Railroad Alaska

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.

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.

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. . .

I really enjoy the way these people live, and the importance of the train in their lives. I enjoy seeing all the problems involved in keeping the railroad running and how the railroad personnel deals with them. I didn't, however, realize how unique this train is, until reading these reviews. Why didn't I learn that from the program? There is so much that could be included and expanded upon, but instead of doing that, it's always urgent to get the job finished so the train can get through. Amazing how nothing ever happens until there's a train about to hit the area. Why not turn it into an educational documentary instead of a reality show, so we can learn about the train and its people? Last night, a family was expecting a shipment of soil & plants, so they had to quickly get the support holes dug in the frozen ground. Why didn't they do this last fall, or at least last week? I'm so fed up with all the hype, I swear I'm going to quit watching it, but I want to know whether Jim gets his new house built, and what about the couple who had the baby last year? PLEASE change this program instead of having it canceled because no one watches it!!!

No train blows their whistles in the middle of nowhere and every 2 minutes. To signal moving forward, reverse and crossings are the main whistle signals. I actually can't watch it anymore because of all of the stupid whistles they insert. I guess to reinforce the fact that it's a train or something.... makes no sense