Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic once more to ride the railroads of North America with his faithful Appleton's Guide to the United States and Canada. Amid breathtaking scenery, he encounters magnificent beasts, joins intrepid explorers and witnesses unique customs on an awesome 1,500-mile journey to recapture the excitement and promise of the 19th-century American Frontier. In St Louis, Michael ascends America's monument to the Wild West, the astonishing Gateway Arch, the tallest free-standing monument in the United States, and makes a delightful discovery inside it. And on the banks of the Missouri River, he is invited aboard a magnificent replica of the original keel boat used for a historic expedition.

Michael continues his American rail journey west from St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri, following the tracks of European settlers in the 19th century. He begins this leg at the birthplace of a rural icon in Washington, Missouri, where he attempts to craft a corn cob pipe. In Hermann, Missouri, Michael tucks in to bratwurst as he discovers the descendants of German settlers in the town continue their traditions today. And in the Missouri state capital, Jefferson City, Michael finds an enormous fortified building that served as the jail for the entire Wild West.

Following in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia, known as the Sodom and Gomorrah of the West, and discovers the birthplace of ragtime and its most famous composer, Scott Joplin. Aboard a horse-drawn wagon in Independence, Michael confronts the brutal hardships faced by early pioneers on the wagon trail and discovers a living history museum town where the clock stopped in 1855. He ends this leg in the rail hub of Kansas City, Missouri, where freight trains can be a mile long.

On the next leg of his American adventure, Michael Portillo hits cowboy central in the former meat-packing capital of America - Kansas City, Missouri. In Paola, Kansas, Michael auctions livestock to the latter-day John Waynes of the state and then dines out on smoky spare ribs. In the West Bottoms district, he explores the city's Irish heritage and discovers the first Irish business opened in America, still family- owned and run by the great granddaughter of the founder. In St Joseph, Missouri, Michael discovers the legendary Pony Express, not a train but a mail service, and investigates the treacherous death of the outlaw Jesse James.

Michael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West, armed with his 19th-century Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael enjoys a prairie chicken dance with a student of the Haskell Indian Nations University and learns how Native American Indians were treated in the 19th century. Michael 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.

Michael Portillo's first stop aboard the Southwest Chief is Dodge City, Kansas, a famous frontier town of the Old West, where he visits the notorious Long Branch Saloon, scene of many shoot-outs. He finds the Dodge City Cowboy Band performing at the city depot and breaks bread with a descendant of a railroad land agent who sold thousands of acres of land to 19th-century European settlers. Near Lamar, Colorado, Michael visits the scene of a terrible massacre of American Indians, who found themselves in the way of white settlement of the Great Plains.

Michael Portillo hits ranching territory in Las Animas County, Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century dudes from the east coast who came to experience life as cowboys. First up - how to use a lasso. At Bent's Old Fort, Michael learns about the Mexican-American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops. He also looks at America's relationship with firearms at a NRA shooting centre in Raton, New Mexico, and discovers how guns won the West. Back across the state line in Pueblo, Colorado, Michael is drawn to a giant steel mill mentioned in his Appleton's that produces rails a quarter of a mile long, transported on special trains.

Michael Portillo reaches the Rocky Mountains of Colorado at Canon City, from where he heads out into the spectacular gorge of the Arkansas River aboard the historic narrow-gauge Royal Gorge Railroad. Along the way, he learns how controversy over the construction of the railroad caused bullets to fly. In Colorado Springs, Michael discovers an unexpected British outpost where he is enlisted to join the cricket team. At the foot of Pike's Peak, a choir sings an iconic American hymn, composed at the turn of the 20th century and inspired by the magnificent views to be seen from the summit. Michael heads 14,115 feet above sea level to see it for himself, aboard the Pike's Peak Cog Railway.

Michael Portillo arrives in Santa Fe, the state capital of New Mexico, and once the capital of a Spanish kingdom. He explores the beautiful colonial architecture of the city and is invited to visit a Native American pueblo atop a 367-foot-high sandstone bluff. Michael eavesdrops on rehearsals for Puccini's Girl of the Golden West at the glorious Santa Fe Opera House, and at the Governor's Palace learns about the author of the biblical epic Ben Hur. Finally, Michael catches up with two of the famous Harvey Girls at the La Fonda Hotel to hear about Fred Harvey, the railroad caterer from Lancashire who made his fortune in America.

Michael Portillo is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city situated on the Rio Grande River. Once the headquarters of the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Albuquerque has treasures in store for rail fans, including an enormous locomotive weighing over 450 tonnes. It is being restored by volunteers, and Michael lends a hand. Michael then feels the heat of New Mexico's chilli pepper in a restaurant and learns how to make enchiladas. Michael joins the Grand Canyon Railway at Williams, Arizona, to reach one of the most spectacular sights on Earth. He learns how the 7-million-year-old gorge of the Colorado River was preserved for the nation.

Michael Portillo begins a new journey from Minnesota's Twin Cities in the north of the US to Memphis, Tennessee, in the Deep South. In this leg, Michael discovers how Minneapolis, part of one metropolitan area with its immediate neighbour, St Paul, harnessed the power of the mighty Mississippi to become a great industrial centre. It is also the artificial limb capital of the world. In St Paul, meanwhile, Michael visits the birthplace of F Scott Fitzgerald and meets a jazz age trumpeter and Fitzgerald fan who introduces him to the Jay Gatsby lifestyle.

Michael Portillo continues his journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the Deep South. Michael discovers the story of Hiawatha and his lover Minnehaha, an epic poem featuring American Indian characters. He then meets a Dakota Sioux expert on Native American culture to learn about a dark chapter in United States history and how it is marked today. Michael has to put his diplomatic skills to the test at a Swedish-American lunch, where the centrepiece of the menu is reconstituted dried cod. And there is a taste of the golden age of luxury rail travel as Michael bounces on a bed in a beautifully restored Pullman carriage.

Michael Portillo continues his journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the Deep South. Steered by his Appleton's Guidebook, Michael travels along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. Joining the Empire Builder rail service, he travels to Winona, where he finds out how in the 19th century the US Army Corps of Engineers made the Mississippi navigable. The river is maintained today not just for freight, but to host bald eagles and pelicans too. Michael joins in the dancing at a tribal gathering of the Dakota Sioux, and in La Crosse learns about the Native American origins of a fast-moving, combative sport.

Michael Portillo continues his journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the Deep South. Michael reaches Tomah, Wisconsin, where he helps harvest cranberries, an important crop for the US. Boarding the Empire Builder rail service once again, he travels to Wisconsin Dells, where an innovative photographer first captured motion. Michael takes a plunge in the waterpark capital of the world and finds a pleasant surprise in Baraboo - the circus is in town and it travels by train. Guided by a former clown and ringmaster, Michael explores the train's spectacular wagons.

Michael Portillo continues his journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the Deep South. Michael is in Milwaukee, located on the shore of Lake Michigan and home of the Harley-Davidson. Michael learns about the history of motorcycles there, the first of which was made in 1903, and hitches a ride on the back of a modern version. German gymnastics is Michael's next challenge as he joins the Ladies' Auxiliary Exercise Class, a legacy of Milwaukee's 19th-century German settler community which is still going strong today. In Racine, Michael discovers a man who knew how to sort the wheat from the chaff and made a business out of it.

Michael Portillo is blown away by the skyscrapers in Illinois's Windy City, where he discovers how modern Chicago's skyline replaced a largely wooden city, destroyed in a great fire shortly before his Appleton's Guide was published. Training with the city's firefighters, Michael learns today's fire department respond to half a million emergency calls a year. Michael steps up to the plate with the Joliet Slammers, stars of the US national game of baseball, then sings for his supper at a quintessentially American restaurant bearing his name! Downtown at the Moody Church, Michael tracks down a pair of evangelists who toured Britain and the United States by rail at the time of his Guide.

Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey from the northern state of Minnesota to the home of the blues in Memphis, Tennessee. Today, in the nation's rail capital, where tracks pass underground and overground and are elevated into the air, Michael investigates the ultimate marshalling yard. At the ornate Palmer House Hotel, Michael teams up with the head chef to recreate the original chocolate brownie, invented by Bertha Palmer for Chicago's World Exposition in 1893. He discovers the origins of the Sanitary and Ship Canal and uncovers the history of an incredible civil engineering project which raised the city to new heights. Heading deep underground, Michael inspects a modern day scheme on a similarly awesome scale, described by the boss as the largest toilet in the world.

Steered by his Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile rail journey south from Chicago through Kankakee to Champaign, Illinois. In full swing on the fairway at the Flossmoor Country Club, Michael discovers how wealthy businessmen from the city flocked to play and how the railroads fostered the growth of suburban life. Beside the Kankakee River, Michael is invited to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house that changed the face of American architecture. On the platform at Kankakee station, Michael parties with the locals as they celebrate the City of New Orleans rail service, immortalised in song by Arlo Guthrie. He gets his hands on a vintage hooter riding on the Monticello Heritage rail line and in Champaign learns a thing or two at a railroad university.

Armed with his 19th-century Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo continues his 1,000-mile journey, beginning and ending on the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Tennessee. Riding the mainline of mid-America, Michael stops at rural Mattoon, where he gets a taste of the tough early life which shaped President Abraham Lincoln. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Michael struggles to split one rail compared with Lincoln's estimated 700 a day. Basket in hand, Michael joins the Schwartz family apple harvest in Centralia and learns how to make apple butter. He uncovers industrial unrest in the coal mines of Carbondale then heads to Kentucky and the banks of the Mississippi, where a bloody conflict unfolded which proved decisive in victory for Lincoln's Union.

Armed with his Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo travels the lower Mississippi aboard a paddle steamer to hear about the life and work of former river boat captain, Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. In the city of Memphis, Tennessee, Michael visits the historic Elmwood Cemetery, where he uncovers the story of a devastating epidemic, which claimed the lives of thousands. He discovers one of the largest rail freight hubs in the United States and in the home of the blues, meets contemporary artist Cedric Burnside in studio before joining millions of Elvis fans at Graceland. An invitation to a duck palace and the honorary position of Duck Master carry curious responsibilities at the 19th-century Peabody Hotel.

Michael Portillo continues his American rail journey through New England as he heads for the Canadian border. First stop is Burlington, Vermont, a busy timber port at the time of his Appleton's guide. Michael ventures deep into the forest to learn how sustainable and technological innovations have transformed the state's billion dollar logging industry. Following the old trade route across Lake Champlain, he hears of a pivotal battle during the War of 1812 where a British defeat gave the United States a new confidence on the world stage. In Plattsburg, Michael learns of the surprising origins of a classic Christmas carol. Lead by his guidebook, he travels into the wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains. Here the rich and famous of Appleton's day established great camps to get back to nature, in the lap of luxury. He visits the largest of the camps, reached by boat and even a private funicular railway. In Lake Placid, Michael braves the steep curves and speeds of an Olympic bobsleigh run. Last stop is an American fort mistakenly built in Canada!

Michael Portillo begins a new journey on the tracks of the Ocean line to explore Canada’s maritime provinces en route to Quebec City. Clutching his 1899 Appleton’s Guide to Canada, he begins in the Atlantic port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he discovers an 18th-century British hilltop citadel, manned at the time of his guide by the 78th Highland Regiment. Michael joins the men who recreate the roles of those Scottish soldiers today. At the mercy of the young 'sergeant major', Michael learns the drill in kilt and sporran. Michael follows his Appleton’s to a vast Victorian dry dock, still in use today by shipbuilders for the Royal Canadian Navy and finds out what it takes to build a state-of-the-art Arctic Patrol vessel. He learns of a catastrophic explosion in Halifax harbour in 1917, which killed 2,000 people and left 25,000 homeless. Former residents of an African-Canadian community torn in two by the railway tell Michael of their struggle for redress.

Clutching his 1899 copy of Appleton’s Guide to Canada, Michael Portillo travels on the Ocean train from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. Along the way, he investigates the world’s biggest tide at Hopewell Rocks and admires its dramatic rock formations and caves. Michael apparently defies gravity on a magnetic hill in a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville. North of Moncton in Miramichi, he joins the Elsipogtog First Nation in a pow wow, where he learns about quilting and traditional dress. In Amherst, Michael investigates the history of an ambitious ship railway designed to ferry ships by rail over the isthmus between the Bay of Fundy and the Northumberland Strait. He quarries highly-prized Wallace sandstone for a 150-year-old family firm.

Michael Portillo explores the province of Quebec with his 19th-century Appleton’s Guide to Canada. He takes the fabulously scenic Charlevoix train along the north bank of the mighty St Lawrence River to La Malbaie. Following his guidebook to the beautiful basilica at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Michael discovers the racks of crutches discarded by the healed and meets modern-day visitors in search of miracles. The Train de Charlevoix, built to transport pilgrims, now conveys tourists along the north bank of the St Lawrence River to the Murray lakes. Michael tours the fine 19th-century houses, which were once the haunt of the Gatsby generation. Taking to the skies in a seaplane, Michael flies over the Laurentian Mountains to land on an isolated lake, where he fishes for trout for his supper.

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 discovers how a middle-class British boy from Hastings transformed himself into an influential indigenous naturalist called Grey Owl. Deep in the prairie, Michael finds a network of railways that once served the wheat farmers of Saskatchewan and learns how communities grew up around the grain elevators used to load the crop on to rail wagons. The Wheatland Express welcomes a new recruit to the sidings on the afternoon shift. At Manitou Beach, Michael reaches the Dead Sea of Canada, a 14-mile lake three times saltier than the ocean. A Yellow Quill First Nations elder tells Michael about the healing properties of the water, and Michael tries it for himself.