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Mighty Trains - Glacier Express on TV Ch37 18Apr17 at 2100


eastwestdivide
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Just finishied watching it.

Not too bad apart from the abysmal editing!

E.g. where at Disentis where the rack (i.e. MGB) loco will be removed and replaced by an adhesion (i.e. RhB) loco.

Followed almost immediately with what purports to be the train continuing it's journey but still with MGB loco!

Several out of sequence instances like that which can be really annoying.

 

Originally made for Discovery Canada, next in series is the "Ghan"

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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I also noticed that the train was referred to as having eight coaches and the next shot outside the train was of a five coach set and then the next one of a ten or eleven coach set! The people editing the film must not be able to count!

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Thought the most interesting bit was the construction techniques for the 2nd Albula tunnel.

Not too bad overall though.

I wonder why they couldn't use a tunnelling shield and concrete segments like most recent major schemes?

I seemed to be the New Austrian Tunnelling Method which I thought worked best in stable rock, which that quite clearly wasn't!

 

Keith.

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I got the impression from the programme that the rock was so crappy** and waterlogged that they had to use the freezing method to install the tunnel within the frozen bit, so that when it eventually unfreezes, you've already built  a "waterproof" tunnel. 

 

There's some more information in RhB's own video (in German) at:

https://www.rhb.ch/en/company/projects-dossiers/rebuilding-of-the-albula-tunnel/rebuilding/video-on-the-rebuilding-project  

at about the 7 to 8 minute mark, where they mention that it goes through rock strata that presented too great a danger of major flooding for conventional tunnelling methods.

 

**I'm not a geologist.

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I wonder why they couldn't use a tunnelling shield and concrete segments like most recent major schemes?

I seemed to be the New Austrian Tunnelling Method which I thought worked best in stable rock, which that quite clearly wasn't!

 

Keith.

I suppose freezing it makes it stable for long enough for the concrete to set. 

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Certainly bounced around a bit describing RhB standard stock and the Allegra units as the Glacier Express but not bad as a general tv programme. The derailment they showed wasn't the Glacier Express but was pulled by the RhB's special liveried Glacier on Tour loco the derailment of the GEX was on the MGB section not the RhB. Bit of Flying Scotsman loco vs The Flying Scotsman train ;)

Very nice to see the interview with Gion Caprez too who's help on the RhB forum has been invaluable with my RhB modelling. A real gent and generous with his time.

Edited by PaulRhB
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I was very disappointed in this Mighty Trains episode.  As already said the continuity was totally shot.

 

They did not have the courtesy to name the operating companies, ie The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) and The Rhaetian Railway (RhB).

 

A very inaccurate statement, ie "cog wheel traction is unique to The Glacier Express" !!  Did they have to show the cog engaging quite so many times ?

 

The landslide that they showed from a news bulletin, was a local service train !!  The local services were not mentioned or seen in this programme.

 

The station shown at the end ie St Moritz was in fact Chur !!    So on and so forth, the subject deserved much better research and reporting than this programme offered.

 

It was much the same story with the previous episode on The North Rail Express, the presenter there was unable to distinguish between a trailer, a container and a swop body,

elementary in the cargo business.

 

RFC 

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ssshhhhhh! ;) they went West not East in the Albula tunnel cabride sequence as they came out in Preda ;)

At least it showed some nice shots and in a relatively accessible way. If you want proper facts the older MITV series that used to show a lot on the travel channel is about as good as you can get. Chris and Sue say they are getting too old to hang out of helicopters and freeze in the snow to update them ;)

Edited by PaulRhB
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ssshhhhhh! ;) they went West not East in the Albula tunnel cabride sequence as they came out in Preda ;)

At least it showed some nice shots and in a relatively accessible way. If you want proper facts the older MITV series that used to show a lot on the travel channel is about as good as you can get. Chris and Sue say they are getting too old to hang out of helicopters and freeze in the snow to update them ;)

Yes the shots used were good, just the editing that was all over.

 

If Chris and Sue at MITV are getting too old, I wouldn't mind hanging out of a helicopter.

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 If you want proper facts the older MITV series that used to show a lot on the travel channel is about as good as you can get. Chris and Sue say they are getting too old to hang out of helicopters and freeze in the snow to update them ;)

Yes. That's the benchmark for Swiss Railways, plenty of cab rides and useful and accurate information.

Can be bought If you are feeling flush:

http://www.mitv.co.uk/onlineshop.php

 

Keith

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