Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trippingtrain185
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trippingtrain185/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TRIPPINGTrain
Website: www.trippingtrain185.ca
​
A Three-Hour Immersive Documentary
TVO Original TRIPPING Train 185 is the fourth installment of the hugely successful TRIPPING series. In this episode, we experience the timeless beauty of the Ontario wilderness aboard a classic train that evokes a bygone era. Train 185 heads northwest out of Canada’s mining capital along the stunning Spanish River, through rocky outcrops of the Canadian Shield and expansive stretches of marshland. It is a three-hour immersive documentary that airs, without interruption, on April 7, 2023 from 7 pm to 10 pm ET on TVO and streaming anytime after that at tvo.org and the TVO YouTube channel.
The documentary contains no narration and no music. The only audio is from the journey itself.
There are three seamless animations sewn into the documentary that take viewers back in time to help explain: how Sudbury became the Nickle capital, how a remote rail line was maintained and the role trains played in the education of children in remote areas of Ontario. There are also over one hundred factoids embedded in the footage. These nuggets of information about the area give viewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of this journey, regions and the people.
​
The documentary is produced by the award-winning team at Good Earth Productions.
Online Shorts
​
These stories allow viewers to gain a deeper understanding of some aspects of the program. They will be available at tvo.org and trippingtrain185.ca starting April 7, 2022.
​
Why a Helicopter not a Drone:
Ever wonder how television and film crews get those epic aerial shots? These days, the answer is almost exclusively the low cost, high production value of Drone filming. Drones are used on all levels of production, from Hollywood feature films to YouTube videos. In a few short years these air spiders have driven the camera-toting Helicopter almost entirely out of business. But, is there still need for a helicopter filming? For TRIPPING Train 185, a helicopter was the only possible way to get aerials. Director John Morrison and Executive Producer Mitch Azaria talk about why they used this expensive, but classic old-school technology.
​
World's Largest Game Preserve Isn't Where You Think It Is:
On Train 185, halfway between Sudbury & White River in northern Ontario, is the town of Chapleau. What was once an old railway settlement is now the gateway to the largest game preserve in the world. The arrival of the railway in 1885 turned a sustainable trapping industry into a dangerous enterprise threatening to drive some species to extinction. William McLeod, from Chapleau, brought this issue to the Canadian government and petitioned them to create a habitat free from hunting. In 1925, the Chapleau Game Preserve was established. It’s 2 million acres of protected land is home to black bears, moose, hundreds of other species and over 100 pictographs.
​
Vintage Train is a Lifeline:
Train 185 from Sudbury to White River is the only remaining Rail Diesel Car (RDC) line in North America. They’re nicknamed, Budd Cars, because these unique trains were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, in the 1950s, to service rural areas around the world. RDCs are self-contained: each car has its own twin diesel engines as well as compartments for passengers, conductor, and baggage. Like a bus, a RDC provided inexpensive commuter service into remote areas where short rail spurs had been abandoned because of the high cost of traditional, multi-car trains.
The Making of TVO Original TRIPPING The Niagara
​
A video crew was brought in to follow the team during production and document why they chose Train185. They produced a number of behind-the-scenes stories that capture the crew at work and provide insight into the the train, it's route, and the people who crew and ride the train. These shorts are posted weekly on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and trippingtrain185.ca
