Am I the only one whoes weekend starts out baddly if PBS pre empts the Saturday mourning edition of Tracks Ahead only to show you how to get stains out of your clothes with lemon juice will fertilizing your lawn with some tabacco
juice/dish washing soap/Cococola concoction while updating your stock parfolio and doing some kind of yoga that gets you in touch with your inner zen child!?! And then asks you to pledge your support!
Or is it just me
loathar
At least you HAVE ‘Tracks Ahead’ on your local PBS station–unfortunately, our local station didn’t purchase it, so we get to find out how to get tobacco stains out of our gym-socks by Thinking Positive and wishing them away. Or something like that.
Luckly, my satellite connection has RFD-TV, and though I don’t get “tracks ahead”, we get programs like ‘The Train Show’, ‘Great Layouts’ and ‘Trains and Locomotives.’ Not bad stuff, either. But I’d sure like to have ‘Tracks Ahead’.
Tom [:(]
I’ll trade you my Tracks Ahead for the three shows you just mentioned.
Deal?
loathar
Tracks Ahead is a syndicated show and PBS stations are just like any other provider of merchadise. They’re going to “stock what sells” and clearly they get more viewer response from the “how-to” shows than the train shows.
If enough railroad folks send contributions mentioning Tracks Ahead, it will show up.
Dale
I got the same proplem as loathar[:(]
Andre
The PBS station in Tucson, Arizona, doesn’t even carry Track Ahead or any other train shows like they used to do.
Now they seem to be resorting to pledge weekends every week instead of only annually or semi-annually.
haven’t seen tracks ahead in several years here in the northeast. the pbs stations here are very liberal and have news programing that reflects that stance. sewing, cooking and flower arranging are ok for them too. even this old house is going outragous with their shows. every other week is pledge week especially on the weekends. so don’t look for it
KVIE, our local PBS channel has a ‘beg-a-thon’ at least once a month, so I dont even tune in, anymore. One more hour of Sara Brightman mangling Puccini with that little teeny squeaky voice of hers is one more hour than this musician can stand. Thank God for satellite and RFD-TV. ‘Trains and Locomotives’ is all about prototype railroads, and I’ve seen everything from South African Beyer-Garretts to SP trundling about thirty trains a day over Tennessee Pass before UP came in and ruined everything. Great shows. And some of the O-gauge layouts on ‘Great Layouts’ are fantastic (and I’m an HO modeler). Good stuff, and it looks as if RFD-TV is dedicated to at least three hours of train shows per week. Beats the Heck out of Sara Brightman.
Tom [}:)][}:)]
AWWWWWWWW!!! We have cable and no channels with ANY TRAIN ANYTHING on it! [:(!] I’m missing so much stuff. How much does that ‘satellite’ cost a month?
We seem to be lucky in Nashville. The weekly Tracks Ahead show now has 2 local sponsors, one a new LHS and the Tennessee Central Train Museum. It was fun to see a show sponsored by Thomas the Tank Engine.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the time of year for the local NPT stations to close out their fiscal years. THe lack of govm’t support means they spend more time asking for money. I’d like to see them run more travel by train programs. Amtrak needs their support.
Hm-m-m-m…didn’t realize such fare was available on PBS. I will have to check to see if any of these programs are carried locally. Thanks guys!!
I hate to pay for anything that I don’t have to, but… I’m seriously considering buying the Tracks Ahead episodes on DVD that are available from the Tracks Ahead website…
I think its around $30 for two disks. Then I’ll have the convenience of watching them when I want and to FF through the stuff I don’t want to see.
Since they’re not real expensive, and maybe the money will help produce more episodes I think its a good investment!
I did catch a recent “T=A” episode in HD and that was a FANTASTIC experience! Wide Screen and all!!
ED
It’s PBS. Build a local audience then chase them away for month during the quarterly pledge drives. It’s been The Three Tenors, Seven Successful Habits by Covey, RiverDance, Monty Python Marathon Weekend, The Three Iri***enors, Piano Lessons for people whose other musical instrument is the radio, and now The Celtic Singer. Usually five topics only interrupted by Sesame Street and the McNeil News Hour. Some things remain sacred.
Loathar??? Of the Hill People???
[:p]
underworld
[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Mstein: At least you get Monty Python. I’d rather have the Dead Parrot sketch than Sara Brightman.
Aggro: Dish Network TV costs around $28 per month for the basic 120 channel network. RFD-TV is part of the initial package. Movie channels are extra. WAY extra.
Tom [:D]
No shows like that in jersey.[:(!] DIY had a very short show on trains a year or two ago and that wasn’t even that good.[:(] Im with AggroJones " how much does that satellite cost a month?". Father’s day is coming soon!!![:D]
WOW! I didn’t think I’d get any replys to that post.
A: Satilight TV costs about $30/month for basic and you can get it installed for free in up to 4 rooms. (Dish Network)
B: That was a good DIY train series.I think they have it on their web site as a free video download.
C: I would even settle for a Monty Python marathon. (It’s the only spam I can handle!)
D: Yes! Loathar, of the hill people. For those of you who don’t know- Loathar was a Steve Martin charicture from the old Saturday Night Live. He was a caveman named Loathar and he was smart. He posessed language and had opposable thumbs.(I’ve had that screen name for about twelve years now.)
E: What is RDF-Tv?
F: Hey Wdlgln! Your lucky! You live in a REAL city here in Tenn. I’m down here in Lawrenceburg.Lots of Amish…No hobby shops…Have you been to Southbound Trains?
Hows their stock of HO stuff? Do you Know of any train clubs in Mid Tenn? I think I’m the only person around here that’s into trains.
loathar
Like several other Northeastern hobbyists have already indicated, after many years of doing so, Tracks Ahead is no longer being run on local PBS stations (last time was at least 3 years ago). In my area it used to be sponsored by a large hobby shop. No longer. And I wonder if the shop is gone too? So, for many of us, the only hope of viewing these shows is to purchase the DVDs (series 6 is in the works, I believe). A reflection on the declining popularity of model railroading as a hobby, I’m afraid.
CNJ831
Now I’m feeling lucky - we have “Bahn TV” - free to air satellite TV channel funded by DB (German railways) - 24hr trains! It’s on Astra 1b if anyone else can get that bird. Great programming and as DB regard it as cheap advertising there’s no begging messages. As it’s free to air (as are a surprising number of halfway watchable channels) all you need is a dish and box, no subscription. Can also get German MTV (mildly more entertaining than the English version) and assorted other stuff, some of which is hilariously funny (ever watched “Under Seige” in Italian?)
U.S. network T.V. (not just P.B.S.) is in a wretched state. What isn’t politically motivated is relegated to the “bottom line” profit and loss agenda. You would think from all of these negative postings (rightly so) that the Networks and P.B.S. surely would have some indication (Polls etc.) that “all is not well.” I tend to think that the M.R. Clan is a “cut above” [thus a minority] the average MTV viewers but still there should be some offerings for greater variety than exercise, mystery, tainted news, “how-to,” game shows and “Soaps.” I’m on Direct T.V. and can say that it is only a slight improvement. Anymore, its the Net for me while my T.V. set makes a good vase stand.