This dvd is a visual treat for electric traction fans! I didn't know all that much about the Key System, and being an electric enthusiast, I really wanted to know more. This video shows an incredible array of equipment starting with horsecars, cable cars, center entrance cars, bridge cars and the second hand IRT elevated cars. If you are history oriented, then you will enjoy it even more due to its documentary style format. Not only are there trains, but you will see many ferries of varying designs, as well as WWII aircraft carriers and other types of naval vessels. There's also short tours of Treasure Island and the hotels built by the Key System. There's a tour of the Richmond Shipyard Railway utilizing 60-year old NYC elevated cars, and how they had to be adapted by shop personnel to operate on the RSR. This video has a lot of narration; perhaps a bit too much, but I guess they wanted to get in as much information as possible. Some of the video is also set to period music. It's pure eye-candy for the traction fan.

Additional remarks by Jeffrey Ornstein:
Narration: A little bit too much.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? Definitely.

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For openers, it contains groundbreaking display of the Richmond Shipyard Railway. Extensive footage of the construction and operating scenes of the RSR are included in this 62 minute video. There are scenes of the delivery and preparation of the NYC el cars inside the Emeryville Shops as well. Quite a bit of footage of the construction of the ROW including the driving the wooden pilings for the SP overcrossing, hanging and aligning the viaduct pieces over the SP themselves, and so on. Once in operation, we are treated to several scenes along the ROW up in Richmond, even including operation where it paralleled the SP mainline (now 580). There's a story shown of a Bridge Unit that went off route but didn't derail due to a misaligned switch off San Pablo. It turned into a tight streetcar only loop. The video footage includes preparation and then pulling it back out of the loop. Also quite a bit of footage of the various Key System ferries including the Peralta, with a few shots on the San Francisco side thrown in. One shot of lower Market Street shows the front of the Ferry Building with a Key System Banner hanging down, advertising ferry service to the Exposition. Only a few scenes are stills, thrown in to help keep in context as it moves along. A few animated maps here and there as well, and then everything else is converted film footage. In this video, the narrator actually stops to breath every once inawhile. There is on board footage from the front looking out on the H Line, and the RSR, among others. All in all, definitely a must have. In fact I look forward to Scrapbook #2.


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