I thought this was a GREAT video. Whenever I visit the Chicago area, I often find myself in many of the areas that are on this program! What a great variety of things and locations to see. I thought the color was fantastic and the narration was great as well as very informative. Not sure I understand what the others were complaining about. People seem to complain about "too much narration" while others complain about "not enough narration" for the same show. Gotta take that with a grain of salt. I think the entertainment factor for this show is VERY HIGH!!!

Additional remarks by Hugh Definition:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Definitely!
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? Definitely.

The video had a lot of variety but it wasn't done well enough by Pentrex standards. There was too much narration. The narration often continued while the locomotives passed drowning out the sounds of the trains. This is not standard practice for Pentrex. They are usually good at letting the trains speak for themselves. Pentrex doesn't seem to be as good as they once were. On their website they advertise "new videos", but they are actually old videos made for dvd. I don't know why they never made a video of the Acela Express which is a big story in American railroading. They need to get their act together.

Additional remarks by rrvideojunkie:
Narration: Way too much!
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value:: Fair.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

Sorry Pentrex. ...you're losing it!!! Their videographers must NOT be railfans. Three examples: 1 - On several occasions just as a train is about to pass a green signal, the view of the train changes so you miss the red signal change (am I picky?) 2 - The same happens as the lead locos are about to pass from one track to another through a turnout...you don't see them progressing through the switches. 3 - And this really bothers me. As an interesting load of I think military vehicles on a flatcar are approaching. ...do we get to see a close up. NO!! Now with the endless scenes of stack and oil trains, this would have been a pleasant change. I will give credit to Pentrex for great research and narration, although some of the scenes are really outside of Chicago.

Additional remarks by run8anderson:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value: Overpriced for the amount of enjoyment I got out of it.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

This is a so so production from Pentrex. First the picture quality is nothing special. Pentrex please offer a blu-ray choice! Second, the use of maps are terrible. They show a junction map a third grader could draw with no relation to where we are in the world. They do show a map of where cities are in relation to Chicago but not until 52minutes into the second disc! The title is another joke. This should be called the Ultimate Mid West. They only show the city of Chicago maybe 2 times. I think the Ill. Railway Museum was the best part of the entire video.

Additional remarks by John:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Yes.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value: Overpriced for the amount of enjoyment I got out of it.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

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I have many Pentex videos , so I was expecting the normal super quality that is the norm with them, WRONG. The quality of the video is not all that good , not sharp at all and the color is dull. It kinda looks like an old VHS quality that was converted to DVD. Too bad.

Additional remarks by Mokena RR:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Poor.
DVD Value:: Fair.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

I just want to say this 4�-hour video, released in 2014, is excellent, contrary to what some of the earlier reviews suggested. I give it 5 stars without hesitation. Content and quality are similar to Left Coast Video�s �Chicagoland Illinois Hotspots� (2016) and Green Frog�s �2010 Midwest Review� � and both of those are superb. It is also as good as Pentrex�s own �Today�s Chicago Railroads,� which covered similar ground in 1991. Camera work and sound are exciting: up close to the trains, very vivid and lively. Pentrex gets it right by displaying just enough of each train (from varying angles), but not boring you by showing every single identical coal hopper. There is a good mix of the 6 major railroads (CSX, NS, BNSF, UP, CN, and CP) and shorter lines; also a good mix of freight, Amtrak, and Metra. Customers, a few caveats: (1) Most of the chapters are hotspots (junctions and crossings) in the suburbs or just outside metro Chicago; nothing downtown, no industrial switching, and just one section in a large freight yard. (2) I am not so interested in the 3 sections about railroad museums � but they only add up to 30 minutes, which still leaves 4 glorious hours of trains at work. (3) Unlike some videos, this one does not provide graphics showing train numbers, destinations, or classes. (4) Maps are often limited to track diagrams at the hotspots; if you are not a Chicagoan you may need an area map to see where those hotspots and the major railroads are. (5) The first 50 minutes of Disc 2 are not subdivided into chapters, although they cover several different locations.

Additional remarks by zeppyblimp:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Definitely.

The Ultimate Chicago... No. The Ultimate in a Tri-state region... maybe a closer name. City population 2.5 million+, metro population... over 9 million. And Pentrex had to go outside into Wisconsin & Indiana for video footage? I like seeing the railway museums, but I thought that they could have been in a video by themselves, and much more covered in the Chicago area verses what we do see. Pentrex does not appear to have it on this one. Also.... to much narration. I own the other "Ultimate" videos, and as a result I wanted this one. What a disappointment.

Additional remarks by rrvideoman:
Narration: Way too much!
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value: Overpriced for the amount of enjoyment I got out of it.
Recommend to others? Definitely not!.