Great American Railroad Journeys
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Michael Portillo continues west through the Canadian Prairie on his thousand-mile rail journey from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Jasper, Alberta. Following his 1899 Appleton’s guide, Michael explores a glossy, glassy oil-rich Edmonton, second city of Alberta. On the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, he travels three centuri... 58:47 Expired
High above the Prairie at Riding Mountain, Michael discovers how a middle-class British boy from Hastings 'transformed' himself into an influential indigenous naturalist called 'Grey Owl'. Deep in the Prairie, he finds a network of railways once served the wheat farmers of Saskatchewan and learns how communities grew up ar... 59:11 Expired
Steered by his 1899 Appleton’s guide, Michael Portillo’s rail journey through eastern Canada continues along the Grand Trunk railway, following the route of the St. Lawrence River. At Brockville, he leaves the tracks for a nautical pilgrimage through the beautiful Thousand Islands. 59:10 Expired
Following a special 1899 Canadian edition of his Appleton’s guide, Michael Portillo leaves the United States to embark on the next leg of his rail journey in Canada. In the vibrant metropolis of Montreal, he discovers how French and British colonial roots have influenced the city’s construction, cuisine and culture. Undaun... 59:11 Expired
Armed with his Appleton’s guide, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Connecticut and New England. He takes a crash course in rowing in New Haven, where college teams from Yale and Harvard have battled for victory on the water since 1852. In Vermont, Michael visits a 19th century farm, where the rich milk fr... 59:10 Expired
Guided by his Appleton’s and tracing the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers, Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, the ‘home town’ of America. He learns how indigenous tribes of Wamponoag people taught newly arrived settlers to live off the land, inspiring one of the biggest holidays in today’s American calendar. 59:08 Expired
Armed with his nineteenth century Appleton’s guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100 mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the border to Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. At risk of being uncovered as a Tory spy, Michael joins the Sons of Liberty aboard sh... 59:05 Expired
Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California Roll, and paints a pretty picture in Laguna Beach. It’s Mexican Independence Day and the locals are celebrating the country’s hard-won independence from Spain in the early 19th century. T... 59:09 Expired
Steered by his late 19th century Appleton’s guidebook, Michael Portillo continues through southern California aboard the Coast Starlight rail service. In the historic port of Monterey, Michael raises the Bear Flag of the one-time Republic of California and above it, the Stars and Stripes. 59:12 Expired
Following his Appleton’s guide, Michael Portillo makes a trip to the jewel in the crown of America’s National Parks, Yosemite, to behold its towering granite cliffs, its giant sequoia trees and cascading waterfalls. He discovers how early conservationists fought to protect it in law and encounters a ‘buffalo soldier’ in th... 59:07 Expired
Armed with his trusty Appleton’s Guide, Michael Portillo reaches San Francisco, where he boards one of the city’s iconic cable cars. Behind the scenes in the engineering powerhouse, he uncovers the street cars’ secret to scaling the city’s famously steep hills. 59:11 Expired
Beginning in the Silver State of Nevada, Michael takes to the skies over the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range. At Lake Tahoe, he hears of the first European explorer, known as ‘The Pathfinder’, whose discovery opened up the west for settlement. 58:56 Expired
Michael Portillo continues his 1,000 mile journey from Minnesota to Tennessee beginning and ending on the Mississippi River. Riding the mainline of mid-America, Michael stops at rural Mattoon, where he gets a taste of the tough early life, which shaped President Abraham Lincoln. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Michael stru... 59:22 Expired
In the nation’s rail capital, where tracks pass underground and over ground and are elevated into the air, Michael investigates the ultimate marshalling yard. At the ornate Palmer House Hotel, Michael recreates the original chocolate Brownie, invented by Bertha Palmer in 1893. He discovers the origins of the Sanitary and S... 59:02 Expired
Steered by his Appleton’s Guidebook, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of 'Little House on the Prairie'. Picking up the Empire Builder rail service he travels to Winona, where he takes to the water to find out how in ... 58:55 Expired
Michael Portillo is in Milwaukee, the cream city on the shore of Lake Michigan and home to an American icon: the Harley Davidson motorcycle. Michael learns how the first magnificent machine was built in 1903 and hitches a ride. In Racine, Michael discovers a man who knew how to sort the wheat from the chaff and made a busi... 58:58 Expired
In the state capital of New Mexico, Michael explores the beautiful colonial architecture and is invited to visit a Native American pueblo. 58:54 Expired
Michael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey that begins and finishes on the Mississippi River. It will take him 1,000 miles from the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby to Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. He discovers how Minneapolis harnessed the awesome power of the Mighty Mississ... 59:00 Expired
In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael joins the Jayhawks basketball team before travelling through Tornado Alley to Topeka to meet one of the first storm chasers in America. Driving out on the Great Plains, Michael comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo. Following the Santa Fe trail, Michael’s first stop is Dodge City, Quee... 58:56 Expired
Michael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th century East Coast dudes who came to experience the cowboy life. At Bent's Old Fort, Michael is transported back to the Mexican American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops.