Catch up TV

This episode is currently not available.

Series 4: 3. Skagway to Vancouver



Michael Portillo embarks on a second spectacular rail journey through Alaska into Canada on the White Pass and Yukon railway.\n\nArriving in Skagway by seaplane from railwayless Juneau, Michael heads first for Dyea and the Chilkoot trail, which the first gold prospectors hiked 100 years ago to the Klondike. Among them, he discovers, was author Jack London, whose stories of sled dogs captured the spirit of the gold rush. \n\nIn the puppy pen of a sled dog training camp, a dog musher tells Michael how huskies helped to build Alaska and gives him an insight into how the dogs continue to work and race today. \n\nBoarding the 52-mile railway, built in 1898, which climbs 2,600 feet before dropping to the head of Canada’s Lake Bennett, Michael looks forward to beautiful scenery on a railway laden with history. At the lake, Michael meets an indigenous guide to hear of the role of First Nations people in the stampede for gold. \n\nIn Carcross, Yukon, Michael helps to carve a totem pole and is invited to shake his tail feathers in a “grouse” dance.\n\nFrom Vancouver in the south of British Columbia, Michael prepares to trace some 600 miles of the first transcontinental railway route across the Canadian Rockies. He boards the Canadian Pacific Railway Engine 374, which linked the vast nation of Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1887, to unearth the story behind this grand feat of engineering and the bribery and corruption which brought down a government. And Michael learns that without this railway, there might not be a unified Canada today.\n\nFrom Vancouver’s Skytrain, Michael explores the nation’s most densely populated city. A taste of the outdoor life in the thousand-acre Stanley Park prompts Michael to head for the home of the Vancouver Giants and Trinity Northwestern University to try an iconic Canadian sport, ice hockey. It is a brave move - but not a glorious one.\n\nMichael is on more familiar territory on set at the Canadian Motion Picture Park, known in the industry as the Hollywood of the north. He discovers the first film made in Canada was created at the time of his guide. Michael directs an Oscar-worthy scene of his own.

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 10. Illinois To Tennessee

Series 2 Reversions: 10. Illinois To Tennessee

17-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 9. Chicago To Champaign, Illinois

Series 2 Reversions: 9. Chicago To Champaign, Illinois

16-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 8. Milwaukee To Chicago

Series 2 Reversions: 8. Milwaukee To Chicago

12-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 7. Minnesota - Wisconsin

Series 2 Reversions: 7. Minnesota - Wisconsin

11-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 6. Minneapolis - St Paul

Series 2 Reversions: 6. Minneapolis - St Paul

10-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 5. Santa Fe, New Mexico, To The Grand Canyon

Series 2 Reversions: 5. Santa Fe, New Mexico, To The Grand Canyon

09-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 4. La Junta To Colorado Springs

Series 2 Reversions: 4. La Junta To Colorado Springs

05-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 2. Sedalia To St Joseph, Missouri

Series 2 Reversions: 2. Sedalia To St Joseph, Missouri

04-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 3. Lawrence To Lamar, Colorado

Series 2 Reversions: 3. Lawrence To Lamar, Colorado

04-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 1. St Louis To Jefferson City, Missouri

Series 2 Reversions: 1. St Louis To Jefferson City, Missouri

02-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Most popular episodes of Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 4: 9. Portage La Prairie To Saskatoon

Series 4: 9. Portage La Prairie To Saskatoon

Steered by his 1899 Appleton’s Guide, Michael Portillo strikes west across Manitoba into the province of Saskatchewan. High above the prairie at Riding Mountain, Michael d ...

10-10-2022

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2: 5. Lawrence To Topeka, Kansas

Series 2: 5. Lawrence To Topeka, Kansas

27-01-2017

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2: 17. Chicago, Us Rail Hub

Series 2: 17. Chicago, Us Rail Hub

14-02-2017

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - 8. Philadelphia To Atlantic City

8. Philadelphia To Atlantic City

10-02-2016

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2 Reversions: 8. Milwaukee To Chicago

Series 2 Reversions: 8. Milwaukee To Chicago

12-09-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - 1. Manhattan: Grand Central To Broadway

1. Manhattan: Grand Central To Broadway

01-02-2016

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2: 3. Sedalia To Kansas City, Missouri

Series 2: 3. Sedalia To Kansas City, Missouri

25-01-2017

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 3 Reversions: 7. Plymouth To New London

Series 3 Reversions: 7. Plymouth To New London

Guided 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 Wa ...

13-06-2018

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 2: 11. The Twin Cities, St Paul

Series 2: 11. The Twin Cities, St Paul

06-02-2017

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

Great American Railroad Journeys

Great American Railroad Journeys - Series 3: 7. Montreal, Quebec

Series 3: 7. Montreal, Quebec

Following a special 1899 Canadian edition of his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo has left the United States and crossed the border to embark on the next leg of his rail journ ...

16-11-2022

BBC 2

All episodes

BBC 2

© 2024 - Catchupplayer.co.uk