Supertrain

Supertrain
Genre	Drama/Adventure
Created by	Donald E. Westlake Earl W. Wallace
Starring	Edward Andrews Nita Talbot
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producer(s)	Dan Curtis
Producer(s)	Robert Stambler Anthony Spinner Rod Amateau
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	45–48 minutes
Production company(s)	Dan Curtis Productions
Release
Original network	NBC
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	February 7 – May 5, 1979

Supertrain was 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 track. Though it had a rated top speed of 250 mph, and cruised at 190 mph, the train took 36 hours to go from New York City to Los Angeles; this would put the train's average speed at around 80 mph, slower than the moderately-paced Amtrak Acela Express and well below the speeds of bullet trains in Europe and Asia. (Some episodes state, however, that the train also stops in Chicago, Denver, a fictitious town in Texas and presumably other cities, which would extend the length of the run and thus would require faster speeds.) 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.

Supertrain was the most expensive series ever aired in the United States at the time. The production was beset by problems including a model train that crashed. While the series was heavily advertised during the 1978-1979 season, it received poor reviews and low ratings. Despite attempts to salvage the show by reworking the cast, it went off air after only three months. NBC, which had produced the show itself, with help from Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis, was unable to recoup its losses. Combined with the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics the following season, which cost NBC millions in ad revenue, the series nearly bankrupted the network. For these reasons, Supertrain has been called one of the greatest television flops.

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