CLICK HERE to purchase your copy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: OGR Webmaster,

For those who are curious about this DVD. The production was done by NKP 765 crew memeber Kelly Lynch. Kelly is great when it comes to things like this as he has produced some commerical films as well as a promotional video for R.J. Corman Railroads. I know he has put ALOT of time and effort into this project and it will not disappoint. Below is a photo of Kelly for those who do not know him. This photo is him working on the project at Ithaca, Mi during one of the 765's run-bys and the other capturing 3 guys who know a "little" about steam locomotives or two![IMG]

Just to be sure you all know who those 3 guys are in the picture above, the people are, from left to right::

Kelly Lynch (with the camera)
Doyle McCormack, Engineer on SP Daylight No. 4449
Ross Rowland, of RDG 2101, Freedom Train and C&O 614 fame
Yours truly (with my best side towards the camera) who runs the 765 every once in a while.

Rich is this available in Blu-ray HD DVD or standard definition DVD ??

quote:

Originally posted by DaveSlie:
Rich is this available in Blu-ray HD DVD or standard definition DVD ??

I have no idea. Other than narrating some of it, I have no involvement in the production of the show. I'll try to find out for you.

Rich,

While you are answering questions about the TrainFestival DVD, is the much "footage" of 4449 and her two excursion trips? I don't recall anyone except Dave Busse doing 4449 in-cab videoing, which was for Todd Clark's TrainOrders.com "on-line" Hi-Def video links.

Thanks.

With regard to the HD/SD question, the plan is to author hundreds of SD-DVDs, along with a limited run of Blu-ray since much (but not all) of the content is HD already. While the HD export will be compressed for the SD DVD, the Blu-Ray export will be 16:9 letterboxed.

The Trainorders guys are supposed to be sharing some of their cab and helo footage with SRI for this "official" video. I hope it works out that way.

Rich:

Thanks for posting the preview. This is certainly a must have video.

quote:

Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
Just to be sure you all know who those 3 guys are in the picture above, the people are, from left to right::

Kelly Lynch (with the camera)
Doyle McCormack, Engineer on SP Daylight No. 4449
Ross Rowland, of RDG 2101, Freedom Train and C&O 614 fame
Yours truly (with my best side towards the camera) who runs the 765 every once in a while.

Hey Rich! I knew this group shot looked familiar. Why? Well, the other guy over your head with a camera in his face is me!
Now if someone could PM me on how to post a photo here, I'll do just that.
BTW I've known Kelly for the past couple years and greatly admire his movie directing.
I know this movie will be terrific and have already purchased my copy.

Dennis A. Livesey

Here we go, a pic I took of:

Rich, Ross, Doyle. July 23, 2009 Owosso, MI at 5:58. Kelly was out of frame to the right.

I now can say I have safely ridden behind all three of these men, Rich with NKP 765, Ross with C&O 614, and Doyle with SP 4449. Cool to get them all in frame!

And now we see the back of my head behind Rich!

quote:

Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
With regard to the HD/SD question, the plan is to author hundreds of SD-DVDs, along with a limited run of Blu-ray since much (but not all) of the content is HD already. While the HD export will be compressed for the SD DVD, the Blu-Ray export will be 16:9 letterboxed.

The Trainorders guys are supposed to be sharing some of their cab and helo footage with SRI for this "official" video. I hope it works out that way.

Thanks for checking Rich!

Rich,

You mentioned a "limited run of Blu-Ray" DVDs will be available. How do you purchase one of the Blu-Ray DVDs? There is no indication on the SRI website of a "special" or "limited" run Blu-Ray DVD. Maybe we should just call them?

"Such an easy target from up here..."

Looking forward to getting a copy of this not having made the trip out to the show.

Rich the image you posted is blank nothing in it??

I was able to see the train over 3 days on its return trip timed a holiday to follow the train.
Got a few shots and some personal video.
Will post some photos perhaps when I have some time.

Glad they made the trip.
There was a good passenger load on the return train trip that I observed.
Have ridden many other 4449 trips this is the first I missed riding to follow along with.
The scenery through Montana to Washington was stunning with the fall colors and the colorful trainset.

Here are a couple of shots of the train on the return trip;

quote:

Rich the image you posted is blank nothing in it??

It is an embedded link to a YouTube video. If you don't see it, you probably don't have the Adobe Flash Player installed.

Jack, I don't know how you specify which type of DVD you want. As you said, better call 'em.

Here is promo clip #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLVo4OC6zck

Just called the steam institute and the blu rays go to pbs first for this year and then will be available to the public next year. what a bummer.

Actually it isn't THAT much of a "bummer"!!

Since the proceeds go toward the 1225 "FRA Rebuild", I decided to purchase BOTH DVDs: the one available RIGHT NOW ($19.95 plus shipping), and the BluRay version as soon as it is available.

For those who would like to see the first three chapters of the 4449 excursions at TrainFestival, go "join" www.trainorders.com and you will be able to see ariel views, trackside views, and the absolute BEST in-cab footage of 4449 ever shot. All in HD!

I ordered mine! Can't wait...

I just got mine...here are my observations:

This is definitely NOT a typical railfan video. It has a story line and it held my interest from beginning to end. It is not just one runby after another. For me, the railfan-style runby-after-runby videos with little or no narration are a sure cure for insomnia. I can handle about 8-10 minutes of that, then it's lights out.

This show is VERY well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the scenes in this program with the train in the background and other things of interest in the foreground are reminiscent of what O. Winston Link might have done with this same subject if he shot video in daylight. Some of those scenes are the best I have ever seen in a steam railroad video.

However, (you knew there was going to be at least one, now didn't you?) the narrator they got for this gig leaves something to be desired. He must work cheap.

WOW! I received my copy and the program yesterday. My only regret is that I wasn't able to attend myself. It looks like everyone was in train heaven. Something for everyone to enjoy. I especially liked all of the night shots. I don't know who they got to narrate the video, but he needs to be doing something else like running a steam engine or editing a magazine. LOL Thank you to everyone who made this video possible, as it makes not being there a little easier. Great job Rich...

Gene

Anxiously awaiting my copy!!!

Got mine today and it is great. My only wish is it would have been longer, just get into it and it is done.

Received mine yesterday and watched it this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I could have made it to the festival. Wish the video was longer as well, still enjoyed it though.

quote:

Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
I just got mine...here are my observations:

This is definitely NOT a typical railfan video. It has a story line and it held my interest from beginning to end. It is not just one runby after another. For me, the railfan-style runby-after-runby videos with little or no narration are a sure cure for insomnia. I can handle about 8-10 minutes of that, then it's lights out.

NOTE: slightly off-topic post follows...

Rich,
I haven't seen the TrainFestival tape yet, but I think you probably just indirectly hit on one of the main reasons the railfan video business collapsed. Having produced a few tapes on my own, quality has very little influence on whether someone buys a tape when it comes to railfan videos. They either want the subject matter or not--how good it's produced is a distant second (if relevant at all). The total absence of quality in relation to sales is the reason 99% of the video producers gave it up. The extra work needed to get a product up to the "acceptable quality level" just wasn't justified by the number of copies sold.

As an example, I'd just finished a tape where 30 minutes of the final product involved dubbing sounds to 8mm and 16mm film of Shays on the Graham County Railroad. To put it mildly, it was a royal pain. I've seen very few tapes that were dubbed well, and getting something to my standard of acceptability was simply more trouble than it was worth. It was finally done though, and I was ready to move on. Towards the end of the project, I got the opportunity to maybe acquire some footage of N&W steam in the 1950s. Knowing the headache of getting somewhat authentic sound out of silent movies (which is inordinately worse trying to match sounds to rod engines vs. a Shay--which is MUCH easier comparatively speaking), I decided it just wasn't worth the effort. Someone else took the films, released them with a music soundtrack, and sold a boatload of them to the N&W Historical Society. I might have been able to produce a better finished product, but the people that purchased it wanted the films--how the tape was assembled didn't matter. In the end, someone made a lot of money and I got a small "thank you" in the credits. C'est la vie...

I've always been under the theory that what is shot is the LEAST important part of a good tape, as long as it stays under the "usable footage" tag. Admittedly, "usable footage" tends to vary depending on what the source material is. The criteria for 1960s movie films would be different to material that is current, for example. It's what you do after you have the raw video that makes good, and occasionally great tapes. I've seen countless tapes of acceptably-composed shots edited so loosely that it is very hard to stay awake for them. To show many runbys in a row and hold your audience's attention, you better have some killer shots in there.

One of the best "railfan" tapes I ever saw was something called Coal Story done by American AltaVista, which documented how CSX moved coal on the upper half of the former Clinchfield Railroad. Over 6 years or so, American AltaVista probably did about 15 tapes over generally southeast material (NS Steam, Saluda, Clinchfield, etc). From a videography standpoint, the Coal Story tape was average. Usable shots, of which a lot were contributed by local railfans and generally shot on SVHS or maybe single-chip Hi8 consumer cameras. The video quality of the source material was average. From a framing standpoint, there weren't many mind-blowing shots, but the footage was perfectly "usable".

The difference in Coal Story to 98% of the tapes out there was what was done after the fact in the editing studio. It really wasn't a railfan tape, but more of a documentary of exactly HOW the coal operation was conducted from mine to railroad to market. For anyone even peripherally interested in railroad coal operations, it's likely the best tape ever done on the subject--and is invaluable to a model railroad people who are trying ti simulate realistic operations. The video quality itself was average--it is what was done after the fact that turned it into a great program. That's where you separate the really good producers from the rest of the pack.

My general theory in editing was that whenever I started to get bored, tighten up the shots, and when that didn't work, add narration or something to break away. There are always plenty of interesting things to talk about if you research something, and some of them turn out pretty good. There's a bunch of tricks out there to keep attention--and that doesn't mean going flashy either to where the style takes precedence over the substance. I always thought if I was bored editing the tape, the viewer (with no connection to the tape) would be bored even sooner. My tapes probably had more narration than some people wanted, but that's what the "narration off" button on the menu was for. If you wanted runby after runby ad nauseum, it was there--for anyone who wanted a program, you could get that also. It was an acceptable compromise.

Getting back on track though, it's good to know at least someone is trying to carry on the torch of producing good videos. TrainFestival is a good subject, and if edited correctly, can reach out beyond the diehard railfans and tap into the general populace. That's where the money is in videos---and maybe, just maybe, one of those can be converted to help the cause.
Kevin

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kgdjpubs,

quote:

Originally posted by Southern4501:
Received mine yesterday and watched it this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I could have made it to the festival. Wish the video was longer as well, still enjoyed it though.

Speaking from a producer side of things (and having NOTHING to do with this particular tape), I found when editing tapes that you better have a REALLY good program to get more than an hour of running time. Depending on the subject, I usually ended up with about 1/3 of the footage that was never used--sometimes more, sometimes less. Once you get the script and the video down, you just work on pacing until it gets to the optimum length, without being rushed or dragging. If you try and increase your running time, you better be adding good stuff or the editing gets pretty slow-paced very quickly (and there's no shortage of railfan videos like that!).

In the editing world, there's a big difference between wanting to have a longer program, and actually having enough good material and story to effectively make that longer program.

Mr. Publisher...your thoughts?
Kevin

For those questioning the length of the DVD, again this was made for the general public, not the die-hard foaming railfan. The program was cut to a specific length (longer than 30, no more than 55 minutes) for broadcast and other possibilities in 2010.

Rich, Thanks for the reminder. My grandson, Joshua and I went and this will be a great rememberance.

quote:

The total absence of quality in relation to sales is the reason 99% of the video producers gave it up.

Yep...that's exactly why I stopped making foamer videos. My last effort in that market was way back in 1991.

As the market evolved, the only thing that came to matter to that market was running time. A FOUR HOUR video just has to be better than a ONE HOUR video, right? Yeah...sure.

This Trainfestival DVD is in the History Channel / PBS / National Geographic class in terms of its production values, editing and story line.

Speaking of foamer videos starring Rich Melvin... :-)

After I saw footage taken in the cab of 765 this summer I then looked at my copy "Ridin' That New River Train." (One of my favorite videos.)

Wow, what a difference in 765! While I know that the track speed in Michigan was about 25 mph last summer and the New River trip was around 32 to 40, I saw what Rich had been talking about in the difference that 765 now exhibits.

On the New River trip, the valves are not square thus there is a syncopated rhythm to the exhaust, the cab was rocking more, and you also hear rod clank/pound.

On the Michigan footage, the cab is not rocking, the exhaust is square and the running, as Rich said, is indeed silent.

Superb job Fort Wayne mechanics!

I have the scale Proto1 MTH model of the 765. Mine looks a little different from the front compared to the Trainfestival version. So my question is which one is more authentic?

Wouldn't the "real 12 inch to the foot one" ALWAYS be authentic???

Hot Water,I read the forum enough to know that you are one of the experts in 12 inch to the foot. But to get "serious" for a moment,my 1 to 48 model has a Mars light in front. Did some "real" locomotives have that 2nd front light while others did not???

quote:

Originally posted by Robert Snyder:
Hot Water,I read the forum enough to know that you are one of the experts in 12 inch to the foot. But to get "serious" for a moment,my 1 to 48 model has a Mars light in front. Did some "real" locomotives have that 2nd front light while others did not???

The Mars light was on 765 when it was restored, and then taken off when Southern leased the engine in '82, and never put back.
Here's an early shot with the Mars light, http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_nkp765.jpg

As far as NKP goes, they had both variations
Mars http://nkphts.org/pictures/ame...-Spring-1957jpg.html
Non-mars http://nkphts.org/pictures/ame...d-O-10-4-47-jpg.html

Both variations are correct. I'm sure someone here more familiar with NKP practices can explain in more detail if needed.
Kevin

Rich Melvin, and others, have stated MANY times on this forum (as well as many other places on the internet) that the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society have rebuilt/restored the 765 to the "as delivered" from Lima Locomotive Works appearance! Thus, NO MARS LIGHT!!!

quote:

The Mars light was on 765 when it was restored, and then taken off when Southern leased the engine in '82, and never put back.

She was wearing the Mars light again by the 1987 season...

http://www.youtube.com/blystovski#p/u/27/sfIheh_bRtM

The Mars light was added by the NKP several years after the locomotive entered service. On our crew, the majority opinion was that the locomotive looked better without the Mars light. In the late 80's (it may have been 1987) the motor that oscillates the light seized up. Since the light didn't move any more, we took it off. I doubt that we will ever put it back on.

As Hot Water said, our intent when bringing the 765 back into the game for her third career, was to present the locomotive in its as-delivered livery from Lima. She did not have a Mars light when she was out-shopped from Lima in September 1944.

So...the answer as to which appearance is authentic is...BOTH!

quote:

Originally posted by ChooChooDennis:
Wow, what a difference in 765! While I know that the track speed in Michigan was about 25 mph last summer and the New River trip was around 32 to 40, I saw what Rich had been talking about in the difference that 765 now exhibits.

On the New River trip, the valves are not square thus there is a syncopated rhythm to the exhaust, the cab was rocking more, and you also hear rod clank/pound.

On the Michigan footage, the cab is not rocking, the exhaust is square and the running, as Rich said, is indeed silent.

A couple of comments...

On the west end of the New River Trains, between Huntington and Handley, we regularly ran at 60+ mph.

The fastest we have run the 765 since the overhaul was around 50 mph.

Before the overhaul, in the 25 to 50 mph speed range, the engine would beat you to death with a rhythmic bouncing motion. After a couple of hours of that, you were ready to go ride in one of the coaches! Today she's as smooth as glass at all speeds. It helps when the wheels are round.

Add into that scenario the lack of rod slap and an exhaust that is absolutely square and the result is one sweet-running steam locomotive!

Thank you for the lesson in railroad history regarding the 765 As I said I have Mike Wolf's Proto1 scale version and I like it so much it sits on my dresser,not even close to "tracks" I have never run it,do not recall what battery is inside it but it just looks beautiful.

Well I just received my copy and all I can say is WOW! What a well done video that really captured the moment. Definetly alot of great insight into the story behind this great event. Great locomotives brought together by alot of great effort by alot of great people. Many thanks for such a spectacular event.