DVD Disk 1

Program #301        Intermodal Shipping

Trucks and trains - the history and future of container shipping is told in this look at Gunderson Corporation, the Santa Fe Railroad, and the TTX Corporation. This program on Tracks Ahead also profiles the modeling skills of an HO gauge railroad enthusiast, takes the viewer on a ride through California's Napa Valley on the Napa Wine Train, and profiles pen and ink artist Herschel Scott. Spencer Christian hosts.

Program #302        The Wisconsin Central

As many major railroads ceased operation in the 1960's, enterprising individuals developed short line carriers to meet local needs. The Wisconsin Central Railroad is a short line success story, and has now expanded to run the New Zealand railroad system. Modular model railroads are an affordable way for people with limited space to participate in the hobby. Tracks Ahead visits with the Orlando, Fla., modular club, talks with artist Larry Fisher, who paints details with a number one brush and a magnifying glass. We travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, to visit the Hawaiian Historic Railroad Society, and visit the Sugar Cane Train on Maui. Both trains offer spectacular Hawaiian scenery, as well as a nice mix of restoration and operations in steam and diesel

Program #303        Clarke Dunham

Clarke Dunham, nationally known theater set designer, demonstrates his spare time avocation - building train layouts. Tracks Ahead talks with Clarke at his shop and looks at two of his products. Model railroading as a family hobby is profiled as we examine the Miller Family model railroad. See how Boone, Iowa, backed the successful Boone & Scenic Valley tourist line, not only from its inception, but through natural disasters and the purchase of one of the last to be constructed steam locomotives from Datoong, China. Also featured is the work of Santa Fe artist, Ted Rose.

Program #304        Chile

The Little Joe electric locomotives were originally built for use in Russia. But they ended up in Chile, where they work side by side with steam locomotives on scenic lines throughout this South American country. Ride four scenic lines in Chili on a variety of locomotives - steam, an early Baldwin Westinghouse, and diesel electrics. Former CSX Railroad photographer John Corns is featured, as well as the Great Smoky Mountain Tourist Railroad. Tracks Ahead also looks at Warren Frost's outstanding collection of American Flyer trains - a collection which has become a family hobby.

Program #305        Amtrak Chef

Steam is still king on the narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Northern New Mexico. Dining on board railroad trains holds fond memories for many. Tracks Ahead visits with Amtrak's chef of the year to see how railroad dining is improving. Also featured is the large G gauge layout at the Dallas Children's' Hospital, and the large scale layout of a man who raised the roof to accommodate his model railroad.

Program #306        Alaskan Railroad

The last frontier in America is - Alaska. And the Alaskan railroad offers a utilitarian function as well as a grand way to see the sights of the 49th state. Tinplate Marx trains from the 1950's are reappearing, and Tracks Ahead talks with the husband and wife team who are responsible. Also featured are the Baltimore railroad museum and the photography of calendar artist Don Wood.

DVD Disk 2

Program #307        Transportation Test Center

Trains running around and around in circles; trains shaking apart on stands; simulated chemical spills - all this occurs outside Colorado Springs at the Transportation Test Center for the American Association of Railroads. Tracks Ahead rides to the top of Pikes Peak on the Manitou and Pike's Peak rack railroad. Also featured is a black man whose love of trains and film photography allowed him to capture images from the 1940's, and a showplace Southern California garden railroad that is a family hobby.

Program #308        Paraguay

Step back in time to an era when steam locomotives were fired with wood. It's an event which is still commonplace in Paraguay, as Tracks Ahead takes a ride across this South American country. At one time some railroad passenger trains had hostesses to look after the passengers. Meet two women who recall their days of working on the Southern Railroad. The Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive has been rebuilt and now runs excursion trips through West Virginia. MicroTrains Corporation builds N and Z gauge locomotives and rolling stock.

Program #309        Renssalaer Railroad Club

The oldest model railroad in the country is at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. It's student run, and shows the result of extensive research in neighboring areas. The "Cat's Meow" of interurban streamliners was the North Shore Electroliner. This segment features historic footage of the train in operation, as well as a visit to the restored units at the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, Illinois. Tracks Ahead also visits the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, a Pennsylvania tourist line where the train wreck from "The Fugitive" was filmed, and visits with a man who has built a scale model of the Lincoln funeral train.

Program #310        Apalachicola Railroad

A railroad was built in Northern Florida to compete with the Panama Canal. That railroad, the Apalachicola Northern, is still hauling heavy freight today through the pine woods and swamps of the Florida coast. Tracks Ahead visits McKinney Avenue, a restored section of old Dallas, which has an added attraction of streetcars. Bob Board, an American Flyer collector, tells of his enthusiasm for old toy trains, and a nostalgic look at railroad advertising takes us back in time.

Program #311          Iowa Electric Railroads

Electric freight railways are still in existence in the Midwest. Visit a freight line in central Iowa which is an offshoot of interurban passenger service. Visit one of the railroading wonders of the world - the Tunkhannock Viaduct, which is the largest poured concrete span in the world. Tracks Ahead visits the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Fla. for an look at the life of one of history's great railroad pioneers. The next stop is the Browning Plantation, a Texas bed and breakfast that has a special attraction - an extensive 7½ inch gauge, live steam operation.

Program #312        New Orleans Streetcars

This program includes a behind-the-scenes look at one of the oldest streetcar lines in the United States - the St. Charles Line in New Orleans. Ride the street cars, explore the maintenance shops, and take a journey on the new Riverfront Line in the French Quarter. Ride through rugged southern Brazil on 1950's Budd Rail Diesel Cars. These cars have been modified with undercarriage cooling blisters to accommodate the low tunnel clearances. We will visit with railroad photographer John Gruber and also visit the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club in Portland, Oregon. Housed in a reproduction railroad station, the beautiful HO gauge layout is built over a computer floor for easy access. Included is a look at the garden railway exhibit at the Milwaukee Mitchell Park Conservatory.

Program #313        Morrison & Knudsen

Tracks Ahead highlights Morrison and Knudsen, one of the few remaining railroad locomotive and railcar builders left in the US. Also featured is a profile on artist Angela Trotta-Thomas, whose nostalgic paintings capture childhood memories of the 1950's. Step back in time to a restored portion of the Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge route through the Rockies as we visit the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Meet Dr. Nicholas Muff. Not only is this doctor an avid collector of American Flyer and Kansas City Southern memorabilia, but he has a very special basement. In it, he has constructed a Pullman car as a guest room, and has a full F-7 locomotive cab - complete with lights and horns.