Western Railroad Discussion > Alaska RR barge on t v

tonight at 9 p m DST it will be  on science channel called Alaska mega machines

bobgfla Wrote:
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> tonight at 9 p m DST it will be  on science
> channel called Alaska mega machines

And it's just as breathless and drama filled as all of the other "reality" shows.....

Ah, yes, the impending danger of capsizing the out of balance expensive load and getting the load landed before the winter storm. Glad I don't have cable.

Posted from iPhone

As much as I dislike reality TV in general, and the Railroad Alaska show in particular, I watched this and found it to be a pretty good show. The segment was focused on the CN Aquatrain operation, rather than the larger, more complex AML barge. There was a little drama (broken rail on the deck of the barge) but that isn't unrealistic at all.

Having worked the jobs that unload and backload this barge many times, I can tell you that this is the most dangerous railroad work I've ever done and that it's very common for some kind of drama to unfold there in the process. With the massive fluctuation in sea levels from the tide, to the extreme weather, to all the moving parts and tight spaces, bad things can happen in an instant. When you work the jobs in Whittier, you always wonder to yourself when something is going to happen, not if.

I think the show did the operation justice. It was more about the CN barge than the railroad but it was pretty accurate and did a better job of telling the story than that other "reality" show ever did. Some excellent footage as well.