Customer Reviews

America by Rail

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

DVD Maximum: America by Rail.
After receiving the product as ordered, I found this to be packaged extremely well and in excellent condition.
The package consisted of four DVDs and covered, the "Route of the Southwest Chief" , "Winter Wonderland" , "Colorado's Scenic Train Rides", and "The Potomas Eagle" respectively.

On each the programs, I considered the video photography showing wonderful scenery as other features of the trains both excellent and realistic together with a pleasing commentry with didn't get bogged down without too much technical detail making it enjoyable to both my family and friends. The side trips covered were also very enjoyable and make pleasant breaks whilst watching the long Amtrak journeys.
"Colorado's Scenic Train Rides" gives a marvelous tour of the many scenic attractions and rail routes including around the mountains in this fabulous State, including narrow gage trains, cog rails to Pikes Peak, trolleys and streetcars, Denver's new light rail and many other attractions. We enjoyed these in real life as this DVD reminds us of many happy memories, and I feel sure that every one should enjoy this.
"The Potomac Eagle" I found the filming to be fantastic and very realistic from a passenger perspective. The views of wildlife and their natural surroundings were incredible.
I found everything on each DVD absolutely fascinating and enjoyable,and I can thoroughly recommend this DVD set of four to anyone. Also I would mention the prompt and hassle free service given by Amazon having received my order within a few days over here in New Zealand.
Great Service.

I'll review the Potomac Eagle as an example of what's on this set.

There was music at the beginning which, while fine enough music, I wasn't sure I wanted to hear throughout the trip. I wanted train sounds and to have enough narration to know where we were. Fortunately, that's what we got. This was a pleasant excursion trip.

There is plenty here for those interested in the operation and/or history of railroads. Additionally, there is plenty to please those wanting the experience of a train ride through beautiful scenery. If your interest is American history, you'll find some of that here as well.

We were in the cab with the engine crew from time to time during the trip, watching the actual operation of the train from the inside. In addition to the railroad history for this excursion trip, the narration included some American history from before 1776 and the Civil War, with homes and plantations dating back to the 1700s. There were sightings of deer and eagles. There was some detailed discussion of the eagles and eaglets. We followed the river, of course, and there was lots of waving to and from friendly people in canoes.

During parts of the trip we heard only our announcer. At other points we heard the actual sounds from the train and sometimes the people on it. At times we were viewing the scenery as if we were in the front, sometimes in the middle of the train, and often from somewhere in front of the train. Occasionally we must have been viewing it from a helicopter or at least somewhere high and from a distance, for a good view of the full length of the train.

The scenery was beautiful and the history fascinating for those who are interested in American history.

This was just one of the trips in the set, each one being distinctively different.

This DVD box set is wonderful. It shows a wide variety of trains (steam engines, diesel engines, city trolleys, etc.) in a wide variety of settings. My 4 year old son is a HUGE train fanatic and loves these DVDs. His favorite is the steam engine which goes through Colorado. I love watching it too since the scenery is so beautiful. It's narated and gives good information about the areas they travel through as well as the trains and the particular railroad's history. But, it's not too much information. There are lots of parts with just music and scenes of great trains riding down the track. This box set is a new favorite in our house.

This collection is an excellent set of rail journeys that are highly entertaining and informative. The set is a nice mix of four different routes that showcase our beautiful country. What I love about the set is the nice mix of scenery (you feel like you are actually on the train), music and minimal narration that allows the viewer to really enjoy the trips. Various camera angles include views from the passenger, cabin and exterior track side shots that give a variety of coverage sure to please rail fans. A wide variety of trains are featured, from restored antiques to modern trains. The set includes:

Colorado's Scenic Train Rides - My personal favorite. This disc alone makes the entire set worthwhile. 14 separate train routes are featured including the Pikes Peak Cog Railroad, the Royal Gorge and the Cumbres & Toltec steam railroad run by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. The scenery is stunning and many trips are not known to many travelers. I watch this one frequently.

America by Rail:Route of the Southwest Chief: - Another personal favorite, this route runs from Chicago to Los Angeles with wonderful side trips in between. The camera work is stunning on this route, as you really feel you are traveling the route, showcasing beautiful wild country in many places only seen by rail.

America by Rail:Winter Wonderland - This is a rare winter route from Chicago to Washington DC. Again, beautiful scenery, snow covered plains and gorges making you feel as if you are there.

All Aboard the Potomac Eagle - A special scenic route following alongside the Potomac River through the gorge called the Trough. The beauty of this region is available only by canoe or train. The ride is a delight.

Train rides are all about enjoying the journey, taking time to savor the views and enjoying the beauty of our great nation. This set makes you feel like you have been there. This set is a fine addition to any collection, whether you are a train buff or want to see what a rail journey would be like.

I love trains and really wanted to like these videos. Unfortunately, the people who made them made that impossible.

3 of the 4 DVDs in this set are 15+ year old videos (made in 1995, 1996, and 1997). The 4th is from 2000. Released on DVD in 2008, but made more than a decade earlier, had I known they were this old I would have hesitated a bit before buying them. Technology has moved way beyond what was used to shoot the footage in these videos.

That said, I can look past dated looking footage, but I have a very hard time looking past footage that was shot using cheap home camcorders instead of professional cameras of the day. And that's what much of the video looks like - home movies of someone's vacation. For 3 of the 4 videos, I can't get over how horrible the audio was - uneven across left and right channels, sometimes bouncing back and forth between the channels and sometimes cutting out. Nor can I accept the seriously overused and awful synthesized muzak. It wasn't just at the beginning and end, but throughout the entire video. Arrrggggghhhhhh!

But worst of all was the flat and uninterested narration. The narrator showed no interest in the subject and I wished that there was an option to select a narration free (and muzak free) audio track. The poor narration was not entirely the narrator's fault however. While blame for the blandness in tone and technique has to lie with the narrator, it didn't help that the script was as wooden as some of the old passenger cars we are shown. The simple fact is, narrators are voice actors. They should engage the viewer and add to the whole experience. The opposite happened here, and ultimately it was the producer's decision to use this narrator for the videos.

The problems inherent in 3 of the 4 videos made them almost unwatchable. What value there may have been in the actual information was being presented, was lost because of the way it was presented. I was hugely disappointed.

Of the 4 DVDs, "Colorado's Scenic Train Rides" was the best (and happens to be the last one made, in 2000). It solved some of the problems found in the others. The quality of the footage, while still dated, at least had better camera work, although I still don't understand their apparent aversion to tripods. The audio was better overall, and perhaps the biggest improvement was A NEW NARRATOR!

The narrator in "Colorado" was much more engaging and came across as someone who actually had some interest in trains. Unlike the other 3 DVDs, where there was a complete disconnect between the narrator and trains, this narrator does a good enough job to make you feel like he might actually be there as the video was shot. That should be the goal for this kind of video - draw the viewer in and make them a part of the experience. I don't want to leave you with the impression that this video does this - it doesn't. But compared to the other 3, it at least starts to head in that direction. Gone is the near-constant muzak found in the other 3 videos. When there is musak, it tends to be a bit more appropriate for the subject, and not as cheaply produced - although sometimes the producer couldn't resist slipping in muzak gratuitously.

One final problem I had with all 4 videos were the long shots pointed out of a train window at rather uninteresting landscape. I would much rather watch a tight 50 minutes of good material than 80 minutes of material padded with 30 minutes of filler. It's a bit like going out for a good meal and ending up with a lot of rice or bread on your plate and very little protein. Not that good a feeling.

If I had only seen the Colorado DVD, I would I would have given it 2 stars, leaning towards 3. But because this is a set of 4 videos I have to rate it as a set. And as a set, it gets just 1 star.

I'll NEVER watch 3 of the 4 DVDs again. Into the garbage they go. They were just that bad.

We bought these for our 4 yr old grandson who LOVES trains, and found that they are not only great for him, but for adults as well. The scenes are beautiful, and the information given in the narrative is interesting. The dvds flow with scenes, some narration and music, but are not overwhelmed by narration and music. Great for a nice, relaxing evening "trip". Our grandson also loves the dvds, and wants to see them just about every day, so a good purchase choice for folks of any age.