Tag Archives: Rocky Mountain Railroad

Preview: Train lovers rejoice! Rocky Mountain Railroad chugs on to Discovery Canada

All aboard! Discovery’s Rocky Mountain Railroad is pulling out of the station, and you don’t want to miss this fun ride when it debuts Monday, March 5, at 10 p.m. ET on the specialty channel.

Produced by Cineflix Productions (Mayday) and Windfall Films in association with Discovery Canada, the documentary series features the folks and machinery of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Ontario Northland railway. Cameras capture how crews keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides and dangerous wildlife.

I was particularly interested in the passenger angle of Rocky Mountain Railroad. My dad’s side of the family is from Cochrane, Ont., a stop on the Ontario Northland route and starting and end points for the Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee. I’ve always dreamed of riding the Polar Bear Express; I figure this show will keep that hunger sated until I can do the real thing. So, how does Rocky Mountain Railroad stack up to, say, Mighty Trains?

Quite well, in fact. Though I appreciate learning about trains and their crews in other countries, I’m a proud Canadian and as such love a program that focuses solely on us. Like Highway Thru Hell does for key roadways in the western parts of this country, Rocky Mountain Railroad does for the ribbon of steel by celebrating and spotlighting the machinery and humans that keep the rail lines open in the winter. Built more than 135 years ago and stretching 5,000 km across Canada, the Canadian Pacific Railway is a lifeline of fuel, freight and food that cannot be cut.

In Monday’s debut, steep grades and a lot of snow in Revelstoke, B.C., serve up a challenge for those charged with keeping the tracks clear. It’s fascinating to watch the snowplow crews do their work. Conductor Jim and engineer Jordy are hauling $50 million worth of freight from Vancouver—that had been on a massive ship from overseas—through an avalanche zone that’s just received lots of fresh snow, while a removal crew tackles giant ice columns at Eagle Pass that could spell disaster for passing trains. Viewers will learn a lot about avalanches in Episode 1, as well as what’s done to prevent them from taking out a train.

Meanwhile, Ontario Northland ships crucial materials to isolated communities in the north of the province in punishingly cold temperatures. On this stretch of rail, the train will stop and ship anything if you flag them down. In the case of George, it means filling an entire car with firewood for delivery to Moose Factory, Ont., where burning wood is the only economical option to keep warm.

If you’re a train fanatic, you’ll love Rocky Mountain Railroad. And even if you’re not, it’s an engrossing and informative look at the people and trains who keep things moving in some of the most dangerous places in the country.

Rocky Mountain Railroad airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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Photo gallery: Rocky Mountain Railroad; plus sizzle reel

I grew up being fascinated with trains. Some of my most treasured memories as a child are of bombing along country roads outside of Brantford, Ont., with my dad (he was behind the wheel) as we chased trains to railroad crossings. That feeling has never changed. I still get a thrill out of watching—and riding in—trains.

I know I’m not the only one. Heck, Discovery already celebrates that mode of transportation with Mighty Trains—Season 2 is currently in production—proving lovers of these rail riders is an international affection.

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Now Discovery focuses solely on the country of Canada with Rocky Mountain Railroad. Debuting Monday, March 5, at 10 p.m. ET, the series features the folks and machinery of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Ontario Northland Railway. Cameras capture how the elite crews assembled keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides and dangerous wildlife.

Take a peek at some of the trains featured in Rocky Mountain Railroad above and check out the teaser trailer for what to expect on March 5.

Rocky Mountain Railroad airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET beginning on March 5.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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This March on Discovery: New original Canadian series Rocky Mountain Railroad and Season 4 of Jade Fever

From a media release:

This March, Discovery’s primetime schedule embarks on a bountiful lineup featuring a slew of new and popular returning homegrown programs.

The exhilarating month of authentic, character-driven programming is led by the debut of Discovery’s new original Canadian series ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET beginning March 5. The all-new series casts a spotlight on the elite crews assembled to keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides, and dangerous wildlife. Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD takes viewers on an exclusive journey to Canada’s most extreme railways, where the resilient crews do whatever it takes to keep the critical lifeline running smoothly.

Also in March, after a five-year hiatus, Discovery revives the iconic, fan-favourite, customized motorcycle series AMERICAN CHOPPER. Before the series makes its big return to Discovery’s spring schedule, viewers can catch a full-episode sneak peek of AMERICAN CHOPPER as it kicks off Discovery’s “Gear Head Week”, Monday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Before that, “gargantuan” takes on a whole new meaning with the return of DAILY PLANET’s “Gigantic Week”, weeknights at 7 p.m. ET, beginning March 5. Later in March, Discovery heads to Northern B.C. for Season 4 of JADE FEVER, airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13.

Below is a closer look at Discovery’s new and returning programming highlights for March. All programming is subject to change (all times ET; visit discovery.ca to confirm local broadcast times; programming subject to change).

“Gear Head Week”
Driven by an array of automotive-focused programming, “Gear Head Week” (March 5-9) invites viewers to test drive the finely-tuned programming with adrenaline-charged content including:

NEW SERIES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD – New Original Canadian Series
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT beginning March 5

Featuring the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Ontario Northland Railway, the new eight-part series follows the resilient crews battling ferocious weather and treacherous terrain to keep Canada’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling through the winter. Shutting down is not an option.

NEW SEASONS OF RETURNING SERIES
DAILY PLANET– Theme Week!
Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

If it can be sized up on a truly massive scale, DAILY PLANET is on the case with its annual “Gigantic Week”. Scouring the world for the biggest and most over-the-top science and engineering stories, co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin invite viewers to witness the world’s whopping inventions, escalated experiments, and even exceptionally large creatures.

JADE FEVER – Original Canadian Series
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET beginning March 13

Season 4 of JADE FEVER follows the intense adventures of the Bunce family as they gamble in search of million-dollar boulders of jade in Northern B.C.’s Cassiar Mountains. Claudia and Robin Bunce are taking the ultimate risk this season – mining without investor support and putting their family’s life savings on the line in search for “Grade A” jade. Over a six-week period, viewers can catch a double dose of the Bunces’ exciting, high-stakes search with weekly back-to-back episodes.

 

 

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