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road came to life and which ones didn’t (and more importantly, why). Other railroads were soon built that bigger and better funded. Mar- ketplaces and priorities changed seemingly on a whim, and all the while the BCR&N strug- gled to fulfill it’s original reason for being. I found this part of the book to be quite interesting — the alliances of competing rail- roads changed all the time, new railroads were projected (and chartered), much to the alarm of existing ones, and how the whole thing would shake out was anybody’s guess. History has never been so much fun to read, and the book really takes the reader back to those heady days in fine fashion. How the line came to be controlled by the
Rock Island and its Burlington Route ally is another chapter worth your time. It seemed like before the ink was dry on one set of plans for the line another plan was being laid out. Hofsommer takes us through the Rock Island years, both good and bad, and details how the Rock’s long slow slide into railroad oblivion affected the line. Finally, he takes us through the Rock Island’s shutdown and wraps the book up with a table of what parts of BCR&N trackage are still in use and what railroad op- erates them. The book is very heavily weighted to the
early years of the line, and so you’ll be dis- appointed if you are looking for a “here’s how the Rock Island ran these lines” type of book. Having said that, if you like your railroad his- tory to be an entertaining read, one with more than a little drama and intrigue, this is the book for you. This is a well-written, scholarly piece of
railroad history here and yet never a boring one; a hard act to balance but Hofsommer does it justice. I really enjoyed reading his Katy Northwest: The Story of a Branch Line Railroad title when it came out some 29 years ago and it’s great to see that he still has a knack for taking railroad history, putting it in context with the economic and political climate of the time, and making it all come to life in a most enjoyable fashion. Take a chance on this one because I think you’ll real- ly enjoy reading it! — FRANK GARON
Video Review
Palmer, Massachusetts and the Ware River Railroads; Tell-Tale Productions, P.O. Box 808, Colchester VT 05446; www.railroadvideodvd. com; DVD, 1 hour 50 minutes plus bonus fea- tures; $25.00 includes free domestic shipping. The first thing that came to mind when I started review- ing this DVD is “My goodness, talk about giving value for money!”. This ti- tle easily could have been split into two separate volumes and would have still been worth the mod- est asking price for each. I was blown
away by just how much interesting, enter- taining, and informative video and commen- tary this title provides and I’m quite sure you will be as well. Palmer, Mass., is one of those quintessen- tial New England railroad towns that are still
steeped in a ton of railroad history. Times may have changed, but there is still plenty of interesting action to see and Palmer has long been a railfan favorite. The New York Central has given way to Penn Central, Conrail, and now CSX, but the freight traffic on the Bos- ton & Albany still puts on quite a show. The Central Vermont green and yellow units that I used to chase as a youth have turned into New England Central blue and gold, and now into the Genesee & Wyoming corporate colors of yellow and black. The names and the colors change, but the railroads of Palmer still put on quite a show. And what a show it is. The DVD opens with
a nice view of a CSX freight blasting past the nicely restored Palmer Union Station and then fades out to show what Palmer looked like back in its heyday. Our first full chapter covers Union Station
and talks about how there used to be three separate depots before it was built. Next, it’s some still shots of NYC steam engines in Palmer and on to some solid Conrail and CSX action. Moving on we next see the Cen- tral Vermont (one of my favorite lines to have ever railfanned) in all its glory along with some latter-day New England Central action. As you go through this DVD, you’ll find
that each chapter is filled with still photos, well-done action footage, and very informa- tive narration from local historians, resi- dents, and railroaders. This is what makes this title (and the other Tell-Tale Production titles I’ve viewed) so special. The current rail scene is put into historical context and you, as the viewer, wind up understanding every- thing you are looking at with that much more understanding. I believe most of you reading this will really enjoy this kind of railroad doc- umentary, and producer Jim Jones should be saluted for putting so much time, energy, and effort into this most worthwhile production. Subsequent chapters take us through Am-
trak and its operations on both the B&A and CV lines, the Springfield, Athol & Northeast- ern, and the Palmer & Monson Street Rail- way. Next comes a special treat — video foot- age of the Hamden Railroad. I had reviewed a most excellent book on this long-forgotten, built-but-never-used line in a very recent is- sue of R&R, so it was a nice surprise to see this additional coverage included here. We’re then treated to a chapter showing
the Ware River Railroad and its successors right through the modern-day Massachusetts Central. “Intermodal Operations” and “Mo- tive Power Past & Present” follow in rapid succession. Palmer has seen such gems as Alaska Railroad F units, rare NW5 switchers, and Alco Century series locomotives. All are shown in good detail here, and I found this to be an excellent chapter as well. And the hits just keep on coming — “A Day
In the Life” follows along with a detailed look at some of the former Boston & Maine lines in the area. All too soon, we’re “Homeward Bound” and on to the very generous 37 min- utes worth of additional bonus footage. Comprehensive, entertaining, and a labor
of love — all of these adjectives describe this very worthwhile title. If you’re a fan of north- eastern railroading mixed in with a good dose of railroad history and the stories that come with it, you are going to love this DVD. I give it 4.5 stars for sure! — FRANK GARON
TO HAVE YOUR NEW railroad books (except fiction), calendars, and videos considered for this column, please send review copies to RAILFAN & RAILROAD, P.O. Box 554, Andover, NJ 07821. For UPS/FedEx please send materials to RAILFAN & RAILROAD, 5 Lenape Rd. #554, Andover, NJ 07821.
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