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Great American Railroad Journeys

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Factual: Travel

Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America.

Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America, armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879.

Series 4

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Michael Portillo

Alison Kreps

Dave Minchin

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Great American Railroad Journeys: Series 4: Talkeetna to Juneau

Talkeetna to Juneau

BBC Two - Great American Railroad Journeys, Series 4, Talkeetna to Juneau

Michael gets a taste of the pioneering spirit of 20th-century prospectors and settlers.

Michael Portillo explores the remote former goldrush settlement of Talkeetna, where he gets a taste of the pioneering spirit of early 20th-century prospectors and settlers.

Armed with his 1899 Appleton’s Guidebook to Alaska, Michael Portillo rides the Alaska Railroad north to explore the remote former goldrush settlement of Talkeetna. Deep in the forest outside town, Michael gets a taste of the pioneering spirit of early 20th-century prospectors and settlers from a modern day 'homesteader' and helps fell a tree to clear land for a log cabin.

From Talkeetna, Michael joins intrepid fellow passengers aboard the Hurricane Turn, the last 'flag stop' train in the United States, waving them off as they alight in the middle of bear country to fish, raft and camp. He continues by rail to admire the snow-capped mountains and glaciers and to cross the gorge on the spectacular Hurricane Gulch Bridge.

In the six-million-acre Denali National Park, which is crowned by the highest peak in the United States, Michael discovers how photographers a hundred years ago captured the beauty of the Alaskan landscape. Less than 200 miles from the Arctic Circle, at Fairbanks, Michael reaches the end of the Alaska Railroad and discovers how gold prospectors liberated the precious metal from the soil.  

At Poker Flat, Micheal joins scientists who study the Northern Lights. Volunteers on the Tanana Valley Railroad offer him the chance to light the boiler of their 1899 Porter locomotive - a first for Britain’s premier rail fan.

In Alaska’s railwayless state capital, Juneau, Michael researches the life of the remarkable female author of his Appleton’s, Eliza Scidmore, before heading to the railhead for his next Alaskan journey.

Great American Railroad Journeys: Series 4

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Great American Railroad Journeys

Series 4

Talkeetna to Juneau

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