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The Pressroom

History Channel features Wallula's Railex at 7 p.m. today

Railex will be featured todayon the History Channel's Extreme Trains series.

Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer -- Tri-City Herald -- December 2, 2008

The episode, called Ice Cold Express, is part of a series that takes a closer look at the significant role trains have played -- and continue to play -- in shaping America.

Ice Cold Express tells how high-tech mobile refrigeration technology used by the Wallula company helps send Northwest produce to markets on the East Coast in about five days, said Jim Kleist, Railex's general manager for Northwest region.

Food stays fresh throughout the refrigerated trains' nonstop journey across the nation thanks to a lot of coordination, he said.

The hourlong program highlights the efforts that help the Railex trains deliver goods on time regularly, Kleist said.

Timely delivery has long been a problem for the rail industry, and until Railex came along people shipping perishable products often risked having their railcars getting sidetracked while their loads rotted.

Railex's temperature-controlled railcars are equipped with satellite tracking systems that allow shippers to track their products, and the trains get priority handling on dedicated lines and stop only for refueling and crew changes.

Kleist said History Channel crews shot for about three days in June at the Railex facility in Wallula, focusing on on-site maintenance, loading and unloading of trains inside the temperature-controlled warehouse. They even shot footage in a cherry orchard outside the Tri-Cities, he said.

It's a story people will like to watch, Kleist said.

The multipart series, which began Nov. 11, celebrates railroad workers and gives a feel of what it's like to travel on a variety of freight and passenger trains, including the world's longest privately owned train -- the circus train of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Most importantly, the series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges many of these special trains face and overcome. The series is presented by Matt Bown, an avid train enthusiast and a conductor for Pan Am Railways.

For more information, visit www.history.com/home.do and click on TV shows.

-- Read the full article --

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