All Aboard For Eureka

Winner of a 1993 Telly Award, All Aboard for Eureka is part history, and part stare-at-a-train video. The history part, about the founding of the natural springs health resort town of Eureka, Arkansas which, in turn, led to the development of the railroad line which brought visitors to the town between 1883-1961, is the more interesting part. Unfortunately, there's more train-watching here than history--and these repetitious sequences are combined with a repetitive music track running in the background. The film combines historic stills with contemporary footage (the train was rebuilt, and the tracks repaired during the early 1980s), and concludes with an out-of-place invite to visit the dining car on the now running Eureka railroad. Train buffs might enjoy this, but there's not enough story here to make for a satisfying documentary. An optional purchase. (See A CHILD'S COLORADO for availability.)