 at Magma Mine. Great footage.
TronaRailway Mohave Desert. Lake Searles, CA. 1949 Baldwin Center Cabs delivered.
Trona Baldwin Center Cabs.
Kaiser Steel: Eagle MountainRailroad Ore line to an SP connection, near the Salton Sea. Power was by Baldwin DRS 6- 6-1500 units. Also AS- 616. The year 1968, saw SP leased power for heavily loaded trains. John Kirkland film.
Eagle Mountain.
Tooele ValleyRailway Tooele, Utah AS 616 demo. Smelter connection for Western Pacific and Union Pacific.
Carbon County & Geneva Smelter(US Steel) Columbia, Utah. Built in 1941. Baldwin VO 1000. Wartime assigned to the mill in 1943. In 1952 the AS 616 demo worked there. ( A sister mine operation operates for US Steel. Still photos and train sounds. USS F7 fleet there)
Baldwin – Lima – Hamilton. Final three locomotives .
Thorough Chapter, yet moves quickly. Plant and parallel Diesel history.
Outside and inside views, of the structures. Subtitles with details.
Intriguing feature, with steel making process. Interpolation of early diesels. John Kirkland was their locomotive Salesman. Nicely done!
Carbon County caboose pair.
The Trains We Missed Volume Two
Coverage of Loggers and Mine Shortlines is extensive. Rare films in a relatively compact package. The creative presentation keeps this release interesting for all.
Film restoration is excellent. Once again, the unusual soundtrack puts this over the top! Extremely detailed on certain scenes. Listen closely to the chatter in Mexico. See and hear those rocks roll at trackside. Guest narrators. High quality overall. Even more…
This series is great for most any train enthusiast. In fact, history buffs should enjoy these, as well. The PBS show style, offers that crossover appeal. They display highlights of a Volume 3. Bring it on Catenary Video!
Sources: Stein, Kirkland, Sappers, Phelps, Alter, Savage
To paraphrase the formal Catenary lines. They are producing a unique series. A theme based on the classic Lucius Beebe book, The Trains We Rode.
This initial release, is of obscure Northern California and Western Nevada operations. Coverage includes more than only Railroads. 1929 San Francisco Cable Cars for one example.
Top shelf 16mm film sources! Catenary has partnered with the Western Railway Museum. Digitally transferred to wide screen HD. Mostly color.
A new narrative form in train videos, as well. Character voices. Viewers become the traveller! Experience a fresh perspective. All of this in the years, between 1929- 1959.
This show has a Main Menu. Detailed Chapter Menu. Musical augmentation. Frequent map references. On-screen graphics. Stereo Soundtrack. 16×9 Widescreen. DVD-R.
This program is in a PBS style presentation. Warren Haack is the Host Narrator. Additional credits for Guest Appearances.
There are many locations. A variety of subjects. I have formatted this review, to follow the menu.
Highlights only. Too much to show everything here.
A few short sequences, have been previously released. Other Producers do this, as well. Original films are limited. It is part of telling a story. What re-appears here, is in a higher quality. Plus, the benefit of newly added sounds.
Part 1: Shortline Excursion Loop- North to South: SF Naps & Calistoga, SP Roseville 1947, NCNG, V&T, SP Narrow Gauge.
Cable Car Ride in 1929. Experience the scene!
Pacific Avenue Cable car ride in 1929. Black and white. You are there! Voices, footsteps, vehicles. A serious upgrade over anything, previously done.
The Enhanced Soundtrack Adds A New Dimension.
San Francisco Napa & Calistoga. Electric Street cars. Black and White film. Large cars, not trolleys.
A GS class rolls past the old Roseville Station.
SP Roseville 1947. Yard and vicinity. Plenty of action here.
Nevada County Narrow Gauge.
Nevada County Narrow Gauge. Colfax. A mining Railroad for 68 years. Carried gold. Black and white, plus color film by Al Phelps. Ken Yeo is interviewed.
Virginia & Truckee in 1950.
Virginia & Truckee. Historic Virginia City. Carson City. Lucius Beebe varnish. Beautiful film. Closed in 1950.
The Slim Princess #18.
Southern Pacific Carson and Colorado. The Slim Princess #18 . SP Keeler Branch was the last of three Narrow Gauge lines. Owenyo transfer footage.
Shortline Excursion Loop- South to North: Santa Fe, YV, Bay Area Electrics, State Belt.
Santa Fe 2901, is serviced. Note the exhaust extension.
Santa Fe. Steam at Raton, New Mexico. #2901 is a 4-8-4, Northern type. Super Chief diesels. Other name trains introduced by ATSF.
Yosemite Valley traverses it’s route.
Yosemite Valley Railway. A short line began in 1907. San Francisco origin point. See and ride this one.
Incline Lumber Operation film. Sugar Pine Lumber is discussed.
Brand new EMD F7 set on Santa Fe. Warbonnet scheme.
Santa Fe Dieselized. Warbonnet F units. Mainline is cutback at Richmond.
Standard Oil on private property. Talk about homemade!
Standard Oil Flatcar. Electrified Line. Ran on private property. Checkout that homemade equipment! Model Railroaders take note.
Richmond Shipyard. Former New York City el cars from 1890 on this Interurban electric line.
State Belt. Served 67 miles of San Francisco wharf areas. Alco S2. Exhibition trains used the trackage too.
Part 2- Kirkland Southern Pacific.
John Kirkland films. He was a Manager for Baldwin Locomotives. Fine Cinematographer. Used 16mm film. This section alone, is worth the admission.
Baldwin AS-616 demonstrated. Leads an SP Golden State train.
Baldwin AS 616, demonstration unit #1600. BLH now. He also shot Steam and other Diesels. Assortment of trains. A brand new, Baldwin S-12 is delivered.
Southern Pacific AC-10 on the Modoc Line.
He films the Modoc Line, with big Steam. Some of this, has been previously released. Oakland finale. Outstanding quality!
Part 3- Sacramento Northern.
Sacramento Northern had plenty of Street Trackage.
Oakland. Freight on the Electric line. Street running, as we follow along. Circa 1957. We continue to visit the area in the early 1950s. A combination of Riding and Viewing this operation.
Virginia & Truckee went out early. Despite it’s early success.
The Trains We Missed Volume 1.
A fascinating tour, of many uncommon rail subjects. The singular soundtrack is special. Film quality is excellent overall. Plenty of extras. Informative and entertaining narration.
Everything you need, in a well thought out show. Has something for everyone.
Five vintage films from the 1940s and ’50s. Professionally produced by the Railroad organizations of the time. Most, if not all of these have circulated. Convenient to have a group on a single DVD.
A detailed Chapter Menu breaks them down by the five movie titles. A Play All option, as well.
These shall be reviewed by individual title. All are narrated. Full color films.
A roll up and combined rating upon completion.
Burlington Route FT set. One of the myriad of rarities.
On The Track AAR short film of 1950s era. Dudley Productions. A shared theme of America produces, and ships by rail. Wide variety of railroads passby the camera.
There are a number of famous landmarks. Prosperous, post war America. There are similar films made during this time.
Covers much subject matter in about 15 minutes. Historical look back into time. Heavy industry is one focus.
Plenty of early diesels. F and E units dominate. A few odd, Alco and Baldwin units. Several steam locomotives.
Life – Line of the Nation
Another Carl Dudley Production. Don McNamara has the narrator credit.
An earlier film. Deals with World War 2. The valuable role of US railroads to move the military. The industry to manufacture equipment.
Hence, a National defense theme. Milwaukee Road box cab electrics.
Get busy identifying what you see in all of these shows. Look closely…
Florida East Coast!
Milwaukee Road Hiawatha. Nice runby!
Runs about 20 minutes. Plenty of steam.
Rare, New York Central Empire State Express.
Early diesels in small numbers here.
The might of the US industrial complex, to support the war effort. Cooperation amoung the railroads to move everything.
The responsibility of the railroads to keep the peace time America rolling.
225,000 Mile Proving Ground
A 1958 produced, Association of American Railroads. Dudley Pictures.
The Headline Story of Railroad Research.
The subtitle sums up where this movie short is going. These old films do like to emphasize just how well they are doing!
This Union Pacific Turbine, is the future.
The science of Railroading. Metallurgy, as in more durable rail is one subject. Freight car design and uniform improvements.
Improved refrigerator equipment. Santa Fe.
Modern hump yard. Modern signaling for reliable train movements, is another.
Boxcars are constantly improved.
America’s 225,000 rail miles are the proving ground for so much technology.Suffice it to say, A Chicago headquarters, was at the forefront, of the leading edge.
Railroads and National Defense
Dudley Pictures. Korean War era.
America: with natural resources, industrial might and a strong military. Ready to meet any challenge. Transportation is the key.
This short is packed with early diesels! Missouri – Kansas – Texas E units. MKT.
T
By now, you will notice the recycling of some footage. Remember, the producers were doing these films separately. They would have never dreamed of a single DVD!
Buses move troops to the trains. Going to embarkation areas.
Runs about 12 minutes. Many of the same trains seen previously. Like this Monon.
In a way, seen one, seen them all with these old short films. They vary somewhat. Yet, are quite similar.
Mainline USA
Also an AAR release from the 1950s. Dudley Pictures. Gilmore is this narrator.
Probably the best of this collection. Many diesels. Pennsylvania Baldwin Sharks are shown.
Rock Island TA.
Again with the greatest America. Same recycled footage. Much new and additional film.
This one contains the largest selection of diesels.
Advances, such as truck trailers on flatcars.
Runs about 20 minutes.
The Heritage Collection, Volume 1
Pentrex has delivered on the advertised. These vintage short films are of a historical nature. Repeat scenes, no extra charge!
Years ago, many old train films were difficult to obtain. Much has surfaced over the decades. There are still some rare birds. Although, only a quick glimpse of each.
Overall, an authentic period collection. Has trains, and much more. One viewpoint of American life. May or may not, be of interest.
American Train Video Reviews 
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