In August of 2002, former Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751 returned to the rails for a thrilling excursion from Los Angeles to Williams, Arizona and return in honor of the NRHS 2002 National Convention. Leaving Los Angeles, the mighty 4-8-4 battled the grades of Cajon Pass before setting out across the desert to Needles, thrilling spectators with her awesome displays of steam power. The following day, the 3751 completed the trip to Williams where she prepared to head up the Grand Canyon Limited excursion. This highlight of the Convention featured the 3751 running on the Grand Canyon Railway, doubleheading and tripleheading with GCRy's own steam power! The scenic splendor of South Rim vistas framing nostalgic images of doubleheaded and tripleheaded steam on the rails - it's an incredible sight that can't be beat!
In August of 2002, former Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751 returned to the rails for a thrilling excursion from Los Angeles to Williams, Arizona and return in honor of the NRHS 2002 National Convention. Leaving Los Angeles, the mighty 4-8-4 battled the grades of Cajon Pass before setting out across the desert to Needles, thrilling spectators with her awesome displays of steam power. The following day, the 3751 completed the trip to Williams where she prepared to head up the Grand Canyon Limited excursion. This highlight of the Convention featured the 3751 running on the Grand Canyon Railway, doubleheading and tripleheading with GCRy's own steam power! The scenic splendor of South Rim vistas framing nostalgic images of doubleheaded and tripleheaded steam on the rails - it's an incredible sight that can't be beat!
2002-12-11
0
3751 NRHS Convention Special
Built in 1923, the Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to run at 100 miles an hour and to star in its own feature film. This is the untold story of the iconic Flying Scotsman-the very best in the engineering of its time.
Documentary on the evolution and introduction of modern coal burning locomotives on the Norfolk and Western Railway line.
In the first half of the 20th century, America's railroads were radically transformed by the innovation of gargantuan steam locomotives. Pushed by the need to haul ever longer and heavier trains, the nation's locomotive works responded with the invention of awe-inspiring articulated engines. Delivering up to 7,500 horsepower, these steel behemoths could haul mile-long, 15,000-ton trains. In this riveting program, journey back to the golden age of steam for an up-close look at these legendary locomotives. See the Union Pacific's famed "Big Boy" in action and ride the rails of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Norfolk & Western railways. Meet the men who drove engines like the Allegheny and Yellowstone, and visit the museums and yards where the largest steamers ever built remain preserved in time. THE HISTORY CHANNEL' proudly presents this rollicking retrospective, sure to set any rail fan's heart pounding
A gleaming giant of steam and its cute Lilliputian cousin are an even match in this newsreel battle of the trains.
For nearly 47 years, the Southern Pacific Railroad relied upon its massive AC-type steam locomotives to haul freight and passenger trains throughout California and neighboring states. Built to provide the power and flexibility demanded by the mountainous passes they traversed, these giants were constructed with their cab in front of the boiler, thus earning them the name Cab Forwards. The last Cab Forward revenue train ran in 1956, after which all but one were scrapped. From then on, film coverage of these AC-class engines was eagerly sought, hard to locate, and highly prized. Now, after years of research, Pentrex has assembled an awesome collection of footage and still images of SP AC-1s through AC-12s spanning the years 1927 to 1956.
Experience the power of the mighty Union Pacific on its toughest run, the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon - in the dead of winter! Video Rails brings you the finest contemporary Union Pacific footage. You'll travel the "snow zone" of the Blue Mountains, from North Powder to Meacham. Climb up two steep grades to the summits at Telocaset and Kamela, and across the Grande Valley through La Grande, Oregon.
Donner Pass – the name evokes daunting obstacles with good reason. Steep grades and seven months a year of winter weather put a railroad's resources to the test. Yet the need to transport goods over the Sierras produces a nonstop parade of trains over this famous line, and that was especially true in 1988 when Video Rails captured incredible Southern Pacific action over Donner Pass. Starting at the classification yards in Roseville, California, you'll follow Southern Pacific's trains up and over "The Hill." SP's 6-axle SD40s, SD40T-2s, SD45s, and SD45T-2 tackle 138 miles of up to 2.4 percent grades. Up to 11 units are needed for the climb. The standard arrangement for these 10,000-ton trains is 4 by 6, with four engines leading and 6 mid-train helpers, but you'll also see long trains with six units leading, six mid-train helpers, and an end-of-train helper.
Tracing the eastern banks of the upper Mississippi River is BNSF’s St. Croix Subdivision, a mostly double-tracked route providing access for a nonstop parade of traffic from La Crosse, Wisconsin to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Pentrex takes you across the entire sub in the late 1990s, filming throughout the seasons to bring you a unique perspective on this important, busy line. Starting at the Grand Crossing diamond in La Crosse, where BNSF crosses Canadian Pacific trackage, we follow intermodal, coal, grain, taconite, manifest, and other trains along the shores of the Mississippi. Bald Eagles are seen circling overhead, boats ply the waters, and train whistles echo off the surrounding bluffs.
"Rail" captures British Railways at a major turning-point in its history. In certain respects, this was a period of considerable upheaval and loss. There was a facing-up to the increasing need for a big modernisation drive. Full and speedy electrification, or the wider promotion of diesel-power on remaining lines, became a matter of top priority. Geoffrey Jones recorded a rapidly disappearing world of everyday steam travel, with its labour-intensive rail workforce : some of the footage in "Rail" (recognisable from "Snow") dates from around 1962.
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - the Anthony DeRosa collection on the Great Northern. Shot in 8mm color film over a 40 year period, this collection covers the GN route from Seattle to Superior. This will be a stunning series of videos that brings you rare and spectacular scenes that you have never scene before. Volume II covers the diesel locomotives that are common to everyday use across the vast Great Northern system, including Northern Pacific and SP&S diesel power. You'll also see GN's mighty electrics!
Pentrex takes you back in time to the late 1950s and 1960s for a close-up look at the waning years of steam locomotives in operation on America's eastern railroads. On the Norfolk & Western-the last major bastion of steam power in the United States-you'll witness the class Js in passenger service near Cincinnati, Ohio and class K, A, and Y steamers in freight service near Columbus, Ohio, Portsmouth, Virginia, and Bluefield, West Virginia. The mighty class S-1 2-10-2s of the Baltimore & Ohio perform both switching and mainline duty near Willard, Ohio and the durable class T-3s roll along the B&O mainline to Chicago. We even see class EM-1 2-8-8-4 Yellowstones pulling coal drags near Grafton, Ohio. At Columbus, Ohio, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, a wide variety of locomotives are seen in action at the yards and roundhouse. Then we join the chase as a pair of class J-1s doublehead north from Columbus with a long coal drag in tow.
Union Pacific has always been on the cutting edge of locomotive technology. In the 1950s, it became the only railroad ever to place a fleet of gas turbine-electric locomotives into regular mainline service. Here is the whole turbine story, from rare footage of an early steam turbine experiment in 1938 to the first gas turbine demonstrator in 1948. UP put 55 production units into service, the largest rated at 8,500 horsepower each – the most powerful locomotives ever built! You'll see the demonstrators and all three production models (including the unique "Veranda" models) hauling tonnage on scenic mainlines, moving through yards, and being serviced in engine terminals alongside steam engines and classic F-units. Along the way you'll learn how turbine locomotives operate and will explore the differences and similarities between turbine-electric and diesel-electric units. The saga ends with an experimental coal-burning turbine locomotive built by Union Pacific itself in 1962.
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - the Anthony DeRosa collection on the Great Northern. Shot in 8mm color film over a 40 year period, this collection covers the GN route from Seattle to Superior. This will be a stunning series of videos that brings you rare and spectacular scenes that you have never scene before. Volume III covers the vast fleet of steam power from the smallest 0-6-0's to the mighty 2-8-8-2's, including scenes of Northern Pacific and SP&S steam power in action. You'll also pace a huge R-2 class 2-8-8-2!
The Union Pacific Railroad produced its classic documentary film Last of the Giants in 1959 as a fitting tribute to the world's largest steam locomotives-the Big Boys. UP cameramen filmed the Big Boys over a three-year period, which Pentrex re-released in 1992. It ran for a total of just 23 minutes, leaving hours of unused footage that was set aside for many years.
Climbing gently from the tidewater ports near Portland, Oregon is the Columbia River Gorge'a wide, flat-water river passage that provides access to the inland agricultural regions of Washington and Oregon and divides the two states along most of their border. It is a spot of unparalleled beauty that hosts two railroad lines: BNSF to the north and Union Pacific along the southern shore. In Columbia River Gorge Volume I: BNSF's Fallbridge Subdivision, Pentrex explored the BNSF side of the Gorge, heading east from Vancouver, Washington to the arid desert mountains near the John Day Dam. Now, in Volume 2, we jump across the river to head back west toward Portland following Union Pacific's Portland Subdivision.
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - the Anthony DeRosa collection on the Great Northern. Shot in 8mm color film over a 40 year period, this collection covers the GN route from Seattle to Superior. This will be a stunning series of videos that brings you rare and spectacular scenes that you have never seen before. Volume 1 covers the iron ore operations, including the mines and ore docks, from Kelly Lake to Allouez, St. Paul, and Superior. You'll see the mighty N-3 class 2-8-8-0's in action.
See the Union Pacific fight and win as it takes on the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon - the toughest challenge UP faces! Loaded with spectacular cab rides, Volume II hits all the highlights of this dramatic mountain district from La Grande to Hinkle. Scale the Blue Mountains from La Grande through Hilgard and Motanic to the summit at Kamela. Ride the cab of a new GE Dash 8. Get an engineer's view from a helper set on the rear of a UP freight. Experience Meacham Creek Canyon, the Umatilla River, Pendleton, and much more all in this exciting video!
In the decade they were operated, Union Pacific's 8500-series Gas Turbine Electric Locomotives earned two nicknames: UP dubbed them the "Super Fleet" for obvious reasons as they were the largest, most powerful locomotives ever employed by the railroad. More often the Turbines were referred to as "Big Blows" due to the deafening roar of their engines. Thirty of these GE-built giants were delivered to the UP between 1958 and 1961. Used primarily between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming, where the tough grades of the Wasatch Mountains required UP's sturdiest power, these monsters could log up to 10,000 miles a month hauling heavy mixed freight and coal trains. The 8500 series were permanently coupled six-axle units running on C-C trucks, and their prime mover was the most powerful ever used in a locomotive. The operating weight for the A and B units combined was close to 850,000 pounds, yet they could attain speeds of up to 70 mph!
From headwaters in Canada, the Columbia River flows over twelve hundred miles to the Pacific Ocean and for many of those miles it marks the boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon. Cutting through the Cascade Mountains, the river slices through an 80-mile stretch known as the Columbia River Gorge where the basalt mountains tower up to 4,000 feet above the water. Nearby dormant volcanoes such as Mount Hood and Mount Adams add to the incredible beauty of the Gorge area. Following the north bank of the river between Vancouver and Pasco, Washington is Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Fallbrook Subdivision. This is a prized site for railfans, offering spectacular vistas and nonstop railroading. Journey with Pentrex from Vancouver east to Maryhill along this scenic route and experience the variety of trains and motive power that ply this famous line.
Esteemed for its scenic beauty and respected for the difficulty of its terrain, Tennessee Pass has been a magnet, drawing railfans and photographers to Colorado's mountains for years. When word spread that Union Pacific was closing the pass in 1997, interest climbed to an all-time high. Along with visitors from throughout the world, Pentrex traveled to this revered line to document its final months of operation. Our efforts were rewarded with a high volume of movements and an outstanding mix of trains. The grit of heavy-haul railroading is an awesome sight. Coal trains slug it out on the 3 percent grade leading to the 10,000-foot summit. Colorado's highest snow-capped mountains loom over toiling freights. Squealing flanges echo off canyon walls as trains grind through serpentine curves, and past the raging waters of the Arkansas River.