RMweb Gold Scottish Modeller Posted January 13, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi guys! Â Do you know if it's possible to see the replay on the net and where please? Â Many thanks to you. Hi there, Â Start on You Tube... Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtcNdv0VuM Â Should take you to some episodes. Â The channel that had the full series on it has been suspended. Â Do a You Tube search for other episodes. Â Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoach Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 There are two rail barge operations to Whittier, Alaska Marine and Foss Barge. http://ogdenbrotherstrains.blogspot.com/2013/11/where-rails-meet-sea.html Seatrain Lines was an entirely separate operation that variously operated between New York (actually NJ), Cuba, Puerto Rico, Savannah, New Orleans, and Texas, and is long defunct. There is also a container barge operation between Seattle and Seward, where containers are transloaded onto railcars, but not railcars themselves.  The Seward-Anchorage section is by far the most interesting scenically and engineering-wise, although except for a biweekly train, the cruise trains don't take that route. It was called Alaska Hydro Train back in the 80's when I worked for Crowley Maritime who owned the service.  At the peak of the North Slope boom it was a weekly two barge tandem tow to Whittier from Seattle across the gulf of Alaska using twin engined 3000-3250 HP diesel tugs. I visited Whittier in the early 90's when I was doing some consulting work on automated rail car shipment interchange tracking for ARCO Alaska supply chain logistics. Would you believe the mud for drilling then was shipped in special heated tank cars from Texas. Rail Cars were chained and tack welded to the rails of the barge. The barges were 400X100 foot all steel and had 8 parallel tracks. Winches were used to move the barges back and forth for loading. The ramp at Whittier was quite long due to the tidal bore on Prince William Sound.  In a tandem tow there are two separate tow cables with the cable to the second barge held below the first with diving planes. And this was done in winter 1300 miles across the Gulf of Alaska. Wooden baseball bats were standard issue on the for knocking icicles off the tug. The tugs, if I remember correctly, had a 6 man crew. Captain, Mate, Engineer, two Able Body Seaman and a cook. Tow took about 7 days each way so there were usually 2 tows underway at any point in time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moore Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I tried to watch the first series but the constant use of the same horn noise drove me nuts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fay Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I wish they would concentrate on the Railroad instead of off griders! Oh my God someone's going to die just as we head to an advert. No there not there's a film crew watching them!! There's a lot of Docusoaps on Discovery about Alaska at the moment so it's a popular subject and the life's of people living in the wilderness are very well catered for. I'm still watching it but record it first so I can fast forward the boring bits!! I just wish they would document it instead of the over the top dramatisation, but then that seems to be the way the factual channels are heading Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I just wish they would document it instead of the over the top dramatisation, but then that seems to be the way the factual channels are heading  While the world around me delights in brain-dead reality TV, I used to take some comfort from the factual channels. It used to make me feel like I did have some grey matter to exercise. As Steve says, the constant "Will the train get through before everybody dies in an avalanche???!!!" commentary is doing nobody any favours. I still enjoy the programme, but not as much as I could enjoy it. Slightly better than Big Brother or Hollyoaks, though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parthia27 Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I wish they would concentrate on the Railroad instead of off griders! Oh my God someone's going to die just as we head to an advert. No there not there's a film crew watching them!! There's a lot of Docusoaps on Discovery about Alaska at the moment so it's a popular subject and the life's of people living in the wilderness are very well catered for. I'm still watching it but record it first so I can fast forward the boring bits!! I just wish they would document it instead of the over the top dramatisation, but then that seems to be the way the factual channels are heading Unfortunately there is a mass of people around the world who would rather experience life through the feats of others on TV instead of actually living a life themselves. To be fair there are people who will enjoy this program for the few bits of factual railroading they see, but the vast majority find themselves enjoying these fake crises dreamt up by tv producers and I think there are some people who believe they are real. Personally I've had enough of the "oh my will the train get through" storylines. There are much better films on YouTube if you dig.  Cheers  Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcltel Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I accidentally discovered this programme when I was ill recently and only had the energy to gawp at the box. As I wrote on another thread, the snow scenes are good for the  potential scenery artist to ponder on. The producers seem to always work to some hysterical pitch on these American shows, a different way of life I suppose. As for the nutters living in cabins in the wilderness where do they get their money from to buy ammunition for their guns if nothing else? The answer is the TV companies I suspect! However I do enjoy the bits showing how the MOW people cope with the adverse weather and the procedures involved in the loading and maintaining of the rolling stock itself. The best way I find is to watch is with the zapper in hand ready to fast forward through the garbage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 As for the nutters living in cabins in the wilderness where do they get their money from to buy ammunition for their guns if nothing else? The answer is the TV companies I suspect! Â People have been living in the wilderness long before some pampered TV exec found them. Money is to be made from hunting, trapping and fishing. Not much, I suspect, but then they're not looking to get rich. If they have enough to survive, then that's all they want. Oil and fuel for generators needs to be paid for, so does fuel if they have a snowmobile. Gas for cooking too. Of course they receive payment from the Discovery Channel and no doubt it's a welcome bonus but it's far from their reason for being there. There's a big emphasis on "skill swap" as well. "I'll fix your roof in return for XYZ"... In some ways, I'm envious of the simple way of life. Little, if any technology etc. Bugger the cold though, I couldn't cope with that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parthia27 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 A few years ago I met an interesting chap from Canada who was in a previous life a signalling engineer for BC Rail. He told some interesting stories about some of the off griders in BC, some of whom were obviously of a less than angelic background who had no choice but live the lifestyle they did so that the law enforcement organisations in other parts of North America were clueless as to their whereabouts. It is certainly a hard life and not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure I would last long in such an environment despite its obvious attractions.  Cheers  Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.