12-30-2013, 03:43 PM
The program actually has some interest for people who railfan the ARR at a distance (like me). Several episodes show heavy conventional freights in the winter on the Seward-Anchorage route. I would say that anyone who wants to take a single ride on the ARR should try to get on one of the passenger trains that run on this route (summer only, weekly, from Anchorage Airport, not downtown Anchorage). This is the original Alaska Central route from which the US government built the rest of the ARR, and it is by far the most scenic, though the rest of the ARR is no slouch. However, the only freight on this route is normally unit coal to a loader at Seward for export to Korea, a few times a week, spring through fall. No conventional freights! I asked on the ARR Yahoo group and discovered that maybe half a dozen freights carrying containers on flats run from Seward in the winter, unloaded from barges, mainly if Anchorage is iced in. I wouldn't have learned about this if I hadn't seen the show. However, as usual, the show mischaracterizes the whole situation!