On Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 10 PM, [9 PM CDT] the History Channel Program “Tougher In Alaska” will examine the importance of the Alaska RR system, especially in remote areas along with the challenges of building and maintaining a RR system in the harsh Alaska environment. The program will be re-run again at various times and dates following this initial airing.
Thanks for the heads up. Try and remember to bump this Thur. afternoon.[tup]
I saw that, it should be interesting.
I wish I had the History Channel! [sigh]
But I guess I can always walk down to the tracks and see it for myself. [:D]
Let me know if it was any good, perhaps I can get someone to record it for me.
Peter (in AK).
Thanks for the heads-up! I saw the roadbed in the promos (does anything look colder than RR roadbed in the winter: everything like very cold cast iron?), but never dreamed they’d devote an entire program to “AuRoRa.” (Sorry, I know that’s a passenger train, not the railroad, but it’s such a nice way to use the reporting marks. I still remember when they had a contest to name that Premier Train–and the biggest entry was “Moose-gooser,” which the management chose to ignore! Wonder if they’ll mention that Thursday night?)
Wonder how many gaffs they’ll make. Am I the only one that notices? Whenever the History Channel does anything regarding railroads, they make some glaring error! Their old “Trains Unlimited” series averaged three per program: such things as showing the wrong photos to illustrate things (I don’t know how many times they showed the old St. Paul & Pacific dormatory cars in conjunction with the UP/CP Transcontinental), ignorant drawings (refrigerator cars with cylindrical ice bunkers–riding on what looked like the trucks for the WWII troop cars), completely bogus explanations of how air brakes worked… Like I said, about three per episode.
I sometimes think there’s more “Hollywood” than History involved in the making of some of the “factual” railroad stuff. Hollywood’s been outdoing themselves for years! How many times have you seen Westerns with boxcars having ladders next to the doors, presumeably to let the hobos climb down easily from the roofs? Another favorite was someone entering what was supposed to be a boxcar by climbing down through an obvious reefer ice hatch into the bunker and entering the interior that way! (Never mind the fact that 100-200 blocks of ice could drop down into the buinkers without glancing off into the cargo area…) And remember the Cunninghams and Fonzie heading wes
Well, it’s on. And, Dean, looks like they’ll do your forecast proud…
First cookie out of the box was a little flash-up - the long-discredited claim that standard gauge is based on the width of Roman chariot-horses’ butts!
Now they’re showing the 105mm slide-clearer - with more really stupid commentary about handling artillery ammunition…
The Hysterical Channel strikes again.[(-D]
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Yup! For those of you who’re wondering: Standard Gauge, 4’8-1/2", is based on the English horse-drawn cart’s wheel track. After all, does anyone dispute the fact that the English invented the first practical steam engines and developed the steam locomotive–mostly to pull mine carts of that gauge, which ran on rails spaced 56-1/2" apart. Now, I suppose it’s possible that the cart wheel track was developed from the Roman horses’ butts. Anyone able to quote “chapter & verse?”
I thought it was a pretty worthless program. Too much of the narrator, who apparently hosts a regular series about Alaska, continually showing off. He made the show more about himself than about the railroad.
With all due respect, I gotta’ disagree with all of the negative “reviews” of the program!! No, it’s not perfect, but I’ve got a few videos made by UP, ATSF, and others with "glaring errors!! Everyone seems to forget that TV is part of the ENTERTAINMENT industry!! If the show was pure rr technology, how many “regular” viewers would watch the program? Most of what was shown was correct - and please don’t start the “Roman chariot” debate again - no one has the true definitive answer to that one!! Watch the programs and enjoy - nothing in this life is perfect!![:)]
Gosh, some of you guys are picky picky, almost makes me sorry I started this post announcing this program. I have been into Railroading, Model Railroading, riding scenic RR’s, chasing trains, etc for 60 years, and my love of trains continues to grow. Personally, I found this, and the other recent RR programs on History Channel, such as the program re freight trains, and UP Bailey yard very interesting and worth watching. Yeah, I’m one of those guys that during a formal operating session occasionally takes the easy way out and uses my actual hand to couple or uncouple cars. I’ll probaby go to that hot place run by the guy in the red suit with a pitch fork for that.
Loathar asked me to “bump” this thread, which I will attempt to do tomorrow, Saturday.
No one said that it was not worth watching. They are because there is really nothing else on that has anything to do with railroads and railroading. It’s just that you can’t believe everything they say without some outside corroboration because the guys who make these things don’t really give a hoot about accuracy. Sometimes it’s not their fault because the pictures do not match the narative and sometimes it is because just a little research would tell them that they’re giving incorrect information.
When I didn’t have access to the History Channel, I used to think that having it would be great because then I cold see what I otherwise could read about. Then when I actually got access, I found I needed toi check almost everything. By the way, that wasn’t a railroad program but one about warships (my other passion). It was like watching that Ben Affleck movie about Pearl Harbor.
Irv
I was looking forward to watching the show last night and ended up with a bonus - the segment from Whittier with the barge loading. I had taken my son to Alaska last summer for a high school graduation gift and we spent a night in Whittier across the rail yard from the barge operation. We got a chance to see the container loading in action but couldn’t get closer than about 250’ from the barge. So it was great being able to see it on the show last night.
I watched it last night , thought it was well worth it. Enjoyed the track guys trying to pull ties and insert the new concrete ties.
Missed it!!![banghead] I’ll have to watch and see if they replay it this weekend…
Hopefully, the DVR got it for me. I was on the hockey rink.
Remember, the worst show about trains is still better than the best show about celebrities.
Amen to THAT! What we need is a reality show where two teams of modelers get the same materials and X amount of time to build the better layout.
Railroading with the Stars![:D]
What a great idea! So, how do we work this? Celebrity modellers, like “Team Rod Stewart” vs. “Team Gary Coleman?” How about “Team MR” against “Team RMC?” Or Team Athearn takes on Team Atlas? Which Presidential candidate is going to choose Joe Fugate as his running mate?
I bet we could get Michael Gross to be a judge.[:)]
I think trains are about the only thing they haven’t done a reality show about yet.[sigh]
How about lining a bunch of celebs up on a track and letting the UP Challenger . . . . . . .
[:D]
Me too! [:(] I knew it was coming on Thursday night, but I forgot. [#oops]
I believe it shows again tonight (Friday) and again a couple of times next week. [:)]
[D)] Mark