Tonight's episode covered the Barnum and Baily circus train, at a length of one mile, the world's`longest privately owned train. Quite an interesting presentation.

I recorded it last night on my DVR. I watched episode 1, "Coaltrains" yesterday, and have the rest recorded. As a host, the guy is kind of annoying, but maybe he gets better as the series goes on. Regardless, it's interesting and does have some good info.

I recorded last nights episode because it took place on the Capital and Landover Subs and Mt. Clare and Benning Yards, my old stomping grounds. I remember handling the Circus train a couple times.

I'm glad the series is on, it's the best we have covering trains on TV right now...

Dave

ezdays Wrote:As a host, the guy is kind of annoying, but maybe he gets better as the series goes on.

He is kinda annoying....But how would you act if you were hosting a show on one of your favorite subjects? Granted, working the railroad is what he did for a living, but getting a chance to jump form the cab of an old GP, or U-Boat, and riding in the cab of something thats modern, higher horsepower......Its like going from your Cris-Craft, to getting to steer an aircraft carrier.
I think I would act the same way.

eightyeightfan1 Wrote:

ezdays Wrote:As a host, the guy is kind of annoying, but maybe he gets better as the series goes on.

He is kinda annoying....But how would you act if you were hosting a show on one of your favorite subjects? Granted, working the railroad is what he did for a living, but getting a chance to jump form the cab of an old GP, or U-Boat, and riding in the cab of something thats modern, higher horsepower......Its like going from your Cris-Craft, to getting to steer an aircraft carrier.
I think I would act the same way.

I know I would..Even after the job excitment wore off I still enjoyed cab rides as head brakeman..

The standard for a host of this type is Peter Weller, the host of Engineering An Empire.

The other guy is drowning in "Gee Whizz".

I'm not a big fan of the host either but I did enjoy the episode about The Empire Builder, having ridden it last Summer. I think he may need to cut down on the caffeine.
Ralph

To you and me using water and heat to produce steam and turn it into tractive effort might not be "awesome". A population of circus performers living in a rolling city might not be "incredible". Riding 70 MPH with 7,000 tons might not be "intense". Or shoving hard on the rear of a 22,000 ton coal train might not put us in "awe". I've experienced all of those things, and I still get awed by the passing of 6 SD80MACs with 160 loads of coal to the local power plant. And to the average Joe, the above things are indeed awesome, incredible, intense, and awe inspiring.

He is a goof ball, but I think he is a good host and keeps the interest of the average Joe.

Dave

If I were his director, I'd say to keep his enthusiasm high, but to sit on his hands to keep them from pointing at everything, and to stop staring into the lens and giving it the fish-eye.

And yeah, I get excited just riding in a passenger car, never mind the cab.

I've recorded all 7 shows so far and have them in my VHS library. I've enjoyed every one of them and have learned a few things I didn't know. And as for the host, I ignore his antics as much as possible but I do listen to what he has to say.

I worked with a hyper brakeman once on the PRR..To him every thing was either "wow","that's hipsville",Daddy-O or "awesome!"

Brakie Wrote:I worked with a hyper brakeman once on the PRR..To him every thing was either "wow","that's hipsville",Daddy-O or "awesome!"

Brakie you just became my hero! I was proud to be a CR trainman on the FORMER PRR, you were the real deal! Where did you work for PRR?

Dave

I worked the Piqua Line extra board out of Cleveland Ave yard from 67-69.A fancy name for working urban locals on the West Side of Columbus...From 66-67 I worked Yard B..

Thats awesome. I worked out of Benning, D.C., a former PRR yard, for a good portion of my short RR career, starting with CR and sending with CSXT. I also was fortunate enough to have spent time in Philadelphia, PRR was king of that city and I loved riding the high line *ahem* West Philadelphia Elevated... and the street trackage around the docks and intermodal ramps.

I don't want to clutter this thread, but for sake of staying on topic, the Circus train on extreme trains was parked in Benning, D.C. for a good portion of the footage. I was disappointed that no T&E service was covered this episode, I would have liked to see the handling of the circus train from an engineer's point of view, I imagine it is like a passenger train, except I never hauled passengers.

Dave

I think you are right about it being handled just like a passenger train. I think the emphasis on the circus train was on what makes it different from the other trains he rode, which has to do with the train itself not so much the locomotives used to pull it. It also focused on the amount of work needed to get the circus packed up, loaded, moved to the next city, unloaded, and set up. The cab ride would probably not have been any different from his ride on the Empire Builder.