I'd been hoping for years this would happen. Along with others, I've pestered him more than a few times. Well, now Ted Pope has finally cut loose some of his movie footage. Ted was a Milw Coast Division Agent/Operator, and as the final week neared, he traveled to Montana and caught those last few days of Little Joes in operation. Slides and (silent) movies. http://www.cvptrains.com/product_info.php?products_id=118&offset=0 Ted is somewhat of a low profile person. We both graduated from the same high school, where he was a couple years ahead of me. Many outside of Lines West have never heard of him. Likely if you have any slides of Lines West, some were his, as he shot rolls and rolls. Then while still out west after the Milw quit, he sold off some at swap meets. He's also a talented HO scale modeler. Boxcab E50
I talked with Chris and urged him to see what else Ted has stashed away. He assured me he was indeed checking into such possibilities. Boxcab E50
Guess what I got in the mail today? Talk about great service! This is a wonderful DVD, I enjoyed every second, thanks again.
Ditto on the service, I never expected to get it so quickly. Great email updates with the status too, from the time the order was made till it was shipped. I've only been able to view the first 15 mins but so far I'm really enjoying it!
Coverage between Harlo and Deer Lodge--seems a couple of scene were from high on Pipestone. Any good rare footage there? Hardly ever see Grace and the Blacktail Tunnels on film. What about the other high trestles, like Fish Creek? Pipestone is breathtaking. Wish I could have seen it in its heyday.
What's sad is that every one of the Little Joes was operable at shutdown. All they needed was common maintenance, just like the diesels. If they had allowed shop forces in Tacoma and Deer Lodge do a few things, there were still some potentially serviceable boxcabs. But, divine stupidity ruled the day. Boxcab E50
Yes, quit a bit of Pipestone and the trestles. Good original footage of places ignored by other videos.
Agreed! This video is worth having for the "lesser known" coverage. A few shots of Grace, the "not so easy to get to" side of pipestone tunnel, shots from the "west shore" of Lombard, and some quick shots of Eagle Nest. Great to see some places in the forbidden zone of Sixteen Mile Canyon!!!! Please thank him for sharing these movies with all of us. Thanks to his efforts, people like me can envision what it was like. Thanks for telling us about it!!!
Ken, I hope you are getting a percentage of sales! I also just ordered one. They also have the Corn Belt Railroads of the 1950's that looks real good. Anyone have that already? Also, why is Sixteen Mile Canyon always listed as, "forbidden", "difficult" , etc. Are the buzzworms that thick? The locals that mean or the terrain that tough. The landscape doesn't look too bad from satellite images. TIA, Mark
Yup. The private property part especially as there are too many people who simply feel endowed with a right to go past signs..... Which has made some historic areas very hard to access. This being one. Sadly... Boxcab E50
You mean Montana ranchers are kind of reactionary folks with guns? Go figure: ) Thanks for the info. I received my copy last week and it has been good watching. -Mark
Mark Not directed at you but to whomever reads this thread. Montana ranchers as a whole are not "reactionary", I knew many a Montana rancher, but when you constantly have tourists and hunters disrespecting your property, gates, shooting your livestock "cuz I thought it was a deer" and ignoring "posted" signs, you tend to get a little tired and pissed off. Can't say I blame them. One should go out of their way to ask permission before venturing on posted land. Be respectful, explain exactly why you want to go where, (take pictures, etc) Explain you will be unarmed, will leave gates as you found them (open or closed) will not litter and promise to stay on the road and will not disturb the livestock and any structures or equipment you come upon. Lastly, if your granted permission, and after your home , think about sending a thank you card and maybe a couple of sample pictures of what you went to see. Again, be respectful, even if he turns you down and cusses you out. Simple say "Thank you for your time" and walk away. He might just change his mind.
Dean's explanation is bullseye on target. For the most part it did not used to be that way. But we have amongst us people who today grant themselves rights non-existing, to go and do as they jolly well please. Which has been the problem- Even amongst railfans... When landowners of any sort find their property defiled with litter or graffiti, vehicle tracks (or even human foot and horse tracks) running through valuable crops, signs shot to doll rags, gates and fences pulled down, structures demolished by idiots thinking they are salvaging abandoned buildings for their rustic lumber, timber theft, etc, etc, then we all suffer from the few stupid... And I would hope, nay pray that if caught the offenders might enjoy their new brown pants as an angry owner has them arrested and prosecuted. Boxcab E50