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RAIL US STEAM TRAIN COLLECTION YouTube Movies & TV: Giants On The Rails - America's Biggest Steam Trains PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLIAFb_CYZs
YouTube Movies & TV: Giants On The Rails - America's Biggest Steam Trains 190M subscribers ... 414 likes Take the ride of your life on 10 of Americas biggest steam trains. Youll thrill to awesome sounds and spectacular videos shot from the air and all around the train. Go behind the scenes and hear long-forgotten stories about these legendary steam trains. Peter Burgess COMMENTARY This video compilation about some of the legendary steam trains of the United States is quite fascinating ... at any rate, for me! I am old enough to have 'grown up' with steam trains. I grew up in the United Kingdom and still remember some of the early train rides when I was very young, Our family lived in the suburbs of London, but most of our relatives lived in Yorkshire and Lancashire in the North of England. During the war, my parents kept their car, even though they could not drive it because there was no petrol (gas) for civilian use. We did all out ravel on bisycles or using public transport. Our trips to see relatives in Yorkshire and Lancashire were made by train. Mostly the trains were very full with a lot of soldiers travelling. For some reason, I still remember night-time travel more clearly than travel during daylight hours. American locomotives are 'bigger' than British locomotives. Many of the key tunnels in the UK were built in the mid 1800s early in the development of locomotives and rolling stock. Everything has been built for British railways since then fits the smaller 'loading gauge'. In mre recent times, the rolling stock used for the Paris / London train service is small enough for British bridges and tunnels. Peter Burgess QUESTION: Is the rolling stock used for Paris-London services (primarily Eurostar) built to the smaller British loading gauge? The answer is yes, the Eurostar trains operating through the Channel Tunnel are designed to fit the smaller British loading gauge. Here's why this is important: Differing Loading Gauges: Britain's railway network was developed with a smaller loading gauge (the maximum width and height allowed for trains) compared to much of mainland Europe. Interoperability Challenges: This difference in loading gauges poses a challenge for international train services like Eurostar, requiring specially designed rolling stock that can operate on both networks. Eurostar's Design: Eurostar trains (specifically the Class 373, also known as the TGV TMST or Eurostar e300, and the newer Class 374 or Eurostar e320) were specifically designed with a smaller cross-section to allow them to travel on the British rail network. In short, while the track gauge is the same, the overall size and shape (loading gauge) of the trains are adjusted to accommodate the smaller British infrastructure. Transcript 0:03 (somber music) (engaging music) (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing softly) (train horn honking) (train humming) 1:14 (train wheels rolling) - [Jim Mitchell] Modern railroading. It's come a long way from the romantic days of the little steam iron horse. By comparison, this spacious cab on the BC Rail Line in British Columbia is the virtual lap of luxury, complete with a coffee maker to help the engineer and the fireman pass the long hours going down the endless miles of steel track. - So we don't have anything on the DOB to bother us today, Chris, eh? - [Chris] No. (train wheels rolling) - [Jim Mitchell] While railroading has been romanticized in folk ballads and more recently by rail fans, 2:04 fact is that railroads have always been used for purposes of industry, commerce and transportation. (train humming) (train horn honking) (bell ringing) Why, even the army has a railroad. (bell ringing) Today, The big diesels like this triple CSX unit can pull over 100 coal gondolas as seen here in West Virginia on the old Chessie system. (train whooshes) 2:56 (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train engine rumbling) (bell ringing) But it really wasn't all that long ago that old diesels like this one from the Baltimore and Ohio were introduced as the modern trains of the '50s and early '60s. (bell ringing) (train engine rumbling) (train wheels rolling) But while these old diesels bore such modernistic names as Streamliner, they still stood in the long shadow of their predecessors, the steam-powered locomotive. Now, now there, there were the true giants on the rails. (steam shooting) (upbeat drumming music) 4:01 For the next 60 minutes, you are going to witness the largest operating steam-powered locomotives in the USA. From the high country in Cheyenne, Wyoming comes the pride of the mighty Union Pacific Railroad. She's the largest operating locomotive in the world. 3985. This is the UP Challenger. (upbeat jazz music) from the Pacific Northwest, this is Portland, Oregon's Freedom Train from America's bicentennial celebration In 1976. (upbeat jazz music continues) It was once known as the most beautiful train in the world. Restored and maintained by friends of the 4449, this is the venerable Daylight. From Indiana, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society's superheated Berk, leftover from the famous Nickel Plate Road, this is the 765, re-badged to run up the old Chessie system on the New River Gorge. (upbeat jazz music continues) 5:03 From Shaky Town, the city by the bay, comes a locomotive fully restored by San Francisco's Golden Gate Railway Museum. Here comes SP 2472. (upbeat jazz music continues) From the copper country of Ely, Nevada comes one of the most popular excursion trains in the West, the Ghost Train. From the banks of the Potomac River in historic Cumberland, Maryland, you are going to ride to the top of the mountain on the Western Maryland Scenic Railway. (upbeat jazz music continues) High in the mountains of beautiful British Columbia, through the snows and up the treacherous Cheakamus Canyon to Whistler Ski Resort, you're onboard with BC Rail and the Coast Mountaineer. (upbeat jazz music continues) And from the wilds of the Cartwright family's Ponderosa country, Skyfire takes you to the most famous ghost town in the West, Virginia City, 6:03 where you are going to ride the most famous short line in history, the V&T. (upbeat jazz music continues) (train wheels rolling) Now, it was a popular belief in those days that the steam locomotive was capable of unlimited power and speed. A-ha, no doubt this was true. Folklore was built around harrowing true stories of runaway trains virtually leaping off the track at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. ♪ Well, Steve turned around to these black greasy firemen ♪ ♪ Saying shovel in a little more coal ♪ ♪ And when we reach that white old mountain ♪ ♪ You can really see old 97 roll ♪ ♪ Well, it's a mighty rough road ♪ ♪ From Lynchburg to Danville ♪ ♪ And lying on a three mile brake ♪ 7:01 ♪ It was on this grade that he lost his air brake ♪ ♪ And you see what a jump he made ♪ ♪ Said they were going down that mountain ♪ ♪ Making 90 miles an hour ♪ ♪ When his whistle broke into a scream ♪ ♪ Steve was found in the wreck ♪ ♪ With his hand on the throttle ♪ ♪ And scalded to death by the steam ♪ ♪ Thank you, Gary ♪ (mellow guitar music) (train wheels rolling) (train wheels screech) (guitar music continues) (train wheels rolling) 8:01 (majestic orchestral music) - The locomotive we most recognize was the smaller steam engine that helped open our country from East Coast to West. Many were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Soon the little black engines were placed into service throughout the country in the mining and logging industries out West. In the heavily-industrialized East, heavy hauling and passenger service opened such isolated tracks as the New River coal fields of West Virginia. In select places like this shortline operation in Virginia City, you can still ride behind the old steam locomotive as it huffs its way up the mountain over the very same line used by the V&T 125 years earlier. But for the most part, all the great old engines were cut up for scrap during World War II. You see, America needed bullets and steel. It was the patriotic thing to do back then, but it took away many of history's classic steam engines left over from the height of America's industrial age. 9:06 (solemn flute music) Coal shifters that once crossed this grand old trestle on Meadow Creek in West Virginia are now just faded images that linger only in the minds of the few who once saw their passing. Their haunting whistles are but a memory that calls down across the shadowy back woods and hollers. Some of the most classic old steam engines of the West came from the Comstock silver mines of Virginia City. (cheerful parlor music, 'Camptown Races') The Virginia and Truckee Railroad, which was called the V&T for short, was known as the Golden Girl of the shortline railroads. The V&T had almost 30 steam locomotives working on less than 100 miles of track. The 56-pound rails were shipped around the horn of South America from Sheffield, England. (cheerful parlor music, 'Camptown Races') History records that one of the first engines 10:05 was hauled up this steep grade by a 40-hitch team of oxen. Unfortunately, the locomotive got mired down in the mud on this turn. The story goes that after several days they couldn't get the locomotive unstuck, and so they left it abandoned right here on this grade until the spring thaw. Such was the way of life in the early West. - [Worker] Fire in the hole! (explosion blasts) - The miners, well, they blasted several tunnels into the rock so the V&T could climb the steep grades from Carson City all the way up to Virginia City. The grade was so steep and the turns so sharp, they fitted 72 high-inch drive wheels onto the engines so they could negotiate the sharp turns. These high, classic-looking drive wheels were what undoubtedly saved so many V&T engines from the scrappers' cutting torch. When the rail line closed in 1953, 11:00 Hollywood studios bought up many of the old engines. (majestic orchestral music) They played a starring role in numerous old Western movies. (majestic orchestral music continues) Back in 1862, they didn't have concrete, so they cut these rocks out of quarries and stacked them. They did a darn good job 'cause here it is 130 years later, and they're still here. You can walk along these old right-of-ways out here in the West and relive that glorious era that was one steam. In select places like this, you can still see the remains of the old V&T trestles down in the canyons. Huh, look at these 12 by 12 beams, soaked in creosote oil for protection from the insects and rotting. They're just as stout now as the day they were lifted into place. Remarkably, these handcrafted trestles still survive from the late 1870s. Though it's almost 125 years old, 12:03 the same foundation rocks that were laid by hand are just as neatly packed as if the job were done yesterday, thank you. Back then, it was believed that things worth doing were worth doing well, and they did. It doesn't take a lot of effort to find old, buried railroad spikes like this along the right-of-way. You can tell the really old spikes by how thin and slender they are. For some, these spikes have a story all their own. Who knows, but what some Gandy dancer chucked this very spike right over his shoulder 130 years ago as they set a new section of track right here in this cut. (upbeat rock music) Now down in Carson City, they've restored a great deal of the old V&T engines and placed them in a handsome museum for all to see. This old wood burner is called The Indian, where brass is spotless to perfection, one of the oldest surviving locomotives. On holiday weekends, they pull the engines out of the roundhouse and run them about on a noble track. 13:02 Why, they even have an old turntable once used to turn the engine and tender after it came out of the roundhouse. This old water tower came from one of the service stops in Washoe Valley. There's not too much film that survives from the original V&T, but here we see it as the engineer and fireman turn the engine across the river in Reno. Today, the old turntable's gone. In its place, a lot full of weeds surrounded by high-rise casinos. And this is the way Number 27 looked when it left Reno and crossed the Truckee River. Today these old concrete piers are all that remain of the old bridge that crossed the river. Motel sits where the tracks used to run. This is the way the roundhouse looked in Carson City before they tore it down. Grover Russell, ah, now he was the last engineer to pull the final train over the V&T track. And here a lady waved to the train as it crossed the highway at New Washoe City. 14:07 (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing) Today, tourists ride over the V&T right-of-way aboard this shortline railroad in historic Virginia City. (train wheels rolling) Many of the old V&T structures like the Gold Hill station have been preserved. (train wheels rolling) 15:13 (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) Now, this grand structure is St. Mary's of the Mountains, a Catholic church still used today by Virginia City residents. 16:00 (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing) The walls were specially built to withstand vibration. You see, back in the 1870s, they ran the railroad tracks right under the church. (train wheels rolling) The train, well, it passes through this original tunnel that was blasted open by Virginia City miners. (train wheels rolling) Plans are in the works to extend the ride from Virginia City all the way down to Carson City and back. (train wheels rolling) 17:08 But not all of the giants on the rails were so famous. (majestic orchestral music) Back in Western Maryland, in a town called Cumberland, they ran a steam operation over the Potomac River and up the mountain to the coal mines. Cumberland was a historic town. It's rumored that the father of our country, George Washington, was known to frequent one of the taverns here in his younger days. Today, you can spend the day just walking about and enjoying the charm of this historic old city. 18:00 Throughout the spring, summer and fall, you can ride one of several daily trips from Cumberland Station all the way up the mountain. (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) 19:06 (train horn honking) Sometimes they bring out the old diesels while the steam engine's in service. (train engine humming) Now on this particular occasion, they started out early in the morning at the roundhouse. (train engine humming) (train wheels rolling) 20:10 (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) Mm-hmm, it was clear that the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad had an abundance of unique old rolling stock. Activity in the yard was brisk, and I can assure you, so is the fall morning chill. (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) 21:24 (tain wheels rolling) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) They had filled the tender with West Virginia coal right to the top. Then against an autumn sky, they pulled away from the roundhouse. (train wheels rolling) (wheels screeching) 22:04 (tain wheels rolling) It was fall time, and the colors were magnificent. (birds chirping) 23:04 (train wheels rolling) (bird warbling) As they pulled the engine out of the yard for the station, we came upon a slick spot where moisture had left the rail slippery. (train wheels rolling) (steam shooting) Steel tires slipping on steel track was a sound that once brought fear to the locomotive engineer. This is very, very hard on the engine. 22:04 (train wheels rolling) (alarm beeping) 24:04 (train wheels rolling softly) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) As we approached the station, we came to the Potomac River. I remember thinking that it was pretty thin up here, not very wide. Maybe that's why George Washington was able to throw a silver dollar across it. (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) 25:18 At the station, we loaded up for the trip up the mountain. (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) Passengers were eager to get onboard. - Can we get a picture taken? How you doing, welcome to Cumberland. (passengers laughing) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing) 26:20 - [Jim Mitchell] And soon we were underway. (bell ringing) 26:28 (steam shooting) (horn honking) 26:33 (bell ringing) 26:43 (train horn honking) 26:48 The town of Cumberland slipping by in the bright, crisp morning air. (bell ringing) 26:58 (shovel thumping) Now up in the cab where they do all the work, 27:03 I was wondering why our fireman Dan was so darn skinny. It was a cinch the engineer sure wasn't. But as we started to climb the mountain, we got a taste of what a fireman's workout was really all about. (train wheels rolling) (train horn honking) This narrow gap through the canyon that paralleled the river was called The Narrows. It was relatively flat, but soon we would really begin to climb. (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train horn honking) 28:11 (train wheels rolling) The Western Maryland passed through scenic rural country. One of the many highlights of the trip was here at Helmstetter's Curve. (train horn honking) (furnace roaring) (train wheels rolling) 29:14 (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) Dan the man had his work cut out for him. Oh, the engine was working all right, but from where I stood, it was Dan that was digging his way up the mountain with a shovel. (train wheels rolling) 30:27 Now on this particular morning, they decided to give Dan the fireman a little break. So they brought the engine to a stop halfway up the grade. (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) 31:19 Well, this is the scene Dan was looking for, end of the line, top of the mountain. Frostburg, the Western Maryland Scenic Railway. It's uphill all the way, but guaranteed well worth the nominal charge for admission. You won't be disappointed. From the hills of Maryland, Skyfire traveled to the city by the bay, San Francisco. The Golden Gate Railroad Museum had spent several years restoring a giant engine that had once pulled the longest continuing passenger run of any steam engine in the country. SP 2472 had operated as far east as Ogden, Utah, and back west of the rail city in Sparks, Nevada. The engine was domiciled in this exceptionally clean shop 32:03 at the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Like most of the volunteers you'll meet, these men and women were not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. (rail workers chattering) Every year, the Golden Gate Railroad Museum took out at least one excursion run from San Francisco. (train wheels rolling) On this particular trip, they were heading out for the San Joaquin Valley for the Dry Bean Festival. - [Worker] I gotta go get my badge. - [Jim Mitchell] The engine, well, it was made ready and pulled out of the yard the day before the run. - He says there's too much travel on the other side. (bell ringing) (steam shooting) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) - [Jim Mitchell] They pulled out onto the SP mainline where a yard goat, an older tug engine, pulled the 2472 down to Daly City. 33:20 There they would begin a giant ferry move down to San Jose and back up to Oakland. (train wheels rolling) Before being retired from service, the 2472 had pulled daily commuter trains up and down the South Peninsula between San Francisco station and San Jose. The way the engine was running, this territory was no stranger to the engine. (train wheels rolling) 34:02 (bell ringing) (train horn honking) (bell ringing) Later in the afternoon, the engine arrived in Oakland, where it tracked down through Jack London Square. (bell ringing) The next morning, the engineer opened the cylinder cocks and left for the main passenger terminal. (bell ringing) (steam shooting) 35:01 (train wheels rolling) The roadbed followed along the edge of San Francisco Bay, as we made our way toward Martinez and the Carquinez Strait. (train horn honking) They passed into the Carquinez Bridge and up through the C&H sugar cane factory. What a sweet trip. (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing) (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling) 36:18 Later that afternoon, they turned about for the return trip. Listen to the sound they made as they came back down through the sugar refinery. (bell ringing) (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) 37:01 The Golden Gate Railroad Museum takes several trips each year. You can book a ride, you bet you can. They'd love to have you onboard. Besides, your admission is what makes it possible to maintain and run this marvelous steam locomotive. (train wheels rolling) (camera shutter clicking) (train wheels rolling) (parts clanking) Now, here was a site I'll never forget. It was an early October morning. We were on one of the most famous lines in the nation. This was part of the old Chessie system, Huntington, West Virginia. Every year, they ran a special excursion train over the CSX mainline up the New River Gorge, one of the last primitive pieces of real estate 38:03 in the Eastern United States. The excursion was run by the fine folks who built and restored the 765 locomotive off the Old Nickel Plate Road. The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. In the pre-dawn light, volunteers made the engine ready. Greasing the bearings and checking over the running gear, brakes and other critical parts on the locomotive. For this special run, they had re-badged the engine to look like one of the original Chessie engines, Number 2765. (bell ringing) (steam shooting) As the train left Huntington Yard, the cylinder cocks were opened to vent moisture from the chambers so the cold steel wouldn't burst under pressure. Once the steel chambers warmed up, the steam would not condensate into water. That's why you only see this spectacle of steam coming out of the engine when it first makes its run in the mornings. 39:00 (steam shooting) (bell ringing) (steam shooting) (train wheels rolling) Now, on this particular day, you could cut the fog with a knife. (train wheels rolling) We heard the engine long before we saw it coming. (train wheels rolling) Farther up the line, the fog cleared off a bit. (train wheels rolling) Soon we passed through Charles Town, the capital of West Virginia. (train wheels rolling) Now, here the engine was stopped for what could best be described as a lube and oil change. This was the town of Montgomery. 40:01 The local fire department, well, they turned out all hands to fill the locomotive's water bottle. I took the opportunity to ride a few miles in the cab with the crew. Rich Melvin was the engineer on this part of the trip. Poor, old Rich. Little did he plan for the 25 miles of moist, slippery track. For almost an hour, he fought to keep the engine from running away. You've gotta have power to climb a hill. But every time he added power, the wheels slipped on the track. Finally, at a picturesque location called Hawks Nest, we came out of the shadows and got some traction. (train wheels rolling) (birds chirping) (train horn honking) This is the town of Thurmond. For years, the only road in and out of town was on the railroad. 41:06 It was not far from here that the legendary John Henry beat the steam drill down in a race to lay track inside the Great Bend Tunnel. As the shadows grew long, the 2765 made the return trip back down New River for Huntington. (train wheels rolling) This is one of the most spectacular excursions in America. If you enjoy spectacular scenery and one of the finest locomotives licensed to get up steam, don't miss your ticket to ride. The fine volunteers at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society would love to have you onboard. (train horn honking) 42:01 Well, there are giants and there are giants, but here is the undisputed giant of the rails. This is the Union Pacific Challenger. (steam shooting) It's domiciled at Cheyenne, Wyoming in a special railroad shop set aside for that purpose. The Union Pacific is to be commended for maintaining and operating such a fine piece of American history. The Challenger is so big, it's like two steam locomotives rolled into one. It was built so the boiler could swing away from the pilot trucks, so the giant engine could negotiate sharp turns. Watch in this turn as the boiler swings to the side. (bell ringing) (steam shooting) (train wheels rolling) The Union Pacific, they run several excursions each year. 44:02 The chief operating engineer, the gentleman in charge of running the steam operations, is Steve Lee. (train wheels rolling) Now, here we see the locomotive running over the old Western Pacific line north of Portola, California. (train wheels rolling) Inside, the cab is immense. Even with such a giant engine, when it gets up to speed, it's one wild ride inside. (train wheels rolling) (horn honking) 45:07 Out on the grassy plains of Wyoming, we watched as the engine made her run. The good news is that the Union Pacific takes their fine steam engines all over the country. Space is limited, but you can get a ticket. If you get a chance, don't miss it. They run a first-class operation. (train wheels rolling) (helicopter propellers whipping) On our next stop, Skyfire traveled up to Vancouver, British Columbia. We had been invited to film Terry Ferguson's special wintertime trip on the Coast Mountaineer. (train wheels rolling) This was one of the most scenically beautiful railroads I'd ever visited. The rock walls in this country were glaciated thousands of years before, during the last ice age. 46:02 They carved the railroad right-of-way right out of the rock. We were left to hang off the edge of the cliff. There were waterfalls and evergreens everywhere. (train wheels rolling) We followed the engine up the fjord to the town of Squamish. This was the great Northwest country, where floats of logs were lagooned before transporting to the mill. (bell ringing) (steam shooting) (train wheels rolling) (driver whooping) As we climbed higher toward Whistler Ski Resort, 47:05 the ground was spotted with snow. It was like a picture postcard. (train wheels rolling) - [Passenger] Hi, there! - [Jim Mitchell] Now, this piece of real estate was Cheakamus Canyon, bar none the wildest, roughest territory you'll ever run a railroad through. The Coast Mountaineer strained as it climbed up this formidable grade. (train humming) 48:02 (train wheels rolling) (horn honking) (train wheels rolling) (train wheels rolling) (steam shooting) The Coast Mountaineer makes special excursion runs each year, and you can ride daily over the BC Rail from Vancouver to Squamish and back. You'll never travel a more scenically beautiful 49:04 piece of America. (train wheels rolling) (bell ringing) Now, back out on the West Coast, we traveled to the remote copper mining town of Ely, Nevada, there to ride on one of the most historically authentic railroads in America. (nostalgic music) We got to the yard early on a spring morning before sunrise. We poked around the shops to find out what makes an old railroad, and here's what we discovered. (nostalgic music continues) This small car was used by the waymaster to check the accuracy of the railroad scales. Freight was shipped by the pound just as it is today, so you can bet your bootstraps accuracy was important. 50:05 (nostalgic music continues) Inside the old shops, everything was just as it had been the day the railroad closed. (nostalgic music continues) You could still smell the musty, aromatic scent of old leather and canvas. With the sunlight streaming through the panes of glass, it cast an eerie light into the early mist of morning. The stately passenger cars gave off an occasional cracking noise as the wooden coaches expanded in the warmth of the sunlight. There were smoking cars for the gentlemen and non-smoking cars For the ladies, thank you. (chuckles) Such was life back in 1910. The smoking cars had brass match strikers on the wall, leather seats so the ashes wouldn't catch fire, 51:05 and brass spittoons on the floor for the tobacco juice. Overhead, chandeliers made of Czechoslovakian stained glass hung from Empire ceilings. The walls were made of inlaid wood with gold leaf stencil. (train wheels rolling) (parks clanking) The engineer, Earl Nube, dropped the Johnson bar forward, cracked the throttle, and those big steam pistons on old Number 40 came to life. (train wheels rolling) 52:05 (furnace roaring) (train wheels rolling) (train horn honking) (bell ringing) (train wheels rolling) (axles clanging) (train wheels rolling) Anticipation was running pretty high in the crew. We've shot a lot of high-speed jet aircraft and mounted our cameras all over the place on classic World War II fighters. But this was my first ride on the front of a hot, dirty, sooty, sweaty, steam-powered locomotive. 53:05 Ha, was I excited? Huh, George Bush, read my lips. I was pumped. Now, the train began up a gentle incline that parallels the town of Ely on our left. (train horn honking) From the camera inside the high-railer that's just in front of the engine, it's a pretty bumpy ride, a lot more than we had imagined. (train wheels rolling) But even with all the vibration, it still provides a marvelous view of the engine. (train wheels rolling) Here comes the tunnel, but we've got problems. The high-railer with the camera in the back has got to slow down or it will jump the tracks inside the tunnel, and that big old 75-ton engine 54:04 is not slowing down. (train wheels rolling) - [Driver] Let her go! (train wheels rolling) - [Jim Mitchell] Well, I decided to give the driver of that high-railer a little bit of encouragement to get the heck out of the tunnel before we all became hood ornaments on the front of that big old Baldwin locomotive. (train wheels rolling) 55:03 We're near the top, and Copper Flat is in sight. (train wheels rolling) We made it, and the engineer comes off the throttle. The Ghost Train runs on weekends and holidays. It's a real West experience that's worth the trip. (steam shooting) Now, we come to the final giant on the rails. This is not the biggest steam engine, but it may well be the most beautiful steam locomotive in the world. (steam shooting) (train wheels rolling) (dispatcher chattering on radio) 56:01 The lead gray skies and the black steel bridge trusses added to the feeling of mystery that each of us felt, as if we were stepping back in time. (train wheels rolling softly) (train horn honking) (train wheels rolling softly) 57:00 (workers chattering on radio) Black smoke from the boiler lay heavy in the sky over Portland. Pat Tracy was our fireman. (train wheels squeaking) (train wheels rolling) - This train was put together, this locomotive, for the centennial. And volunteers came from all over the country, old steam engine employees with particular skills, and got this running. - It's fun to watch. You'll have a good time. (laughs) It's great. (gentle guitar music) (horn honking softly) (soft guitar music continues) 58:10 - [Jim Mitchell] The rain clouds had been blown away, and warm sunlight streamed through the windows. There was something indescribably wonderful about riding this train. The clicking of the wheels on the rail, the gentle pitching of the cars had a hypnotic effect. Just around the bend was Oregon City and the Willamette Falls. (train wheels rolling) (train whooshing) (train wheels rolling) (majestic orchestral music) 59:02 We were climbing through a tall stand of Douglas Fir as the Daylight's exhaust erupted into volcano-sized clouds of vapor. (majestic orchestral music continues) We came out of the cut and approached the rural logging camp of Westfir, Oregon. In the center of town was this beautiful, old covered bridge. (majestic orchestral music continues) This was to be our final crossing of the Willamette River. (majestic orchestral music continues) (train wheels screeching) (majestic orchestral music continues) Then came the Westfir Tunnel. On the other side would be the town of Oakridge. (majestic orchestral music continues) 1:00:08 As the Daylight pulled into Oakridge, Oregon, there were people all along the track-side, not just the older generation who remembered steam locomotives, but children too. It was remarkable, in this age of lasers, computers, and high-tech wizardry that a steam engine built in 1938 would bring out so many people to watch her huff and chuff her wave proudly into the center of town and into the hearts of those who came to welcome her. These are the Giants on the Rails, a part of American history when nothing could stop us. When we were not afraid to accept our destiny as the mightiest nation on the face of the Earth. For Skyfire, America's video storyteller, I'm Jim Mitchell. Thank you for watching. (somber music)

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