the railroad town of spencer also lies on the journey but the crescent rushes through without stopping train enthusiasts would find a lot to enjoy there because spencer is home to the north carolina transport taishan museum which opened in one thousand nine hundred eighty five. it's a very lively museum but only days we're filming engine number five is taking a break. to central exhibit hair is the round house with thirty seven small it's one of the

largest in the united states there are many engines in them museum pieces now nevertheless visitors can get a close up experience of railway history they learned that the post used to be delivered by train and was suited during the journey they will soon learn that the crescent used to be pulled by a very special machine while the cursor. so railways premier passenger train. headed even the solar ran it even after amtrak we have one of their engines here number sixty nine hundred it's a passenger locomotive it's on display at around house as famous as any of them yes but read on what the press narry brown is a retired university professor he volunteered at the museum he's the man in charge of the train today. and we have. volunteers. there are

maybe five or six actually do work for everyone else or. some other fish but you like railroads yes you would have to be. a diesel train with several carriages makes its way through the three times a day. the train is full of activity children in particular like it the museum off as many events such as a day with thomas the tank engine that attracts thousands of children and their parents turn newseum that was still a small well depo in the late nineteenth century it flourished and with it so too did the small town of spencer after the first world war two thousand people worked

in spencer's factories in one thousand nine hundred forty the first diesel trains arrived fifteen years later steam trains were completely out of service in one nine hundred sixty the dep a cease dop aeration and the town of spencer became less important grass grew over the complex the museum helps it recall its former purpose. steam engine six eleven is being prepped in the round house it's the famous dreamliner of norfolk and weston it was housed in the museum in roanoke in virginia but was moved to spencer for refurbishment since this footage was taken this it's eleven was back on the rails again fine if twenty fifteen it was full steam ahead once more. the museum cinema features black and white films of the history of the railroad the railway had

a significant role in opening up the continent the story of the post train ninety seven isms and mentioned it traveled back and forth between washington and spencer every day but it was never to arrive on september the twenty seventh one thousand and three that journey came to a tragic end on the bridge and with dan. what we understand the engineer that day it was his first time operating the train and there was a section attraction air tran so that was a tory as for being short he approached it to greater speed not knowing the route that well and the train derailed and there were several fatalities and that would result in the train out making here all.

the tragedy hasn't been forgotten not least because of the song written about it a short while later it is the record no ninety seven and i understanding it was the first gold record ever in the united states back several years ago it was a very well folk song was played in been recorded over the years and is a famous railroad and so do you know this song i hear it every other day on the little fair we have here and all it or if. it was number one in the us chance in october one thousand nine hundred twenty four there i could sold more than a million copies a woman in danville commemorates the disaster. we've

traveled two thirds of the way to new york during an excursion to the appalachian mountains we come across a forestry train that could have existed a hundred years ago for many decades trees felled in the surrounding forests but processed in the small town of cass west virginia the forestry train with its powerful steam engines transported the wood into the valley. the failaka motive was designed with all of this operating equipment on the outside of the engine so that two guys my size could carry any broken parts out of the woods and fix it where ever it failed most lumber operations didn't have

a large shop like we have they had basically a locomotive and if it broke in the woods they had to fix it where it failed. to work look small romantic on the old photographs than it really was special engines had been developed to transport the timber the shane was one of them it stands out because of its unusual power train of beveled game is and universal joints. shoveling coal is a job for a strong backs. but this fun to be had to. and

time famine is cram themselves into the cars at the cast scenic railway road which has been travelling through the forests of west virginia a half a century to this day it's a popular attraction not surprising with such a man's game. boy if i hear you hear about forty five minutes i call that. number one the old ways come back to the train get back on board so we're going to end our schedule going to. bode no biz one of the highest points in west virginia with an absolutely norris. the with.

the with. my goal the goal. was. the country sing i do mean rajah's was a brakeman and it's still a calling to this day each carriage on this train has a break man the work is hard it's a steep descent. told . we're back on the crescent and heading through a historic region. just

over one hundred and fifty years ago it was the site of one of the worst tragedies in american history. in the last light of day we can see the battlefield of manassas the site of the first major battle of the american civil war thousands of soldiers from the north and the defecting south were killed or wounded in the first battle of bull run or the battle of fast men as the conflict which started in a comparatively harmless manna developed into a mess in a civil war that neither side could have anticipated both sides are very enthusiastic about their respective cautions but all of them almost without exception are untrained

west officers who are either all elected politicians are businessmen. this is going to be a disaster for both sides. many states in the north supported the liberation of slaves the southern states wanted each state to have the power to decide the slavery issue and put the two remain in the union in any eight hundred sixty one six dates with drew and formed the confederate states of america. and a presidential election of eight hundred sixty abraham lincoln won and his policy was no more slavery not to eliminate existing slavery but no more but the southern states understood if slavery could not expand.

their society and their economy would die i believe that's why. there was an american civil war. the american civil war was the first ministry conflict to be documented details through photographs. around and the technology at the time played a crucial role. to put it another way the move came by train. the american civil war was the first conflict all over the world where the railroads became a tactical. weapon for war it move troops it move supplies it

moved and munition all over the country out support the war effort on both sides to be a no railroad was an important player because it ran through both northern territory and southern territory it was the object of many many attacks and so what we see during this four year period is the development of new technologies things like armored box cars things like better locomotives things like tactical planning for moving munitions and troops and things like that for the first time in the world and we would see as a result of that experience in later wars. in this remote region on april the ninth eight hundred sixty five following the battle of the mattock station the commander of the southern forces general roberts said rendel. in the last week of the war here and for genya there's

a particular railroad the southside railroad that connects petersburg virginia all the way to apple maddox and beyond to lynchburg virginia at apple maddox generally had multiple trains full of food waiting for his army just three miles southwest of the courthouse village where we are now however general george custer and the division of united states cavalry captured all the trains at apple matic station here the next day generally surrendered in this village after medics court house. that ended the civil war in for genya and would practically and effectively end the entire american civil war over the next two months that is sixty five. during the four years of the civil war at least seven hundred and fifty thousand people military and civilian lost their lives that's almost as many as in all other

american was combined. the real winners at the civil war where the railroad company is the railway had experienced an incredible boom during the war is being an indispensable part of the transport supply and logistics network this machine known as a ten wheeler was built in eight hundred fifty three at first it ran in the mountains of virginia then in the civil war after that it pulled freight and passenger trains for many is after the war there was a tremendous amount of growth in the railroads and states a lot of money was made by the railroads during the war so they expanded their networks and we see the size of the american railroads almost double in less than ten years. our next stop is washington d.c. the american capital the site of some of the most important institutions of the

united states the washington monument and all ballistic made of white marble rises one hundred and seventy meters and can be seen from far and wide it was inaugurated in one thousand eight hundred four. sixteen hundred pennsylvania avenue is the address of america's most famous building the white house where the president lives and works. our stop in washington's union station will be longer than usual because the engine needs to be switched the stretch to new york is electric before arriving we were informed that we could leave the train but we needed to stay close they don't want to leave any passengers behind an electric locomotive type eight and seven

replaces the two diesel engines. the crescent leaves the station right on time it now makes its way through the northeast corridor on an electrified stretch of seven hundred kilometers between washington and boston where trains travel at up to two hundred forty kilometers per hour the landscape has changed many factories lie in the train tracks and every half hour there's another big city. baltimore maryland philadelphia pennsylvania trenton new jersey. finally the skyline of manhattan comes into view we've reached our destination new

york city for the last four kilometers the crescent rolls through the hudson river tunnel built in one thousand ten after thirty one hours and forty five minutes our journey ends in underground penn station. the big apple is captivating its x. in a rating to be here at times square in the city that never sleeps.