(The following story by Gary Strauss appeared on the USA Today website on November 9.)
All aboard! The History Channel’s Extreme Trains express is ready to leave the station.
Hosted by Matt Bown, a real-life conductor for Pan Am Railways, Extreme Trains (premieres Tuesday, 10 ET/PT) is the latest cable channel reality entry to go behind-the-scenes on a vital but mostly little-known industry.
Trains’ eight episodes are packed with the technology, history and tough blue-collar workers that have popularized History Channel shows such as Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men.
Then there’s Bown, who routinely looks and sounds like an over-caffeinated train geek, whether he’s schmoozing with rail workers or getting a chance to operate the equipment. Bown, who has no prior TV-hosting expertise, got the gig after responding to an open audition call.
“Trains have been a passion of mine since I was a kid,” says Bown, 35, who plays drums in a rock band when he’s not on the job for Pan Am Railways, where he has worked the past decade.
The opening episode focuses on the Norfolk Southern’s massive freight train carrying millions of tons of coal from the mines of western Pennsylvania over the mountains to electric plants that power homes and businesses.
Future shows will focus on America’s fastest train — Amtrak’s 150 mph Acela — the Ringling Bros. Circus Train and the Union Pacific’s refrigerated train traveling from Washington state to New York.
For History Channel programmer David McKillop, Extreme Trains wasn’t a hard sell.
“I’m a train buff,” McKillop says. “I had a summer job as a conductor and a stint as a fireman on a train.” But he believes the show will have wider appeal. “This isn’t a niche show. It plays right to our core audience, people who love to be wowed by big machinery and fun facts. We’re pretty confident we’ll have a real solid performer.”
Still, some railroads were initially reluctant to participate because they didn’t want the show to disrupt workers, while Amtrak required the film crews to take a special safety course.
Bown says he’s convinced the series will serve as a recruitment tool for the industry. “For most people, railroads are dead,” he says. “People don’t realize how important the rail industry is.”
Should the show find an audience, there’s no shortage of train stories both in the USA and abroad for subsequent seasons. And then there’s Bown.
“He has a sense of authenticity and a wonderful, boyish enthusiasm,” McKillop says. “When the camera’s on him, he’s infectious.”