The former Great Northern, now BNSF, line over Marias Pass is the northernmost and lowest crossing of the Rocky Mountains in the continental United States. Much of this spectacular line along the middle fork of the Flathead River and Bear Creek is alongside the southern boundary of Glacier National Park. And BNSF’s line over Marias Pass hums with activity as this is their main line between Chicago and Seattle and Portland. Amtrak’s Empire Builder makes an appearance also. Marias Pass has pushers, both manned and radio controlled, steep grades, snow sheds, high bridges, and tunnels, all nestled in the awe-inspiring scenery of the Rocky Mountains adjacent to Glacier National Park. This program shows over twenty-four hours of action between Conkelley, where the two main tracks out of Whitefish become single track, and Browning, twenty-six miles east of the summit of Marias Pass where the plains abruptly meet the mountains, in September of 2010. “The Trains of Marias Pass 2010” is 2 hours and 6 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

Politics and the lure of building a main line through the lowest and easiest passage in the Canadian Rockies dictated that Canadian Pacific would build through Calgary and the transcontinental main lines for both predecessors of Canadian National would go through Edmonton nearly thirty years later. Edmonton, the capital of the Province of Alberta when it became a province in 1905, and Calgary, who already hosted Canada’s first transcontinental railroad, grew rapidly in the early 1900s and quickly became the largest cities and centers of commerce in Alberta, titles that they retain today. All three Canadian Transcons quickly built lines into the other city that their transcontinental main did not go through. The current operations of the CP and CN lines between Calgary and Edmonton could hardly be more different. This program shows the trains and operations of Canada’s two main railroads on their fascinating secondary main lines between Calgary and Edmonton in September of 2010. “CP & CN Calgary to Edmonton Mains” is 1 hour and 37 minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration. 

Some of the most awe-inspiring scenery on this continent is in Canada’s Banff and Yoho National Parks astride the Great Divide in the Rocky Mountains west of Calgary, Alberta. And Canadian Pacific’s transcontinental main line across Canada happens to run right through the middle of these parks alongside the Bow and Kicking Horse Rivers. The west slope of Kicking Horse Pass is the location of the famous spiral tunnels and the east slope follows the beautiful Bow River and its tributaries. This program shows over twenty-four hours of action between Morant’s Curve along the Bow River east of Lake Louise and Field, British Columbia at the base of Field Hill in September of 2010. And, through the use of distributed power units placed at multiple places in the train, Canadian Pacific is running some of the longest trains on this continent over Kicking Horse Pass. “The Trains of Kicking Horse Pass 2010” is one hour and forty-four minutes in length.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

At 3718 feet above sea level, the summit of Yellowhead Pass on Canadian National’s transcontinental main line west of Jasper, Alberta, is the lowest and easiest pass through the Rocky Mountains traversed by a transcontinental railroad in either the United States or Canada. No other crossing of the Great Divide even comes close. Yet the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies stand guard on both sides of the pass. No wonder all three transcontinental railroads in Canada wanted to build through Yellowhead and two of them did. The ascending grade on both sides of the pass is only four tenths of a percent. The tonnage through Yellowhead has quadrupled in the past forty years and CN runs some of the longest freight trains in North America through Yellowhead Pass. And CN’s line through Yellowhead Pass is located in the beautiful Jasper National Park and Mt. Robson Provincial Park. Via’s Canadian and Skeena pass through Yellowhead as does the seasonal Rocky Mountaineer tourist train. This program shows all the trains for over twenty-four hours on both sides of Yellowhead Pass in September of 2010. “CN's Yellowhead – Easiest Pass through the Rockies” is one hour and fifty-two minutes long.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.