The 26 car American Freedom Train toured the United States from April 1975 to December 1976. Surprisingly, it was the only "nation wide" event in the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of our Independence. The train was pulled by three different steam engines, of which only 4449 is still in service today pulling excursions - RDG 2101 is now in the B&O Museum in Baltimore MD and T&P 610 is in the Texas State Railroad Park at Palastine TX. Just a few weeks before I received this DVD, Southern Pacific 4-8-4 #4449 made it's second longest trip of it's excursion history to appear at the 2009 Train Festival in Owosso Michigan. Normally painted in Southern Pacific red and orange Daylight colors, 4449 was repainted in the Freedom Train colors in 2002. This DVD covers the March 2002 trip through the Columbia River Gorge and Deschutes Canyon. It also includes the 1976 American Freedom Train video from Interurban Press.

<p>The main program starts with a brief history on the SP GS class locomotives and scenes from the preparation then night before the excursion, and a few shots of the Portland Union Station. As the train pulls out of the station, it is noted that the auxiliary tender is lettered "Let's Roll", the phrase that was used by the doomed passengers of Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania during the Terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Highlights of the video include a long shot of the train crossing the bridge at Wishram while a UP train passes under the west end of the bridge, the Crooked River bridge, the Willow Creek trestle (photo run by) and the long pacing sequence in the Deschutes River Canyon. The cool March weather creates some nice exhaust scenes. I noticed that none of the passenger cars in this train where lettered for any particular railroad...it would have been nice for all of them to have been painted in AFT colors.

<p>The 25 minute American Freedom Train video (listed as "Bonus Material" on the DVD menu) starts in Bakersfield CA showing the 4449 hooking up with a Cotton Belt diesel that is painted in Bicentennial colors for help crossing Tehachapi pass. We then see the train on the Tehachapi Loop and passing through a couple tunnels enroute to the Los Angeles Fairgrounds. The Freedom Train (again with the Cotton Belt Bicentennial painted EMD SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor then is shown enroute to Yuma AZ.

<p>Narration and photography are both very good. There is a lot of wind noise in this video, so you might want to crank the subwoofer down a bit. The Interurban Press video is also well done and good quality. This is definitely a <i>MUST HAVE</i>!


Additional remarks by armchairrailfan:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

Over the Years SP Daylight 4449 Provides some excellent specials in the Pacific Nothwest, and also Provides some excellent transcontinental trips in 1975-77 for the original Freedom Train, 1984 to New Orelans for the World's Fair, and in 2009 to the Steam Railroading institute in Owosso Michigan for a special weekend-long party for Pere Marquette 1225 (The Real Polar Express Locomotive)'s huge Rebuild. This Program made in 2002, features the second time 4449 was repainted in the 1970's AFT Livery but to bring the dedicated tributes to the innocent citizens who lost their lives at New York City's Twin Towers during the 9-11-01 attacks. This one was my Very First Pentrex DVD back in 2003, and at the Same Time, Tom McCommas & Joe Stachler of TM Books & video Provides some of the footages from that video to be used in the "I Love Toy Trains Part 12" Videotape.

Additional remarks by Steamboy:
Narration: Just enough.
Narration CAN be turned off in special features.
Would kids enjoy this? Yes.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value:: Fair.
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!