Uploaded June 2007 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
For the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1990s, railroading in the Blues—the 200-mile segment of UP's Oregon Division Mainline—meant staggering grades, extreme weather, and 3 daunting summits. Video Rails captured the power of the Union Pacific as it faced its toughest run and released the story of this northwest passage in three separate videos. Now, combined here for you on one action-packed DVD, are those three exciting shows! Featured are:
Volume 1: La Grande to Huntington. Dramatic footage covers all the action from La Grande to Huntington. Climbing out of the Grande Ronde Valley and heading past Oxman Curve and through Burnt River Canyon, Dash 8-40CWs, SD40-2s, C36-7s, and SD60s take on the 2.2 percent grades of UP's roughest helper district. Trailer trains, container trains, doublestacks, grain, soda ash, auto racks, and Amtrak are seen on this exciting journey.
Volume 2: La Grande to Hinkle. Scale the Blue Mountains from La Grande northwest through Hilgard and Motanic to the summit at Kamela. Ride the cab of a GE Dash 8 and get an engineer's view from a helper set on the rear of a UP freight. SD40-2s, C36-7s, 8-40Cs, and an SD60 are seen at Meacham Creek Canyon, the Umatilla River, and beyond.
Volume 3: Winter in the Blues. Travel the 56-mile "snow zone" of the Blue Mountains from North Powder to Meacham in the dead of winter. Climb the steep grades to the summits of Telocaset and Kamela, and then barrel across the Grande Valley through La Grande. A steady stream of UP trains have to battle against heavy snows in this formidable obstacle course and you'll be trackside to appreciate the challenges they face!
For the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1990s, railroading in the Blues—the 200-mile segment of UP's Oregon Division Mainline—meant staggering grades, extreme weather, and 3 daunting summits. Video Rails captured the power of the Union Pacific as it faced its toughest run and released the story of this northwest passage in three separate videos. Now, combined here for you on one action-packed DVD, are those three exciting shows! Featured are:
Volume 1: La Grande to Huntington. Dramatic footage covers all the action from La Grande to Huntington. Climbing out of the Grande Ronde Valley and heading past Oxman Curve and through Burnt River Canyon, Dash 8-40CWs, SD40-2s, C36-7s, and SD60s take on the 2.2 percent grades of UP's roughest helper district. Trailer trains, container trains, doublestacks, grain, soda ash, auto racks, and Amtrak are seen on this exciting journey.
Volume 2: La Grande to Hinkle. Scale the Blue Mountains from La Grande northwest through Hilgard and Motanic to the summit at Kamela. Ride the cab of a GE Dash 8 and get an engineer's view from a helper set on the rear of a UP freight. SD40-2s, C36-7s, 8-40Cs, and an SD60 are seen at Meacham Creek Canyon, the Umatilla River, and beyond.
Volume 3: Winter in the Blues. Travel the 56-mile "snow zone" of the Blue Mountains from North Powder to Meacham in the dead of winter. Climb the steep grades to the summits of Telocaset and Kamela, and then barrel across the Grande Valley through La Grande. A steady stream of UP trains have to battle against heavy snows in this formidable obstacle course and you'll be trackside to appreciate the challenges they face!
