Trains Along The Upper Mississippi Volume 2 (1999)
BNSF’s St. Croix Subdivision
Genre : Documentary
Runtime : 1H 30M
Synopsis
Tracing the eastern banks of the upper Mississippi River is BNSF’s St. Croix Subdivision, a mostly double-tracked route providing access for a nonstop parade of traffic from La Crosse, Wisconsin to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Pentrex takes you across the entire sub in the late 1990s, filming throughout the seasons to bring you a unique perspective on this important, busy line. Starting at the Grand Crossing diamond in La Crosse, where BNSF crosses Canadian Pacific trackage, we follow intermodal, coal, grain, taconite, manifest, and other trains along the shores of the Mississippi. Bald Eagles are seen circling overhead, boats ply the waters, and train whistles echo off the surrounding bluffs.
Sayra, a Honduran teen, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited with her long-estranged father, who intends to emigrate to Mexico and then enter the United States. Sayra's life collides with a pair of Mexican gangmembers who have boarded the same American-bound train.
Based on a real-life story, this drama focuses on a small group of Allied soldiers in Burma who are held captive by the Japanese. Capt. Ernest Gordon (Ciaran McMenamin), Lt. Jim Reardon (Kiefer Sutherland) and Maj. Ian Campbell (Robert Carlyle) are among the military officers kept imprisoned and routinely beaten and deprived of food. While Campbell wants to rebel and attempt an escape, Gordon tries to take a more stoic approach, an attitude that proves to be surprisingly resonant.
Phoenix cop Ben Shockley is well on his way to becoming a derelict when he is assigned to transport a witness from Las Vegas. The witness turns out to be a belligerent prostitute with mob ties—and incriminating information regarding a high-ranking figure.
America is in the depths of the Great Depression. Families drift apart when faraway jobs beckon. A courageous young girl confronts overwhelming odds when she embarks on a cross-country search for her father. During her odyssey, she forms a close bond with two diverse traveling companions: a magnificent, protective wolf, and a hardened drifter.
On board a train bound for the port city of Le Havre, France, railroad stationmaster Roubard murders Grandmorin, who seduced his beautiful young wife, Severine. Engineer Jacques Lantier, stuck in Le Havre while the train is being repaired, also begins a passionate affair with Severine, who tries to entice the handsome stranger to murder her controlling husband. However, Lantier has a secret urge of his own that changes everything.
An unexpected speeding freight train ploughs into the film crew, a camera assistant is struck and killed by the locomotive. The film's director is subsequently charged with criminal trespass and involuntary manslaughter. An Australian crime author starts to dig and an exhaustive three-year investigation ensues, uncovering shocking new evidence of cover up, collusion and corruption.
A young train spotter heads to Staffordshire for a historic journey through a soon to be condemned tunnel. During his trip, he encounters a series of curious characters.
Just as the original hobos of the early 20th century were scorned the mainstream of society, so too are today's train riders. FREELOAD is a dive into a beggar's existence. It is a ride through America's backyard. It is a musical endeavor that feels like a drama. It is a sociological examination of the ignored.
An unemployed man turns to crime when he gets his girlfriend pregnant.
Have you ever passed a track gang and wondered what all those machines actually do? Here's your answer and more. You'll visit a tie replacement and surfacing gang to witness the amazing parade of equipment as it progresses down the track. Closeup shots explain what each machine does. Then you'll tour a major shop to see in detail how coal hoppers are built. Next you're off to view undercutting machines cleaning ballast on BNSF. Did you ever wonder what it's like to work as a dispatcher? You'll visit a Norfolk Southern facility where the chief dispatcher explains the operation. Returning to BNSF, you'll see one of the most awesome pieces of railroad equipment: the P-811 concrete tie layer.
An-ex convict nicknamed Al Capone, who spent six years in jail, tries to adapt in new environment. Members of the two rival gangs try to engage him in their new ventures, but he wants to make a new start with the girl he loves. At the same time, a young criminal who shares the same nickname replaces him in these actions.
The film explores the destruction of a unique train station in Zurich and the construction of the new prison and police centre in its place. From the perspective of the filmmaker’s window, and with testimony from prisoners awaiting deportation, the film probes how we deal with the extinction of history and its replacement with total security.
A truck driver races a train to the West Coast in an attempt to determine which method of transportation is faster.
Bunky Blum is picked on in school. His only peace comes during lunch hour, when he and his mentally ill Mother eat McDonalds and visit a talking train named Train. The 83 year-old train is now a caged monument in the center of a children's park. However, Bunky believes that the train will break out of its confines and save him from the bullies of the schoolyard. When Bunky realizes that the train is not magical, all hope is lost and Bunky has a moral melt down. In a fit of rage, Bunky punches a girl in a wheelchair. The unsympathetic move lands Bunky on the losing end of a full out brawl. Bunky's Mother witnesses the schoolyard violence and she erupts into her own fit of rage, which ultimately sends her back to the psych ward. In the end, Bunky is left without hope, without family and without security. He returns to the old train to make a final plea for vengeance. But Bunky's giant steal savior has not come for vengeance. Rather, it offers Bunky what he needs, a shush of peace.
Short documentary on the shunters in the Darling Island, Sydney, Australia railyard. Filmed in 1977.
When moist Pacific Ocean air collides with cold mountain temperatures, it creates an opportunity to see mother nature in her finest white dress. Railroads traverse these mountains by way of scenic routes and steep grades. Put winter and railroads together, and the result is something special: mile long freight trains braving white flurries, passenger coaches on mountain excursions, and small operators battling the elements. This is a Western Winter Wonderland. Featuring: Stevens Pass, Marias Pass, Mullan Pass, Deer Lodge Pass, Canadian Rockies, Donner Pass, Shasta, McCloud, Pengra Pass, and Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad.
Outlaw gangs are plundering the freight lines that bring supplies into Yellow Creek. The only thing that will save the town is the insurance money on the freight, but the outlaws are looking to steal that also. Lane comes to town as the best man for the wedding of Tom and Judy, but it will be up to him to find the outlaw boss.
From headwaters in Canada, the Columbia River flows over twelve hundred miles to the Pacific Ocean and for many of those miles it marks the boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon. Cutting through the Cascade Mountains, the river slices through an 80-mile stretch known as the Columbia River Gorge where the basalt mountains tower up to 4,000 feet above the water. Nearby dormant volcanoes such as Mount Hood and Mount Adams add to the incredible beauty of the Gorge area. Following the north bank of the river between Vancouver and Pasco, Washington is Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Fallbrook Subdivision. This is a prized site for railfans, offering spectacular vistas and nonstop railroading. Journey with Pentrex from Vancouver east to Maryhill along this scenic route and experience the variety of trains and motive power that ply this famous line.
Climbing gently from the tidewater ports near Portland, Oregon is the Columbia River Gorge'a wide, flat-water river passage that provides access to the inland agricultural regions of Washington and Oregon and divides the two states along most of their border. It is a spot of unparalleled beauty that hosts two railroad lines: BNSF to the north and Union Pacific along the southern shore. In Columbia River Gorge Volume I: BNSF's Fallbridge Subdivision, Pentrex explored the BNSF side of the Gorge, heading east from Vancouver, Washington to the arid desert mountains near the John Day Dam. Now, in Volume 2, we jump across the river to head back west toward Portland following Union Pacific's Portland Subdivision.
The most complete and comprehensive collection of railroading films ever compiled on any subject - the Anthony DeRosa collection on the Great Northern. Shot in 8mm color film over a 40 year period, this collection covers the GN route from Seattle to Superior. This will be a stunning series of videos that brings you rare and spectacular scenes that you have never seen before. Volume 1 covers the iron ore operations, including the mines and ore docks, from Kelly Lake to Allouez, St. Paul, and Superior. You'll see the mighty N-3 class 2-8-8-0's in action.