Rail Flicks by Tommy Johnson

Title B&O Odyssey Volume 1 and B&O Odyssey Volume 2  (bought as set)
Producer Pentrex
Format DVD Full Screen
Playing Time 1 hr each
Purchased From Train Video Depot
Date Purchased 1/10/2011
Price Paid $35.95

B&O Odyssey Volumes 1 and 2 can be purchased separately but I bought them as a set. Volume 1 covers the time period from 1954 to 1964 and Volume 2 covers 1965 to 1968. The picture quality is amazingly good considering the scenes were shot in the 1950s and 1960s. There has obviously been some digital enhancing and it was done well.

The Baltimore & Ohio is one of the oldest railroads in the U.S. and it is our nation’s first common carrier railroad.

Early scenes include action from May 1954 in Youngstown, Ohio, and a September 1954 visit to the ore docks at Lorain, Ohio, where we see an ore boat being unloaded by a Hulett unloading machine. The Hulett unloads the taconite directly onto gondola cars from the compartments in the hold of the ore boat. These machines made unloading an ore boat a five to ten hour job whereas it previously could have taken days. You might enjoy doing a little research on these machines. Here a YouTube video of a Hulett in opertaion.

At Toledo we see some 2-10-2’s called “Big Sixes” because they were numbered in the 6000 series and we also see some 0-8-0 switchers in Rossburg Yard.

The last steam locos are seen at about twenty minutes into Volume 1. Near the end of Volume 1 the merger of the B&O with the C&O occurs.

Volume 2 is OK but it is not as interesting as Volume 1 with the good steam action. My advice would be to get Volume 1 and if you find the content toward the end to be interesting, then you might consider getting Volume 2.

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