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, armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 36 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in September 2024.
Last episode
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1:00:00Great American Railroad Journeys
In the port of Monterey, Michael Portillo discovers the city's Spanish and Mexican heritage.
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Michael Portillo arrives in the state capital of New Mexico. He explores the colonial architecture and visits a Native American pueblo.
Series 3
1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo visits Yosemite National Park in California, beholding its granite cliffs, sequoia trees and waterfalls.
1:00:00Michael Portillo's journey's to San Francisco, where he travels through the city's streets by cable car, before heading across the bay to Sausalito.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from Reno, Nevada to California's Napa County, taking to the skies over the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Michael Portillo reaches Colorado. Michael is transported back to the Mexican American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops.
Series 2 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo gets a taste of the early life of President Lincoln, learns about Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain, and joins Elvis fans at Graceland.
In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael Portillo joins the Jayhawks basketball team before travelling through 'tornado alley' to Topeka to meet a storm chaser.
Series 2 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from Chicago to Champaign, Illinois, visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright house that changed US architecture.
Michael Portillo discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia and discovers the birthplace of ragtime.
Michael Portillo rides the railroads of North America with his Appleton's Guide. In St Louis, Michael ascends the Gateway Arch.
Series 2 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels through Milwaukee on a journey towards Chicago, where he learns about the history of the iconic American Harley Davidson motorcycle.
1:00:00Michael Portillo journeys along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels through Minneapolis and St Paul, where he explores how the power of the Mississippi helped Minneapolis become a great industrial centre.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels through New Mexico and Arizona, watching rehearsals at the Santa Fe Opera House and visiting the Grand Canyon.
1:00:00Michael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century east coast men who came to experience the cowboy life.
1:00:00In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael Portillo joins the Jayhawks basketball team, and later comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo.
1:00:00Michael Portillo discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia, before reaching St Joseph, Missouri.
1:00:00Michael Portillo journeys west from St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri, following the tracks of European settlers in the 19th century.
Series 1 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, Virginia, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War.