Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Happy Birthday, USA!
We travel back to 2002 so we can travel with a very patriotic Southern Pacific 4449 as she leads the "Daylight Freedom Special".
No AI was used to bring this show to you. Read about our AI Policy and how we get videos ready for YouTube at: Pentrex.com/AI
About Pentrex: For 40+ Years we've been the leader in railroad video entertainment. See us at Pentrex.com and right here on YouTube, with the Official Pentrex Channel!
About this show: In March 2002, Daylight 4449 returned to the rails for the Columbia-Deschutes Special, a 2-day excursion that took the mighty steamer through the scenic wonderlands of the Columbia River Gorge and the Deschutes River Canyon. Making the trip even more remarkable was the Daylight's patriotic paint scheme: the elegant steamer was repainted for this trip in the same glorious red, white and blue colors she wore during her American Freedom Train tours of 1975-1976.
The Columbia River Gorge and Deschutes Canyon provided outstanding settings for the magnificent locomotive and her Freedom Train colors. The Deschutes River Canyon is an inaccessible and visually stunning site where canyon walls rise 2,200 feet up from the tracks. 4449 looked gorgeous in her revisited colors, pulling former Amtrak "Heritage Fleet" and Northwest Rail Museum Daylight cars, unassisted by diesel helpers!
Leaving Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, the Daylight traveled the north bank of the Columbia River for 110 miles. Then, turning south, she continued to Bend, demonstrating her awesome power. Highlights include fantastic pacing sequences, high bridge crossings, and an added segment showing the Daylight in all her different paint schemes!
Own this show without the YouTube compression at:
pentrex.com/DVD-Daylight-Freedom-Special-DVD_DFS-DVD
0:00 Making 4449 Ready
3:11 Doyle McCormack on why red, white & blue
10:19 Leaving Portland in a cloud of steam
18:23 Crossing the Columbia River
28:37 Across the High Bridge over the Crooked River
40:08 Pacing 4449 from the opposite bank
51:56 Pacing 4449 up close
54:38 Vancouver and then back home to Portland
Thumbnail photo by Bruce Fingerhood via CCA 2.0 license
See so much more train video at Pentrex.com
Happy Birthday, USA!
We travel back to 2002 so we can travel with a very patriotic Southern Pacific 4449 as she leads the "Daylight Freedom Special".
No AI was used to bring this show to you. Read about our AI Policy and how we get videos ready for YouTube at: Pentrex.com/AI
About Pentrex: For 40+ Years we've been the leader in railroad video entertainment. See us at Pentrex.com and right here on YouTube, with the Official Pentrex Channel!
About this show: In March 2002, Daylight 4449 returned to the rails for the Columbia-Deschutes Special, a 2-day excursion that took the mighty steamer through the scenic wonderlands of the Columbia River Gorge and the Deschutes River Canyon. Making the trip even more remarkable was the Daylight's patriotic paint scheme: the elegant steamer was repainted for this trip in the same glorious red, white and blue colors she wore during her American Freedom Train tours of 1975-1976.
The Columbia River Gorge and Deschutes Canyon provided outstanding settings for the magnificent locomotive and her Freedom Train colors. The Deschutes River Canyon is an inaccessible and visually stunning site where canyon walls rise 2,200 feet up from the tracks. 4449 looked gorgeous in her revisited colors, pulling former Amtrak "Heritage Fleet" and Northwest Rail Museum Daylight cars, unassisted by diesel helpers!
Leaving Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, the Daylight traveled the north bank of the Columbia River for 110 miles. Then, turning south, she continued to Bend, demonstrating her awesome power. Highlights include fantastic pacing sequences, high bridge crossings, and an added segment showing the Daylight in all her different paint schemes!
Own this show without the YouTube compression at:
pentrex.com/DVD-Daylight-Freedom-Special-DVD_DFS-DVD
0:00 Making 4449 Ready
3:11 Doyle McCormack on why red, white & blue
10:19 Leaving Portland in a cloud of steam
18:23 Crossing the Columbia River
28:37 Across the High Bridge over the Crooked River
40:08 Pacing 4449 from the opposite bank
51:56 Pacing 4449 up close
54:38 Vancouver and then back home to Portland
Thumbnail photo by Bruce Fingerhood via CCA 2.0 license
See so much more train video at Pentrex.com
