Episodes

Episode 1 - Under Siege

A journey is put in jeopardy and an ambitious construction project

Episode 2 - Eye of the Storm

Struggling against a snowstorm and a missing man

Episode 3 - Night From Hell

Repairing a damaged stretch of track and an ambitious expedition

Episode 4 - The Dead Zone

Vital radio communications go down and the largest single item ever hauled by the railroad

Episode 5 - Mountain Hell

A massive construction project, repairing a derailed snowplough and building a steam bath...

Episode 6 - Ice Rescue

A disastrous derail leaves track crews stranded and in need of urgent rescue

Episode 7 - Trapped in Ice

Deep ice threatens to smother the track, forcing track workers to resort to a risky solution

Episode 8 - Melt Down

In Alaska the spring thaw puts the railroad into meltdown

The Series

Railroad Alaska follows the people who battle to keep Alaska’s only rail line running during winter. The single-track railroad is a lifeline for the state – an artery shuttling supplies all along its 500-mile route. For the hard-core rail crews tasked with keeping trains rolling it’s a never-ending battle against Mother Nature. Severe snowstorms, ice and bone chilling temperatures take their toll on the track and the machinery used to keep it clear. This is a job where failure could mean more than just undelivered freight – it’s a matter of life and death. Track maintenance teams and train crews face bullet-damaged rails caused by rogue gunmen, they tackle derailed equipment and attempt to haul the largest loads ever attempted on the railroad.

The railroad snakes alongside Denali National Park through hostile wilderness and is a lifeline for hardy homesteaders that call the unforgiving landscape home. The Alaska Railroad operates one of the worlds last flag stop services, providing off-grid cabin dwellers with their only link to the outside world. The tracks allow gasoline for generators and snow machines to be transported deep into the remote countryside. It delivers the crucial equipment needed to endure brutal winters and it’s a service that proves lifesaving in emergency situations. Without the railroad many homesteaders could not survive.

Railroad Alaska shows the survival decisions that must be made by railroaders and homesteaders alike during the merciless winter. It shows the fight for survival off grid and the dangers facing track and train crews as they go about their work in one of the most beautiful but brutal wildernesses on earth.

 

Credits
Executive Producers
Series Producer
Line Producer
Post Production Manager
Junior Production Manager
Post Production Coordinator
Technical Supervisors
Story Producers
Series Editor
8 x 60' for Destination America, Discovery