headaches. Looking for new markets, the LIRR went after the lucrative express pack- age service business, and there were discus- sions (which never panned out) to bring In- terborough Rapid Transit subway trains onto the LIRR Port Washington Branch. Freight traffic was still growing at an impressive 10 percent per year. We get our first glimpse of the “classic”
LIRR in Chapter Seven, which covers “The Prosperous Years 1920-1930.” Familiar PRR-inspired steam power is seen, and elec- tric multiple unit cars begin to take their mod- ern form. All that changes by Chapter Eight, however, when the Great Depression hits. Some LIRR trackage is abandoned, and de- ferred maintenance during the era would have consequences for many years after. But boom times immediately return in Chapter Nine as traffic levels hit new highs during World War II. The LIRR even won back some tourist busi- ness as gas rationing sent people away from their autos and back onto the railroad. The general decline of U.S. railroads in
the postwar years is reflected in the LIRR in Chapter Nine as disillusionment prevails, both for employees and commuters. Chapter Ten covers the decade that Thomas M. Good- fellow controlled the railroad, with the goal of improving the railroad’s image. Steam power is eliminated, and Dashing Dan adorns the railroad’s logo. The modern MTA years are covered as a lengthy epilogue. Despite being chock-full of historic in- formation, this book never bogs down in its story. It’s easy to read, and sidebars with in- teresting stories are sprinkled throughout. The black & white photo reproduction is very good; some of the color (especially what ap- pears to be scanned slides or prints) is a little dense, however. If you want a good history of the LIRR, this book is highly recommended. — STEVE BARRY
Video Review
Autumn On The East Slope; RailTrek Media, PO Box 414, Abington MD 21009; www.railtrek
media.com; DVD $24.95 plus $4.00 domestic shipping. 128 minutes long.
Oh, Altoona! Even if you’re not an
SPF (Slobbering Penn- sy Fan) like me, those two words surely must make your ears perk up, at least a little bit. You don’t have to be a Pennsylvania Railroad devotee to appreciate the power and might of heavy-duty mountain railroading at its best,
and this most enjoyable DVD from RailTrek- Media celebrates just how timeless and excit- ing the railroading in the area can be. Taking a very detailed look of Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line, we’re treated to nonstop action starting out at CP Rose in Altoona, Pa., right up the mountain, around Horseshoe Curve, through the tunnels at Gal- litzin and on to the helper terminal in Cresson. Shot in the fall of both 2007 and 2010, and
replete with good weather and a ton of trains, we see no fewer than 73 trains, 18 helper movements, and 21 different locations from Altoona to Cresson. As a bonus, we see a good
batch of former Conrail units in blue paint mixed in among all the NS black and white action. Needless to say, there is a lot to see and enjoy here. Clear narration describing locations and
most train symbols, combined with detailed maps that put the locations in context, make for over two hours of solid gold in this review- er’s opinion. I really appreciated the will- ingness of the cameraman to “work” for his shots. He didn’t just park at the most conve- nient location and let the trains come to him. It’s clear that he was willing to “hoof it in” to where the best locations were, and we are the better for him having done so. The first few chapters show us the action
in Altoona at CP Rose, CP Works, Altoona, CP Slope, Alto Tower (still open at the time of this video) and the “Brickyard” grade crossing on the west end of town. We see all sorts of road freights passing
through the yard area, some with helper units and some without. We also see a mix of helper sets consisting of “old school” SD40-2s and we also see the “new breed” helper sets consist- ing of SD40Es (rebuilt SD50s). Some of the highlights here are Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian with a really nice NYC ob- servation car on the rear end; an eastbound freight with a load of big John Deere tractors on flat cars; 65J headed west with a set of SD40-2 helpers with excellent sound action as they dig in and push west; and a renumbered Conrail Quality GE leading a stack train west at CP Slope, along with another great batch of sound as it starts lugging up the grade. All this and we’re just getting started! Next we head up the mountain to places
like McGarvey’s, Scotch Run Curve, MP 241, and Horseshoe Curve. The last location is particularly fun to view as the passing trains tend to give a nice “horn salute” to the legions of people waving track side. The Pennsy position light signals are most-
ly still in place, and we’re treated to some re- ally nice shots of their different aspects. As we go further up towards Cresson, the newer- style signals start showing up in a few spots (boo), but we don’t see too many shots of them. We do see more trains, one with six units
on the lead, trains with a set of helpers up front and another set pushing on the rear, helper sets passing each other, and in one of the highlights in this video, a three-train meet as we move up towards the curve at Benny. Next, we see action at both the east and
west portals of Gallitzin tunnels and a view of still-standing AR tower on the south side of town. Then it’s onward to Cresson where we see a set of helpers coupling up to help an east- bound descend the mountain. A bit of foreign power shows up as well, with one train having a Union Pacific unit on it and another with a Santa Fe warbonnet and another UP unit. We finish up the coverage with a set of
SD40-2 helpers running light as the sun slow- ly sets in the west — the perfect finish to a really entertaining and well-done DVD. The excellent camera work and impressive
sound effects of both lead units and helpers in full throttle as they battle heavy mountain grades combine with the nonstop action make this a title you will watch over and over again. If Siskel & Ebert were railfans, I’m quite sure they’d give this one two thumbs up. — 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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