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I seem to remember the intro to the show having the train-car traveling amongst some barren mountainous terrain. I seem to remember that each section of the car-train had a different purpose, like the medical car, and the weapons car, etc.

I don't think it ran for more than a season, possibly not even completing a full season. It was live-action. It was on US television, and I don't remember any accents, so I am guessing it was American.

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  • I remember exactly that TV Show and still looking for it. The Train was actually composed of a pickup truck that connected to the trailer and could be removed to use just as a normal vehicle. Think the main character was someone like Dolph Lundgren and i believe he was from the future and used to hide the trailer so no one could see it (kinda in a back to the future way..) any suggestions on what this could be? Any help would be much appreciated, definitely not Ark II or other suggestions here...
    – Vasco Vilas
    Commented Jul 8, 2015 at 20:31

7 Answers 7

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21

Ark II

The Ark II vehicle stands on a barren landscape: it is a long wide white vehicle with 6 wheels; it has a pointed front but is pretty rectangular

Here's a guess: Ark II

Three young scientists travel around the country in the 25th century after the world has been ravaged by pollution. In their hi-tech RV, the titular Ark II, they study the land and help out those in need.

Diagram of the Ark II on a white and orange background; it shows 3 different angles and its size in comparison to a human (just a bit taller)

Go here and here for more details, episode guides and pics. Watch a making-of documentary here.

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  • I'm thinking yours is the correct answer... the asker mentioned jumpsuits. Good answer.
    – John O
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 15:05
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    @John - Actually, "The Highwayman" was my first pick :-) But with the additional info, yeah, "Ark II" might be the one. Have my doubts though. I mean, how does one forget a talking chimpanzee?
    – rumandwrite
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 15:28
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    This was a punishingly bad show.
    – Chris B. Behrens
    Commented Jul 8, 2015 at 20:39
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    I've seen worse shows. But, you know, I totally forgot there wasva monkey in this one.
    – JRE
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 20:16
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Yet another possibility:

Terrahawks Overlander: a model of the vehicle stands on a desert landcape; it is silver with blue stripes and made of 3 sections each with 6 wheels

This is the Overlander from Terrahawks. It's function is:

an automated all-terrain vehicle similar to a rail-free train with multiple, articulated sections that brings supplies to Hawknest. - (Wikipedia)

This image is from David Sisson's page - a man who restored the original model.

In your question, you mention multiple sections, which the Overlander had. And you mention mountainous terrain - which was exactly the terrain on which the Overlander drove.

See if the vehicle in this video looks familiar:

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8

This is almost certainly The Highwayman. It was another cheesy Glen Larson series from the late 1980s or so, and depicted two quasi-law enforcement officers who drove trailer trucks that (I kid you not) could convert into helicopters. One of them had this ridiculous Australian accent, but I am uncertain if this was just acting or if he was someone famous from that continent or whatever.

I don't think it lasted a full season.

Here is an image I dug up on Google to confirm it:

a large silver truck stands on a desert area; it has ten wheels; the trailer is typical of a truck but with a shark fin in the middle; the front looks like a bunch of thrusters from a space shape

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    It was live-action. It was on US television, and I don't remember any accents, so I am guessing it was American. I've been googling for a while now, and the closest thing I came up with is the "Mammoth Car" from Speed Racer. It was very much like that, except not animated. At least I think that's what I remember. I saw "The Highwayman" in my Google searches, and I don't think that's what it was. This is driving me nuts. Making me question my sanity and my memory. LOL!
    – David
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 4:10
  • It was only the one actor with the accent... like I said, it was a Larson show (Battlestar, Knight Rider). This is it. Go watch one and you'll be convinced.
    – John O
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 4:13
  • Oh snap, I remember that show! Well I never watched it but I recall it being made fun of somewhere along with Manimal (which I've also never seen... man, maybe I should watch those shows).
    – 22nd Century Fza
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 4:38
  • @22ndCenturyFza This was about on the level of Manimal... even as a 13 yr old it seemed kind of stupid. A science-fiction-starved 13 yr old.
    – John O
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 4:47
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    Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's not it. I seem to remember the occupants of the "mammoth car" were a crew, not a single guy. And they were less "Mad Max" and more futuristic jump-suit kinda garments. shrug Regardless, thanks for the link. :)
    – David
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 6:14
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Could you be thinking of Damnation Alley? Although produced and released as a theatrical movie, it made its way to TV fairly quickly. IIRC, the TV version was broadcast in two parts, making it feel like a mini-series.

Practically another star of the show, the "Landmaster" was a custom-built articulated vehicle with a very unique wheel arrangement - the three-wheel clusters could rotate to climb over large obstacles. The Landmaster was actually built full-scale and driveable, having a working drivetrain.

A chunky silver vehicle stands in a barren landscape; a man pokes his head through a top hatch and there is a missile launcher mounted on the back. The wheels are made up of groups of 3 in a triangle

As for the "specialized sections", could you be thinking of the movie The Core?

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5

Sounds like Genesis II and/or Planet Earth. These Gene Roddenberry TV movies involved a train system and the character name Dylan Hunt.

Painting of an underground train system; passengers wait in an unmodified cave with a transparent tube in it and a train passing through

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    The user has confirmed it is Ark II, but stay and have a look around at any other questions you might like to answer or ask any questions you might have about works of Science Fiction and Fantasy, also take a look at our tour
    – Edlothiad
    Commented Jun 27, 2017 at 18:04
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I think you might have a few shows mixed up but I believe I have your answer. I believe that you are referring to the second season of The Highwayman where they added the actor Mark Alexander "Jacko" Jackson who was a former Australian rules football player.

He had a different-styled (1/2-height) tractor that could separate, unlike the tractor that actor, Sam Jones drove that had a helicopter that separated. Here is a photo of Jacko's tractor-trailer:

A low narrow car, black with a silver bottom pulls a low long truck trailer of similar design down a road

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0

Supertrain.

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.

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  • Hi there! Could you edit how you think that matches? Links tend to rot, so it's better to transcribe the relevant information
    – Jenayah
    Commented Jan 26, 2019 at 7:36

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