Alaska Railroad (TV show)

Has anyone seen the reality series Alaska Railroad?

I'm not a regular viewer but I happened across it the other night and it grabbed my attention. It's not a "prepper show" and the people featured do not directly claim to be preppers.

What hit me is how dependent the "off gridders" (as they call themselves) are. Although they live out in the sticks and have a lot of prepper-like qualities, I see a many holes in their situation.

Situation #1: A girl and her baby go to visit a friend who lives "off grid". Upon arrival, mom discovers she forgot her baby formula. The girl then trudges a few miles back to the railroad (with her baby) to go into town and buy formula. She is clearly not well dressed for the weather. On the way back, she comments that snowshoes would have been a great idea.

Situation #2: An elderly off grid couple runs out of propane. They too trek out to the railroad and wait for a delivery. I don't know if the threat was real or just dramatized for TV, but they made a big deal out of the fact that they would be in big trouble without the propane.

Situation #3: A single guy lives alone in the woods and depends on his mother to bring him supplies and clean laundry.

Situation #4: Another elderly off-gird couple radios their son to deliver a generator they had sent out for repairs. The generator is a beat up old Coleman "screamer" mill that wasn't all that great when it was new. They have no other source of electricity.

I noticed that a lot of the equipment all these folks have appears very well used and in some cases barely functioning.

The theme of the show, among other things, is that the "off gridders" are heavily dependent on the railroad to keep them supplied in spite of the fact that they claim to be self-supporting.

To be fair, all of the off-gridders do provide for themselves to a large degree (chop their own firewood, hunt some of their own food, use local water, etc.). They are more prepared than most. But they cannot live where they do without the train.

Am I missing something here? Aside from not having any neighbors to loot you when the bubble pops, are these people really any better off than the average suburbanite who runs to the grocery store and Home Depot every week? Is being on- or off-grid just a matter of how often one goes shopping? I respect what they're doing but I can't see how someone can say they are "off grid" when their entire existence revolves around one single railroad route.

 

Perhaps they are considering being not hooked to the power grid or being out of sight out of mind as being off grid instead of being self sufficient.

 

Living off grid and being self sufficient are two completly diferent concepts.

 

All types in any location. Some folks just want affordable place to live or no close neighbors. Or they don't like the idea of being tapped for escalating utilities every month. Doesn't mean they have the interest or concern to prep.

Most of them appear to get by on limited funds. Old machinery and vehicles, make-do repairs. They don't run out and buy the latest commercial duty reefer/generator/snow machine/chainsaw. I am impressed by the size and comfort of some if the homes shown. Some are just shacks but others are pretty big for not having any roads.

Just like the folks who pioneered the West. Takes all kinds. Some will do better than others. But it certainly was not then or now just the professionals or uber tactical types.

 

Will have to see if Amazon has that show available, sounds like something my mother might be interested in. She likes Alaska and railroads(and say what you will about Doomsday Preppers but it got her at least more serious about being prepared, she was kinda so-so about it before). I do not share her desire to move to Alaska though, I think we are remote enough where we are, but still only 5 miles to post office and stores and gas station. And we have good neighbors who aren't in our business all the time.

 

I'm not denigrating these people's lifestyle. Actually, I'm kind of envious of it!

It's just that I have a disconnect between the off-gridders claim of "independence" (which is a big theme in the show) when they are never more than one missed train away from becoming freeze-dried Moose Chow.

In last night's episode, an 80-something off gridder ran out of important medication and had to have her son bring it to her. The passenger train runs only once a week, so if he doesn't make it, she's out of luck for a full seven days.

As for my comments about their beat up gear, I realize not everyone can afford top of the line, shiney-new stuff. But, oh crikey! Those who need their power equipment that badly would be wise not to settle for something that looks like it was dragged behind the train for 50 miles. Or at least have a "backup junker".

No disrespect intended, but if they wanted to make a program on prepper blunders, Railroad Alaska would be a pretty good fit.

I think what I'm getting at would make more sense if you saw the program.

 

I retired early two years ago from BNSF. At 57 years old. I was considering applying to the Alaska RR to work a few more years. But the wife said no, she wants to stay here in Florida. I miss Alaska, worked several years up there many moons ago. didn't know about this show, will have to look for it.

 

TV is like that. If they showed all the humdrum, too few would want to watch it. The TV crews always look for things that the average viewer (he lives in Cleveland and has two-point-two children) will like to watch, including things that portray ordinary Sourdoughs as freaks.

Trust me: they're just selling soap. I got so disgusted with TV that I stopped watching it a long time ago, and I was actually surprised when one of my employees asked to leave early on Sunday to watch the suprabowl, and I didn't find out which team won until I heard it on the radio yesterday morning.

William Warren

 

I haven't seen this show and didn't know about it. Thanks for mentioning it. I love to watch shows about Alaska and Northern Canada. I took the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward, stayed overnight and took it back. My new favorite show is Ultimate Survival Alaska. I'll have to check out Alaska Railroad.

 

Question re: off gridders getting on train by rail...... Love Raidroad Alaska! Being from the lower 48 how does the railroad work for these people who live out in the boonies? I assume the off gridders know when the trains run by their homes but how do the fares work for them? Are these trains the same ones that run sight seeing? Or are they regular freight type trains with passenger cars added? Just really curious as to how this works! Thanks for explaining!

 

Guess I'm being nosy and if none of my business tell me so but we've been looking at the train sightseeing trip fares (will have a friend stationed at Ft. Wainwright shortly and may come to visit) - I would assume if you live outside Talkeetna and need a trip into town to pick up supplies those fares are much cheaper? Like tonight the couple that had to go into Fairbanks for a propane refrig. I admire anyone who choses this way of life but oh man there's lots of work to just surviving!

 

new Alaska based reality show starting this Sunday (11/30/14) ... Alaska Off Road Warriors .... History Channel at 9pm CST following Ax Men .... saw previews - looks good ....

 

i've developed a strange fascination with Alaska and have been watching lots of TV shows about Alaska. currently watching Alaskan Rail Road.
Watching all these shows fills me with questions that I've got buckleys in answering being that i live in australia.
i love the desert.
i think a lot of my questions would make u all scream n howl with laughter so here goes;
people getting around on snow machines etc ...why are these machines so exposed? how come they are not kinda sheltered?
i note that places - rooves are built with thin rafters n beams and plywood (nearly fainted) and that one roof like this had lasted like 30 years.
Yes - i also wondered about income.
Guess you all have radios for communication? or maybe there's satellite internet that the cameras dont show us.
and i noticed ppl had to stand up on the freight train for hours - are there no chairs - or do ppl take their own chairs.
also notice that dogs are allowed on the trains.
and - one pressing question - i notice ppl worry bout their water supply - but from a dumb aussie point of view it seems simple - melting the snow.
guess the train knows when to stop cos you've radio-ed it?
and how many tons of chopped firewood is needed for winter?
do u all carry around e-burbs?
and - what do you's all eat - and where does it come from?

that'll do for starters - thanks!!