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Machines of Iron
A railroad video and DVD producer with a link to railroad history
Machines of Iron owner and
founder Charley Whitcomb not
only has a deep interest in trains
Dating back to his childhood, he
is distantly related to a man who started a
company that manufactured locomotives.
Charley’s grew up in the Chicago suburb of
Evanston with the trains of the Chicago &
Northwestern on one side and the Chicago
Transit Authority rapid transit on the other, his
interest in railroads began
to grow and would later
become both an avocation
and vocation.
Meanwhile, a large
theater, a music department, a radio studio and
television studios at
Evanston Township High
School gave Charley
another passion.
Charley’s professional
television career began in
1967 at the University of
Illinois where he was a
technical director and editor. After a two year
break for military service in Vietnam, he was
co-founder of Mediatech, a post production
service company in Chicago.
Charley worked for several media firms in
both Chicago and Washington, D.C., before
moving to the Los Angeles area in 1976 when
his career took off as a TV editor working in
Hollywood as a TV editor. His credits ranged
from sitcoms to the Whoopie Goldberg talk
show, and he was recognized for his work
editing national commercials for a number of
national auto, beer, food, airline and computer
companies.
Despite his success, as time went on ,
Charley sought something more fulfilling that
would allow him to pursue his interest in
railroading. Responding to an ad in the Hollywood Reporter, he was hired by
a railroad
video production company as an editor/
producer . Joined by his bride Diane, who share his love for railroads, he
wrote scripts,
developed sound effects for the tapes and shot
programs.
In 1997, Charley and Diane decided to
strike out on their own, creating Machines of
Iron, an endeavor that allowed them to work
together on something that they both loved
doing.
Sadly, Diane became ill in July 1999 and
passed away four months later. However, her
sprit is very much alive in
Machines of Iron today
and many of her thoughts
on design and narration
are reflected in the current
productions. Her memory
is honored in the closing
credits of every program.
As for Charley’s genetic
link to the railroad industry, he is a distant relative
of George Dexter
Whitcomb, founder of the
Whitcomb Locomotive
Works. And Machines of
Iron is situated in Glendora, Calif., a town that
George founded.
Charley has dispatched crews all North
America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa to
obtain material. The current catalog for Machines of Iron includes not only
railroad
programs but also tapes and DVD's on historic
steam farm tractors.
Charley continues to develop new programs,
fielding crews and using the latest technology
to make the finest tapes and DVD's possible.
“Diane wouldn’t have it any other way,” he
says..
Contact Information
Machines of Iron
P.O. Box 2288
Glendora, CA 91740
1-888-203-9330
www.machinesofiron.net
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