Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways. Channel 5 series.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Have just discovered this series whilst channel surfing. I rarely tune in to Channel 5 as I have no need or desire to watch Australian soaps, CSI, documentaries on Hitler or Steven Segal/Jean-Claude Van Damme films.

The episode just on, 'Australia's Outback Railway', featured a trip on 'The Ghan', the 2000 mile service across the Australia from Adelaide in the south of the country to Darwin in the north.

The previous episode 'Congo's Jungle Railway', which I'm about to watch, features a journey on the Congo-Ocean Railway in the Republic of Congo from the coast at the port (and second largest city) of Pointe Noire to the capital of Brazzaville.

The final episode in the short series, 'India's Monsoon Railway' details a trip on the Konkan railway between Mumbai and Mangalore. This is a relatively new railway, opened in 1998, built through challenging terrain that the British had steered clear of when they constructed the majority of India's railways.

The episodes are available after first broadcast on Channel 5's catch-up service, Demand 5, until December 2013:

http://www.channel5.com/shows/chris-tarrant-extreme-railways

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting that, bignosemac - those programmes are well worth watching, if only to see the geography of those railways! 

[regnir]

I found the Congo Jungle Railway episode particularly enjoyable, and it was great to see Chris (Tarrant) being taken on an impromptu tour of disused former main line sections as well.

I'm sure I am not the only one who thinks that Tarrant is perfectly cast as the typical grumpy Englishman abroad, too 

As Chris (Nailsea) rightly says, well worth watching.

EDIT to clarify which Chris was which 

[JayMac]

Bumping this thread to urge forum members to watch the final episode in this short series. Without doubt the best of the three.

The engineering of the tunnels, viaducts and bridges, the difficulties faced during construction, the climate, the social impact. Nearly 500 miles through some of the most inhospitable terrain in India. And completed in seven years in an area that the British railway builders in India avoided. A truly awesome achievement. Beat that HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))!

Chris Tarrant may not be your average rail enthusiast's first choice for presenter of such a series but he appeared to embrace the subject. It would appear, from this final episode, that all you need to get by in India is two words: 'Sachin Tendulkar'. 

I could further wax lyrical about this railway line but best if you watch it for yourself.

[trainer]

I share BNM's enthusiasm for this excellent series and will be contacting Channel 5 to tell them they have attracted new viewers.  This may encourage them to make some more of these high quality programmes .  All three were informative and produced at least as well as anything seen on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).  I thought that the Indian programme would be the least interesting as this country has been covered so many times before: I was wrong. If anything it was the best, but each had their merits and Chris Tarrant makes a refreshing interpreter of exotic experience.   

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

It would seem to me that Network Rail could take a tip from Indian Railways on track cleanliness. Did anyone notice the portable vacuum cleaner loaded onto a light vehicle that progressed along the line sucking up quite large items of rubbish on and around the track. Here at Hanborough the track has not been cleaned for years. I know this because several years ago I reported that a pallet had been left on the Hanborough platform and I thought it might be thrown onto the track by some of our local irresponsible youth. It was thrown by someone onto the far side of the track out of reach of such vandals nand is still there now!