In this edition of the trains magazine's hot spot series, the main program which was first released as a 53 minute video starts with a look at the morning sun as it rises over the Tehachapi mountains, followed by some special effects of the mountains themselves, as well as a musical montage. After the music video was completed with the opening title, an interview with Jim Kelly is shown with an HO scale model of the trestle in the background. The first train shown in this documentary is a 4 unit doublestack led by a warbonet, and a trio of blue and yellow units. Afterwards a 5 unit piggyback train is shown with a trio of warbonets and 2 blue and yellow units. As Kevin Kiefe does the narration, a mixed freight is shown with 8 units: 1 warbonet, and 7 blue and yellow units. 2 helpers are on the rear: one warbonet, and one in blue and yellow. Curving out of the tunnel is a quartet of blue and yellow units. On the tail of the mixed freight while negotiating the loop is a pair of units: one being Burlington northern 3130, the other being Santa Fe FP45 102 in warbonet colors. A 5 unit Union Pacific coal is shown with engines, 6341, 3838, 2537, 3128 & southern Pacific 276. Afterwards a look at the map of America, and the route over the Tehachapi line between sandcut and heads for Bena, Ilmon, Caliente curve where there once was a sheep farm there, Bealville, Cliff, Rowan, Woodford, Walong where the big loop is located between tunnels 9 & 10, Marcel, cable, the town of Tehachapi itself, summit switch, monolith, Cameron, Warren, and arrives at its destination of Mojave. The entire sandcut to Mojave line is located near highway 58. Beginning from sandcut to bena, the double track mainline is featured as a lite power move of 4 units with one from the Rio Grande is shown on the rear. Moments later A 4 unit tank train goes in the opposite direction. Next up is a 5 unit Southern Pacific piggyback as it passes by a big cylinder which reads: Bena corrals. Going under the signal is a mixed manifest with 2 wide cab units. There are 2 helpers on the rear. At sunrise or sunset, a Quartet of Santa Fe warbonets rolls down the line. On the temporary line, the same mixed.freight with 7 blue and yellow units & a warbonet are Highballing down the line. Before we head for Caliente curve, a zoomed out map of the route from Bakersfield to Mojave is shown. Did you know that Caliente was originally called Alan's camp? A zoomed out still image of a single SP hopper train is shown. Back to video footage, the camera pans to the right as we are looking at one of the curves in Caliente. A 10 unit light power move on the Santa Fe is shown with 7 warbonets and a trio of blue and yellow units, followed by a really long coal train with 4 helpers: 3 blue and yellow on the Santa Fe despite 1 is a cabless booster unit, and 1 from the Kansas city southern. Another interview with Jim is included. On the SP, a 3 unit mixed train is shown with a failed 1985 merger unit in the middle. During the second music video, a 3 unit piggyback on the Santa Fe is shown with a conrail unit in the middle, a 4 unit hopper train with 2 warbonets and 2 blue and yellow units taking slow orders at the Caliente crossing, and a sunrise or sunset look at the SP 4 unit tank train. At Allard, a look at the S curve is shown as there are fields of grain around the mountains. One man is waiting for some freight action as a southern Pacific 3 unit hopper train is parked on a siding to let the 6 unit Santa Fe mixed freight have the right of way with 3 warbonets and a trio of blue and yellow power. With the mixed freight gone the SP power finally gets the right of way. Our next scene shows another type of an SP grain train with the tank train in the background. Here it slowly stops on a siding to let the 3 unit piggyback with a Rio Grande unit take the right of way. There are 2 helpers in the middle. At tunnel 2, a 4 unit tank train negotiates a bend, and heads for the tunnel. There are 4 helpers in the middle with 3 from the Rio Grande. From tunnel 3-5, we see a special effect of one of the tunnels having an earthquake as it happened in July of 1952. Going in to tunnel 5, is a 5 unit Santa Fe warbonet piggyback train. There are 2 helpers in the middle: 1 blue and yellow, and 1 warbonet. Leaving tunnel 5 is an opposite bound 6 unit mixed train with 2 warbonets and a Quartet of blue and yellow power in the middle. A pair of blue and yellow units are pushing on the rear. At the east end of tunnel 3, a Quartet of blue and yellow units leave the tunnel with a doublestack. Since tunnel 4 was abandoned, a portion was saved as evidenced by the retaining wall. Look carefully at one of tunnel walls that said: tomb of the unknown laborer Rest in peace. Moving Onto Woodford, a man and a woman are doing some discussion near the Keene gas station and general store combination location. Back to the trains, a 3 unit mixed train is shown as SP 8652 leads a pair of Norfolk southern Standard cab C40-8 units 8773 & 8812. We see the same train again at the bridge east of Woodford. More special effects are shown as the great flood of September 30, 1932 is included. Parked on a siding is a 5 unit piggyback/doublestack with a Quartet of blue and yellow units and 1 from a leased company. Here they are waiting for a 3 unit southern Pacific coal train to pass them. At last the doublestack gets the right of way. All to soon, we arrived at one of the iconic locations of southern California railroading: the Tehachapi Loop.Another interview with Jim is included as a Southern Pacific tank train with 4 units leave tunnel 9 under the loop. Afterwards, an interview with visiting railfan Jack Woodcock is shown. Going in and out of tunnel 9 is a 3 unit mixed train with SP 8598, conrail 6840, & UP 3588. Pushing on the rear is a couple of SP units. Note the number on one of the pushers that was referenced to a union pacific 2-10-2 that is still on display at Cheyenne. Afterwards An interview with visiting railfan from great Britain James Trainor is shown. Another 4 unit tank train is shown as it enters tunnel 9, and the big loop itself. 4 helpers are in the middle as conrail 5509 helps the SP power. Another music is shown starting with 5 warbonets crossing Tehachapi creek on a piggyback. SP 5503 makes an extreme close up shot as it leaves tunnel 9 at the loop, followed by a Quartet of warbonets on a doublestack, a 4 unit empty flatbed train with a warbonet, a blue and yellow unit, a KCS unit, and BN 3130 and Entering tunnel 10 is a 5 unit coal train with 3 warbonets and a pair of blue and yellow units. There are 2 warbonets in the middle. From the top of the loop, a Quartet of warbonets heads for tunnel 9 at the big loop on a piggyback. With the music video completed, Another 4 unit tank train negotiates the S curve. 4 helpers are in the middle with 1 from the Rio Grande. Leaving tunnel 9 going under the cameraman is a 5 unit doublestack with 2 warbonets and a trio of blue and yellow power. At sunrise or sunset, a Quartet of SP power passes by the signal. An interview with ranch manager Dal Bunn is shown. Here a sign for the loop ranch is shown as there are lots of cows on the farm. In the canyon narrows, a 9 unit light power move negotiates the bends, while inside the cab for a ride down the line as well as radio communications from the dispatcher, an interview with driver DA McKutcheon is shown. Back on the ground a trio of wide cab units are on a coal train, as well as another trio of wide cab units on a grain train. Another interview with Jim is included as a 4 unit doublestack with a trio of warbonets and a blue and yellow unit passes by the mountains with a house on top of the right side of the screen. 2 blue and yellow units are in the middle. Another music video is shown as the SP coal train negotiates an S curve, a Quartet of light power units leaving the tunnel with 3 from the Rio Grande, the SP grain train follows bebind, as well as a trio of warbonets on a piggyback. Leaving the tunnel at signal 3557, 5065 leads a doublestack with 4 blue and yellow units and a warbonet. Pushing in the middle is BN 7249, & blue and yellow unit 5135. With the music video completed, a visit to the town of Tehachapi is shown as the wooden station and water tower from the steam era are included as a hi-rail vehicle passes them. At sunrise or sunset, the 5 unit Santa Fe mixed train must wait for an SP 3 unit mixed train follow by a coal train with BN 8108 & 7064, and a quartet of warbonets on a piggyback. At last with traffic gone, the 5 unit Santa Fe mixed train finally gets the right of way. Moments later, a 4 unit doublestack arrives with 1 warbonet, 1 from Kansas city southern, and a pair of blue and yellow units arrive at the town of Tehachapi. Afterwards, a 3 unit SP mixed train is parked on a siding. 2 blue and yellow units are shown from the house of SP signal supervisor Bill Stokoe. Bill has a huge collection of semaphores, wig wags, Griswold types, and other signals and crossing signs. Back on the mainline, a visit to the summit switch is shown as the Santa Fe piggyback removes its helper units: 1 warbonet and 1 blue and yellow. In the going away scenes, note the solar powered windmills in the background. Heading east to monolith, Another interview with Jim is included as a 4 unit doublestack with 2 warbonets, 1 blue and yellow, & BN 8923 passes by the plant elevators. A 4 unit mixed train on the SP is shown with a Rio Grande unit. Next another 4 unit tank train is shown, followed by a 3 unit mixed train with a failed 1985 merger unit. Afterwards, a 6 unit mixed train with 2 warbonets, a trio of blue and yellow power, and a BN unit is shown, then we get to interview Bill again. Here he talks about the detectors, as a 4 unit SP mixed train goes under the detector. In Cameron, Bill visits the crossover tracks, as a 5 unit Santa Fe coal train with 2 warbonets and a trio of blue and yellow power passes by a signal. Following behind is a 4 unit doublestack with a trio of warbonets and a blue and yellow unit. All to soon, the Tehachapi line comes to an end as we are at Mojave. Here another interview with Jim is included as a Quartet of blue and yellow power leads a doublestack. Next a 5 unit lash up of blue and yellow power switches tracks with mostly boxcars. Following behind is a 3 unit SP mixed train that is also switching tracks. An eastbound SP coal train is shown with 3 units. Going under the highway bridge is a going away shot of a 5 unit piggyback with 3 warbonets and 2 blue and yellow units. Another interview with Bill is included. The crossover switches at Mojave is located at milepost 815. In the West side of Mojave, you can barely see a Southern Pacific freight in the background as a 5 unit mixed train with a Quartet of blue and yellow power and conrail 6721. The sun is setting as there are dramatic still images of the California desert itself as well as a final interview with Jim. One more musical montage and that concludes the trains magazine video presentation of the original Tehachapi.

The bonus update with Union Pacific & BNSF power is also interesting to see these same tracks with same freight but with different post merger power.

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