collectable merchandise
DVD's & videos

During 1978 the classic cab units from EMD and Alco were being replaced with newer diesels. Chris Skow decided to try and document as many of these Covered Wagons as possible in the United States, Canada and Mexico. At the time he was a conductor for the Western Pacific and took most of the year off to put some 25,000 miles on his car tracking down and shooting with Super 8 sound movie film these last operations. He was able to film the F7's, F9's FL9's, E7's, E8's, E9's, FA's, PA's and even recorded the rare Shark Noses, FT's and Shoval Noses. This roundup of 'wagons' covers some 50 lines and a wide variety of color schemes. Many of these cab units would soon meet the cutting torch while a select few would be rebuit to serve decades more, as chronicled in Covered Wagons II.

Listen again to the EMD 567 chants of F-Units, more robust resonating twin-engine E-Units, and the crisp ALCO four-cycle exhaust. The notable heritage of more than twenty roads gathered by the 1924 Bob Julian Roundhouse, one-time Southern Railway, at Spencer, NC, in late May 2014. As each unit comes front and center on the turntable, films present in-service scenes during the 50s-70s of that or sister units!. You will also go for rides on several FA, F and E units, see some of the last uses in freight, commuter and inter-city passenger service during the 80s-90s, and then explore more recent dinner trains, office car specials, and tourist applications. From the first FT in 1939 through the last FL-9 of the 1960, colorful classics parade by in roaring, streamlined style!

Just released. This new DVD is a 54 minute program covering the operation of Rio Grande's classic “Rio Grande Zephyr” between Denver and Salt Lake City. The Rio Grande Zephyr was born from the ashes of the California Zephyr. When Amtrak took over most of the passenger trains the Denver and Rio Grande Western decided to go it alone and so the Rio Grande Zephyr was born. This video was shot in 1981-1982 and 1983.

This program touches on the seven-year restoration process, test runs, and features her first revenue trip in 58 years! Trains Unlimited, Tours teamed up with the Durango Rail Historical Society and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for the 315's first ever trip to Silverton over the former Silverton Branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Western

This footage was shot by Chris Skow in 1976 and 1977 in color sound movie film and has been transferred to high quality digital format and computer enhanced by a professional lab. This program covers almost all of the logging railroad lines and mainline log hauling operations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. Included is private roads such as Simpson Timber Company, ITT Rayonier, Canadian Forest Products, Crown Zellerback, Potlach, Oregon, California & Eastern, Curtis, Milburn & Eastern plus Weyerhauser's Longveiw-Vail-Cascade-Mohawk and Sycan Divisions. Then log hauling common carriers include: BN, Milwaukee, Camas Prairie, Oregon & North western, Esquimalt & Nanaimo, and Tacoma Belt. We then end this program with a wild and fast ride on a track car speeder over an abandoned logging line.

Chris Skow worked as a brakeman and conductor for the Western Pacific Railroad between 1969 and 1995. Union Pacific took over control of the Western Pacific In 1983. This film covers the final years of the Western Pacific between the years of 1969 and 1983. Chris was based out of Portola but he made it a point to work over the entire WP system between the San Francisco Bay area to Salt Lake City and up on the Hiline towards Oregon. He always carried his sound movie equipment with him when he went to work so was able to capture some very unique footage that most railfans could never get. This is a very interesting program from the lens of a working conductor

This is more footage Chris Skow shot while on duty as a conductor. In 1980 and 1981 Chris agreed to work the Sperry Rail Detector Car over the entire Western Pacific system. During these two years he worked a total of eight sperry rail testing runs over the system as a conductor pilot with the Sperry crew. Each Sperry rail test took about 30 days to cover the WP system including the Tidewater Southern, Hiline and Reno Branch. This program is packed with railroad action and has many exciting meets with WP freight trains over the system and includes interesting facts about testing the WP. Included in this program is many of the train derailments and wrecks that Chris worked using Western Pacific's Oroville and Elko big hook derricks, plus a rare look at the famous wreck of the Oroville Derrick between Quincy Junction and Keddie and the emergency use of the old Nevada Northern steam derrick on the WP mainline. The testing of the system by the Sperry Car was done to try and find some of the rail defects that caused many of these train wrecks that you will see on this program. Again, as always, Chris carried his camera gear on all of his assignments. Again, Chris always took his sound movie equipment with him and made this very interesting program.

This special excursion train ran June 3-5, 2011 from Emeryville, California to Klamath Falls, Oregon via the Feather River Canyon and the Inside Gateway then returned south via the Shasta Route and Sacramento River Canyon. We take you onboard for this three day excursion.

Towards the end of operation of the massive DD 40 UP Centennial 6900 class diesels in the 1980's the last hand full were assigned to the Western Pacific including the Feather River Canyon. Everyone thought these huge and heavy diesels would never operate through the Canyon but UP and WP proved them wrong. Conductor Chris Skow was working the Feather River Canyon during the operation of the 6900's and made a point to photograph and film them both trackside and onboard.

They did not nickname the Western Pacific Railroad "The Wobbly" for nothing. As the final countdown to the Union Pacific takeover drew closer the derailments increased to a point where there was a major train wreck almost weekly. Chris Skow, retired WP conductor was involved in many of these wrecks or was called on the derrick to clean it up. He always carried his camera and photographed all of the wrecks and derailments, be them huge or small.

The Patagonian Express called "La Trochita" by the Argentine locals still operates today over sections of the 251 mile 2 1/2 foot narrow gauge line running beween Ing. Jacobacci and Esquel. This DVD covers most of the route chartered by Trains and Travel International in 2023. On the 5th day of charters the train derailed just south of Cerro Mesa, Argentina. This program includes the derailment aftermath shot just a few seconds after the train rolled over. Additionally this program includes the long distance overnight Tren Patagonico of which was the only train left in Argentina operating sleeper cars. Other coverage includes the Ferroclub's operations in the Buenos Aires area and numerous points of interest.

This VHS covers the tours that Trains and Travel International ran to Ecuador in 1991, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Also some older 1957 footage is included in this program. Coverage includes steam, railcar and some diesel action on the Guayaquil & Quito, Cuenca, and San Lorenzo Railroads. Enjoy Baldwin 2-8-0's and 2-6-0's climbing 5.5% grades in the Andes and running over the famous Devil's Nose Switchbacks.