Tag: Rio Grande

ATVR Reviews Pentrex

Big Boys, Cab Forwards Challengers & Daylights

Post author By William J. Hudson
Post date April 13, 2024
No Comments on Big Boys, Cab Forwards Challengers & Daylights

Producer: Pentrex

Locations: Western USA

Timeframe: 1950s – 1970s

Length: 1 hour 25 minutes

Source: Hank Griffiths

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!

Rating: 5 Stars

Tags American Train Video Reviews, Logging, Milwaukee Road, Northern Pacific, railroads, Rio Grande, Southern Pacific, Steam, steam train, Union Pacific

ATVR Reviews C Vision

Denver and Rio Grande Western Volume 2 : 1989

Post author By William J. Hudson
Post date December 16, 2023
No Comments on Denver and Rio Grande Western Volume 2 : 1989

Producer: C. Vision

Locations: Palmer Lake, Minturn, Tennessee Pass, Glenwood Canyon…

Timeframe: 1989

Length: 102 minutes

Source: Bob Rivard

Rio Grande circa 1989. Front Range through Rocky Mountains. Joint Line with Burlington Northern and Santa Fe trains.

A single DVD-R. On-screen graphics. No maps. Narrated by Don Grant.

Bob Rivard recorded the action. Full screen aspect. Stereo sound. On/ Off narration.

To the trains…

Work train

Rio Grande 3104, a GP40 leads a Work Train distributing railroad ties along the right of way.

Minturn helpers

A helper set is going to be added mid-train at Minturn.

Action near Belden Siding

An Eastbound goes into the hole at Belden Siding.

Tennessee Pass

Tennessee Pass with a tunnel motor on an S curve.

Glenwood Canyon

An SD9 trails in Glenwood Canyon.

Joint Line

Joint Line traffic is shot South of Denver. BN 7000 on a Coal train. A healthy supply of BN trains round out this program.

The trestle near Larksburg sees a couple of Union Pacific engines and a Southern Pacific .

Palmer Lake

Four Santa Fe units at Palmer Lake.

Palmer Lake

Palmer Lake is busy! GE U30C on the point of this BN freight.

Rio Grande caboose

Assorted cabooses are throughout.

Denver and Rio Grande Western Volume 2

Minimal narration and a focus on train runbys. This show is about Railfanning. Model Railroaders benefit by long looks at the passing consists. Assorted cabooses from various roads are the icing on the cake!

Some authentic radio chat adds more interest.

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe moves keep up the interest level on the Joint Line. Balanced with the Rocky Mountain footage. A good assortment of various trains.

A fine show to add in a collection.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Tags American Train Video Reviews, Burlington Northern, Rio Grande, Santa Fe

ATVR Reviews Diverging Clear Productions

Then & Now – The Rio Grande Narrow Gauge

Post author By William J. Hudson
Post date November 26, 2023
No Comments on Then & Now – The Rio Grande Narrow Gauge

Producer: Mary McPherson

Timeframe: 1940s to 2023

Locations: Durango, Chama, Antonito, Windy Point, Hermosa, Cumbres Pass, Silverton…

Length: 3 hours 56 minutes

Sources: Jim Adams, Don Morice, Kurt Jensen, Tom Dunn, Mary R. McPherson

An interesting entry in Diverging Clear Productions, Then and Now series. Begins with vintage 1940s era black and white film. Continues onward. Color film becomes common in the 1960s. This release was a year in the making. Comprehensive coverage. True dat!

A two volume DVD-R set. Chapter Menu. On-screen graphics. No maps. Narration by Mary McPherson. She presents a detailed history.

Film quality from good to excellent. Naturally, newer is finer. Live audio sections are fantastic. Sharp editing.

Travel back to the 1940s to start and progress to 2023. Limited screenshots of this long set. Just a taste of the comprehensive coverage within this set.

Tanglefoot Curve 1940s

A long freight is hauled around Tanglefoot Curve in the 1940s. Chama to Antonito line.

K-36 488 leads in the 1950s

Freight in the 1950s. Uptick in traffic until 1956. K36 488 with 499 helper near Highway 388.

The Silverton Mix. Trains 461 and 462.

Popular mixed freight / passenger trains which ran along the Animas River.

Rocky Mountain Club Trains 1961.

Now, we get into color films. These Club Specials were well attended. Trips exceeded 100 miles. Jim Adam’s film.

Elk Park

A 1962 trip included a mounted ex: Illinois Central steam whistle. Train plus onboard scenes. What a deal for $20! A freight is seen at Pagosa Jct. Photo runby at Elk Park. Another at Windy Point. Of course, footage from aboard the trains!

1963 with Jim Adam’s film.

Windy Point

Rio Grande was now into the Tourist business. A double header 498 488 at Windy Point. Jim Adam’s again in 1964. RMC specials ceased by 1967.

Illini Club Charter

Illini Railroad Club sponsored train in 1962. Don Morice film.

Sixties Freight

1960s at Wolf Creek

Weather issues, expenses and declining freight traffic result in some abandonment.

Preservation…

About halfway through the first disc. The focus is on what was preserved.

Durango and Silverton

High Line action

Startup and upgrade background. Coverage from 1990s into the 2000s. Durango is first. Some Mixed Trains add interest. High Line and onward to Silverton. Additional action on the return.

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic

Triple header!

Cumbres and Toltec is featured next, in the modern era. Outstanding footage! Live audio is great with a soundbar.

Doubleheader beyond the bridge at the big tree

Chama is first up with a departing double-header tourist train. Location based route from a decade timespan of film.

Disc Two

Cumbres and Toltec Specials

Goose #5 operating

Galloping Goose #5. Lettered Rio Grande Southetn. Almost sounds like a lawnmower.

Photo freight in 2005

A 2005 shot photo freight gets chased. Rio Grande 488. Check those Livestock cars. The freight assortment is cool. Perfect for the Model Railroaders!

Along The Animas River

The program continues with tourist train action. Cumbres and Toltec. Durango and Silverton. Minimal narration. Excellent scenes are abundant!

The 488 departs Silverton

At Siverton. This scene is for the Model Railroaders. The station, road crossing and siding. A tight curve is behind the train. Checkout the structure placements. Your Welcome.

Chama Yard

Bonus! Chama Yard yields extra details for Model Railroaders! Caboose, extended pipe load that requires 3 cars. Water Tower and Coaling Tower. How cool is this shot?

Then and Now Rio Grande

At nearly 4 hours in total length, there is something for all Narrow Gauge railfans. Mary McPherson includes a knowledgeable and professional narrative. From the 1940s to 2023, give a complete overview of the featured lines.

Outstanding film on the second half. A live soundtrack that sounds great!

First disc contains the historical portion. Very well done.

Diverging Clear has the bases covered in this family-friendly extravaganza.

Is this the definitive show for Colorado Narrow Gauge?

You decide! 😀

As far as this review goes. The rating offers added insight. Sum total = A Must Have!

Rating: 5 Stars

Tags American Train Video Reviews, Reading, Rio Grande, Steam, steam train

ATVR Reviews Pentrex

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic

Post author By William J. Hudson
Post date October 8, 2023
No Comments on Cumbres and Toltec Scenic

Producer: Pentrex

Locations: Chama, Cumbres Pass, Antonito…

Timeframe: 1990

Length: 75 minutes

Source: Stan McInturf

A contemporary tour of this historic Narrow Gauge Railroad. Originally, this was a Denver & Rio Grande Western line. Today, still steam powered. Vintage equipment galore!

A single factory pressed DVD. Main Chapter Menu by location. On screen graphics. Map. Preview section. Narrated by Dave Drui.

Pentrex high quality throughout. Excellent Videography. Natural audio. Informative narration.

Cab rides and views from the passenger consist of augmenting the standard trackside scenes. Well, maybe not so standard!

The show begins with steam locomotive preparation at Chama. To some highlights…

Chama

Locomotive getting ready at Chama.

Bridge across the Chama River

Train crossing the Chama River.

Cab ride scenes

A K-36 class engine. Winding through The Narrows, on its trip to Cumbres Pass. This route was saved in the 1950s. It was hauling pipe for natural gas harvesting. The Engineer and Fireman are shown.

Cumbres Pass

Cumbres Pass depot is 10,015 feet in elevation. It stops for water.

Osier Station

Osier is the halfway point on the line. Here is where the usual trains meet from opposite directions. The Antonito move arrives first. The Chama train arrives shortly. Passengers can ride one way or halfway on a roundtrip, which returns at Osier.

Looking down at Toltec Canyon

Toltec Gorge offers spectacular scenery!

Antonito

Antonito is the Eastern end of the line. Dual gauge trackage was used here. An idler car had both gauges of couplers to facilitate car movements. Engine House is in the background.

Sublette Water Pipe

The true distance is 35 miles as the crow flies. Rail mileage is 64 miles from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico. Sublette is now an abandoned ghost town. Trains still use this place as a Water Stop.

Windy Point

Windy Point has trackage hugging the mountainside. Fantastic views here.

Train arrives at Chama. End of the line. Trackage to Durango is long abandoned and removed..

Chama Yard

A scene for model railroaders. 487 passes the Coaling Tower. Check that caboose.

Doubleheader action

A doubleheader gives additional power for heavy trains. This move is chased up to Cumbres Pass.

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic

A nicely done visit to this historic Narrow Gauge Railroad. Seems to include the key points. Maybe it’s a bit short at Antonito. However, plenty of Chama. Good action and operational highlights.

Pentrex has a fine show of C&TSRR in the modern era.

A must-see for Narrow Gauge fans!

Rating: 5 Stars