THE SUPERHEATED TV COMMERCIAL

I WHEN the slogan "Pontiac Pours It On!" was developed for announcement of 1962 Pontiacs last year, agency ad men confessed that it "immediately suggested the excitement, power, and momentum created by an old-fashioned steam engine," and gave them an idea for a TV commercial. So they looked around for a railroad that could meet their production requirements. Advance models of the 1962 Pontiac were restricted to the Pontiac (Mich.) area, so a location site would have to be in that vicinity. The railroad should have a twotrack stretch of line with attractive surrounding countryside; and a steam engine would have to be available. The perfect answer: Grand Trunk Western. GTW slicked up four flats, a caboose, and its 4-8-4 No. 6323 (retired shortly after and sold to a railfan), and on July 22-24 a film company moved in to shoot the $20,000 commercial. A photographic crew of 10 and a supporting cast of 10 models and a piano aided the star. But when the finished product was viewed on living-room screens last fall, to some it was a moot question as to just who the star was. I

WHAT would Chopin have thought of this?

7 CHEVY pickup was rigged for running shots; photo crew also utilized platform on tank.

KOREAN ELECTRIFICATION: The 22-mile Seoul-Inchon line of the Korean National Railways is slated for A.C. catenary overhead. As part of a 1962-67 five-year plan, 47 million dollars will be spent for electrification in the next 12 months. This will include overhead construction, rolling stock, and a modern electric power plant. To this end, a 15-member inspection team recently visited Japan where A.C. electrification has proven highly successful. The visitors could actually watch overhead being constructed or ride JNR lines that boasted the finished product. Korea's inspection party also visited rolling stock manufacturers where host was anxious to please guest.

Total amount to be spent in the fiveyear plan: 633 million dollars.

BRAND-NEW INTERURBAN: The Japanese National Railways had been operating M.U. electric trains 71 miles between Tokyo and Ito on the Izu peninsula. Passengers bound for shore points south of Ito were forced to endure a bus ride. No more!

The Izu Express Railway Company, a newly constructed subsidiary of the capital city's well-known Tokyu Express Railway Company, recently inaugurated fast electric interurban service between Ito and Shimoda, a distance of 27 miles, using Tokyu-built two-tone "Hawaiian blue" M.U. cars. JNR's semi-express M.U.'s from Tokyo via the resort town of Atami also operate over the line, making the total 98-mile run in 2 hours 50 minutes. The through service is available once a day and twice on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. On a shorter haul interline basis three Hawaiian blues daily operate from Atami to Shimoda. As for the interurban itself, 24 trains a day burnish the rails between terminals. Freight service, though not now much in evidence, will be encouraged. One distinctive feature of the new operation- and rare on Japan's interurbans is the offering of a first-class reclining-seat service.

BUSINESS IS GOOD: The New Zealand Railways has released the pleasant news that its freight business between April 1 and October 7, 1961, increased by 116,419 tons over a similar 1960 period. Ton-miles rose by an encouraging 5.3 per cent, mostly in general freight, although coal traffic on South Island improved by nearly 13,000 Continued on page 15