I was wondering what all you guys’ favorite train videos are. Mine would have to be the “America by Rail” series. Back in the 1990’s when I was younger I used to watch these over and over again, to the point where I have them just about memorized now. I still watch them from time to time.
So, do any of you have a favorite train video?
I like Train 110. It shows how the Burlington Northern would build their trains and move them across the system.
Probably the best I’ve ever seen from a production quality standpoint is “Cajon II: Railroading in the 90s”. It was produced by Video Rails around 1993, but is now sold through Pentrex. Videographer George Llamas (?) did some fantastic panoramic shots from hilltops where only a few of us photographers ever ventured. A couple miles worth of multiple trains on multiple mains captured in a single scene. And of course there are plenty of close-in action shots. But what really made this show (and a few others George did) really pop was the careful use of a polarizing filter, which was almost unheard of in those days among rail video producers. The results are Santa Fe blue and yellow units actually looking the way they did to the naked eye, not blackish and yellow as often rendered on film. UP and SP power also look fantastic on this video. Plus blue sky (George knew when to shoot at Cajon, and when not to) and vivid and colorful vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains to the west. The camera work is rock-solid, too, with panning and zooming done like a true professional. There have been other videos/DVDs in recent years that did a better job of injecting some varied content and imagery, like cutting away from the lineside action for a moment of commentary from a dispatcher or engineer or noted railfan, but none have matched the overall image quality of Cajon II.
…Would this be the Bruce Kelly that has presented aritcles / photos in TRAINS mag. in past issues…? If so, I remember enjoying the writings, etc…
Yup, that was me. Been a while, hasn’t it? Still shooting and still writing, when time permits. Took a break from Trains (like many other contributors did) during a specific phase in their editorial staffing. Been slowly getting back on board the past few years. Or should I say, my material has been slowly working its way out of their file drawers and up to the top of the stack. Anyway, my article on a certain Northwest short line (not the one most people would expect) is being published this spring. I appreciate your comment, Modelcar. Hopefully they’ll be publishing more of my stuff in the future.
…Thanks for the response Bruce. Good luck on future articles. I’ll watch for them.