Step onto the captivating world of Hotrail Productions, where the magic of lights, camera, and trains combines to create an unforgettable experience. I travel all over the country photographing railroad history in the making. My footage dates back to 1995. Whether it's a thrilling action sequence or a heartwarming romantic scene, the railway has long been a favorite setting for filmmakers and TV producers.
Have you seen a long string of railroad tank cars cross over?
Peering through the heat waves on this steamy September day, a westbound CSX unit tank train crosses over from the north main to the south main at Wellsboro before crossing the CN diamonds. Power is a GE AC4400CW and an EMD SD40-3 "Sponge Bob." I received a horn salute from the engineer.
This is a piece of the former NKP Cloverleaf Line that once connected Toledo with St. Louis. It was severed north of Douglas, Ohio in 1975, and leased to Indiana Hi-Rail in 1989. This segment was last used in 1995, and was abandoned between Douglas and Lendeck in 1998. This piece of track remains north of the PRR Fort Wayne Line with an NYC-Style SIGNAL standing sentinel.
A southbound Metra commuter train merges onto the CP ex-Milwaukee Road C&I Sub and crosses the ex-EJ&E line. Rondout Tower was just recently closed. F40PH #109 is in charge. This shot was taken from the right-of-way of the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee's Mundelein branch.
This is a school project that utilized my HO Scale Train Layout to reenact a chapter from the story NO PROMISES IN THE WIND. Set in The Great Depression, NO PROMISES IN THE WIND involves two brothers who hitch a ride on a freight train, seeking employment. The Great Depression unemployment rate was astounding; millions of Americans to utilize their "hobo skills" to travel coast to coast for work. In one scene, taking place in a railroad yard, the two brothers hop onto a freight train while another train approaches on an adjacent train. Their friend, following close behind, stops in the middle the track to toss his banjo to one of the brothers, Josh. Unfortunately, this moment of hesitation is all that was needed for him to be struck by the oncoming freight train! Thus the quote, "catch my banjo, Josh!"
The consist was as follows:
- ATSF high-nose GP30 (Atlas)
-Southern Railway 40' Gondola (Model Power)
-Southern Pacific 40' Gondola (Model Power)
-PRR 40' Gondola (Walthers)
-D&RGW 40' Gondola (Walthers)
-N&W 53' Mill Gondola (Roundhouse)
-IT 53' Mill Gondola (Roundhouse)
-Gulf Oil 40' Flat Car w/tanks (Model Power)
-Frisco Offset 34' Hopper (Athearn Blue Box)
- Lehigh Valley 34' Hopper (Athearn Blue Box)
-Trailer Train 60' Bulkhead Flat Car w/Building Products Load (Roundhouse)/(Jaeger)
-CRIP 40' Flat Car w/Lumber Loads (Athearn Blue Box/Jaeger)
-D&RGW 40' Flat Car (Atlas?)
-ATSF 50' Flat Car w/pipe
-ATSF Caboose (Tyco)
This layout has been dismantled, but the equipment, sans caboose, remains.
This location is Whiting Junction in Whiting, Indiana. By this time of the top 1982 photo, the PRR Fort Wayne Line had been severed to the east between a drawbridge and Clarke Junction. Conrail was still using one of these three tracks to access a refinery to the east of here. The single track crossing is the B&OCT branch that ran from the lakefront to their mainline. The foundation of the tower is still visible is the bottom photo, which was taken on August 25, 2018. The PRR trackage was removed in 1993.
Amtrak's southbound Hoosier State stops to pick up a lone passenger at Rensselaer, Indiana. It appears they have combined the equipment for the Hoosier State and Cardinal So it can be dead-headed to Beech Grove Shops for maintenance. This is CSX's former Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville, later known as the Monon Route after 1956. The Amtrak Hoosier State was begun on October 1, 1980.
GE P42DC's 165 and 134 are in charge. The P42DC was first built in 1996 as the third order of the Amtrak Genesis line. They are available in HO Scale.
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