Historic WBT&S Videos 

As far as I know, only two videos were ever taken of the Wobbly. It's an honor to have them both here, preserved forever.

The first I acquired was taken by John Frank in about 1958, just a year before the WBTS was shut down. It was taken on Maple Street in Trinity, near the WBT&S Depot and Offices. My sincerest thanks to Mr. Frank for sharing this priceless piece of history.

The second video was taken by none other than Robert W Richardson, Founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum. The CRM has an edited version of it in their collection, but not the original film or negatives. This version was edited by Mr. Richardson some years after his 1946 visit. His ride is detailed in his book "Chasing Trains," an excerpt of which is on this website. Unfortunately, a few of the video clips were in the wrong order. I'm assuming with the passage of time, Bob just put it together wrong when it was edited. Whatever the reason, it was simple to fix now that it's digital. Other than adding a few captions in appropriate areas to help
tell the story and fixing the order of the clips, I made no changes or cuts to the video footage.

Seeing as how this was recorded on 8mm in 1946, there is no sound. So to begin and end the video, I used a piece of music written and performed by Ed Stabler for a 2014 documentary on the Texas State Railroad that we produced together. I think it fits this WBTS video for a few reasons:

1) It's titled "East Texas Train" which certainly applies to the Wobbly.
2) The style of music perfectly fits the subject, IMHO.
3) The last conversation Ed and I had was about the first version of this website I'd just put on line. He was heading to the hospital for a minor surgery and asked me to call him to discuss after he was back... which of course didn't happen. So, this is another way to keep his memory alive.

Some things to note:
-The track conditions clearly indicate why the railroad got its moniker: Wobbly, Bobbly, Turnover & Stop
-The radiator is steaming in nearly every shot you can see it
-Check out the lady with the cell phone at 10:45

I strive for complete accuracy, so corrections are welcomed and appreciated.

Enjoy!

Jason Rose
RioGrandeExplorations.net
WBTSrailway.net

To contribute photos & stories, please contact Jason Rose at: Jason (at) RioGrandeExplorations (dot) net

John Frank's Video - ~1958