Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways: The Railway That Created Canada

Review

by Gary Rose

Chris saves arguably his most scenic – and definitely his longest – trip till last, as he rattles his way across Canada on the railway that helped to forge the nation. On the Canadian Pacific Railway, he enjoys hanging his head out the side like a boxcar hobo, then takes a swig of the pioneer spirit on the country’s oldest operating steam locomotive, the Prairie Dog.

But his prairie love doesn’t last. “Once you’ve seen one bit of prairie you’ve seen them all,” he gripes, and promptly jumps on a plane to the Rockies. When he arrives you can see why he was in such a rush – as the widescreen panoramas suddenly enter a new level of spectacular.

Summary

Chris takes a railway trip across Canada, revealing how 2,500 miles of transcontinental railway was built against huge odds in just a few decades, helping to join together a vast wilderness of isolated communities and create the country that exists today. He begins his journey on one of the earliest sections of track to be built, on a train that is now a lifeline for hunters and fishermen. He then sees one of the biggest, most famous trains in the world – the Canadian, before heading for the Prairies, and on to the port of Vancouver. Along the way he also searches for Winnie the Pooh, crosses raging rivers and meets the descendant of a pioneering Yorkshire family who arrived here more than 100 years ago.

Cast & Crew

Presenter Chris Tarrant

Director Neil Ferguson

Executive Producer Nina Carbone

Executive Producer Dale Templar

Executive Producer Hugh Whitworth

Executive Producer Melanie Darlaston

Producer Neil Ferguson

Series Producer Hugh Whitworth

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Documentary