Railroad Alaska

On the one hand I would just as soon remove it from my record list, on the other hand the subject matter, scenery and characters keep dragging me back season after season.

I might be a faithful watcher, but I'm getting really tired of being subjected to editing that is sloppy and obviously forced in an attempt to create drama where none exists, nor is needed.

To be fair this is a trait shared among most 'reality' shows, but come on! Just how many times do we have to sit through a train 'bearing down' on a repair crew or broken-down piece of equipment only to find the blockage is cleared in the nick of time!

And on the sloppy side of editing, we loyal viewers are repeatedly subjected to panoramic shots of trains that are clearly not part of the current narrative. A fact glaringly obvious when the number of engines on the trains don't match and/or the load is different.

All of this would be much easier to swallow if I didn't have to listen to the far from dulcet tones of narrator Demetri Goritsas. I'm not sure who thought this stage actor would make a good television narrator but they didn't consult with me first!!

His near-shouting style of speech and uncomfortably close to fingernails on a chalkboard voice might work when trying to project from the stage all the way to the rear row of a 1000 seat theater, but on the small screen it's just annoying!

Yet here I am, faithfully subjecting myself to the first episode of the third season anyway. . .

Why is a woman who has just given birth driving a snowmobile with a baby strapped to her chest so if she falls of it might well be killed? Even the dimmest person would put mum and kid in the trailer. Then of course she drives under a suitable twig and stalls the snowmobile! Who writes this trash and how much were they paid?

Jeopardy and peril at every turn, it doesn't matter what as long as they can up the peril.

Yes you learn things but was this the best way to do it? Apparently even with a green light the drivers are worried they will suddenly be stopped.

Oh yes and a dreadful snow storm at every turn. You'd think 5h3 railway were used to this by now!

Nonesense.

The narrator sounds like a tween who's waiting for his balls to drop, mistaking screaming for projecting his voice. Show's better if you hit the mute button.

No train blows their whistles in the middle of nowhere and every 2 minutes. To signal moving forward, reverse and crossings are the main whistle signals. I actually can't watch it anymore because of all of the stupid whistles they insert. I guess to reinforce the fact that it's a train or something.... makes no sense

I really enjoy the way these people live, and the importance of the train in their lives. I enjoy seeing all the problems involved in keeping the railroad running and how the railroad personnel deals with them. I didn't, however, realize how unique this train is, until reading these reviews. Why didn't I learn that from the program? There is so much that could be included and expanded upon, but instead of doing that, it's always urgent to get the job finished so the train can get through. Amazing how nothing ever happens until there's a train about to hit the area. Why not turn it into an educational documentary instead of a reality show, so we can learn about the train and its people? Last night, a family was expecting a shipment of soil & plants, so they had to quickly get the support holes dug in the frozen ground. Why didn't they do this last fall, or at least last week? I'm so fed up with all the hype, I swear I'm going to quit watching it, but I want to know whether Jim gets his new house built, and what about the couple who had the baby last year? PLEASE change this program instead of having it canceled because no one watches it!!!