Alaska - the Last Frontier, land of glaciers, incredible vistas, the mountain known as “The Great One” - Denali, and incomparable wildlife – whatever superlative one applies to our largest and forty-ninth state, it can also be applied to the Alaska Railroad, arguably the most unique railroad in the United States.  The Alaska Railroad bills itself as “the last full-service railroad in North America”.  Twenty-seven percent of its revenues are from passengers.  No other freight common carrier that is not a commuter railroad in the lower forty-eight even comes close to that.  Its passenger car fleet, much of which is glass-topped and traditional domes and is supplemented by tour operators and cruise lines’ cars in three different color schemes, is easily the most eclectic in the country.  And its freight operations are unique also – with its captive rail cars and only connections to the outside railroad world being weekly barges from Seattle and twice monthly from Prince Rupert.  Yet the railroad is impeccably modern with welded rail, diesels with AC traction motors, distributed power, and majestic bi-level passenger cars all dressed up in a beautiful blue and gold.  Alaska has always been a land of booms and busts.  Tourism is the latest boom and the now state owned Alaska Railroad has taken full advantage of that.  This program shows the trains and traffic including all scheduled passenger and freight trains on the Alaska Railroad between the ports of Seward and Whittier and Fairbanks with many trains set in the grandeur of the Bold Land that is Alaska filmed in late August and September of 2016.  Length = 79 minutes.  This DVD can be watched with or without narration. 

The Cal-P, short for California Pacific, the nickname for Southern Pacific’s main line from Sacramento to Oakland, was part of the historic Overland Route and once the busiest and most important section of track on the far-flung Southern Pacific system. This line has seen dramatic changes in the past three decades, the least of which was the UP takeover of the SP. Today this is UP’s Martinez Subdivision and their busiest main line into Oakland, but what is more amazing is that thirty-four Amtrak trains use the eastern part of this line where we videotaped and even more west of Martinez. With thirty state supported San Jose or Oakland to Sacramento Capitol Corridor trains during weekdays on this strategic section of track, the Cal-P is as busy today as any time since World War II when freight trains were much more numerous but much shorter and lighter than those of today. This program showcases this amazing passenger rail renaissance by showing over twenty-four hours of action on the flat and straight section of UP’s Martinez Subdivision west of Davis, California in October of 2014. It makes the point, that even in auto-centric California, if you provide frequent and convenient intercity rail passenger service, Americans will use it. "The Cal-P, UP's Martinez Sub" is 58 minutes in length. This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.