Before the Wires Came Down The Springfield Terminal
SKU: DVD-AR-ST1Original price was: $29.95.$24.95Current price is: $24.95.
Through the magic of vintage film, now digitized, we can see the way things used to be! Where in New England would you look to find an interurban trolley line that interchanged with a major steam railroad, crossed a state line on a toll bridge, hauled freight behind steeplecab freight motors and served several large industries in a small city?
In stock
- Free Post Office shipping over $25!
- Free UPS shipping over $75!
| Producer | A&R Productions |
|---|---|
| Run Time | 45 Minutes |
| Narration | . |
| Shrink Wrap | Yes, Brand New |
| Technical Details | NTSC, Region Free, View Worldwide on Computer |
Through the magic of vintage film, now digitized, we can see the way things used to be! Where in New England would you look to find an interurban trolley line that interchanged with a major steam railroad, crossed a state line on a toll bridge, hauled freight behind steeplecab freight motors and served several large industries in a small city? The Springfield Terminal Railway ran eight miles between Springfield, VT to Charlestown, NH, where it interchanged passengers and freight with the Boston and Maine Railroad.
This DVD takes us back to 1956, when ST owner, the B&M, decided to dieselize the little line. They sent in one of their bright young managers. The manager was also a railfan and recognized the historical significance in the traction equipment being made surplus. He notified several traction museums of the opportunity to obtain and preserve some of these cars. The Connecticut Electric Railway Association and its president, Karl Hartman, quickly availed itself of the offer by purchasing line car number 8, plow number 12 and former combine car number 16. Before the cars came to Connecticut, Karl made a couple of visits to the ST and was able to operate or ride on the equipment. He took his 8mm movie camera, and so we get to visit the ST – before the wires came down.
rickyfreni –
Originally released somewhere between 1996-1998, this program covered vintage electric action in Northern New England that covered freight & passenger operations which includes former Delaware Lackawanna & Western 4-6-2 number 3696 on the Boston & Maine, & later on 2 cab rides: one on Trolley 16, & the other on Electric freight engine 20 which is thankfully preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union IL. Car 8 also appears as well with a cab ride from the electric engine, as well as moving the unit on a low loader hauled by a Semi Truck for its new home in 1957 which includes some scenes from the cameraman’s car.
Locations include the Mineral Street Car Barn, Main Street, Charlestown New Hampshire, the Connecticut River, Goulds Mill, Springfield Vermont, Klondike, alongside & crossing Route 11, Black River Dam & Bridge, Chester Toll Bridge, Street Running on Plymouth, Clinton, & South Streets, Greenfield Massachusetts, Warehouse Point home of the Connecticut Electric Railway Museum, ER Wiggins Siding, J&R Plant 2, & Bryant Chuck Siding 1.
While some of these scenes are in Black & White, the majority of this show is in color, & like most of the other A&R titles, Ted Dalakau did a marvelous job narrating this program.
Grumpy –
This video will be very unsettling for someone raised in the era of day-glo safety vests and being forbidden to alight from moving equipment. The very thought of hauling a piece of rail equipment that over hung the trailer it was on by an entire truck length, from Vermont to coastal Connecticut over the pre-interstate roads (they DID NOT qualify as highways) is enough to cause a safety engineer to soil themself. The ST story is one that was often repeated in the final days of the small electric railways of the U.S. This video is an eye-opening look at a different time and the way things were done. The look at the automobiles of the period is a bonus.