Impossible Repairs

Impossible Repairs

Smithsonian Channel Ended

4 Seasons · 30 Episodes · Premiered September 19, 2021 · Ended July 20, 2025

Host Mike Davidson is on a globetrotting mission to get an up-close look at some of the most incredible machines on Earth and to meet the hard-hat heroes that keep them running. This six-part series will take us from the forests of the Pacific Northwest for a heli-logging expedition, to the jungles of the Panama Canal for some big track repairs, to the Alps of Switzerland aboard one of Europe's busiest haulers, and detail how each team overcomes violent storms, mechanical failures, arctic conditions, and more to keep their machines operating.

Where to Watch: Smithsonian Channel

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Seasons & Episodes

Season 1

6 episodes
E01
Heli-Logging
Mon, Sep 20 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Host Mike Davidson heads deep into the forest of the Pacific Northwest for the final leg of a dangerous six-week, heli-logging mission. For five days, he will bring his cameras-and airsickness bags-aboard an S64 Air Crane, one of the biggest and strongest helicopters on Earth, as it hauls millions of pounds of timber from the forest. It's a job that promises a big payday...and even bigger challenges, with heavy winds, dense fog, and mechanical failures that will keep the maintenance technicians and aerosystems experts busy from start to finish.
E02
The Potash Express
Mon, Sep 27 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Host Mike Davidson is crisscrossing the rails across Eastern Europe on a 24/7 cargo operation powered by Soviet era locos. The mission: to transport potash—a potassium rich fertilizer—to massive ships, which in turn will deliver the cargo to over one hundred countries worldwide. This is a multimillion-dollar business, and the pressure is intense to keep the trains moving…even when there are problems. Thankfully, there are resilient crews that keep this rail network and locomotives running, no matter how big the challenges are.
E03
Euro Train Heroes
Mon, Oct 4 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Trains may seem old fashioned, but they still make the world's economy go, and SBB Cargo International is one of Europe's busiest haulers. Host Mike Davidson joins a freight run carrying a million-dollar payload, from a busy container yard in Italy, though the Alps of Switzerland, across a labyrinth of tracks in Germany, to the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Along the way, he'll follow locomotive drivers, maintenance crews, and engineers working around the clock to keep everything rolling on a route that throws challenges at every turn.
E04
Panama Canal Railway
Tue, Oct 12 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Every year, more than 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal, but when shipping companies need to move a small number of containers across the continent, it's much cheaper to send them on the railway. Host Mike Davidson heads to the jungles to transport precious refrigerated cargo on the Panama Canal Railway. Keeping these metal monsters running and the 47-mile line clear is no small feat, but fortunately there's a dedicated team putting everything they have into this railway, from last-minute track repairs to infrastructure overhauls.
E05
Deep Sea Fish Delivery
Tue, Oct 19 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Offshore fish farming is big business, with big profits, big machines, and very big risks. In this episode, host Mike Davidson goes on perhaps his most physically demanding mission yet, joining the crew of Open Blue as they transport a school of Cobia whitefish worth $300,000 in future sales. For three days, he'll battle ocean waves, dive in shark-infested waters, and assist in excruciating repairs to ship engines and feeding dosers. And just when it looks like smooth sailing ahead, Mother Nature steps in to show who's really in charge.
E06
Big City Tunnel Boring
Tue, Oct 26 2021 12:00 AM GMT+0000 60 min
Host Mike Davidson is heading under one of the world's largest lakes for a multi-million-dollar tunnel-boring project. The crew's mission: to give Toronto's wastewater system a major upgrade, using a highly sophisticated machine capable of creating a tunnel with a diameter greater than a two-story house. But big machines often require big repairs. Witness the epic battles happening 260 feet below the Earth's surface as our hard-hat heroes battle challenge after challenge to keep this operation running on budget and on schedule. 

Season 2

8 episodes

Season 3

8 episodes

Season 4

8 episodes

Cast

Mike Davidson as Host

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