BC Rail Cab Ride From Sea to Sky

SKU: DVD-PNX-BCRCAB
(7 customer reviews)

$24.95

Step back to the late 1990s and climb aboard one of BC Rail’s brutish C40-8 diesels for a fantastic cab ride from sea level at Squamish up through the rugged coastal mountain range to the big sky country at Lillooet.

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Producer

Pentrex

Run Time

1 hour 45 minutes

Narration

Yes

Shrink Wrap

Yes, Brand New

Technical Details

No Region Code, NTSC

Step back to the late 1990s and climb aboard one of BC Rail’s brutish C40-8 diesels for a fantastic cab ride from sea level at Squamish up through the rugged coastal mountain range to the big sky country at Lillooet. You’ll see the line from the crew’s vantage point and witness the challenge of operating trains over this awesome stretch of railroad. Venerable Budd cars, the icons of BC Rail’s passenger operation, are highlighted. The last Alco powered RS-18 is seen switching at Squamish. Helper service is shown in detail as we ride an assisted freight up steep mountain grades.

Rebuilt Cat-powered diesels are seen toiling at the large yard in North Vancouver. You’ll see the school train that provides children with a unique form of transportation to and from class. Even more action is waiting to be enjoyed in this insightful look at BC Rail operations and the gorgeous British Columbia scenes that enrich the footage taken from the cab. Hop on board for the ride of your life as we travel from sea to sky on BC Rail!

7 reviews for BC Rail Cab Ride From Sea to Sky

  1. Brian La Rosa

    The Sea to Sky DVD focuses more on the British Columbia Railway during its later years of existence. Since it was filmed in the 1990’s, it is sort of like a sequel to the BC Rail Collection produced by Pentrex. When it comes to motive power, the railroad purchased new General Electric diesel locomotives to replace its aging fleet of Montreal-built diesels. The first GE units delivered to BC Rail were the cowl-bodied DASH 8-40CM’s with their “Draper Taper” design for rearward visibility; these are one of my personal favorite diesels. The cab ride aboard a DASH 8 makes this video even more fun! Other GE locomotive models include the DASH 9-44CWL, which has the same wide Canadian nose and four-piece windshield as the C40-8M, and the former Santa Fe B36-7. You can even see a trio of Dash-7, 8, and 9 diesels working hard as helper units in the middle of a long train up the steep grades!

    Despite those new locomotive deliveries, BC Rail rebuilt nearly all of its Montreal RS-18’s with Caterpillar engines and renamed them RS-18C’s. However, it is nice to view the last unrebuilt example of this model powered by an as-delivered ALCO engine at the time the video was filmed. There is also a very rare appearance of the cabless M-420B. Like the BC Rail Collection, the Sea to Sky DVD features the Budd-built RDC diesel coaches for passenger duty on this railroad. In addition to seeing the locomotives and riding onboard their cabs, my favorite part of this program is the “school train” involving a single coach pulled by an RS-18. This reminds me of the times when I went to school by train because I used to live in France as a very young boy. The Canadian National Railway acquired BC Rail in 2004 and began the retirement of the GE C40-8M diesels much later, but the memories of this fan-favorite Canadian railroad will always be remembered with its red, white, and blue paint scheme as well as the older two-tone green scheme.

  2. Adrian C Duncan

    This is an excellent video record of the coastal section of the BCR. However, it is somewhat misleadingly promoted. It’s actually not a cab ride – more of a lineside video with cab ride interludes. Only about 30% is straight-ahead cab ride footage. Sadly, there’s very limited cab ride coverage of the Howe Sound section and the Cheakamus Canyon section, two of the most spectacular sections on the line (which I’ve ridden often), A very good trackside video, but not a cab ride as I understand the term.

  3. charleymann1616

    This may be, the best Railroad Video out there. Beautiful awesome scenery, Great looking Locomotives, Down to Earth operations, On board footage, which is absolutely great, and very sharp images. Nothing lacking, in this program. A must have. Five Stars Plus

  4. Lloyd

    When you think of railroading in Canada, you would mainly think of east/west running. There are not many north/south lines in Canada, least not of any distance. The BC Rail is just than, and even more so, based in the heart of the Canadian western mountains.

    This video does a great job of showing us the challenges of running through the mountains with many lakes, rivers and valleys to pass by and cross. The scenery is excellent showing many cliff side locations, many meets of freight and RDC Budd cars. Even a “school train” makes an appearance. Since BC Rail has become a “fallen flag”, many of these scenes are all but a memory today. Part of the video is a cab ride, which really shows the beauty and challenges of the region.
    This is another Pentrex video that many model railroaders can get plenty of ideas from for building the next phase of the dream in the basement.

  5. Andyweise

    Bought this on VHS back in the day, wish I had it on DVD. Was very good and most interesting cab ride I’ve seen. Certainly a great video for anyone, was not BC Rail fan but learned a lot and gained a respect for the railroad.

  6. Alan Ross

    Set in the 1990’s, hop on one of BC’s C40-8 for an awesome ride thru beautiful scenery. Ride thru tge awesome Squarish up to Big Sky Lilooet. Cab ride is great. Good narration as well. A very unique film. Worth the money.

  7. Dylan Jones

    Seeing BC from the cab is defiantly different, that’s for sure! And to top it all of, being in the cab of a cowl Dash 8 is great. Beautiful scenes, great documentation and information. Shows a very unique railroad with very unique operations! Great for any railfan.

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