Big "E" Newsletter
Big “E” Productions
P.O. BOX 75
GREENLAND, NH 03840
Our web page is at www.trainvideos.com, email us at bigeee@trainvideos.com
 800-832-1228 or 603-430-3055   Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or Discover Card Orders Accepted.
Frequency – six times a year                                   Issue #128                                             August, 2010
Our Big Summer Sale is still on – Buy 3, get 1 free. Ends 8/31/10.
The big news this month is that our summer sale is still on. Buy 3 DVD’s and get 1 free. Two or three DVD sets count as one. There is no restriction on the cost of the free DVD, so this can be quite a deal. Order as many times or as many programs as you would like. This 4 for 3 sale ends 8/31/10. This is your best opportunity to replace your favorite tapes with DVD’s! We now have 235 programs available in DVD.
 
We have two new programs this month. The first covers the busy UP main between St. Louis and Kansas City and the second shows all the action at a small town crossing in southern Illinois - Kinmundy. All of our programs are now available in DVD . All of our DVD’s have chapters and menus and the 70 newest ones – everything videotaped from 2004 on and a few programs from 2003 - have a choice of being watched with narration and without narration by using the audio or language button on your DVD player controller. 235 programs are available in DVD and are all listed in the flyers. No other train video producer shows and explains railroading like we do and our catalogue includes programs on fallen flags ATSF, SP, Wisconsin Central, and Conrail. Our shipping and handling charge on repeat orders remains $5.00 with no charge on orders over $100. We offer discounts on large orders.  See flyers for details. These discounts don’t apply with the 4 for 3 sale. If you have questions and get our answering machine, please leave your name and number and we will call you back as soon as possible. 
 
New this month is “UP’s Jefferson City Subdivision” and “UP, CN, and Amtrak at Kinmundy, IL”. “UP’s Jefferson City Subdivision” shows all the trains on one of the most historic railroads in the West – Union Pacific’s Jefferson City Subdivision that stretches from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri. This line was once the Pacific Railroad, the first railroad to lay track west of the Mississippi River and the first to reach Kansas City. Later part of the St. Louis to Kansas City main line of the Missouri Pacific and the route of the Eagles, this UP main line today, at least before the current recession, is as busy as it has ever been, thanks to the tide of low sulfur coal trains from the Powder River Basin, UP’s many intermodal, auto, and manifest trains, and Amtrak’s Missouri River Runners. All UP traffic between St. Louis and Kansas City takes this scenic, two main track line that follows the Missouri River. This program shows twenty-four hours of fast-paced action between Herman and Chamois on UP’s Jefferson City Subdivision east of Jefferson City in October of 2009. “UP’s Jefferson City Subdivision” is 1 hour, 33 minutes long and sells for $34.95 plus $5 for S&H. Small town railroad crossings that haven’t lost their trains or tracks to the mega-merger movement of today, often have a unique character.   The small town of Kinmundy in south-central Illinois, 23 ½ miles northeast of better known Centralia, has only around 900 hundred residents, but it still retains much of its old time railroad flavor. Kinmundy is where the former Illinois Central main line, now Canadian National, from Chicago to Memphis crosses the former Chicago and Eastern Illinois, nee Missouri Pacific line to the coal fields of southern Illinois, that is now owned by Union Pacific and hosts all of UP’s trains between Chicago and Texas. Although CN has fewer but longer trains through Kinmundy today than 40 years ago, the former C&EI line through Kinmundy has several times the number of trains that it had during C&EI or early Missouri Pacific days, including run-through trains from CSX and Norfolk Southern. And UP and CN interchange trains at Kinmundy, utilizing a new interchange track. Run-through power is common. And finally Amtrak’s Chicago to Carbondale mini-corridor passes through Kinmundy. This program shows all of the UP, CN, and Amtrak trains through Kinmundy for over 24 hours in April of 2010. “UP, CN, and Amtrak at Kinmundy, IL” is 1 hour, 31 minutes long and sells for $34.95 plus $5 for S&H. 
 
New two months ago was “Montana Rail Link on Mullan Pass” and “BNSF Creston Sub in Western Iowa”. Since its inception in 1987, Montana Rail Link, which handles BNSF Railway trains between Laurel, Montana and Spokane, along with its own trains, has always been one of the largest and most interesting of the new crop of regional railroads. And today it is the favorite Regional in a Trains Magazine poll. Twenty-two years since its inception fans still flock to the MRL to see the venerable SD40’s still used in helper duty and the four year old SD70ACes in spectacular mountain and forest scenery.   And thanks to the growth in grain and coal traffic provided by BNSF, Montana Rail Link today handles more tonnage than predecessors Burlington Northern or Northern Pacific ever ran through the Rockies on this track. This program shows two and half days of action on the former Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern, now Montana Rail Link main line on both sides of spectacular Mullan Pass west of Helena in September of 2009. “Montana Rail Link on Mullan Pass” is 86 minutes in length and sells for $32.95 plus $5 for S&H. The former Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy line from Chicago to Denver, now BNSF’s Chicago to Denver main, was the heart and sole of the Burlington Route. Often referred to as “the way of the Zephyrs”, this line in western Iowa where this program was videotaped, once hosted the Burlington’s Denver and California Zephyr passenger trains, the famous Fast Mail, the Chicago to Denver hot shot freight trains, and the eastbound meat trains out of Omaha and Lincoln. In spite of the favoritism shown it by Burlington officials, the CB&Q’s Denver line in western Iowa was never a major freight route and hosted almost as many passenger trains as freight trains as late as the early 1960s. Today this line still hosts Amtrak’s California Zephyr but low sulfur coal out of the Powder River Basin bound for Midwestern power plants is what has allowed this line to flourish as it carries more freight tonnage today than ever. This program shows a day and a half of action on the west end of BNSF’s Creston Subdivision west of Red Oak in western Iowa in October of 2009. “BNSF Creston Sub in Western Iowa” is 94 minutes in length and sells for $34.95 plus $5 for S&H.
 
New four months ago was “UP’s ex-T&P Main west of Abilene, TX” and “BNSF Big Horn Sub east of Sheridan, WY”. One of the real success stories in railroading today is the former Texas and Pacific, now Union Pacific, west end from Fort Worth to El Paso. The takeover of the SP by the UP in 1996 changed this line from a long branch line to a main line as UP completely rebuilt this part of the former T&P and began routing traffic from Memphis and Dallas-Fort Worth bound for southern California via the former T&P. Today this line handles more trains and much more tonnage than anytime in its history including World War II. “UP’s ex-T&P Main west of Abilene, TX” shows over 24 hours of action on the former Texas and Pacific between Abilene and Sweetwater in west Texas in May of 2009. Everywhere West was the motto of the famed Burlington Route. And no Burlington line exemplified that motto better than the 476 mile line between Alliance in northwest Nebraska and Billings, Montana. Today, the Burlington is part of western rail giant BNSF. 333 miles northwest of Alliance lies the crew change point of Sheridan, Wyoming. Sheridan today still personifies the West in American culture. Sheridan is the midpoint of BNSF’s Big Horn Subdivision, which stretches from Gillette to Billings. Coal from mines in the Powder River Basin and from mines in southern Montana has transformed the Big Horn sub from a sleepy secondary line in CB&Q days to a big time main line railroad. Just east of Sheridan is Ulm Hill, which has ten mile long, one and a quarter percent helper grades for loaded coal trains on both sides of the hill. “BNSF Big Horn Sub east of Sheridan, WY” shows over 24 hours of, at times, earsplitting action on and around Ulm Hill in northern Wyoming in September of 2009.
 
New six months ago was “BNSF Fort Worth Subdivision”. The north end of BNSF’s Fort Worth Subdivision between Gainesville, Texas and Alliance Yard, BNSF’s large intermodal, auto, and carload classification yard serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is one of BNSF’s busiest lines in Texas. Part of the former Santa Fe main line between Kansas City and Houston, this track handles a lot of intermodal, grain, and mixed carload traffic between the Midwest and the great state of Texas. “BNSF Fort Worth Subdivision” shows all the trains for over 24 hours on the north end of BNSF’s Fort Worth Subdivision including what fans call the “Metro pig dance” in May of 2009.
 
Other recent releases include “Flatonia – Texas Hot Spot”, “Pan Am Railways in Northern New England 2009”, “BNSF’s Red River Valley Subdivision”, “The Transcon in Eastern New Mexico”, “The Trains of Northern New England 2009”,  “BNSF’s ex-CB&Q Denver Line”, “Kansas City Southern on Rich Mountain”, “BNSF North Dakota Funnel”.   When we were at Flatonia the trains of four railroads – Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, BNSF, and Amtrak - ran past the Flatonia Photo Pavilion as the railfan platform is called on the west side of town. “Pan Am Railways in Northern New England 2009” shows the trains running during the summer of 2009 on Pan Am’s main line into northern New England. Included is Amtrak’s recently expanded Downeaster. BNSF’s Red River Valley Subdivision” shows the trains and operations for over 24 hours on BNSF’s Red River Valley Sub between Wichita Falls and Childress, in May of 2009. “The Transcon in Eastern New Mexico” shows over twenty-four hours of awesome action on BNSF’s Clovis Subdivision between Clovis and the crossing of the Pecos River at Fort Sumner in May of 2009. “The Trains of Northern New England 2009” shows what has become of the Bangor and Aroostook, Central Vermont, Rutland, and CN and CP lines in northern New England. “BNSF’s ex-CB&Q Denver Line” shows all the trains for 24 hours and then some on BNSF’s Denver line between Hastings and McCook in southwestern Nebraska in November of 2008. “Kansas City Southern on Rich Mountain” shows a day and a half of action on and around Rich Mountain astride the Arkansas – Oklahoma border, arguably the toughest mainline grade in the Midwest, in May of 2009. “BNSF North Dakota Funnel” shows all of the trains for 24 hours on the BNSF’s North Dakota Funnel around Casselton, North Dakota just west of Fargo and KO Junction Switch in October of 2008.
 
Other digitally edited programs that can be watched with and without narration are “Northern Plains Regionals”, “Portage La Prairie – Canadian Hot Spot”, “Canadian Pacific’s Line to Portal”, “NS Roanoke to Norfolk Main”, “Wisconsin Central, now CN Revisited”, “NS around Horseshoe Curve”, “CP Binghamton to Scranton”, “Jesup, Georgia, CSX Hot Spot”, “NS Atlanta to Birmingham”, “CSX in the New River Gorge”, “NS and CSX at Dalton, Georgia”, “Eastern Canada Regionals 2007“, “Canada’s Corridor in Eastern Ontario”, “CP’s Expressway in Eastern Ontario”, “UP in Meadow Valley Wash”, “BNSF in California’s Central Valley”, “UP’s I-5 Corridor around Redding, CA, “Pan Am’s West End”, “The Trains of Colorado’s Joint Line”, “KCS Meridian Speedway in 2006” , “CSX West of Russell Yard”, “Flomaton, Alabama – CSX Hot Spot, “CN’s ex-IC Yazoo Subdivision”, “NS Greenville to Atlanta Main”, “The Show Along Route 66”, “UP Sunset Route in 2006”, “UP’s Moffat Line in 2006”, “Norfolk Southern’s New Castle District”, “Norfolk Southern’s Columbus District”, “The Trains of Southern New England 2006”, “Montana Rail Link around Bozeman Pass”, “Canadian Pacific’s Alberta Mains”, “Canadian Nationals Alberta Main”, “Midwest Regionals 2005”, “Canadian National’s Drummondville Subdivision”, “NS Chicago Line in Western Ohio”, “CSX at Point of Rocks”, “The D&H North End in 2005”, “Norfolk Southern’s Harrisburg Line”, “CSX Mountain Sub – the Historic West End”, “UP’s ex-MP & SP Arkansas Mains”, “CSX & NS at Princeton, IN”, “The Transcon in Kansas – BNSF around Lebo”, “BNSF in the Ozarks – the Thayer North Sub”, “The Chicago & Iowa – BNSF’s Twin Cities Main”, “Hot Times on UP’s Geneva Sub”, “CSX and CN at Effingham, IL”, “The Trains of Northern New England 2004”, “Guilford Rail System in Northern New England 2004”, “Ohio Regionals 2003”, “Hot Times on the Overland Route”, “Canadian Pacific’s Saskatchewan Main”, “Canadian National’s Saskatchewan Main”, “24 Hours at Greenwich – New Crossroads of CSX”, and “Hot Times on the Golden State Route”.
 
Our next release in late September should be a program on the UP-CSX shared track south of Chicago.
                                                Dick and Barb Eisfeller