DVD's - Diesel and Traction

Szwajkart - Books, Videos, and DVD's

DVD's - Diesel and Traction

For many of us, Regional Railroads seem to come and go, depending upon how well they do. One of he exceptions was the Wisconsin Central. It started out on a not particularly high note with a low traffic base and a rather strange bunch of used motive power. All this changed in a relatively short period of time, as new and old traffic was developed and encouraged, and cars and locomotives were acquired and painted. Within a short time the WC grew from a localized Regional to an international one that included railroads Overseas and in Canada. Eventually it attracted the interest of the CN and it was pruchased and absorbed into the larger railroad.
My interest in the WC has resulted in the production of a 7 part mini-series on the railroad. This is a very personal look, as they in part reflect the development of my enthusiasm for the railroad. They are not intended to be a detailed study of the railroad as these are covered by other dvds, such as those produced by Clear Block. The series begins with my encounters with the WC locally and on steam chases, then continues with a bunch of serious chases of the line and finishes with the CN take-over and its results.
Prices for the dvd's are: $25.00 ea. for single disc programs. Order two or more and the price goes down to $20.00 each. Two disc sets are $40.00 ea. All prices include first-class postage and packaging. Illinois residents please add 10% for sales taxes.

From TW74 Parts 3&4 nb freight on Byron Hill

From TW74 Parts 1&2 a nb WC freight at Franklin Pk

From TW74 Parts 1&2 a nb WC freight at Franklin Park, IL

DIESEL
*TW3 Parts 1 and 2 - ALCOS IN WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) It's Alcos and more Alcos with BW and GE locomotives mixed in, in this two part set. Part 1 covers the first day of a three day trip into the Upper Peninsula. This includes a stop at Green Bay to chase a GB&W Boat train to Kewaunee and an E&LS BLW powered train, which is followed north. Part 2 starts at Escanaba where a C&NW ore train is picked up and followed north. At Marquette LS&I Alcos and GE's are found switching the ore dock and on ore trains. Day 3 is spent following a C&NW train south to Green Bay and Chasing another GB&W Boat Train to Green Bay. 2-disc set $40.00
TW9 - CHICAGO & ILLINOIS MIDLAND AS IT WAS by John Szwajkart Covers the entire railroad from Taylorville to Peoria before sale to the I&M. Follows a local from Taylorville to Springfield with RS1325 30. Then traces the path of Extra #75 north to Havana continuing on to Pekin with a cab ride. The train is followed north to Peoria. Concludes with an Oakway powered empty running over the BN to Galesburg. Single disc $25.00
*TW16 Parts 1 and 2 - THE BRC ALCO CENTURY'S by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) A two part set covers all six of the now gone BRC Alco Century's. Part 1 covers some of the regular routes of the Alcos, plus many of the other now gone BRC non-Alco diesels. Covrage includes many different Chicago locations along with many of the other railroad users of the BRC. Part 2 is the train watching part of the original tape, where you can sit back and just enjoy watching the Alcos perform. Each of the Alcos is seen running in transfer service in numbered order. This concludes with what were extra shots that I felt should be included, with no order intended. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW18 - TRAIN WATCHING IN KANSAS CITY by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) Originally intended to be a companion piece for the "Train Watcher's Guide to Kansas City", this reedited version now provides a glimpse of railroading in Kansas City during the late 80's, before the megamerger era. Divided into two parts, the first covers operations and railroads on the Missouri side of the City. The second part provides an overlook of operations on the Kansas side of the City. 2-disc set $40.00
TW20 - RUSH HOUR ON THE BN by John Szwajkart Features nearly all the E's on the BN before they were replaced. All the action is centered about the afternoon rush hour, which is well over one-hour long. It starts at Union Station in downtown Chicago and continues at 16th Street where the trains turn west. Going west into the suburbs, where the three track mainline begins, more E powered action is found at Berwyn, followed by Brookfield, and then Downers Grove. This ends with the E's running into the sunset at Congress Park. Single disc $25.00
TW25 - THE GREEN BAY & WESTERN BOAT TRAIN by John Szwajkart Follows two different "Boat Trains" one from Green Bay to Kewaunee and back and the other from Kewaunee to Green Bay. The material on this disc was taken and consolidated from TW3 Parts 1 and 2. Single disc $25.00
TW44 - CIRCUS TRAIN by John Szwajkart This is a look at the W&S E units in two different paint schemes and in two different types of service. It begins with the units on the now discontinued Dinner train out of Milwaukee, running in a blue and yellow scheme. Next they power the July 1997 Circus train with the circus cars from Baraboo for the Milwaukee Circus Parade. This time the units appear in the standard W&S Maroon and Silver. Since then the W&S restricts the units to special service, while the circus train no longer uses the original circus cars from the museum. Single disc $25.00
*TW57 - BNSF(BN) from Aurora to Savanna by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) Here is an extended look at trains on the former CB&Q mainline from west of Aurora to Savanna. This is a single track line with passing sidings, that hosts lots of stack trains, regular freights and locals. Also included is a look at the railpark at Rochelle. Although taken after the BNSF merger, there is still an interesting and colorful mix of BN, AT&SF and BNSF power that appears on the trains. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW58 - BNSF(AT&SF) IN ILLINOIS by John Szwajkart (3-disc set) Although taken several years after the BNSF merger, operations on this line west of Joliet, still resemble those of the former Santa Fe with lots of very fast stack and piggyback trains, along with a few regular freights and locals. All of this on a surprisingly scenic mainline, if you know where to look. Discovering this is the objective of this dvd set, as the line is examined town by town starting at Joliet and going west through Streator, Chillicothe, and beyond Fort Madison into northern Missouri. With lots of fast stack and piggyback trains, along with mixed feights and locals, operations appear little changed from the old Santa Fe days. 3-disc set $60.00
*TW61 Parts 1 and 2 - MORE ALCOS IN WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN by Rosemarie and John Szwajkart (2-disc set) There is more C&NW and LS&I on this two disc set, complementing and supplementing that on TW3. Part 1 covers the C&NW Alcos on the ore line around Escanaba and north toward Marquette. Part 2 looks in more detail at the LS&I Alcos and GE's. Operations in and around Marquette, Eagle Mills and Ishpeming are checked out. Concludes with more C&NW Alco action as a freight is chased south. This is all new material not included in TW3. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW74 THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL REMEMBERED By John Szwajkart (A 7 disc set) This seven part set covers the WC from its' early beginnings, through its' growth years, into merger with the CN and after. This set can be ordered in separate parts or can be ordered as a single package. Individual parts are available and priced as noted, while the complete 7 disc set can be ordered at $130.00.
TW74 Individual Parts
*TW74 Parts 1 and 2 THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL REMEMBERED by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) Part 1 covers the early years on the WC with its unpainted locomotives and some of the steam runs on the line with 1522, 261 and 2719. Part 2 looks at diesel operations from the early years into more recent times in and around the Chicago area. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW74 Parts 3 and 4 THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL REMEMBERED by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) Both of these parts cover chases on the WC that resulted from the early encounters, shown in Parts I and 2. Part 3 covers two different days of chasing the WC from the Illinois State Line north to Byron. In Part 4 the WC is covered from Byron north to Neenah. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW74 Parts 5 and 6 THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL REMEMBERED by John Szwajkart. (2-disc set) Includes more chasing on the WC. This time in part 5 the railroad is covered just before and after Merger Day. The day before, the line between Silver Lake and Allenton is covered. Then some Chicago area material is included that was shot around the merger date, followed another day out on the line, in the winter, after the merger. Part 6 looks at the railroad nearly a year after the merger. One day is selected in the summer, after a line closure of three days, and the other is a day in the following spring with a look at the line west of Neenah. 2-disc set $40.00
TW74 Part 7 THE WISCONSIN CENTRAL REMEMBERED a single dvd disc by John Szwajkart. This single disc covers the balance of my coverage of the WC. On it I include two looks at the WC in Neenah, a center of operations, both a year apart. It provides a good opportunity to see the changes the CN was making. The disc ends with a look at the changes that took place in the Chicago area after the merger. Single disc $25.00

TRACTION
*TW68 Parts 1 and 2 - TRACTION TODAY Vol. 3. by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) This two disc set presents modern contradictions in Traction. Part 1 covers streetcar operations in New Orleans, both the old and the new lines. Pt 2 covers streetcar operations in Kenosha and Memphis. Both provide an opportunity to compare new technology with old technology. Which is better? You can decide. This disc set is also available as individual dvd discs and can be ordered as such: Part 1 New Orleans; or Part 2 Kenosha. 2-disc set $40.00
TW70 TRACTION TODAY Vol. 4 Streetcars in Holland and Belgium by John Szwajkart. Where other places were replacing streetcar systems with busses, the Netherlands and Belgium were not only keeping them, but were constantly improving them. The lines are all heavily used as you will see. The cars are a mix of PCC and later designs in single and articulated configurations. To see these, is to see the future. Amsterdam, Roterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and others are all included in this single dvd. Single disc $25.00
*TW75 - TRACTION TODAY Vol. 5. by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) This two disc dvd set examines current electric operations in Europe. Part one covers mainline electric operations in Germany and Austria, including close up looks at the German ICE's. Part two looks at streetcar operations in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. 2-disc set $40.00
TW76 - TRACTION TODAY Vol. 6 The CTA 6000's Last Day By John Szwajkart. This single disc features the operation of the last four sets of CTA 6000 series "L" cars on their last day of service on the CTA Brown Line (Ravenswood Line). Extra stuff on the disc includes shots of the now gone Articulated trains on the Skokie Swift, and some newer cars on the O'Hare, Eisenhower and Lake Street Lines. Single disc $25.00.
*TW77 - TRACTION TODAY Vol. 7. by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) This two disc dvd set examines current electric operations in Eastern Europe, namely Romania, Serbia and Hungary. Part one looks at streetcar operations in Bucharest, Romania and mainline trains on the CFR. Included in part 1 are shots of Belgrade, Serbia streetcars in rush hour service. Part 2 continues this look at Belgrade streetcars at another location. Then it is on to Budapest, Hungary to ride and look at streetcar lines in and outside the city. In addition there is a look at one of the emu powered HEV lines that serve the suburban areas. 2-disc set $40.00
*TW78 - TRACTION TODAY Vol. 8. by John Szwajkart (2-disc set) This two disc dvd set continues our look at electric operations in Eastern Europe, this time Prague, Czech Republic. Part one covers streetcar operations through a typical weekday, from the morning rush, through the day and into the evening rush. Part two looks at streetcar service in the inner city where some of the modern streetcars along with the older cars run through the narrow twisting streets in the inner City. Also included on each disc are shots of the Prague Subways. 2-disc set $40.00

GENERAL (A mix of steam, diesel, and/or traction)
TODAY'S COLORFUL RAILROADS and KINDS OF TRAINS is a combination of two short half hour tapes. description of each are as follows: TODAY'S COLORFUL RAILROADS Looks at all the major railroads and their predecessors: KINDS OF TAINS Looks at the various types of trains, passenger, commuter, special passenger and freights, general and single commodity, along with stack trains and other types.

From TW74 Part 7 sb freight on IHB

From TW74 Parts 5&6 sb freight in Wisconsin

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