Classic America on Rails Combo

Originally three well-received shows, Pentrex now brings you “Classic America on Rails Combo”, all three WB Video “America on Rails” shows in one great 90 minute package. The original footage has been digitally remastered and color corrected. We’ll see railroading from coast to coast, and in all kinds of flavors!

From 16mm film, narration by famous broadcaster Rege Cordic. Musical background. 90% color film.

Section One begins with the famous “6,000 Mile Tour”, a 1938 tour sponsored by the National Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and Railroad Magazine. Art Cox shot all the footage on this Combo show, and it begins with his participation on the tour. Art and his 16mm camera take us on a ride behind a Milwaukee Electric “Olympian”, and on the Virginia & Truckee.

Name and other Passenger trains we see include Milwaukee Road’s “Hiawatha” * the Santa Fe “Super Chief” * Chicago & North Western’s “400” * the Great Northern “Empire Builder” and trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

We see Engine 22 of the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge making up the Weekly Mixed at Keeler, California.

And we see many now long-gone Interurbans: Featured are the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City * Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee * Chicago, Aurora & Elgin * Aurora, Elgin & Fox River * Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transportation Company * and Chicago & West Towns Railway.

Section Two: We begin at Chicago Union Station with steam and diesel powered name trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad, CB&Q, Milwaukee Road and the Alton.

Featured Interurbans include Gary Railway * Philadelphia Electrics * Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee * Chicago Transit Authority * Chicago, South Shore & South Bend * Omaha Streetcars * Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern * Staten Island Rapid Transit * New York Elevated Lines * New Haven.

Visit the 1945 Chicago Railroad Fair with with historic engines and rolling stock in action.

Steam features are Chicago, Burlington & Quincy * Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific * Erie Railroad * Chicago & Western Indiana * Chicago & Eastern Illinois * Chesapeake & Ohio * Soo Line * Grand Trunk Western * Milwaukee Road * Manchester & Oneida.

Section Three: If you like Electric service, we’ll see a lot of it: Charles City Western (Iowa) * Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern * New Orleans Public Service * Illinois Terminal * Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (Cleveland) * Atlantic City Transportation * Philadelphia’s Electric Lines * Pittsburgh Railways * Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee * London & Port Stanley (Ontario) * Erie Lackawanna.

Steam in this section features Milwaukee Road Commuters.

While our look at Vintage Diesels inlcude the Erie-Lackawanna “Phoebe Snow” * Pennsy’s TrucTrain * Algoma Central 1974 Excursion * early Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor.

We’ll visit Museum operations include the Connecticut Electric Railway, and the Edaville two-foot gauge line.

The Observation Car on our Classic America on Rails Combo is rare black & white footage of a 1929 excursion from New Orleans to San Diego.