Steam to the Grand Canyon
2002 · 120m · History · Documentary
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!
More Like This

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance
2013 · ★ 8.5
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.
More info →
The Modern Coal Burning Steam Locomotive
1942
Documentary on the evolution and introduction of modern coal burning locomotives on the Norfolk and Western Railway line.
More info →
Last of the Giants
1959
A Union Pacific production outlining the Big Boy locomotive and the history of the last great steam engine to rule the rails
More info →
End of an Era
1962
A documentary on the passing of the steam locomotive as the primary means of transportation in the United States
More info →
David and Goliath
1926
A gleaming giant of steam and its cute Lilliputian cousin are an even match in this newsreel battle of the trains.
More info →
Hear That Train a Comin'
2006
Meet the crew of the Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985, the largest and most powerful steam engine in the world. This colorful documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the conductors, engineers and mechanics who keep this fickle train running, an engaging history of steam power, and a scenic tour the Great Plains -- from Cheyenne, Wyo., through Denver and across Nebraska to the Omaha headquarters of the Union Pacific.
More info →
When Giants Roamed: The Golden Age of Steam
2005
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
More info →
A Day With 70013 Oliver Cromwell
2018
This 4K video features around an hour of footage of the steam locomotive No. 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ on a special charter day on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. The charter day, during March 2018, shows the engine and its goods train at various locations along the line. We have produced the film in the order that the clips were taken, and it shows well how a charter day works, with the train making multiple passes of each photo point the train stopped at.
More info →
Rail
1967 · ★ 7.2
"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.
More info →Tribute to Tennessee Pass
1997
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.
More info →Pittsburgh Line Blues
1998
Savor images of Conrail action across the Pittsburgh Line, the very soul of this once mighty transportation giant, as captured during the late 1990s. See how Big Blue conquered the Allegheny Mountains and witness the diverse variety of freight it sent over the line. Huge intermodal trains powered by shiny new "Blue" diesels hustle doublestacked containers over the recently rebuilt right-of-way. Massive coal trains and high tonnage freights flow across the double and triple track of this most scenic and demanding stretch of railroad. Starting west of Pittsburgh at the massive Conway Yard, heading east through the Steel City, Greensburg, and Latrobe to Conpit Junction, we follow the trains into the heart of the Allegheny Mountains. The line comes down through Conemaugh Gorge to Johnstown. From here most eastbounds get helpers to pull tonnage over the mountains.
More info →Steam Across America Volume I
1993
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.
More info →