Boston & Maine in the Four Seasons: Volume One
Photographed by Stanley Y. Whitney
DVD-R Format, NTSC Color, 55 Minutes
Produced in cooperation with the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and filmed by Stan Whitney, this program covers B&M operations in the Boston suburban area during the spring and summer of 1951. See commuter trains hauled by 4-6-2 steam engines, freights pulled by 2-8-0s, and main line passenger runs handled by 4-8-2s and EMD E-7 Diesels. The superior image quality of this 16 mm. film footage makes the past jump into the present. Narration is by former CBS Radio reporter Ralph E. Morse.
Boston & Maine in the Four Seasons: Volume Two
Photographed by Stanley Y. Whitney
This supplement to Volume One covers B&M operations in the Boston suburban area during the fall and winter of 1951. You'll see lots of snow action here as plow extras keep the lines open. Included is a visit to Boston's North Station where old-time steam engines and early generation Diesels are seen in abundance. This is rare and spectacular color footage of a bygone era. Narration is by former CBS Radio reporter Ralph E. Morse.
New England Glory, Volume One: Mountain Division
On the Trail of the Iron Horse Through Crawford Notch
Boston & Maine in 1946; Maine Central in 1950
Photographed by Stanley Y. Whitney
Follow the Boston & Maine's Mountaineer out of Boston to Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, and then spend a full day from dawn to dark on Maine Central's Mountain Division at Bartlett. Every train is covered, including freights, mixed, passengers, and pushers. You'll get up close to the steam power at the roundhouse. This is a documentary of every train running at the time of Maine Central's last year of steam on that line. Narration is by former CBS Radio reporter Ralph E. Morse.
The Boston & Maine Railroad Show
The Films of George H. Hill
Between 1948 and '54, Boston & Maine Railroad public relations director George Hill took several 16 millimeter films around the B&M system. Research indicates that some of these movies were broadcast by Boston television station WBZ TV-4 on a weekly program about railroad operations.
Scenes include:
- A ride between Boston and Portland, Maine, by streamliner
- A visit to the Billerica Shops maintenance facility
- A summer visit to North Conway, New Hampshire
- The modern centralized traffic control (CTC) system at Lowell Tower
- A cab ride aboard the Minuteman between North Adams, Massachusetts, and Boston
- A cab ride on the New Hampshire Division between Boston and Concord, New Hampshire
- A visit to the Concord Shops in New Hampshire
- A summer visit to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire
- Yard 8, the classification hump yard in Boston
- A ride aboard the High Car Local from Somerville to Wakefield Junction and Reading, Massachusetts
- The scrapping of steam locomotives at Billerica Shops
These clips are narrated with extensive historical background information.
The Boston & Maine
By Green Frog Productions
This program chronicles the Boston & Maine during its post-World War II transition. See how the B&M and other northeastern railroads faced up to the changes of the 1950s. This is very rare film, indeed.
The turbulent years following World War II resulted in dramatic changes to North American railroads. Events in the Northeast reflected this. The staid, old Boston and Maine Railroad, which dominates this steam action video shot by Edward Batson, went through the wrenching change from steam to diesel power.
We see steam rush hour traffic highballing out of North Station as the first-generation Diesels appear on the scene -- and then we visit North Billerica several times to see steam power being scrapped. Then, almost unexpectedly, a dramatic B&M management change resulted in new blue paint and sent ripples throughout the region's rail network.
A keystone of this program are rare scenes of B&M P4 Pacific No. 3713, now being resored at Steamtown, in snow melter service in the winter of 1956, and leaving Boston on the memorable "Farewell to Steam" excursion on April 22, 1956. Steam action is also witnessed on the Maine Central, New Haven, Central Vermont, and Grand Trunk in New England, and the Canadian National in Quebec. Then in dramatic developments, tourist steam roads briefly appear at Edaville Railroad, Steamtown in New Hampshire, and Vermont, and the American Freedom Train.
Trains of New England: Fond Memories
This video encompasses the work of a New England "rail-fan" who shot films of the railroad between the 1930s and the '60s. His favorite spot to watch trains was at the Charleton, Massachusetts, depot on the Boston & Albany Railroad. There, he captured on film the passing Berkshire- and Hudson-type locomotoves and later, the Diesels of the New York Central and Penn Central Railroads.
In Southbridge, Massachusetts, we are treated to views of the New Haven's Mogul-type steam engines and a GP-9 Diesel. An RS-3 and a Budd RDC are seen at Webster, Massachusetts.
In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, the photographer encountered the Boston & Maine's Pacific-type steam locomotives and the Budd-built streamliner, The Flying Yankee. Also featured are the two-foot-gauge Edaville Railroad and excursions at Steamtown.
Boston & Maine 440 to Superpower
Sunday River Productions
With some of our oldest and most historic footage from the earliest days of motion picture film, this DVD shows the development of motive power in Eastern railroading. Beginning with diminutive Atlantics and American 4-4-0s hauling open platform wooden coaches the story continues up through the superpowered Berks and Santa Fes of the WWII years, including the early streamliner, the "Flying Yankee."
Two-thirds of the DVD is devoted to a survey of Boston & Maine steam power during the mid-1930s: switchers, Atlantics, Moguls, 10 wheelers, Consolidations, light and heavy Pacifics, Santa Fes and Berkshires all arranged in order of size, small to large.
The oldest and newest steam power appears in dozens of run pasts system-wide including solid block refrigerator freights and passenger trains pulling brass railed observation cars. The final part of this tape shows Boston & Maine branch line operations at the time both in summer and winter featuring the busiest branches.
Filmed by Albert G. Hale
On-location sound recordings by Preston S. Johnson
Boston & Maine Heavy Haulers and Crack Limiteds
Sunday River Productions
Travel back to the mid-1930s to see action on the busiest divisions of the Boston & Maine. Steam locomotives work the Portland, New Hampshire and Fitchburg Divisions and the Connecticut Valley Line in both summer and winter. Hulking Berkshires battle the Ashburnham grade. High stepping passenger varnish: "The Flying Yankee," "The Alouette" and "The Red Wing" go screaming by, as do similar name trains with brass railed observation cars. The third streamlined train built in the world, "The Flying Yankee" flashes by at lightning speed. Other unusual features include the Union Pacific’s streamlined M-10001 "City of Salina" on tour and the Rexall Special with its streamlined New York Central Hudson and even Republican Alf Landon campaigning for President in 1936 against Franklin D. Roosevelt!
Photographed by L. Peter Cornwall and Charlie Brown with footage from the John Tolley collection
Sound recorded on location by Preston S. Johnson
New England Steam: Six Main Lines
Sunday River Productions
Back in the 1930s when steam was the way to travel, an intertwined system of lines carried freight and passengers through the hills and hinterlands of New England. Six main lines of New England steam are shown here in rare archival film, from the largest locomotives, Central Vermont 2-10-4 Texans, to the sleek, streamlined I-5 New Haven Hudsons.
(1) The Canadian Pacific and Quebec Central cross the U.S. Canadian border at least twice to traverse the state of Maine and deliver goods from Montreal to the Maritimes.
(2) The Bangor and Aroostook Railway takes a winter trip through Millinocket, a town created by the Great Northern Paper Company.
(3) The Rutland snakes through Bennington and Bellows Falls, Vermont. Ever-practical New Englanders hitched the humble milk car to the back of the Green Mountain Flyer, the crack passenger train from New York to Montreal.
(4) The Central Vermont Railway, shepherded by three generations of the Smith family, is covered in depth, including consolidations on the way freights Palmer to Brattleboro, mammoth Texas type 2-10-4s wheeling the Chicago-East Coast manifest freights, and the high-drivered 600 Mountain Class on the premier name trains between Montreal, New York and Boston.
(5) The Grand Trunk Railway, appears, using monster 6100 class Northerns on the through passengers and smaller power on the way freights.
(6) The New Haven is shown with some of the very last three-cylindered 3500 class, as well as magnificent streamlined I-5 Hudsons.
Filmed by Albert G. Hale
Additional film from the collection of John Trolley and Charlie Brown
Sound by Preston S. Johnson & Sunday River Productions