STEAM IN THE 90'S VOLUME 2

This Steam In The 90’s-Volume 2 is the Western version with 5 different engines at various locations. We begin in Iowa at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad which operated a new engine built in China, a JS Class 2-8-2. This has a number plate of JS8419. We were shooting for the America By Rail video in 1994, but that was a short segment. Here we give you more than what you saw in that video. They took us out to the High Bridge in the morning before the regular trains started so we could get two nice shots on the bridge. I think we only showed one in the America By Rail video. We also see a little bit of riding in the caboose, plus the engine making the runaround at the end of the line. We also see one shot of the Interurban Car operating. This engine no longer operates so this is rare footage now.

Next we move to South Dakata to see the Black Hills Central railroad with their 2-6-2T number 104 in action. This is not far from Mount Rushmore so its a no-brainer combination. There are steep hills in both directions, but we concentrate on the return from Keystone since the engine is not running backwards. We didn’t get many shots but what we got was very nice with the engine working hard. There are nice rocky hills, some small bridges, and even some horses are seen in one runby. The engine really talks so this is a nice little segment. This engine is no longer the featured engine on this line. This segment is all new and was shot in 1996.

We move now to Nevada and see Virginia and Truckee 2-8-0 number 29 in operation between Virginia City and Gold Hill. The return from Gold Hill is the focus with a mostly upgrade climb and the engine is facing Virginia City. This was shot for the 1994 America By Rail, but here we see all the good runbys, and more than what was in that 1994 show. There is also a nice tunnel. This is all trackside views except one tender-first shot onboard looking at the front of the engine. These folks were quite helpful, and even dropped me off at the tunnel and picked me up after powering through the tunnel putting on a nice show.

Now we move to Sacramento, California for a segment along the Sacramento River featuring ex-Union Pacific 0-6-0 number 4466. This is the Sacramento Southern Railroad, which is operated in conjunction with the California State Railroad Museum. The train goes tender first south of town, then runs smoke-box first back to the station in Old Sacramento. We see parts of 2 or 3 runs as the engine is seen with the Delta King Steamboat anchored on the adjacent Sacramento River. Some of this footage was used in the America By Rail video, but shorter scenes.

Our final segment is the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City, Utah. The power is former Union Pacific 2-8-0 number 618. We get to see close-ups of the engine then the morning test run and switching to head to the depot and the waiting train. The operation goes tender-first to Vivian Park then pulls forward with a steep grade out of the river valley to the Deer Creek dam and reservoir. We enjoy first the morning trip which goes about have way(To the edge of the Deer Creek reservoir), then the engine runs around the train and returns to Heber City. We get a couple of really nice shots here, plus some scenes of the brakeman throwing switches. The afternoon trip is the longer one to Vivian Park and return. We had nice clear weather for this 1999 visit, and this footage is all new, never seen on any other videos. The 618 puts on a good show and the cooperation of the engineer was fabulous for our visit. There are some really scenic shots along the reservoir, mountain backgrounds, and some open fields as well. This engine put on a good show on the grades, and unfortunately it no longer operates on the railroad. Thus this footage is also historic.

This video should please the folks who like steam action, and scenic locations. Live audio and limited narration.