Nickel Plate Berkshires
The Nickel Plate Road acquired Berkshires for speed and power - see them at work in these four DVDs.
Nickel Plate Berkshires 4-Set
Nickel Plate Berkshires 4-Set
NKP1 - The Complete Nickel Plate Berkshire
The famous 700 class Nickel Plate Berkshire locomotives from the 1940s and 50s—as well as the men who operated them—are featured in this DVD.
NKP2 - Nickel Plate Odyssey
Follow several of Nickel Plate Berkshire 759’s most arresting journeys.
NKP3 - 40 Years of Nickel Plate Berkshires
See the powerful and efficient Nickel Plate Berkshires in their prime in the 1950s, with plenty of freight action pounding down the NKP main line. Also includes the "re-birth" and first break-in runs of Berkshire #765 in 1980.
NKP4 - Autumn in the Great Gorge
A lush autumn journey on #765 Nickel Plate Berkshire through the Great Gorge of the New River in West Virginia.
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“I have repeatedly viewed the magnificent “Complete Nickel Plate Berkshire.” I must tell you how much I enjoyed this tape. The personal vignettes made by Nickel Plate crewmen were really great and they added a lot to the overall appeal of the program. I think that you have really outdone yourself this time. ”
NKP1 - The Complete Nickel Plate Berkshire
See the famous 700 class Nickel Plate Berkshire locomotives from the 1940s and 50s dragging coal and way freight, many doubleheaded and screaming down the main line carrying perishables. We see a few 500 class Mikados as doubleheaded partners with the Berks. Hear from the engineers, firemen, conductors and dispatchers who handled the 700s. They tell their stories including a few about tight situations and wrecks. These men also tell how they outran, outfoxed and buried the competition including the B&O, the Pennsy, and the New York Central and show you why the Nickel Plate became the celebrated wonder of Wall Street. 55 min.
“Just received my copies of NKP 1& 2 last week and wanted to let you know how pleased I am. Your use of interviews with NKP crews is excellent – these men add a new dimension to the story of the 700s…Congratulations on an excellent job.”
NKP2 - Nickel Plate Odyssey
See Nickel Plate Berkshire #759 on several of her most arresting journeys. Follow 759 on the Golden Spike Centennial in 1969 between Kansas City and Moberly with marvelous pacing shots. Then catch her in 1971 during break in and testing with Western Maryland freights. In the finale 759 steams from Boston to Montpelier, Vermont on one of the most brilliant days of New England autumn. A real gem. 28 min.
NKP3 - 40 Years of Nickel Plate Berkshires
See the powerful and efficient Nickel Plate Berkshires in their prime in the 1950s, with plenty of freight action pounding down the NKP main line. Catch the Nickel Plate Limited behind the famous Hudsons. (Part 1) Follow engine # 759 on a high speed run from Elizabeth, NJ to the Pocono Mountains. Then see #759 from the air on the now-abandoned Western Maryland line from Thurmont to Cumberland and pacing across spectacular trestles. (Parts 2 & 3) In the finale we see NKP Berkshire #765 refurbished by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) in 1980. She hauls freight and gets a real workout on the T.P.&W. grade east of Peoria, IL. (Part 4)
31 minutes
NKP4 - Autumn in the Great Gorge
A lush autumn journey on #765 Nickel Plate Berkshire through the Great Gorge of the New River in West Virginia. All #765!—in two crisply filmed excursions through the rich foliage some 1000 feet below the farms of Fayette County, where much of the gorge is accessible only by rail. The intertwined history of coal and steam played out along these tracks. Part 1 takes us from Huntington to Sulfur Springs, passing through Thurmond, home of the Dunglen Hotel where, in the early 1900s, coal barons and gamblers played a poker game rumored to have lasted for 13 years. In Part 2, #765 thunders from Huntington to Hinton, WV on a foliage tour with the local Huntington chapter of the NRHS. Pristine footage of a rollicking journey full of railroading lore through the famous gorge.