0:00:05 > 0:00:07The age of steam shaped how we live today.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16The Victorians laid over 20,000 miles of lines
0:00:16 > 0:00:20in the biggest engineering project the country has ever seen -
0:00:20 > 0:00:23connecting our towns with high-speed links,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26revolutionising trade and transportation,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28communication and recreation.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It was the greatest transformation in our history.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34But how did it happen?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37To find out, historians Ruth Goodman...
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Flat out!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40..Alex Langlands...
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Shovelling coal is something
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I'm going to get very, very familiar with.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..and Peter Ginn...
0:00:45 > 0:00:46It is tough work.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48..are bringing the railways back to life
0:00:48 > 0:00:52as they would have been during the golden age of steam.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55I feel like I'm in a Western.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00This is very definitely the best steam engine I've ever been on.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Oh, no! He's gaining on us.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Brave new world.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09They will be helped by armies of enthusiasts
0:01:09 > 0:01:11who keep the age of steam alive...
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Oh...!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14WHISTLE BLOWS
0:01:14 > 0:01:17..on Britain's 500 miles of preserved railway.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- This is the way to experience train travel, isn't it?- It is.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24They'll follow in the footsteps of the world's finest engineers...
0:01:24 > 0:01:28These are the men that built Britain's railways.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30..those who ran it...
0:01:30 > 0:01:34This is brutal. This is savage industrialism.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38..and those for whom life would never be the same again.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Internet? Pah!
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It had nothing like the impact of the railways.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50This is the story of how the railways created modern Britain.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The first railways were designed
0:02:06 > 0:02:09to carry the heavy goods of the Industrial Revolution -
0:02:09 > 0:02:12stone, coal and iron.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17But it wasn't long before they were carrying a very different cargo.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22How did we get from a point of a railway designed for goods
0:02:22 > 0:02:24to a railway designed for people?
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Victorian businessmen and investors
0:02:28 > 0:02:32quickly capitalised on this new form of passenger transport,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36creating a network of iron roads which transformed the country.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43But who were the people who built this network and how did they do it?
0:02:45 > 0:02:49With the railways allowing people to travel at much greater speeds,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53the patterns of life in Britain radically changed.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54So I'm really interested in exploring
0:02:54 > 0:02:57exactly who these early passengers were
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and what it was like to travel on the Victorian railways.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12In 1820, the only way to travel was by foot or by horse.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Few people made long journeys.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Walking from London to Edinburgh took ten days,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23or three days by stagecoach.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Within a lifetime, this would be cut to just seven hours by rail.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And yet the first trains weren't built to carry people.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45In 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway
0:03:45 > 0:03:48was built to move coal from the collieries of Darlington
0:03:48 > 0:03:50to the port of Stockton-on-Tees.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Might be a bit bumpy when it sets off.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Yeah, I'm holding on.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I love it. I just love it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Here at Beamish in County Durham,
0:04:09 > 0:04:14they've built a replica of the first Stockton and Darlington train,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17pulled by...Steam Elephant.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22This is... It's just sensational.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30This is very definitely the best steam engine I've ever been on.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The original was built in 1815.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35- This is Georgian?- It is, yes.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37This is not even Victorian, this is Georgian.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Well before.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43I mean, it's a rickety old beast, it's really quite Heath Robinson,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45but this would've been cutting-edge in its day, wouldn't it?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It would've been advanced. It would've been top-of-the-range.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Do we know who built it?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- Yeah - Chapman and Buddle. - Chapman and Buddle.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Yeah, it was a mine owner.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Right. OK, so if he was a mine owner,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58his primary interest is not moving people around...?
0:04:58 > 0:05:00As much coal as possible.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02And, you know, how much coal could it pull, this thing?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04About 70 tonne of coal.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- 70 tonne of coal? - 70 tonne of coal.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Just remarkable.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Soon, miners began hitching a ride to work sitting on the coal trucks.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The railway owners spotted a business opportunity,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and started charging for the privilege.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The rail passenger was born.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Now, this doesn't look too bad.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28No.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Thank you.- There we go. All aboard.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35The first passenger carriages
0:05:35 > 0:05:38were nothing more than converted coal trucks.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40This must have been amazing,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44when you first got an opportunity to travel by the railways.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I love how bumpy it is.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- But I suppose the novelty would have worn off quite quickly.- Yeah.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It is nicely painted, it's all lovely and clean in here,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56but it is just a wooden wagon with some wooden benches.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And there are accounts of these wagons
0:05:59 > 0:06:01filling up with quite a bit of water,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and obviously as it's moving, the water would slosh around,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- so it would be going over... - Over your boots.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- ..the top of your boots into your feet.- Yeah.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11It makes sense of why the sides are so high, if there wasn't any roof,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13cos that would be your only protection
0:06:13 > 0:06:14against the wind, wouldn't it?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16At least having something at your back.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Not only were these early railways uncomfortable and slow,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25they only ran short distances,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27connecting mines with towns and ports.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34To move people and goods across the country,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36what was needed was a national network
0:06:36 > 0:06:39linking Britain's towns and cities.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41TRAIN WHISTLE TOOTS
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But creating this network was going to be an enormous task.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The problem with steam locomotives
0:06:49 > 0:06:52is they can't deal with any form of gradient or slope,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56so they need to follow the same contour through the landscape,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58so to get through a landscape like this,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01you'd need to use all sorts of embankments and cuttings
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and tunnels and viaducts, so that you could follow a line,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07snake around the edge of the hills,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and you'd create the most efficient way of getting from A to B.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And all of this work would lead to, essentially,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18the biggest engineering project in Britain's history.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26The network would be built
0:07:26 > 0:07:29by a quarter of a million nomadic workers,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31known as navvies.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36My God. Imagine effectively living outside in these conditions.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40The boys are joining expert in rural crafts Colin Richards.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41- Good to see you.- And you.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Colin has set up a navvy camp as it would have been during the 1840s.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The "navvy" term came from the word "navigator,"
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and the navigators were the people who built the canals for Britain,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59and that involved a lot of major engineering,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01with essentially sort of pick and shovel.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05And that skill was immediately transferable to the railways.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07And they had to live somewhere,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and these settlements sort of moved through the landscape
0:08:11 > 0:08:14at different periods as the railway progressed.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Early camps were ramshackle shantytowns,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23populated by craftsmen, their families and their livestock.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26These self-contained worlds would have been home
0:08:26 > 0:08:29to as many as 3,500 navvies.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Looking at your head, Alex, that should fit you.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Yeah, that should, yeah. It looks vaguely familiar, this one.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Building railways was backbreaking, dangerous work.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43But there was one concession to health and safety -
0:08:43 > 0:08:44the bowler hat.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48So, I mean, we see this as a sort of dress of the gentleman, don't we?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51But what you're saying is back here in the mid-Victorian period,
0:08:51 > 0:08:52this was the working man's hat.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56That's right, it went through a transformation over the centuries,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00but it started out as being sort of essential protection, really.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02It was a strong shape,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06and so if you make it strong, reinforce it, then it can actually
0:09:06 > 0:09:09take the impact out of things falling on your head.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Excellent.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22By 1845, navvies had built over 3,000 miles of railway,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25connecting up the nation's major cities.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29It enabled a mass migration of people from the countryside
0:09:29 > 0:09:31in search of work,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33more than doubling the populations
0:09:33 > 0:09:37of London, Manchester and Glasgow.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Before laying track, the navvies had to clear a path.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48This involved bridging valleys, cutting embankments,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and felling tens of thousands of trees.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55If you've got a tree in the way of your railway line...
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- Yeah.- ..it needs to come down, and it needs to turn into sleepers.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05To provide a smoother ride, it was essential that the track
0:10:05 > 0:10:07could flex under the weight of the train.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Tracks aren't anchored to the ground.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Instead, the rails are held in place by horizontal sleepers,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22which rest on a bed of crushed stone,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24known as ballast.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30The best material for sleepers was a hardwood, like oak,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33which was both durable and shock-absorbing.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40As it's hitting that, it's almost ringing like a stone.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42This is the heartwood round here,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and that's the kind of stuff that makes absolutely perfect sleepers.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52For every mile of track, some 2,000 sleepers were needed.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56The problem is there was never enough wood in England,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and there hadn't been, really, since medieval times,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00so a lot of the railway builders
0:11:00 > 0:11:02had to resort to importing foreign timber,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06particularly from North America, but you certainly wouldn't let
0:11:06 > 0:11:10a fantastic piece of English oak like this go to waste.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Starting to open up a bit.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I'm amazed that you or I have never had a hernia.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Don't say that, Peter! There's still a lot more wood to cut!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Oh, that's a proper crack.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Let's go.- And another one.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- It's going, isn't it? - It is going.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34There she goes...
0:11:35 > 0:11:37CRACKING
0:11:42 > 0:11:43There we have it!
0:11:44 > 0:11:46There we have our sleepers.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- Two or three in there?- Yeah.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Early railways were built while Britain was still industrialising,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58so they were constructed using crafts and tools
0:11:58 > 0:12:00that had been around for centuries.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03So, here's our sluice gate.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08And the mechanisation they did have was often water-powered.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13That is filling up extremely quickly, isn't it?
0:12:13 > 0:12:15And an endless source of power.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Right, let's get sawing.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Alex and Peter have come to Gunton Park Sawmill,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34which was built in the 1820s.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- Oh!- Hello. How do you do, chaps?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Good afternoon.- Ah! Hello, there. - Pleased to meet you.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40They're meeting Bev Woolner and his team,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43who helped restore and now run the mill.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44We're just going to pull this in.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Yeah. It's surprisingly easy...
0:12:46 > 0:12:48It's surprisingly easy, is it?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I thought this was mechanised, this mill.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53The old men used to do this, so don't worry -
0:12:53 > 0:12:56you will be, as a young man, quite capable.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57He called me a young man, Peter.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- I know, I know. - You are, compared with me!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Although the wood was cut using water power,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08getting the tree into the mill requires muscle power.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10All right. Pull!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Come on! Goodness me! Pull!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Well, that is going, slowly!
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Hang about...
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Just go that way a bit.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Pull! Pull!
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Come on, you're nearly there, look, it should go easy in a minute.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35They're doing not at all badly.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Especially for the first time.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Pull!
0:13:40 > 0:13:43To move the tree, weighing three tonnes,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46the team are using a system of rollers and pulleys,
0:13:46 > 0:13:47a technique going back millennia.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Pull! That's it!
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Keep going.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Whoa!
0:13:56 > 0:13:58That's your lot on that one, folks.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- What's up now, then, Bev? - It's back into the mill itself,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and we have yet more work for you to do.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- All right, OK.- All right? - Let's go, let's head it off.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Lead on.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16In the 1840s, this water-powered sawmill was state of the art.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19It was originally built
0:14:19 > 0:14:22to cut timber into gateposts and house beams.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27But such was the demand for railway sleepers,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29it would have been working round the clock.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Now, in terms of the cutting here,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34it's not a case of driving the saw through the timber -
0:14:34 > 0:14:37what you want to do is actually drive the timber through the saw.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's all done by that inching mechanism.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41That was the clever bit, that was designed by the...
0:14:41 > 0:14:44It was a clockmaker who actually made it, so...
0:14:44 > 0:14:47You can see here how this is the work of a clockmaker.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It's just...ticking like a clock, isn't it?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I mean, I...I thought it was going to be loud here, but actually...
0:14:53 > 0:14:55it's really quite a mellow sound.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- We're good in there, here we go. - Oh, here we go.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Now...
0:15:01 > 0:15:02..we are starting to cut.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Even more power now.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18This is the only surviving working water-powered sawmill in the UK.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23So simple, yet so complex.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Such a fine piece of kit.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32In its heyday, this mill would process eight trees a day.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36This blade is currently set to its lowest setting.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43But back in the 1820s, 1830s, when this was first built,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47it would have been tearing through this wood at a rate of knots.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Just incredible, the power that's in here.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54And we're through.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And there we have it - another sleeper.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Mills like these relied on being close to a water supply.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06So it wasn't long before the railway builders
0:16:06 > 0:16:09turned to portable steam-powered saws instead.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The wooden sleepers are cut to size.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Now, there's just one more job to do before they are ready to be laid.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31They must be protected with a coat of bitumen.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34What is bitumen?
0:16:34 > 0:16:38It's actually a form of tar which you can dig out of the ground.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42And it's almost in between a coal and an oil,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and it was discovered that if you apply heat to it,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48it had this incredible preservative quality
0:16:48 > 0:16:52and it would also bind stone to create sort of tarmacadam,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55but for our purposes, for the sleepers,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58this coating was a barrier against the damp,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02so you could extend the life of a sleeper by 30 years
0:17:02 > 0:17:04by applying this coating.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08So your investment in the railway was made far more secure
0:17:08 > 0:17:09by this coating of bitumen.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Right.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13PETER SPLUTTERS
0:17:13 > 0:17:15ALEX LAUGHS
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- Here we go. - Look at that stuff - whoa...
0:17:18 > 0:17:22The bitumen needs to be applied quickly and evenly before it cools.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24That's too much, too much, too much. Less, less.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Look how quickly that's going cold, though.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28- Yeah.- This is not easy.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32See, look, it's just peeling off the wood.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Not wishing to be critical,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36but that's a little bit lumpy along there.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38And so, you know, there's bitumen along there
0:17:38 > 0:17:40which isn't actually needed
0:17:40 > 0:17:42for the purpose of preserving the timber.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44But what's amazing from our perspective
0:17:44 > 0:17:47is we just don't know how people did this
0:17:47 > 0:17:49in the very early days of track laying,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and just by doing it here in freezing conditions,
0:17:51 > 0:17:52we're learning that, in fact,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55we've either got to get the timber warmer,
0:17:55 > 0:17:56we've either got to get this warmer,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58but to get that coat applied nice and evenly,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01we certainly need a little bit more heat here, don't we?
0:18:01 > 0:18:02- There is another option.- Go on.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04We work faster.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06OK, then. Let's get on!
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- OK, here we go.- Here we go. - One, two, three...
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Building railways was big business.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Navvies worked in gangs, competing for employment
0:18:14 > 0:18:16on the ever-growing number of passenger routes
0:18:16 > 0:18:19being built across the country.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Well, you understand that you get paid by the number you do.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24- Right.- Not the time it takes you.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And also, if you were to use,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30you know, more bitumen than rival gangs...
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- Yeah. - ..then you would be out of favour,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35you could lose work, because there's,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39you know, competition right across the country,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and if you're using too much material,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and you're too slow, you're out on your ear.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Let's get this right, come on. We've got two more opportunities.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I've got to just keep the brush now.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49- What brush?- This brush.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51That's not a brush!
0:18:51 > 0:18:53I think you left it in the pot a bit long there.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It's seen better days.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56I'll give it a clean-up, it'll be fine.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58It'll be fine, don't worry.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Right. Here we go.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Although a navvy's life was tough,
0:19:04 > 0:19:09they earned three times more than an agricultural labourer.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13What's that over there?
0:19:13 > 0:19:18The navvies, they worked hard, but they also sort of played hard,
0:19:18 > 0:19:23and they needed sort of a contrast to the effort they were putting in
0:19:23 > 0:19:25during the day, and alcohol was an escape, really.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Do you want to try a little snifter?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- One! One!- One. Right.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31One. You always say that.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Yes, I know, exactly.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Isolated on a camp, away from society,
0:19:37 > 0:19:38navvies were heavy drinkers.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Records show they drank an average of nine pints of beer a day.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Some even resorted to making their own illegal moonshine
0:19:48 > 0:19:50using home-made stills.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54To flavour it, they used anything to hand -
0:19:54 > 0:19:58nuts, berries, even carrots.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00This is our finished product.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02But distilling was a risky business.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06The first alcohol to be produced by a still contained ethanol,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10which causes blindness, and even death.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- So, carrots are good for your eyesight.- Yeah!
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Moonshine's bad for it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17On days like this, you can really see the appeal
0:20:17 > 0:20:21- of drinking a very, very strong spirit.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25HE COUGHS
0:20:25 > 0:20:27It's...it's...it's good!
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Ooh! Cor, that's rocket fuel.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39By 1844, 104 separate privately owned companies
0:20:39 > 0:20:43were operating passenger services with little regulation.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49The government intervened,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53forcing new companies to abide by strict rules
0:20:53 > 0:20:56on ticket pricing, reliability and safety.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03The converted coal wagons had to be replaced
0:21:03 > 0:21:05with fully enclosed carriages.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Keighley and Worth Valley Railway have one of the earliest examples
0:21:10 > 0:21:13of these new, state-of-the-art carriages from the 1870s.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Now, the early wagons,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22the guard actually even had a little seat up here,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25just like you had on the stagecoaches.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30And on this wagon,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34somebody was meant to come and service the oil lamps.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37They just lift out of the...
0:21:37 > 0:21:39They lift out. And there's a...
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Well, it looks like a plug and a chain,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44but it just slots in its place to stop there being a draught.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48So we can clean them, replace the oil...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52I feel like I'm in a Western,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55running along the roof of a railway train,
0:21:55 > 0:21:56hauling out me lamps.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- This one was built in 1876.- Right.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Ruth's come to meet carriage engineer Chris Smith.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07Ah!
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Oh, it's quite sort of...
0:22:10 > 0:22:12..basic, still, isn't it?
0:22:12 > 0:22:13It's basic, but at least you got a seat.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Yeah. It's starting to feel more like a railway carriage,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18there's no doubt.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21With the wooden seats, they were actually based on church pews.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Familiar surroundings, you know.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Familiar surroundings, which helps you cope
0:22:25 > 0:22:27with the weirdness of the technology, really, doesn't it?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Oh, yes, I mean, it's completely a new thing.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- You'd get a lot of people in it. - You would get a lot...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Definitely get six along these. So you're looking at a 12-person...
0:22:35 > 0:22:3712 person per compartment, yeah.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44By the 1870s, trains were capable of going over 65mph.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47This was the first time the Victorian working classes
0:22:47 > 0:22:50had access to high-speed, long-distance travel.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56There's...there's no corridor in these trains at all, is there?
0:22:56 > 0:22:59No. No, there's no interconnection, no, not at all.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- How do you get from one compartment to the next, then?- You don't.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- You don't? - You stay in the compartment.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06So it's probably a wise move to be friends
0:23:06 > 0:23:08with the people you're travelling with.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13But the ultimate luxurious experience
0:23:13 > 0:23:14was reserved for the upper classes.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Now, what a difference.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Yeah.- We've definitely gone upmarket, now.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Notice the difference.- Oh, yes.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24No more of this trying to get 12 people in here.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- No, you've got sectioned seating. - Six seats...
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Look at the space in the compartment you've now got.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- You've got a lot wider space. - It has got wider, hasn't it?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- There's more legroom...- Plenty of room to stretch your legs, yes.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- And a carpet.- And a carpet.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38It does actually feel warmer in here.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It's where they'd have travelled in style.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Travelling in style - yes, it does feel quite stylish.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- Wow!- It's good.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54For the railway companies, it wasn't all about comfort.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Image was just as important.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58One thing that I really like about so many of these
0:23:58 > 0:24:01is all this beautiful sign writing.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Yes, it's all hand sign written, and gilded - gold leaf.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And I suppose, you know, something that had been exclusively
0:24:07 > 0:24:09for the super-rich, you're getting a flavour of it
0:24:09 > 0:24:11even when you're in third class.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- There was a lot of competition in it.- Yeah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15The railways were very at each other.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17You know, they had to do things that stood out
0:24:17 > 0:24:18above the next railway company.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I mean, if you're competing for passengers,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23it's about what it's like to be a passenger, isn't it?
0:24:23 > 0:24:25I mean, it's not just about ticket price.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It's the whole experience of the journey.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29How you're treated.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31If people are happy, they'll come back...
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- Use your company rather than... - Rather than somebody else's.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Every type of craft and skill was required to build the railways,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and the blacksmith, as he had been in the pre-industrial village,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50was at the heart of the navvy camp.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54The railway was an engineering entity,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and you always needed to bend metal,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59so if you had a portable forge, you could follow the railway,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and whatever needed to be made, to be shaped, to be bent,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05you could do it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And this was your passport to earning a living.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Let's take the heat out of the shaft.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16- Go on, then.- Take a hold?- Yeah.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Colin and the boys are forging coach screws.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25These are the metal bolts which connected the rails to the sleepers
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and each railway line needed millions of them.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Going to try and mush them over the head,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and then we'll put the screw on.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Sounds quite easy.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37It's not going to be.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40In the early days of railway building,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42they were individually made.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Are we making a hook? Is that right?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Starting to get dark on our first day as navvies,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and we know that we're going to need
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- about three quarters of a million sleepers...- Yeah.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58..for a single line between London and Glasgow.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03Now, if you need eight of these per sleeper, OK,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and it's a double line, we're looking at something
0:26:06 > 0:26:12in the region of...around 12 million of these bolts.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14Easy!
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- Go for the quench again.- Yeah.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30What Colin's doing now is he's just squaring that head off,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33because what it's ultimately going to have to do
0:26:33 > 0:26:35is it's going to have to take a spanner.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37We'll need that square head
0:26:37 > 0:26:41so that we can wind that screw down into that oak.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46That's pretty good.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51The last job is to twist the screw to make an even thread.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53All right, OK. Are you at the right angle there?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- You're square on.- Yeah. - Is that...? You've got that tight.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57There it goes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Perfect. You can see that thread, can't you?
0:27:01 > 0:27:02- You can.- That's amazing.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05There it is, look.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Keep it going. There you go.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11That's the one. That's good, that's good, that's good.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13- Keep going.- Yeah.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15It's dead even. That's brilliant.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19So there we go, we've got our thread.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- Yeah.- Just a simple twist.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25It's amazing how you've got something
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that is produced through craft,
0:27:27 > 0:27:28- by hand and by eye...- Yeah.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30..which is then going on to create
0:27:30 > 0:27:32the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- That's what I find so fascinating. - Yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44As the rate of railway construction boomed,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46handcrafted items like coach screws
0:27:46 > 0:27:49were instead mass-produced in factories.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54The days of the blacksmith on the navvy camp were numbered.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Railways drove innovation
0:27:56 > 0:27:59in practically every area of manufacturing...
0:28:01 > 0:28:02..even textiles.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Carriages needed hard-wearing seats
0:28:07 > 0:28:09for the ever-increasing passenger traffic.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15The solution was fabric made from a material
0:28:15 > 0:28:17abundant in Victorian Britain...
0:28:19 > 0:28:20..horsehair.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Duncan Brummell is the production manager
0:28:26 > 0:28:29at John Boyd Textiles in Castle Cary, Somerset.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33They've been making horsehair fabric for over 150 years.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38What we're doing is...pulling out the broken hairs,
0:28:38 > 0:28:40and any weak hairs will break off in this process,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and also combing it through,
0:28:42 > 0:28:43so when it goes to the loom,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- it's nice and free... - Yeah.- ..to weave.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48Working horses from the local area
0:28:48 > 0:28:51had their tails cropped every couple of years.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54The hair was then sorted by colour and length,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56before being combed -
0:28:56 > 0:28:57a process known as hackling.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03That is a hair length, isn't it? It doesn't get any longer than that.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Yeah, we are limited in what width cloth we can do.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07So you'll get a piece of cloth a bit like that?
0:29:07 > 0:29:09- 26-inch cloth off of that.- Right.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11What are the advantages, then, of using horsehair?
0:29:11 > 0:29:15It's very strong. It's also relatively flame-resistant.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16It smoulders rather than burns.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18I suppose, you know, it's just like your own hair.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- If you go near a flame, your hair will singe, but it doesn't burn.- No.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25If it's used for chairs, it polishes where people sit on it,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27so you get more and more shine the older it is.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30And I suppose the other thing is that hair doesn't stain, does it?
0:29:30 > 0:29:34- No.- You know, it is going to make the perfect fabric
0:29:34 > 0:29:36for a railway carriage, isn't it?
0:29:36 > 0:29:38- Yeah, it does. - Something that's in constant use.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39People coming and going.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I can see the appeal of horsehair.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47The sorted horse tails are then dyed,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49a process which can take up to a week.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53So this is the natural black hair that we're going to dye black.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55These are the sort of colours you can achieve?
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Yes, we can achieve, yeah, many colours.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Oh, my goodness, that's a violent colour.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- Vivid colours.- Oh, my goodness, look at the blue on that!
0:30:01 > 0:30:03- Really vivid, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Next, the dyed horsehair is woven into cloth.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Anna Smith is director of the mill.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14I really like this one.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17It's an old design from about 1900,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21colour is an original colour from that time.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23The looms date back to 1870.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Really? 1870?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28And they're still functioning in a commercial business.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Yes, still the original looms.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35The green cotton runs the length of the loom, known as the warp,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and the black horsehair runs across, known as the weft.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Originally it was hand-woven.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44And then children sat on the loom,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46sending one hair at a time to the weaver.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49So you've got a man sat here who would be doing the actual...
0:30:49 > 0:30:52- Yeah - usually a lady, actually. - Was it usually a woman?- Yeah.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- And then a child is passing her... - Yes, passing her the hair.- The hair.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59But the Education Act of 1870
0:30:59 > 0:31:01ruled that every child had to attend school,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05taking away the main source of cheap labour.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10It was too expensive to have two adults for the loom,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13so that's why they developed a mechanical loom,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- and we still use the same one today.- Right.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20This is very beautiful, this fabric that's coming off,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22for something made out of horses' tails.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Yes, it is. It's mainly an upholstery fabric.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29In fact, Chippendale said you should only ever cover a dining chair
0:31:29 > 0:31:30in horsehair or leather,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33because they didn't stain or absorb the smell of food.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Not absorbing smells - that would be really important
0:31:36 > 0:31:38in a public carriage, wouldn't it?
0:31:41 > 0:31:44To keep up with the increasing demand for passenger services,
0:31:44 > 0:31:46industries across the country
0:31:46 > 0:31:49began to replace manpower with machine power.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Building this rapidly expanding passenger network
0:32:00 > 0:32:03demanded huge resources of raw materials.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09The foundation of any railway line was the ballast
0:32:09 > 0:32:11and millions of tonnes of it were needed.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20The ideal material was a very hard stone called basalt.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26I think you've proved the point that it is solid.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28For ballast, it's ideal, because with the weight
0:32:28 > 0:32:32and the constant vibration of trains going over them,
0:32:32 > 0:32:33it's not going to compact.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Once it's settled in position,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38then these angular pieces are going to lock together
0:32:38 > 0:32:43and form a very strong platform for the heavy engines and rolling stock.
0:32:47 > 0:32:513,000 tonnes of crushed stones were needed for every mile of track
0:32:51 > 0:32:56and by the 1870s, over 13,000 miles had been laid.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02- Stuart, I'm Alex. Nice to meet you. - I'm Peter.- Hello, Peter.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Traditionally, stone crushing would have been done by hand.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12But using steam power, a task which had required hundreds of navvies
0:33:12 > 0:33:15could now be done using a single machine.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Seeing as you've got a steam engine,
0:33:18 > 0:33:23- you've got power, and then you can do things like this.- That's right.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- Steam winch to pull it up for us there.- Right, OK.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29- Don't worry, you're not pushing it. - Makes a change, doesn't it?
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Stuart Tomlins and his team have set up a mobile stone crusher,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38powered by a steam tractor.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45We're turning this into this
0:33:45 > 0:33:47using that machine - how does it work?
0:33:47 > 0:33:50It's a jaw crusher, and basically,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52there's one fixed plate
0:33:52 > 0:33:54and the other plate is going backwards and forwards.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57And it crushes it as it goes down to the lowest point
0:33:57 > 0:33:58and gives you the size.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01And then to make this bigger or smaller...
0:34:01 > 0:34:06You just adjust the, um... adjust the one jaw,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08and it will allow bigger material to go through.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Fantastic.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Feel the power... You can feel the power of that steam engine,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22you can feel the power of this kit.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26And as those railways got bigger, they got more infrastructure
0:34:26 > 0:34:28and small navvy gangs like ours
0:34:28 > 0:34:32would have been absorbed into much bigger organisations.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- Right, if we just pull it out... - Yeah.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44- And there we have it, all the ballast.- Wow.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46And this is... I mean, it's quite angular, isn't it?
0:34:46 > 0:34:50It is going to lock it together, it's going to allow for drainage,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52it's going to bed the sleepers in,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55it's going to keep those in place, keep them dry,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58and this is essential stuff for building the railways.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02And that machine makes it relatively pretty easy.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Makes it a lot easier than it used to be.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07A lot easier than breaking it by hand, anyway!
0:35:13 > 0:35:18In 1825, just a few hundred people had travelled by rail.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21But by the 1880s, it was millions,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23and demand for new railways was still growing.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31In 1882, the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway opened,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35linking the south-east coast to the nation's capital.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44For passenger lines,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46the public face of the railway company
0:35:46 > 0:35:47was the station buildings.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55In cities, they were built without regard for cost or consequence.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Such was the scale of London's St Pancras Station,
0:35:59 > 0:36:024,000 houses were demolished to build it.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Even small, rural stations were lavishly decorated.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11They boasted the most up-to-date facilities,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14and to run them, they required an army of staff.
0:36:18 > 0:36:24By 1901, over 600,000 people were employed by the railways -
0:36:24 > 0:36:265% of the working population.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Companies in the beginning called their staff servants -
0:36:31 > 0:36:34you were a servant of a railway company.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37And they insisted upon uniforms,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40they insisted upon certain manners of speech,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42they insisted upon certain behaviour,
0:36:42 > 0:36:48and they insisted on absolute loyalty to the company -
0:36:48 > 0:36:50much like a great stately home
0:36:50 > 0:36:53would have expected of their servants.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59The station master was at the head of this new workforce.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Ticket clerks,
0:37:02 > 0:37:03porters,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05refreshment room staff,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07signalmen,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09wheel tappers,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11engineers,
0:37:11 > 0:37:12carpenters,
0:37:12 > 0:37:13and boilermakers,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16were all needed to run a station.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Then there were the train staff -
0:37:18 > 0:37:20engine drivers and firemen,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22and responsible for passenger safety...
0:37:22 > 0:37:23WHISTLE BLOWS
0:37:23 > 0:37:24..was the guard.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30There were guards on trains right from the first.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Passengers, however, added an extra layer of complexity and importance
0:37:34 > 0:37:35to the guard's job.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38I mean, if there was an accident with a goods train,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40well, very sad and all that,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42but mostly what got hurt were the goods,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44not so many people.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48With a passenger train, the potential for disaster,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51for bad publicity, was that much greater,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54so guards were given more and more responsibility,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58and they became a more important person on the railway,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00guaranteeing the safety of all those travelling.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08The guard in charge of this train is Graham Aitken.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11It's then my job, as the guard,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14to check that what he has done has been done correctly.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18Happy with that lot?
0:38:18 > 0:38:20I've checked it - the coupling's there.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22If the engine moves, we're going with it.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- At this stage, I'm happy. - All good.- Yeah.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30The famous guard's van - your very own little home on rails.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34In we go. My compartment, my domain.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Originally, one of the main roles of the guard was to operate the brakes,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40located in his van at the back of the train.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46As carriages in the 1880s had no corridors,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48once the train had left the station,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50the guard was cut off from his passengers.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59Even if you say, "Well, you can try and get in touch with the driver,"
0:38:59 > 0:39:02he's got to be looking out if you're waving flags and blowing whistles.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05That's exactly right, the way you attract his attention
0:39:05 > 0:39:07is by partially putting on the brake.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11Not enough to stop it - unless you mean to stop it in an emergency -
0:39:11 > 0:39:14but he will notice that the guard is trying to get his attention.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17And then he will look out, either him or the fireman,
0:39:17 > 0:39:19probably both of them, to look back
0:39:19 > 0:39:22and then the guard will be there, displaying a red flag,
0:39:22 > 0:39:23- a red light or whatever.- Yeah.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28One toot or two?
0:39:28 > 0:39:30SHE LAUGHS
0:39:30 > 0:39:32GUARD BLOWS WHISTLE
0:39:32 > 0:39:33TRAIN WHISTLE TOOTS
0:39:37 > 0:39:40The guard was also responsible for everyone's safety,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43so he had to be constantly on the lookout for dangers
0:39:43 > 0:39:46such as landslides or fires...
0:39:46 > 0:39:49and, of course, passengers in distress.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54It's one of the reasons there's no nice, comfy seats in a guard's van -
0:39:54 > 0:39:57the idea is that the guard has to stay alert,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00stay on his feet, always checking.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Most drivers and firemen will tell you
0:40:02 > 0:40:03they've got the difficult job -
0:40:03 > 0:40:06all the guard does is sit down, enjoys the ride.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Wrong. The guard is actually there for a very real purpose,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11and yes, he's got to stay alert,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14and he's got to check the train, cos he is responsible for the train,
0:40:14 > 0:40:16not the driver or the fireman.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23If the train had to stop in an emergency,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25miles from any station or signal box,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28it was the guard's job to alert the following train crew
0:40:28 > 0:40:29of the obstruction ahead.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34He needed something to grab their attention.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37- So, detonators. - Excellent, thank you.
0:40:39 > 0:40:40Marvellous.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Invented in 1841,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45railway detonators were used as a last resort
0:40:45 > 0:40:48to alert the next train, so that it could make an emergency stop.
0:40:51 > 0:40:52They were placed on the rails
0:40:52 > 0:40:56at intervals three quarters of a mile back from the stranded train.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58About here, I reckon.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00It doesn't have to be precise, does it?
0:41:00 > 0:41:03The train from here now is just over half a mile away
0:41:03 > 0:41:06and that gives plenty of time for the driver to stop.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10The weight of the train triggers the detonator,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13alerting the driver over the sound of the engine.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21DETONATORS BOOM
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Detonators did everything they were supposed to do.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32They did, didn't they? You would notice that.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34That engine was making quite a noise,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37the bangs went off, and the driver heard it instantly.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39And with three of them there, there's no mistaking them.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42So that means he did the right thing, shut off steam,
0:41:42 > 0:41:44applied the brakes, and the train stopped.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49This simple safety measure proved so effective,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53they're still used today if all other communication fails.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57HORN TOOTS
0:41:57 > 0:42:00By 1899, the frenzy of construction was over.
0:42:03 > 0:42:0620,000 miles of railway had been built,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09spanning the length and breadth of the nation.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14But the work didn't stop there.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18A new band of workers were needed to maintain the colossal infrastructure
0:42:18 > 0:42:21of track, tunnels and bridges,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23known as the permanent way.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Feeling strong?
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Strong enough.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31Under constant traffic, sleepers, rails and ballast
0:42:31 > 0:42:33would all eventually need replacing.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36To do this, railway companies employed
0:42:36 > 0:42:39specially designed steam-powered cranes.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41What a beast!
0:42:41 > 0:42:42It is, it's lovely, in't it?
0:42:42 > 0:42:45It was built for the LNER as a permanent weight crane,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49and it's still doing today what it was built to do back in those days.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Keith and Margaret Bonner are responsible
0:42:52 > 0:42:55for maintaining and operating this steam-powered crane
0:42:55 > 0:42:58at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
0:42:58 > 0:43:03In fact, before we go any further, I will give you the obligatory rag.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Oh, we are going to have our oily rag.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06You've got to have your oily rag.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08It becomes attached to you, does this piece of rag,
0:43:08 > 0:43:10- for the full day.- Fantastic.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Will we need a loco to move this thing?
0:43:12 > 0:43:13There is a set of gears we can engage
0:43:13 > 0:43:15underneath the carriage here,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17which allows the crane to travel under its own power.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Crucially, that power is steam power.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20That power is steam power.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22We're ready to roll.
0:43:36 > 0:43:37There we go.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Keith, you're going to raise up the derrick.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48A very proud moment -
0:43:48 > 0:43:55taking our tarred sleepers, putting them down by the railway.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Operating the steam crane is a two-person job -
0:44:01 > 0:44:05a banksman on the ground, and a driver controlling the train.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08The banksman communicates with the driver
0:44:08 > 0:44:10using a series of hand signals.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14Up they come.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20The critical thing when you're banking your crane
0:44:20 > 0:44:24is that your banksman - in this case, it's Margaret -
0:44:24 > 0:44:28maintains eye contact all the time with the crane operator.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30There's other obstacles as well -
0:44:30 > 0:44:33there's people that might step in the way.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36He's just asking you to do what he wants you to do,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38but he's also not aware of what's going on around,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41so you've got to have three or four sets of eyes, you know.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46- Well, you have to have your wits about you, basically.- Yeah!
0:44:49 > 0:44:50A bit more.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Wooden sleepers were used right up until the 1940s,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56when reinforced concrete began to take over.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02Here are our sleepers in place, dropped here by the crane.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07The gang would work with this crane all the way along the permanent way
0:45:07 > 0:45:09to lay down not just sleepers,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12but of course, they'd be bringing ballast in as well,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14and then the cleats and the coach bolts
0:45:14 > 0:45:16would all be put in place to hold these rails,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20and this is the means by which you both built and maintained
0:45:20 > 0:45:23the permanent way - the railways of Britain.
0:45:28 > 0:45:33By the 1880s, for many, rail travel had become a way of life.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39To experience it first hand,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Alex and Peter are travelling on the Lewes to East Grinstead railway.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48In preparation for the journey,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Peter is getting to grips with the latest fashion of the day.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57Macassar oil is one of the first mass-advertised products.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59It comes about in the 19th century.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03It's a blend of coconut oil and palm oil.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06It should give you added virility -
0:46:06 > 0:46:08not that you need it -
0:46:08 > 0:46:09and...
0:46:12 > 0:46:15..should help regenerate hair growth.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20It does give your hair a certain sheen, doesn't it?
0:46:20 > 0:46:23This hair oil stained even tough horsehair fabric.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26To protect the seats, antimacassars were fitted.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32If, particularly on a business commuter line, you did nothing,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36you'd soon get nasty, greasy patches
0:46:36 > 0:46:39where people rested their heads.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42So the answer, just like it was in the domestic home,
0:46:42 > 0:46:44was an antimacassar,
0:46:44 > 0:46:50which are small, easy-to-launder cloths.
0:46:50 > 0:46:51But they do have to be laundered.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Ah - Peter's dirty footprints.
0:46:59 > 0:47:00Where are these going, then?
0:47:04 > 0:47:07- Hi, Ruth.- Hiya. - What have you done to your hair?
0:47:07 > 0:47:09- I've not done anything to my hair. - Are you sure?
0:47:09 > 0:47:12I haven't had a chance to style it this morning.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16- You'd better get a ticket. - OK. Ah, good afternoon, sir.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19When the very first trains began to carry passengers,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21the tickets were sort of hand-written affairs,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24and included information like the name and address of the passenger.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28As you can imagine, it took ages to make out the tickets for a train.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32With commuter numbers rising,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34the laborious process of hand-writing tickets
0:47:34 > 0:47:37was not only inefficient, but open to forgery.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43What was needed was a quick and efficient fraud-proof device.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49It was a stationmaster - Thomas Edmondson -
0:47:49 > 0:47:50who devised a solution -
0:47:50 > 0:47:54printed tickets, each with a unique serial number.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Thank you very much. Right, OK.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Ruth, have you got any money?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05In the 1880s, for many people,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07travelling by train was still a daunting experience.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12To help them on their way, a manual was published,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15leading them through their journey step by step.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21- Afternoon.- Good afternoon.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22Check this out.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24"The Railway Traveller's Handy Book."
0:48:24 > 0:48:28"Hints, suggestions and advice for the anxious Victorian traveller."
0:48:28 > 0:48:30And that's us at the moment - anxious.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34You know, this can be a dangerous place.
0:48:34 > 0:48:35WHISTLE BLOWS
0:48:36 > 0:48:38For some travellers,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41it might be the first time they'd encountered so many strangers.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47The manual gave strict instructions on how to deal with such situations.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51"Card-playing, although somewhat difficult an accomplishment,
0:48:51 > 0:48:52"is a pleasant pastime among friends..."
0:48:52 > 0:48:54- So that's great.- All friends here. - OK.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58"..but beware of entering into this amusement with strangers."
0:48:58 > 0:49:01We haven't got any strangers in here, have we?
0:49:01 > 0:49:04"It is well known that a class of swindlers,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06"known as card-sharpers, exist,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08"who live by travelling in railway carriages
0:49:08 > 0:49:10"and taking in the unwary."
0:49:10 > 0:49:14The boys are joined by an expert in Victorian con artistry,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16who goes by the name Pete Heat.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Typically, they'd pretend to be drunk and quite offensive.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20I would've been making fun of your accents,
0:49:20 > 0:49:22what you're wearing.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24"Oh, city boys, are you?"
0:49:24 > 0:49:27And so you get...build up a real irritation,
0:49:27 > 0:49:28and you'd want to get one over on me.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31And maybe I would even flash the cards accidentally on purpose
0:49:31 > 0:49:33so you know for a fact which one is which,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35and then, of course, at the end, they get you.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39You've got to get up early in the morning to catch me and Peter out.
0:49:39 > 0:49:40That's what I thought, yeah.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44Pete has studied the sorts of tricks played on Victorian rail passengers.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45This is a little game.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49It's based on the old three-card game Find The Lady,
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Three Card Monte,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53the kind of thing you've seen on street corners, no doubt.
0:49:53 > 0:49:54But to make it a bit easier for you guys,
0:49:54 > 0:49:56we're going to use two cards.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58So card number one is the Queen of Hearts.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00I'm going to get you to hold on to that for me.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02At this point, I would like you to trust me.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05We've just met, so maybe check that it is still there.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07- That's still the Queen of Hearts, right?- Queen of Hearts.- OK.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09All right, so it's all above board.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12I have got the Queen of Diamonds over here.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15And if I do...that...
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Without looking at yours, what would you bet it was?
0:50:17 > 0:50:20I'm going to say it's the Queen of Hearts.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23OK, so you're saying Queen of Hearts on the bottom, Diamonds on top.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27- Yes.- Interesting.- Once lulled into a false sense of security,
0:50:27 > 0:50:31passengers were asked to gamble with something of value.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35Just to recap, what would you say? Hearts - no?
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Are we going Hearts on top, Diamonds on the bottom?
0:50:39 > 0:50:41- I think so.- Turn your hand over.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46LAUGHTER
0:50:46 > 0:50:47- Right, OK.- Wow.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49That was truly amazing.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Now, as a real Victorian con man, I definitely wouldn't have changed
0:50:52 > 0:50:54both cards at the end into different cards,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57because that is very clearly a magic trick at that point.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00The thing is, these carriages must have been perfect for conmen
0:51:00 > 0:51:02of the period, because we're a captive audience -
0:51:02 > 0:51:04we can't actually get away.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Essentially, in the mid-Victorian period,
0:51:06 > 0:51:10you're going to have lots of really quite naive travellers, aren't you?
0:51:10 > 0:51:12You're in a position to actually stalk your prey,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15and pick off people you think you'd be able to win money off.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18- Yeah, definitely.- Take my eye off you for a millisecond,
0:51:18 > 0:51:20and you've cost me my pocket watch.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Railway crime went beyond the occasional con.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28The first reported murder on a train
0:51:28 > 0:51:31occurred only two years after the publication
0:51:31 > 0:51:33of the Traveller's Handy Book.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36"Caution in passing through tunnels."
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Now, this is interesting.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41"Male passengers have sometimes been assaulted and robbed,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45"and females insulted, in passing through tunnels.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47"In going through a tunnel, therefore, it is always as well
0:51:47 > 0:51:50"to have the hands and arms ready, disposed for defence."
0:51:52 > 0:51:56Unaccompanied women were advised to travel with concealed truncheons.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Even the innocent-looking hatpin could be put to good use.
0:52:00 > 0:52:07You read quite often of women who are sexually assaulted in tunnels,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10because, you know, it's dark, there's a room full of men.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13That's right, and these are examples of what did happen.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19The introduction of electricity on trains
0:52:19 > 0:52:23allowed the guard to have full control of the carriage lighting.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26- There we are - lights are on. - Lights are on.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30This made passing through tunnels and travelling at night much safer.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34Tunnel!
0:52:36 > 0:52:40- The lights are on, though. - Oh, right! I didn't notice(!)
0:52:40 > 0:52:43What are you doing with my hat, man?
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Not on your hair...!
0:52:49 > 0:52:54Victorian trains had no buffet cars or onboard toilets,
0:52:54 > 0:52:56so scheduled stops for refreshments were vital.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58We're only here for 12 minutes.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- I need to use the toilet. - 12 minutes.
0:53:01 > 0:53:06Station stops were usually brief, often between 10 and 15 minutes.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10Just enough time to use the station's facilities.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14Hello. Have you got any hot food?
0:53:14 > 0:53:16- Just soup.- Just soup.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19- Alex will have soup. - One of those, then, please.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22With time short, the Handy Book had advice
0:53:22 > 0:53:25on how to make the most of your refreshment stop.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Handy Book does say...
0:53:27 > 0:53:29basically, "Dispense of pleasantries."
0:53:29 > 0:53:33"If you desire a basin of soup, never mind the words 'a basin of',
0:53:33 > 0:53:36"but simply utter the monosyllable 'soup'."
0:53:36 > 0:53:38- SHE LAUGHS - Same applies for anything else.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41So I've got this completely wrong - I should have just walked out,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44no hello, nothing, just, "Soup, cake, cake," go.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- Yeah. - SHE LAUGHS
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Stations would compete with rival companies
0:53:48 > 0:53:51in creating the most lavish refreshment room.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Some also had licences to serve alcohol and tobacco,
0:53:55 > 0:54:00putting them in direct competition with local pubs and hotels.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03OK, I see you've got cake there, Peter. Very nice.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06- They don't do soup spoons here, then?- No, they do not.
0:54:06 > 0:54:07Be happy with your lot!
0:54:07 > 0:54:10I suppose nobody's got any option - there's no catering on the train.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13And you're a captive audience, so you can be exploited.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15And famously, the standard of food
0:54:15 > 0:54:17at this time was appalling, wasn't it?
0:54:17 > 0:54:19- Oh, dear.- Goodness me.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21- How's that fruitcake, Peter? - Bit dry.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Before the railways existed, travellers by stagecoach
0:54:24 > 0:54:27would have had the opportunity to eat at coaching inns,
0:54:27 > 0:54:31and could even break their journey by staying the night.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33Now, if you were accustomed to eating out,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35which not many people were,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37but the wealthy, who were accustomed to eating out,
0:54:37 > 0:54:42were expecting the full, slow, served at table,
0:54:42 > 0:54:44silver service sort of thing,
0:54:44 > 0:54:48and then they're faced with just having to...
0:54:48 > 0:54:50- Essentially ordering the food in a rugby scrum.- Mmm.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54Short on manners, short on service - it's all quickfire, isn't it?
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Yeah, it's really interesting, isn't it,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59that the Handy Book actually has to tell you how to do it?
0:54:59 > 0:55:01It's quickfire - get in there, you get your food...
0:55:01 > 0:55:05- GUARD: Passengers for the 10.36! - Oh, Gordon Bennett!
0:55:05 > 0:55:07- Stuff that in my mouth. - Right, come on!
0:55:07 > 0:55:09I'm sure that soup would have been nice.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Although the Railway Traveller's Handy Book proved useful
0:55:13 > 0:55:17when guiding the bewildered passenger through their journey,
0:55:17 > 0:55:21it didn't hide the fact that the experience may not be for everyone.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26It says here in the Handy Book,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28"a person in a railway carriage
0:55:28 > 0:55:31"may be likened to a prisoner of state
0:55:31 > 0:55:35"who is permitted to indulge in any relaxation and amusement
0:55:35 > 0:55:36"to while away the time,
0:55:36 > 0:55:41"but is denied that essential ingredient to human happiness -
0:55:41 > 0:55:42"personal liberty."
0:55:42 > 0:55:46- Mmm.- We are essentially prisoners in a small box.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47We are indeed.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50TRAIN WHISTLE TOOTS
0:55:52 > 0:55:55For those who didn't make full use of their stop,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58Victorian entrepreneurs had a novel solution.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Well, this is the Harrods catalogue.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06Look at this!
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Attachable external bladders.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11SHE LAUGHS
0:56:11 > 0:56:12For ladies and gentlemen.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Oh, my giddy aunt, these are...
0:56:15 > 0:56:17They're pretty good, aren't they?
0:56:17 > 0:56:19SHE LAUGHS
0:56:19 > 0:56:23There are other ways, you know, for a lady to manage these problems.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Female passengers sometimes resorted
0:56:26 > 0:56:28to carrying an innocent-looking basket
0:56:28 > 0:56:31containing a chamber pot.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32SHE LAUGHS
0:56:32 > 0:56:33Goodness me, Ruth!
0:56:33 > 0:56:35You can do number twosies in there, as well!
0:56:37 > 0:56:38It wasn't until the 1920s
0:56:38 > 0:56:42that carriages with corridors became commonplace,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46enabling trains to be equipped with dining cars and toilets.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51Station stops could be shorter, speeding up journey times.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53If you look at the carriage we're in,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56we've effectively reached a style of travelling
0:56:56 > 0:56:58which we enjoy today, don't we?
0:56:58 > 0:57:00It's a bit nostalgic, but nonetheless,
0:57:00 > 0:57:03it's recognisable as a modern carriage.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06It's comfortable. And certainly, when you look back at Beamish,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08when you were in those open wagons...
0:57:08 > 0:57:10It was a beautiful day, so it didn't really matter.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13But if it had been pouring with rain and the wind had been howling,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16you'd be whistling along at 20mph...
0:57:16 > 0:57:18I mean, we've reached this level of sophistication, haven't we?
0:57:18 > 0:57:22Lovely, comfy seats, ventilation, it's weatherproof.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24But we've still got to go that extra hurdle -
0:57:24 > 0:57:25we still need toilets on trains,
0:57:25 > 0:57:27and restaurant cars as well, don't we?
0:57:27 > 0:57:30We do. I mean, you could bring a picnic...
0:57:30 > 0:57:32and I was thinking that's what that was!
0:57:32 > 0:57:33RUTH LAUGHS
0:57:33 > 0:57:35I think you'd get a bit of a surprise
0:57:35 > 0:57:38if you put your hand in that later on in the journey!
0:57:46 > 0:57:49Next time -
0:57:49 > 0:57:51we see how the railways revolutionised
0:57:51 > 0:57:53the way the country fed itself...
0:57:53 > 0:57:57And there we have it - sheep moving by the power of steam
0:57:57 > 0:58:00for the first time in at least a generation.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02..transforming people's diets....
0:58:02 > 0:58:05The railway industry. Who'd have thought? Rhubarb.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08..and turning Britain into a nation of fast food lovers.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10If I eat any more of this fish and chips,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13- I'm going to have a heart attack. - LAUGHTER