Steam in the Canadian Rockies: Summer: In the fifties Will Whittaker dropped off a local at Yoho, mid-way between the upper and lower Spiral Tunnels to capture a steam display that could only be equaled at Horseshoe Curve. In one four hour period in Summer as many as ten sections of Canadian Pacific Transcontinental trains tackled Field Hill. Hiking across the face of Cathedral Peak, he shot Mikados, Santa Fes (2-10-2s), and dozens of the mighty 2-10-4 Selkirks, always double and often triple headed. Glimpses of Fraser Canyon, Revelstoke and the twice weekly mixed to Arrowhead.

Winter: Then, in winter 1978, a single Hudson is photographed from Golden, through the Spiral Tunnels, to Calgary with a 1950s matched maroon, semi-streamlined consist. Closes with Royal Hudson 2860 captured on film as she makes her famous run along the cliff-ringed shore of Howe Sound.

27 minutes

The Canadian: Here, we cover all the most spectacular vistas of the cross-continental journey, from on board and track side. Extensive coverage is given to the breath-taking traverse of the Canadian Rockies and the massive Selkirk Range, with the train hugging roaring rivers in deep canyon bottoms, skirting glacier covered peaks, and twisting through the famous spiral tunnels.

But there is much more: the sparkling blue of the Fraser River estuary, the endless skies of the prairie at breakneck speed, the tall buildings of Montreal and Calgary, and the rocks of the Canadian Shield. Finally, the train clings to the high cliffs above Lake Superior as it rolls westbound through Thunder Bay. This is a journey to remember!

41 minutes

OTTO PERRY'S RIO GRANDE ARTICULATEDS: See the mightiest steam engines on the Denver and Rio Grande system in all their glory! The giant locomotives are shown tackling the steepest grades on the railroad, from the Moffat Tunnel line, on Soldier Summit and on Tennessee Pass.

Drag freights slog up mountains with three articulated engines pushing and pulling. Passenger trains strain to keep up speed in the high Rockies. We see these monsters charging along the “joint line” south of Denver, crossing the desert west of Grand Junction, and diving into the depths of the Royal Gorge. Runaways, landslides, and boiler explosions are covered.

The feature begins with a ride on the daily passenger train over La Veta Pass to Alamosa at the height of the glory days of steam. We ride the train from the sun-drenched Cuchara Valley into a driving blizzard at the top of the pass, and back down into crystal-clear weather at the foot of the breath-taking Blanca Peaks, in an era long gone but not forgotten.

71 minutes