TRAINS &TRAVEL
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RUTLAND RAILS BEYOND THE by Philip R. Jordan
The Rutland Railway shut down in 1961, ending an era in New England railroading. Three years later the railroad was revived by the state of Vermont and began operation as two different companies. Author Philip R. Jordan looks at the Rutland’s successors — the Vermont Railway and Green Mountain Railroad — with a tour of the lines between Burlington, Vermont, and North Walpole, New Hampshire.
(C00054) $12.95 + s&h Order On-Line At:
www.carstensbookstore.com Carstens Publications, Inc.
WORLDWIDE RAIL TOURS
could not be included in the book. Readers might enjoy taking the book out in the field to compare scenes between “then” and “now,” just as Hoffman did to verify the loca- tions while he was working on it. 150 years later, many locations have been greatly changed or are gone due to line relocations. (A selection of “then and now” views are available for viewing online at www.
waitingforthecars.com)— WALT LANKENAU
VIDEO REVIEW
Alco Heaven Tell
Tale Productions, P.O. Box 808,
Colchester, VT 05446; 802/862-3407; www.
railroadvideodvd.com. 127 minutes, DVD only; $25.00 postpaid. Purchase Alco Heaven volumes 1 and 2 together for $39.95 postpaid. Without question, the modern steam loco- motives and particu- larly the diesels man- ufactured by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in Schenectady, N.Y., have quite a following in the railfan world. To recognize this fas- cination, the Alco His- torical & Technical
Society (
www.ahts.org) was founded and held a well-attended June 2012 grand open- ing at a new building near the original plant site. While there are many railroad historical societies, this is the only locomotive builder historical group.
The first and longest chapter of Alco
Heaven 1 shows the inside exhibits of the Al- co museum and shows a run of a genuine Al- co automobile (one of 11 left in the world), while the principals of the society and Jim Shaughnessy tell about Alco’s history from birth to demise, covering its products, which included World War II tanks and diesel en- gines for many uses, its Canadian sub- sidiary Montreal Locomotive Works, and the company’s legacy. After this very nice docu- mentary, which incorporates still photos and other images, the program takes us around mostly the eastern U.S. and Canada to ob- serve some of the last Alco operations on Class I carriers as well as more recent re- gional, short line, and tourist road Alco bur- blings.
The search begins at the Green Mountain Railroad in Vermont, where RS1 No. 405 pulls a passenger train. The shots around the Bellows Falls station are quite timeless and the Hancock air whistle is a joy to hear. The Arkansas & Missouri is next, sporting a roster of several models in a great classic paint scheme. RS1, T6, RS32 and C420 units in small and large lash-ups pull trains across the system. The Green Bay & West- ern presents RS11 and RS20s on a hazy, midwestern summer visit. Short chapters show the Adirondack Railroad’s RS3 in pas- senger service; a weedy, summertime chase of doubleheaded Battenkill and Greenwich & Johnsonville RS3s; then a few minutes around and in St. Luc tower near Montréal, where CP Rail M636s hold forth along with cameo shots of VIA Rail Canada’s then-new LRC trains, powered by Alco’s famed 251F prime mover.
Continuing the Canadian theme, contrib-
2013 RAILROAD TOURS
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