Great American Railroad Journeys
Great American Railroad Journeys is a TV show on BBC2. Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 47 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in October 2024.
Last episode
1:00:00
1:00:00Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo sets on his final leg, all the way to Jasper, along the way admiring Edmonton's light rail system and visiting the Rocky Mountains.
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1:00:00Michael Portillo strikes west across Manitoba into the province of Saskatchewan.
1:00:00Michael Portillo continues his journey to Quebec City, during which he investigates the world's biggest tide.
1:00:00Michael Portillo begins a new journey on the tracks of the Ocean line to explore Canada's maritime provinces, en route to Quebec City.
1:00:00Michael Portillo boards one of the world's most famous trains, the Rocky Mountaineer, to cross the backbone of the North American continent.
1:00:00Michael Portillo explores British Columbia, discovering how two superpowers nearly came to war over a pig.
1:00:00Michael Portillo crosses over from Alaska to Canada, where he visits the home of the Vancouver Giants and tries his hand at ice hockey.
1:00:00Michael Portillo continues to explore Alaska, helping a homesteader fell a tree to clear land for a log cabin and meeting scientists studying the Northern Lights.
1:00:00Michael Portillo begins a journey across Alaska, learning its links with Russia, feeding a sea otter pup and joining the US Arctic Warriors for parachute training.
Series 3
1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo takes to the water for a nautical journey through the Thousand Islands, before his railway journey across Canada concludes in Toronto.
1:00:00In Montreal, Michael Portillo learns how French and British colonial roots have influenced the city. In Ottawa, the former politician visits the country's parliament.
Michael Portillo hears about the life and work of former riverboat captain Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.
Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee.
Series 3 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo's rail voyage continues through Connecticut heading north through the scenic New England states, where he takes a crash course in rowing.
1:00:00Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, where he learns about the indigenous tribes of Wampanoag people.
1:00:00Michael Portillo visits Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, learning how surgery was first made bearable in 1846 by a miraculous new substance.
Michael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey from Milwaukee to Chicago. Michael learns how the first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built.
Series 3 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo discovers the secrets of backyard oil drilling in Los Angeles and joins the locals for Mexican Independence Day.
Michael Portillo embarks on a rail journey that begins in Minnesota and ends in Wisconsin, finding out how the Mississippi was made navigable.
Series 3 1:00:00
1:00:00In the port of Monterey, Michael Portillo discovers the city's Spanish and Mexican heritage.