Home
Union Pacifics Cascade Sub Part I and II 2 DVD Set 7ideaUnion Pacific's Cascade Sub Part I: |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Added 2010-02-18 12:49:36 by craigv
As with the more recent Feather River video, this Cascade video features excellent photography, and great effort to capture many angles. What makes this older video very distinctive is that the producers had to hike in to some very remote, hilly sites. No one else has covered the Cascade route adequately in the past, due to this low accessibility. Nothing from Pentrex. Nothing yet from Highball or the others. Yet not only does 7idea cover it, but they do so thoroughly and provide an outstanding product which I will view many times.
There were some shots, including those taken in extreme temperatures and snow, ice, thunderstorms . . . that frankly left me being astonished with their intrepid effort to document the line in all conditions. Bravo. I would never have had the courage or stamina.
I own detailed UP track profiles of the route, available on ebay. Armed with that, and this video, it provides a great virtual visit to a beautiful area, historic line, heavy grades, and curves --- in ways that I would not otherwise see.
Given the heavy grades (and being a veteran of Cajon Pass who grew up in that area) the SOUND of locomotives battling the grades is just as important as the VIDEO !! That is an attribute that some other producers do not understand. But 7idea does, and they have captured great sound. I use train videos to do my stairmaster and cycling workout by, down in the basement thru my old college stereo, and this video has the whole house shaking. The narrator is excellent, but I would like to have the option of turning the narration off or on for subsequent viewings.
The first thing I did after viewing this video, was order their companion Mt. Shasta line video. I own about 100+ train videos, and there is a lot of subject redundancy. (I probably have 10 or so on Tehachapi). But 7idea has mastered this route, I might add a route with scenery that transcends my old haunts like Beaumont Pass. Thanks!
As a Blu-Ray and HDTV owner, I would love to see 7idea embrace that technology. Given their quality of sound and image, a full high-definition (and widescreen format as with Marias Pass video) would add to the impressive quality of their products. Added 2009-10-05 00:37:12 by bigvan
Hey this is a GREAT DVD I grew up and surveyed for ODOT for 37 1/2 years and we worked on the Blue Pool slide just above Oakridge. The slide sent the railroad (Then Southern Pacific) down toward the highway we worked with there surveyors and we did other suveys from Eugene to Klamath Falls and on to the California line with the railroad just very close by. Just wish I could have been a surveyor for the railroads back about 1900. Added 2009-08-12 03:05:31 by armchairrailfan
Southern Pacific built the Cascade Sub in western Oregon to bypass the curvature and steep grades on the old line through the Willamette Valley and over the Siskiyou Mountains. The Cascade Sub includes 40 miles of 1.6 percent grade, the longest continuous grade on the former SP (including Donner Pass!). UP had considerable problems using DPUs on this line due to the tunnels and grades, causing them to switch back to manned helpers while upgrading the communications system. Disc one covers the line from Eugene OR south to Cascade Summit. This is very scenic territory including fertile farmland in the Willamette Valley, dense forest and near desert high plains. Highlights include the nicely restored 180 foot long Westfir Covered Bridge on the West Fork of the Willamette River near Oakridge OR and the curved trestle crossing Salt Creek. Disc two covers the line from Cascade Summit south to Klamath Falls OR. This DVD has some of the best snow scenes that I have seen on a railfan DVD. One scene early in this video was shot in an area with nearly 5 feet of snow on the ground. We get to see a Pike Plow in action – a self propelled spreader. BNSF trackage rights trains are seen enroute from the former WP High Line to the Oregon Trunk Sub which begins a Chemult OR. An added bonus is video from a few years ago of the now discontinued Swift Road Railer. Topping this DVD off, we see the UP 1996 – the SP Heritage SD70ACe departing on it's first revenue run. Narration is more than sufficient. Train symbol markers are included for many trains, and location markers including the milepost are provided for most locations. The photography is excellent – as good as it gets. The only thing that could improve this video is widescreen format. This video is a MUST HAVE for UP fans, mountain railroading fans as well as those who like winter scenes. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shopping Cart