Comments on 2 N&W audio CDs

Wed Dec 30 17:50:12 EST 2020

Jim,
I heartily agree with your comments on these 2 CDs. Everything Jim Herron produces is of the best quality.
I hope you can't wear them out as so far, if that might be true, I've put quite a bit of mileage on mine! They were copied and play in my car whenever I go anywhere. I play them along with Links's sounds all the time when working in my train room.
Having listened to many recordings over the years it seems the 578 is pretty close to running along at 60 mph judging from the sounds here. What was the speed limit for passenger trains going to Norton?
It would sure be great if Mr. Bauer had more tapes to copy!
Roger HuberDeer Creek Locomotive Works 

    On Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 04:43:15 PM CST, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

Last month, I rec’d the 2 latest audio CDs (among other goodies) from the Society’s store:  Pigeon Creek Shifter and Clinch Valley Local.  Each includes a detailed “liner sheet” behind the top cover half.  I own other CDs created from various late 50s tape recordings but these 2 are the best I’ve heard so far.  I’m sure it has a lot to do with the quality of the recording equipment and how well they were preserved but hats off to Jim Herron for pulling these together and putting out in CD format for N&W fans to enjoy.

If it’s possible to wear out a CD, the PCS disc would be toast already.  It’s 58.5 minutes long … a great “background” CD when working on the layout or, in my case, making castings and packing kits.  One of the best sets of sequences of “basic” chasing and recording as I’ve heard from that era.  Several of the sequences are on par with Link’s professionally recorded LPs.  It doesn’t have the same “flare” as Link’s recordings (not much can compete with Thunder on Blue Ridge!) but that doesn’t detract from the quality of Mr. Bauer’s recordings.  The main difference is that Mr. Bauer’s scene selection and sound recording are of 2 “mundane” coal branch shifters, both with Y-6s as power, compared to riding behind an A from Crewe to Villamont or trackside clips of passing Js, etc.  While Link’s “2nd Pigeon …” record also follows a mine shifter and has more variety of sequences, Mr. Bauer’s CD follows from parallel highway(s) over at least 9 miles, thru cuts, over crossings, etc.  His sequences are fewer but longer and more “continuous” than Link’s, which were limited by the play time of a 12” LP (about 45 minutes).

The Clinch Valley Local CD is recorded entirely onboard from a baggage car on a single trip in June 1958.  Run time is 67 minutes.  It captures typical sounds heard during station stops, crossing bridges, blowing for crossings, etc.  While my main interests lie in listening to freights slogging it out with heavy trains, switching, etc., hearing 578 on Train 5 is a real treat and the only place (that I know of) where you can hear this train on a recording.

I highly recommend both CDs.  Order your copies to help support the Society in these non-train-show times.

Jim King

http://smokymountainmodelworks.com/

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