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This tape is a steam powered tour. We'll stay close to home. Represented are some of the most memorable roads in the region during the first half of the 20th Century. The Rearding Railroad was once the largest and most powerful corporation in the United States. Such was the importance of anthracite coal in the 19th century. The Reading carried the coal, but they also carried commuters in the Philadelphia area. These films are taken at Reading Terminal, the Green Street enginehouse and the four track main. In the early thirties, there were still camelbacks in service. Pacifics and consolidations ply the Reading lines in eastern Pennsylvania. In the Confluence area, in western Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio's 4-8-2's and articulateds hauled passengers and freight. There may even be a "shark" sighting! Moving north, the Delaware and Hudson used powerful challengers and northerns on the grades over Mt. Ararat. Gleaming pacifics lead passenger jobs in Cobbleskill and Saratoga Springs. In New England, visit the Rutland to see the compact facilities at Bellows Falls. The "Whippet", the road's priority freight, makes an appearance. The ALCO diesels are seen in service with the steam engines, including the mountain-types. The "Green Mountain Flyer" and other passenger and milk trains also roll on the Burlington to Chatham main. Finally, there are more Thomas Edison turn-of-the-century films on the Ulster and Delaware around Kingston, New York and the Lehigh Valley, with camelbacks and rotary plows. B&W/Color, Narration, Sound. 46 minutes. |
