1970's Supertrain TV show

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I kind of remember a sci-fi show in the 70’s called “Supertrain” about people on a bullet train. I think it was on NBC. It didn’t last long. I don’t remember watching it (too young). I am sure it was bad.

I have an old Model Railroader that listed the model for sale when the show was cancelled. I really liked the model. It was offered with 200 feet of track. It was made in a large scale for photography in the show. It looked very wide gauged and streamlined in that boxy late 70’s way. Kind of like the orange TGV trains.

Does anyone here remember this show. If you do can you tell me more about it, plot, actors, etc. I would like to see some color pics.

Anyone know what happened to that model, if it survives, or even if it ever sold. I would love to know more about it.

2

If I remember correctly the train ran over a set of parallel tacks making it very wide and it was nuclear powered.

3

Dunno 'bout pics, but here is the episode guide:

http://tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideSummary/showid-2206/Supertrain/

I love some of the comments from Internet Movie Database, as well:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078697/usercomments

Loveboat on rails?!

Giggle.

Brian

4

Wow. I heard it was bad but it sounds almost as bad as the “Jessica Simpson Holiday Special” on ABC last Wednesday. It’s good that people can still make bad TV. It sounds like this one is not going to be a DVD box set anytime soon.

No leads on the model? Two sets of rails sounds tricky. If the show took off like they thought it would maybe the next season they would have gone to a bigger train on four sets of track along the old Pennsy line.

The atomic powered train sounds like a movie that came out after " Airplane" that had a zany cross-country Nuclear powered bus that couldn’t stop(sounds like “Speed” right).

5

It’s almost so bad we need to see it! Wait long enough, and I’m sure it’ll show up on the old TV show channels.

6

I think that secretly, many people in this forum saw this show but are afraid to admit it of fear of ridicule (or relentless teasing).

I will proudly and bravely stand up and admit to wanting to see this. It sounds like an amazing, elaborate car crash.

7

I’m not ashamed… I was only about 10 yrs old at the time, but I remember it. And
I watched it.[8D] Dave

8

I saw the show.

There was a Model Railroader Article on it back then. The model of the train was HUGE! It was constructed by a crew headed by Ned Parsons who worked for NBC. The first few episodes were actually pretty decent. Afterwards it got a little bland. One of the best episodes was when a nerdy highjacker winded up helping a woman deliver a baby. Another of my favorite episodes was when *** Van *** played a very "strange and creepy passenger trying to help a man who had problems with his wife. *** apparently wanted to help the man…in the worst way!

I think the show lasted two seasons. In the 2nd season a young actor was brought in to play the “Assistant Conductor” in attempt to appeal to younger audiences. The train did look impressive and ahead of its time. And for those of you that don’t like Disco, sorry but one of the train’s features was a Diso Lounge car which was shown frequently complete with dancing passengers.

After the show’s cancellation, the train was put up for sale.

9

I remember watching that show too, and making my parents suffer through it! This was my first exposure to media hype that I can remember… the show that was gonna save NBC from the ratings basement. I remember the ads touting the train that ran on two sets of tracks, but somebody apparently forgot to tell the model builders… the train I saw ran on a single set of wide gauge tracks. It was nuclear powered and was supposed to cruise about 200 MPH.
In my youth I subscribed to a magazine called Railroad Modeller. They had the ad selling the models too. Wonder who bought them (if anyone did)?

10

The pre-premeire advertising hype had Supertrain running on two tracks. There was even an illustration in TV Guide showing it, however, it turned out to be much simpler and cheaper for Parsons just to have the train run on a wide single track.

Towards the end of the first episode, the engineer pushed the train to 200 mph. It was fun watching the passengers reaction when objects started flying around in the cars and it became awfully windy! I think football legend Don Meredith was in this episode.

11

Oh boy, you just HAD to bring up this show, huh? I remember it very well, unfortunately. Love Boat meets the railroad. Cheesy isn’t strong enough to describe this show…and every stereotypically cheesy actor was a guest star, too. Proof there IS a limit to what people will actually watch, thankfully. Although today’s crop of idiotic reality shows isn’t a whole lot better. Which is why I usually read, or work on my layout in the evenings.
I have that same issue of MR that has the Bull Session item about the models being up for sale.

12

Rrinker,

Which issue is it? I know I have it but I have over 100 issues to thumb through, some dating back to that time period. (seems like yesterday!)

13

I wasn’t born yet when this show was on, but I’ve heard a lot about it on the forums and am dying to see it out of sheer curiosity! As bad as it must have been, it was probably a lot better than the garbage that people are watching on television today!

I found a website that talks about the show ( http://www.tvparty.com/emflop.html ). On there, they mention that before filming began, a model of the train was produced at a cost of $1 million. When it was demonstrated for NBC executives, it flew off the track, smashed into a wall and was completely destroyed! A new model then had to be built. A pretty good omen for how the show would perform!

I think that had the show taken place on a real regular train that perhaps it might have done better. Not that it would have been a hit (although you never know), but it certainly would be more believeable and people wouldn’t be turned off by the sheer ridiculousness of the show’s basic idea.

14

Check on the all-time index page, although since it was just one small item in the Bull Session column, it might not be indexed seperately. I WAS workign on my own index database to handle my collection of magazines, but then they came out with the all-time index so i kind of dropped the project. Plus it wouldn’t have been in any more detail either. I will have to run through a bunch of issues and see if I can find it. I’m guessing somewhere around 1980.

–Randy

15

O.K Rrinker,

And I remember it was sometime in 1980 and the article was not a long one. By then the show had already been running.

16

My name is Espeefoamer and I watched Supertrain…
This show stunk so bad,the studio had to bring in some skunks and tease them to get rid of the odor from the show[xx(].

17

I’ve seen that one - was called “The Big Bus”, has been on TV over here a few times. Not quite as good as “Airplane” but still pretty funny!

18

I saw the article in Model Railroader about it, but never saw the show. Have you ever noticed that in a lot of old movies/tv shows the charactors board a train which is lettered “xyz railroad” and then during trip you see shots of a sleek passenger train pulled by ATSF warbonnet Fs? There must have been a lot of stock footage of the The Chief and other Santa Fe trains available to the movie makers.

19

Ah yes, The Big Bus, I remember that one as well, an atomic-powered articulated bus travelling cross-country.
“not as good as Airplane!” is not being kind to Airplane!. Airplane! is a darn funny movie.
I seem to recall in The Big Bus that something goes wrogn and they have no control over it, or something like that, and they stop just in time with the front half hanging out over a canyon. It’s been a long time, and I certainly never watched it more than once.

–Randy

20

I was 8 when it came out in Feb 79. It was Atomic, not Nuclear powered. I don’t think anyone really thought about atomic radiated steam coming from the train, now did they? It was the last chance to make the 70’s look ultra modern.

There was the engine, which was the only single level part of the train, and it pulled 9 double level coaches. Each of the coaches had elevators at the front end. NBC spent some big bucks, even creating a full size engine and first coach for the sound stage. It’s also kind of funny to note, that when the train got underway, you can see the reflection on the people being pulled on a large flatbed, as the lights from above NEVER MOVE!

I was amazed at the sight of the train for the first time, how big it was, Atomic powered, the 2 large bars on board, hospital, self serve kiask coach, gym, hair salon, swimming pool (yes, swimming pool!), and full size hotel like cabins. There was no caboose, as the swimming pool took up the top part of the last coach.

The star of the show was the train. The plots were thin as ice, and that’s what broke this show. There wasn’t a 2nd season, the show went on hiatus about 6 episodes into the run, they retooled, and added the female cruise director and replaced the assistant conductor that was only on 2 of the 6 previous shows. The show limped on for about 6 more episodes, and was canned in June of 79.

In the first episode, the engineer made a comment about 12,000 psi port and starboard to get the train moving. I’ve always wondered what that might translate into for a real train, if there is such a translation. Unless the atomic fuel/reactor/engine was underneath the engine, there really wasn’t any realistic thought given to how the train might work, as shielding and water tanks for stream would be needed. (The swimming pool in at the back end of the train, so it couldn’t have been that!)

I’d love to get my hands on any articles reguarding the model, and thought behind that train