Video Index

Home ← Railfanning ← Railroad Video Index

Traction Videos

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.

1973 - Gandy Dancers - The sights and sounds of gandy dancers at work on the Clinchfield railroad.

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.

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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.