National Geographic - Love Those Trains

Still makes me cry when I rewatch this, this documentary is a milestone of my childhood and It always make me tear up especially when I see them building the Transcontinental Railroad with that tune of "Dollar A' Day" I sure wish they released a soundtrack for that song.

I'll never forget watching this with my grandparents, now long gone, this brings tears to my eyes. Like I'm 5 years old again watching this on the couch with them, thank you!

My name is Bill Hayslip and I was firing 2716 on this trip and was quite surprised National Geographic was tagging along. 2716 is one of the best locomotives I've had the pleasure to work on. From 1974 until 1984 I worked on Southern 4501, Savanah and Atlanta 750 and C&O 2716. 2716 rode as smooth as a Cadillac and with her Standard Stoker was a joy to fire. On this trip the National Geographic crew paid a farmer to take his cows out by the tracks so they would take off running when our whistle blew! Its a shame 2716 developed firebox problems. she was one of the best locomotives on Southerns steam roster. She is being repaired and will debut sometime this year as herself, C&O Kanawha 2716. As for me, I'm 60 now but you can find me firing on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. I have found paradise!!!

I'm currently the CSX (formally Conrail) conductor working the NYC Hunts Point Market job in The Bronx. You can see our yard office that we still use today at 43:32. Armata is a customer of ours we service everyday. Very cool to see the work I do everyday featured in a doc from before I was born.

I had a VHS copy of this as a kid, it was a Christmas present one year and I would literally watch it over and over!!! Surprised I didn't wear the tape out. I also had that song at the end burned into my brain for years! Bizarre! Thanks for uploading this :)

My Great Grandfather, Grandfather and my Father were all conductors for the Santa Fe Railroad. I hired on the Santa Fe Railroad in 1990 as a Brakeman and was promoted to Locomotive Engineer in 1991. I am still a Locomotive Engineer and expect to retire when I am 60 with 37 years of service in I hope. I would love to run a steam engine some day.

I watched this at 6 years young on vhs in 1994, the intro song fascinated me. Now my son watches it. Glad i can keep the tradition alive. I love the trains!

I LOVE the old national geographic theme!

43:40 Mongo Mongo 1 2 3. I'm gonna climb a Mongo tree... Because of this, that song has been stuck in my head for almost 40 years!!!

I got this VHS as a kid back in the late 80s. It inspired me to follow my dreams and now I work for BNSF as a conductor. These guys are right, it’s in your blood, I’m extremely proud of my career and the history I’m a part of.

HE'S GONNA THROW, no he's not either! My favorite for 30 years. @ 42.42

along with Thomas the Tank engine, this; was my childhood. THANK YOU.

My parents bought me this on VHS when I was a kid in the early 90s. I used to watch it all the time but never had as big of an appreciation for it as I do now.

Had this on VHS as a kid, must've seen it over a thousand times! Thank you for having this up here.

I can't believe National Geographic left this one to rot on VHS. They could at least transfer it and Storm of the Century to DVD.

They couldn’t have picked a better narrator for this than James Whitmore. Perfect

This is STILL one of my favorite videos. This Narrator knows how to keep them at the fore front of the show.

The narrator is the actor who plays Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption

I still have the VHS copy of this. I showed it to my boys, all under the age of 10, and they were glued to it the whole time. Excellent video!

The Salad Bowl Express is still active as UP/CSX Cold Express