About this season
Following an elite crew of workers-- brakemen, engineers, construction crews, mechanics and train drivers – Railroad Alaska illustrates the battle against ferocious weather and treacherous terrain to keep the State of Alaska’s critical 500-mile long railroad rolling to deliver life sustaining supplies. From controlled avalanches to prevent catastrophe, to fascinating characters, like Jim James, the one-handed handy man, learn what it takes to keep this train on track.
Episodes (11)
1. Bear Attack
Aired 25 October 2014 • 60 min
With time running out, the freight crew struggle to make their delivery to a salvage crew stranded in the wilderness and Jim James returns from town with a huge surprise for his wife Nancy.
2. Mountain Danger
Aired 1 November 2014 • 60 min
A homesteader races to airlift his stranded snow machine out of the frozen tundra; disaster strikes when a couple spends their first winter alone in the wilderness.
3. Collision Course
Aired 8 November 2014 • 60 min
Freezing temperatures threaten a fresh water supply; J.T. Evans plans to bring a taste of the tropics to Alaska.
4. Avalanche Zone
Aired 15 November 2014 • 60 min
A couple must move their cabin away from a rapidly rising river; a leaky roof must be replaced before a storm; an avalanche threatens to derail a freight train.
5. The Big Freeze
Aired 22 November 2014 • 60 min
Jim and Nancy rush to make repairs before the cold Alaskan winter chases them out of their home. Off gridder Dan Mawhinney decides to sell his cabin, but first he must find a buyer. On the railroad, delays threaten to put the train behind schedule.
6. Ice Hell
Aired 29 November 2014 • 60 min
A family faces down a threat to its food supply; a man makes a grueling 5-hour hike in the wilderness; an ice storm threatens to derail a scheduled freight train.
7. A Bridge Too Far
Aired 6 December 2014 • 60 min
A porcupine infestation threatens to leave Nancy and Jim without electricity. Dave Weems' city-living nieces hunt for their own supper. On the railroad, an emergency crew battles blocked bridges to make way for a shipment of valuable military equipment.
8. Earthquake
Aired 13 December 2014 • 60 min
A magnitude-4.2 earthquake threatens to bring the railroad to a standstill and derail a speeding freight train. Steve and Cassie Brosius race to build an emergency shelter to protect their young baby. Dave Weems’ nieces visit to sample life in Alaska.
9. Ice Attack
Aired 20 December 2014 • 60 min
When temperatures rise and breakup hits Alaska, a new set of problems threaten lives on and off the rails. Jim and Nancy journey to an abandoned cabin and discover that a bear has taken up residence. Cathy and Larry are in search of an emergency vehicle.
10. Train From Hell
Aired 27 December 2014 • 60 min
As spring arrives, people scramble to repair their cabins and homesteads; the freight team prepares for a cargo of explosives.
11. Real Time Ride
Aired 26 November 2015 • 60 min
A five-hour, real-time train ride through Alaska's frozen wilderness provides the sights and sounds, mile by mile, of an epic journey through America's Last Frontier.