Roar of the Rails

This latest addition to the I Love Toy Trains series—celebrating its 20th anniversary—combines rousing live-action, entertaining special effects (including Disney characters riding a handcar on the moon), and signature upbeat songs from singer/songwriter Jim Coffey. A number of different scale-model train sets are filmed from an ant's-eye perspective to make them seem as real as a modern Amtrak Zephyr. In the story “Vinny's Dreams” (Vinny being a ventriloquist's doll dressed as an engineer), green-screen techniques are employed to show the line of cars rolling past landmarks around the world, including the Grand Canyon, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, and the Eiffel Tower. All the while, Vinny shares historical details about the locales. Youngsters also visit the Great Barrier Reef via a Lionel submarine, and zoom under the Brooklyn Bridge in a Lionel bi-plane. A second story follows up on the alien narrative featured in the earlier I Love Toy Trains: All Aboard! (VL-9/11), while a third demonstrates that girls, as well as boys, are enthusiastic fans. Mixing education with entertainment, this newest title from the popular series is highly recommended. Aud P. (C. Block)