This film is about the pinnacle of railroading--a period from the 1930s to the 1950s when trains were elegant, very fast and classy. The classiest and fastest of these were the Streamliners--new diesel engines that looked almost space-age with their art deco styling (such as Burlington's famous 'Zephyr'). But, to the end of each era comes...an end. By 1970, many of the Zephyrs had ceased to run--and those that still existed were hanging on by a thread. It seems that the futuristic trains were being replaced by even more modern technologies--jet airliners and superhighways. And, although there is a lot of nostalgia and love of these old trains, they simply ceased being economically viable.
This is yet another excellent edition of "The American Experience". I think I liked it more than the average person, since as a kid, my father and grandparents would take me and my brother to see the trains--to watch the last ones in action and in museums. And, we had model trains...lots of model trains. But, for the non-train buff, this is probably just an ordinary example of the series--which is still a very good thing.
This is yet another excellent edition of "The American Experience". I think I liked it more than the average person, since as a kid, my father and grandparents would take me and my brother to see the trains--to watch the last ones in action and in museums. And, we had model trains...lots of model trains. But, for the non-train buff, this is probably just an ordinary example of the series--which is still a very good thing.
