Nostalgia & History > Super find on my doorstep this morning

Today I came home and sitting by my front door was a bag full of VHS videos of SP cab rides from the 1980's until the middle 1990's. These were captured by Larry Fredeen, aka sploopconductor. I haven't gone through it all as I am converting the tapes to DVD's as I watch them. So far I have converted two hours of television news reports coving the SP Seacliff derailment along with television interviews starring Larry. We even have an onsite derailment tour the day after the derailment. As I type this I am working on converting a 1987 cab ride between Los Angeles and Monolith, complete with caboose. The highlight is seeing the train roll through Newhall Tunnel with its gyralite spinning. In going through the notes I see we also have an oil cans cab ride too.

I am running the vhs video through a time base corrector with dropout compensator. This really does a good job in electronically cleaning up the video which is beginning to deteriorate after 20 years.

In time these will be compressed and placed into our video library on the web site. It will take some time to get it all online, so be patient. I still have some Steamjocky cab material I have to post first. Also, I sent out 5000 feet of 16mm film for conversion of all kinds of fun stuff from the 1930's through the 1970's.

The Internet is an amazing delivery tool for sharing video. I can serve video to any part of the world without having to ship a video tape. On demand broadcasting has so much potential. During the next year we will see our video library grow with some really neat material from the past.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Oh boy, it'll be interesting to see what the 16mm 1930's+ stuff turns up!

The 16mm 1930's reel is an EMD switcher sales film touting the efficiencies of diesels over steam locomotives.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

I look forward to seeing the EMD sales film. Another favorite of mine are the idyllic clips shot in the 1950's showing how a new set of appliances could improve our quality of life.

* JB *

webmaster Wrote:
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> The 16mm 1930's reel is an EMD switcher sales film
> touting the efficiencies of diesels over steam
> locomotives.

Can't wait to see them!

bryce

busdriver Wrote:
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> Can't wait to see them!
>
> bryce


I 2ND That, especially the gyralite inside Sylmar Tunnel!

Thanks Todd,

Looking forward to seeing these jems.
(Please don't edit out any airhorn segments if possible)

P5r24

Thanks Larry and Todd. Can't wait to see these!