Sounds Of Railroads Of Past Decades

Illinois Central Railroad employee Jim Adams acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1958, specifically to record the sounds of steam locomotives before they disappeared.

In this volume, we go trackside along the Illinois Central in southern Illinois during the final months of steam operations.

Illinois Central Railroad employee Jim Adams acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1958, specifically to record the sounds of steam locomotives before they disappeared.

In this volume, we climb aboard Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 2-10-4 #6315 on a run from a mine in Waltonville, Illinois, as it takes loaded hoppers to Centralia.

Illinois Central Railroad employee Jim Adams acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1958, specifically to record the sounds of steam locomotives before they disappeared.

In this volume, we hear steam locomotives switching in the yard, making transfer runs, and working local freights on the mainline. We also hear passenger trains at speed behind E-Units.

Illinois Central Railroad employee Jim Adams acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1958, specifically to record the sounds of steam locomotives before they disappeared.

In this volume, climb in the cab of homebuilt Mountain type #2608 on a round trip from Centralia, Illinois, to the Orient Mine near Waltonville. Our train heads to the mine with empties and returns with loaded hoppers.

Illinois Central Railroad employee Jim Adams acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1958, specifically to record the sounds of steam locomotives before they disappeared.

In this volume, we climb in the cab of 0-8-0 switcher #3511 as she works a factory in Centralia, Illinois, and then aboard Mikado #1537 on a branch line run from Carbondale to Thebes.

Disc 2 covers the western United States. Featured are steam locomotives of the Colorado & Southern, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Santa Maria Valley. Featured locomotives include the world famous Big Boys of the Union Pacific and Cab Forwards of the Southern Pacific.

This volume features more sounds recorded during the age of steam, including recordings of steam power of the Baltimore & Ohio, Colorado & Southern, Union Pacific, Norfolk & Western, Canadian Pacific, Nickel Plate Road and more.

Volume four features more sounds recorded during the age of steam, including recordings famous locomotives such as Nickel Plate Road Berkshires, New York Central Hudsons and a Union Pacific Big Boy. Also ride behind a Nickel Plate Road Hudson, a Pennsylvania Railroad Atlantic, and Northerns on the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific.

Climb aboard for sounds of shortlines, excursions and tourist railroads in the 1960s. Railroads such as the Buffalo Creek & Gauley, Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern, Kentucky & Tennessee, Strasburg Railroad, Burlington Route, the Reading and the Reader Railroad are heard.

In this volume, we ride some of the most famous excursions of the 1960s, such as the Reading Rambles, Burlington's Northern 5632, Canadian National 6167, Union Pacific 8444, along with tourist lines and short lines.

The program is edited to take you through that night through the words of the survivors, beginning before the fateful collision and ending after the survivors were rescued by the steamship Carpathia. They tell of feeling the collision, the light atmosphere that followed when the full extent of what was happening was not yet known, the evacuation of the ship and the calls for help from the doomed ship, the experiences in the lifeboats, and the rescue the next morning.