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All aboard the Glacier Express!

There's an excellent Canadian TV series called Mighty Trains, in the US it's airing on the Smithsonian Channel (you probably have it on your cable system, you just never looked).

One episode is devoted to the Glacier Express. So it's 40 minutes or so (DVR it) of a professionally produced TV show, with lots of Go-Pros stuck over and under the train, visits to the factory where they make the cog wheel assemblies, aerial footage, lots of tunnel and bridge action. It might be available to view online as well, either free or for rental. If you think you want to take this train, this will answer all your questions (and make you want to buy tickets immediately!) Smithsonian tends to rerun shows almost endlessly so it shouldn't be too hard to find. Their episodes on the trans-Canada train and the Shinkansen are also very good.

Posted by
11294 posts

Thanks for the tip - I just set the DVR!

The only other episodes showing on my search (I have Verizon Fios in New York City) are "White Pass and Yukon Route" (Canada) and "The Ghan" (Australia), so I'll keep looking for the trans-Canadian and the Shinkansen episodes, which interest me more.

Posted by
8889 posts

I've just obtained all 6 episodes from a certain skull-and-crossbones site. I will be watching them over the next few days:
1) Glacier Express
2) Shinkansen
3) The Canadian
4) White Pass an Yukon
5) North Rail (not sure what this is)
6) The Ghan
i won't post a link, as I am sure I would be breaking site rules.

Recently (in the last 1-2 years) regular container trains now run from China to various locations in Europe. First train from China to London ever arrived 18th January 2017: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2538326/first-china-to-uk-train-beijing-dagenham-socks/
That would make some documentary.

Posted by
9110 posts

Another excellent travel series making the "rounds" is from Channel 4 UK (Animal Planet in the US and Amazon streaming)with explorer Levison Wood:
Walking the Nile
Walking the Himalayas
Walking the Americas
From Russia to Iran Crossing the Wild Frontier

Amazing show with Wood and a local guide literally walking great distances along roadsides and trails.

Posted by
4853 posts

Chris, the North rail episode is a train that runs between Sweden and Norway designed to transport fish specifically to a world market, frankly it's not one of the more interesting episodes

Posted by
4853 posts

I was just digging around in YouTube on my Roku, and it turns out that there are quite a few train videos for Switzerland. I saw a very good half hour version of the Bernina express which was filmed with GoPro's on either side of the train at the rear and no narration or audio just the sound of the train