This new addition to the long line of classic children’s video collages from Marshall Publishing took me back to my childhood. There’s not a plot or any educational content in the main film, though the included short documentary All About the Caboose has plenty of spoken educational content. There are, however, lots and lots of big steam trains in Lots & Lots of Big Steam Trains Galore.
Train videographer Michael Armstrong led a team of trainspotters and videographers to gather fantastic train footage from across the United States. Among that footage are some beautiful, powerful, well maintained, and rare trains including some specialized railroad equipment like antique rotary snowplows, yard engines of yore, specialized freight cars, and replicas of 200-year-old engines.
The variety of landscapes and thoughtfulness of the videography alongside trains aplenty make this a young trainspotter’s delight. Views from the engine, caboose, passenger cars and the people operating and riding the train make this especially interesting to younger viewers.
The addition of an original soundtrack is the only major change from the original series. There’s not a lot of content to analyze in this film, but it does the job it sets out to do: give children something interesting to watch. The additional music was an interesting touch, but it felt somewhat out of place at times. I would have preferred to have some gentle background music with information about the trains over the blaring banjo and guitar, but this may be many children’s cup of tea.
The lack of documentary information was more than a little disappointing as many of the trains on display are attractions that people can ride. Further information on the trains themselves and how to find them would have been the whipped cream and cherry on top of this steam train sundae. In lieu of the lack of information that would have made this video collage a proper documentary, Lots & Lots of Big Steam Trains Galore is a strong optional purchase. Aud: K, E, P