Skip to Navigation
TV Video Library: Interviews and Video Clips – Archive of American Television
  • A program of the Television Academy Foundation

Capturing Television History, One Voice At A Time

|  EMMYS.COM  |  EMMYSFOUNDATION.ORG  |  EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG  |  MEMBER LOGIN  |

Home › Shows

Supertrain

Drama Series

About This Show

Supertrain is an American television drama/adventure series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979. Nine episodes were made, including a 2-hour pilot episode. The series took place on the Supertrain, a nuclear-powered bullet train that was equipped with amenities more appropriate to a cruise ship. It had luxuries such as swimming pools and shopping centers. It was so big it had to run on very broad gauge single track (not a pair of tracks as depicted in some advertising). Though it had a rated top speed of 190 mph, the train took 36 hours to go from New York City to Los Angeles, which would put the train's average speed at around 78 miles per hour, slower than the moderately paced AMTRAK Acela and well below the speeds of bullet trains in Europe and Asia. Much like its contemporary The Love Boat, the plots concerned the passengers' social lives, usually with multiple intertwining storylines. Most of the cast of a given episode were guest stars. The production was elaborate, with huge sets and a high-tech model train for outside shots.

Created by Donald E. Westlake and Earl W. Wallace

Produced by Dan Curtis

Who Talked About This Show

  • Nolan Miller
  • Fred Silverman

Featured Content

Video clip: Opening sequence from Supertrain

YouTube video player - HTML5 compatible.
  • Highlights
  • All Interviewee clips on this show

Highlights

  • Fred Silverman on the expensive failure <i>Supertrain</i>Fred Silverman on the expensive failure Supertrain
    Clip begins at: 20:09, Duration: 03m 22s
  • Costume designer Nolan Miller on working on <i>Supertrain</i>Costume designer Nolan Miller on working on Supertrain
    Clip begins at: 25:14, Duration: 02m 29s

All Interviewee clips on this show

  • Nolan Miller
    • Costume designer Nolan Miller on working on Supertrain
      Clip begins at: 25:14, Duration: 02m 29s
  • Fred Silverman
    • Fred Silverman on the expensive failure Supertrain
      Clip begins at: 20:09, Duration: 03m 22s
SHARE THIS PAGE Bookmark and Share
Tweet

Post new comment

  • Home
  • Interviews
    • People
    • Shows
    • Topics
    • Professions
    • All Interviewees
    • Featured Playlists
  • About The Interviews
  • News
  • Search
  • Resources
Academy of American Television
  • Home
  • The Interviews
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • License Our Clips
  • Emmys.com
  • Emmysfoundation.org
  • About The Archive
  • Copyright Policy
  • Transcripts
© 1995-2013 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation All Rights Reserved Emmy and The Emmy Statuette are the trademark property of ATAS/NATAS
Site developed by FivePaths