RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 14, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) The next series of Great American Railroad Journeys (series 3) starts on BBC 2 at 1830 on Monday 22nd January The series starts in Boston and heads towards Toronto Keith Edited January 14, 2018 by melmerby 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 27, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) The next series of Great American Railroad Journeys (series 3) starts on BBC 2 at 1830 on Monday 22nd January The series starts in Boston and heads towards Toronto Keith Toronto is the end of journey one on February 2nd (episode 10) Starting Monday February 5rd Michael starts his second journey of 10 episodes in Reno on a 1000 mile exploration of the railroads of the West. Keith Edited January 27, 2018 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Toronto is the end of journey one on February 2nd (episode 10) But Toronto isn't in America? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 27, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2018 But Toronto isn't in America? Depends what you call "America" It definitely isn't the USA but Canada is part of geographical America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Depends what you call "America" It definitely isn't the USA but Canada is part of geographical America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas Keith I would refer you to note 6 on that Wikipedia page, and say that I live in Canada. 'The Americas' or 'North America' - OK. But it's said that a defining characteristic of "Canadian" is "not American"! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted January 27, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2018 I would refer you to note 6 on that Wikipedia page, and say that I live in Canada. 'The Americas' or 'North America' - OK. But it's said that a defining characteristic of "Canadian" is "not American"! But I live in the UK which is where the programme is made and broadcast which has a different distinction. (Note 6 again) Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Glad you started this thread, melmerby. Just spotted it, I'd missed this series starting. Watched tonight's (31 jan) episode covering Quebec which was very interesting, particularly the parliament building. Some of the Via rail marked Budd stainless steel stock looked like coaches I'd travelled on in 1974.... so this is great. Now for binge watching the episodes I'd missed on i player. The next series sounds very good indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 It was good to see Tronna in this evening's episode, a city I visited frequently in the past and always enjoyed, but now must be a dozen years since last I was there. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Not sure how anyone making a programme about great rail journeys in North America, can go to Toronto and NOT take VIA No. 1, the last truly great train journey in North America. Maybe next series? Or was he warned that CN would ruin his programme by ensuring his arrival in Vancouver would be hours late? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Oh, it wasn't just me then? Over Christmas 2012 I flew to Vancouver and from Toronto, the bit in between being accomplished by rail. On, I think, the third morning I was showering in my cabin and noticed that the water was not draining away. The outlet was frozen. We were six hours late into Toronto, but in fairness the explanation given was that someone on the train had died in the night and officialdom had to be summoned. Needless to say we were about as far from officialdom as it was possible to get. I'm enjoying Mr Portaloo's American odyssey via i-player and will be interested to see his take on Toronto. Chris 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 (edited) I liked his take on Toronto - though it is so long since I was there that I can't remember much about it :-) His CN tower experience was genuinely scary (I thought). Next weeks series on west coast etc should be really good. Edited February 3, 2018 by railroadbill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
truffy Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 (edited) But I live in the UK which is where the programme is made and broadcast which has a different distinction. (Note 6 again) No excuse for getting it wrong though and perpetuating inaccuracy and ignorance. Unless this is a BBC programme, in which case all bets for authenticity are off. Edited February 3, 2018 by truffy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 3, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2018 No excuse for getting it wrong though and perpetuating inaccuracy and ignorance. Unless this is a BBC programme, in which case all bets for authenticity are off. Try reading an encyclopedia or dictionary before taking a pop at the Beeb and perpetuating inaccurate comments and ignorance. The programme title is entirely correct as "America" is strictly not a country but a land mass, although the term is used (incorrectly) in common parlance. The country is more correctly the "United States of America" in the same way that I live in the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland" and not just "Great Britain" which refers more specifically to the main land mass. Keith 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Since posting earlier I have watched the Toronto episode. The CN Tower was scary enough on New Year's Eve in the rotating restaurant, even though it served by far the best roast beef I have ever eaten. I wish I had been able to explore the streetcar network but even I, the world's worst tourist, could not pass up the chance of a visit to Niagara Falls. I stayed at the Royal York, which is far too opulent for the likes of me. The hotel's accountancy methods are best described as flawed. I had been led to expect that I would be charged twice for breakfast and thus it was. When I was charged for a toll-free telephone call I pointed out, politely, that the clue was in the name and the charge was rescinded. The really good bit came a month after I got home and my credit card bill arrived. Somehow the hotel had managed to charge me for a vodka and tonic from the minibar in my room two days after I checked out. A flurry of transatlantic e-mails beginning "If you would care to check your records you will find ..." achieved a refund. Later I met someone else who had stayed there as part of a group travelling by rail. On departure it was found that each and every member of the party had been charged for car parking. A member of the hotel staff said: "I'm sorry, sir, we just assumed". Chris 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Smith Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 There are (is?) North America, Central America and South America. All part of the American Continent. North America comprises the USA and Canada. So far so good but occupants of the USA and the media refer to themselves incorrectly just as Americans. President Trump wants to make America great again but he doesn't include Canada in this aspiration....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 President Trump wants to make America great again but he doesn't include Canada in this aspiration....... Nor Saint Pierre and Miquelon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 I live in the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland" and not just "Great Britain" which refers more specifically to the main land mass. Or, as significant proportions of both the Canadian and American populations and their media refer to it, "England". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 3, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2018 There are (is?) North America, Central America and South America. All part of the American Continent. North America comprises the USA and Canada. So far so good but occupants of the USA and the media refer to themselves incorrectly just as Americans. President Trump wants to make America great again but he doesn't include Canada in this aspiration....... Like the Pan American Highway which runs from the North of Alaska to the ends of Chile & Argentina, not just through the USA. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) Quote via Google: "there are seven continents - Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. Many geographers and scientists now refer to six continents, where Europe and Asia are combined (because they're one solid landmass)" Always understood from geography lessons at school that North America was one continent and South America another. Perhaps the programme should be Great North American train journeys.... :-) Edited February 4, 2018 by railroadbill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 4, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2018 Quote via Google: "there are seven continents - Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. Many geographers and scientists now refer to six continents, where Europe and Asia are combined (because they're one solid landmass)" Always understood from geography lessons at school that North America was one continent and South America another. Perhaps the programme should be Great North American train journeys.... :-) In encyclopædias the term "America" often refers to the continents of the Western hemisphere of the earth. Hence "American" can refer to anything from those land masses The problem of usage of the term "American" is IMHO generally down to the citizens of the USA who regularly, incorrectly, refer to themselves as Americans ignoring the rest of the populations of the other countries. You don't normally see US products marked as "Made in America" usually something like "Made with Pride in the USA" Other countries are not alone in perpetuating this inconsistency, in the same way as people of the whole of the UK are referred to as "English" by many other countries thus rightly annoying the Scots, Welsh, N. Irish, etc who are also part of the UK. Back to the programme (or should it be program? ) I'm see there is going to be a Shay in one of the upcoming episodes. Look forward to that. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejstubbs Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 And there was me thinking that nothing could be less interesting than the nit-picking, though frequently mistaken, pseudo-pedantry on the "Channel 4 model railway challenge" thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 My dear sir, the pedantry on this thread has been honed to a very high standard indeed. In fact, by comparison the contributors to the "other" thread you mention are but mere amateurs. **************************************************** Just started catching up with the first programmes of series 3 on I-player, again very entertaining and informative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 So far so good but occupants of the USA and the media refer to themselves incorrectly just as Americans. The problem of usage of the term "American" is IMHO generally down to the citizens of the USA who regularly, incorrectly, refer to themselves as Americans So if inhabitants of the southern part of North America should not refer to themselves as 'Americans', what should they call themselves? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Smith Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Therein lies the problem, there really is no convenient useable term for inhabitants of the USA....hence the use of 'American'! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 4, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2018 So if inhabitants of the southern part of North America should not refer to themselves as 'Americans', what should they call themselves? Merkins? Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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