Tracks Ahead is on Detroit tv that we receive in Vancouver, British Columbia (don't ask me why, I don't have a clue). The program comes on at 10:00 AM on Saturday here, which is a bad time for me. Consequently, I think I have watched about 10 minutes of it, until a friend gave me four tapes, with 4 shows on each tape (a total of 16 shows). So what did I do this Labour Day weekend, well for one thing, I watched 16 episodes of Track's Ahead. First of all I certainly enjoyed the show, but there were some things that struck me as extremely odd. First, if you go by the show, Lionell and toy trains is the dominant scale in North America. There is more Toy train stuff than anything else. I know they are appealling to older folks who grew up with toy trains, but I actually got bored watching all the toy train stuff. It is us hobbiest's who will be the show's most dedicated viewers. Secondly, in 16 episodes, three of them, or was it four, took place in Australia with different trains you can take there. The only thing that makes any sense to me is that the Australian government some how made money available to the program for promotional purposes. In the show, there were far to few HO and N scale layouts shown. In fact, in 16 episodes only one layout made the cut in N. Again it is the hobbiest who is the driving force behind the industry, and most of those are in HO. I would think they would want to feature more HO layouts. And the usual Canadian complaint, there was nothing Canadian in all 16 episodes. In fact, in the flags they flash at the very beginning, there isn't even a Canadian flag shown. I don't have to tell you sophisticated types what an important role the Canadian lines have in the US, and within Canada, feeding the US lines. I liked that they featured artists painting the railroads. I developed a greater appreciation for those out there. I liked that they brought some odd ball items in, like the guy who carved everything from ivory and other susbstances. I hadn't even heard of this chap. I liked them featuring individuals who built their layouts with items from junk shops, scrap heaps, and garage sales. The work they did with virtually no money is incredible, and has motivated me to look around at what's out there that can be used on a layout, for virtually no cost. Over all a thoroughly enjoyable series, but with its quirky parts. [ 03. September 2002, 02:21: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
I live in Milwaukee where TA originated. The idea started on public access TV with Chuck Zehner, two chairs and a table. Chuck taught RR history classes at the Univ of Wis extension and I think I got to know him well. He was a born promoter of everything RR. The show has developed and been polished into a magazine format: layout visit, tourist train, RR artist, etc. The show is finianced by the sponsors--local public TV statiions can air it at no cost. Their recent budget for producing the series is about a million dollars (if I recall correctly). If there was a focus on Australia in the tapes you saw, it probably was caused by the expense of getting the crew there and the need to shoot multiple segments. I don't think they use any material other than what they procduce themselves. On content, I think they would be open to input on Canadian items of interest. (the above are my opinions--I have no connection to WMVS-TV)
I like the show but it has a funny bent, skewed in a way that doesn't reflect the hobby. I used to live in Madison in the mid-sixties, where is your town?
Brown Deer is a suburb on the northside of Milwaukee. It is not too far from Mequon, where Chuck Zehner worked as a quality control tech for a company that makes (truck?) brakes. He passed away suddendly a couple of years ago and was still involved with TA. I think his credits at the end of the show were originator and executive producer. He was a real force in the railfan community. Maybe thats the key--I don't think model railroading was his primary interest. It was trains of all kinds and TA reflects that.
