Look at the history of one of the most beautiful diesel locomotives ever built, go into the hills of West Virginia on a three line railroad, ride a historic steam train that has been lovingly restored, and meet a man who recreates Hollywood magic every day. Spencer Christian again hosts this 13-part series on railroading.
Tracks Ahead visits Hamburg, Germany to see the largest HO layout in the world. Visit an O gauge layout which models the three areas of the Grand Canyon state, visit with a man who is a living repository for the history of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and head into the hills of Colorado for a most unusual tourist attraction.
Tracks Ahead takes a look at the history of amusement park trains, which are still in use today. Travel to California, and find an operating steam railroad that brings back the look and feel of a hundred years ago, take a nostalgic trip back to the days when Lionel catalogues were Christmas wish lists, and go the Montana state fair.
Experience the birth of the Wisconsin & Southern, a new railroad built on a part of the old Milwaukee Road. Combine theater with a fine meal on the rails, visit a man who has combined his interest in model railroading with computer control, and visit an award winning railroad artist David Tutwiler.
Take a trip to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry to see the all new, Great Train Story. Go back in time for a visit to one day in 1938 West Virginia, ride both a historic steam train and a riverboat in Connecticut, and experience a delightful meal as you view Seattle’s Lake Washington.
Tracks Ahead rides the White Creek Railroad, located on one hundred acres in western Michigan. Visit a railroad themed Arizona B&B, see what a retired NASA engineer does for relaxation, and visit an exhibit that is billed as the most comprehensive display of toy trains in America.
See how a revolution in model railroad control is allowing multiple train operation on the same track, experience the “up north” feeling visiting an outdoor railroad in the woods of Northern Michigan, meet an award winning California photographer, and visit the Utah Belt Railroad in a basement in Missouri.
Join the Tracks Ahead crew as they explore the Rügenish Kleinbahn on an island in the Baltic Sea. Ride a restored portion of the old Sacramento Northern Railroad in central California, visit with a Colorado artist whose passions for photography and painting are carried over into his layout, and visit one of the largest home model railroad layouts around.
Tracks Ahead talks with a man whose passion for model trains and the outdoors, has allowed him to combine both into a successful business. Look in on a garden railroad which has continued to discover gold, experience some of the last, scheduled steam railroad operations in the world, and visit Malcolm Furlow, a man who is artist, cowboy, and designer and who carries his artwork into his passion for trains.
Take a look at a number of historic and opulent old railroad hotels near the Grand Canyon, discover the sights of Pennsylvania come to life in miniature, take a five minute railroad trip between Tacoma and the Stampede Pass, and head to eastern Oregon where a dedicated group of volunteers is preserving the steam heritage of the gold fields.
Tracks Ahead visits several fantastic holiday-themed layouts in Cincinnati. See how to own a museum quality model railroad, ride along on a holiday excursion as the Grand Canyon Railroad brings the Polar Express to life, and visit a garden railroad whose owner has moved tons of rock.
Experience the beauty of the Irish countryside on a steam trip through the Suir Valley, go to Iowa to see how a couple has turned their front yard into a wonderful garden railroad display, visit the Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana, and talk with Shirley Burman, the expert on the role that women have played in railroading.
Visit an award winning chef whose passion for garden railroading has resulted in a football field of trains. Go into the Carpathian Mountains in western Romania to rediscover a narrow gauge line that is undergoing a rebirth, visit with an artist and modeler whose books have become a model railroader mainstay, visit a Florida company that can build the display of your dreams.
Experience one of the last steam logging railroads in the world, located in a deep mountain valley in Romania. Tracks Ahead visits one of the oldest zoos west of the Mississippi, meets a Lionel collector who is as interested in the stories of the people behind the items, and visit a trolley museum in southeastern Wisconsin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.