Traction Videos
1950s-1960s - MIDWEST ELECTRIC RAILS - Streetcars, rapid transit and interurbans in the Chicago area.
1965 - Coumbus Trolley Coach - Turning a trolley coach at the end of the Oak Street line is highlighted.
2024 - Dayton, Ohio - Why Does This Tiny Rust Belt CIty have Trolley Buses.
Steam Railroad Videos
Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion - A Chicago Stories Documentary.
1920-40s - A Railroad Newsreel - A Series of Fox Movietone News archive Films.
2024 - Union Pacific’s Big Boy Locomotive - with Jay Leno.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
1927 - Iron Horse Centennial - B&O RR Transportation parade, steam locomotives start at 16.50.
1940 - Passenger Train on the B&O - Educational film, narration for children, video for railfans.
1930-1950s - B&O Memories - A variety of historic film clips.
1987 - B&O - Don Paxton's B&O - B&O Conductor Don Paxton video taped his run on the CN Division from Newark - Zanesville back to Newark to Columbus and Newark again. There is also a Don Paxton website -
click here 2005 - B&ORR Historical Society, Harry Eck - Life Aboard a Q-4 - Interview with a Q-4 fireman.
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad
1914 - Hocking Valley Railway Starr Train Wreck - From Tales of Southeastern Ohio.
New York Central Railroad
1928 - NYC Hudson Cab Ride - The Hudson 4-6-4 were used extensively through Columbus. This video shows the engineer at work.
1933 - Rhapsody of the Rails - New York Central passenger trains from locals to limited.
1943 - New York Central - various scenes filmed by the Office of War Information.
ca. 1950 - The Freight Yard - New York Central Railroad - Freight train operations in the late 1940s.
ca. 1950 - NYC Water Level Route - While the film has very little footage shot around Columbus it shows the various locomotives that ran through Columbus on the Big Four line in the 1950s. A shot taken from Olentangy (HV Cabin) Tower is at 5:40.
Trains Unlimited – The New York Central - The video includes an appearance by E.F. Frimbo, the worlds greatest railroad buff. It starts at 31:30.
Norfolk & Western Railroad Railroad
1950s - Norfolk & Western Railroad -
Operaton Fast Freight - A freight shipment from Columbus to Norfolk in the days of steam.
1957 - Norfolk & Western Railroad -
Pillars of Smoke in the Sky - A railfans movie scenes along the N&W.
O Winston Link -
Trains That Passed In The Night - a British documentary from the 1980s with O Winston Link photos from the 1950s.
Pennsylvania Railroad
1903 - Location Unknown -
Train Taking Up Mail Bag, U.S. Post Office - early RPO car.
1929 - PRR-TAT-AT&SF Coast-to-Coast Service - First weeks of the new Coast-to-Coast Train to Plane Service with shots taken at Columbus.
1929 - PRR-TAT-AT&SF Coast-to-Coast in 48 Hours - First weeks of the new Coast-to-Coast Train to Plane Service with shots taken at Columbus.
1952 - Progress On the Rails - PRR promotional film featuring diesel locomotives.
1953 - Wheels of Steel - PRR promotional film featuring the GG-1 Electric Locomotive.
ca. 1955 - PRR - PRR J1's, I1's and H10's in the Columbus, Ohio Yards. From
Steam Across America Vol 1.
1956 - PRR - PRR J1's and Santa Fe 2-10-4's on the PRR Sandusky Branch. From
Steam and Diesel on the Pennsylvania Railroad, Vol. II by Herron Rail Video.
The Pennsylvania Railroad - WHYY - PRR Documentary by the Philadelphia PBS station.
Penn Central Railroad
1974 - Penn Central - Movie used in request to obtain federal funding for the bankrupt Penn Central railroad. The video includes shots taken in Columbus.
Conrail
1999 - Conrail - Conrail's Last Day at Buckeye Yard.
Railroading Skills
Part 1 - Railroad Signals, Reading and Meanings - The basic three light system.
Part 2 - Railroad Signals, Reading and Meanings - Single and two headed signals.
Part 3 - Railroad Signals, Reading and Meanings - Diverging and Limited speeds, to and at signals.
Part 4 - Railroad Signals, Reading and Meanings - Railroad Signals, reading and meanings - Dwarf signals .
Part 1 - How To Read CSX Signals - Introduction.
Part 2 - How To Read CSX Signals - Three head signals and flashing aspects.
Part 3 - How To Read CSX Signals - The white light indication.
Part 4 - How To Read CSX Signals - Multi-head signals.
Part 5 - How To Read CSX Signals - Automatic block signals.
Part 6 - How To Read CSX Signals - Dwarf signals.
1948 - The Railroad Signal - Presented by the New York Central System.
2012 - The Lost Art of Railroad Hand Signals - Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Jamestown, CA.
Behind the Scenes on a Steam Locomotive - The Silverton Branch of the D&RGW.
Industry Videos
ca. 1930 - Anthracite Coal Mining - While not Columbus or Ohio this silent film shows Pennsylvania
coal miners at work.
ca. 1970 - How a Grain Elevator Operates - Full Tour - Shipping grain is a big business for railroads
through Columbus.
1996 - Manufactured Gas Plants: A New York Legacy - Gas was used for lighting before electricy took over.
1978 - Vicksburg section crew: - calling and lining track. Gandy Dancers at work.
ca. 1990 - Hulett Ore Unloaders - A big business for railroads going through Columbus was delivering coal
to Lake Erie. This video of the Hulett Ore Unloaders shows how bulk products were handled at the docks.
Mail by Rail - An Inside Look at The Railway Post Office.
Railfan Videos
1950-60s - Video by Victor Ketcham - Scenes of Columbus and surrounding area.
Playlist for Victor Ketcham Video. 1960-80s - Video by Joe Slanser - Scenes of Marion, Columbus and Pennsylvania.
1960s - Video by Joe Slanser -Marion Ohio Trains in the 1960s (EL/NYC/C&O/PRR/N&W).
1966-72 - ORM - The Golden Years - The Ohio Railway Museum at its best.
ca. 1970 - ORM - The Saga of N&W No. 578 - Clovis Butterworth describes his exerience on the steam
crew at the ORM.
1979 - Amtrak's National Limited - Cab Ride Columbus to Effingham.
1993 - Ohio Central - Cab Ride Newark to Columbus - from the Railroad Media Archive.
1995 - Moving AC Tower in Marion - In the mid 1990s a group of railfans in Marion banded together
to save the Marion Depot. They also obtained the decommissioned AC Tower provided they moved
it across the old Erie/Big Four main.
2001 - Visit to Scioto Tower/ LM Cabin- By K8DTI.
2022 - Ohio: State of Big Railroading - By Distant Signal - Railfan tour of Marion, Deshler,
Fostoria & Bellevue.".
Drone Video by NKY Railfan
2021 - Drone Tour of Columbus - By NKY Railfan - The Railroad Bridges of Columbus and a Tour of
Buckeye and Parsons Yards.
2021 - Drone Tour of Dayton - Watkins Yard - By NKY Railfan - Norfolk Southern's Dayton District,
Watkins Yard Plus two CSX Columbus Locals.
2022 - Drone Tour of Columbus-Portsmouth - By NKY Railfan - The Norfolk Southern line from
Columbus-Portsmouth including Star Yard in Portsmouth.
2022 - Norfolk Southern loading the Algoma Innovator - at the Sandusky Coal Dock. By NKY Railfan
2023 - Coal on the Great Lakes: Norfolk Southern's Massive 90-Year-Old Train-to-Ship Operation - at the Sandusky Coal Dock. - By NKY Railfan
Bicycle Trails on Abandoned Railroad Right-of-Way
Ohio to Erie Bike Trail - website 2023 - Biking the Ohio to Erie Trail - Cincinnati to Columbus - PRR and NYC (Big Four).
2023 - Biking the Ohio to Erie Trail - Columbus to Cleveland - CA&C (Westerville - Danville) and
some canal tow paths".
WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods
2016 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Columbus Influence on Aviation History.
2019 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Columbus Railroads.
2017 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Columbus Railroad History.
2023 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Connecting the Ohio 3C's.
2023 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Exploring Ohio's Interurban Era:
The Columbus, Delaware, and Marion Interurban Line in 1932.
2020 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Lasting Lagacy of Union Station.
2020 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Marion Union Station.
2022 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Olentangy Park - once owned by CRP&L.
2017 - WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods - Sells Brothers Circus.