NEW PRODUCT NEWS AND REVIEWS BY OUR STAFF
New Books Now Arriving The Metroliners by Bruce Goldberg and David C. Warner, White River Productions, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631; 877/787-2467;
shop.
whiteriverproductions. com. Hardcover, 128 pages. $59.95 plus shipping and handling. The 40-year history of
America’s first high-speed rail program is told by experts in the field through detailed text and diverse photography in color and black & white. From the early days of Penn Central operation right through to the Amtrak Acela, this book covers a range of eras and topics in a new and exciting format. Available from your dealer or order direct.
ForestRails: Georgia- Pacifi c’s Railroads by Russell Tedder, White River Productions, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631; 877/787-2467;
shop.
whiteriverproductions. com. Hardcover, 464 pages. $79.95 plus shipping and handling. Railroads played a large
role in the growth of forest products company Georgia-Pacific. Sixteen shortlines made up the G-P family from coast to coast, moving timber and freight year-round. Author Russell Tedder provides an inside look at the diverse operations, illustrated with beautiful images from legendary photographers. Now accepting pre-publication orders, or see your dealer.
Book Review The Boston & Albany Railroad: Worcester to Albany by Stan Trzoniec, Outdoor PhotoGraphics; 508/842-2040; fotoclass@
aol.com;
Hardcover,
136 pages. $55.00 plus shipping and handling. The Boston & Albany route dates back to the 1830s, making it one
of the earliest crossings of the Berkshire Mountains, connecting New England ports with New York State and the Erie Canal. This scenic route was later acquired by New York Central, and became an important conduit for Conrail intermodal freight. Photographer Stan Trzoniec documents
the modern-day operations of CSX over this historic line, with brief glimpses back to the Conrail era and earlier. Starting with a detailed history of the B&A, the book is organized in geographic fashion starting at Worcester, Mass., and heading west. Along the way, we are treated to views of heavy freight action conquering the mountains, interspersed with the occasional MBTA commuter train or Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited. Stately stone stations designed by H.H. Richardson survive in a few locations, some restored, some abandoned. Connecting shortlines Massachusetts Central, New
England Central, and Pioneer Valley, are also well represented. We complete our journey over the mountains at Selkirk Yard outside of Albany, N.Y., a busy northeastern crossroads where freight is forwarded to New York City, Montreal, and Chicago. Many of Stan’s views are from non- traditional locations far off the beaten path and away from the well-known railfan haunts. You may be surprised at the scenic diversity found along the 130-mile route. In tribute to the B&A’s importance as a heavy- duty all-weather route, the four seasons are represented well. If you’re looking to become acquainted
with one of the Northeast’s storied mountain crossings, or simply looking for fresh views of an old favorite, consider adding this colorful volume to your library. —O.M.V.
Video Review Anthracite Railroads in the 70’s Volume 2: Lehigh Valley Railroad Bound Brook to Treichlers from John Pechulis Media, 937 Camden Ave NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907; 570/899- 0656;
www.johnpmedia. com. DVD only, 76 Minutes. $30.00 plus $5.00 domestic shipping.
Sometimes I’ll buy a DVD because of the rare motive power it features. Other times I’ll pick up something that shows what a now- abandoned line was like back in its heyday. Still other times it’ll be a DVD covering a local line in my local area that of course I just have to buy to make sure my collection is complete. And sometimes I get really lucky and
come across a title that gives me all this and more, like this new disk from that purveyor of constantly-awesome railfan DVDs, John Pechulis. I was looking forward to viewing this title
because I grew up in central New Jersey, and can remember my dad taking my sister and me to the Lehigh Valley yard in South Plainfield so we could look at (and climb around on) the equipment parked there. This was back in the day when an innocent interest in railroads was tolerated if not actually encouraged. The LV was within hearing distance of my house in Iselin, and it certainly was one of my favorite lines growing up in the early to mid- 1970s. This DVD takes me back to those “good old
days” when I used to ride my bike out to places like Bound Brook and just sit and wait for whatever came. We didn’t have scanners back then, never mind Facebook and cell phones. You simply waited trackside until you were: (a) hot, tired, bored, and out of money for a few pretzel rods and another can of soda, and gave up and went home or (b) something good came by and then you started the (a) or (b) process all over again. This disk starts off strong by showing a
set of Lehigh Valley U23Bs dropping off a few piggyback cars for the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Bound Brook, but it doesn’t show just the train and leave things at that. Rather, it shows the overhead crane that used to stand in the westbound CNJ freight yard we used to walk through to get from the free
parking lot to the station, it shows the RDC cars the CNJ had (dusty, dirty, and smoky), and it also shows the same station platform that my buddies and I used to spend hours and hours hanging out on, waiting for trains and talking about girls. Talk about a time machine... And while I could wax nostalgic about
all the awesome motive power you will see in this DVD (everything from Penn Central GP30s on ore trains to a set of four LV “pups” [switchers to most of you] on a transfer run, to countless lashups of six-axle Alcos lugging their guts out), I’d rather talk to you about everything else but the motive power this title shows: The aging infrastructure of the Lehigh
Valley in the 1970s featured double-track mainlines built with jointed rail, governed by semaphores and slow orders. Freight crews were friendly when you waved to them (and they often waved first). This video showcases the diversity of American freight cars that plied the rails at the time. Everything from 80-foot-long steel I-beams on a high-and-wide special, to dusty white Southern Railway boxcars full of kaolin, to red-white-and-blue Bangor & Aroostook boxcars, to bright orange Illinois Central Gulf cars. These technicolor freight consists were punctuated by cabooses in LV and D&H red or Reading green. Trains pass through small towns, each
with a business center where people actually walked and went shopping before the proliferation of shopping malls. Vintage cars and trucks pass by on the streets that would make any modern collector drool. Informative commentary from the dean of Lehigh Valley knowledge, Mike Bednar, ties everything together. Add all this amazing collection of variety together, multiply it by 76 solid minutes of nonstop, crystal clear, color footage complete with synchronized sound, and divide all that by the low, low asking price of $30 and I defy you to find a better value for your money. You don’t have to be a fan of anything
other than good old-fashioned 1970s “no guts, no glory” railroading to get a ton of value and enjoyment out of this little gem. Pick up your copy today, press “play,” and prepare to go back in time to a most interesting and entertaining era indeed. — FRANK GARON
Digital Photographs
Midwestern Railroad Motive Power, Rolling Stock, Depots and More as photographed by Vern Brummel from Dave Cramer, 2114 Sheridan Drive, Madison WI 53704; http://
trainsite.8m.com/rrslides.html; trainsite@gmail. com; 608/622-0703; $.30 (that’s cents) each with a minimum order of $12.00. And now for something completely different. Completely different and most excellent, in fact. I had the good fortune of stumbling across
this online catalog of “buy on demand/mix and match” railroad slides for sale while I was searching for some long-forgotten Wisconsin railroad depot photos on Google earlier this week. My jaw dropped three seconds into the first page and stayed there. Needless to say, Vern Brummel sure took some excellent photos back in the day and
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