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WEDNESDAY

A River Runs Through It (CBS, 8:30-11 p.m.): The noted 1992 feature film, in its TV debut, stars Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer as brothers, and Tom Skerritt as their father, in a drama a Montana family. The stern upbringing of their father obstructs the expression of emotion. But out on the Big Blackfoot River, where the three go to fly fish, they imbibe lessons in harmony and patience.

Adapted from the autobiographical novella by Norman Maclean, the film was directed and co-produced by Robert Redford, who also does voice-over readings from the book.

The Great Indian Railway (PBS, 8-10 p.m.): All by themselves, trains have a powerful fascination for many people. But in this National Geographic program the attraction is multiplied by the places the trains go. The rich subject is both India and that country's vast train system, the world's largest. Some 11,000 Indian trains, traveling on 40,000 miles of track, carry 12 million people a day.

Narrated by actress Linda Hunt, the show treks from the Himalaya Mountains to the Great Thar Desert to jungles in the south, and on the way encounters Indian people who are fellow travelers or work on the rails. Viewers board such carriers as the ''Darjeeling Toy Train,'' which goes west from the plains of West Bengal.

Other trains include the historic Grand Trunk Express, on which travelers spend 38 hours between New Delhi and Madras, with entertainment provided along with widely varied menus to accommodate the mix of religions represented among the passengers. The show also rides on India's most expensive train, the ''Palace on Wheels,'' which provides five-course meals and treats passengers like maharajahs

Many of the trains, like the so-called Black Beauties, are due for replacement after chugging across the landscape -- country and urban -- for nearly 150 years. The program takes a look at the diesel and electric train systems that are replacing the venerable steam engines.

Please check local listings for these programs.