Railroad Alaska
Railroad Alaska
TV-PG | 16 November 2013 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • Season 3 : 2015 | 8 Episodes

    EP1 Under Siege Nov 14, 2015

    A quarter of a billion dollars' worth of military hardware is on board, but a rogue gunman threatens to derail the journey. Off grid, Nancy and Jim face challenges during an ambitious cabin build.

    EP2 Eye of the Storm Nov 21, 2015

    In the woods Jim and Nancy James challenge a wannabe off grid couple, and Jennifer Hawks tries to find a missing settler. Meanwhile, the freight struggles to deliver a heavy load.

    EP3 Night From Hell Nov 28, 2015

    After an accident, veteran off-gridder Jim James attempts to reach the hospital by train, but obstacles may put him in jeopardy. Elsewhere, the freight crew fights to open up a port in lockdown.

    EP4 The Dead Zone Dec 05, 2015

    A communications shutdown leaves a train hauling the biggest load ever moved on the Alaska Railroad hurtling towards a ‘dead zone’. Off-grid homesteaders tackle the challenge of living off the land in very different ways.

    EP5 Mountain Hell Dec 12, 2015

    The freight train battles north to make a crucial delivery, heading to the highest point on the Alaska Railroad; and off-the-grid, things get steamy as old-timers JT and Marvin build a traditional bath.

    EP6 Ice Rescue Dec 19, 2015

    Tempers flare as an extremely heavy train leads to brake problems and a derailment leaves maintenance teams stranded. Off grid, homesteaders narrowly avert a fire but are left without heat.

    EP7 Trapped in Ice Dec 26, 2015

    A freight crew racing towards Anchorage encounter an icy challenge as they dodge intruders on the track. In the wilderness, homesteaders team up to search for an abandoned cabin washed down stream and trapped in ice.

    EP8 Meltdown Jan 02, 2016

    The spring thaw puts the railroad into meltdown mode; and a freight train is stalled on the infamously high Hurricane Gulch.
    Reviews
    timedoctor

    Whoever is narrating it. Sounds like the guy is shouting, but I guess I've gotten used to Mike Rowe's narration on "Deadliest Catch" among other shows he has done. I found the content interesting, but I can't find anything over season 1, episode 6 on "Destination America"...Thank God it was not on ABC, (worst network ever!), as it probably would not have gone past the first episode.

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    tfmiltz

    I have been fond of Alaska reality TV shows for the scenery.However, many shows just complicate the matter with pointless theatrics.I think of all the shows though, this one wins considering so much terrain the train passes through is simply uninhabited. I once saw a documentary on Kamchatka, that was interesting when the host said 'there is not a single human being 400 miles in any direction'.This show has some amazingly beautiful scenery - period.Trains are always a fun ride anyway, but I highly recommend catching this show at least once. If only there were more passenger trains? Who knows maybe with global warming, Alaska becomes the new Texas.

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    fatlizz

    On the one hand I would just as soon remove it from my record list, on the other hand the subject matter, scenery and characters keep dragging me back season after season.I might be a faithful watcher, but I'm getting really tired of being subjected to editing that is sloppy and obviously forced in an attempt to create drama where none exists, nor is needed.To be fair this is a trait shared among most 'reality' shows, but come on! Just how many times do we have to sit through a train 'bearing down' on a repair crew or broken-down piece of equipment only to find the blockage is cleared in the nick of time!And on the sloppy side of editing, we loyal viewers are repeatedly subjected to panoramic shots of trains that are clearly not part of the current narrative. A fact glaringly obvious when the number of engines on the trains don't match and/or the load is different.All of this would be much easier to swallow if I didn't have to listen to the far from dulcet tones of narrator Demetri Goritsas. I'm not sure who thought this stage actor would make a good television narrator but they didn't consult with me first!!His near-shouting style of speech and uncomfortably close to fingernails on a chalkboard voice might work when trying to project from the stage all the way to the rear row of a 1000 seat theater, but on the small screen it's just annoying!Yet here I am, faithfully subjecting myself to the first episode of the third season anyway. . .

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    clydeboyd3

    The premise for this reality show is actually very interesting, however, EVERY show is basically the same plot, namely: 1. There is ice/snow/rocks/debris on the track 2. The train MUST get through with the essential freight 3. "Hurry up the trains a coming."When I say everything is the same every episode I am not exaggerating. The scripted words are so lame its amateurish. The dialog is so absurdly stilted it is almost funny. What is particularly annoying is the phony attempt in every episode to make it seem like disaster is about to strike if the track isn't cleared so they always have at least one railroad person yelling at the workers " hurry up the trains coming" .The workers actually doing the work ignore these commands because even they know that the exclamations are phony and made for TV. The simple reality is that if the tracks are blocked the trains are going to stop and wait until they are cleared, but this show's producers think the viewers are so stupid that they actually believe that the train will keep on coming down the tracks even though the track is blocked. The other part of the show is to focus on the weirdos living off the grid which depend on rail access, with a particular emphasis on focusing on a one handed mutant looking guy And his toothless wife.All in all they took would could have been interesting and turned it into a lame soap opera like show with the SAME plot every episode. If you have seen one or two episodes of this show you've literally seen them all.

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