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No More Mindless Runbys
Below are the ten newest releases from Big "E" Productions in both DVD-R and VHS format.

NS Valley Line north of Front Royal, VA DVD

In June of 1988 Conrail began shifting its interchange with Norfolk Southern in the Northeast from Potomac Yard in Washington, D. C. to Hagerstown, Maryland. South of Hagerstown, NS trains then traversed the northern end of the former Norfolk and Western Hagerstown District or Valley Line to Front Royal, where they could head east on the former Southern Railway Harrisonburg branch or “B” Line to the ex-Southern Washington to Atlanta main line at Manassas. In 1999 NS acquired rights on the former Conrail Lurgan branch north of Hagerstown that connected NS to their new Conrail trackage at Harrisburg. All of this has transformed the north end of the Valley Line from a secondary main line to the NS main line between the Northeast and the Southeast that can host up to twenty trains in twenty-four hours. “NS Valley Line north of Front Royal, VA” shows a day and a half of continuous action between the junction of the “B” Line and Valley Line at Riverton Junction in Front Royal and the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in April of 2011. “NS Valley Line north of Front Royal, VA” is 67 minutes in length.  This DVD can be watched with or without narration.

Price: $30.95

Attributes

  • Video Format: DVD

The Tadpole - NS Kenova District

Norfolk Southern’s Kenova District between Williamson, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio has long been known as the Tadpole.   The district’s name comes from Kenova, West Virginia, where this former Norfolk and Western track crosses the Ohio River on a massive double tracked, 4000-foot long, 100-foot high trestle. Described by Trains Magazine as a “conveyor belt for westbound coal’ in the 1960s, today, this busy line handles a mix of loaded coal trains running in both directions, grain trains, mixed carload manifests, and thanks to the recently completed Heartland Corridor clearance project, double stack container trains. Except for the crossing of the Ohio River at Kenova, the track from Williamson to Portsmouth is level or downgrade all the way and passes through six tunnels. The superbly engineered Kenova District along the Tug Fork, Big Sandy, and Ohio Rivers sees some of the heaviest trains in the U. S. This program shows thirty hours of action between Williamson and Kenova on Norfolk Southern’s Kenova District or Tadpole in April of 2011. “The Tadpole – NS Kenova District” is 80 minutes in length.  This DVD can be watched with or without narration. 

Price: $32.95

The Tadpole - NS Kenova District DVD

Norfolk Southern’s Kenova District between Williamson, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio has long been known as the Tadpole.   The district’s name comes from Kenova, West Virginia, where this former Norfolk and Western track crosses the Ohio River on a massive double tracked, 4000-foot long, 100-foot high trestle. Described by Trains Magazine as a “conveyor belt for westbound coal’ in the 1960s, today, this busy line handles a mix of loaded coal trains running in both directions, grain trains, mixed carload manifests, and thanks to the recently completed Heartland Corridor clearance project, double stack container trains. Except for the crossing of the Ohio River at Kenova, the track from Williamson to Portsmouth is level or downgrade all the way and passes through six tunnels. The superbly engineered Kenova District along the Tug Fork, Big Sandy, and Ohio Rivers sees some of the heaviest trains in the U. S. This program shows thirty hours of action between Williamson and Kenova on Norfolk Southern’s Kenova District or Tadpole in April of 2011. “The Tadpole – NS Kenova District” is 80 minutes in length.  This DVD can be watched with or without narration. 

Price: $32.95

Attributes

  • Video Format: DVD

Pan Am Southern's Patriot Corridor

“Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor” shows the trains and operations on the historic, former Boston and Main Fitchburg Route main line between Ayer, Massachusetts and Mechanicville, New York, known as Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor in August of 2011. In March of 2009, the Surface Transportation Board approved the Pan Am Railways – Norfolk Southern joint venture to jointly own and operate the Pan Am track west of Ayer, Massachusetts under the name Pan Am Southern. The main line between Ayer and Mechanicville was given the nickname: ”Patriot Corridor”. Three years earlier, Guilford Rail System, the operator of what was then left of the Boston and Maine and Maine Central lines in New England, changed its name to Pan Am Railways. This program shows the trains running in August of 2011 on Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor between Ayer and Mechanicville, New York, where a new intermodal and auto terminal serving Pan Am Southern and the former Delaware and Hudson, now Canadian Pacific, is under construction. This line includes the historic Hoosac Tunnel that gives Pan Am the easiest rail crossing of the Berkshire Mountain range in western Massachusetts. Close to half of Pan Am’s operable main line power has been repainted into Pan Am Railway’s deep blue paint scheme and Pan Am’s eclectic mix of older motive power still draws fans from far and wide. “Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor” is 92 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration. 

Price: $34.95

Pan Am Southern's Patriot Corridor DVD

“Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor” shows the trains and operations on the historic, former Boston and Main Fitchburg Route main line between Ayer, Massachusetts and Mechanicville, New York, known as Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor in August of 2011. In March of 2009, the Surface Transportation Board approved the Pan Am Railways – Norfolk Southern joint venture to jointly own and operate the Pan Am track west of Ayer, Massachusetts under the name Pan Am Southern. The main line between Ayer and Mechanicville was given the nickname: ”Patriot Corridor”. Three years earlier, Guilford Rail System, the operator of what was then left of the Boston and Maine and Maine Central lines in New England, changed its name to Pan Am Railways. This program shows the trains running in August of 2011 on Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor between Ayer and Mechanicville, New York, where a new intermodal and auto terminal serving Pan Am Southern and the former Delaware and Hudson, now Canadian Pacific, is under construction. This line includes the historic Hoosac Tunnel that gives Pan Am the easiest rail crossing of the Berkshire Mountain range in western Massachusetts. Close to half of Pan Am’s operable main line power has been repainted into Pan Am Railway’s deep blue paint scheme and Pan Am’s eclectic mix of older motive power still draws fans from far and wide. “Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor” is 92 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration. 

Price: $34.95

Attributes

  • Video Format: DVD

CSX and Amtrak at Ashland, VA

Ashland, where the former RF&P, now CSX main line goes right down the middle of the street, is one of the best-known railfan hot spots and most railfan friendly places in Virginia. Ashland is fifteen miles north of Richmond on the CSX and Amtrak main line between the Northeast and the Southeast. This program shows all the trains for 24 hours in March 2011 on the former RF&P two main track line that bisects Ashland with the tracks running right down the middle of Center Street and Railroad Avenue for nearly a mile and half through the center of the town. The track also runs right next to Randolph-Macon College and pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the tracks are a common sight. Traffic on the CSX main line is beginning to recover from the Great Recession and on peak days of the week forty CSX and Amtrak trains pass through Ashland. “CSX and Amtrak at Ashland, VA” is 67 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

Price: $30.95

CSX and Amtrak at Ashland, VA DVD

Ashland, where the former RF&P, now CSX main line goes right down the middle of the street, is one of the best-known railfan hot spots and most railfan friendly places in Virginia. Ashland is fifteen miles north of Richmond on the CSX and Amtrak main line between the Northeast and the Southeast. This program shows all the trains for 24 hours in March 2011 on the former RF&P two main track line that bisects Ashland with the tracks running right down the middle of Center Street and Railroad Avenue for nearly a mile and half through the center of the town. The track also runs right next to Randolph-Macon College and pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the tracks are a common sight. Traffic on the CSX main line is beginning to recover from the Great Recession and on peak days of the week forty CSX and Amtrak trains pass through Ashland. “CSX and Amtrak at Ashland, VA” is 67 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

Price: $30.95

Attributes

  • Video Format: DVD

CN’s South Bend Subdivision

“CN’s South Bend Subdivision” shows the trains and operations on and around the single-track portion of the South Bend sub between Schoolcraft and Edwardsburg in southern Michigan in October of 2010. CN’s operating philosophy now reigns and CN runs long trains on this relatively flat line. This line is part of the present day CN main line between Montreal and Chicago. This program also shows how the former GTW has fared after the great recession in 2008 and 2009 when domestic car production slowed to its lowest rate in nearly fifty years. And with more and more traffic from Canada coming into the States, traffic on this fascinating line has held up fairly well. “CN’s South Bend Subdivision” is 64 minutes in length.  This DVD haas the option to be watched with or without narration. 

Price: $30.95

CN’s South Bend Subdivision DVD

“CN’s South Bend Subdivision” shows the trains and operations on and around the single-track portion of the South Bend sub between Schoolcraft and Edwardsburg in southern Michigan in October of 2010. CN’s operating philosophy now reigns and CN runs long trains on this relatively flat line. This line is part of the present day CN main line between Montreal and Chicago. This program also shows how the former GTW has fared after the great recession in 2008 and 2009 when domestic car production slowed to its lowest rate in nearly fifty years. And with more and more traffic from Canada coming into the States, traffic on this fascinating line has held up fairly well. “CN’s South Bend Subdivision” is 64 minutes in length.  This DVD haas the option to be watched with or without narration. 

Price: $30.95

Attributes

  • Video Format: DVD

BNSF Columbia River Subdivision

BNSF’s Columbia River Sub stretches from Latah Junction, just west of Spokane, to Wenatchee at the base of the Cascade Mountains. This former Great Northern and Burlington Northern line hosts BNSF’s many intermodal trains between Seattle and Tacoma and Chicago. This line is not flat. From Spokane, the Columbia River Sub climbs five hundred feet as it traverses the Columbia Plateau and then drops down into the Columbia River Valley east of Wenatchee on a one percent grade. Double stack and “Z” trains thunder across the Columbia Plateau either in run eight or with their dynamic brakes screaming. And Amtrak’s Empire Builder makes an appearance also. ”BNSF Columbia River Subdivision” shows over twenty-four hours of action on BNSF’s Columbia River Subdivision in October of 2010. This program is 61 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option to be watched with or without narration. 

Price: $30.95

 

       

Big "E" Newsletter

                                                                         Big “E” Productions

P.O. BOX 75

GREENLAND, NH 03840

Our DVDs show the whole train!

Our web page is at www.trainvideos.com, email us at bigeee@trainvideos.com.

 800-832-1228 or 603-430-3055   Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or Discover Card Orders Accepted.

Frequency – twice a year                                           Issue #182                                                  June, 2025

 

 

Our Big Summer Sale is now on – Buy 3, get 1 free.  Ends 8/31/25.

The big news this month is that our summer sale is on.  Buy 3 DVD’s and get 1 free.  The sale price will show up when you check out  Two or three DVD sets count as one.  There is no restriction on the cost of the free DVD, so this can be quite a deal.  The most expensive DVD is free!  Order as many times or as many programs as you would like.  This 4 for 3 sale ends 8/31/25.  Other discount offers cannot be used with this sale.  This is your best opportunity to replace your favorite VHS tapes with DVD’s or buy early Christmas presents!  We have 321 programs available in DVD.  This is the only newsletter that will announce this sale!

I am still recovering from my second knee replacement in April.  The recovery is going well but seems to be going more slowly than the first knee last summer.  My wife is still an invalid.  At this time, she is not walking and using a wheelchair.  She is still getting physical therapy so there is some hope for her to gain mobility in the future.  I would still like to do more videotaping but this is looking less and less likely.  Things could be a lot worse – no life-threatening issues that we know of for any of us.  I still plan on selling existing DVDs for another year or two as long as customers still want them.  We won’t make much if any money on them anymore but fortunately we don’t need to.  Still enjoying the grandkids – a freshman granddaughter in Illinois was a starter on the basketball team last winter and she will be playing volleyball this fall.  I hope to be able to get out there this fall to see her play and her brother play football.  The great grandkids are starting to arrive.  A great grandson was born in Illinois in March and we also have a step great grandson.  Three granddaughters are engaged and one of them is pregnant.  We hope that all of you are safe and sound.  Our next newsletter will be in December of 2025. 

 

 No other train video producer shows and explains railroading like we do and our catalogue includes programs on fallen flags ATSF, SP, BN, CNW, IC, Wisconsin Central, and Conrail.  We almost always show the whole train and most of our videos show all of the action – day and night.  Our newest program is “PSR on CSX’s Chicago Line in Northern Indiana”, part of our look at PSR on eastern railroads.  This is our 49th program to be released in both Blu-ray and in regular DVD.  You need to specify what type of DVD you are ordering with programs available in both DVD and Blu-ray.  All of our DVD’s have chapters and menus and around half – everything videotaped from 2004 on plus a few programs from 2003 - have a choice of being watched with narration and without narration by using the menu or audio and language buttons on your DVD player controller.  321 programs are available in DVD (49 in Blu-ray) and all are listed in the flyers.  No other train video producer shows and explains railroading like we do and our catalogue includes programs on fallen flags ATSF, BN, SP, CNW. IC, Wisconsin Central, and Conrail.  Our shipping and handling charge on orders remains $5.00 with no charge on orders over $100.  We offer year-round discounts on large orders.  See flyers for details.  These discounts are available only by mail and phone.  If you have questions and get our answering machine, please leave your name and number and we will call you back as soon as possible.  You can reach us by email at bigeee@trainvideos.com or on our webpage at www.trainvideos.com.

 

         Dick and Barb Eisfeller

 

 

           Last edit 6/6/2025