Local Producer's Documentary To Air During UNC-TV’s FESTIVAL 2009
Don’t miss Great Scenic Railway Journeys: Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways!

Click here to watch an online video preview!

Until 1830, a person could travel only as fast as a horse could gallop. Then came the steam engine—the iron horse that blazed a trail linking the east to the west, transforming the United States and Canada into industrial giants.

Only a few steam engines remain operational, painstakingly and lovingly preserved by a dedicated army of mostly volunteers scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada. The two-part documentary Great Scenic Railway Journeys: Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways, airing Monday, February 23, at 8 PM, captures the nostalgia, excitement and passion that ordinary people feel for these important links to our past.

Grammy Award-winner David Holt is your conductor for Great Scenic Railway Journeys: Celebrating North America's Steam Railways, Parts 1 & 2 during back-to-back episodes airing exclusively during UNC-TV’s FESTIVAL 2009. Join Emmy Award-winning producer Rob Van Camp—LIVE—in the UNC-TV studio as he shares the passion put into preserving the remaining steam railroads.

The program is the latest installment of the Emmy Award-winning series, Great Scenic Railway Journeys that premiered on UNC-TV in 1994. The show and the series are the concept of producer Robert C. Van Camp, whose goal is to draw attention not only to the need to preserve our steam railway heritage, but also our public television system.

“This show gave me an opportunity not only to further the mission of preserving these historic railways, but also gaining and maintaining membership to PBS stations throughout the United States,” says Van Camp. “The great thing about UNC-TV is that it belongs to all of the citizens of North Carolina, and as members we have a say in what we want to see. It is not subject to the whims of advertisers. There is truly something on public television for everyone, all on one network.”

Celebrating North America's Steam Railways crisscrosses North America, from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the high desert of Arizona, the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and through the prairies and mountains of Canada. Seventeen of the continent's most historic and scenic tourist steam railroads are captured in high definition; also featured is the Steam Town National Historic Site in Scranton, Penn.

Viewers receive a first-hand lesson on how steam engines work and the incredible amount of labor necessary to keep them in operation. Volunteer mechanics describe how every steam engine is a living, breathing being with its own personality—an 'iron lady' with 'good' days and 'bad' days. The volunteers share their very real concerns that, as they age and pass away, too few young people are learning the mechanical skills necessary to carry on the tradition. Most important, the viewer gets to ride along with pre-schoolers and senior citizens, enjoying the breath-taking landscapes that can only be seen by train and listening to passengers' thoughts about how a ride on a steam train is like traveling through the past on a time machine.

For FESTIVAL 2009 airdates and updates about other exciting and entertaining programs airing throughout FESTIVAL 2009, information about in-studio guests, program airdates and times, please visit www.unctv.org. Look for even more exciting programs throughout FESTIVAL 2009—Saturday, February 21, through Sunday, March 29—only on UNC-TV.

UNC-TV is North Carolina’s member supported, 11-station statewide television network committed to using telecommunications wisely and imaginatively to inform, educate, and enrich all North Carolinians.

—UNC-TV—