Extreme Trains
Extreme Trains is a television program on the History Channel that describes the daily operations of railroads in the United States, from coal trains to passenger trains and famous routes. It is hosted by Matt Bown, a train conductor for Pan Am Railways in Maine, whose interest is railways and the technology of them. In the show Matt is living his lifelong dream.
The series was first aired in the United States on November 11, 2008 and ran until December 30, 2008. The show has since been shown in the United Kingdom in April 2009.
Conception and development
History Channel program executive said the show was developed to appeal to the channels core audience, who "love to be wowed by big machinery and fun facts". Bown was chosen to host the show after responding to an open-call audition. McKillop said Bown "has a sense of authenticity and a wonderful, boyish enthusiasm...when the camera's on him, he's infectious."Production
The show's producers occasionally had difficulty convincing railroads to participate in the show, due to the possibility of film crews disrupting crews and workers. The show's crew was required to take a special safety course before filming with Amtrak.Broadcast history
| Episode Number | Episode Name | Original Air Date | Description | Featured train |
| 1 | Coal Train | November 11, 2008 | Journey of a Norfolk Southern coal train from a coal mine to a PPL Electric power station in Pennsylvania | Norfolk Southern coal train |
| 2 | Freight Train | November 18, 2008 | High priority freight train from Los Angeles to Dallas/Fort Worth | BNSF double container stack train |
| 3 | High Speed Train | November 25, 2008 | Riding the Acela train from Washington Union Station to South Station | Acela Express |
| 4 | Ice Cold Express | December 2, 2008 | A look into refrigeration trains | Union Pacific Produce Express |
| 5 | Steam Train | December 9, 2008 | A journey with the Union Pacific 844 steam locomotive | Union Pacific 844 |
| 6 | Overnight Traveler | December 16, 2008 | Riding Amtrak's Empire Builder train from Chicago to Seattle | Empire Builder |
| 7 | Circus Train | December 23, 2008 | The circus train from Ringling Bros. and [Barnum & Bailey Circus|Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey] | Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train |
| 8 | Transcontinental | December 30, 2008 | The Union Pacific Transcontinental line from Omaha to Sacramento | Union Pacific Transcontinental |