Spencer Christian
Tracks Ahead (1990)
Season 7
Tracks Ahead is a television series about railroading, produced by Milwaukee Public Television for public television stations starting in 1990. The series examines all aspects of railroading, both in the United States and in the rest of the world. Content covers a wide range of railroad-related materials. This includes scenic rail journeys, short-line railroads, layouts, artists, photographers, and other railroad related material. The first season was hosted by Charles E. "Chuck" Zehner and the second season by Ward Kimball. Both were repackaged and re-released with Spencer Christian as the host. All subsequent series have featured Christian.
Released Feb. 25, 1990
Episode 30 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Keywords: imdb.magazine-format, imdb.steam-train, imdb.steam-engine, imdb.restoration, imdb.preservation, imdb.model-railway, imdb.model-railroad + 8 more, imdb.trolley, imdb.railway, imdb.travelogue, imdb.train, imdb.journey, imdb.travel, imdb.railroad, imdb.streetcar
Watch Providers: Tubi TV
Network: PBS
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S7E1 - Ohio Central Railroad
Tracks Ahead goes into the hills of eastern Ohio to visit a ten line railroad; ride a historic Japanese steam train that has been lovingly restored; visit a man who has realized his childhood dream, and meet a dentist who has taken his passion for trains into the back yard.
Nov. 1, 2008, midnight
S7E2 - Maine Narrow Gauge
Head to Maine for a memorable experience for the entire family with a visit to the “Two Footers;” head to Arizona and explore a remote river canyon; meet a man who has made a living from preserving railroading history, and discover that model railroading is alive and well in the center of Tokyo.
Nov. 8, 2008, midnight
S7E3 - Japan's Meitetsu Railroad
Visit a steam operation and museum in Nagoya, the fourth largest city in Japan; experience the “up north” feeling as Tracks Ahead visits Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, meet a group of modelers who have built an impressive layout beneath a shopping center, and visit Idaho to see the reincarnation of the “Railroad on Stilts.
Nov. 22, 2008, midnight
S7E4 - Young Guns of Steam
Meet some of the people who are preserving the steam technology that helped shape the nation; visit a garden layout in Scottsdale which has a whimsical theme; meet a young railroad artist with a talent for realism, and visit the Windy City – Chicago, for a little holiday magic.
Nov. 29, 2008, midnight
S7E5 - Palo Verde & Western Railroad
Check the progress of an amazing garden railroad display in the sunny state of Arizona; visit an S gauge layout in the Bay Area that recreates some of the industry of New York state; explore the recreation of a major toy train display of the late 1950’s, and visit a steam tourist line in Delaware.
March 21, 2009, midnight
S7E6 - Japan's Bullet Trains
Take a ride on the world’s first high speed rail line, home to the famous Japanese bullet trains; visit an interpretive park in eastern Michigan that holds a steamy surprise; visit a man who has collected toy trains from the Louis Marx company, and see a re-creation of the 1949 Lionel showroom layout.
Dec. 20, 2008, midnight
S7E7 - The Dakota Southern Railroad
Talk with a man whose hard work has resurrected a short line railroad in South Dakota; visit an astounding 15 inch gauge railroad on a game preserve in the Midwest; visit Kyoto, Japan, and look in on a steam museum and train ride; and head to the Smoky Mountains for a visit to a new public layout.
Dec. 27, 2008, midnight
S7E8 - Railroads in Patagonia
Travel to Argentina for a rail adventure through the vast expanses of Patagonia; visit with a man who has taken his vocation and used it to literally take railroading to new heights; look in on the last car float operation in the country, and head just south of Tokyo to ride some unusual railcars.
Jan. 3, 2009, midnight
S7E9 - Panama Canal Railway
Tracks Ahead visits the Panama Canal Railway that serves as a bridge between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; meet a man who was in the middle of each major crisis of the railroad industry; visit Zanesville, Ohio, for a look at a club layout; and head to the Garden State, where a tourist and freight railroad keeps history alive.
Jan. 10, 2009, midnight
S7E10 - Los Angeles Rail Transit
See how a modern rail transit system thrives in Los Angeles; visit a garden railroad on a quiet street in San Mateo, California; relive the exciting moment when the transcontinental railroad was completed; and ride a spectacular dinner train in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains.
Jan. 17, 2009, midnight
S7E11 - Railtown 1897
Look in on the old Sierra Railroad shops in the gold country of California; visit a high rail S gauge layout that is the culmination of a thirty year dream; drop in on the family farm in southwestern Wisconsin and explore the history of an almost forgotten narrow gauge line in Iowa.
Jan. 24, 2009, midnight
S7E12 - EnterTrainment Junction
Venture into America’s heartland for an impressive public garden railroad display; ride several unique rail lines to explore the lush Japanese countryside; look in on a re-creation of a 1960’s railroad in southern California and visit with the heir apparent to noted railroad artist, Howard Fogg.
Jan. 31, 2009, midnight
S7E13 - Strasburg Railroading
Visit Strasburg, Pennsylvania, where trains are a major attraction; visit an operational layout that has recreated the Cajon Pass area; see what roller coasters and trains have in common and look in on one of the largest railroad museums in the country.
Feb. 7, 2009, midnight
S7E14 - St. Kitts Scenic Railway
Visit a Caribbean sugar cane line that has found a new, more glamorous life; ride a spectacular three stage rail line in the Minami Alps outside of Tokyo; visit one of the largest Z gauge layouts around and look in on a museum that operates one of the last great steam locomotives in the United States.
Feb. 14, 2009, midnight
Network: PBS
Episode Runtime: 30 min.
Season Runtime: 30 min.
Released: Feb. 25, 1990
Last Air Date: June 4, 2015, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
Rate this show
Add {Movie} to static lists