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Armed with his 1899 Appleton鈥檚 Guidebook to Alaska, Michael Portillo rides the Alaska Railroad north to explore the remote former goldrush settlement of Talkeetna. Deep in the forest outside town, Michael gets a taste of the pioneering spirit of early 20th-century prospectors and settlers from a modern day 'homesteader' and helps fell a tree to clear land for a log cabin.

From Talkeetna, Michael joins intrepid fellow passengers aboard the Hurricane Turn, the last 'flag stop' train in the United States, waving them off as they alight in the middle of bear country to fish, raft and camp. He continues by rail to admire the snow-capped mountains and glaciers and to cross the gorge on the spectacular Hurricane Gulch Bridge.

In the six-million-acre Denali National Park, which is crowned by the highest peak in the United States, Michael discovers how photographers a hundred years ago captured the beauty of the Alaskan landscape. Less than 200 miles from the Arctic Circle, at Fairbanks, Michael reaches the end of the Alaska Railroad and discovers how gold prospectors liberated the precious metal from the soil.

At Poker Flat, Micheal joins scientists who study the Northern Lights. Volunteers on the Tanana Valley Railroad offer him the chance to light the boiler of their 1899 Porter locomotive - a first for Britain鈥檚 premier rail fan.

In Alaska鈥檚 railwayless state capital, Juneau, Michael researches the life of the remarkable female author of his Appleton鈥檚, Eliza Scidmore, before heading to the railhead for his next Alaskan journey.