Great American Railroad Journeys S00E04 · Schenectady to Niagara Falls – Series 1 Reversions

Overview

Michael Portillo braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls in the Maid of the Mist to share what artists, daredevils and millions of tourists have billed as one of the most spectacular experiences on the planet. Continuing his American journey heading west through New York State, Michael has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady, when he discovers how Thomas Edison's General Electric Company also leads the way in modern rail technology. In Utica, he investigates lock 20 of 57 along the early 19th-century Erie Canal, 325 miles of waterway which connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Coast via the Hudson River. A yellow brick road beckons Michael to Chittenango, where a Kansas farm girl introduces him to a lion and a tin man. On a hillside near Palmyra, Michael finds out about farm boy Joseph Smith and his Book of Mormon, from one of the 15 million believers who follow his religion today. Further west in Rochester, Michael discovers a famous 19th-century name still trading today - George Eastman, who launched mass market photography with his Eastman Kodak company. Reaching Buffalo, he lunches on the city's famous Buffalo wings and discovers it was once the centre of the world's grain trade. Touring Silo City, Michael learns about the invention which propelled the port of Buffalo into its dominant position, the grain elevator, and how the railroads sealed the deal.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Manhattan Island – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-25 · 29mMichael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America with a new travelling companion. Armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879,
2. 2 2. Brooklyn to Montauk – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-26 · 29mFrom Manhattan, Michael follows his Appleton's General Guide east to Long Island. Beginning in Brooklyn, he hears the moving story behind the construction of the world's first stee
3. 3 3. New York City to Albany – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-27 · 29mMichael follows America's iconic River Hudson north through New York State. Beginning at New York City's Penn Station, Michael rides the national rail carrier service Amtrak. He he
4. 4 4. Schenectady to Niagara Falls – Series 1 Reversions2016-07-28 · 29mMichael Portillo braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls in the Maid of the Mist to share what artists, daredevils and millions of tourists have billed as one
5. 5 5. Philadelphia to Gettysburg – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-02 · 29mMichael Portillo embarks on a new railroad journey, informed by his 1879 Appleton's guidebook, from the City of Brotherly Love south to the first permanent English colonial settlem
6. 6 6. Wilmington to Fort McHenry – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-03 · 29mArmed with his Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches a milestone on his American journey: the boundary between the northern and southern states, known as the Mason-Dixon line.
7. 7 7. Washington to Mount Vernon – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-04 · 29mMichael Portillo arrives in the nation's capital, Washington DC, centre of political power in the world's most powerful country. He discovers how it was built from scratch after a
8. 8 8. Manassas to Jamestown – Series 1 Reversions2016-08-05 · 29mSteered by his 1879 Appleton's General Guide to the United States, Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War. In Fredericksb
9. 9 9. St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-04 · 29mMichael Portillo crosses the Atlantic once more to ride the railroads of North America with his faithful Appleton's Guide to the United States and Canada. Amid breathtaking scenery
10. 10 10. Sedalia to St Joseph, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-05 · 29mFollowing in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-cen
11. 11 11. Lawrence to Lamar, Colorado – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-06 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West armed with his Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, he joins the Jayhawks basketball team before
12. 12 12. La Junta to Colorado Springs – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-10 · 29mMichael 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 trans
13. 13 13. Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-11 · 29mMichael Portillo arrives in the state capital of New Mexico, once the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico. He explores the beautiful colonial architecture of the city and
14. 14 14. Minneapolis - St Paul – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-12 · 29mMichael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey that begins and finishes on the Mississippi River. It takes him 1,000 miles from the home of F Scott Fitzgerald and The Grea
15. 15 15. Minnesota - Wisconsin – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-18 · 29mSteered 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
16. 16 16. Milwaukee to Chicago – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-19 · 29mMichael 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 machine wa
17. 17 17. Chicago to Champaign, Illinois – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-20 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee. In the nation's rail capital, where tracks pa
18. 18 18. Illinois to Tennessee – Series 2 Reversions2017-04-21 · 29mMichael 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 r
19. 19 19. Reno To The Napa Valley – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-04 · 29mSteered by his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo embarks on a one thousand-mile American adventure through California. Along the way he discovers how the railroad
20. 20 20. San Francisco – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-05 · 29mArmed 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
21. 21 21. Berkeley to Santa Cruz – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-06 · 29mFollowing 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 sequ
22. 22 22. Monterey to Los Angeles – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-08 · 29mSteered 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 Monte
23. 23 23. Los Angeles to San Diego – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-11 · 29mMichael 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
24. 24 24. Boston to Concord – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-12 · 29mArmed with his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100-mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the bo
25. 25 25. Plymouth to New London – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-13 · 29mGuided 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 Wampo
26. 26 26. New Haven to Plattsburgh – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-14 · 29mArmed 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 team
27. 27 27. Montreal to Ottawa – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-15 · 29mFollowing 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
28. 28 28. Thousand Islands to Toronto – Series 3 Reversions2018-06-18 · 29mSteered 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.