Alaska 3-DVD Set Vols 1, 2 and 3
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This set consists of Pentrex's Alaska Series Volume 1, 2 & 3.

Alaska Vol 1 - Steel Rails, Midnight Sun - Summer on the Alaska RR

Stretching from Seward to Fairbanks, rising from tidewater up 2,360 feet to the Continental Divide, and running nonstop during sunless days and perpetual twilight, the Alaska Railroad is a hard-working operation that serves a land of extreme weather and incredible beauty. In the mid-1990s, filmmaker Patrick Hunstiger captured the fascination of the Alaska Railroad in a 3-part series of VHS videos and now Pentrex is proud to bring these programs to you on DVD, beginning with Volume 1: Steel Rails, Midnight Sun - Summer on the Alaska Railroad.

In 1993, the Alaska Railroad could field up to 17 trains covering up to 3,300 train miles in any given 24-hour period. These included two passenger extras; overnight freights and freight expresses; oil tanker, unit coal, and rock trains; work extras; and others. The ARR"s all-GM locomotive fleet, which sported three different color schemes, was made up of GP40-2s, GP49s, GP38-2s, GP35s, GP7s, and MP15s. Cabooses could still be seen at the ends of some trains.

You"ll get plenty of opportunity to enjoy these trains at work! After a brief look at a derailment earlier that spring, you"ll follow the operations of the line starting at 7 AM on a busy June day and carry on into the evening, ending with a meet illuminated by the midnight sun at 1 AM. The trains are dispatched from Anchorage under Track Warrant Control and you"ll view the dispatcher"s display boards to see siding and train status in between catching the action at Eklunta, Matanuska, Talkeetna, Broad Pass, Healy, Clear Site, Nenana, and other locations. Highlights include a unit coal train pulled by 6 matched GP49s, a passenger extra at Denali Park, action on the tall trestle spanning Hurricane Gulch, and of course the incredible skylines of craggy, snow-capped mountains reaching up from floors of emerald green forests!

Alaska Volume 2 DVD Pentrex

Where Trains Fly and Eagles Soar

Seward and Whittier Subdivisions on the Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad series continues with a fascinating look at operations on the Seward and Whittier Subdivisions during the summer of 1994. We'll treat you to a 3-day tour of the lines between Anchorage, Whittier and Seward, trackage that runs past the incredibly scenic vistas of Turnagain Arm and Kenai Fjords National Park. The route from Seward to Portage takes the trains over the crest of Kenai at 1,060 feet, up 3 percent grades, and through 5 tunnels!

Traffic on the Whittier and Seward Subs consists of Anchorage-to-Seward passenger trains; the Whittier Shuttle carrying passengers, cars, and trucks; unit coal trains; and freights that serve the rail barges. These are led by GM diesels including GP35s and GP38s, GP40s and GP49s, plus a few surprises such as an F7-B and a Budd RDC. You'll also see many cabooses at the ends of these trains.

The highlights of our show feature the Port of Whittier where the Trainmaster juggles 10 trains and 2 rail barges against 20-foot tides with only one GP30 switch engine, a passenger train made up of former SP bi-level coaches, rides through the tunnels aboard the Shuttle, a 6-unit lash-up of 5 GP49s and one GP40 leading a heavy coal train, maintenance-of-way equipment, and a special military move. But not to be overlooked is the astonishing beauty of red sunsets, towering snow-draped mountains, and sea green glaciers that are backdrops to the silhouettes of these trains. The Alaska Railroad serves a land of incredible beauty, a place where trains fly and eagles soar!

DVD Special Feature:

* Chapter Menus provides instant access to program segments.

45 Minutes
In Color with Hi-Fi Sound and Narration
Full-screen (4x3) Format
No region code; can be played in any NTSC DVD player worldwide
Packaged in Sturdy Vinyl Clamshell Case
ISBN: 1-56342-223-9
UPC: 7-48268-00500-0
A Mind's I production. Produced in cooperation with the Alaska Railroad
Copyright Mind's I Productions 1994
DVD released by Pentrex 2007

Alaska Vol 3 Giants in the Dark

Giants in the Dark -
Winter on the Alaska Railroad

The third in our 3-volume DVD series about the Alaska Railroad brings you a view of Alaskan railroading like no other, for it carries you along the rails in the dead of winter, when temperatures are minus 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and you're lucky if you see five hours of daylight. Photographer Patrick Hunstiger set up his studio lights and cameras to capture this incredible action in 1994. Now, with this new DVD release from Pentrex, you can experience powerful diesels challenging the cold, snow, and darkness, guiding freight and passenger trains through the frozen frontiers of the Alaskan wilds.

Winter alters the way the Alaska Railroad does business. A busy summer week of up to 100 trains a week will drop to 25 during the winter. However, the spectacular drama of railroading in Alaska is undiminished. GP40-2s, GP49s, a GP30, F7-B, E8-B, and MP15 are seen spewing show from the rails, sliding through the darkness while snow flurries cover the cabs, and hauling their trains past ice clogged-bays and jagged white peaks. Approaching the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood aboard the Ski Train is a magical sight for the mountain is lit for night skiing, but for the most part what you'll see is the bitter cold, the heavy storms, and the dangers facing the men and equipment in a land of perpetual darkness. It's an extraordinary insight into a type of railroading that few dare to face.