Various Contributors
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Various
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Executive Producer: Mike Clayton
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American Railroads
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Tom Edinger
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Trains
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Product Description

LOCATION HIGHLIGHTS:
-Union Pacific Railroad through the Rocky Mountains
-Heavy freight at Sand Patch & Horseshoe Curve
-The breathtaking Cajon Pass
-The Royal Gorge Route Railroad
-Durango & Silverton Railroad
-Cumbres & Toltec Railroad
-Georgetown Loop Railroad

THE BEST OF AMERICAN RAILROADS: A majestic railroad journey right across our heartland.

THE BEST OF WORLD STEAM: Discover the American-designed locomotives still working in Cuba, watch the last pockets of industrial steam in operation in China, and marvel at the unspoiled beauty of Britain’s heritage lines.

RAILROAD MEMORABILIA & BOOKLET: An authentic collection of railroad memorabilia dating back as far as 1863. Items include replica posters, vintage maps, railroad bonds, letters, rare photographs, and much more. An illustrated booklet guides you through each item, and charts the history of our country’s iron road.

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 5.12 ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Na
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 5 hours
Release date ‏ : ‎ October 28, 2014
Actors ‏ : ‎ Trains
Studio ‏ : ‎ Our Alchemy LLC
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MMPB6LS
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Best Sellers Rank: #58,340 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,525 in Documentary (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 186 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

186 global ratings

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Nicole Miskey

Movie about trains

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024

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Excellent, it was exactly what I ordered

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2023

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This is a very Nice box set, I would highly recommend this product

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GuardianMaster

Gift turned into a blessing

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019

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I bought this for my young grandson who loves trains. However, his dad beat me to it and he already had it. So, because of the good price I paid for it, I kept it for a future gift for someone. Just so happens, that someone was a little boy of a customer of mine. I found out this little disabled boy loves trains. I have received a great report from them saying he loves it all and they are growing tired of his watching it ALL the time! So, there is no better review I can give than that.

6 people found this helpful

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timcon1964

Uneven Quality--With Less About U.S. Railroads Than About Chinese, British, and Cuban Railroads

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2021

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Entitled, “The Best of American Railroads,” this DVD includes five hours of rail-focused footage, but only two hours relate to American railroads. The other three hours are about equally divided between the railroads of China, Britain and Cuba. Also somewhat misleading is the claim, applied to all four of these countries, that this DVD reveals “the best” of their railroads. In fact, many of the railroads pictured are not the most modern, largest, best maintained, or most efficient of those in these countries. And, although these films were all produced in 2014, some of them utilize film from much earlier. Telerail, the producer, is a British film-making company headquartered in Lancashire. In its work, it seeks to provide “more than a never ending series of run pasts, shot from the same viewpoint . . . without a coherent story.” But, as a result of the quantity of railroad documentaries it has released, it has not always achieved this objective.

“The Best of American Railroads” is a two-hour documentary composed of brief segments that reflect the wide variety of equipment, trackage, and traffic on American railroads today. Some of these deal with modern freight traffic; in some cases, ownership of lines has changed since these scenes were filmed. Thus, we see Santa Fe diesels on the Cajon Pass, pulling trains now operated by BNSF and the Union Pacific, and Conrail engines in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, which have since been replaced by those of Norfolk Southern. There is a long segment about coal trains in the Rockies west of Denver, and briefer ones covering the Sand Patch Grade in the Allegheny Mountains, Horseshoe Curve in Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Southern’s Pocahantas Division. Coverage of current passenger service is limited to a couple minutes about Amtrak, and three minutes about Chicago commuter lines. Most of this program is devoted to tourist lines: the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the New River Gorge railroad, and the Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia; the Royal Gorge Railroad, the Georgetown Loop Railroad, and the Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway in Colorado, and the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, which traverses both Colorado and New Mexico. This program seems to have been put together to guide those interested in riding tourist trains or finding good locations for viewing modern trains. But, in some cases, the producer’s choices (for example, shots of slow freight trains lumbering down city streets) are difficult to understand.

Together with the two DVDs is a memorabilia packet of 22 facsimiles of documents which the producers present as “American Railroads: The Complete Story.” An accompanying booklet includes a 7-page “History of the American Railroads,” and brief captions about the facsimiles, which are described as a “unique collection . . . the result of meticulous planning, careful research, and intricate attention to detail.” Of course, the facsimiles do not constitute a complete history of anything. But they are examples of historical primary sources: post card images of Civil War railroad scenes, 20th-century locomotive construction and repair activities; maps and schedules of selected railroads; and administrative documents relating to railroad trackage and finances.

“The Best of the Railroads of China” focuses on the Panzhihua steel mills, steam-powered passenger trains on several local lines, and a large coal mine in north China. Chinese construction and industry consume vast amounts of steel; and the 5,000,000 tons produced at Panzhihua each year are only a fraction of China’s total output. These mills were among the last in China to rely on steam engines; and this documentary was filmed in 2008, when these engines were about to give way to diesels. Most or all of these engines are of the “SY” class, which would be known in the U.S. as “Mikados” (with 2-8-2 wheelbases). Although they were manufactured in China (some as recently as 1999), they resemble American locomotives, and employ what appear to be AAR-style knuckle couplers. Crew members still keep up the appearance of these engines (which feature orange wheels and pilots). But the Chinese are no longer making major repairs of steam engines. Train crews evidently don’t resent the arrival of diesels, although these will demand somewhat different skills. In Panzhihua, steam engines were engaged in moving molten slag and coal as well as molten steel. At the large open pit coal mine, which produces 5,000,000 tons of coal/year, steam engines were used to haul both coal and spoil. But, as coal is removed, tracks must continually be re-laid; mine operators plan to replace trains with large trucks. For the most part, the photographers kept relatively close to the action, and seldom took long distance panoramic shots. And the resulting images of engines slowly carrying out their work amidst clouds of steam are among the most memorable on these two discs.

The Chinese are hoping that steam trains will generate tourist revenue. Photographers who purchase permits can roam around Chinese railroads to take pictures. And the Chinese are planning a steam railroad museum, to be accompanied by a 220 kilometer heritage steam line. This has already been featured in some Chinese movies.

“The Best of the Railroads of Britain,” filmed in 2009, concentrates heritage line trains, on tracks which are no longer part of the British Rail mainline operations. The engines, also reminders of the old days, are generally well maintained. And we see them pulling picturesque trains across the English countryside, over bridges and through tunnels. Much of the footage was shot at various special events, to take advantage of the engines and equipment assembled for these occasions. Working with a small camera crew has occasionally produced a series of shots of different engines rounding the same curves or ascending the same hills. And the producers favor long distance panoramic shots, in some of which the trains are scarcely visible. We do get one interesting sequence of the crew working in an engine cab.

A problem is that this film was prepared for British viewers, whose knowledge and interests are different from those of Americans. The script reflects the trainspotting hobby that is widespread in Britain, one of whose objects is recording sightings of engines, amplified with details of engine numbers (or names), and the places and times of sightings. With a view to these hobbyists, the narration emphasizes locomotive identities (usually by numbers or locomotive names), locations, names of former railway lines, and dates. With regard to a particular shot, viewers might be informed that A1 locomotive number 1234, once owned by the LNER is seen crossing Nameless Bridge, on September 10th, possibly during a special event sponsored by a particular railway—details about which many American viewers don’t know and don’t care. For American audiences, an entirely different script is needed. One that explains the history of British railroads, their functions and development, the nature of freight and passenger traffic, and the various types of British locomotives, where they were manufactured, and how they were used. Strange to say, the British producers of these documentaries have given better coverage to Chinese and Cuban railroads than to British railroads.

“The Best of the Railroads of Cuba” uses film from the 1990s. The narrator describes Cuba as a case of “time warp.” But the 1950s Chevrolets and Fords are modern compared to the railroad engines, mainly Moguls (2-6-0 wheel base) and a couple of Mikados (2-8-2 wheel base) manufactured by U.S. locomotive makers Baldwin and Alco in the 1920s. Most of the freight cars are also of American origin. The film shows slow-moving Cuban trains at work delivering sugar cane to sugar mills in various places on the island. Engines are active in the harvest season (January-May), but are idle in other months, giving Cuban mechanics sufficient opportunity to make major repairs, which must be needed frequently with these 100-year-old engines. The tracks themselves seem to get less attention. Although affiliated with particular sugar mills, these engines occasionally travel on the Cuban main line, but they operate primarily on local track. And some of this is in very poor condition. Some is so overgrown as to be virtually invisible; and some is so irregular that passing engines rock wildly like row boats on the ocean. Because Cuban sugar-growing areas are not visually exciting, and because travel in these areas is difficult, the photographers have not been lured into the long-distance shots that have appeared in some other programs on these DVDs. And the film includes maps that show the locations of various sugar mills and rail lines.

6 people found this helpful

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Hill

what a hit

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021

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Picked this up for a person that loves trains and he watches it constantly and really enjoys it so AAA+

One person found this helpful

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Opticus

Good box set!

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021

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I bought this for my dad. He used to work for the railroad. He really enjoyed this set! Lots of information and also a look at trains from other parts of the world.

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