Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America, armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States.
Genre: Documentary
Cast:Michael Portillo , Elizabeth Welch , David Rambow
Michael travels from Plymouth to New London and uses historic rail. He traces the steps of the Pilgrim Fathers in Plymouth, Mass; we see how indigenous tribes of the Wampanoag people taught settlers to live off the land; he boards the Cape Cod Central Railroad, bound for Hyannis and then takes the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, where several presidents have holiday homes. Y
New Haven to Plattsburgh A rail journey through Connecticut and New England; rowing in New Haven, Conn.; the world's first mountain climbing cog railway; the logging industry in Vermont; the Olympic bobsleigh run in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Reno to Napa Valley, over the Sierra Mountain range in Nevada and Lake Tahoe ; Michael meets experts in their field about how the west was opened by rail and due to the gold and silver mining.
Actually in this same show Michael travels on to Los Angeles also. He travels on the Coast Starlight rail service, he visits the historic port of Monterey, Warner Bros studio, and explores a rail link with 7 new stations on the LA Metro that was started in 2015 and expected finish date is 2024.
Michael Portillo travels by rail and visits the orange groves of Riverside; he learns how to make California rolls with a chef; he tries his hand at Plein Air painting in Laguna Beach and attends celebrations for Mexican Independence Day.