Has anyone else been watching this? Quite a lot of comment (and photos) of railroads’ roles in creation of parks.
Yeah, I tuned in several times this past weekend. Yosemity, Yellowstone and the Northern Pacific… Very informative and entertaining. I don’t remember too many details of what was spoken, I was too awe striken by the vistas and spectacular videography.
Watched one last night…Mentioned the problematic logging of the Appalachine Mountains in and arounf the Great Smokey Mtns Park in the early 20th Century. On the end was some nice shots of the CB&Q Zephyr running back from Colorado with its multiple dome cars, something less than a minute, but nice movie ,anyway.
I’d watch just about any movie Ken Burns chooses to make. However, 12 hours is perhaps a bit too long, no matter how good.
Just a few years ago I used the Empire Builder to go to Glacier Park and then on to the West Coast. For a railfan the Glacier Park experience is out of this world! One simply totes one’s bags (or puts them on the bus!) the 1500 or so feet from the picturesque station to the Lodge, and poof! One enters the world of Theodore Roosevelt (well, you know what I mean!). Staying at the Glacier Park Hotel allows one to view BNSF trains crossing the nearby valley on a tall viaduct, and a simple walk in the evening back to the station will offer fine close-up views of BNSF freights hurrying by.
BTW, the Hotel had an ancient heating system that allowed me to freeze parts of my anatomy off in June!
IMHO, anyone taking the Empire Builder past Glacier Park would surely like a night or two or three at the Hotel/Lodge adjoining the station.
And wouldn’t you know it, the year AFTER I took a bus from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel, the Grand Canyon Railway went into business, and I think the following year they introduced STEAM! Well, you can’t win 'em all.
I watched it one night last wek and was surprised to find out about the part the railraods played in getting the parks established,like SEE AMERICA FIRST I dint know that slogan had been around since the beginning of the NPS…Great show