Schenectady to Rochester
Michael Portillo rides the railroads of America. Michael has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady learning about Thomas Edison's General Electric Company.
Michael Portillo continues his American journey, heading west through New York State. He has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady, when he discovers how Thomas Edison's General Electric Company also leads the way in modern rail technology.
In Utica, he investigates Lock 20 of 57 along the early 19th-century Erie Canal - 325 miles of waterway which connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic coast via the Hudson River. A yellow brick road beckons Michael to Chittenango, where a Kansas farm girl introduces him to a lion, and a tin man.
On a hillside near Palmyra, Michael finds out about a farm boy, Joseph Smith, and his Book of Mormon, from one of the 15 million believers who follow his religion today. Further west in Rochester, Michael discovers the story behind another famous 19th-century name still trading today: George Eastman, who launched mass market photography with his Eastman Kodak company.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Michael Portillo |
| Executive Producer | John Comerford |
| Series Producer | Alison Kreps |
| Production Company | Boundless Productions |
Steam Railways: Watch programmes from the archive collection
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