"TWILIGHT OF STEAM"
Audio Recordings
Below are several audio recordings that include the sounds of the Buffalo Creek & Gauley, the ERC&L logging operation or both. All of these are in my collection so I have provided a relatively complete explanation of their content. The BC&G material from these are included in the "SOUNDS OF THE BC&G and ERC&L" CD above.
"BC&G" - This 9" 33 1/3 rpm vinyl recording (about 30 total minutes) was published by the Railroad Record Club of Hawkins, WI. The publication date of the record is unknown. This is the only recording I'm aware of that is 100% BC&G. Side 1 includes #14 at Dundon, passing through Cressmont, and switching at Widen. Side 2 includes #14 departing Dundon in the rain, Shay #19 and #14 with NYC 5-chime whistle.
"VOICE OF THE IRON HORSE" - This 12" 33 1/3 rpm vinyl recording was published by Associated Four Productions. The publication date is unknown. One entire side of this recording is BC&G, about 20 minutes. Included are segments of #4 at the interchange and departing Dundon, a short piece of #14 departing Dundon, and #4 working the final miles to WIden.
"BC&G"
"VOICE OF THE IRON HORSE"
"WHISTLING THROUGH DIXIE"
"BUFFALO CREEK & GAULEY 2-8-0 No. 14" - This CD was produced by Richard S. Carter and documents a day in the life of #14. It was recorded November 25, 1963, just weeks before the mine closed. Only 3 more trips to Widen were run after this recording was made! The action begins with #14 leaving Dundon with 72 cars, then the train is captured passing through Cressmont and finally is heard switching at Widen. Richard then caught the train leaving Widen, through Cressmont again and finally passing the shops on the way to the interchange.
Richard Carter was a friend of Cody Burdette and it was Cody that worked with Richard's wife to make this recording available. See below for the story of the making of this CD as told by Bruce Saylor. Total length of this recording is about 65 minutes.
"WHISTLING THROUGH DIXIE" - This 12" 33 1/3 rpm record was produced by Mobile Fidelity of Burbank, California. The publication date is unknown as it does not appear on the record or jacket. There is only one cut on this recording of the BC&G. In that cut, recorded in the summer of 1960, #4 is captured leaving the shops and backing to the interchange. In another scene the engine is heard from about a mile away approacing Widen. The final scene of the cut is #4 departing Swandale. Total recording is about 11 minutes.
"TWILIGHT OF STEAM" - This 12" 33 1/3 rpm record was producded by Mobile Fidelity of Burbank, California and the jacket promotes it as "...the thrilling audio companion to the exciting and controversial deluxe hard cover edition (book) entitled "The Twilight of Steam". The publication date is unknown as it does not appear on the record or jacket. There is only one brief cut on this recording of the BC&G, but it is a fascinating one. In the 5 minute track, the sounds of #14 whistling off is heard, followed by the sounds of the coupler runout of the 50 cars racing toward the caboose where the microphone was positioned. It is a very spectacular piece of railroad memorabilia.
"SOUNDS Of The BC&G and ERC&L" - This is a collection of audio recordings of most of the BC&G and ERC&L engines including #4, #13, #14 and #19. The recordings were compiled by Brooks Stover and professionally editied. The recordings were taken from the 33 1/3 rpm records described below, plus two other sources. Sounds from both sides of a unique record made as a gift to Theodore Burdette that includes recordings from inside the cab of #19 with Theodore at the controls are included. Theodore's son, Cody, made this unique record available for duplicating.
Also included is a 60 second audio track from a Charleston TV news piece on the last run from Swandale in 1965.
All together these are the best audio tracks of the BC&G that I'm aware of!! Total length of this recording is 80 minutes.
"SOUNDS OF STEAM"
"SOUND OF STEAM" - Ryan Hoover of Ohio indicates that this record, produced in 1966 by North Jersey Recordings (by Paul Briggs) includes two tracks of BC&G steam. They include engines #4 and #13, the latter on the last trip out of Widen with 70 empties in December 1963. A CD is available for $14.99 from Daylight Sales at www.daylightsales.com.
Bruce Saylor has provide this wonderful account of the making of the "Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-0 #14" CD. Thanks so much to Bruce for sharing this detailed picture of railfanning on the BC&G! Every BC&G fan wishes he could have shared the experience with you! Rich and Bruce were friends from age 15 and chased steam in the east and south.
"I was with Richard Carter when this original tape was made on an old Roberts tape recorder. When we arrived at Widen Rich had to remount the motor of the recorder. The Jeep bounced everything apart. That cover shot was taken by me as Rich did the recording. It was his camera. I had an 8 mm movie camera but no film...used it up on the ET&WNC. We were not sure if the BC&G was going to run or not.
We left home near Norristown, PA, in my 1962 CJ-5 Jeep pulling a 6-foot stke body trailer. A tarp had been nailed to the top and we had sleeping bags and air mattresses inside. We were gone a week. It took more than a day to get to the ET&WNC and spent several days there recording and filming. We then went to Dundon to see if the railroad was running. We saw the 14 with hoses dropped and the engine was dead cold. We thought it was done. Next morning after a cold night in the trailer we got back to the railroad and were surprised to see the crew getting it ready to make the run to Widen. We dropped the trailer and made ready for the day of chasing.
After doing all the shifting in Dudnon she left for WIden. We chased the train to every spot we could find. We finally arrived in Widen and ran back and forth as the 14 shoved cars 10 at a time up beyond the mine load building. As it was winding up the day it went and turned the loco. On the return trip to get the train ready to go back to Dundon it derailed the 3rd and 4th drivers. Knowing that sound you can hear on the tape, my voice to Rich, "he derailed it". After rerailing the loco and puttting in a short piece of rail they were back in operation. We chased it back down until the day's end. We hooked up the trailer and went to sleep.
Next morning with the trailer on the Jeep we headed home. When near home, about 25 miles out, I had $.35 in my pocket. Rich had none. I figured I had enough gas to return home so we bought and split a burger and drink and made it home. The day there was a very memorable one. I can still see the train running...all 72 cars! What a trip. It was one to remember. I have a copy of the CD and play it every once in a while just to raise the goose bumps all over me!"
THESE TWO CDs ARE CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK. There are no plans to produce more copies at this time.
