Great Scenic Railway Journeys?

[RobertInOntario]

I just saw the tail-end of this show on WNED from Buffalo. It was excellent -- they profiled a steam railway that runs through the Grand Canyon as well as the Rio Grande Railroad. After the program ended, WNED hosts offered DVDs and publicity packages for New York State's Arcade & Attica Railroad and our own South SImcoe Railway (about an hour NW of Toronto where I live).

I was surprised to see this show tonight -- it was actually my wife who came across it, to her chagrin! I found their website (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://gsrj.com/">http://gsrj.com/</a><!-- m -->) which looks really good. I think I'll try to tune into this WNED channel next week.

Just wondering if many other folks here have watched this series, recommend it & what your thoughts are, etc.

Thanks,

Rob

[nachoman]

I just saw the tail-end of this show on WNED from Buffalo. It was excellent -- they profiled a steam railway that runs through the Grand Canyon as well as the Rio Grande Railroad. After the program ended, WNED hosts offered DVDs and publicity packages for New York State's Arcade & Attica Railroad and our own South SImcoe Railway (about an hour NW of Toronto where I live).

I was surprised to see this show tonight -- it was actually my wife who came across it, to her chagrin! I found their website (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://gsrj.com/">http://gsrj.com/</a><!-- m -->) which looks really good. I think I'll try to tune into this WNED channel next week.

Just wondering if many other folks here have watched this series, recommend it & what your thoughts are, etc.

Thanks,

Rob

They show it here every time the local PBS station does a pledge drive. I think the program is not really a series, but about a two hour program that they interrupt with telethon. I think it is about ten years old. There is some good footage, and some good information geared to the tourist. But one thing is for sure - when they show it on some weekend afternoon, it sure beats the other crap on tv!!

[RobertInOntario]

They show it here every time the local PBS station does a pledge drive. I think the program is not really a series, but about a two hour program that they interrupt with telethon. I think it is about ten years old. There is some good footage, and some good information geared to the tourist. But one thing is for sure - when they show it on some weekend afternoon, it sure beats the other crap on tv!!

Thanks ... that's exactly what it was, a telethon-fundraiser for WNED. They were selling $200 & $300 memberships or something like that -- in exchange, you'd get various DVDs and rail passes on the A&A RR or South Simcoe Railway.

It also makes sense that this may have only been a one- or two-part program. You could buy a DVD of it as well -- which does sound tempting b/c the show looked excellent.

Yes, these shows are MUCH better than the usual American Idol & Bachelor-type shows !! IMHO, the best shows are on stations like WNED, Discovery, History Channel, National Georgraphic, etc. Those stations do seem to offer some good, thoughtful, informative programming & downright interesting. For example, I've learned a lot about volcanoes and the ancient Egyptians recently !!

Cheers,
Rob

[Russ Bellinis]

Just a slight correction, Rob. There is no railroad running "through" the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railroad runs from Williams, Az. to the South rim of the Grand Canyon. There is the Verde Canyon Railroad that runs from Clarkville near Cottonwood, Az down the Verde Canyon to a ranch where the pair of Fp9's uncouple from the train and run around it. The crew then climbs out of what was the lead unit, but is now the trailing unit and goes to the new lead unit to make the return trip back up the canyon. If anyone on this board gets out to Az, to visit the Grand Canyon, I would highly recommend both train trips. It probably takes about an hour to drive from Falgstaff (just up I-40 from Williams) to Cottonwood to catch the Verde Canyon RR. Reservations are highly recommended for both railroads if not required.

[P5se Camelback]

For those with satellite TV or the odd cable network that might carry it, there is a program on RFD-TV that I have been watching religiously for the past five years! :geek:

I may seem strange for a big city kind of guy (grew up in Philly) to be watching RFD=TV, "America's Rural Television Network" but I stumbled across this ONE show, back when it was aired three times a week (I discovered it on a Saturday morning about 9 AM -- it no longer airs at that day/time, unfortunately.) :ugeek:

The program is called "Trains and Locomotives" and programming varies from modern-day diesels, the nomenclature for which I have absolutely no idea, but they're contemporay for sure, back to B&W Steam and Traction transferred from both 8mm and 16mm film from the 1940's and 1950's.

A lot of what they televise comes from Herron Rail, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.herronrail.com/">http://www.herronrail.com/</a><!-- m -->, Goodheart Video, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.goodheartvideo.com/">http://www.goodheartvideo.com/</a><!-- m --> , and a couple others I don't seem to be able to locate the URLs for right now.

At any rate, RFD-TV (DirecTV # 348) at 5 PM (1700 hrs) Mondays and 4 AM (0400 hrs) Tuesday. For those who have the latest electronic toys, DVR or TiVo it ... it's worth and hour of your model railroad time to watch!

[RobertInOntario]

Thanks for this feedback, guys, especially re the correction re the Grand Canyon ( :oops: ) as well as the other recommendations.

I don't think I'll be able to visit the American southwest (at least not in the near future) but it's good to at least think & dream about these railroads! I'll still try to get to our local tourist trains and hopefully the Arcade & Attica RR in the near future.

Cheers, Rob

[BR60103]

Rob:
I may have this program in a collection of DVDs; we have a lot of this type. I think we bought a boxed set in the Williams station of the GCRR last December.

[e-paw]

I've d\been DVRing Trains and locomotives for about a year and a half now, It's a good show but I noticed that there showing some of the same videos again from last year. They may need to invest in some more DVDs.

[P5se Camelback]

I think they spend most of their money on fertilizer, vintage tractors and "barrel ridin' ponies."

But you're right ... ... I have noticed the same thing! some episoodes are worth watching again ... but not all! 8-)

[RobertInOntario]

Rob:
I may have this program in a collection of DVDs; we have a lot of this type. I think we bought a boxed set in the Williams station of the GCRR last December.

Thanks, David! I have a new S&DJR DVD (in European format, it plays in my computer) that maybe I could loan to you in exchange? Cheers, Rob