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.
Green Frog continues this series on Canadian National. This one begins at beautiful Niagara Falls. A tour on Canadian National in Southern Ontario is the main feature.
DVD-R. No Chapter menu. Hidden Chapter advance. On/ Off narrative option. No maps. Narration by Peter Youngblood.
As with the other volumes. Available in single releases or the entire set.
Excellent Videography. Natural environmental audio. Unfortunately, at times it picks up too much passing freeway traffic. This is a distraction. On the plus, limited occurrences.
To the Trains…
Amtrak 63 crosses to Canada
Niagara Falls is the start point. Spectacular views. Here is Amtrak train 63 as it rolls across the CN bridge. This scene is viewed from Canada.
Niagara Falls
CP Rail freight pulled by SD40 locomotives. Stunning shots by Rich Schied of this area!
MacMillan Yard
Toronto at the CN MacMillanYard. The largest on the system.
Abundance of area passenger trains. GO Commuter train is Northbound at Toronto.
Toronto streetcar
Toronto has these modern Streetcars are shown at length.
Hamilton Lake
CN auto racks on a mixed freight are seen at Hamilton Bay. Hamilton, Ontario. Noisy freeway traffic!
Hometown of Wayne Greztky
VIA train stops at Brantford, Ontario. The depots vary in architecture. Well preserved and maintained structures.
Early morning at Woodstock, Ontario
Eastbound freight passes Woodstock.
Cab ride sees a GP9 slug set
A Windsor origin cab ride in a Conrail engine to Detroit. Too bad that it was filmed in rainy weather. The train travels through the Detroit tunnel.
CN North America
This show needs maps. Going from town to town across part of Canada. Maps would provide scale to the distances and define unknown locations. After the larger cities, it is hard to visualize.
A high percentage of various passenger trains. Prefer more freight action. However, Canadians seem to prefer these for intercity travel. Some nice, classic depots are fine scene setters. It is what it is.
The previous three volumes were of higher interest. Of course, fans of everything in Canada likely prefer this over the Michigan focused shows.
Reliable Green Frog quality. Volume four covers the advertised. Niagara Falls is memorable.
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.
A comprehensive look, into the circa 1954 Southern Pacific operations based around the San Francisco Peninsula Route.
* Catenary Video has previously released four volumes on Southern Pacific Steam. Each one has a focus. They are available individually or a complete set. All are reviewed on this site.
This is a DVD. 16×9 Widescreen color. Narrated. A non narrated option, on main menu. Full stereo soundtrack. Short preview section of Volumes 1-4 at conclusion. Mixture of 16mm and 8mm films.
This program is arranged by Chapters. Films are from the Transition Era. Diesel was replacing Steam. Hence, former headliner Steam power, was bumped down to Commuter Service.
Highlights only…
A Daylight livery GS-4 4430 with a matching consist.
SP GS-4 4430 with Train 96. The Noon Daylight in 1949. Number 96 is passing by, the 7th Avenue Car Shops.
The big GS class are used in the San Francisco Commuter Service. Pacific’s and Mikado’s are still in general service. Additional, smaller engines, mostly in yards. Cab Forwards are seldom seen in this locale/ show.
There are many maps and map types. This simple form is effective.
Early history begins with still photos. Maps , documents and illustrations. Soundtrack enhances the show. A PBS style presentation. Frequent map references are very helpful.
Bayshore Cut-Off construction, and the Great Earthquake are covered.
2829 is a Consolidation.
Above, is the 2829 Consolidation. Most common light duty power, used at this time.
Mission Bay Roundhouse
Mission Bay Roundhouse
The Mission Bay Roundhouse area is seen. Numerous locomotives are viewed here.
Commuter Paradeat 3rd and Townsend
SP 4376 with Train 148 passes Townsend Tower. Note the Skyline casing on this GS class locomotive.
A large, Feature Chapter. Outstanding quality 16mm color film coverage. 3rd and Townsend.
Fresh repaints on some. 4305 leaves with #130.
This is the heart of the San Francisco Commuter Service. Many trains operating on tight Headways. Train 130 leaves with engine 4305.
The Way to San Jose
High speeds kept the trains on tight schedules to San Jose.
Commuters achieve 79 mph to maintain demanding schedules out here. Various trains are reviewed. The GS class 4370 can easily make time.
Santa Cruz Suntan Special
Tight curvature and Double headers out to Santa Cruz.
The San Francisco residents enjoyed these, Suntan Specials to the beach! Great scenery. Smaller locomotives and busy ridership. Sometimes, required doubleheader steam.
MontereyBranch
Del Monte at Monterey.
Del Monte train, with loco 2458. Historical significance with train name. This line, no longer exists.
Los Altos and Los Gatos
Branchline action.
Los Gatos and Los Gatos, are branchlines to small towns. Pacific 2400s are still in service on these lines. Above, Pacific 2476 is in charge of #132.
South Bay Shops
The 3305 backs onto the turntable.
South Bay had a unique turntable. Above, the 3305 is a 2-8-2 Mikado engine.
Mail Train 71 hustles through College Park.
Mail Trains were also important. Above, #71 speeds through College Park.
San Francisco Municipal Railway 40 Line
Muni 40 Line is briefly covered.
The San Francisco Municipal 40 Line. This is seen in rare, early paint. Goes to the downtown and Daly City.
Experimental Cupola stripes on this caboose.
Rare stripes on a show full of rarities. There are additional Special Excursions. SP outings with special locomotives. Much more to see!
An intriguing collection that takes viewers back to circa 1954. Most of the 16mm film is pristine. The Cinematography is excellent.
Audio has many small extra effects. Background, they are movie like. Natural, Enviornmental. Might go unnoticed. Listen carefully on a second time. Skillfully done.
An educational and interesting script. Requires a few viewings to get all the information. Especially, if one is unfamiliar with most of the material.
This release is top tier. Continues the high level of the series. Raises the bar, from the previous shows. A must have, for Southern Pacific or Steam Era Railfans.
Midwest Video highlights 3 key Belt Lines around the Chicago area. EJ&E, IHB and B&OCT. A well organized program. Yes, the fourth Belt Line appears in a separate series.
Nowadays, the B&OCT exists on paper. Today, we see it on the tracks, as CSX. The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern is a stand alone.
This is a DVD-R. Basic show here. Load and play. A narrative with good information. Display screen graphics, are full screen. Denote; Location and Railroads. Soundtrack is live Audio.
There are: Map references. Very helpful to unlocking the complicated trackage. The narrator takes the time with good explanation.
Narrator provides excellent details on train movements.
The video quality is far from current standards. Poor to fair overall. Color balance and frequent exposure issues. Too light or too dark colors, from this effect. Soft focus on modern HD screen. Edits are too abrupt at times. They interrupt the flow of the program.
Elgin Joliet & Eastern.
This show is divided into the three main Railroads. EJ&E has the leadoff position.
The Camcorder seems confused.
After viewing several of these MVD shows. All from the same time period. It appears to be the camera. Unable to discern, where to balance the light. Either that, or operator error on settings
Many shots begin overexposed. Little improvement seen.
This EJ&E part covers much territory. Overexposure is a major issue. The picture is too bright. Colors appear washed out. Sunlight is uncontrolled. Difficult to view comfortably.
A detailed map. Explanation of the operation and territory. Tower breakdowns. EJ&E begins at North end.
An SD in DM&IR paint on EJ&E train.
They show some DM&IR units in maroon paint. The above, is at Griffith. A parent Company owned both Railroads.
Southern Pacific appears at Griffith. SP is frequent around Chicago area.
Griffith Jct is a Featured hotspot. Has a Tower. Multiple Railroads use these tracks.
At East Joliet. This scene has better colors.
A good oral roundup of locations on EJ&E. The picture. Too bright, too dark. An occasional fair. The visuals are rough overall.
B&OCT / CSX.
The majority of the EJ&E, has poor color balance. This scene contains better imagery.
B&OCT is operating, under the CSX banner here. It was traditionally known as B&OCT. In fact, they used to letter those initials on the hood of some B&O looking, SW7 switchers!
CSX local and State Line Tower.
State Line Tower. Prominently featured hotspot.
Norfolk Southern Road railer moves through State Line Tower.
Norfolk Southern used State Line Tower, since the Norfolk and Western days. Above, An NS Road Railer train.
Indiana Harbor Belt.
Indiana Harbor Belt is the other third. These are intermixed. Both performing local transfer duties. IHB at one time, used New York Central look alike paint schemes, being partially owned by them.
State Line Crossing – (Featured) IHB operated tower is seen. This was once a major US hotspot. IHB. CSX. CP Rail. CSX local from Barr Yard. NS triple crown road railer
Even more trains here with CSX for Barr. IHB with Gibson yard traffic.
Hohman Ave Tower, under Conrail control. CSX, IHB. NS. Not shown in this review.
Canadian Pacific train going to Franklin Park yard.
Blue Island Jct. The Bridges seen here.
IHB SW7/9 pair . Argo Yard.
Argo Yard is shown, but only for a single shot. Argo Crossing receives greater screen time.
BNSF from Kansas City at Argo Crossing.
BNSF train, KCCH with engine 7423, on Illinois Central mainline at Argo Crossing.
Grand Trunk on IHB rails. Ducks under BN mainline at LaGrange.
LaGrange. Very brief. Grand Trunk runs on IHB track. BN tracks, mis- identification by narrator..
Soo Line paint on a CP train.
Franklin Park Tower B12. This has Soo Line paint on a CP move.
Transfer caboose of IHB.
Indiana Harbor Belt always had a caboose! At least until they did not. The transfer caboose was common.
Belt Lines of Chicago
Ends with non narrated Chicago Belt Railway preview footage clips. The Other Major Transfer Railroad. Has it’s own Midwest Video series, with clips at show’s end.
Amateur level video production. As far as the video itself. Ranges from poor to fair.
Does a fine job of sorting out the local trackage. Over 70 trains. See 7 Towers. Live sound is fine. Informative narration and graphics.. Video quality and edits are weak points. Drag it down to a lower rating.
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!
American Train Video Reviews 
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