O Winston Link documentary Trains That Passed In The Night, British 1980s Channel 4

My favourite moments: "It doesn't matter what it cost, it had to be done".... "First the trains disappeared, then the towns disappeared"..."The first day we got there at 5 and the train had left at 4, the next day we got there at 4 and the train had left at 3, the next day we got there at 3 and the train didn't come til midnight"...."I worked for the railroad for forty year, I had two days off, one when my father died, one when my mother died".

[@HunterLohseRRVideos]

Funniest part of this fabulous documentary “That oil, I don’t like that oil stuff” *Wearing a Texaco hat*

[@ZBurtonHunt]

As a keen and aged photographer, I will never forget seeing this film when first broadcast on Channel 4. Technically brilliant and a great social record of a long-lost age. What a great man of, and for, his age and with a descriptive passion that touches anyone with just a wit of soul. What a legacy and not a money-man in sight. Nostalgia is still a wonderful thing.

[@williamclarke4510]

Once I was leading a photography field trip to Crabtree Falls when I taught photography at a community college in Virginia.The way to get there was to take 56. We stopped in Vesuvius and looked at the store. One of my students was trying to look in the store's windows, which had been painted so you couldn't see in. "I wish I could see what's in there." she said. "I will show you Tuesday night." I replied. I brought a copy of one of Link's books and showed them his pictures of the Vesuvius store's Interior and train photos. It blew their minds. After the Link Museum acquired the contents of the store, I volunteered to inventory it. I just had to see what had been in there. I showed up with my cotton gloves. Cotton gloves! Whaaat? I needed latex gloves and a respirator. There were half century old cans of paint, bug spray, rat poison etc. The most interesting thing was the packs of Bobbi pins from the WW2 era. The paper around them reminded its owner to recycle them for the war effort.

[@kylemccourt663]

All these years I have been a huge fan of Link and I never knew this film existed!!! I am a lifelong large format film photographer and have always loved the work of Link. I don't know if my love of trains comes from his work, or if I love his work because of my love for trains. Either way, Link preserved a huge chunk of America that is lost forever and we will be eternally in his debt for capturing it in such a beautiful and meaningful way.

[@LawrenceBurkett]

Excellent documentary. My grandfather worked on steam and diesel locomotives for the Wheeling & Lake Erie / Nickle Plate / Norfolk & Western during the steam-to-diesel transition; so, this documentary means a lot to me. I remember him pointing out to me on several occasions how Norfolk & Western was the last major railroad to use steam powered locomotives. He also spoke about how there were numerous efforts to update steam with modern electronics as late as the early 60s.

[@SMichaelDeHart]

My grandmother's 2nd husband was a pipe fitter in the Roanoke Locomotive shops from '46-'65.

[@gnored]

The first Link photo I saw was in a gallery in Austin, Texas. It was entitled "Mrs. Ziggler's Living Room." I fell in love with instantly, and wanted it, but knew that I could never afford it. And here it is in this film, just as wonderful as I remember it. What a pleasure to see it again!

[@stevegravini1293]

I just visited the O. Winston Link Museum this past weekend and they have a movie showing every hour, but not this one. The movie shown was mostly about his photography locally in Virginia, especially Roanoke and covered more of his later in life endeavors (after about the 1980s). This video is incredible and shows the way it was when O. Winston Link photographed, then 30 years later, and hear we art 60 years later.

[@1JUSTGOTLUCKY1]

Thank goodness for Mr. Link. Preserving these great scenes on film forever is fantastic. If not for Mr. Link, we railroad fans would never see these giant steam locomotives on the N&W!!

[@steamgent4592]

I actually met Link in the 1990s on two of the C&O 614 trips. He sure loved seeing steam running again. Leave it to the Steam Loving British to make the best documentary on a man of steam even in the USA. Link made a wonderful contribution to preserving the images of Va and W Va etc in the last days of steam. As he said he even document the people and their way of life. All long gone now just memories in photos and his books and those of others. Anyone know the locomotive and coach he was working on restoring and what happened to them??

[@tom_tractor_trailerscotrai2809]

According to steamlocomotive.com, CP 453 is located at North Fork Lumber in Goshen, VA privately owned, non-operational.

[@peterjhillier7659]

Thank you for sharing this, wonderful, I have most of O Winston Link‘s wonderful Books on the N & W. what a shame they didn’t, save a Y6b, great Engines, a great Railway.

[@tom_tractor_trailerscotrai2809]

In Britain we are building new steam engines of the lost classes. This costs millions obviously and a Y6B would be no different, but the money would come. I think I would travel to the USA to see that!

[@peterjhillier7659]

Tom_Tractor_Trailer scotraildotcodotuk Mind it is a terrible that no McIntosh Dunalistairs nor Pickersgill 113/72 Class Engines were preserved here in Britain.

[@bensmall6548]

At least we have a y6a number 2156.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Man, thanks for sharing a wonderful tribute to O. Winston Link! His amazing, black and white, night time photography using countless, synchronized flashbulbs of the Norfolk & Western's giant steam locomotives in their waning days in the mid to late 1950s, not to mention the people involved in the operation of these engines, was an incredible feat considering the film technology he used. And, his terrific N&W steam tape recordings in mono and even stereo (when it was very new) captured the many different sounds in and around a passing steam powered passenger or heavy freight train hauling hopper cars of coal. Thankfully, these recordings were made available by Link to the general public via 33 and 1/3 records (and later CDs) that are still enjoyed by train enthusiasts to this day. Love the way this documentary brought back to interview some of the people who posed in some of Link's better known black and white N&W steam photos and they discuss what the experience was like.

[@tomschmidt3165]

What a marvelous body of work honoring a one of a kind man.

[@beverlysmith9854]

Wow , this is the best video on Mr Link I have seen. I lived in the Theater located in Iaeger , West Virginia, where the picture was taken. . I had the pleasure as a child of meeting this nice man . He asked my brother and I to help park cars. He mailed a silver dollar for each of us. I wrote to him and received cards and letters over the years. Such a nice man to take time to make us feel important for helping him. So glad he received his recognition for all his work before he passed away.His life's work touched so many.

[@tom_tractor_trailerscotrai2809]

Thanks for taking the time to write this 😊

[@beverlysmith9854]

Your Welcome.

[@StaffsTransport]

Watched this film with my dad many years ago and it really blew me away. Along with Colin T Gifford, Link is a great inspiration to me as a photographer.

[@philismenko]

My great grandfather was a fireman for N&W in 1958, he worked till they laid him off, due to this I currently have a pic from O. Winston hanging next too my bed, a wonderful photographer

[@nickdarsley272]

I remember watching this when it was first broadcast, and it made a big impression on me. When I visited the USA a few years later, I bought the fabulous book of Link's photographs, and I still have it. Thanks for putting this up, it was great to see it again.

[@jcip1]

I've loved Link's work for years but just found this video and purchased another one of his books "Life Along the Line"

[@johniacono3725]

I didn’t know this documentary existed. Thank you for posting it on you tube.

[@fredhaines575]

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES EVER MADE

[@jeremywilcox]

Thank you for posting this. I had it on a Philips 1700 tape that was then transfered to vhs from a 1700 that was in very poor state. Been trying to get on to DVD but very little is watchable even if the underlying quality is good. At least I csn stop worrying that this film is not lost. Will not now worry my upload is going to be so poor for reference when I have finished.

[@iMadeAPromise42]

Talk about bygone eras. No one makes documentaries quite like this anymore.

[@brook8523]

My father has this on VHS. Phenomenal documentary. I’m not a train buff like he is but enjoyed this film immensely.

[@tomroise9426]

Fascinating !

[@troystaten5633]

One of my favorite photographers, Link was a master. Thanks for showing us this video

[@scruttles]

Thank you so very much for this. I am just about reduced to tears watching the beauty of this wonderful record of times gone by. Winston was a true Master of his craft, and we'll never see his like again..

[@benlahrman4149]

Very informative production. treats railroads like a business which they were, MOST railfans treat this industry like playground instead of a legit business atmosphere.

[@alan-sk7ky]

Watched this when it was first broadcast by Channel 4, all those years ago :-)

[@alexpiper9475]

excellent. thank you.

[@johnrose-mh5mc]

As an an amateur photographer in the early 70s I was greatly influenced by this man

[@DanielPRails]

This was an absolutely great documentary. Thanks for posting it.

[@alanbudgen2672]

I remember watching this at the time. Brilliant documentary. I always remember that ending. Thanks for sharing.

[@josephosowski5036]

What a fantastic documentary. Thanks for sharing this!

[@PRRrailfan]

Thank you so much for posting this! Link's work is unbelievable. Thank goodness he had the vision to see that he was capturing truly the end of an era in American history. It's very sad to hear how the end of steam was also the beginning of the end for many of these small towns. The Abingdon branch is at least been revitalized into a beautiful bike trail that attracts many people!

[@JMLoll]

Amazing program! Thanks for sharing!! As I write this, Norfolk Southern is closing the Roanoke Shops.

[@WilliamCrew]

The shops are a ghost town now. A lot of the locomotives in the yard were moved to Junaita

[@TrainFan119]

This was a beautiful film and I always loved his photos good to know more about him and what went into them as well

[@FilmArtBloomingMostRecklessly]

Thank you!

[@frederickrueckert850]

My professor showed us this which started my interest in documentaries. He then showed 1 he worked on (camera) called Burden of Dreams.

[@saber2jumper]

Thank you for this!

[@Train-Sim-Drives-UK]

Thank you for sharing this. Remember watching this when it first came out.

[@chocloditelensman]

This guy was a genius

[@ta455driver]

I'd recorded this programme to but did you watch the sequel programme broadcast of his then wife Conchita's stealing of his photographs and how the authorities came down on her like a ton of bricks. I have that on a VHS tape and will be transferring it to digital when I do a mass transfer of all my old stuff. I'll contact you when I upload it onto my YT site.

[@actioncom2748]

A precursor to a KZbinr, right here!

[@williamschlenger1518]

I've got all his books and photos.I do oil paintings of steam.

[@Sugarmountaincondo]

Steam Locomotive Artwork. The original selling price of the 55-mile Abington Branch in 1960 for $110,000 was a steal ! In today's money that would still only be a little more than $1.1 million.(2023) To rebuild the same branch line in 2023 would cost $55 million+.

[@williamclarke4510]

Link once talked about an attempt to save the Abingdon Branch as a tourist railroad. He was warned "The bridges will kill you.", referring to thet intense maintenance problems with the line's many bridges.

[@richardjayroe8922]

If I recall correctly from two days ago, there is an N&W M class still sitting just outside the transportation museum, but not belonging to it

[@williamclarke4510]

It's M-2c 1151.The VMT owns it. It's one of the so called "Lost Engines" (without tenders) from Virginian Scrap Iron. Years ago you could read some time in 1950 stencillied on the engine's air reservoir. I surmise that they were scrapped right after N&W purchased 30 two year old 0-8-0s from the C&O. The engines were stripped of all usable equipment- air brake equipment, injectors, dynamos, etc since the N&W was still all steam. Three tenders, which had been used in wreck train service and the Chesapeake Western Baldwin diesels came there in the early 1960s. The tender behind the 1151 is one of these.

[@jacksalvin364]

O. Winston Link was a railroad photographer.

[@tom7601]

An American classic.

[@mmandmcb14]

8:43 - Lost Engines of Roanoke

[@RailPreserver2K]

Lost no more all have been saved :)

[@bradkaste324]

The fiddler is playing the “Orange Blossom Special”

[@turbo1438]

38:35 this man can be seen in action on a film called The Modern Coal Burning Locomotive greasing J class locomotives

[@williamclarke4510]

I figured he was a musician. He reminds me of Bo Diddley.

[@stanleytipsword9560]

God bless Mr linc

[@RailPreserver2K]

where can I find the Appalachian Mountain Music they use in this film because I like it a lot but none of the tracks are listed

[@kylemccourt663]

32:31 Interviewer states "so you took pictures of trains, did ya...." Link says, "Pictures of trains???" If ever a tone of voice conveyed the word dumbass😂😂😂

[@KandiKlover]

Lol "pictures"

[@kishascape]

How dareeeeeeeeeeeee he call them pictures and trains.

[@kylemccourt663]

@@kishascape Pictures OF trains... And the point (as anyone who knows Link's work would) is that his work was much more than photographs.

[@markmotter7060]

If I know him he would call that a "just a hardware shot". Calling his work by that description is a considerable disservice.

[@clinthowe7629]

i wonder if the old man living by the tracks who said “that ol, i don’t like that ol” was the man with the smudged face in the old photograph with the other guy standing in the workshop?

[@StaffsTransport]

I think so

[@quaykade]

I saw an exhibition of his in London mid 80s. I wanted to buy the signed print of the train passing the plane on screen at the open air cinema for £500, but my family said no, there are more pressing things to buy. What is the music in the film, Aaron Copland?

[@beverlysmith9854]

I have the original picture. Mr Link sent in to me when I lived in the Drive In. I beleive it's the original because the screen is raised up on the Theater screen.The plane is on the raised surface.

[@sfm_ferguson5033]

WOWWEW

[@1TruNub]

Leave it to a railroad where It's Main Commodity was coal, To give the last hurrah for steam

[@simon26westlands]

What is the violinist background song called does anybody know?

[@austinross1825]

Orange Blossom Special

[@christopherdibble5872]

The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore; not like did back in 1954!

[@davefrompa5334]

The idea of trains running thru people's back yards and the people being okay with it seems surreal, I don't think that would happen today, I remember one case in Florida where some crybaby spent something like a million dollars to ban a railroad's use of Diesel locomotive horns in his community.