Original title
Railroad Alaska
Released
11/16/2013
Origin country
US
Genre
Documentary, Reality
Production companies
Windfall Films
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
3
Number of episodes
25
Following an elite crew of workers-- brakemen, engineers, construction crews, mechanics and train drivers – Railroad Alaska illustrates the battle against ferocious weather and treacherous terrain to keep the State of Alaska’s critical 500-mile long railroad rolling to deliver life sustaining supplies. From controlled avalanches to prevent catastrophe, to fascinating characters, like Jim James, the one-handed handy man, learn what it takes to keep this train on track.
Off-grid settlers Jim, Nancy and John face being stranded without basic necessities when an avalanche hits and blocks the track. Roadmaster Hugh Evans battles freezing temperatures to get propane to the off-gridders before they literally freeze to death.
A devastating snowstorm blocks Alaska’s lifeline. Danny and Animal to bring out the Beast, a 67 ton snowplow - and race to clear the way for a freight train hauling vital diesel to Seward. And homesteaders, Mary and Clyde, need an emergency generator.
When ice threatens to shut down the rails, pregnant off-gridder Amanda Simpson is left stranded while her friend seeks out supplies. Brakemen Danny and Animal must transport $5 million worth of freight to Anchorage, navigating a wild moose on the rails.
Off the grid brothers, Steven and Jonathon, must fix a collapsing roof on their cabin before a life-threatening snowstorm. Brakemen, Danny and Animal, race to deliver military equipment to Anchorage when a car derails and threatens to shut down the line.
A 20-ton icicle poses a dangerous problem; and a broken rail switch threatens to derail a train and prevent crucial medical supplies from getting through to homesteaders. Source: Destination America
With the spring thaw comes floodwater that threatens to wash away a section of track that Roadmaster Bruce must race to repair. The spring also means bears, which pose a danger to settlers Jim and Nancy as they make their way to the passenger train.
With time running out, the freight crew struggle to make their delivery to a salvage crew stranded in the wilderness and Jim James returns from town with a huge surprise for his wife Nancy.
A homesteader races to airlift his stranded snow machine out of the frozen tundra; disaster strikes when a couple spends their first winter alone in the wilderness.
Freezing temperatures threaten a fresh water supply; J.T. Evans plans to bring a taste of the tropics to Alaska.
A couple must move their cabin away from a rapidly rising river; a leaky roof must be replaced before a storm; an avalanche threatens to derail a freight train.
Jim and Nancy rush to make repairs before the cold Alaskan winter chases them out of their home. Off gridder Dan Mawhinney decides to sell his cabin, but first he must find a buyer. On the railroad, delays threaten to put the train behind schedule.
A family faces down a threat to its food supply; a man makes a grueling 5-hour hike in the wilderness; an ice storm threatens to derail a scheduled freight train.
A porcupine infestation threatens to leave Nancy and Jim without electricity. Dave Weems' city-living nieces hunt for their own supper. On the railroad, an emergency crew battles blocked bridges to make way for a shipment of valuable military equipment.
A magnitude-4.2 earthquake threatens to bring the railroad to a standstill and derail a speeding freight train. Steve and Cassie Brosius race to build an emergency shelter to protect their young baby. Dave Weems’ nieces visit to sample life in Alaska.
When temperatures rise and breakup hits Alaska, a new set of problems threaten lives on and off the rails. Jim and Nancy journey to an abandoned cabin and discover that a bear has taken up residence. Cathy and Larry are in search of an emergency vehicle.
As spring arrives, people scramble to repair their cabins and homesteads; the freight team prepares for a cargo of explosives.
A five-hour, real-time train ride through Alaska's frozen wilderness provides the sights and sounds, mile by mile, of an epic journey through America's Last Frontier.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The spring thaw puts the railroad into meltdown mode; and a freight train is stalled on the infamously high Hurricane Gulch.
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