“Out on the Island” – To New Yorkers, that means “Long Island.” And, unless you want to be stuck in heavy, slow traffic, getting there means riding the Long Island Rail Road. That means riding one of the LIRR’s ubiquitous multiple unit trains, perhaps transferring at Jamaica to a diesel powered train.

The great Pennsylvania Railroad dominated its namesake state. After the Penn Central merger debacle, the Federal Government assumed control of most of the northeastern roads. The Consolidated Rail Corporation, was set up to operate these lines.

Off the mainline, you never know what you might find. Short lines, small locomotives, light rails and friendlier crews.

The Hudson River has been an avenue for transportation since the area was settled. First it was boat traffic and then railroads built on the Hudson’s banks.

Hancock Tower, in West Virginia, between Harpers Ferry and Cumberland was one of the last of the old B&O manned interlockings. It controlled crossovers, access to a small yard and the Berkeley Springs branch. Heavy and varied traffic

This Conrail line, the former EL mainline, became known as “The Southern Tier”.

The CN and CP in the Montreal run side by side along the north bank of the St. Lawrence River. There is a lot of freight action as well as VIA passenger traffic on the CN and Montreal commuters on the CP.

These DVDs cover the D&H during the late 1980s and early 1990s under the control the Guilford Rail System then operations under the court appointed Susquehanna and finally the Canadian Pacific. 2 DVD set.

Another in a series of cab ride videos taken over the B&A as a trainman. The action is centered on Palmer, Massachusetts. Palmer is the junction of Conrail with the Central Vermont and Mass Central.

Take a series of cab rides with Conrail trainman Gary Gurske over the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts.

After Boston and Albany freight and passenger trains quit running the rails, it was time for New York Central trains and then Penn Central trains to ply the former B&A tracks. And then came Conrail Blue.

See copper mining operations and the railroads associated with them from inside the operation. Volume 1.

There were a lot of great places along the Pennsylvania Railroad’s four track main over the Allegheny spine to watch and photograph trains. One of the best of those railfan locations is between downtown Altoona, (ALTO Tower) and famous Horseshoe Curve.

Two great railroads bisected the city of Berea, OH. To the north was the New York Central’s water level route and to the south was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, the Big 4. They interchanged here under the control of Berea Tower.