The Pennsy Off the Beaten Track
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2018
- This is a preview of The Pennsy Off the Beaten Track. The full DVD can be purchased at www.johnpmedia.com/dvds/the-p...
DVD summary below:
Self proclaimed Standard Railroad of the World, the Pennsylvania Railroad or “Pennsy” was widely known for its blue ribbon passenger service, GG-1 electric locomotives, landmark locations like Horse Shoe curve and Rockville Bridge and its well groomed high speed multi track mainline which was referred to as the Broadway.
But the Pennsy also had a vast array of branch and secondary lines to service industries in many smaller towns and communities which were rarely photographed.
In this program, we’ll venture off the beaten main line tracks and chase general freight, ore and coal trains from Williamsport to Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania in the mid 1950s through the early 1960s.
Narrated with commentary by Mike Bednar
Color and B&W; approx 46 minutes runt time 
Авто/Мото
Big Mike's voice is perfect for these films. It makes them feel very genuine.
totally agree
I feel like I died and went to heaven watching this. The footage especially the colored footage makes you feel like you are there watching these masterpieces from Juniata coming at you.
I remember my grandpa he drove NYC 5450 then the mercury
It never ceases to impress me the quality of the photography and I guess the digital clean up that was done with these films. I.love stepping back in time and witnessing American railroading at its best.
I feel like I just watched a Trains version of Wild America.
Great footage and dialogue.
Ok, so the additional dialogue is freaking great lol. Love it. All documentary films should be narrated like this
Too good. Love the scenes of the I1sa doubleheaders...
Big Mike's voice and narration make these vids special. Thank you.
Thanks, I'll pass this onto Big Mike
Thank you also John for your work saving' and sharing these historic glimpses of the past. They will be enjoyed by many years to come. Well done.
Yeah, he sounds like all my family back in NEPA!
Respectfully disagree
Absolutely. Really adds to such great video.
I had many uncle's , great uncle's, and many more relatives who worked for PRR mostly when they returned home from the war is when they took jobs on the rr. What an awesome time that must've been. I think my Uncle John hire date was in the 40s
That Brakeman riding the footboard of that 0-6-0 that opened the knuckle w/his foot was probably tipping back afew also! I've heard some dandy stories of workin those peddles and switch runs!
I delivered the Shamokin News-Dispatch to Mr. Dallas Renninger, the PRR station master in Catawissa. The highlight was being at the station when the PRR rolled through. Great film. Loved the ‘new’ automobiles as well.
It’s neat seeing classic power on rails I’ve seen as a child and into adulthood.
I lived in Shamokin my whole life and I've been waiting to find some of this thank you so much
This footage is fantastic. I love the narration too!
Great footage! Thanks for sharing!
Stunning quality,well done ,so evocative.
Great video. Love the steam😎
Great color!
Outstanding, thank you!
I love that little Connie at 2:15 cutting the throttle to drift over that very sketchy bridge. I suppose they feared that any extra hammer blow might cause problems. Little branch lines like this are my favorite part of the Pennsy.
Sweet video and well presented. Gotta love these record shots. Tough trains for rugged country. I'm gonna buy this one.
Wonderful Film!!!!
Awesome footage of the Berwick branch and Milton, Norry, and Sunbury.
excellent video, Thanks for presentation, from Germany
This is so Awesome thank for sharing, I love these old trains Long live the "Pennsy"
The Pennsy is alive and well, it is now the insurance company American Premier Underwriters!
Just bought this one because I actually enjoyed these previews AND Mikes narration. What RUclips doesn’t show is how solid your scan and film transfer is. Top notch. I’ll definitely be back.
Wow, the addition of missing frames really brings these clips to life. Excellent restoration!
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wow, that smooth motion camera retouched footage looks great 👍
I really enjoyed this DVD, thanks for putting it together. The footage was great and I loved Mike Bednar's narration. Probably watched this through 10 times so far.
We're glad you enjoyed it
love it thanks for sharing
What a great video ..much local history
What a cool video thanks for narrating.
I love to watch these old steam locomotives.
Brilliant preview!
Thanks. The DVD has so much more to see
Yes! I can imagine! Once I get paid I may grab it.
Awesome video!
I love the sound of the horn on those Pennsylvania shark diesels.
The black and white scenes are nice and gutsy!
John, now that I have quite a collection of your films I'd like to say that the choice of Mike Bednar was an unexpected plus for myself and my friends. I think his intimate knowledge of the northeast area through his years growing up and then as a tower operator gives us a rare chance to know WHAT we are watching, most of the time in great detail. For me at least, that makes it more than worth the cost of admission. I can watch them over and over again!
Here is hoping Mike is able to continue narration for you- he is a real treasure and I look forward to more.
The Pennsylvania Railroad used to have a branch line running down to my hometown. Lots of street running, my mom recalls having to dodge trains while driving to work.
Nice videos !
This is a real treat. Thank you!
Totally agree with other comments, that Mike Bedner's narration makes these videos very special.
Thanks
These vids are priceless. And this one's still next on my list to purchase. Loved the car traffic when the gates went up and Mike was quick to point out the Kaiser-Frazer and the Hudson - not to mention the Packards and then a Studebaker in the next shot! Oh, and was that a 5-striper pulling freight at about 4:20?
I LOVE TRAINS
Whatever cameRa you used for this feels so modern it looks like it was taken in the present day
Lots of great replies. We had a steam locomotive that ran behind the house h
as a switch engine to move tanker cars to several wineries
This is really special footage. It is ironic to see an RF&P engine doing the work that would have gone to a J 2-10-4 or M 4-8-2 a few years earlier.
I'm a huge fan of the PRR.. Thanks for uploading this
I prefer NYC
Ah
And you should be happy to know that the PRR is still around as the insurance company American Premier Underwriters!
@@granthewmiller8012 I thought it merged with Conrail or something.
@@granthewmiller8012 oh I just read they were part of the Penn Central after the NYC/PRR merger and then we're bought by some other insurance company.
I could watch 2 hours of this.
Haha, love the rugged mid eastern voiceover!
Does anyone have any photos of the Pennsy in the Hyndman, PA area? I think it was originally the Bedford or Cumberland and Bridgeport RR. Traffic stopped on the line after Hurricane Agnes in 1972. I remember the trains as a child. The line was ultimately extended into Cumberland Maryland to pick up coal from George's Creek MD and take to NYC by way of Altoona and Huntingdon PA. Originally they had a yard at the Mason Dixon line and the cars were dropped at the state line. After they gained agreements and rights of way into Maryland, they maintained a fair sized foundry and machine shop on the Pennsylvania side along with the yard. I do not know if there was a roundhouse there or not, I think so at least the table.
This was a busy place, older folks who are now gone told me about the yard and shops there. There were a few Boarding Houses and other places of accommodation. I am very interested in any photos of the shops and foundry and of the line between Bedford PA south through Hyndman and eventually into Cumberland. Up until Hurricane Agnes, there was a Southbound train in the morning and a Northbound in the afternoon. This line connected Cumberland MD and Altoona PA until the hurricane damaged the track and it was deemed not worth repairing. Cumberland was a City full of industry in those days. The B&O was and is a major presence there to this day. The Pennsy got a small amount of freight from and to these factories compared to the B&O.
The Pennsy also had passenger service on this line. I am not sure what year it was dropped. People often would take the Pennsy to Hyndman and then get the B&O west. My great-grandmother who lived between Bedford and Hyndman would do this, getting the B&O to Fairhope PA where her grandmother lived. Somehow this seems like it might have been a better time to live at least until you needed some sort of radical medical care that wasn't even thought of yet.
Nice channel good vids i just subbed😊
this is pure heaven lots of steam in the after life indeed
I really loved the sound of those big Decopods! IMHO the I1sa was the backbone of the PRR.
I would argue they shared that title with 3 or 4 locomotives - specifically the J1, H10, K4 and M1, but they were definitely one of if not the most important locomotives Pennsy ever owned.
Despite being rough riding and unpopular with crews, their power was undeniable. It's likely that alone that made them successful overall. There were 598 of them and lasted until steam ended in 1957. The I1sa was definitely a vital freight hauler.
great quality, great to watch, wish there was more.
There is in the full DVD available from www.johnpmedia.com
2:50.....love it!
Yes, me too!! Love those little switchers!! Got one of the GEM models for my layout. Also got one of the Sunset 0-4-0's!!
Pennsylvania had it all in old days
The Standard Railroad of the World.
And it could be that again, it is now the insurance company American Premier Underwriters.
Uts truly sad what we have become. All the mergers, Amtrak. Wish we could go back to the good days when the PRR was the premier railroad of the world
Some very nice old iron.
Nice Quality in the Camera. it almost makes look like it's been taken in the Present Day
As a Pennsylvanian what is this heartening is how quickly all this the Pennsylvania railroad and all the other railroads that were in Pennsylvania are only a memory. And all the towns that were filled woodworking families are now a shell of their former selves. Kids growing up with no direction lotta fatherless homes models homes slightly above the poverty line in Shamokin. Really is disheartening we had For good years they were starting to turn things around. And now with this administration Pennsylvania is doomed.
My favorite scene is the m1b
I hope to see more of the ore train. I have the DVD of Clarence Weaver's Ore Train and that's always been one of my favorites because it goes through my home town of Sunbury. I'm a big Pennsylvania I1 and I1-A fan.
There is a good amount of Ore train footage in the DVD
+George Reigle, it has some good shots, but "The Ore Train" is a classic, should be remastered though as the quality could be better from the master films. Plenty of shots of the Black Mill Bridge which still stands too. Was hoping for more street shots around The Horn, through downtown Sunbury down by Shamokin Creek behind the old Banana Mart, especially the crossing at Market Street, but didn't see anything.
@@davedrake8545 I know what you mean. I grew up on South 10th St, and I remember seeing the track bed where it ran. Also the elementary school I went to was built at the site of the tar pits.
George Reigle Lot's of bridges still there, crossing Shamokin Creek, I last walked the path near the Black Mill in 1997, I no longer live in the area. We found some railroad spikes and pieces of burnt coal, lot's of it from all the steam action still scattered along the line. I was born in Sunbury, 10 years after steam ended but I still remember all the tracks and the horn going through town, my father and brother were both into trains, models and etc, so I got into it as well, but was growing up during the Penn Central/Conrail Days. Still remember activity though, Reading crossing Front Street and along Blue Mountain which is all gone now. My Parents and Grandparents all talked about the days of steam in the area, was once a plethora of activity during the Golden Age.
All good stuff. I remember the line that runs behind the high school having traffic on it before the coal runs came to an end. I would hear the horn, run out my front door and watch the engines cross Tenth St, still colored in black. That was 1980, and I remember it well
I recently watched a couple series on the Pennsylvania and the New York central lines. The central was claiming things that simply wasn’t true but there was no way to refute because they had their comments turned off. I hope as the son of a Pennsylvania employee I’ll be able to set the record straight someday. It’s refreshing that your channel doesn’t do something like that. I wish I could have been able to witness the steam era since I was born in 1960 and didn’t get the opportunity to experience it.
And how can you Not Love those Sharks!!!!
It’s a shock there’s only one operational pennsy steam locomotive
There needs to be more steam around the country. More whistle blows down the country instead of the horns.
And that 1 engine is a little B4 number 643
Will the brand new T1 being built still count as a Pennsy? That'll make two if it does.
@@drosera88 they're also bringing back 1361 and the LIRR G5s but who knows when any of those will be operating.
There used to be two until Pennsylvania 1361's inspection. Now it's just Pennsylvania 643 I believe. I'm glad they're rebuilding a Pennsylvania T1, and hopefully someday Pennsylvania 1361 will make a triumphant return.
Is the famous E-6 Atlantic 4-4-2 in this film? This is the engine that was dubbed the "Lindbergh Engine" for racing a plane to New York. If the engine is filmed in its entirety while pulling a train in this DVD will somebody let me know?
J. Harold Mohler
so in 1956 PRR had to lease modern steam power not only from RDG and ATSF but from RF&P as well!! were there any more?
Love them burbling sharks
A freight train so heavy it has to be pulled by two Diesels _AND_ pushed by two I1sa decapods?!
I wonder how many of these lines are gone??
does this dvd contain any shots of Rockville Bridge? I know that there was one at the beginning of this clip.
This DVD focuses on the secondary and branch lines between Williamsport and Mount Carmel. The scene at Rockville bridge serves to illustrate the Pennsy's landmark achievements and what it is known for in the opening scenes, but there is more to the Pennsy than just the mainline action
Is Big Mike still alive? I lost track of him, the last time I saw him was at an Allentown Train Show ten years ago.
Nice when there is a link to your website in the description of your video
www.johnpmedia.com/dvds/the-pennsy-off-the-beaten-track
@@JPMediaRR
Thank you. I did already find your page. I live in SE Asia now. I think the DVD players are coded differently. Do you know will turn DVDs woke here and do you ship worldwide? I could probably find a player that would work.
@@gonebamboo4116 Our DVDs are coded "Region Free". They should play in ANY NTSC compatible machine that plays DVD-R discs
@@JPMediaRR
Awesome! I'll look to buy a player, just can't get my head around all the download stuff. Looking forward to my first orders.
126 true railfans love this. 2 plane lovers hate it!
What can you do. No big deal
HAH - an excellent suggestion!
Do any of your films have video from hellertown pa?
Some short scenes on Railfanning the Reading Volume 1 and I believe Anthracite Railroads in the 70s Volume 4
that from engineer looked like my Dad ? 3 ;42
How much was a color camera back then
I fear no man but them the beasts scare me
The actual motto was "The Standard of the World" as in "sets the standard". The Standard Railroad of the World as stated in this video would mean just a typical railroad..
Hi john, what was the music used in the beginning? Thanks.
It is a Smartsound Track (midnight report)
@@JPMediaRR thanks john
can anyone identify the three cars at 5:15-19?
honestly the tone and flow of the narrators words, gives off that "i'd rather be anywhere else and doing something, than doing what i'm doing here" vibe
That's odd considering he spent his whole life working for the railroads and filming trains.
2:26 berkshire?
Sure looks like one to me!
Heard stories from people that worked norry yard and from tower operators at ease tower sunbury
Like train
I hope the 2 2-10-0 steam engines will be restored and returned to service.
Grew up on Long Island and Manhattan. Got in MRRing in about 1956. What's not to like ? One tiny nit pick: Bad hearing/closed captioning poor due to voice recognition instead of being edited in later by analog or digital form, by a RR savvy typist. Ex. 2:45 the caption reads "600" when me and you, but not all, know it's 0-6-0 [ lot's a stuff like that ]. But great narration, John.
One suggestion to viewers is: Make your screen darker than most would think. The more black you bring out, the better contrast. You'll begin to see the full true colors of RR livery stand out, along with the gleam on the locos, head light glare, autos, blue sky and foliage. Too much bright only makes the picture milky in contrast.. It's dark you need, not light. Check it out. Give it a chance to get acclimated to it.. Man I love those Bellpaire (
Just picked this up and finished watching it, was good, the quality of the transfer especially. Interesting enough, though the Shamokin Branch from Sunbury to around Paxinos was removed in 1984 or so many bridges and the ROW are still there and can be followed with ease. I recognized the locations and landmarks that still exist at many locations, the General Store along the tracks in Crowl still stands, but only local's know it as "Crowl", which is a historic name and is a Paxinos Zip Code. Jeff Pontius should have you remaster all of the Clarence Weaver films, would love to see "The Ore Train" remastered.
I'm sure with technology available today the digital restoration of the Weaver films would be amazing. Unfortunately, I don't think a remaster of the films would happen. Since Clarence has passed on, I do not know if the original films exist. If they do, I wouldn't know who is in possession of the collection. And finally, if they did exist, would it be feasible to do so?
John Pechulis When Clarence Weaver Died in 1994, he supposedly willed his collection to Jeff Pontius of Sunbury, PA who has has them available via Penn Valley Pictures (search for the website) since the 90's but the transfers are not at the same quality of yours, I think most were done in the 90's? I have the whole collection. I was told there is a lot of unreleased films and photos, I don't know if this is true? Weaver use to show his films at Train Meets at the Lewisburg, PA Armory back in the 70's and narrate along with it live. He did his own videos for sale before he died in VHS format, then Pontius sorta re-released them, added DVDs with some minor updates and added a narrator to several not as good as Mike Bednar though.
+ John Pechulis my response comment is not showing, reach out to Jeff Pontius at Penn Valley Pictures dot com, he obtained all of Weaver's films and etc after Clarence passed away in 1994. The current releases are not bad, but I'm sure with the original film and your process, the would be even better.
I did not know Jeff was the current owner of the Weaver collection.
Can the productions be remastered and better produced? Absolutely! But we're talking about 100's of hours worth of work between digital transfer, synchronized sounds, narration, graphics, etc.
With that said, I doubt Jeff would want to dive into remastering the collection because of the cost in doing so. He's currently receiving income from it, so for him, there really is no incentive.
One other thing, since I've experienced it before. There will be those who already purchased copies of the original version who will demand that they are able to trade the old version for the new.
I remastered one of my first productions and had these issues. I decided NOT to remaster the 2nd volume for this reason
Is this available without narration?
It is NOT available without narration. We feel the narration is an integral part of the production to orient the viewer throughout the program
@@JPMediaRR Understood. FYI, the narration is the only thing keeping me from purchasing your products.
Same here.
I love the narration! Mike Bednar really knows his stuff and everything I've heard and read about him tells me he's a really good guy. The only thing keeping me from purchasing the entire collection is a $30 per dvd price tag.
Could you make the music any LOUDER!!!
0:29
7
Like steam train
Revive #4483
Wish I could have had a chance to shoot the shit with big Mike. Im an x Conrail guy from the B and A.....
3:53 i smell prr 1223
2:05...the Alco Sharks...
Baldwin
Somehow my long comment is not showing up.
If Donald Trump wants to resurrect the coal industry just bring back steam locos! Fuck the expense, just give us steam all the time! And restore the 4th track around the curve if not the entire middle division! Email him with the suggestion if you can find his email because I sure can't!