Great American Train Rides Volumes 1- 4

Producer: Pentrex

Locations: USA

Timeframe: 1990s

Length: 4 hours

Here is a grand tour of many tourist/ museum lines across America. Total is 37 visits. Filmed in the early 1990s. There are some that are no longer operational. Check the listings.

A 2 DVD set. Detailed Main Chapter Menu, which lists the Railroads. Graphics contain phone numbers and website information. Basic maps are included for each line. Preview section.

Pentrex high quality in all areas. Clear picture, although obviously, was not modern high definition video. Live sound and good audio levels.

Dave Drui performs the narratives. 

Viewers see many different looks. Exteriors, interiors, structures, cab rides, pacing, and plenty of great scenery.

All shows run just under an hour. Western and Eastern States organization.

Disc One

Alphabetical menu. California Western, Cumbres and Toltec, Durango & Silverton, Napa Valley, Nevada Northern, Virginia & Truckee to Yreka Western. Additional, as well.

The introduction offers 8 railroads in a different order. This is Volume 1.

Yreka Western is the first. Northern California. Mt. Shasta area. Mikado #19 for steam power. Closed their passenger train service years ago.

Portola Museum is next. Western Pacific F7A 921-D operates a caboose train. Parts of an impressive collection are seen.

Virginia & Truckee RR. Virginia City to Gold Hill Depot. Steamer #8 is a fully rebuilt Baldwin. Check for schedule.

Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Ely, Nevada. Steam #40 runs the Ghost Train to Keystone Mine. Baldwin ten wheeler circa 1910. Ely complex is a survivor. This one is a more fully realized operation.

Golden Spike Historic Site. It’s obvious to the  title. Recreates the famous two locomotives meeting.

Durango & Silverton. Durango, Colorado. The world famous narrow gauge trains. Former Rio Grande line and equipment.

Georgetown Loop near Silver Plume, Colorado. Shay #12. Westside Lumber was the original owner. Mountain scenery with old mines.

California Western. Fort Bragg to Willits. Motorcar, Steam, and Diesel. Redwood forest scenery.

Volume 2

8 more Tourist Trains in a one hour show.

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Another ex: Rio Grande narrow gauge Steam powered line. Northern New Mexico into Southern  Colorado. San Juan Mountains. Mikado class locomotives. Chama, NM to Antonio, CO. 64 miles.

Sierra Railway. Railtown 1897. Jamestown, CA. A State Park. Operating wooden roundhouse. Multiple Steam. Heavily filmed by Hollywood industry.

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Former Westside Lumber Shay #10 locomotive. This is an authentic logging lines engine. As the geared design was well suited to forest operations. Narrow gauge.

Western Railway Museum. East of San Francisco.  Streetcars and Trolleys. Vintage passenger cars. Freight cars. Sizeable collection. Above, San Francisco Municipal 1003. Nicknamed as Magic Carpets for their smooth ride.

Napa Valley Wine Train. Napa, CA. with a 36 mile roundtrip across wine country. MLW built Alco diesels. Eat, drink, and be merry.

Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. Felton, CA. Narrow gauge Steam power with a Shay. Bear Mountain stop.

Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific. Summertime service. Diesel power. Felton (Roaring Camp) to Santa Cruz. Redwood forest to the boardwalk.

Disc 2

Volume 3 is about 53 minutes long.

Blue Mountain & Reading. GE 3303 in a What If late Reading style paint scheme. They reopened this closed Conrail trackage in 1983.

Connecticut Trolley Museum. East Windsor. Length is 1 1/2 miles. Baltimore Streetcar Museum is another one visited. Both have fine collections.

Historic Spencer Shops. Spencer, North Carolina.  Southern Railway’s old shops. Norfolk & Western 620 GP9 in service here. Aka North Carolina Transportation Museum.

RR Museum of Pennsylvania.  Strasburg.  All static displays. Wide variety of equipment. Brief visit. The National Toy Train Museum is seen here, as well.

Valley Railroad Company. Essex, Connecticut. Steam powered. Locomotive 40 is a 1920 Alco. Ride vintage coaches and more.

Rockhill Trolley Museum is located at East Broad Top Railroad.

Mt. Washington Cog. Runs too long for this subject.

Lowell National Historic Park. This one is in Lowell, Massachusetts. A park trolley. Industrial Revolution structures.

East Broad Top. Rockhill Furnace,  Pennsylvania.  Ten mile ride. Steam. The last Eastern narrow gauge in service. EBT has an interesting history. Check for status.

Volume 4

Northeastern States are the overall territory covered here.

Green Mountain. Bellows Falls to Chester, Vermont. Roundtrip. Alco RS-1 # 405. The feature train is The Green Mountain Flyer. Rutland passenger cars.

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Washington, PA. They now list a 50 car collection. Since 1953.

Adirondack Scenic Railroad. Thendara, NY. Regular power is 8223 New York Central RS-3. An SW1 is standing in at this time.

NJ Museum of Transportation. Pine Creek RR is narrow gauge. Farmingdale, NJ. Various Steam and Diesels. Industrial size diesels.

Shore Line Trolley Museum. East Haven, Connecticut. They claim to be the oldest operating trolley line in continuous suburban service.

Cass Scenic Railroad. Cass, West Virginia. Shay 5. Doubleheads with the 2 spot. A former logging line.

B&O Railroad Museum. Extensive collection. This visit is lacking and feels rushed. Very brief visit for its size.

Seashore Trolley Museum. Kennebunkport, Maine. SOAC. State of the Art Cars. A 1972 rapid transit design. Large collection is currently listed there.

Western Maryland Scenic RR. Cumberland, MD. Standard gauge. Steam is a Western Maryland # 734 engine. Trip to Frostburg at 32 miles. Excellent segment.

Strasburg Railroad. Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Locomotive 475. A #90 is seen at the Station.

Caboose rides are enjoyable! If you have an opportunity, it is highly recommended.

Great American Train Rides Volumes 1-4.

Some notable missing Tourist/ Museum train rides. Illinois Railway Museum at Union, Illinois. Mid- Continent at North Freedom, Wisconsin. Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, Ill.

Grand Canyon Railway out of Williams, Arizona. The Verde Canyon at Clarkdale, Arizona, is another. Interesting and well-known operations. Better than gimmick Cogs or too many trolleys.

Overall, it is a nice collection to have on hand. Covers many facets of railroading. Seems the Midwest was neglected. Arizona is missing. Becomes a bit Trolley heavy in the second half.

Hence, misses an Outstanding rating.

Remember, this is an older release. Things have changed over the years. Check ahead to get current on anyplace of interest.

Rating: 4 Stars