| ALASKA RAILROAD, SCENERY & WILDLIFE May 2009 65 minutes - available in DVD and AVCHD (High Definition) formats In May 2009 we rode most of the passenger trains in Alaska. Most trains have bilevel dome cars (some belonging to tour operators) and there is even a bilevel DMU! The Alaska Railroad is a great way to view some incredible scenery including mountains (on a clear day we see Mount McKinley - North America's highest mountain at over 20000 feet) and glaciers (Bartlett Glacier is only 2000 feet away from the train). The crews are so friendly that often they will slow down or even back up the train to provide photographic opportunities!
This video is in two parts. One shows the locomotives of the Alaska Railroad - GP38-2s, GP-38us, GP40-2s, GP40-Hs (HEP equipped units) and SD70MACs, some with HEP power for passenger train haulage. It also shows the bilevel DMU (including the interior) and footage from the front windows, an E9B now converted to a HEP power car and ex Amtrak F40s now used as cab control cars. The other shows the stunning scenery and wildlife of Alaska much of it viewed from the trains as local guides give commentaries. We see bears, wolves, mountain goats, dall sheep and sandhill cranes. From a Kenai Fjords catamaran travelling through the National Park, with on board commentary, we see sea lions, seals, sea otters, porpoises, whales, common mures, puffins and much more sea life. Aerial footage of the mountains and glaciers is also included. Here we see a tidal bore in Turnagain Arm from Alaska Railroad's new Bilevel DMU 751 which first operated in May 2009. We rode it in its first week of operation. The clip also shows the DMU including the cab interior and two wolves seen from the upper deck of the DMU. | ||||||
| RIDING VIA's SKEENA February 2008 65 minutes - available in DVD and AVCHD (High Definition) formats In February 2008 we rode the Skeena from Jasper to Prince George and back. The train comprised an F40PH-2, a coach and a Park Car and generally carried between 5 and 10 passengers - just like having your own private train complete with dome car!
In Jasper we videoed the arrival and departure of the eastbound Canadian (VIA#2) and then boarded the westbound Skeena (VIA#5). The scenery is magnificent in winter and the lack of leaves on the trees made it much easier to see the mountains and rivers. Initially we travelled through the Rockies past lakes and mountains including Mount Robson - the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Then we followed the snow covered Fraser through Dunster & McBride to Prince George. En route we held a birthday party in the Park Car! On the return journey we stopped at Penny to deliver the mail and later to pick up a 70 year old local resident who had snow-shoed three miles to the tracks. He was on his way to McBride to buy supplies. We had a good view of Mount Robson and as we approached Redpass Junction on the steeper-graded track we saw a freight on the parallel track and then passed a waiting westbound intermodal freight. At Jasper a late westbound Canadian delayed our arrival and so we turned on the wye before backing into the station - rare mileage specially for the video! | ||||||
| WHRC in the WINTER 2008 - 2009 65 minutes - available in DVD and AVCHD (High Definition) formats Winter 2008-2009 had both snow & rain. This led to difficulties for the Windsor & Hantsport Railway and both a locomotive and a snow plow were derailed. Here we see leased CEMR 4011 & CBCNS 4004 (in RailLink livery) with an eastbound WHRC freight from Windsor to Windsor Junction at South Uniacke Nova Scotia on 9 December 2009. The train is seven empty grain hoppers that have been unloaded in Windsor. The grain was then trucked to the feed mills. More views including attempts to re-rail the locomotive and views of the plow at work can be seen on our DVD (also available in High Definition)
| ||||||
| CANADIAN TRAINS Volume 2 - from Atlantic to Pacific. 69 minutes available only in DVD format
To celebrate our first 15 video productions, we have gone back to the original master tapes and selected some of our favourite scenes that have been used in earlier productions. The scenes have been digitized again using improved software and the images have been enhanced where appropriate. This has substantially improved the videos that were taken using regular and High 8 formats.
Over 30 trains are seen in five provinces from Nova Scotia to British Columbia between 1996 and 2008. Passenger and freight trains, hauled by diesel and a few steam locomotives, are seen in a wide variety of locations from the Strait of Canso to the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver Island. The scenery is spectacular in all four seasons. Three of Canada's biggest trestles are featured - the Lethbridge Viaduct in Alberta which is over a mile long, the Niagara Canyon trestle on Vancouver Island and the Salmon River trestle near Grand Falls, New Brunswick. |
||||||
| VIA's MONTREAL RAILFAN TRIPS VIA's MMC, Canada-Allied Diesel & Trains in Montreal 67 minutes available only in DVD format In 2007 & 2008 Ron Jackson of VIA Rail organized two Atlantic Canadian Railfan trips to Montreal to visit locomotive shops. In April 2007 the trip was to VIA's own Montreal Maintenance Centre (MMC) at Point St. Charles. Not only were VIA locomotives and coaches being rebuilt but also an LLPX GP15. The trip concluded with a ride on the Ocean as it was backed from MMC to Central Station and scenes from this rare mileage trip are shown in the video. Here we see VIA 915 P42DC being started and its in-cab controls. On the second trip in April 2008 we visited Canada-Allied Diesel's workshops in Lachine where the VIA F40PH-2 rebuild program was underway.
There were also many other locomotives being rebuilt and constructed including Railpower Green Goats and Gen Sets. The DVD includes a mixture of panoramic video shots and still photographs to illustrate the work in progress. In addition views from the Skyline car on both trips and trains in Montreal are included. A variety of railroads including AMT, Amtrak, CN, CP, VIA with loco types including 25KV electric trains GP9u, SD60F, F40PH, F40PHR, F40PH-2, F59PHI, Dash 9-44CW, P42DC & ES44DC are seen.
|
||||||
| CN & CP in Central Alberta February 2008 68 minutes available only in DVD format
CN has a line running almost 100 miles from Mirror on its Edmonton - Calgary line to Rocky Mountain House. Unit sulphur trains run as needed from Rocky Mountain House to various destinations in North America and to Vancouver for shipment abroad. A local freight from Red Deer usually goes westward and eastward on alternate days and serves petrochemical plants and various industries in Red Deer (to do this it has to back down a steep grade and so a caboose is still used). On CN's tracks, we see an empty & loaded unit sulphur train with open cars from Sultrans, CN, BC Rail and Procor, the Switcher climbing out of the Red Deer valley and passing through Sylvan Lake. The CP main line from Edmonton to Calgary has a crew change point and yard in Red Deer and hosts at least 10 main line freights each day. Main line power includes ES44ACs, AC4400CWs (both CP & CEFX), SD90MACs & SD40-2s. GP38-2s and GP9us are taken on these trains to Calgary for servicing. Branchline trains use two or three GP38-2s. On the CP main we see a variety of freights climbing and descending the Blindman River valley and crossing the prairie landscape. We also follow the CP branch line freights to Rimbey (to serve a gas plant) and to Prentiss to serve a glycol plant. The snow and ice fog help to create some dramatic scenery.
|
||||||
| TRAINS to the Annapolis Valley Windsor to New Minas 85 minutes available only in DVD format
This video shows six freight trains both west and east bound between Windsor & New Minas in the very picturesque Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Trains are seen in Spring, Summer & Winter at numerous panoramic locations between 2004 and 2007 and feature RS-23s, GMD1s leased from CN and GP9Rs leased from CEMR (Cando Contracting). On 17 August 2007, leased CEMR 4014 collected three empty cars from New Minas and Port Williams. This train, which may be the last train to operate in the Annapolis Valley, is seen at many locations.
|
||||||
| TRAINS in New Brunswick & Gaspé Volume 3 NB Southern St Croix to Saint John Available only in DVD format
This video shows freight trains and the Acadian tourist train on the New Brunswick Southern from the US border (St Croix) to Saint John. The Acadian passenger train ran briefly during the summer of 2002 from Delson near Montreal over the former CP line to Saint John using one or two specially painted F40PHs (ex Amtrak) and a variety of stainless steel passenger cars including two mid-train dome cars and a rounded-end observation car. The train is seen both eastbound and westbound. Here we see the westbound train crossing the river at Fredericton Junction on the 28 August 2002.
We see a yellow GP38-3 (painted for the short lived Sunbury trailer on flat car train) shunting cars from the St Stephen branch at McAdam prior to the arrival of the main line freight. We also see gypsum cars being unloaded using a mechanical shovel. NB Southern usually operates one main line freight each day in each direction powered by a mixture of refurbished second-hand GP38s. Both the east and westbound trains are seen at numerous scenic locations jncluding crossing the St Croix river, passing the historic train station at McAdam, running alongside Harvey and Welsford Lakes as well as through fall foliage in the region between Fredericton Junction and Westfield Beach. Here we see the daily eastbound freight with 2319 (in Sunbury yellow), 9802 & 2318 running beside Harvey Lake with the fall colours as a backdrop on 10 October 2006.
In Saint John, NB Southern switches the Dever Road Yard on the west side, the Island Yard (leased from CN) on the east side, the Irving Mill and the docks using its own SW1200s and CN’s GP9us. |
||||||
| TRAINS in New Brunswick & Gaspé Volume 2 Van Buren & CN Saint-Hilaire to Saint John Available only in DVD format
This video shows freight trains in action on the Van Buren Bridge Company & between 1998 and 2006 on the CN lines from Saint-Hilaire (just west of Edmundston) to Moncton and Saint John. The Van Buren Bridge Company operated between St Léonard and Grand Falls on track owned by CN & CP to service the McCain’s plant. The track has now been purchased by CN. Here we see Quebec Southern GP35u 506 with a short train of tank cars heading towards Grand Falls on 28 August 2002.
CN’s Napadogan subdivision from Edmundston to Pacific Junction (near Moncton) carries many long freight trains, some up to two miles in length, between Halifax or Saint John and Montreal, Toronto and Chicago as well as a few local freights. The area around Grand Falls is extremely picturesque with many large trestles that are particularly spectacular with the fall foliage. The Salmon River trestle is 4600 feet long and 200 feet high and we see several trains from different locations crossing both it and another trestle close by at New Denmark. Here we see CN train 308 with 2501, 5518 & 5442 passing the church and crossing the trestle at New Denmark on a cloudy 7 October 2005.
The area is close to the Saint John River and we see some trains in the fog. We also see a brush cutter at work. At McGivney a freight train is held up while a ballast train is at work. At Gort we see the westbound Ocean and visit the Gordon Yard (which used to be a hump yard) and see several GMD-1s at work as well as a “Sweep” and an SW1200RSu. Finally we see a freight from Saint John travelling along the picturesque Kennebekacasis valley. |
||||||
CN & VIA Going
West - Halifax to Moncton
This video shows over 65 westbound trains at more than 50 locations between 1992 and 2005 on the Bedford (Halifax to Truro) and Springhill (Truro to Moncton) Subdivisions with the location and mileage identified. Trains are seen in all four seasons of the year with spectacular fall colours and blowing snow! The CN Main line between Halifax and Moncton is used by long distance (100 series) freights to Montreal, Toronto and Chicago, by a Dartmouth to Truro and Moncton freight (# 307), by local freights as well as by VIA passenger trains to Montreal (#15) and formerly by the Bras d’Or (# 19) – a weekly summer train to Sydney. Over the last 15 years passenger trains have changed from steam heated to electrically heated coaches and the locomotives fitted with steam generators have been retired. Here we see an F40PH-2 and an aging FP9u with a train of blue & yellow coaches and 12 years later a very old CN GP9u and an F40PH-2 with a set of Stainless Steel coaches (the GP9u had been added in Quebec City to replace a failed F40PH-2).
Now the Renaissance coaches are taking over and the Stainless Steel coaches are due to be replaced in May 2007. At the same time the number of 100 series freight trains has been reduced to 2 and the trains have become longer often exceeding 2 miles and 12,000 tons and usually arriving and departing from Halifax at night. Here we see VIA 15 passing CN train 307 from Dartmouth at Belmont West near Truro NS.
|
||||||
| Trains in New Brunswick & Gaspé Volume
1 Matapédia to Moncton Available in DVD and VHS tape formats This video shows freight and passenger trains in action between 2000 and 2005 on the Quebec Railway Corporation's lines between Matapédia and Moncton including the very scenic line along the Bay of Chaleur to Gaspé.
The Chemin de Fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe (CFMG) and New Brunswick East Coast Rail operate rebuilt SD-40s (ex CN), C-424s (ex CP) and chop-nosed RS-18s (also ex CP). One RS-18 has been rebuilt and extensively upgraded by IRSI in Moncton. Units are lettered CFMG, NBEC, ERS or QRC. Here we see NBEC Alcos (ex CP) 1840 (RS-18u) & 4230 (C-424) shunting in the Miramachi yards 3 September 2002.
VIA Rail 's Chaleur runs three days per week overnight from Montreal to Gaspé where it arrives about midday. At Gaspé it is turned, serviced and about 2 hours later leaves for Montreal. The journey is very picturesque and many of the bridges and trestles now have 5 mph speed restrictions permitting good views of the river valleys and of the sea. Here the westbound Chaleur approaches Caplan as the sun sets on 31 August 2002.
VIA Rail's Ocean runs six days per week from Montreal to Halifax. It leaves Montreal in the evening (often the Chaleur is combined with it) and arrives in Halifax in the late afternoon. It leaves Halifax the next day about midday. Three sets of equipment are used to operate this train and by 2005 two were Renaissance coaches and one was Budd Stainless Steel cars. Both types of trains are seen. Views from the dome cars on both the Chaleur and the Ocean are included The trains are seen in Spring, Summer and Fall. |
||||||
| CP in Southern Alberta May 2005 Available in DVD and VHS tape formats
|
||||||
| CB&CNS in Cape Breton Available in DVD and VHS tape formats The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway purchased the former Canadian National line from Sydney to Truro Nova Scotia in 1994. As the coal mines and Sydney steel mill closed, traffic in Cape Breton has dwindled and CB & CNS has made two applications to abandon the line.
In 2000 VIA began to use some of the Budd cars from the Ocean for a weekly luxury land cruise train from Halifax to Sydney returning the next day. The Bras d’Or is seen at many scenic locales both from lineside and from the Skyline and Park cars. Locations include Balls Creek, Big Pond, Bras d’Or Lakes, Grand Narrows, Iona, Ottawa Brook trestle, Orangedale, McIntyre Lake, Port Hawkesbury and the Canso Causeway. Bald Eagles are seen several times.
|
||||||
| CANADIAN TRAINS Volume 1 - from Atlantic to Pacific. 70 minutes available only in VCD format A collection of fifteen 5 minute video clips showing over 50 trains owned by 11 different railroads at various locations from Halifax to Vancouver Island. Clips include: CN 6060, S&H 1009, VIA's Bras d'Or, Oceans in the Snow, Rail Diesel Cars, Royal Canadian Pacific, Pacific Wilderness, Canadian National container trains, Canadian Pacific in the Prairies, Canadian National's switchers at work, CB&CNS, Windsor & Hantsport, CN 701 Gypsum train, Rail America on Vancouver Island and Track Work with rail grinders, cranes and snow blowers. |
||||||
| SURVIVORS - RDCs in CANADA 1992 -
2001 Available in VCD and VHS tape formats Click on the linked descriptions to see brief .wmv video clips. After a brief introduction with photos we see BCRail RDC services at Prince George and Squamish. BC 31 & 33 entering Squamish 1 June 1995 The abandonment of VIA RDC services is described in a brief photo essay and then we see a freight train with 15 abandoned RDCs leaving Halifax for storage in Montreal and Ottawa. 15 RDCs passing Rocky Lake near Halifax. Some of these units are seen returning to Moncton for rebuilding at IRSI. A refurbished unit is seen at Halifax and leaving for its cross Canada journey on the rear of the Atlantic (still photos). The remaining 75% of the tape shows RDCs operating on Vancouver Island between Victoria and Courtenay with both lineside shots and photos taken from the rear cab. VIA 6135 & 6130 cross Niagara Canyon trestle on 12 June 2001 |
||||||
| TRAINS IN NOVA SCOTIA Volume 2 Available in VCD and VHS tape formats Click on the linked descriptions to see brief .wmv video clips. GM locomotives on the Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway including switching operations, coal transfer, some of the last DEVCO coal shipments and freights on Cape Breton Island. Classes include GP9, GP9-4, GP15,GP18, GP40, GP50 and SD45-2s. There are several pacing sequences including night shots and plenty of sound from trios of SD45-2s hard at work on the steeply graded route. LLPX 1508 with a
coal transfer at Port Hastings. Rail Grinders at work shows a switch grinder at work in Rockingham yards and rail grinding trains operating on the Bedford and Dartmouth subdivisions. The spectacle of sparks, smoke and sound is great but the views in the dark are incredible! Switch grinder J-4 at
Rockingham |
||||||
SIGHTS
& SOUNDS of LOCOMOTIVES at
A one hour video encyclopaedia comprising over 100 video clips of 12 classes of Alco/MLW/Bombardier locomotives in action in the Maritimes between 1991 and 2002. The clips show right and left views of each type of locomotive and in many cases roof and cab interior details. The viewer experiences the feeling of being there and watching the locomotive being driven and hearing the locomotive at work. Great for modellers and railfans alike! Here we see a trio of CB&CNS C-630Ms (ex CN) with a westbound freight smoking as it passes through Little Bras d'Or Cape Breton, NS on 6 October 1997. The sound is great.
Locomotives are seen on Canadian National, Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia, New Brunswick East Coast, Salem & Hillsborough and Windsor & Hantsport Railways Featured Locomotives: The video also shows several in-cab sequences. Here we see S-12 8245 being driven on the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad in New Brunswick in the early 1980s. In the YouTube still below I am actually driving 8245 and my wife Pat took the video!
|
||||||
ALL CHANGE - from CP's DAR to The WHRC Click on the linked pictures to see brief .wmv video clips. The programme includes video and photographs of both the Dominion Atlantic Railway's and the Windsor and Hantsport Railway Company's operations especially the gypsum trains. It has some great live audio sound especially of the four RS-23s climbing the grade from Falmouth in the winter. There is limited narration to go with the photographs but elsewhere the live audio is used.
|
||||||
TRAINS IN NOVA
SCOTIA Volume 1 Click on the linked pictures & descriptions to see brief .wmv video clips. The programme includes: 1) Windsor and Hantsport
Railway continuous rail train from Windsor Junction to Windsor powered by three MLW RS-23s
|
||||||
ORDERING INFORMATIONThe videos are available either on DVD-R for most productions or Video CD (VCD) for earlier productions. Our newest productions are also available in full High Definition (HD) on two AVCHD format DVD-R discs that are ONLY playable on Blu-Ray players. Prices are $40 for full HD, $30 for DVD-R or $25 for Video CDs plus shipping of $4 per order. Please MAKE cheques PAYABLE to DAVID OTHEN. I am sorry that I do not have sufficient business to accept credit cards or PayPal. US Prices are US$40 for full HD, US$30 for DVD-R or US$25 for VCDs. Shipping per order is US$10 . Please MAKE cheques PAYABLE to DAVID OTHEN. They are also available at Maritime Hobbies in Halifax and should be available from Pat or myself at most Nova Scotian model railroad shows. Contact me for more information,
or to order, at: |
||||||
You are visitor number |
The diesel section
shows SD40-2, SD40-2F, SD90MAC, AC4400, & GP9 models owned by CP, CEFX and BNSF all on
CP freights. There are grain trains, sulphur trains and general freights including several
trains with robot pushers. The trains are all over a mile in length (some about two miles
long) and are seen at various parts of Southern Alberta including the Lethbridge area,
near Medicine Hat and in the area around Red Deer. Two trains to and from the United
States are seen crossing the 314 foot high Lethbridge Viaduct built in 1908-9. One of
these trains has three BNSF GP9s (in BN and ATSF liveries) en route to Calgary to be
converted into cabless Green Goats. 
