Impossible Moves

A team of engineers race against the clock to move a colossal telescope, weighing over 100 tons, up 5000-metres to a mountain plateau in Chile. The telescope is part of an ambitious multi-million pound construction project in the heart of the mountainous Atacama Desert where 600 engineers and scientists are working round the clock to build the world’s biggest telescope. With parts arriving from all over the world at the 3,000 metre base camp, they must assemble the telescopes to millimetre accuracy to be able to hunt down planets that might harbor life. With no vehicle big and sophisticated enough to transport the awkward and delicate freight up 5,000 metres to the mountain plateau, the team has to design a huge, 28-wheeled transporter like no other. The journey up to the plateau through the driest desert on earth is fraught with dangers. Will the movers and machines cope with the extreme heat and lack of oxygen on their long climb up the mountain?

Two teams of movers race against the clock to relocate a submarine attack aircraft from Canada to America inside the world’s biggest cargo plane, and a huge snowplough locomotive up a mountain. British Pilot Harry Odone returns to Goose Bay airbase, Canada to rescue a Fairey Gannet Submarine Attack he had to abandon here five years ago when its engines failed. Harry needs to transport the vintage British Royal Navy plane 2,500km on a jumbo journey to New Richmond Airport, Wisconsin where it will be restored to working condition. This edition follows the team race against time to lift and load the aircraft into the world’s largest operating cargo aircraft on earth, the Antonov-124, to fly it to America. In Oregon, we also follow leading heavy hauler Chris Arsenault attempt to transport a 70-year old snowplough locomotive up ‘Train Mountain’ to a hillside throne.Moving the 120-ton historic hulk up the super-steep terrain and along narrow roads is a huge challenge. Will both mammoth machines survive the perilous journeys to their new homes?

A team of aviation engineers attempt to move a historic Spitfire fighter aircraft over 6,000km from Duxford in England to Easton, Maryland USA for a private collector. The vintage aircraft can’t carry enough fuel for the team to fly it to the US. Too large to be trucked or shipped intact, this episode follows the team attempt to dismantle it for its epic trek by trucks and ship. This operation is a huge challenge, as the aircraft must be flight worthy after it has been reassembled. To squeeze the Spitfire inside a shipping container, the team must disconnect the fuselage, wings, nose and tail. They must build a support cradle for each component so they fit, snug, together like a jigsaw puzzle inside the container, and don’t bump or knock around. The journey is fraught with problems. Following a painstaking reconstruction process in Easton, will this classic aircraft survive the journey to fly again?

Heavy Hauler Jeremy Patterson faces the titanic task of hauling one of America’s largest and most famous steamships, the SS President, almost 100 miles across sea and land in St Louis. His original plan - to haul the 100metre long ship on a bed of over 80 wheels by road - is thwarted when it proves impossible to pull the ship out of the Mississippi. This leaves him with the enormous challenge of slicing and dicing the ship into pieces using blow-torches and cranes. Strong gusts and winter blizzards make the task increasingly hazardous. Once all the pieces make it to the town of St Elmo, Jeremy must re-assemble the giant jigsaw puzzle in the middle of the town and transform it into a hotel. Will all the pieces fit back together?

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota heavy hauler Craig Coxe attempts to dismantle the historic 'Big Blue' Mansion to move panel by panel and brick by brick over 500 miles through Tornado Alley to reach Missouri. Can the giant jigsaw be re-assembled when it arrives? While on Bainbridge Island, Washington, house trucker Jeremy Nickels attempts to float a colossal two-storey mansion through the middle of a busy shipping lane to reach a more picturesque waterside setting. Will the mansion reach its destination undamaged by waves? .

In Quebec, Canada, a crew attempt to relocate over 170 homes that are sitting on top of 8 billion dollars worth of gold. They must work fast to relocate the town of Malartic so that miners can reach the precious reserves while the price of gold remains high. In Raleigh North Carolina, a second team attempt to move a suburb of colossal historic mansions across the bustling city to rescue them from demolition. The century old mansions each weigh over 200 tons and are extremely fragile. Can they be moved intact?

In Texas, we follow a building collector piece together a historic ‘time that town forgot’. His dream is to move a historic 300-ton stone Ranch to his village, called Star Hill, for his mother to live in. Can a move team beat cactuses and rattle snakes to deliver this ultimate gift-wrapped present? In Seattle, newly-weds Tawny and Ian Wilson buy and attempt to move a historic house into the city. Their two-storey dream home is particularly tall. Can Canadian mover Jeremy Nickel move it across land, sea and an active airport and deliver it to their garden intact?

In Manitoba, we follow Canada’s leading heavy hauler Harold Minty relocate a colossal clubhouse 30 miles over a mountain encrusted in snow and ice. The building must be cut into three pieces for the move. Will it survive the rough road journey without warping out of shape? In Staunton, Virginia we follow house trucker Jimmy Matyiko use every mode of transport possible to move the historic Frontier Village across the countryside. A farmhouse, two barns and a well embark on the journey. But will one of the fragile outbuildings survive being hauled by... horses?

On Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, we follow Jerry Matyiko and Joe Jakubik attempt to move Sankaty Head Lighthouse away from the crumbling cliff edge. The historic landmark weighs over 500-tons and is over 90ft tall. Can the team keep it upright as it moves along a unique rail track inland? In Malmberg, Sweden we follow 25-year old house mover Andreas Martensson relocate the homes in a mining town. With the mine underneath the town collapsing, Andreas is locked in a race against time to move the buildings to safety before the arctic winter strikes.

On Vancouver Island, Canada a team of marine engineers led by visionary developer Mark Lindholm attempt to build and move a series of giant Floating Mansions to form a unique waterborne community. But can they haul the 85-ton luxury aquatic homes through 200 miles of treacherous seas from the construction site to their moorings without them sailing off course? In Denver, Colorado we reveal how a team of leading skyscraper engineers are turning vertical construction methods horizontal to build, move and assemble an entire town of homes in record time. Will David and Roger Cohen’s radical ideas of building the world’s first full size house factory to create a town in record time transform how communities are created in the future?

In Iowa, we follow the remarkable cross-country trek of Trinity Lutheran Church. Over years, the church’s congregation had shrunk from 250 to just 13. The parishioners decided to disband the church but save the building. Topped with a 100ft steeple, we follow Ron Holland haul the pristine structure twelve miles across rolling hills to the town of Manning. In Sarasota, Florida we follow structural mover Brett Johnson and his sons dis-assemble the iconic Crocker Church and Rectory to move though the crammed downtown streets in the dead of night for preservation. Can the team dismantle the church’s fragile steeple for the move without it falling apart?

At London’s Heathrow Airport, an international team of engineers led by Nick Featherstone have to move a brand new, 1000 tonne glass and steel Air Traffic Control Tower across one of the world’s busiest runways. While in Manitoba, Canada, fearless building mover Harold Minty has to relocate five, 140 foot tall grain towers 20 miles, over a mountain frozen with ice to a new farm (above right). It’s an epic struggle to keep the towers upright as a viscous snow storm strikes.