Great American Railroad Journeys TV Schedule
Find out what time Great American Railroad Journeys is on TV tonight and this week at the UK TV Listings Guide.
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Upcoming TV Times
Great American Railroad Journeys is scheduled to air at these times (may include spoilers):
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Thu 12
Manhattan Island — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo examines the history of the American rail network, using Appleton's General Guide to the United States and Canada of 1879 to plot his course. He begins on Manhattan Island and travels from Grand Central Terminal to the site of Ground Zero
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Thu 12
Brooklyn to Montauk — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo continues his great American trek, following his copy of Appleton's General Guide east from Manhattan to Long Island, and visits Brooklyn to hear the story of the construction of the world's first suspension bridge. Below ground, he investigates New York City's inaugural subway, and the dangers faced by the 'sandhogs' who built it. Progressing along the Long Island Railroad to Queens, Michael takes in an ambitious engineering project and a model town built by an Irish immigrant who became one of America's richest men. Later, he heads to the island's Gold Coast, where he relives the fun of 'the roaring twenties' at Oheka Castle, and concludes this leg of his trip at the Montauk lighthouse on Long Island's eastern-most tip
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Fri 13
New York City to Albany — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo follows America's iconic River Hudson, beginning at New York City's Penn Station, where he rides on the national rail carrier service, Amtrak. At Tarrytown, he hears a famous American ghost story, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and on the east bank of the Hudson he stops at Garrison, where he hears about the greatest turncoat in American history. In Poughkeepsie, the presenter visits a university built just for women, before arriving in New York's state capital, Albany, where he samples Albany Ale and meets the State Senator
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Fri 13
Schenectady to Niagara Falls — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo travels across New York state, discovering how General Electric also leads the way in rail technology and examining the story behind George Eastman's Kodak company. He then visits Buffalo and discovers the history behind its grain industry, followed by a trip to witness the awesome power and drama of Niagara Falls
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Sat 14
Philadelphia to Gettysburg — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo travels through Philadelphia, and pays tribute to its fictional son, Rocky Balboa. He finishes the latest leg of his journey in Gettysburg, the most famous battlefield of the American Civil War, where President Abraham Lincoln made a momentous speech in 1863
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Sat 14
Wilmington to Fort McHenry — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo arrives at a milestone on his American journey as he reaches the boundary between the northern and southern states, known as the Mason-Dixon line. Beginning in Wilmington, North Carolina, he uncovers the history of gunpowder production in Delaware, before heading to Baltimore, where he discovers how the first American steam engine owed a lot to British technology. On the city's east coast, Michael visits the star-shaped Fort McHenry, and learns how the Star-Spangled Banner national anthem was born
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Sun 15
Washington to Mount Vernon — Great American Railroad Journeys
Continuing his trek from Philadelphia to Jamestown, Michael Portillo arrives in the nation's capital, Washington, DC, centre of political power in the world's most powerful country. Steered by his Appleton's Guide of 1879, he admires its fine public buildings, including the largest library in the world, and discovers how the capital was built from scratch after a political compromise between north and south. After this, he travels on to Mount Vernon, exploring a former slave market and visiting an archaeological dig along the way
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Sun 15
Manassas to Jamestown — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, Virginia, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War. In Fredericksburg, he tries bottling bourbon corn whiskey and learns how it became the nation's spirit. In Richmond, the ex-politician enjoys a tour of the Virginia state Capitol building, where he hears of the dilemma faced by one of its most famous sons, General Robert E Lee, before donning his dancing shoes for a Cotillion ball. Michael ends his journey in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America
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Mon 16
St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo continues his American rail journey west to Jefferson City, Missouri, following the tracks of European settlers in the 19th century. In St Louis he ascends America's monument to the Wild West, the Gateway Arch, the tallest free-standing monument in the US. On the banks of the Missouri River, the political commentator is invited aboard a replica of the original keel boat used for an historic expedition. In Washington, Missouri, Michael tries to craft a corn cob pipe, and in Jefferson City he finds an huge fortified building that served as the gaol for the entire Wild West
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Mon 16
Sedalia to St Joseph, Missouri — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo continues his journey westwards across the United States, discovering the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia and learning more about the birthplace of ragtime. He then travels to Paola, Kansas, where he auctions livestock and dines on spare ribs, before reaching his destination in St Joseph, Missouri
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Tue 17
Lawrence to Lamar, Colorado — Great American Railroad Journeys
In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael Portillo joins the Jayhawks basketball team in the famous Allen Field house stadium with energetic encouragement from their cheerleaders, before travelling through Tornado Alley to Topeka to meet one of the first storm chasers in America. Driving out on the Great Plains, Michael learns about the Tallgrass Prairie and comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo
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Tue 17
La Junta to Colorado Springs — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century east coast men who came to experience the cowboy life. At Bent's Old Fort, he is transported back to the Mexican American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops, before heading out into the spectacular gorge of the Arkansas River aboard the historic narrow gauge Royal Gorge Railroad
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Wed 18
Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo travels through New Mexico, watching rehearsals at the Santa Fe Opera House and learning about a Lancashire railroad caterer who made his fortune. He then sets off from Albuquerque to pick up Arizona's Grand Canyon Railway as heads off to witness one of the greatest sights on Earth
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Wed 18
Minneapolis to St Paul — Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo travels through Minneapolis and St Paul, where he learns how the power of the Mississippi helped Minneapolis become a great industrial centre. Later in St Paul, he explores the birthplace of F Scott Fitzgerald, and meets with a Native American expert to discover more about a dark chapter in American history
