TV Guide PBS America Saturday

Historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn relive the golden age of steam. They begin by exploring how the introduction of steam railways in the early 19th century created a domestic revolution, from the way people lived to the food they ate. Arriving at Ffestiniog Railway in Snowdonia, they find out how millions of tons of slate were moved down the mountain, while underground, Alex experiences the brutal conditions face by miners in the Llechwedd Quarry

Historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn continue to relive the golden age of steam and how the Victorian railways created modern Britain. They visit Beamish in County Durham, learning how the rail companies first realised there was money to be made in moving people rather than commodities. Then Peter and Alex live the life of navvies, the men who built the thousands of miles of tracks in all weather conditions, and Ruth finds out what impact the new railroads had on the cottage industries. She also learns about the role of the guard, and the trio learn what precautions were necessary for taking a long journey on a train that was yet to include the necessary facilities

The historians reveal how the railways transformed the British diet, rescuing a nation that was struggling to feed itself. Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn discover how the mass transportation of livestock gave birth to the traditional British roast, and Ruth Goodman is in Whitby, which became a thriving fishing town thanks to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway supplying its kippers. Plus, Hampshire's watercress line, which brought nutritional salad to the masses, and how the use of steam-powered engines revolutionised production at Britain's oldest brewery

The historians take a trip on the Flying Scotsman, arguably the most famous locomotive in the world, along its original route connecting London and Edinburgh - the two most important financial capitals of the Empire. Peter Ginn explores how the railways revolutionised the delivery of mail across Britain, he and Alex Langlands learn about the first electronic communication service - more than 100 years before the arrival of email - and Ruth finds out about the role of the wheeltapper. Plus, why do some railway clocks have more than one minute hand?