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Have enjoyed all 3 DVD's on the Key System. The historical and visual coverage has given me a good deal of info on the subject. Seeing the Oakland Bge for the first time only in February this year, raised my interest in the Key System, and the film taken both on the bridge and at the SF Terminal was just great to see.Pity the system didn't survive to a time when it's recognised the motor car isn't the answer to transport needs.

Additional remarks by rojo:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

Only one mention of the end of the line at 105th Ave., but no film footage of that area. There was street car turn around at E14th and 104th Ave. built in the late 1940s.
I was very disappointed there was no footage of that.

Additional remarks by Howard:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value: Overpriced for the amount of enjoyment I got out of it.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

Charles Smiley Videos are the best! They provide a lot of factual information about the subject, and the maps are very helpful in telling the complete story. I have learned a great deal from these programs that would otherwise require an huge amount of research.

Additional remarks by Carl Sonner:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? Definitely.

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.

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.