Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico one can leave the 21st Century behind on a steam powered time machine: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Running on rails laid down in the 1880's, the Cumbres & Toltec is a living and breathing historical marvel of railroading the way it used to be. It operates over a remaining 64 mile section of the D&RGW's San Juan Extension between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado.
This program covers many of the high points of this scenic route in summer and fall. Thrill to the sight and sound of vintage K-36 class steam locomotives climbing the 4% grade to the 10,015 foot summit of Cumbres Pass! Enjoy the impressive collection of beautifully restored passenger cars plus double headed photo freights. Step back to the year 1959 and watch never seen before footage of revenue freights moving over the line, including sections of the railroad that no longer exist!
This is your ticket to the longest and highest narrow gauge railroad in North America!
1 hour 42 minutes
If you would like to order this program, please visit 7ideaproductions.com
7ideaproductions.com/products/over-cumbes-pass?_pos=1&_sid=c1da99c9f&_ss=r
0:00 Introduction
1:58 Map
4:25 Chama
17:12 First Crossing
20:14 The Narrows
24:29 Lobato
29:15 Dalton
31:30 Second Crossing
34:41 State Line
36:39 Coxo
40:55 Windy Point
44:25 Cumbres
52:30 Tanglefoot Curve
58:14 Los Pinos
1:11:04 Cascade Creek
1:12:08 Osier
1:19:06 Toltec Gorge
1:19:51 Sublette
1:23:53 Big Horn Peak
1:26:54 Big Horn
1:27:58 Whiplash Curve
1:29:53 Lava Tank
1:31:56 Hangman's Trestle
1:36:45 Antonito Yard Limits
1:38:44 Antonito
In the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico one can leave the 21st Century behind on a steam powered time machine: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Running on rails laid down in the 1880's, the Cumbres & Toltec is a living and breathing historical marvel of railroading the way it used to be. It operates over a remaining 64 mile section of the D&RGW's San Juan Extension between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado.
This program covers many of the high points of this scenic route in summer and fall. Thrill to the sight and sound of vintage K-36 class steam locomotives climbing the 4% grade to the 10,015 foot summit of Cumbres Pass! Enjoy the impressive collection of beautifully restored passenger cars plus double headed photo freights. Step back to the year 1959 and watch never seen before footage of revenue freights moving over the line, including sections of the railroad that no longer exist!
This is your ticket to the longest and highest narrow gauge railroad in North America!
1 hour 42 minutes
If you would like to order this program, please visit 7ideaproductions.com
7ideaproductions.com/products/over-cumbes-pass?_pos=1&_sid=c1da99c9f&_ss=r
0:00 Introduction
1:58 Map
4:25 Chama
17:12 First Crossing
20:14 The Narrows
24:29 Lobato
29:15 Dalton
31:30 Second Crossing
34:41 State Line
36:39 Coxo
40:55 Windy Point
44:25 Cumbres
52:30 Tanglefoot Curve
58:14 Los Pinos
1:11:04 Cascade Creek
1:12:08 Osier
1:19:06 Toltec Gorge
1:19:51 Sublette
1:23:53 Big Horn Peak
1:26:54 Big Horn
1:27:58 Whiplash Curve
1:29:53 Lava Tank
1:31:56 Hangman's Trestle
1:36:45 Antonito Yard Limits
1:38:44 Antonito
![Union Pacifics Lordsburg Sub Part 2 [Steins, NM to El Paso and the Morenci Copper Mine]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zr7D5vEaUg8/mqdefault.jpg "Union Pacifics Lordsburg Sub Part 2 [Steins, NM to El Paso and the Morenci Copper Mine]
Rolling across the American Southwest between Tucson and El Paso, The Lordsburg Subdivision has been an integral part of the Sunset Route since its rails were first spiked down in 1880. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we covered the west half of the subdivision through Arizona between Tucson and Steins.
In Part 2, we continue east to El Paso as trains race across desert of southwestern New Mexico and into the Rio Grande Valley.
At Lordsburg, Arizona Eastern’s Clifton Branch provides access to the impressive Morenci Copper Mine. We will visit this fascinating operation complete with its own railroad: the Freeport-McMoRan Industrial. Watch a quintet of non-turbocharged GP38-2’s and dash 3’s battle a five percent ruling grade out of Clifton, Arizona.
Back on the UP main line, heavy stack trains over three miles long sprint across the desert, passing old lava flows and ghost towns. We will visit UP’s busy Santa Teresa Intermodal Facility which first opened in 2014. It is an important hub linking Los Angeles with Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, and Mexico. Finally, we will cross the Rio Grande River into the west Texas town of El Paso.
This program is available on DVD and Blu-ray at 7ideaproductions.com. https://www.7ideaproductions.com/collections/frontpage/products/union-pacifics-lordsburg-subdivision-part-2
0:00 Intro
2:22 Map
5:08 Steins
12:35 Gary
20:43 Lordsburg Junction
27:27 Morenci Copper Mine
1:03:46 Lordsburg
1:08:22 County Line
1:13:49 Demming Junction
1:18:03 Dona
1:22:38 Adin
1:29:53 Lava Flow near Afton
1:33:15 Afton
1:40:45 Lanark
1:42:27 Santa Teresa
1:56:24 Rio Grand Crossing
1:59:47 El Paso")
![Donner Pass [Stacks in the High Sierras]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aIfmz6L-v3U/mqdefault.jpg "Donner Pass [Stacks in the High Sierras]
This is one of our earlier programs from 2010
For over 140 years the Sierra Nevada Mountains of northern California have reverberated with the sounds of hard-working locomotives of the Central Pacific, Southern Pacific and now the Union Pacific. In November, 2009 double-stack container traffic was re-routed off the nearby Feather River Canyon adding to the frequency of trains on this legendary route.
7idea Productions made three trips to Donner Pass between January and September 2010 to capture the many personalities of The Hill between Roseville, California and Sparks, Nevada. From late summer sun to blizzard conditions on the mountain, youll have a front row seat of the Union Pacific in action!
This program is available on DVD and Blu-ray by visiting 7ideaproductions.com.
https://www.7ideaproductions.com/products/donner-pass?_pos=1&_sid=c3dd46f46&_ss=r
0:00 - Intro
2:05 - Map
2:57 - Roseville
6:20 - Rocklin
10:33 - Newcastle
15:52 - Auburn
16:36 - Clipper Gap
17:22 - Applegate
18:39 - Colfax
21:18 - Long Ravine
22:26 - Cape Horn
27:41 - American
35:55 - Blue Canon
37:24 - Switch 9
42:39 - Yuba Pass
44:19 - Shed 10
46:23 - Red Mountain
50:48 - Cisco Tunnel 38
54:08 - Troy
54:52 - Signal Bridge MP 189
56:22 - Norden
1:03:37 - Tunnel 41 The Big Hole
1:06:45 - Donner Snow Sheds
1:07:47 - Eder
1:10:49 - Shed 47
1:13:11 - Andover
1:18:09 - Stanford Curve
1:19:47 - Truckee
1:22:19 - Boca
1:24:39 - Floriston
1:25:51 - Reno
1:27:39 - Sparks
1:28:49 - Winter Operations")
![Canadas Thompson Canyon [CP and CN in Summer and Winter]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bDu1rGOrgXw/mqdefault.jpg "Canadas Thompson Canyon [CP and CN in Summer and Winter]
[Originally released on DVD in 2017]
The Thompson River cuts through the rugged country of south central British Columbia, Canada. Its wild and scenic course proved to be the best route for building a transcontinental railway and today is used by both the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National.
Continuing the journey that began in Canada’s Fraser Canyon, we follow the Thompson River for 95 miles between Lytton and Kamloops. Both railways operate jointly over much of the territory with eastbounds using Canadian Pacific’s Thompson Subdivision and westbounds using Canadian National’s Ashcroft Sub.
Shot in both summer and winter, the stunning scenery and stark seasonal contrast is enhanced by the sight and sound of heavy main line trains. Massive coal, grain, and potash trains share the rails with long double stacks and mixed manifests. Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer adds to the wide variety of trains. CN’s new Tier 4 GE’s are viewed working along side classic cowl bodied C-40-8M’s! Illinois Central and BC Rail units create an interesting assortment of motive power along with Canadian Pacific’s fleet of modern GE’s. This is your front row seat to Canada’s Thompson Canyon!
This program was shot between July 2016 and January 2017.
It is available on DVD and Blu-ray by visiting 7ideaproductions.com. https://www.7ideaproductions.com/products/canadas-thompson-canyon?_pos=1&_sid=383c971bd&_ss=r
0:00 Intro
1:43 Map
3:56 Lytton
11:11 Cape Horn Tunnel and Sheds (CN)
18:45 Morris (CN)
24:45 Drynoch (CP)
28:14 Skoonka Tunnels (CN)
39:29 Spences Bridge
51:59 Moran (CN)
56:47 Martel Tunnels (CN)
58:01 Toketic (CP)
1:04:47 Basque
1:09:50 Ashcroft
1:26:06 McAbee (CN)
1:28:06 Semlin (CP)
1:31:32 Savona
1:35:23 Kamloops Lake
1:36:51 Kamloops")
