Living Steam: The Virginia and Truckee at the Nevada State Railroad Museum on DVD or Blu-Ray. DVD is $19.95, call for Blu-Ray pricing at 877 323-8002 or email video@livingsteam.com

Posterized Image of Amtrak Number 5 dropping into the Reno Trench

"Better Never Than Late"
-- Seemingly Amtrak's New Slogan

Comstock Historical Society and Virginia & Truckee Info:

Virginia Truckee History -- Links -- Photos -- Discussion

Train Arts' Pre-DVD (formerly) YouTube Videos

These videos were once posted on YouTube and precede the Get Trackside DVDs. The DVD videos are more brief, cutting out as much camera shake or wind as possible. There are many more videos on the Get Trackside Grassroots Videos that don't appear on this page. Please see TrainArts.com for more info.

You can always download the videos by right-clicking in most browsers and choosing "save as" or "download," then play the file to your heart's content from your local computer. It's OK to just click them, if your media player supports playing a video during download.

Why do I encourage you to download the files first and play from your computer? I'm not that restricted on bandwidth, but you'll get better performance from your hard disk than from your Internet connection, always! Plus, you can copy the files to your Windows Mobile Smartphone or other mobile video player, and watch them on the run(If you're a techno-geek) !

NEWER STUFF New HD Videos coming in late 2007! Send mail to jim at utahnevada.com to reserve HD or order standard videos	HERE ARE THE VIDEOS POSTED IN SUMMER 2007 Get DVD-quality videos at TrainArts.com
	Union Pacific Maintenance Truck Approaches Solider Summit before Giluly Loops wmv 768K 5.7Mb .wmv 256K 1.8Mb Beginning with some short shots of Union Pacific Maintenance of Way crews working near Emma Park Road by Solider Summit, then a minute or so watching a UP track truck roll up the grade toward the Solider Summit and the Giluly Loops.
OLDER STUFF	BELOW ARE THE OLDER VIDEOS WHICH WERE POSTED IN LATE 2006
	Amtrak and UP Freight in the Reno Trench with Radio Traffic 167 Mb .wmv -- 1.5Mbps -- 26 Mb .wmv -- 256Kbps Here's a series of shots in the Reno Trench, showing an Amtrak train arriving, stopping, loading and leaving. This is followed by a Union Pacific Freight rumbling through. Some of the radio traffic is funny, listen up at the beginning and when the Amtrak blasts it's horn mid-video.

(a very late) Amtrak California Zephyr #5 along Truckee River to Soda Springs, Amtrak CZ #6, plus Union Pacific seven-locomotive freight: Farad to Verdi

88 Mb .wmv -- 1.5Mbps -- 15 Mb .wmv -- 256Kbps

Again, thank Amtrak for being late. As in the daytime run below in Utah, in this case the westbound #5 California Zephyr was about six hours late. This train left Reno in the afternoon, and I got a few shots of it going up the I-80 corridor toward Truckee.

I set up past the Donner Pass tunnel, on the west side. Before the #5 passed me, I was surprised to look west and see the approaching #6. I shot video of this train, and the #5 obliged by arriving minutes later.

Then I caught up with a freight heading down toward Reno, with shots along the Truckee River and in Verdi.

A short nighttime video from Virginia Street, after dark, of Hot August Nights

.wmv, 50Mb at 1.5Mbps or .wmv, 7.6Mb at 256Kbps

In August 2006, I was in Reno during Hot August Nights. Here's a little video of the night scene on Virginia Street. Don't miss the fire in the tailpipes and the "croaker," which is the Frog-themed car with the frog audio at the end of the video.

Sparks Yard Action in the Union Pacific Yard -- Amtrak and Union Pacific Autorack

.wmv, 145Mb at 1.5Mbps or .wmv, 22Mb at 256Kbps

I was sitting in the parking garage at the Nugget Hotel / Casino with a good vantage point. Sorry about my digital zoom on the camera, the first parts of the video are more for the audio. Then a UP Autorack finally arrives, makes some moves in tandem with another train, and leaves. Next is Amtrak. This is not my best shooting but there's a lot of radio traffic.

A Union Pacific freight from Carlin in Palisade

Along I-80 and the Humboldt River Runs an Amtrak -- plus UP at Pallisade, Nevada

.wmv, 26Mb at 1.5Mbps or .wmv, 4Mb at 256Kbps

While driving Interstate 80 from Reno to Elko, I found the (very late) westbound California Zephyr running under the freeway and another bridge. Then I drove nearly to Carlin and took the exit for Pallisade. There must be a better way to get there, I drove down a valley a few miles, then ducked up a road to the left. It was an OK road but I was glad for an off-road vehicle. After a few miles of wondering where the heck I was, I dropped into the little valley where the town of Pallisade used to be. There's a farm nearby, and south, around the bend a mile of so I a couple cuts of the Humboldt River. Finally, driving the main road northeast toward Carlin, I show the northeast end of Pallisade canyon.

A Snowy early morning ride over Soldier Summit on Amtrak in Utah

68Mb Windows Media -- Amtrak over Snowy Soldier Summit between Provo and Helper, Utah

68Mb .wmv 1.5Mbps or 40Mb .wmv 256Kbps or 5.5Mb .wmv 64K

This was a stroke of luck, and a dumb trip to boot! I had seen Helper, Utah on previous train trips and drives. I had never stopped there before, but from afar Helper, Utah looks like a quaint little National Historic District.

I took the train from Salt Lake City to Helper. It was fashionably late (three hours), and I welcomed this delay. First, I was able to sleep a bit past 2am, and more importantly, it put my trip from Provo to Helper in the daylight.

I was so lucky to get a place where I could open the window on the Superliner door and shoot a real Winter scene! The video is rough, uncut, and filled with loud blowing wind. Sorry, there's some good stuff in here including my stop at one spot during the summer months. About halfway through, you'll see a siding between the highway and railroad track with a bunch of ties and other junk. Then I abruptly cut to a summer day with me saying, "There's two tracks up on that hill."

Utah Rail, UP and Amtrak and more in Utah in Carbon County

99Mb Windows Media -- Summer 2006 Videos of Amtrak's California Zephyr and freights over Soldier Summit between Provo and Helper, Utah

99MbMb .wmv 384Kbps or 14Mb .wmv 64Kbps

I just finished a simple video of my recent trip to Utah's Carbon County. I focus on areas from the Summit and east, down Highway 6 to Helper and Price, Utah. To me, the main feature is the Amtrak California Zephyr(s) running east from the bridge at Emma Park Road downto Helper, Utah. I used two cameras and two days to compose (compost?) the video.

Also featured is a "boring runby" of a BNSF two-locomotive tanker train running past a park in Price, Utah. There's a Utah Railway train at Emma Park Road, plus Union Pacific, Southern Pacific & an unpatched Denver & Rio Grande Western locomotive. Finally, a three-locomotive freight with one BNSF locomotive followed by two CSX locomotives makes this the most varied clip on the site.

Just Another Boring Runby -- NOT. A closeup of a big fast train in Price, Utah

Short Takes

JABR: Just Another Boring Runby

18Mb .wmv 1500Mbps or 3Mb .wmv 256Kbps

(Taking a jab at a railroad video ad) "Just another boring runby!" -- BNSF freight moves fast through the middle of Price, Utah. I think it's called Heritage Park but I don't know. I only know the A&W is nearby.

Three Bad Paint Jobs in Helper, Utah: Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande Western locomotives move creakily through the yard.

VIDEO CLIP*(NEW) -- A set of three bad paint jobs makes it way across the yard. D&RGW, UP and SP locos, the great unwashed! See the three bad paint jobs in full size AVI format (80Mb)