Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

HD Moods Trains Blu-ray Movie Review

A fun, if brief and uninspired, trip through various locales features some great shots of vintage steam engines and some lovely passing scenery.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 22, 2009

My maternal grandfather was a train conductor, and though I don’t have very strong memories of it, he evidently arranged for many journeys by rail for my family when I was quite young. That may have instilled a love of this form of travel at an early age, because I still love to journey by train, enjoying the more leisurely pace and, frankly, the ambience of a bygone era. My wife and I have taken our sons on several cross country jaunts by train, and my boys actually prefer trains to the speedier, if more cramped and perhaps dangerous, jet travel for which most people opt nowadays. HD Moods: Trains may not exactly get your pulse racing with exciting footage, but it’s much like train travel itself, a slow, relaxing trek through often gorgeous countryside where not much else happens. And just like being on a train, you don’t even have a seat belt to fasten in order to enjoy the passing scenery.

These gorgeous mountain shots in Colorado are a highlight of this new Blu-ray release.

Things don’t get off to a very auspicious start with this Blu-ray, with a lot of footage of either semi-barren plains or gritty, grimy semi-urban environments through which what is evidently the largest steam engine around chugs. However after this prelude, at about the 10 minute mark we finally move into the glorious mountains of Colorado as we accompany a restored steam engine making its way along the Durango and Silverton line. Here we are greeted by some truly spectacular scenery, including lovely snowy hills nestled against rushing rivers. From this moment on, the scenery is mostly fantastic throughout the rest of the hour or so running time, giving the viewer some great shots of everything from the Nebraska plains to more mountainous vistas in the Yukon. The only somewhat disconcerting environmental element in these shots is the rather amazing plume of steam and at times ugly black smoke a lot of these older steam engines shoot up into the sky, something that may have the greener audience members up in arms.

HD Moods: Trains rather breathlessly promotes itself as the “first ever train travel program on Blu-ray,” and it no doubt will appeal to lovers of this form of travel. Split fairly evenly between shots taken of trains chugging by, and point of view shots from within the trains themselves, there’s a fair amount of visual variety here with which to keep the viewer engaged. Unfortunately, there are also occasional problems with both sets of views. A side by side shot of a speeding train is hampered by what appears to be a hand held camera aboard a very bumpy accompanying car ride, with attendant jiggling to and fro which is only further exacerbated by some ill chosen zooming. Likewise, several of the interior shots are marred by scratches and dirt (not to mention some fairly omnipresent reflections) on the windshield through which the shots are taken.

HD Moods: Trains doesn’t really fall squarely into the mode of product I’ve termed “ambient television,” as there is actually quite a bit to watch throughout the hour, though it is by its very nature train-centric and may ultimately give some viewers a "been there, done that" feeling that will make them not pay full attention. Like train travel itself, it may be too slow and unappealing for a lot of viewers, but those more accustomed to or comfortable with a more relaxed pace may find this an agreeable enough way to spend an hour. Viewers not only get the chance to see some relatively unspoiled countryside, but the fun of historical train stations and the occasional passing village, all redolent, like trains themselves, of a bygone era. Mixed in with the crystalline mountain scenery are some mysterious shots filled with mist and clouds that bring a little moodiness to the visuals. There’s a certain nostalgia to train travel, and HD Moods: Trains helps to bring that feeling home to lovers of a more languid age.

HD Moods Trains Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a budget priced label, Topics typically does an at least above average job with its Blu-ray releases, and that tradition is continued here with HD Moods: Trains' AVC encoded image, which is generally quite sharp and well defined. A lot of this footage is in winter, so don't expect mind blowing colors, but what's here is very lifelike and crisp, with excellent contrast. The whites of the snow never bloom, and the rest of the palette is well balanced. Very occasional artifacting shows up (as it always seems to do) in passing shots of trees and other foliage. As noted above, the Blu-ray's exceptional resolution reveals some unwanted flaws in the filming techniques, notably a bothersome scratch on the left side of the image that is evidently on the windshield through which a large portion of the point of view footage was shot.

HD Moods Trains Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Those of you who read my reviews of this kind of product know that I tend to not take the labels to task for lossy soundtracks, but I have to say in the case of HD Moods: Trains I was surprised and disappointed that we didn't at least have the option of a Dolby Digital surround track. What could be better than hearing the whoosh of clickety-clack trains rushing by, not to mention the Doppler effect of a train whistle filling our surround channels? Alas, all we're offered here are DD 2.0 mixes, although we do in fact get three choices, one with just the ambient train noises, another with an agreeable enough Americana Roots soundtrack, and the third with the two elements combined (though the music typically gets the upper hand). These are all clear and crisp choices, but there's a noticeable lack of low end, especially in the rumbling train track which makes this much less of an immersive experience than it could have been.

HD Moods Trains Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No real supplements are offered, though after the feature itself there are about eight extra minutes giving some very basic information on the trains that are utilized in the main feature, followed by a couple of promos for other rail-centric documentaries. The BD automatically loops back to the beginning after this extra footage. There is no main menu, but the audio options can be accessed via a somewhat hard to read popup menu that appears on the left side of the image.

HD Moods Trains Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

HD Moods: Trains is occasionally spectacular, but may leave some viewers wanting more. The best footage is the gorgeous mountain scenery in Colorado and Alaska, and that may be enough to entice nature and train lovers all aboard this low priced Blu-ray.