CHAD O CONNER
A STEAM DRIVEN MAN



The first steam engine Chad O'Connor built was a horizontal steam engine model. From that auspicious beginning, Chad O'Connor's interest in steam power led him to become one of the world's renowned authorities. He's built or reconstructed his own operating steamboat, automobile, truck, and locomotive. He designed and built steam power plants for the City of Pasadena, one of which was the most efficient for its size in the country. Of all the different steam powered devices Chad worked with, his favorites were steam locomotives, and he loved to film them with his 16mm camera. He constructed a fluid head mount in order to get smoother shots of the passing trains, and was using this setup at the Glendale Station when a fellow train watcher asked to try it out. It was Walt Disney, and before long every Disney field camera sported an O'Connor fluid head camera mount. This invention earned Chad the first of his two Academy Awards. When Congress decided to fund construction of two locomotives for the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah, it was O'Connor they turned to. Perfectly operating recreations of the Jupiter and No. 119 were the result. He's rebuilt over a dozen steam locomotives, and still has his hand in their refurbishment, because he knows how to get the job done right. Interviews with Mr. O'Connor and highlights from his vintage film collection bring this engaging video to life. You'll see him at his workshop and view the classic steam locomotives he recorded on film, including a Shay, Climax, Daylight, and his Porter. It's a wonderful story for all to enjoy! 38 Minutes In Color with Appropriate Stereo Sound and Narration Packaged in Colorful Cardboard Slipcase Produced by Pentrex 1997

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