Category: Tommy Johnson

May 2016 Rail Flicks by Tommy Johnson

May 20, 2016 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

central-kentucky-rails-7The following is the description that is included on the DVD case for this video, Central Kentucky Rails.  I will let that suffice for a list of the highlights pertinent to this production and I will add my comments afterwards.

Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State and there is so much to see and enjoy. With state-of-the-art camera equipment, our crews have traveled throughout much of the central part of Kentucky searching for the wide variety of incredible action that can be found here. CSX and Norfolk Southern are the major players in this region and plenty of heavy-duty action was filmed from both railroads. In addition, the regional RJ Corman Railroad is highlighted, including their dinner train powered by classic FP7s. We caught everything from ground-shaking ballast trains to the more commonly found auto, manifest, & intermodal freights that polish the rails daily. It’s always an incredible sight to watch new CSX power in La Grange trundling down the middle of a downtown street right past 130 year old buildings! Long steel trestles are common too and we caught several trains crossing these impressive structures. The Paducah & Louisville was captured performing switching duties. Some of Union Pacific’s SD90MAC locomotives found a new home on the Norfolk Southern and we caught some of them in action for you to enjoy. We finish our exciting program chasing trains from 2 different operating train museums in the area. Shot in the late spring of 2015, this is one show you don’t want to miss. This is Central Kentucky Rails!

Pentrex once set the standard for RR videos but in my opinion their quality has been surpassed by several newcomers in the industry.  Most new RR video products are coming out in wide screen format, which is a far superior way to present the action than is the old fashioned full screen mode, but this one still uses the 4:3 aspect ratio.  That is strike one against this video.

The image quality is only “average” and that is not so much a matter of Pentrex quality declining; it is a case of the competition getting better.

The use of maps in this video is a joke.  A plain blue background with black lines representing the route and black dots representing the towns constitute the “maps” used.  It is like using stick figures to represent people.

Another disappointment to me was that we did not get a view of the inside of the RJ Corman Dinner Train.  It would have been nice to see what the dining car looked like from the passenger perspective.

Title Central Kentucky Rails
Producer Pentrex
Format DVD
Playing Time 2 hrs.
Purchased From Pentrex.com
Date Purchased 4/19/16
Price Paid $29.95 + $6.00 shipping

April 2016 Rail Flicks by Tommy Johnson

April 22, 2016 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

Title: Through the Oregon Cascades
Part 1: The Long Grade
Producer: 7idea Productions
Format: DVD Wide Screen
Playing Time: 2 hours 35 Minutes
Purchased From: Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased: 3/28/16
Price Paid $26.49

While I would not classify this DVD as a “must have,” it is a very good one. It would make a nice addition to your collection of RR videos. The viewing time is 2 hours and 35 minutes and there is plenty of railroad action amid the backdrop of the gorgeous mountain scenery of the Oregon Cascades.

The viewer would expect excellent quality videography since this is a 7idea Productions offering; he would not be disappointed. This video is in wide screen format and that very much enhances our view of the natural beauty and the railroad action contained in this video.

We travel southward in this video from Eugene, OR, to Cascade Summit over the 46 mile long Brooklyn Sub and then the 40 mile long Cascade Sub. The Brooklyn Sub has only gentle grades but the Cascade Sub has an overall 1.8% grade which southbound trains must climb. A total of 4458 feet of elevation is gained from Eugene to Cascade Summit.

The Coast Starlight appears in many scenes in this video, sometimes northbound and sometimes southbound. We also see oil trains, double stacks, and mixed manifest trains.

We see a rail grinder in action on Salt Creek Trestle and the sparks look like fireworks. Salt Creek Trestle is the only trestle we see but there are a series of tunnels along the route.

Throughout the video are views so typical of the Pacific Northwest: coniferous trees standing in the mountain mist with rain dripping from their needles.

Rail Flicks by Thommy Johnson: EMDs in the Rockies Volume 1, The East End

April 2, 2016 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson, Videos

Title – Montana Rail Link, EMDs in the Rockies Volume 1, The East End
Producer – C. Vision Productions
Format – DVD Wide Screen
Playing Time – 2 hrs.
Purchased From – Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased – 3/3/16
Price Paid – $26.95

Yes, my fellow Chapter members, yet another Montana Rail Link video review. Sorry, but I had short notice that we were going to resume my reviews and this is the best I can do for this month.

I have videos on the MRL by Pentrex, by Plets Express, by 7idea Productions, by Highball Productions, and now by C. Vision Productions. That might give you the impression that the Montana Rail Link is one of my favorite railroads. Yep, it is.

This is Volume 1, which covers the eastern half of the MRL, as the title indicates. MRL mainline Subdivisions 1 and 2 are included but we also see some of subdivisions 5, 6, and 13. We travel west from Jones Junction, the eastern terminus of the MRL, to Helena, MT, the western end of Subdivision 2.

Some of the geographic features we encounter are: the Yellowstone River, Bozeman Pass, Winston Hill, and Jefferson Canyon, a truly beautiful location.

The MRL put some SD-45’s back into service in 2014 and these are seen in action in this video.

C. Vision did a fantastic job in producing this video. Montana’s beautiful scenery is presented in wide screen format with top notch video quality. The railroad action is good with a variety of freight behind those gorgeous locomotives proudly displaying their deep blue MRL livery. Maps are used to keep the viewer aware of his location along the route and the narration keeps him informed about the action he is watching. I cannot think of any way that this video could have been improved. I highly recommend it.

I guarantee you that I will be purchasing Volume 2 when it becomes available.

Tom’s DVD of the Month Review September 21, 2015

September 19, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

Title Cascade Snow Fighters
Producer 7 Idea Productions
Format DVD
Playing Time 1 hr. 5 min.
Purchased From Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased 8/17/15
Price Paid $26.95

We get the usual high quality videography that 7 Idea Productions is known for in this DVD. The video was shot in widescreen format which makes the scenery even more impressive as we watch snow removal activities on the Union Pacific’s Cascade Sub in Oregon. Some of the scenes go back as far as 2004 and some are as recent as this 2013.

We see Nordco M7 snow fighters, flangers, and Jordan spreaders in operation. The Nordco M7 has a blade on one end and a snow blower on the opposite end. It is powered by a supercharged Cummins six cylinder diesel engine. There are 16.5 feet blades on either side to push the snow away from the tracks.

Flangers, of course, are similar to cabooses with belly blades to remove the snow from between the rails. There are some nice scenes from a nighttime cab ride in a locomotive pulling a flanger.

Jordan spreaders are the last line of defense on the Cascade Sub and are put to use when the snow is too deep for the M7s or the flangers. There is some very good spreader action and we even get a cab ride.

The excellent snow removal action, the beautiful scenery, and the high quality widescreen image make this video a keeper.

August 2015 Railflicks with Tom Johnson

September 10, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

flicks

This video takes us to Minneapolis-St. Paul in the spring of 1970 and to Chicago for scenes from 1966-1970.  We see many of the long gone railroads that we remember from our younger days and some that we never heard of.

In the MSP area are: Soo Line; Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern; Burlington Northern; Chicago & Northwestern; Rock Island, and Milwaukee Road.

In the Chicago area we will see: B&O; Belt Railway of Chicago; Burlington Northern, Canadian National; C&O; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Chicago & Northwestern; Chicago Great Western; Chicago River & Indiana; Chicago, South Shore & South Bend; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Erie Lackawana; Pennsylvania; Grand Trunk Western; Great Northern; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Illinois Central; Indiana Harbor Belt; L&N; Northern Pacific; Seaboard Coast Line; Soo Line; Wabash; and the earliest days of Amtrak.

Not much needs to be said about this video.  Reading the list of railroads that will appear in the video should stir something inside the hearts of rail fans.  This DVD gives us a good look at old locomotive types that were commonly used in the late sixties and early seventies, including some Fairbanks Morse, Baldwin, GP series, SD series, and U series.  Seeing the old locomotives proudly wearing the paint schemes of those long gone railroads is a trip back in time.

The image quality is representative of the technology of the time but is still good enough to make it a joy to watch this video.

I think you will like this one.

June 2015 Rail Flicks with Tom Johnson

June 10, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

junerailflicks

 

Title Indiana Harbor Belt and Belt Railway of Chicago and Blue Island, IL Hot Spot
Producer Machines of Iron
Format DVD
Playing Time 1 hr.
Purchased From Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased 5/14/13
Price Paid $23.95

The IHB is the largest beltline railroad in the United States.  It stretches forty miles from the NW suburbs of Chicago, IL, to Gary, IN, and has three major yards: the Michigan Avenue yard in East Chicago, IN, serving the steel industry; the Gibson Yard in Hammond, IN, switching auto racks exclusively; and the heart of the IHB, the Blue Island Hump Yard in Riverdale, IL, with 44 tracks where 1700 cars per day are humped.

Sixty percent of the IHB’s business consists of service to local customers in NW Indiana and Chicago, with half of that being steel-related.  The other 40% is serving to connect other railroads.

The first 50 minutes of this video is dedicated to the IHB, leaving very little time for the Belt Railway of Chicago.  Since the IHB is the largest beltline railway in the U.S., it is appropriate that so much of this video involved the telling of their story.

This is a very good video for anyone interested in the operation of a beltline railway.  Yours truly will never understand why so many RR videos are produced without maps, and this one falls into that category.  It would have been nice to see where we were at any given time in relation to Downtown Chicago and in relation to other locations covered in this video.

In summary, this is a very good in-depth look at the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad that could have been even better with the use of maps.

Tom’s Rail Flicks for May 2015

May 20, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

railflicks

Tom’s DVD of the Month Review
Title Into the Desert!  BNSF’s Transcon Fullerton to Cadiz
Producer RailTrek Media
Format DVD Wide Screen
Playing Time 1 hr. 52 min.
Purchased From Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased 4/17/15
Price Paid $23.95

 

This is a very good video.  The eastward journey starts in the Los Angeles area on the San Bernardino Sub and continues over the Cajon Sub and into the western part of the Needles Sub.  Our journey ends at Cadiz, CA.  This route sees 100 trains a day!

Points of interest along the way include Fullerton, San Bernardino, Cajon Pass, Barstow, Ash Hill, Siberia, and sections of old Route 66.  The desert scenery is great and the train action is plentiful.

The producer uses Google Earth to show the viewer the route and the topography that will be encountered.  The video was shot in wide screen format and the image quality is very good.  It looks like RailTrek Media is going to be a reliable producer of railroad videos.  This is my third video of theirs and they have all been good ones.

This one should be in your collection.

Rail Flicks: Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard

January 17, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

railflicks

Tom’s DVD of the Month Review
Title Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard
Producer Highball Productions
Format DVD Wide Screen
Playing Time 1 hr 50 min
Purchased From Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased 11/23/14
Price Paid $19.95

 

This review will be short and sweet.  Well, short and not so sweet.

If you are thinking about buying this one, my advice is to save your money.

The first part of the video we are riding along on a tour bus with a UP employee describing what we are supposed to be seeing, but the problem is we are NOT seeing the things he is talking about.  I guess the people on the bus might be able to see what he is talking about but the viewer of the video is not able to see it.

Too much of the video is shot at ground level and the viewer can only see what is in the foreground.  The second part of the video is virtually devoid of narration.

The image quality is not very good.

I was very anxious to learn some things about Bailey Yard, but I learned almost nothing from watching this video.  I had a hard time watching the whole thing and I kept checking to see how much more was left.

Skip this one!

Rail Flicks: Across Arizona: BNSF’s Arizona Mainline Part 1

January 7, 2015 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

railflicks

Tom’s DVD of the Month Review
Title Across Arizona BNSF’s Arizona Mainline Part 1
Producer 7idea Productions
Format DVD Wide Screen
Playing Time 1 hr 48 min
Purchased From Trainvideodepot.com
Date Purchased 6/25/14
Price Paid $27.95

This video was shot in April and May of 2014 and covers 200 miles of the Seligman Sub of the BNSF mainline. We travel eastward from Needles, CA, to Williams Junction, AZ.

A very good three dimensional map is included near the beginning of the video so that the viewer gets a clear picture of the route he will travel and the topography that will be encountered along the way. The low point on the Seligman is 456’ above sea level at the east end of Topock, just east of the Colorado River which is the boundary between California and Arizona. The right of way reaches to 7300’ above sea level just west of Flagstaff but our tour stops short of that in Part 1.

We are treated to some triple track action at Needles with a train on each track.

The wide screen format, excellent image quality, beautiful desert scenery, and good train action make this a very good video.

May 2014 – The Prez Sez by Tom Johnson

May 16, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments The Prez Sez, Tommy Johnson

Hello fellow Chapter members.  I hope this edition of the Pennyrail finds you all in good health and eager for another chapter meeting.  Remember, the meeting is in Hopkinsville this month, as it always is in May.  I hope to see all of you at the depot in “Hoptown” at 7:00 PM May 19th.  Bill Ferrell is going to grill for us again as he did last year.

The April meeting was a big success.  Dave Millen was given the floor for the discussion portion of the meeting and he told us the story of his grandfather’s train wreck at Earlington in March of 1905.  Thank you, Dave.  That was certainly interesting.

For the entertainment portion of the meeting, Gary Ostlund was kind enough to bring his slide presentation on the subject of the Bullet Train in Japan and tell us about his personal experience riding that train in the late 1960s.  Gary also joined the Chapter that night.  So, welcome to the Chapter, Gary, and thank you for the interesting presentation.

Matt tells me that he is not getting any suggestions as to subjects for the discussion portion of our meetings.  Come on, Folks, most of you thought it was a good idea to devote ten or fifteen minutes of each meeting to a discussion on a subject of interest that had been suggested by a member.  Well then, give Matt some ideas.  Submit those ideas by Emailing Matt at the Chapter Email address.  info@westkentuckynrhs.org .

The Chapter took possession of Chuck’s projector at the April meeting and we asked Wally to take it home with him until we figured out where we are going to keep it.  Chuck pointed out that there are specific instructions on how to start up and shut down the projector that should be followed to maximize bulb life.

We had three trains during the meeting time!  We were all very happy about that.  Am I the only one who thinks it is strange that adults jump up in the middle of a meeting and run out onto the platform to watch a train go by?  Strange, maybe, but FUN!

I guess that’s it for now.  See you at the depot in Hopkinsville!

 

Your Prez

Tom Johnson

Rail Flicks: Chicago Odyssey Volume 2

May 16, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

railflicks

What a trip down memory lane! This footage was shot before all the mergers occurred and while we still had the railroads that we older folks remember from our youth. The date range for the scenes in this video is from 1962 to 1973 and the location, as the title implies, is Chicago and outlying areas. The image quality for this video is what you would expect considering the technology of the times or maybe even a little better than you would expect.

I’m sure I will not remember all of the fallen flag railroads represented in this video but we get at least glimpses of the following:

Grand Trunk Western
Chicago Burlington & Quincy
Chicago & North Western
B&O
C&O
Penn Central
Burlington Northern
Rock Island
Milwaukee Road
Santa Fe
Gulf Mobile & Ohio
Illinois Central

We see pre-Amtrak passenger cars in their familar old paint schemes from the Santa Fe, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and CB&Q.
We also get a look at some Indiana Harbor Belt action and some Chicago South Shore and South Bend footage.
An added treat is getting to see those classic cars from the 60s and 70s in many of the scenes.
Train spotting must have been a whole lot more insteresting back in the days before all the mergers. You will enjoy this DVD set and I recommend it highly.
Producer: Green Frog Productions
Purchased From : Greenfrog.com
Format: 2 DVD set
Date Purchased: 4/14/14
Playing Time: 2 Hrs. 30 Min.
Price Paid: $12.98

April 2014 The Prez Sez

April 16, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments The Prez Sez, Tommy Johnson

by Tom Johnson, Chapter President

Greetings to all chapter members and friends!

Our March meeting was another good one. We had fifteen people in attendance and we all enjoyed ourselves.
One of my goals for this year was accomplished at the March meeting, namely the purchase of a back-up overhead projector that we can use for slide presentations and for times when the old unit in the Depot doesn’t want to work. We voted to buy Chuck Hinrichs’ projector for $250. The motion was passed with a unanimous vote.

We have some details to work out as far as where the unit will be kept. We may have the means to lock it up safely at the Depot between meetings.

The subject for discussion at the March meeting was “Why did the IC RR continue to use steam locomotives on their coal trains in western Kentucky so long after other railroads had gone to diesel-electrics exclusively?”

Someone said that they believed that the continuing use of steam was just a manifestation of the IC’s tendency to use equipment until it was “used up.” Someone even said the IC believed equipment should be used until it is worn out and then re-built and used again. Another reason put forth was that the IC had that excellent roundhouse and shop in Paducah where steam locomotives could be totally rebuilt. Investments in the steam locomotive fleet had been made as late as the 1940s and even the early 1950s, so the fleet was in good shape in the mid 1950s.

Whatever their reasons, your Old Prez is grateful to the IC that they kept those steam locomotives running as long as they did because that allowed me to see them in action “up close and personal” when I spent summers with my grandmother in 1958, 1959, and 1960. Her house was only 100 feet from the tracks on the “Old Line” that ran from Dawson Springs to Central City. Those locomotives were something I will never forget.

I ask you chapter members again to please submit your ideas for the discussion part of our meetings. You submit those ideas by emailing Matt Gentry at the Chapter Email address, info@westkentuckynrhs.org. Ideas are used on a first come first served basis.
Hey, a few chapter members have been getting together over the last few weeks and going train spotting. It has not worked out so that I could go but I have been asked several times and I appreciate it. Maybe one of these days I will be able to go. If you would like to be included when some of the members are going train spotting, just let it be known that you would like to be asked; I’m sure you would be welcome.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing all of you at the next meeting on April 21, 2014.

March 2014 The Prez Sez

March 11, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments The Prez Sez, Tommy Johnson

By Tom Johnson, Chapter President

Greetings, fellow chapter members!

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone Monday night, March 17, 2014 at the depot for our monthly meeting.

We had a real good February meeting with Steve Miller presenting a power point program on railroad signal interpretation.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the program and I think we all learned some things.  There were some good discussions during the presentation with people citing local examples of many of the signal situations included in the program.

We had good attendance.  I counted 18 but the sign-up sheet only showed 17; I guess someone forgot to sign-in.

The discussion segment of the meeting was on the subject of “foreign power” and several folks contributed good information.

It seems that lots of you like the idea of devoting a few minutes of our meetings to discussion on a particular topic.  Each and every one of you is encouraged to submit ideas for these discussions to Matt Gentry.  Matt will announce the topic in the newsletter so that members will have time to do a little research on the subject ahead of the meeting.  Subjects will be chosen on a first come, first served basis when more than one suggestion is submitted.  The “official” way to submit an idea is to Email it to Matt.  If you don’t “do” Emails, let me know your idea and I will Email Matt for you.

Remember, we are not trying to make this the main “entertainment” for the meetings, just a feature where we spend maybe 15 minutes on the topic that has been chosen.

Hope to see all of you Monday night!

March 2014 Rail Flicks

March 11, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

railflicks

The Kootenai River Sub of the BNSF Railway stretches from Sandpoint, ID, on the west to Whitefish, MT, on the east.   This is the only railroad video that I am aware of that covers this trackage.  The next sub to the west is covered in 7idea Production’s “The Funnel BNSF Railway’s Spokane Sub” and the next sub to the east is covered in their “Marias Pass BNSF Railway’s Hi Line Sub.”

In this video we travel timetable east from Sandpoint but we head north to Bonners Ferry, ID, before turning southeast to follow the Kootenai River for 60 miles.  We leave the Kootenai River east of Libby, MT, at a place called Jennings, MT, and begin the 1% climb through the Salish Mountains up to the Flathead Tunnel.  It is a downhill run from the east portal of the tunnel to Whitefish, MT.

The scenes in this video were shot in the winter, summer, and fall of 2013.  The fall scenes are especially beautiful because of the western larch, with their needles turned a brilliant gold, interspersed with the evergreen fir trees.  The western larch is a deciduous conifer, which means that even though it is a cone-bearing tree and has needles, it sheds its needles in the fall.

A map of the sub is shown early in the video but there are no more references to the map throughout the remaining two hours of the video, which is somewhat disconcerting.  Unfortunately, this shortcoming is common among RR videos, and many of them make no use of maps at all.

On five different trains shown in the video we see CSX power in the lash-ups along with the BNSF locomotives.  Those CSX locos were sure a long way from home trackage!  We see doubles stacks, unit grain trains, unit coal trains, and unit crude oil trains as we work our way across the sub.

When the Libby dam was built to form the Koocanusa Reservoir, 59 miles of track had to be re-located, which required the boring of the Flathead Tunnel.  The narrator points out that 20% of the cost of the Libby Dam project was the money spent to bore this seven mile long tunnel, the second longest RR tunnel in the U.S., the longest being the Cascade Tunnel in Washington.  The Flathead Tunnel was completed in 1970.

This is a very entertaining video and has the high quality wide screen videography that 7idea Productions in known for.  The scenery is very appealing and the railroad action is good.   I recommend this video.

February 2014, The Prez Sez

February 14, 2014 Jim Pearson No Comments Tommy Johnson

By Tom Johnson, Chapter President

Greetings, fellow Chapter members!

I think we got off to a pretty good start for 2014 with our January meeting.  We had sixteen members present, which is a decent turn-out for us.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the video that was shown, Santa Fe 3751 Return to Steam, and those egg salad and ham salad sandwiches that the “First Lady” made for our refreshments were a big hit.

It seemed that the idea of having a discussion for each meeting on a previously announced railroad related subject was well received.   It was suggested that we announce the topic in the Pennyrail each month so that members will have a few days to gather some facts to share in the discussion.

The subject for discussion during the February meeting is “foreign power.”  Why do we sometimes see locomotives far from their home tracks in service on another railroad?  What are some of the scenarios that would cause this to happen?  How and when are these locomotives returned to their home tracks?  How is the home railroad compensated when its locomotive is used by another railroad?  I hope all will put some time into researching the answers to these questions and that we can have a good, informative discussion on the subject during the February meeting.

I hope to see all of you at 7:00 PM on Monday night, February 17, 2014, at our next meeting.

November 2013 Rail Flicks by Tommy Johnson

November 18, 2013 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson

Title A Rocky Mountain Winter
Producer Highball Productions
Format Wide Screen DVD
Playing Time 1 Hr 55 Min
Purchased From Railfan Depot
Date Purchased 1/4/2010
Price Paid $34.15

“A Rocky Mountain Winter” is a joy to watch.  It combines some great railroad action with spectacular scenery from the Canadian Rockies.  The videography is excellent and the format is wide screen.

It’s early February 2008 and we are on the Canadian Pacific Railroad west of Calgary, Alberta, and are headed west through some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on this planet.  We see the bright red CP locomotives in three different paint schemes providing the power for unit coal trains, unit grain trains, unit potash trains, mixed manifest freights, doube stacks and auto racks.

Our route takes us alongside the Bow River through the beautiful Bow Valley as we head west.  The free-flowing Bow River runs beside the tracks and massive snow-capped sunlit peaks provide a breath-taking backdrop.

We eventually reach Morant’s Curve which is one of the most photographed railroad locations in North America.  It was named for Nicolas Morant, a Canadian Pacific photographer who used pictures from this area in promotional materials.  It is such a beautiful location that one might choose to sit there all day and stare.

My only serious complaint about this video is the total absence of maps.  Not only are maps not used but we get no overview in the narration as to the route we are going to be following.  The narration simply moves from one point to the next.

This is a serious shortcoming but the gorgeous scenery and good railroad action along with the high quality of the video and the wide screen format make this video well worth the price.  It is two hours of pure joy.  I definitely recommend this one.

A spell-binding account of a runaway train in 1977 at Rogers Pass can be found by following this link.  http://www.carknocker.com/runaway3.htm  Rogers Pass is located on this same route that we follow in this DVD.