Please join our Subscription List if you wish to receive notification of new titles.
Name:


Email:

Location:

Subscribe:

Un-Subscribe:


HOME | ABOUT US - CONTACT US | TERMS & CONDITIONS - DELIVERY & DISCOUNTS | E-MAIL US

Newsletter - MAY 2010

Previous Newsletters


NEW ENGLAND & MARITIME CANADA
by MIKE WALKER

It is more than ten years since the last NEW ENGLAND & MARITIME CANADA edition of SPV’s COMPREHENSIVE RAILROAD ATLAS OF NORTH AMERICA was published during which time much has once again changed particularly in Canada. In addition to general updating, this new edition is much expanded with additional enlargements to show complex areas in greater detail and includes for the first time the Subways and Rapid Transit lines in Boston together with interurban electric lines and principal logging railroads.

The Atlas shows all currently operated common carriers, tourist and major industrial railroads along with abandoned routes.

US States Covered - Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire & Vermont.
Canadian Provinces - Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island & Nova Scotia.

Regular Price £ 16.50
NEW RELEASE OFFER £16.00 (FREE UK & Europe p&p)


Order any other atlas along with New England & Maritime Canada for just £30


New From KALMBACH

How to Build Realistic Scenery

It’s all here in How to Build Realistic Scenery! This essential guide, featuring the best of Model Railroader’s popular ‘Step-by-Step’ column, gives you proven techniques you can trust to make your scenery as realistic as possible.

This special issue includes:

23 articles that cover virtually every scenery-building challenge
Clear photos that show you how to make it happen
Several techniques for every skill level
And much more!

£ 6.00 (Incl. UK p&p)

New From WESTLAKE PUBLISHING

2010 Logging, Mining & Industrial Annual

Chapter 1 A Diamond & Caldor Photo Album
Chapter 2 A West Side Lumber Company Block Car
Chapter 3 The Mill Valley Lumber Company
Chapter 4 Two Small Locomotives
Chapter 5 Logging Disconnects And Rolling Stock
Chapter 6 A Pair Of 1956, 3.5 Ton Plymouth Gasoline Switchers
Chapter 7 A Tractor Locomotive Chapter 8 A Small Logging Diorama
PLANS A 1956, 3.5 Ton Plymouth Gasoline Switcher

£ 19.00 (Incl. UK p&p)


New From

Pennsylvania Railroad Facilities In Color Vol. 8: Allegheny Division Banks to Antis
by Robert J. Yanosey

The towers, stations and other facilities through the Juniata Valley from Harrisburg to just east of Altoona are featured in this 128-page all-color volume.

 

£ 42.00 (Incl. UK p&p)

Long Island Rail Road In Color Volume 1: 1949-1966
by Arthur J. Erdman

This chronological look back at LIRR operations begins with steam displacement by FM C-liners and RS3's and ends with the introduction of new Alco Century 420's.

 

£ 42.00 (Incl. UK p&p)


New DVDs

Jake’s Railroad - The Copper Basin
by Highball Productions

Jake’s Railroad is Arizona’s Copper Basin, and “Jake” Jacobson is president and CEO. The Copper Basin’s reason for being is to haul copper ore from the massive mine in Ray to the concentrator and smelter in Winkelman. Join us for a Hirail ride as Jake explains the railroad, then check out the trains on the railroad.

60 minsColorNarration On/Off
Regular price £21.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER UNTIL 28TH MAY 2010 - £20 (free UK & European p&p)

Rails Around the Bay Area
by Highball Productions

The San Francisco Bay area Is busy with trains! Pinole for Amtrak and UP alongside San Pablo Bay- Niles Junction for Amtrak, ACE, UP & BNSF, Jack London Square for street running Amtrak and BNSF, Franklin Canyon for BNSF Martinez for Amtrak and UP and Santa Clara for Cal Train, Amtrak, ACE and UP. Continuous action from around the Bay Area.



110 minsColorNarration On/OffWidescreen
Regular price £20.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER UNTIL 28TH MAY 2010 - £19 (free UK & European p&p)

ALSO AVAILABLE IN BLU-RAY!
Blu-Ray Price £25.00
(FREE UK & Europe p&p)

BLU-RAY 16:9 1080i HIGH DEFINITION DVD'S
Regular and up-converting DVD players will NOT play Blu-ray DVD's, you must use a Blu-ray DVD player. Before ordering please check your player and make sure that it will play BD-R DVD's.


New Release

At the Throttle Cab Ride Volume 5
by Pentrex

The Surfline
At the Throttle Volume 5 takes you to Southern California’s scenic Surfline, primarily in San Diego and southern Orange Counties, to enjoy images of railroading that few ever experience. With our camera mounted inside and outside the cabs of several different BNSF locomotives, you’ll get to see the road not only from the engineer’s perspective but from other interesting angles and placements as well.
For many miles, the Surfline skirts along the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, giving riders a spectacular view of California’s coast. You’ll start your journey on board a San Diego-bound freight and then will make several trips in both directions over scenic portions of the line. Among the familiar landmarks you’ll pass are the San Clemente Pier, the Carlsbad trestles, San Onofre, Oceanside, Leucadia, Del Mar, the climb up Miramar Hill, and San Diego.
For the most part, our cameras are mounted at various positions on Dash 840 CW and C44-9W locomotives hauling BNSF freights, on the lead units and also on following units. These heavy, hard working engines take us past meets with Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners and North County Transit District’s Coaster and Sprinter commuter trains. At the Throttle Volume 5 is not your traditional cab ride; it’s a totally unique journey along one of the most scenic lines in America!

1 Hour 30 MinutesColorNarration
Regular price £25.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER WHILE STOCKS LAST - £18 (free UK & European p&p)

At the Throttle Cab Ride Volume 4
by Pentrex

The Alameda Corridor
Hop on board! We’ve got a first class ticket for you to ride a BNSF doublestack train on the Alameda Corridor! From Hobart Yard in Los Angeles to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and back again, including Terminal Island and Pier 400, you’re about to witness a line that few are privileged to see. So get ready. You’re about to experience the Alameda Corridor!
The congestion generated by heavy BNSF and UP trains moving freight in and out of the ports led to construction of a 20-mile long consolidated route linking the railroads’ container facilities near Los Angeles to the harbor area. The central feature of the Corridor is the Trench, a 33-foot deep, 50-foot wide, 10-mile long cut that carries trains below grade crossings. With an average close to 70 trains a day, the Corridor is a busy place, as you’ll see on three separate outings.
Your first trip begins near Eastern Avenue on a cool, overcast October morning in 2007. After passing Hobart Tower, you enter the Trench at 25th Street, return to ground level 10 miles later in Compton, ending your trip at Delores Yard. Your second trip takes you from Watson Yard to Terminal Island where your consist will traverse a giant balloon track to keep your lead unit on the point before coupling to a waiting train. For the third trip, you’ll depart from Pier 400 for the return trip back through the Trench. This time the camera is mounted on the second unit to give you a different perspective. The highlights of your trips include appearances by Pacific Harbor Line locomotives, a passing UP stack train in the corridor, and more. This is a railroading adventure like no other!

2 Hours 16 MinutesColorNarration
Regular price £25.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER WHILE STOCKS LAST - £18 (free UK & European p&p)

At the Throttle Cab Ride Volume 3
by Pentrex

Train Meets
With our camera mounted on the lead engine of a BNSF train, we’ll take to the rails to bring you a spectacular and unique perspective of railroading like no other! Volume 3 is dedicated to train meets, the exciting encounter of two opposing trains traveling on parallel tracks. You’ll travel throughout Southern California to experience meets with freight, commuter, and passenger trains at a variety of locations, including the Alameda Corridor and the BNSF’s San Bernardino and Cajon Subdivisions. This is no conventional cab ride. As you travel the rails, you’ll view meets from many intriguing angles. Our camera is sometimes mounted at the wheel, on the coupler, at the front of the cab, even on top of the engine! These images were not only shot during daylight; there are many fascinating night scenes as well. You’ll see meets with Union Pacific, KCS, BNSF trains and Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and Pacific Surfliner, plus a drag race on the climb to Summit. There’s a good mix of motive power to savor, such as AC 4400 CWs, Dash 944 CS, GEVOs, and Amtrak’s P42 DCs. The main thrill, however, is the feeling of being right there, just above the rails, with the ground shaking and the wind whipping as another long train slips past you. Enjoy the adventure -- you’re At the Throttle!

1 Hour 30 MinutesColorNarration
Regular price £25.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER WHILE STOCKS LAST - £18 (free UK & European p&p)

At the Throttle Cab Ride Volume 2
by Pentrex

The Cajon Subdivision — Devore to Barstow
Climb aboard as we take an exciting 70-mile trip over BNSF’s Cajon Subdivision from Devore to Barstow. You’ll have the best seat in the house! We’ve placed our camera at the very front of the lead unit on BNSF’s hottest Z train. The four GE Dash 9 44CWs on our train provide 17,600 horsepower for the battle to the summit of Cajon Pass!
We’ll depart Devore and then just east of Keenbrook we’ll cross over onto the original line to Summit, which is preferred for most westbound traffic. It’s shorter and steeper but our train has enough horsepower to conquer the 3 percent grade. Once past Summit, our train eases downgrade, clears the Upper Narrows and the scenic Lower Narrows, then makes good time streaking across the desert floor to Barstow. Along the way you’ll meet westbound hotshots, spot third main track construction and signal installations, and get a totally unique perspective of the famous hotspots that make Cajon such a popular railfanning destination. Welcome aboard Volume 2 — you’re “At the Throttle!”

1 Hour 50 MinutesColorNarration
Regular price £25.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER WHILE STOCKS LAST - £18 (free UK & European p&p)

At the Throttle Cab Ride Volume 1
by Pentrex

The San Bernardino Subdivision - LA to San Bernardino
With the camera secured to the front of an eastbound stack train and the scenic landscapes of the BNSF San Bernardino Subdivision stretching before you, you’re “at the throttle” and about to experience a train ride like no other! In this show, you’ll get a truly unique, railroader’s perspective of the 65 miles between Hobart Yard in Los Angeles and the city of San Bernardino. This line supports Amtrak, Metrolink, and heavy BNSF freight action, and you’ll see plenty of this as you ride the rails.
Beginning with an early departure on a beautiful spring day in 2008, you’ll leave Hobart Yard, cautiously observing the 10-mile per hour speed limit until the entire train is on the mainline and the engineer can bring the heavy train up to speed. Running southeast past Pico Rivera, Los Nietos Junction, and La Mirada to Fullerton, you’ll get to observe the routing procedures that support the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners, westbound freights, and Metrolink commuter trains that compete for track space. Moving east past the Fullerton Station, you’ll slip past one of three remaining Santa Fe cantilever signals and head toward the horseshoe bend in Santa Ana Canyon. At West Riverside, UP joins the BNSF rails for the trip over Cajon Pass. By the time you reach the San Bernardino Station, enough daylight remains to give you a start onto the Cajon Sub to Devore. This has been no conventional cab ride; this has been an unobstructed view of the line that few people will ever experience! Welcome to Volume 1 of “At the Throttle!”

2 Hours 27 MinutesColorNarration
Regular price £25.00
NEW RELEASE OFFER WHILE STOCKS LAST - £18 (free UK & European p&p)

Buy All 5 Cab Ride Volumes For Just £ 85



Steam Previews
by Highball Productions

Previews from the following 17 steam programs: - Steam Northeast, East Broad Top, Chinese Steam at Work, Winter on Jingpeng Pass (all fullscreen) Steam to Janakpurdham, Darjeeling-Himalayan, Welsh Steam 1, Steam on the Harz, Viseu de Sus, K-36 Over Cumbres Pass, K-36 Cab Ride, Along the Animas River, Steam over La Veta Pass, Mountain Thunder, Midwest Challenger, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch, Britain’s Heritage Steam 1. (all widescreen)



NEW RELEASE OFFER UNTIL 28TH MAY 2010 - £14 (free UK & European p&p)

Sorry! NOT Available in BLU-RAY as shown in newsletter

Great Model Railroads Vol. 65
David Trussell's Greeley Freight Station Museum, Part 2

by Allen Keller Productions

Large just doesn’t describe the Oregon California & Eastern HO layout of the Greeley Freight Station Museum. It’s so large we had to make 2 shows out of it. This is the final part of the series. The 5,500 square foot layout fits into a 9,600 square foot building.
Planning for the museum began in 2000 and by the summer of 2009 it was mostly done and open to the public. Actual layout construction took 5 1/2 years and 20,000 volunteer hours under the guidance of David Trussell. Moving logs to lumber processing plants is the story of the OC&E in the fall of 1975. David and volunteers will show you how to make a forest fire scene, build fir trees and add moving logging trucks to your layout.
The OC&E was featured in the Dec. 2008 MR.


60 minsColorNarration
£ 30.00
(free UK & European p&p)


Historic Programmes by Charles Smiley

Diesel Power on the Southern Pacific
by Charles Smiley Presents

Great material from nineteen sources shot in many locations out west. Many surprises such as FM and ALCO demo units and many rare SP diesels and branchlines. Great mainline action with full correct stereo sound. Produced digitally for some great viewing. This programme was designed to portray SP in its finest days from 1942 1975. Special sections of F-units, PAs, E-units, Geeps, SD-9s, Train Masters and U-boats....This is "the way it was!"


1hr 43 minsColorNarration
Regular price £21.00
RE-RELEASE OFFER - £14 (free UK & European p&p)

Tennessee Pass From Start to Finish
by Charles Smiley Presents

This was the highest main line in the US with 3% grades and 40,000 HP trains. See plenty of manifests, coal, taconite and other trains. Colorful pool power, helpers and great train pacing plus all the heavy, colorful action in a beautiful mountain setting. See Power-heavy 100 car coal trains with 9 ACs battling the high altitude and steep grades like you'll never see again. THIS HISTORICAL ROYAL GORGE ROUTE WAS ABANDONED IN SEPTEMBER OF 1997. This movie was there to capture the last months of operation. Coal, Manifest and merchandise trains all run by the two cameras on a journey from Pueblo to Dotsero, Colorado where the line joins with the Moffat Route. We also show early the history of regional narrow and standard gauge development and explain the DRGW operating strategies right to the end of operation. A surprise includes a solid segment on surviving DRGW power on the Southern Pacific system into the late 90's. Included are GP-30, SD-50s, SD45s, and sets of DRGW SD45t-2's pulling on steep grades. The Tennessee Pass line is closed for now but you can relive all the action in this critically acclaimed beautifully shot 90 minute documentary. THIS IS 220 MILES OF RAILROADING FROM PUEBLO TO DOTSERO, CO.


90 minsColorNarration
Regular price £21.95
RE-RELEASE OFFER - £12 (free UK & European p&p)

Union Pacific Vintage West
by Charles Smiley Presents

Visit 8 states, and see Americas original and long-standing line that helped build the west.

Filmed by 14 different people, this material has pleanty of the unexpected!
Follow UP from the Harriman era to modern times. See the phase-out of steam and the first and second generation diesels. The focal point is the 1960 to 1980 period with the onslaught of mergers in the industry. Visit UP's new WP line for a great mix of trains.

98 minsColorNarration
Regular price £21.00
RE-RELEASE OFFER - £14 (free UK & European p&p)

SP Vintage West
by Charles Smiley Presents

This 1950 to 1978 look brings the long-gone visions of SP out west. See Cab-Ahead steam and early F-units in snow on Donner Pass. Visit both sides of the beautiful Bay Area. Run out to old Tracy and Lathrop riding the San Joaquin Daylight trains. See the City of San Francisco, Coast Daylight, steam 'Commute', local and mail trains. Freight trains behind steam and early diesel power take you back to a more interesting period that will never return. See heavy and unusual power, diesels in daylight, black widow, tiger stripe, grey and scarlet color schemes.


75 minsColorNarration
Regular price £20.00
RE-RELEASE OFFER - £14 (free UK & European p&p)

SP WHEN the empire was intact
by Charles Smiley Presents

Film from 10 contributors. Four are railroad employees. The list looks like the 'who's-who' of rail art and history.
We cover the Siskiyou Subdivision when SP was king of lumber transportation. The subsidiary NWP line features SD9's in the prime of their career with helpers and train meets.
All the other great locations include Shasta, Donner, Fresno Line, Stockton, S.F. Bay Area, San Jose, Roseville and Sacramento.


103 minsColorNarration
Regular price £21.00
RE-RELEASE OFFER - £14 (free UK & European p&p)


Don't Forget,
Magazines Subscriptions make great presents enjoyed the whole year round

MAGAZINES

DIESEL ERA (£5.80 - sub £34) Jan/Feb issue available

CLASSIC TRAINS (£5.00 - sub £18.50) Summer issue coming soon

TRAINS (£4.60 - sub £49) May issue available

MODEL RAILROADER (£4.60 - sub £49) May issue available

NARROW GAUGE & SHORTLINE GAZETTE (£6.40 - sub £34) Mar/April issue available

GARDEN RAILWAYS (£4.95 - sub £28) Mar/April issue available

RAILFAN (£3.20 - sub £35) April issue available

RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN (£3.40 - sub £37) May issue available

N SCALE (£6.00 - sub £34) May/June issue available

Magazines UK p&p now included - Rest of Europe + £ 0.50 Annual Sub: UK p&p incl. - Europe £5



SEE SPV AT

Derby Model Railway Exhibition
Sat - Sun 15th-16th May 2010
Moorways Sports Centre, Moor Lane Allenton, Derby.DE24 9HY
about

The Chatham Show 2010
Sat - Sun 12th-13th June 2010
Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent.
about

NMRA : 'Not The Winter Meet'
Sat 26th June 2010
Benson Village Hall, Benson,

Your chance to watch the DVDs, see the books and browse the magazines

SPV CHAT

There are 3 exhibitions that we are attending over the next couple of months. The first at Derby is always a good show and we look forward to seeing you there. We do not get to that area often enough so with the election safely (unless there are riots in the streets) behind us come and enjoy the show and see our full range of DVDs and books. When buying books especially being able to pick one up and look at it adds to the pleasure. Chatham is almost our home show - it is the nearest one to Canterbury that we do and the Dock Yard makes an interesting venue. I love the title of the NMRA meet at the end of June "Not the Winter Meet" so called as the heavy snow made its usual January spot impossible - winter seems a long time going but by then hopefully the sun will be shining on us all.

Stu