Love Those Trains
National Geographic
Format: VHS
Length: 60 minutes
Time Period: Historical and 1980’s.
Locations: Too many too list. Worldwide and America
Sources James Lipscomb, Carl Kriegeskotte
National Geographic, with a PBS type program. An overview of trains, from all over and every era.
Steam is the beginning and we visit with a Norfolk Southern steam fan train. More steam including: the John Bull, live steamers club and Union Pacific Big Boys.
Iowa hobo days . Yawn. Old depression era hobo film, better. Hobo campfire is sweet.
Moves to The Andes in Ecuador, less interesting for hardcore American train video fans. A short switchback is interesting and we proceed to a native market. More mountain train action on the rooftop of the passenger train. Reminds me of an open air bus.
Durango & Silverton represents American narrow gauge on fromer Denver & Rio Grande Western. Now we’re talking! Crew gets interviewed on the ride. Some Silverton history and old photos. Ride up the mountain. Good segment.
Lettuce is now presented, in the field. Quickly, we are following a Southern Pacific train, dubbed the salad bowl express. travel up through Donner Pass and a history lesson. SP snowfighting and rotary plows get called into action! Union Pacific picks up our perishable train and heads east. Chicago, and Northwestern has our PFE reefer now. Conrail rides through a slum and heads east to the Bronx! A LIRR engineer instructor teaches engineering, on a GP38 train.
The Orient Express is revived and 98 passengers pay 5,000 each for a one way trip! If you can’t get anybody to sit through a hardcore Santa Fe show of just trains, this is the ticket. Mainly a human interest piece that features…trains.
My favorite part is now at the close. Back at the hobo campfire and the classic, I’ve Been Everywhere Man. After a whirlwind trip with National Geographic…..you have !
Rating 3 Stars
American Train Video Reviews 