Photo Freights

You've found

Blue Ridge Productions
Your Source for High Quality Railroad Video!

We've recently completed "Photo Freights on the Western Maryland," a 90 minute video covering 6 special freight train runs on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The Western Maryland folks set the consists with vintage freight and hopper cars to simulate working freight trains of the 1950's. The trains looked sensational on their runs up the face of the Allegheny Mountains between Cumberland and Frostburg Maryland.

The sleet and snows of January 1999 gave us some unusual footage complete with the excitement and unpredictability that comes with winter railroading. We included many scenes with Engine 734, a Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation with her drivers slipping in the sleet and snow. We also found ourselves in snow with bright sunny skies for many of the scenes. The winter footage gave us spectacular stack plumes from the engine. There is also a sequence after the pilot truck derailed which stopped us in our tracks near the end of a shooting day.

We've intercut the footage to show you each location with a coal train shot in 1997, then the train set up as mixed freight in the sleet and snow of 1998 and finally the mixed freight in the summer of 1998. Each scene begins with U.S. Geological Survey maps giving you the location and approximate camera positions. The train backed down from Frostburg so all run-bys occurred with 734 chugging uphill for the best action. We attempted to shoot when scenes had their best lighing. That meant we shot out of climbing sequence. We've cut the show in the climbing sequence so you might get a good idea of the run up the mountain. 90 minutes - stereo $29.95 + $4 shipping & handling

Blue Ridge Productions shot our footage on new Digital Video equipment as well as broadcast quality BetacamSP. We recorded superb stereo sound and completed our post production on digital broadcast materials. Then we duplicated from Digital Betacam masters providing viewers with the highest quality duplicates available.

Ask for the tape at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Gift Shop, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Museum and your local model train stores. Those of you in Europe should call Steam Powered Video for PAL versions. For a sure way to get yourself a copy, see the information below.

Get your copies today by sending check or money order for $34 ($30+$4 S&H) to:

Blue Ridge Productions
P.O. Box 2413
Reston, VA 20195-0413

We also accept VISA, MasterCard and the Discover Card.

We want to continue bringing you the best quality Rail Videos possible. Please send your comments and suggestions concerning "Mountain Thunder." We will also appreciate any suggestions you have about future video subjects. That's right, tell us what you'd like to see us shoot. We'd be delighted to consider any subject. We really get lonely here and want to hear from you. Send your comments to Blue Ridge Productions.

Once you've seen "Mountain Thunder,Coal Rides Again," or "Photo Freights on the Western Maryland" we'll guarantee you'll want to go to Cumberland and ride behind Western Maryland Scenic's Baldwin Consolidation Engine 734. For details, visit their web site: Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.