12 hours of BNSF's Cajon Sub. Mind Blowing! Four 3-hour DVDs. That is a LOT of trains. From San Bernardino to Barstow. 12 hours of new, never been published video. I have been watching this video, a few chapters at a time, for several weeks, and have just now reached the end of the 3rd DVD and started the 4th. Cajon Pass is probably THE Mecca for railfans. It is the one place that I want to see before I die, but at three to four bucks a gallon to feed a big ol' thirsty Chrysler, it is on the “can't get there from here” list for me. The entire Cajon Sub is covered and most of the sub is seen at least once (I have not yet watched all of the 4th DVD). There are some camera angles that I have not seen before including one scene where the camera crew climbed up to the top of the hill above Tunnel #1.This is typical of Pentrex's crystal clear sharp photography with good sound quality. And it shows the beautiful scenery of Cajon Pass in great detail, and in all four seasons. I have at least 7 videos featuring Cajon, but this is the first one I have seen showing snow on the ground.

The quality of photography on this video is as good as it gets from Pentrex. Always sharp, with minimal Southern California haze except off in the distance of some scenes. The sound quality is great (with a good sub-woofer, there are scenes where you get a good simulation of the ground shake from 4 or 5 of the big high horsepower GE's) and the narration is minimal and can be switched on or off. There are some scenes that more narration would be nice (...I wonder where this scene was shot...). And there are no train symbol markers. The only other thing that could have improved this video would be being shot in the wide-screen 16X9 format. A nice extra with this video is a one-page Altamont Press Timetable for the Cajon Sub.

OK, Pentrex, we have the Ultimate Cajon, and I see you have also done an Ultimate Tehachapi and Ultimate Belmont, so how about an Ultimate Seligman Sub in 16X9????


Additional remarks by armchairrailfan:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? Definitely.

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If you love stacks and piggy-backs then you are in hog heaven. Of course there are a lot of other types of freight too. Never been to Cajon and this is as close to the action I will get. Did not realize the difficulty this division has on trains. Yes, this is a long DVD (12 hrs) but well worth it it if you have never been there. Just wished the last chapter on the new realignment was longer.

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

This dvd is dominated by modern BNSF and UP power, which is not a bad thing. Most of it seems to be filmed in the early 2000's. There are occasional Sante Fe warbonnets and even BN SD40-2's. The extent of the coverage and volume of trains is mind-boggling. The letdown is the 4:3 image format and relative low-res of the cinematography. This would be excellent in the VHS/cathode ray tube era. But it falls short when viewed on my 50" plasma set I bought the year before this dvd set was released (2007)! Sound is excellent and narration is adequate. But resolution is sorely lacking for the era in which this was filmed. A definite bargain... if you are still in awe of your 32" Trinitron. Otherwise, look to widescreen dvd or, better yet, blu-ray. These discs will look grainy on any modern flatscreen tv. Cajon is heavily covered and blu-ray players with built-in wi-fi and usb ports are now very reasonably priced (I write this in 2014). Still, if you can pick this set up cheap, it may be a worthy addition simply based on the volume of trains. Also note, the coverage of tunnel daylighting and new mainline construction is minimal, a few minutes tacked onto disc 4.

Additional remarks by Craig J:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value: Seemed a little high, but not too bad.
Recommend to others? Not unless they REALLY were interested in the subject matter.

This is a WOW video, non-stop trains in beautiful country, enjoyed every disk!

Additional remarks by Jamesb:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Yes.

Enjoyed this Cajon Collection despite some blurriness at times. The 'BNSF' logos were hard to read, but overall,well worth the price. Thanks!

Additional remarks by Joe:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: A little rough around the edges.
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? Definitely.

An excellent dvd both in quality and value for money. Well worth watching the whole 12 hours ( in several viewings mind you ). Could have used more narration but otherwise an excellent dvd.

Additional remarks by Cl6066:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

An excellent dvd both in quality and value for money. Well worth watching the whole 12 hours ( in several viewings mind you ). Could have used more narration but otherwise an excellent dvd.

Additional remarks by Cl6066:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

This DVD collection is an excellent value at any price! If you know nothing at all about the Cajon Pass, you will feel like an expert after watching these 4 DVD's. This is without a doubt my favorite DVD in my entire video railroad library and I have quite the library! The footage, the sound and the entire content of these DVD's are movie theatre quality, no kidding. I have a 60" bigscreen with a home theatre surround sound system and I have watched this DVD collection more than once, it's that good. Even at full price you're getting a bargain when you consider the quality of these DVD's and the length of footage... some 12 plus hours? I'm a huge fan of BNSF and Cajon both so, this DVD collection is a "must have" in my opinion. If anyone is not pleased with this DVD set, then there's no pleasing them because this is one of the finest DVD collections out there today and you'll search long & hard to find a better set of DVD's with this subject??? I actually purchased a second set at a local hobby shop that was closing its doors because I couldn't pass it up at 75% off. I have never done that for any other DVD set or single DVD I've seen out there so, that alone should say something about this collection as well? You definitely want this collection!!!

Additional remarks by Texas Hi-Railer:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Yes.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

We have verified that this reviewer has purchased this item from Train Video Depot because this reviewer is a member of our loyalty program and was signed in when they purchased the item and when they left the review.

Well, this video is up to the fine quality that Pentrex is known for. Great scenes, great trains, great camera work. I knew there were 500 trains when I bought it, and I knew there were 12 hours on 4 discs. I don't know if a child would be into watching much more than a half hour or so. Truthfully there's only so many miles worth of containers that I care to look at. The video covers the Cajon sub mile by mile, and in the cold Canadian winter it's nice to see the California country side.
The big BUT...Pentrex, are you listening? There's only about 3 hours worth of narration stretched out to try to fill all 12 hours. If you don't like narration you can shut it off, but I like to be entertained & educated. There could have been more history...of the companies that built and used the rails, engineers and personal narrative, the towns that have come and gone and the reasons for their existence, a little geology... but nope. I was a little disappointed with this video. The price was right, but I would not have wanted to pay any more for it. Not as good as the Pentrex videos I already own. But cheaper than Valium.

Additional remarks by Ronnie:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Maybe.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Yes.

High quailty DVD, very enjoyable to watch.

Additional remarks by Phil New Zealand:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Yes.

This has got to be the finest show ever from Pentrex. Its like the Cajon sub on steroids. The snow scenes alone make this video worth every penny! This guy who shot it really did some serious hiking to get some of those angles. Three cheers for a job well done!

Additional remarks by HUGH DEFINITION:
Narration: Could have used more.
Would kids enjoy this? Definitely!
Image quality: Excellent!
DVD Value: Excellent Value!
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

At Pentrex's price, this 4-disc DVD set is a relative bargain. The enclosed map is a definite aid in giving you an idea of where you are.


Additional remarks by :
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? I doubt it.
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value: Good Value
Recommend to others? Yes.

This would be the best possible Cajon video I have ever seen. I live about 15 miles north of the BNSF/Amtrak line from San Bernadino and L.A, and throughout all the times I have been through Cajon Pass, I have never seen anything as good shot as this. The longest consist I ever saw there was a BNSF pair of ES44DCs and a BN C44-9W with 2 BNSF C44-9W at the Glen Helen Parkway which was about 2 to three miles easily with intermodel. Just truly magnificent.

Additional remarks by es44dcfan:
Narration: Just enough.
Would kids enjoy this? Definitely!
Image quality: Good.
DVD Value:: Fair.
Recommend to others? A "Must Have"!

Here is a very interesting video on Cajon. Watching this movie through, I kept watching for all the different Railroad names that make an appearance with their motive power. All the major North American lines are represented from Canada to Mexico. There are many fallen flags as well. There are some very interesting loads being pulled. High volume of inter-modal. The territory is well shown from many different angles. "The Narrows" is a most enjoyable location. The beauty of Southern California is incredible. This semi-arid land does not lack in scenery. Interesting scenes of note is the fact that it is semi-desert, and yet we noted some large dairy farms in a region unexpected. Nice touch.
The movie stirs the rail fan with-in to want to travel to California to see it in person, and that is great.
Each disc is 3 hours long, which is long enough to enjoy, but not to long, and then come back later to view another disc. It's almost like 4 videos in 1.
Very much enjoy this video and will look forward to viewing it many times over. Highly recommended.