[Madman]

Most shows I have seen on TV about trains don't hold my interest for too long. Probably due to the fact that I inhaled as much information on the hobby as I could in the first ten years or so that I was in it. The subject matter seems to be geared toward the layman. What would interest me now would be boring for a general audience. I the most interesting videos on youtube. Most likely due to the fact that they are filmed by hobbiests.

 

[Madman]

I see that Extreme Trains is airing on the History channel tonight at 10:00 PM here in southeastern Pa. I am looking forward to watching what we have all been critisizing.

 

[Madman]

As has been said, the host is too erratic. Why is it that, in modern filming of these types of shows, the camera moves around like a chicken's ass? It must be my age, but whenever I saw an informational show years ago, the camera would focus on the subject for at least more than a millisecond. Other than that it wasn't half bad.

 

[Madman]

Giving more thought to the subject at hand, I must conclude the following; Our hobby gets little recognition beyond being a novelty. Other hobbies have stadiums built for them, and entire swaths of grass maintained beyond the realm of the sane among us. So if a network wants to devote an hour, less commercial and redundentcy leaving probably 20 minutes of actual new information, to trains we should be pleased that the general public is getting some exposure to it. And the general public needs to be enticed to watch, so the more like a reality show the more they will watch it.

 

[Madman]

Posted By aceinspp on 11/19/2008 6:05 AM
Well good old comcast playing there games and was not on my channel in the bed room witch I had upgraded to get it.

Later RJD


Speaking of Comcrap, Did not their advertisements of recent months tout how their customers would be able to basically ignore the upcomming February 19, 2009 deadline to switch over to digital, because if you are hooked up with cable to Comcrap you would automatically receive the digital signal. A couple of weeks ago my bedroom television stopped receiving a few channels. I called Comcrap and spoke to one of their scripted agents, and was told that I need to buy a box converter for each television that did not already have a digital box hookup.

I hate cable television. I remember petitions circulating in the very early '70s in movie theaters against "pay TV". Not enough people signed them I suppose.

 

[Madman]

Posted By Mike Reilley on 11/18/2008 6:15 PM
This is simple. It's about trains. How can that be bad? Would you rather it hadn't been produced? Yep...warts everywhere. Still...at least it's about trains...and all these kind of shows...Tougher in Alaska, Ice Road Truckers, Ax Men, etc. seem to have a different production beat that our old favorite standards...Mega Movers, Mega Disasters, Modern Marvels...and that production beat seems to revolve around a controversial host..or cast.

Like I said...better than nothing...and TV flat sucks these days.


Mike, I totally agree, TV does Suck. And I am grateful for any show about trains. But I still don't like the camerawork.

We got along just fine before cable with the three networks, UHF channels, and public television.

 

[Madman]

In last nights epasode, I did learn something I find interesting and have long wondered about. The "CONNELLY JOINT" on the lift bridge. I never had a chance to view one close up and see how it worked.

 

[Madman]

Me too John. I totally forgot about it.

I must have been doing something important, if only I could remember waht it was.

The one episode I was looking forward to since in the previews it was going to be about steam locos.

 

[Madman]

I get the feeling that some of you are actually starting to enjoy the show in spite of it's host. Maybe he's just growing on you.
I watched the show last night. Even with his spastik behaviour I kept seeing the back of my eyelids.

 

[Madman]

I must say that I enjoyed most of last nights show.

I wasn't quite sure, as I was being spoken to at that moment

, why the high pressure steam was being pumped into the locomotive when it was still in the roundhouse. Can anyone explain this?