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 > 0:00:33But how did it happen?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37To find out, historians Ruth Goodman...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- Look out! - ..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 > 0:00:46- ..and Peter Ginn... - It is hard work.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49..are bringing the railways back to life,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52as they would've been during the golden age of steam.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I feel like I'm in a western.
0:00:56 > 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 > 0:01:07Brave new world.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10They will be helped by armies of enthusiasts
0:01:10 > 0:01:12who keep the age of steam alive...
0:01:14 > 0:01:17..on Britain's 500 miles of preserved railway.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- 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 > 0:01:29These are the men that built Britain's railways.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Those who ran it...
0:01:30 > 0:01:34This is brutal! This is savage industrialism!
0:01:34 > 0:01:38..and those for who 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 > 0:01:49This is the story of how the railways created modern Britain.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08The steam railways connected towns and cities right across Britain,
0:02:08 > 0:02:15revolutionising the transportation of goods, people, even information.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The way we communicate in Britain has never been the same
0:02:18 > 0:02:21since the arrival of the railways, and I want to find out first-hand
0:02:21 > 0:02:24just how they transformed Britain's postal service.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30In the second half of the 19th century,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Britain was in the grip of an electrical revolution.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36I'm interested in finding out how, practically, the railways
0:02:36 > 0:02:39facilitated this new age in communications.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Britain was becoming ever more connected.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48The introduction of express trains like the Flying Scotsman
0:02:48 > 0:02:51meant people began to see themselves as belonging to one common culture,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54one economy, and crucially, one nation.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Before the railways,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01most people in Britain thought of themselves as being from Galloway,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03or Monmouthshire, or Derbyshire.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06They didn't really think of themselves as being British.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10But within a very short time of the railways arriving,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12that had completely changed.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15How did we get to feel so connected?
0:03:23 > 0:03:24In 1800,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28the quickest way to send a letter was by horse-drawn mail coach,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30but it could take days to arrive.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34As the population became more literate,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36the volume of letters soared,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39so what was needed was a quicker, more efficient way of sending mail.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49In 1838, the introduction of mail trains provided a solution.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Letters could now be conveyed in hours, rather than days.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55This is all the post from Loughborough.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Nice little feature, a ramp down the stairs for sliding down
0:04:00 > 0:04:04the bags of post, in this case, or indeed any luggage.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I suspect it's every child's dream.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Although I've seen a sign saying, "Don't use this slide".
0:04:11 > 0:04:14At the Great Central Railway in Loughborough,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Peter is bringing this postal service back to life,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20helped by a team of enthusiasts.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Right, last bag. We just take it round there, do we?
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Peter's helping Paul Harrison load the mail
0:04:29 > 0:04:31collected from the local area.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- We're going in this door here. - OK.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36You have to call out the destinations
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- and then they're logged in on the train.- Right, OK.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41So we've got Burton-on-Trent.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Burton-on-Trent.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45First, the post was roughly divided into sacks
0:04:45 > 0:04:48for the different areas that the mail train was travelling to.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50So you're just looking at the labels on top there?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Yep. Coalville.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Coalville.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55- Coalville.- Another Coalville.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- Burton-on-Trent.- Burton-on-Trent.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Derby.- And Derby again.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05So I'll get rid of this and then we can jump on board.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12At a time when the people of Victorian London could expect
0:05:12 > 0:05:15up to 12 postal deliveries to their homes every day,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and the suburbs around six, speed was everything.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21In 1936,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25the role played by the railways in speeding up the postal system
0:05:25 > 0:05:29was immortalised in one of the first documentaries about working life...
0:05:33 > 0:05:35It tells the story of the Postal Special,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38carrying mail through the night from London to Glasgow,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40complete with a WH Auden poem.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45This is the Night Mail crossing the border
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Bringing the cheque and the postal order
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Letters for the rich letters for the poor
0:05:50 > 0:05:52The shop at the corner and the girl next door
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb
0:05:54 > 0:05:57The gradient's against her but she's on time.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03To make the service even faster,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05trains didn't just transport the mail,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08they featured a new innovation - the TPO,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11otherwise known as the Travelling Post Office.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Now the mail could be sorted on the move, too.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Derby.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Leicester.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Stafford.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Each sorter has 48 pigeonholes, known as fillets,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28representing different towns.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33The mail must be sorted before the train reaches its first destination.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37TPO historian Brian Hallett is on hand to help.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38It's a race against time.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42So, what do we do? Do we just take the bundles?
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- Take the bundles.- Yeah. - And with your trusty scissors...
0:06:46 > 0:06:47I left my trusty scissors at home.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Thank you very much.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55And am I going stamps-in, stamps-out, does it matter?
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Normally you do stamps-out.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I couldn't actually read that.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02In its heyday, the TPO workers picked up,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05sorted and delivered 500 million letters a year.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09These men were key to the efficient running of the country,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12ensuring mail got delivered on time.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I suppose you must have got quite fast at this?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19The TPO sorters were among the fastest sorters in the Royal Mail.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23So they were known for sorting up to 3,000 letters an hour.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Per person?- Per person.
0:07:25 > 0:07:293,000 letters an hour, what's that? That's 300 every six minutes.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30One per second.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35I mean, 3,000 letters an hour is an immense amount.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I think I managed to get close to one a minute,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43and I suspect someone else is going to have to re-sort what I've done
0:07:43 > 0:07:45because I kind of started losing track.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49These were the postal elite.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51They were faster, harder working,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and with the stamina to sort at speed against the clock.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The people that worked on here... If you were doing the north-east TPO,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and you were based in Newcastle,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05you'd travel down the first night on the passenger train,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and work back to Newcastle, sorting, that night.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- Yeah.- The following night, you'd work from Newcastle to London,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15sleep over in digs during the day,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18then you'd work the next night back to Newcastle.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It must've been quite a tight-knit bunch of guys.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Very much so. Can you imagine working with a bunch of people
0:08:24 > 0:08:28in the same coach, for five nights of the week?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30You've got to get on. And if you didn't get on,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- you didn't survive on the Travelling Post Office.- Yeah.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Despite working at speed on a constantly moving train,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39there was no room for error.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42The sorters were responsible for making sure their fillets were empty
0:08:42 > 0:08:44when they'd finished sorting.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46And the cleaners would actually go through after the shift -
0:08:46 > 0:08:49if they found any letters, they'd get a bonus,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and that bonus would come out of the sorter's salary.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54So you want to make sure they're fully clear,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57otherwise the cleaner's taking home your money?
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Yeah.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Once sorted, the letters for the first mail-drop
0:09:02 > 0:09:03are tied into bundles.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Tying up the letters - pull the string all the way down?
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Pull the string down and cut off the length you need.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13Yeah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15So these now go in here.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25So now we need to tie that up, ready to go in to the pouch to drop off.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28So if you want to tie that on there?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- OK.- Two or three times around with the string.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34And these labels... This is the same as the bags we were loading on
0:09:34 > 0:09:36at the start, so it just tells you where it's going.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38That's right.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40So that's got its label on,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42so that's ready to go down into the pouch,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43ready to be dropped off.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- That's going off quite soon, isn't it?- Yes.- OK.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Thanks a lot. Take it away, sonny boy.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Righto, handsome.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The TPO didn't just deliver and collect from stations,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02it also picked up and dropped off post at small towns and villages
0:10:02 > 0:10:04along the way...
0:10:04 > 0:10:06without the train even stopping.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15The first use of this system was on
0:10:15 > 0:10:18the London Birmingham Railway in 1838.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Within 70 years, there were 245 in operation.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27So the first thing to do is get these flaps over
0:10:27 > 0:10:29so you get a very neat package...
0:10:30 > 0:10:34..where nothing can come apart and you don't lose any of the mail bags.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Imagine doing this all night long,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44on a journey from Edinburgh to London.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47OK, so this is quite a constant process.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50I'm just getting worn out doing this one.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53So there you have one mail pouch ready for dispatch.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Next, the mail pouch is attached to an arm
0:10:59 > 0:11:01on the outside of the train.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04- Just pull?- Strong pull.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Some workers were so terrified of doing this,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13they paid a colleague to hang the bags out for them.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It feels quite weird.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17So you bring the bag to the edge?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Bag to the edge, bring the arm in.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25That flap just closes to stop it falling off.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27You do find that they will come off
0:11:27 > 0:11:31so we put a piece of string round it just as an extra safety,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33so we don't drop the bag before we should do.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36That would just be a nightmare. I suppose if the bag falls off
0:11:36 > 0:11:38before the drop zone, you've got to... How do you find it?
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Well, the people who were on the ground
0:11:41 > 0:11:44have to walk back up the track and find all the letters.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47So this piece of string is actually quite an essential bit of kit.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48It is, yes.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Further down the line,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Ruth is getting ready for the TPO's mail to arrive.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Oh, I see.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And that's it, locked in place. Collect the bags.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04So they're supposed to shoot in there?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06As the train passes through, I certainly wouldn't like to be
0:12:06 > 0:12:08down that end when the bags come off the train.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10So the main thing is, stand well clear.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- Indeed.- Right.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15As well as mail pouches being dropped off from the train,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17they could also be picked up.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19With help from TPO expert Phil Payne,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22she's preparing the mail ready for the train to collect.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26- They ain't light, these bags, are they?- No, they're not.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29I'll tell you what really I find interesting is how much they look
0:12:29 > 0:12:32like saddlebags. You know, they've still got that form
0:12:32 > 0:12:35from the old stagecoach days, haven't they?
0:12:35 > 0:12:37It's leather made, you know, by a saddler.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40There's a lot of work goes into these. It's all hand-stitched.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42There'd be no other way to do it, would there?
0:12:42 > 0:12:44And there's at least six layers in that.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47So many of these older crafts, you know,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50carry on a life in the automated railways
0:12:50 > 0:12:51for donkey's years.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55You couldn't find anything else to replace that kind of
0:12:55 > 0:12:59quality of leather to do the job that it's about to do.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01I mean, a train hitting that, it's going to need
0:13:01 > 0:13:04to take some punishment, so they stuck with leather.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10On the TPO, there's three minutes to go before the mail pick-up.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- You've got the net. - Yep.- You push the top lever down,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and then push the whole thing down in one smooth operation
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- until it clicks in place at the bottom.- Yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21You only do that once we've called "board".
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Then, after you've done the exchange,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26the mail bags will come in and we'll call "net",
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and that's when you release it to bring the net back in.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31OK. And I can't practise this now, can I?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33There's no way you can practise it now.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36You've only got one chance, and that has to be ready to do it,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39because we can only put the net out in safe locations.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So how many letters would be in one parcel like this?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I should imagine anything up to about 1,000.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51- Gosh.- In weight, bags would come in about 60lbs, 50lbs of post.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54So, when the train hits it at full speed,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56they're doing round about 70, 80mph.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57OK.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59If it ever went wrong,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02you'd be picking up letters down the track for weeks.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05So... But that's that one done.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06You get those up there?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Yep.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Quite a weight, as you can see.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Got it? Up we go.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17The leather pouches are attached to a stand by a spring clip.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20- It's not really a one-man job, is it?- Definitely not, no.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23After word is received that the TPO is approaching
0:14:23 > 0:14:27from the nearby signalman, the bags are swung out ready for collection.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30Right, ready?
0:14:42 > 0:14:46On the mail train, there's less than a minute to go before the pick-up.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Peter is preparing to drop the net.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Are we in quite a dangerous area here?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54We're in a very dangerous area, because this is the location
0:14:54 > 0:14:58where the pouches will come flying in once they hit your net.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01So the faster the train's going, the harder they come in?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Yes. At 85mph, they could land anywhere
0:15:04 > 0:15:07from hitting the ceiling and on to the benches.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10The mail was picked up and dropped off simultaneously.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13On the postal special from London to Glasgow,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16these exchanges took place 34 times a night,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19so the crew had to know the route intimately.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23If the net is put out too early, it could hit a signal or a bridge.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So the team looks for a track-side board,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28indicating the exchange apparatus is approaching.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- Do you want to get to the net? - So this is the lever?- Yes.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32And you're going to say...
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Well, one of my colleagues is going to shout "board".
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- All right, now?- No, no.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42You want two bridges and 45 beats.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47One...two...
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Now!
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- Board! - So, go down... Put it down now.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55All the way down, that's it. It's in.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11OK, net, net.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Well done.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18OK. It's all right, we've still got a net.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Yes.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Whoa!
0:16:23 > 0:16:24There you go.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Yeah, I see what you mean about vigorous.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28Quite substantial, isn't it?
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's remarkably physical
0:16:32 > 0:16:34for something as light as a letter.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Oh, my goodness. That was a flash, wasn't it?
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Yeah, all done very quickly.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43It's almost like magic.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Suddenly, you know, these two parcels have miraculously appeared
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and, yeah, it's the mail, ready to be sorted, I suppose.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- All ready to be sorted. - Yeah, we can't just stand around.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Get it open, get it out there and get it back out to the next stop.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- We need to get the lads working. - Yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01For over 130 years, TPOs worked across the country,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03picking up and dropping off mail.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07But as trains got faster, the exchanges became more dangerous.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10So in 1971, the service was scrapped.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13On a modern train, you can't even open the window.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Not these days.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17It gets quite exciting.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Did many people fall out?
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Erm, they didn't have many accidents with the TPO crew.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28It was more the driver and the fireman looking out
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- when they shouldn't have done. - Oh, to watch the...?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33And getting hit by the bags.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Standing up on the cab,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39there's quite a few stories about firemen losing their head,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44literally, so it's quite a dangerous occupation.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Once the mail was collected,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49the process of sorting started all over again.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51It was a never-ending cycle.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Even tea breaks were taken on the go.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- First division, coming over. - And again.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Second division. Another one.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02The TPO crew ran from, say,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05nine at night until six in the morning and they had to eat.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08So they provided them with basic - and they are basic -
0:18:08 > 0:18:11cooking facilities. Be careful, cos it's hot.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Because they didn't actually have a meal break while they were working.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19They'd carry on working, have their tea, a pie, and carry on sorting.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Do you fancy a pie?
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Thank you very much.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Before the railways,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47few people travelled beyond their local towns or villages,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50so felt little connection with other parts of the country.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56But the railways forced a change that was to finally get the nation
0:18:56 > 0:18:58working in sync.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01The traditional way of telling time back in the medieval period
0:19:01 > 0:19:04was to use the position of the sun and a sundial.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And it would have been watched by one of the church members
0:19:07 > 0:19:10who would have come out and he would have checked that sundial,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and when the time was right, he would have gone in and rung the bell
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and everyone in this community would have heard that bell,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17they would have known what time it was,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19what time to say masses and what time to say prayers.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24As the sun rises earlier in the east than it does in the west,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28cities across Britain could vary in time by up to 30 minutes.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33In an age when the horse was the fastest mode of transport,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37the odd minute difference here and there didn't matter.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40But once high-speed trains began connecting
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Britain's towns and cities, this became a problem.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49London was four minutes ahead of Reading,
0:19:49 > 0:19:5211 minutes ahead of Bristol
0:19:52 > 0:19:54and 18 minutes ahead of Exeter...
0:19:56 > 0:19:59..resulting in some very confusing timetables.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Something had to be done.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Alex has come to Bristol Corn Exchange
0:20:05 > 0:20:09to meet railway historian David Turner.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10So what's going on up there?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Well, we have two minute hands on this clock.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- OK.- The red one is London time.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19The darker one is actually Bristol time.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Right, OK. So that darker hand
0:20:21 > 0:20:24is ten minutes behind the other red hand,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- which is reflecting the two different time zones.- Yeah.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30So when the railways came, this brought with it Greenwich Mean Time,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32because the railways needed everything standardised,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36they needed trains to be meeting at the right places,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39for everybody along the line, all the staff, to have the same time.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Standardising time across Britain coordinated the railway network,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47allowing it to run more efficiently
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and making towns and cities more connected.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53But some areas were resistant to change.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57How are people over here in the west of England reacting to that?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01They kind of feel the railway's invading them, the area.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04There is a nickname for London time and it's called Cockney time.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10It's a sort of kind of derogatory term for that time from over there.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And the people are quite resistant, so apparently,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16in the commercial halls in Bristol,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20this gentleman stands up with his grandfather's pocket watch
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and he argues, "If one hand was good enough for my grandfather,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- "it's good enough for me." - Right.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29This is an invasion, the "other time" is coming in,
0:21:29 > 0:21:34invading the area and changing people's rhythms,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38their ways of life that have been in existence for, well, centuries.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42This was a time of change in Britain.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47While steam was revolutionising how we travelled and communicated,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51a new source of power was being developed alongside it,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53one that would change the world.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Electricity.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00The first use of electricity was a revolutionary communication system,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01the telegraph.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It allowed messages to be sent long distance
0:22:06 > 0:22:08down a wire, instantaneously.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12But to connect towns and cities,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14cables would need to be laid between them.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And with ready-laid corridors through the countryside,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22the railways provided the perfect routes.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29The railways themselves took advantage of this new system
0:22:29 > 0:22:32to ensure that a safe distance was maintained between trains.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37That's "train entering section".
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Signal boxes communicated the position of a train along its route,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46using the electric telegraph.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- And this is all using telegraph technology?- Yes.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54That's how you're communicating with the other signal boxes,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57through a series of bells relayed through telegraph systems.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58That's right.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03At Milton Keynes Museum,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Bill Griffiths is showing Alex how to use the first
0:23:05 > 0:23:09commercial electric telegraph to send Peter a message.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Developed by Cooke and Wheatstone in the 1830s,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15it took some getting used to.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Peter's going to be sat at the other end of the line
0:23:19 > 0:23:22waiting for a message. Can you show me how this thing works?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Well, as you can see, you've got a range of letters there
0:23:25 > 0:23:28and you actually have to point to the letters, and you do that
0:23:28 > 0:23:30by moving these handles in opposite directions.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So you have to spell out every letter.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Alex's telegraph machine is connected to Peter's by wires,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41and moving switches on one moves the needles on the other.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43(The anticipation.)
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Right, OK, so I'm going to send Peter a message.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51So M. If I then go Y...
0:23:53 > 0:23:58- My friend. There's no space bar, is there?- No.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59I'm just watching these arrows...
0:23:59 > 0:24:02So they both point to F, that makes an F.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04In an age before telephones,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08being able to send instant messages known as telegrams
0:24:08 > 0:24:09was revolutionary.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11But there were limitations.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13There's no U.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15And there's no C either.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16We're missing letters here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19There are. And I used to worry about that. I thought, how on earth
0:24:19 > 0:24:21do you send messages when you've got letters missing?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24C is quite important. U is quite important...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26We actually do it all the time, don't we?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28We send messages without certain letters.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30And we get used to it. So if you left...
0:24:30 > 0:24:34On most occasions, if you left a letter out of a word,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37or misspelt it - and they had this problem -
0:24:37 > 0:24:39people would understand by the whole message.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42R... Receiving me...
0:24:44 > 0:24:46He's obviously had a couple of drinks.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- "Are you- recieving- me?" I think that is.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51OK. So let's see what comes through.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56B.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58E.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59I before...
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I before E.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05I before E...
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Oh, yes.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I before E,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13except after C.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Always keen to pick me up on my mistakes, Peter, isn't he?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Soon railways became the hub of communication,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24with telegraph offices to send and receive telegrams,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28for the public, for businesses and even the police.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31While criminals could make their getaway on a train,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34the fastest mode of transport at the time,
0:25:34 > 0:25:38the long arm of the law could now get there even faster.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41There was the well-known murderer, John Tawell, who was caught,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43and he thought he'd got away with it, got on the train,
0:25:43 > 0:25:49got away and they were able to signal from Slough to Paddington.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51They couldn't telegraph his name, that wouldn't mean anything,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54but they were able to telegraph a description of what he looked like.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57They recognised him, or they thought they did, getting off the train.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00So you've got the bobbies at the other end, knowing what
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- this guy looks like.- That's right. - And that's how they got him.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05An unprecedented... Something we take for granted nowadays.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07But unprecedented back in that time.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I think it was the beginning of making our whole lives much quicker.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13That's a road we've travelled on from then until now.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15So everything has got speedier.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19To start off with, it was just used as an emergency service -
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I don't think it would be used every day. But then, of course, business
0:26:22 > 0:26:26found out how useful that would be to get the information quickly,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29so that took off, and then of course for news,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33and then spread to be used in more and more different ways.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37Every time I send an e-mail,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I shall be thinking about this machine,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42cos this is basically where it all began.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Telegrams meant breaking news stories could be sent
0:26:47 > 0:26:51to newspaper companies in London's Fleet Street within minutes.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54The Victorian age saw a boom in newspaper sales,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57thanks to the railway network that distributed them.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Printer Patrick Rowe is showing Peter how a newspaper proof
0:27:02 > 0:27:04would have been quickly assembled
0:27:04 > 0:27:08once news came through the telegraph system.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12So you're putting it in upside down?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Yes, it's just easier to read from left to right,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16the way you normally would.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18The letters are all back to front so that when you ink them up
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and print them, they're the right way round.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It wasn't just the railways that boosted circulation.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27In the 19th century,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31homes were increasingly being fitted with gas or even electric lighting,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33providing more time for reading.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Is that rubber or metal?
0:27:35 > 0:27:39It's zinc, and the tones are produced by these dots.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And the smaller the dot, the lighter the tone and the larger the dot,
0:27:43 > 0:27:44the darker the tone.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Yeah.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49It's like you're doing this with bits of Meccano.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- So, what are these? - These are quoins.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57These are the very old-fashioned type called hempel quoins.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59You can see what's going on, the two wedges...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And as you turn the key,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07it makes the wedges take up more space so it compresses.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08So it locks everything.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Locks it all up nice and firm.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13So we've put the type in,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16so we'll have to ink it up and proof it.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Before the railways, newspapers had been a luxury item.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27The Times cost 5p, a third of the daily wage of a station porter.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34But when the Daily Telegraph dropped its price to a penny in 1856,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36other papers soon followed suit.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44- That's better.- Oh, that's good.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47So crisp, isn't it?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50There you are, the proof.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53The proof. And I would be taking this to...
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Somebody would need to check it before it goes together
0:28:57 > 0:29:02with the lines of type to put the whole pages together.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05So, "Flying Scotsman breaks world speed record".
0:29:05 > 0:29:09So we just need to check the picture.
0:29:09 > 0:29:10Oh, my goodness.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11I can see the driver.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Although headlines were still hand-set,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19the body of text was set using state-of-the-art machinery...
0:29:21 > 0:29:23..then the proof finalised.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25The newspaper was then ready for printing.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31As newspapers became more affordable, circulation soared,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34driving a need for better printing methods.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38By the 1860s,
0:29:38 > 0:29:43rotary printing presses fed by rolls of paper five miles long
0:29:43 > 0:29:46were able to print up to 12,000 pages per hour.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Newspapers could now be printed through the night...
0:29:52 > 0:29:54..and delivered to the railway station
0:29:54 > 0:29:55in the early hours of the morning.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02This is news today...
0:30:03 > 0:30:06..and it's chip paper tomorrow.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08And that was only possible
0:30:08 > 0:30:09because of the railways.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Newspapers could be on sale in towns and cities all over Britain
0:30:17 > 0:30:18before breakfast.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29For the first time it was possible to wake up to national news
0:30:29 > 0:30:31hot off the press.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Inside the newspapers, readers were bombarded with adverts
0:30:41 > 0:30:42for goods and services.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48From health pills and skin creams to job vacancies.
0:30:50 > 0:30:51Even babies.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57In Victorian Britain, having an illegitimate child
0:30:57 > 0:30:58carried a huge stigma.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04But amongst the classifieds were adverts purporting to solve
0:31:04 > 0:31:06an unmarried mother's problem.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11At a time before adoption and fostering laws,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15it was perfectly legal to hand your child over to whoever you wanted,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17even a complete stranger.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Social historian Dr Meg Arnot
0:31:21 > 0:31:24has spent years researching these adverts.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Tell me, why on earth are these
0:31:27 > 0:31:31very lovely-sounding adverts such a problem?
0:31:31 > 0:31:34OK, we have an advertisement here -
0:31:34 > 0:31:36"Wanted, a child to adopt
0:31:36 > 0:31:41"by respectable married couple who have no children of their own.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43"Premium required, £30."
0:31:43 > 0:31:47It could actually be a genuine couple who have no children,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50and they want to adopt.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53But there is some code there
0:31:53 > 0:31:56that suggests to me that it might actually be something different.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00They're saying they want a really quite significant premium of money
0:32:00 > 0:32:04to be handed over with the child, that is they want £30.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06They will take a child if you pay them 30 quid.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12- Yes.- We could well be talking about a baby farmer,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14a form of human trafficking.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19The term baby farmer was coined in the 19th century to describe people
0:32:19 > 0:32:22who profited from taking on infants for a fee,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24often with the intention of selling them on,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27deliberately neglecting them,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29or even to dispose of them altogether.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33The railways made it possible for unmarried mothers to travel
0:32:33 > 0:32:36far away from the people they knew and hand over their child
0:32:36 > 0:32:42on a station platform, all the while remaining entirely anonymous.
0:32:42 > 0:32:48The very last baby farmer to hang in Britain was Rhoda Willis,
0:32:48 > 0:32:53who died in Wales in August 1907.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58So, Rhoda Willis advertised for a child to adopt
0:32:58 > 0:33:02and someone very quickly answered her ad with a newborn baby,
0:33:02 > 0:33:07which she picked up at a railway station along with £8.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12And then she caught the train back to her lodgings in Cardiff.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15And then her landlady found the body in her room,
0:33:15 > 0:33:21and she also confessed to actually killing the child on the train.
0:33:21 > 0:33:22Gosh, before she even got home.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Before she even got home.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29And I have come across other cases where there are allegations
0:33:29 > 0:33:32that these infants were killed on trains.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35So another... The darkest elements.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40At the worst end of it is an utterly cynical, murdering trade.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45What was most important to a woman with an illegitimate child
0:33:45 > 0:33:49who she was trying to get rid of was that it was kept secret,
0:33:49 > 0:33:55because her reputation was shredded by having an illegitimate child.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57And the railways provided that secret environment...
0:33:57 > 0:34:03Somewhere for nefarious activities of any sort, really.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06A new place, rather paradoxically.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10It's no different from the internet.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The internet is an amazing thing and this new flow of information
0:34:14 > 0:34:16and communication across the world,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19but part of the information that flows is criminal.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40As the 19th century progressed,
0:34:40 > 0:34:44new railway lines funded by entrepreneurs began to spread
0:34:44 > 0:34:46to every corner of Britain.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Initially, there was little coordination in building
0:34:49 > 0:34:53these new routes, but gradually they began to be linked up,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55making long-distance rail travel possible.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Linking Scotland and England were two competing routes,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05the West Coast Line and the more celebrated,
0:35:05 > 0:35:06the East Coast Line.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19The most famous locomotive to work this route has just undergone
0:35:19 > 0:35:22ten years of restoration costing £4.5 million.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30The Flying Scotsman, the most iconic steam engine of all time.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Look at the size of those wheels.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35They are phenomenal, aren't they?
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Railway companies on the West Coast and East Coast lines were competing
0:35:39 > 0:35:41to provide the quickest service.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46To do this, they needed ever more powerful locomotives.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50So in 1923, one of the greatest engineers of the age,
0:35:50 > 0:35:55Sir Nigel Gresley, gave us the Flying Scotsman,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58the first locomotive to officially reach 100mph.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05The journey from London to Edinburgh had taken ten and a half hours.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Now, behind the Flying Scotsman, it took just eight.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Rail operations manager Noel Hartley is prepping it
0:36:13 > 0:36:15to go back out on the mainline.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16Hi, Noel.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18- Great to meet you. - Hi, are you all right?
0:36:18 > 0:36:21The Flying Scotsman service travelled between Edinburgh and
0:36:21 > 0:36:26London, but this locomotive enabled a nonstop service, is that right?
0:36:26 > 0:36:29That's right. It had a few features to enable it to do that,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33so it had enough coal to get from London to Edinburgh, or vice versa,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36which was nine tonnes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39The loco also needed a huge amount of water.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43It could carry 5,000 gallons, but that just wasn't enough.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46To prevent it having to stop to refill,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48there was an ingenious solution.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Water troughs were placed between the rails along the route.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54By lowering a scoop into the trough,
0:36:54 > 0:36:59the Flying Scotsman could collect an extra 12,000 gallons of water
0:36:59 > 0:37:00without stopping.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Another issue was crew fatigue.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Normally a driver would do four, five, six hours on a shift,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14but because it was going to be an eight, nine-hour journey,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16they needed to change the crew halfway.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19So they invented a corridor tender.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Main line steam engines pulled a tender where the coal and water
0:37:24 > 0:37:27were stored, but this meant the driver and fireman were cut off
0:37:27 > 0:37:29from the rest of the train.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Gresley's inclusion of a corridor through the tender meant
0:37:32 > 0:37:37the crew could now pass from the footplate to the carriages behind.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- Can we go down there? - Of course you can.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Let's go and have an explore.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44It's a tight squeeze, Peter. Are you sure you're all right?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47I've been laying off the doughnuts, Alex.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49My goodness, look at this.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54The introduction of a corridor enabled the Flying Scotsman
0:37:54 > 0:37:56to make the first-ever nonstop service
0:37:56 > 0:37:59between London and Edinburgh in 1928.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Sir Nigel Gresley designed these engines.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07It just emphasises the genius of the man.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09And he really pushed the engines,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12pushed the boundaries of speed.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15He did, by using the simple innovation of a corridor.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Swapping crews halfway meant the job of looking out for
0:38:20 > 0:38:24more than 700 signals and shovelling nine tonnes of coal
0:38:24 > 0:38:25could now be shared.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31So we're going to see parts of the Flying Scotsman
0:38:31 > 0:38:33that other enthusiasts can't reach.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38There's one other innovation that made the Flying Scotsman
0:38:38 > 0:38:40once the world's fastest locomotive.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45But to get to it, you have to go under the engine.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49What you need to do is find something to hold on to
0:38:49 > 0:38:51and pull yourself up between the frames.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- Don't break anything. - I'll try not to.- Including yourself.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Steam engines conventionally had two cylinders,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02but Gresley's Flying Scotsman had three cylinders,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05enabling it to run more smoothly with greater power.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07There we go.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08Raining oil.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12And then you basically pull it open.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Whoa.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17There's quite a bit, isn't there?
0:39:17 > 0:39:19This is obviously one of the dirtiest jobs you have to do
0:39:19 > 0:39:21on a steam engine, cleaning out the smoke.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24If there's a dirty job that needs doing, Noel, Pete is your man.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Although once the pinnacle of engineering,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32the Flying Scotsman is at its heart a steam locomotive,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36still requiring long and complicated procedures to get it up and running.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Obviously it isn't a case of just turning an ignition key
0:39:39 > 0:39:40and starting this thing up -
0:39:40 > 0:39:42there's actually quite a warm-up phase, isn't there?
0:39:42 > 0:39:47There is a warm-up phase. You've got around a 24-hour period of gently warming the engine through.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Before you even light the fire, you've got to check
0:39:49 > 0:39:52inside the firebox to make sure nothing's leaking.
0:39:52 > 0:39:53So, can we have a look in the firebox?
0:39:53 > 0:39:58Yep, you can. Just lower yourself down and then slide in there.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Get reminded of Winnie the Pooh doing this.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Oh, my goodness. You can just feel the residual heat here.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10When was the loco last running?
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Three days ago, so it's still reasonably warm.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- Yeah.- Wow.- It's amazing, the heat coming off of this.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17- Yeah.- Three days later.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21My goodness. This is what I imagine hell's like
0:40:21 > 0:40:23- before they light the fires.- Yeah.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Lovely and warm in there, it really is.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30Oh, dear.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Once the fire box has been checked,
0:40:33 > 0:40:34it must be loaded up with coal.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37You've got to do it in one swing,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39so start from there and then round and straight in.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- Right, OK. - You don't get momentum otherwise.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44Yeah. Here he goes.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46And...
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Oh!
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Without breaking the shovel, ideally.
0:40:53 > 0:40:54It's a small hole.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55It is a small hole.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57I'm amazed you got through there.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04At this rate, Peter, we won't get her out the station.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13Put it near the fire-hole door until it gets burning properly.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16What we need to do is throw it on top of that coal at the front.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17There we go.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20Right, fire is in the firebox.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- We have fire.- OK, so the fire's going quite well now.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- Yep.- So it's time to put a little bit more coal on top.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28My go.
0:41:28 > 0:41:29The pressure's on now.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Put your money where your mouth is.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36Put your money where your mouth is.
0:41:38 > 0:41:39Whoa!
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Revenge is a dish best served cold.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49OK, so is it all right if I put some on there just so it goes
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- in the right place? - Yeah, go on, then.- That's great.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- Let's watch the master at work. - Yeah.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03You can see why in order to graduate onto a main line loco,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05you had to work your way up -
0:42:05 > 0:42:09you had to work your way through the shunting, the branch lines,
0:42:09 > 0:42:10the whole shebang.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11All of the oiling as well.
0:42:11 > 0:42:17Knowing all the component parts so that you're prepared and trained
0:42:17 > 0:42:20to take on a piece of technology which was, effectively,
0:42:20 > 0:42:21the Concorde of its age.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Keeping passengers, goods and mail services running across
0:42:26 > 0:42:29the rail network created a whole new array of jobs.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33The railways employed a workforce of half a million.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37From engine drivers and firemen...
0:42:39 > 0:42:40..engineering crews...
0:42:43 > 0:42:44..boiler makers...
0:42:46 > 0:42:47..through to guards...
0:42:52 > 0:42:55..signalmen and porters.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00But none of the trains could run if it wasn't for this one job...
0:43:05 > 0:43:07The wheel tapper.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10There is a ring there, isn't there? OK.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13It was the job of the wheel tapper to check the wheels
0:43:13 > 0:43:15before each journey.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19In the case of the Flying Scotsman and its carriages,
0:43:19 > 0:43:22it would mean tapping over 120 wheels.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26A cracked wheel, like a cracked bell,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28does not sound the same as one in good working order.
0:43:31 > 0:43:32They do not ring true.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- That one rings quite nicely. - That's nice, isn't it?
0:43:35 > 0:43:38That's ringing like a bell, really, can hear it echoing down the rail.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Yeah, that's right. This one.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- That's not so good, is it? - No, it's not quite so...
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Doesn't ring quite like the other one, but I don't think
0:43:47 > 0:43:49you would see the crack, well, unless it was really obvious.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Right. So, that's...
0:43:51 > 0:43:54It might be just a hairline crack somewhere.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56So that's the point of the tapping,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58to find things you couldn't see with the naked eye?
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Yeah, yeah. But the old wheel tappers, they'd be tuned to that.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04They'd know exactly how far they could go.
0:44:04 > 0:44:05If that's what you're doing...
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Cos that was an entire job, wasn't it, wheel tapping?
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Oh, that's all they did, yeah.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15Rob Stinchcombe is showing Ruth how defects were recorded on a form
0:44:15 > 0:44:16and clipped onto the wagon.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20If it was a serious fault, they'd put a red card in it,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22which means it's totally out of...
0:44:22 > 0:44:25- Out of use.- Out of traffic.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31If a faulty wheel caused a train to break down or derail,
0:44:31 > 0:44:34the network could come to a standstill, delaying goods,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36passengers and mail.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39So damaged wheels had to be sent to the workshop for repair.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Wheels such as those on the Flying Scotsman
0:44:44 > 0:44:47are composed of a wheel pan and a separate steel tyre.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54It meant that if the tyre cracked or wore out,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57the whole wheel wouldn't need replacing.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59At the South Devon railway workshop,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Ruth is helping engineer Richard Elliot
0:45:01 > 0:45:04fit a new tyre to a train wheel.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07First, the tyre is heated to make it expand.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10- This is the tyre itself?- That's the steel band, that's the tyre itself.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14That's the tyre itself. And this is just a fire all the way round it?
0:45:14 > 0:45:16- Yep.- A gas fire in this case.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Basically, you've got about the same as your cooker or grill.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Oh, my goodness, yeah.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Yeah, so just a series of flames.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28So all you're doing is warming her to about 220 degrees.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29- Right.- Gas mark eight, for you.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Gas mark eight!
0:45:31 > 0:45:33For about 25 minutes.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36How do you know when it's cooked enough?
0:45:36 > 0:45:39- Basically, she'll go a nice golden colour all over.- Right.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43And the modern technology gives us things called Tempil sticks,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46which are basically waxes that melt at specific temperatures.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50The other method of doing it, more Victorian for you,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52was basically to spit on it.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55So will it do any harm if I try and spit?
0:45:55 > 0:45:56Yeah, give it a go, see if you can.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58- See how hot it is.- Oh, I missed.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00My spitting is rubbish.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04- We'll be getting you a glass of water.- I'm hopeless!
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Oh, you're much better at it. Oh, look at that bubble jump.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12- See the bubble jumps?- Yeah, right.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14- So we're after a little bit hotter yet.- So we're not quite there yet.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16We're not quite there.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Although some modern elements have been introduced,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22the method is exactly as it would have been in the age of steam.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Obviously, our crayon is saying we're hot enough.
0:46:25 > 0:46:26- Right.- And if we can spit on it...
0:46:26 > 0:46:29It's rather dry cos it's a bit warm.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34It just hits and forms into a ball and skids around on it.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36So we're probably about hot enough.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Let's go for it. Let's switch her off and fit her in.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Once the tyre is expanded, the wheel pan is inserted.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47The tyre must fit within 1,000th of an inch
0:46:47 > 0:46:48of the wheel diameter.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- Jeepers, this is so accurate. - Well, it's close.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55The tyre is pressed and as it cools,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57it shrinks onto the wheel pan.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58Excellent.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- It's on!- It's on. One down, well done.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03That was really exciting, thank you.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- Well done.- I know you made it look so calm and professional,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08but I found that pretty exciting actually.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Good, that. Right, cup of tea?
0:47:16 > 0:47:19In the days of steam, the bigger the driving wheels,
0:47:19 > 0:47:20the faster the loco could go.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26On small locomotives, the wheels were around three feet in diameter.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33But the Flying Scotsman's wheels are more than double this size.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38It was a locomotive built for speed, a racehorse of the locomotive world.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43With the loco now in full steam,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45it's ready to recreate the legendary route
0:47:45 > 0:47:48connecting London and Edinburgh.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51- Don't make them like they used to, do they?- No.- They're so swish.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Amethyst, it's actually named.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56Travelling in style, isn't it?
0:47:56 > 0:47:58- Are we here? Are we all here? - In here?
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Good stuff.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11With rival railway companies competing to attract passengers,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14the range and quality of services they offered
0:48:14 > 0:48:15was of paramount importance.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Head steward Keiran Flynn is training Alex
0:48:20 > 0:48:23in the exacting standards expected by first class passengers
0:48:23 > 0:48:25back in the 1930s.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Do we know when this started, then, serving food on trains?
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- The first meal served on a train was 1878.- Right.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36The papers at the time reported that the food was all lovely
0:48:36 > 0:48:39and that even though the train was travelling at 60mph and the brakes
0:48:39 > 0:48:42were applied, nothing was spilt, nothing was broken.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44- Right, OK.- So they were quite impressed by that at the time.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47So I've got quite a lot to live up to today.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51I've got a feeling that's not going to be the situation for me today.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55Keiran is showing Alex how to lay a table for a five course dinner.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57- Our main plate here. - Yeah, that's right.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Our salad plate goes on top here.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01- Yep.- OK.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02And our side plate there?
0:49:02 > 0:49:04- That's correct.- To the left, OK.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Now, cutlery?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Right-hand side of the knife, so you have your starter knife
0:49:08 > 0:49:10on the outside, your main knife on the inside.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Working in towards the main course.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15- Yep. And then these...- Yep.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18- Grape scissors.- Grape scissors?
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Right, this really is fine dining, isn't it?
0:49:20 > 0:49:24So, if you had a bunch of grapes and you needed to get through the stem,
0:49:24 > 0:49:26that's what they're there for, and they sit just like that.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27Now, Keiran,
0:49:27 > 0:49:31providing service in style in a regular restaurant is hard enough.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35- Yep.- But how hard is it doing it on a train that's doing 60mph?
0:49:35 > 0:49:36It can be quite tricky.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38The main thing is just to not fight it.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42If you try and fight against it, then you'll slam into the walls
0:49:42 > 0:49:45a bit harder. Be prepared for it and just kind of try and bounce off
0:49:45 > 0:49:47- whatever you land on.- Right, OK.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49And walk with your legs slightly wider apart,
0:49:49 > 0:49:50sometimes helps as well.
0:49:50 > 0:49:51- OK, so, a bit of a gait.- Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55Sort of sea legs in some ways, isn't it? It's like having good sea legs.
0:49:55 > 0:49:56Yeah.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59In the 1920s and '30s,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02the Flying Scotsman was the pride of the nation.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07First-class passengers were expected to dress smartly.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Even Peter's made an effort.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Peter!
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Oh, my goodness... White.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Yep.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- On a railway powered by steam. - Powered by steam.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22How long are you going to stay white?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Long enough, because it's only for dining.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I'm not intending to go up there and shovel it.
0:50:28 > 0:50:29I'm not particularly happy, Ruth.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Word on the grapevine - we've got a trainee waiter.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37I've got my sea legs, my gait.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Watching where I'm going.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45To serve food on a swaying train without spilling it,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49waiters were blindfolded and trained to walk along a white line
0:50:49 > 0:50:52on the carriage floor as the train speeded along.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Oh, it nearly went!
0:50:58 > 0:51:01It is quite a bumpy ride, this.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04This is quite rocky-rolly.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08- Are you all right? Can we go on this?- Let's go for this.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Can I have the salmon up as well, please, and the soup?
0:51:12 > 0:51:14We're into a station in 15 minutes.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16I need to have these customers fed.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Head chef Tony Keene is challenged with cooking high-quality
0:51:21 > 0:51:25restaurant food in a tiny kitchen at over 80mph.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27How many meals are you looking at preparing, then,
0:51:27 > 0:51:29on a train like this?
0:51:29 > 0:51:33On average, we're doing around 250 diners across the different classes.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35250 diners?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37Yeah. We cook a lot of the meals to order.
0:51:37 > 0:51:43It's 250 people, we'll do 1,500 plates of food today,
0:51:43 > 0:51:44individual plates of food,
0:51:44 > 0:51:48which all have to be washed by hand by my guys down there.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50On the other side of the wall there's a pot wash.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52- The water slops all over the place.- Yeah.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54The crockery gets broken.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57I just buy some more.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59With space limited,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03early Victorian dining cars had an open-air veranda at the kitchen end,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06which was used for jobs like peeling potatoes.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Inside, the food was cooked on an open fire.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11You're cooking on gas, though.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14I mean, imagine what it would have been like cooking on coke.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I can't imagine.
0:52:16 > 0:52:17The soot, the mess...
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Respect goes out to those guys.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24We have operational issues along those lines but not as hardcore
0:52:24 > 0:52:26as it would have been done in the past.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28It would have been a proper workhouse in those days.
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Yeah.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34In 1925, passengers on British trains consumed
0:52:34 > 0:52:36over 7.5 million meals.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41On long-distance journeys, there were up to three sittings.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Tables could be reserved by telegram.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48- Oh, wow.- This looks good.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55That was inevitable.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58Bit of a hot potato, that one, wasn't it?
0:52:58 > 0:53:02The first Pullman dining cars, designed by American engineer
0:53:02 > 0:53:07George Pullman, were made in Detroit workshops and shipped to Britain.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10But the Flying Scotsman didn't just cater for diners,
0:53:10 > 0:53:14they also tempted passengers with other luxury services,
0:53:14 > 0:53:18from a cinema to a hairdressing salon.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Passengers could also listen to music on headphones.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26For the business traveller, there was even a Dictaphone service.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31We've both dressed up for this experience. Do you think
0:53:31 > 0:53:34that most of the people who were doing this for real were also,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38you know, the well-heeled, the well-dressed?
0:53:38 > 0:53:40London and Edinburgh were the two largest cities
0:53:40 > 0:53:43in the British empire, certainly in terms of finance,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45so it was such an important connection.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Being able to communicate easily and quickly
0:53:48 > 0:53:53between businesspeople must have been absolutely a godsend.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55And you can just imagine the whole train, can't you,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58buzzing with really important conversations,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02as well as with people off on their hols to the Highlands of Scotland.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08The Flying Scotsman is crossing the Royal Border Bridge -
0:54:08 > 0:54:09the gateway to Scotland.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15But in the restaurant car, there's a crisis -
0:54:15 > 0:54:17the kitchen is running low on salmon.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22Modern trains have the ability to call ahead to the next station
0:54:22 > 0:54:25to stock up on supplies.
0:54:25 > 0:54:26But not in the age of steam.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31We're down to our last couple of salmon and there was no way
0:54:31 > 0:54:34of communicating from the Flying Scotsman, or indeed,
0:54:34 > 0:54:36any train in the period.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40So, if you wanted to get some more salmon and potatoes, or indeed,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42if something had gone wrong on the train
0:54:42 > 0:54:44and you needed to get the message out,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47you had to write it down,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52rip off the note, and then if you had your handy potato,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56you could make an incision in the side,
0:54:56 > 0:55:01fold it up, slip it in and as you pass a signal box, throw it out.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07That potato's gone to the signal box, that signal box
0:55:07 > 0:55:10will telegraph forward, and when we reach our next stop,
0:55:10 > 0:55:12our supplies will be waiting for us.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Gooseberry jelly.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Would you like some jelly?
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- RUTH LAUGHS - I knew you would!
0:55:38 > 0:55:40I'm terribly sorry, sir.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42I'm terribly sorry.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45I'll just go and get some cream.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02For the first time in nearly two decades,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05the Flying Scotsman is arriving in Edinburgh.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10- That was great, wasn't it? - That was absolutely...
0:56:10 > 0:56:12The Flying Scotsman enabling communication between
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Edinburgh and London - journey of a lifetime.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21- Wow.- I know!
0:56:21 > 0:56:25We have just gone from London to Edinburgh on the Flying Scotsman.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28This linking up of Britain at such speed,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31you start to sort of really get that sense, don't you,
0:56:31 > 0:56:32for being one country?
0:56:32 > 0:56:34- It's a sort of galvanising of a nation...- Yes!
0:56:34 > 0:56:36..that the railways afford us, isn't it?
0:56:36 > 0:56:39- Absolutely.- Not just the ability to travel at great speed, but also
0:56:39 > 0:56:42things like the telegraph as well, there's technological developments.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45If you don't have the telegraph, you don't have instantaneous messaging,
0:56:45 > 0:56:47therefore you don't have news, so to speak.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51- Yeah.- And then you get the transportation of all that news
0:56:51 > 0:56:55out from the big publishers to every corner of the country.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58And then you can write to people about the news you've read...
0:56:58 > 0:57:00- Yeah.- ..and that goes on the mail.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02- Yeah.- It's quite amazing. When you think, in our own lifetime,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05the profound changes that we've seen because of the digital revolution.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08- Yes.- This internet revolution, we can back-project those
0:57:08 > 0:57:12- and we can see all those same elements, can't we?- I think so.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15We can really understand what it must have been like for people
0:57:15 > 0:57:18to move from that sort of pre-railway age -
0:57:18 > 0:57:22everything in your life is very localised - to this sudden zoom
0:57:22 > 0:57:24of connecting up. Very global.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28But once you've got it, you forget how you lived without it.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30That's very true. That's very true.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33You see people's lives change utterly.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35It's still a remarkable achievement, though,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38getting from London to Edinburgh in the speed we did today.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41- Isn't it?- And in the style that we did today.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Well, speak for yourself.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45Next time...
0:57:45 > 0:57:48We see how branch lines revolutionised trade...
0:57:48 > 0:57:49We did it!
0:57:49 > 0:57:52..turning Welsh wool into a world-renowned business...
0:57:54 > 0:57:56..putting Scotch whisky on the map...
0:57:58 > 0:58:00This is a bit like being on a pogo stick in a sauna.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05..and making Devon Britain's biggest producer of milk.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09This is the railway milk industry at its source.