0:00:06 > 0:00:10For me, trains are about getting from A to B,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13but there are people of all ages who love the romance
0:00:13 > 0:00:15of the golden age of the railway.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19When the first train left Belfast for Lisburn in 1839,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21it changed our lives forever.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Fast, dangerous and exciting,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28the railways sped up the pace of industry,
0:00:28 > 0:00:30commerce, and communication.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33At one time, almost everyone in the country
0:00:33 > 0:00:36lived within five miles of a station.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39People who'd never been out of their home town, or village,
0:00:39 > 0:00:40could take a trip to the city
0:00:40 > 0:00:42or spend the day at the seaside.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I'm much too young to remember all that,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49but I've spoken to people up and down the country
0:00:49 > 0:00:51who can't understand
0:00:51 > 0:00:53why most of our railway network
0:00:53 > 0:00:56was abandoned almost 50 years ago.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I want to find out what the attraction is,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03to see if there's any trace left of these old lines.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Any hidden history to be found
0:01:05 > 0:01:08in some of the places they passed through.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And that brings us to tomorrow,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14temperatures will rise to about 18 or 19 degrees for many of us.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Then as we look ahead to the rest of the week and into the weekend,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20plenty more dry weather to come.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Well, there you are, that was the weather.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Not looking too bad at all -
0:01:23 > 0:01:26perfect for getting away from the weather desk for a few days
0:01:26 > 0:01:27to walk the line.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The first railway in Ireland was opened to the public
0:01:46 > 0:01:49on December 17th, 1834,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and comprised a six-mile-long section of track
0:01:52 > 0:01:54linking Dublin with Dun Laoghaire,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56or Kingstown, as it was known then.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57The next line to be built
0:01:57 > 0:01:59was a seven-mile track
0:01:59 > 0:02:02between Belfast and Lisburn in 1839 -
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and this was extended to Portadown in 1841.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10This train, run by the Railway Preservation Society,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12is going all the way to Dublin today.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14I'm only going a few stops down the line.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20There's something exciting about the sight of a steam engine
0:02:20 > 0:02:21blowing as it lets off steam.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26This is the way to travel.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27Civilised.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29At one point, you could have journeyed full circle
0:02:29 > 0:02:31around Lough Neagh.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Today, my challenge is to retrace that route.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Bordering five of Northern Ireland's six counties,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43my walk around Lough Neagh will take me through unspoiled scenery
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and secluded countryside.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I'll follow the once-bustling railway routes
0:02:50 > 0:02:53through Vernersbridge up to Cookstown and over to Crumlin.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59My first stop today is Portadown
0:02:59 > 0:03:02where I'm going to meet former railway employee,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05photographer, raconteur and railway enthusiast,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Fred Cooper.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Now in his eighties, Fred is still
0:03:13 > 0:03:15a familiar sight on the roads.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17He's spent a lifetime chasing trains
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and capturing the glorious age of steam on cinefilm.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Fred travelled by motorbike
0:03:22 > 0:03:24the length and breadth of the land,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26sometimes 500 miles in a weekend,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29just to get the right shot.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Thankfully for us, Fred did have the foresight
0:03:31 > 0:03:33to film trains like this
0:03:33 > 0:03:35before they disappeared forever.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39I'm honoured, today, to be invited into Fred's shed,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41which is a workshop, museum,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44private cinema and treasure trove of movie magic.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49You have thousands of hours' worth of material.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52What made you want to go out and make films about the old railways?
0:03:52 > 0:03:55As a young lad, there, I used to...
0:03:56 > 0:04:00..sit and watch the trains go past up at a place, in Portadown here,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02called Junction Row.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I just sat there for hours
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and my maw always knew where I was.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10She used to come up and I'd been sitting on top of the railway pylons
0:04:10 > 0:04:13watching the trains up and down the Dublin line.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14It was great.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I never lost the love of the old steam trains.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23And when Fred grew up, he bought a camera.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26All the better to watch, and film,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28those steam trains go by.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Apart from filming the children growing up,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I was walking on the railway
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and I used to bring the movie camera down into the works
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and the boys that I was walking with would say,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"Sure, Cooper, we know you've no film in the camera."
0:04:42 > 0:04:44They just acted naturally
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and I was filming away at them -
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and this is how I got the movies of them.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And as well as the railways, you were also into your motorbikes.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Yes. I had that BSZ 250 motorcycle.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59That was a great wee bike.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04And I would have chased the steam trains here, there and everywhere.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06You had your bike and your camera
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and, some days, you would have travelled hundreds of miles
0:05:09 > 0:05:11just to get some footage.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Actually, if there was going to be a certain run of trains out,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20the week before, I used to do a dummy run.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I would go round where I knew the train was going to be going,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25the different locations,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29so as I would have knew the following week what roads to go up.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It's no use on the day of the tour saying,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33"Oh, it's at this road or that road,"
0:05:33 > 0:05:36because the steam train's still moving on
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and, if you can't catch it again, that's just too bad.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Was it difficult keeping up with the train?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47You would have slid yourself back slightly
0:05:47 > 0:05:49on the dual seat of the bike,
0:05:49 > 0:05:56and, streamlined, you got 3-4mph quicker
0:05:56 > 0:05:58if you were lying down on it
0:05:58 > 0:06:02than if you were sitting up where you were touching all the wind.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Some people may have thought you were a bit of a mug
0:06:07 > 0:06:09going out and filming in all sorts of weather
0:06:09 > 0:06:11but you have the last laugh,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13you've got all of this material.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Some of the boys in the movie club and stuff would have said to you,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20"What are you filming them old steam trains for?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23"Sure, nobody wants to see them."
0:06:23 > 0:06:28I said, "Aye, maybe they don't want to see them but I want to see them
0:06:28 > 0:06:31"and my young lads will want to see them again."
0:06:31 > 0:06:35And I said, "That's why I'm taking these steam trains."
0:06:35 > 0:06:39I've had a great time over the last 50 years
0:06:39 > 0:06:41going out here and there on the motorcycle
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and filming these steam trains
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and I would do it all again
0:06:47 > 0:06:50if I was younger,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53but I've enjoyed it very, very much.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I could spend hours chatting with Fred
0:06:59 > 0:07:00but there's walking to be done
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and a challenge to be met.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10And, as I leave Portadown, I'm heading to another railway line,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but this time it wasn't for passengers.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16This is Peatlands Park,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19part of the once-beautiful estate of the Verner family.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23There is no sign of the family mansion known as Churchill,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27but what people might remember is the little three-foot gauge railway
0:07:27 > 0:07:30that once crossed the Portadown-Dungannon road.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34It also went below the M1 motorway in a special little tunnel,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37transporting freshly cut turf.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:07:45 > 0:07:47There's now a similar sized railway and engine
0:07:47 > 0:07:49that runs through the park.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52It doesn't follow exactly the same route
0:07:52 > 0:07:55but it does take you along some of the original railway
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and there are places where the old track is still visible.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I travelled by steam train earlier
0:08:03 > 0:08:07but the track I'm on now was designed for a diesel engine
0:08:07 > 0:08:09and the reason... Well, look around.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11A steam train gives off sparks
0:08:11 > 0:08:16and could have easily have started a wildfire on the boglands.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23A narrow-gauged line has been associated with this area since 1901
0:08:23 > 0:08:26when the Irish Peat Development Company purchased the land.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Over eight miles of track was laid to transport cut turf
0:08:32 > 0:08:35from bog to the processing plant near Maghery.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38From there, it was shipped by barge along the Blackwater river
0:08:38 > 0:08:42to Lough Neagh and then down the Lagan Canal and river to Belfast
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and onto England.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Up to 300 people worked in these boglands,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49cutting, footing and stacking the turf.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00I'm back on track now
0:09:00 > 0:09:04and heading to a station which also has connections with Peatlands Park.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12The station house here at Verner's Bridge opened in 1862
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and was named in honour of local landowner William Verner.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Now, he didn't want a standard station
0:09:18 > 0:09:21so, at his request, Verner station
0:09:21 > 0:09:24was built to match his own house, Churchill,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27hence some of the unusual architecture.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32And, along with the station house,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34the goods shed survives too,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37gentle reminders of a bygone era.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56There was once a massive bridge over the River Blackwater
0:09:56 > 0:10:00with the trains carrying passengers from Belfast through Portadown
0:10:00 > 0:10:05to places like Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane and Derry.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Today, only the stanchions remain.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18There's something almost regal about these columns.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21They remain steadfast on the riverbed.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25I can still just about make out the railway track
0:10:25 > 0:10:27as I follow its route through the barley field.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I'm walking alongside the old railway track
0:10:47 > 0:10:49which takes me to my next stop, Trew and Moy.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It was important in the export of horses
0:10:52 > 0:10:54from the famous Moy horse fair.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Moy, or, as it's known locally, the Moy,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01is on the west bank of the River Blackwater.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06The former station is now a mushroom distribution business
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and the main building an office.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The station house is still a family home.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Kieren's father Kevin Hughes was stationmaster here in the '50s
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and he feels it's important to keep not only family
0:11:19 > 0:11:22but railway memories alive.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24We've great childhood memories of the railway.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28We played here on the lines and the tracks watching out for the trains.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30In the early days, it was all steam engines.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34So, this is your railway collection.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37What exactly do we have here?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41This was the money bowl, and it's for all the loose change.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43There were three of them in a drawer
0:11:43 > 0:11:45which was in the office just here behind us.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50This is the original ticket hatch from 1857. We've kept it the same.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52All the passengers would have come here and got their tickets
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- and then...- Yeah. All the passengers had to get a ticket for the platform.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57The ticket was something like this.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59And how much would that have cost?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Maybe from 9p 6d to half a crown.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04And you've got a few old coins with you?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06We have a few here, yes.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08We have a halfpenny.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10And we have a penny.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13And we used to put the halfpennies on the line
0:12:13 > 0:12:16to try and make pennies
0:12:16 > 0:12:19but, most of the time, we ended up like this.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21It's just really flat.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I'm assuming that you weren't able to spend this anywhere.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27No, it was a business idea that just didn't work, but we're still trying!
0:12:27 > 0:12:28At least you tried.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And a few other things here. This is the staff.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I'm presuming, for health and safety.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38The staff and the tablet always meant that, whenever a train came through,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42this here's from Annaghmore, to Trew and Moy
0:12:42 > 0:12:45so, when a train was leaving Annaghmore, it had to have a tablet
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and that ensured that, from Annaghmore to here,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49the line was clear.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52When it came to Trew and Moy, it had to leave the tablet,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54pick up a staff
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and that meant that the line was clear from here to Dungannon,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00but there always has to be one or the other.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Do you remember when it closed and what it was like then?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Yeah, it closed on a Sunday night
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and a lot of people were here
0:13:09 > 0:13:10and the bangers on the track,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13the last train to leave here to go towards Dungannon,
0:13:13 > 0:13:14it was a very sad day.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It's important to keep it the way it was for the children, really.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25This was a railway station and the significance it had at the time...
0:13:27 > 0:13:31This station is two miles outside Moy village at Trew,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33hence the name.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Former head teacher Jim Donaghy is on hand to give me a history lesson.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40So this was the original?
0:13:40 > 0:13:44This was the original shelter but it was on the platform.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47That's for trains going towards Portadown and Belfast.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And people would have sheltered there on a cold winter's night.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52They bought their tickets in the main building,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55crossed by the footbridge which was up here
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and then the shelters until the train arrived.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02This was the original station here at Moy.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04This was the original station at Moy
0:14:04 > 0:14:07as built by the Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway
0:14:07 > 0:14:10but, as you may have noticed,
0:14:10 > 0:14:11it was changed to Trew and Moy.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I was just about to ask why Trew and Moy.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Well, the reason was because, you know, the station was built
0:14:17 > 0:14:19to serve the Moy fair
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and there would have been lots of people coming
0:14:21 > 0:14:23from all over England, from Europe,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25to buy horses for the various armies,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29but this particular day when a dealer arrived at the station
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and he come out through the door and he said,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35"It's a very small village, Moy. I don't see any houses."
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It was explained to him that Moy was about five miles away.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40He said, "Hold on, I bought a ticket to Moy,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43"not to this wee place in the country."
0:14:43 > 0:14:46So he threatened to bring the railway company to court
0:14:46 > 0:14:50but the company changed the station to "Trew and Moy".
0:14:50 > 0:14:52The railwaymen themselves, drivers, firemen,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54refer to the Moy station.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55It was never Trew and Moy.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58And we had some interesting shipments
0:14:58 > 0:15:00that travelled here from Moy all the way to England.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02During the war, they had rationing in England
0:15:02 > 0:15:04so there was very little food,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and I found in his book here a record
0:15:06 > 0:15:10of dead rabbits being sent from Trew and Moy
0:15:10 > 0:15:13from a firm called Dobson Brothers in Moy.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15And here it says "two crates of dead rabbits".
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Two crates of dead rabbits, yes. And they're going all the way,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21as you see there, to Harper and Co. in Farringdon Street in London.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22In those days, there were no fridges.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I wouldn't have liked to have been eating the rabbits.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I'm branching off here at Dungannon
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and travelling northwards through Coalisland and Stewartstown
0:15:34 > 0:15:36towards Cookstown.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It's not difficult to appreciate the transforming effect of the railway
0:15:40 > 0:15:42on these small rural communities.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Through a chain of small villages and towns,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Verner's Bridge, Moy, Coalisland, Cookstown,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53working life and leisure were bound
0:15:53 > 0:15:56by the precise regularity of the train timetable.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07Cookstown railway station opened in 1879 and closed in 1956.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10In 2003, it was bought by Cookstown Hockey Club
0:16:10 > 0:16:12who have done a great job renovating
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and retaining some of the original features,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and it's here I'm meeting a man
0:16:17 > 0:16:20who's doing his bit to keep railway history alive.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26James Swan has always loved history.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30His grandfather was a driver for Belfast city centre trams.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35He used to show James his badges and tickets and that stayed with James,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38so, when he came across old train tickets at a car-boot sale,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42he couldn't let these little pieces of history go to waste.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Ever since I can remember, my grandfather has always driven
0:16:46 > 0:16:48for some kind of transport.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Back in the early... Must've been '50s,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55I remember him driving for the Belfast City Tramways.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56I suppose that's always stuck with me.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I was actually at a car-boot sale one day,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I'd come across a few of these tickets.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04I got chatting to the guy and I said, "These would be lovely framed up."
0:17:04 > 0:17:06He put me in touch with a few friends of his.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10It turned out I was in possession of up to 10,000 of these tickets
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and I just thought, "You know what? These would make great gifts."
0:17:13 > 0:17:15And you have some unusual tickets here.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Having a look at this one, it actually says it's for a dog,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22so you used to have to have a ticket to bring your dog on the train.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Yes, basically, back in the day, you had to have a ticket with your dog.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28You couldn't just bring your dog onto the train.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It had to be paid for as well.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31And it wasn't only your dog.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You actually had to have one for a bicycle.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35A bicycle as well, yeah.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It was a very expensive morning if you were heading out for the day
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and you had a dog and a bicycle.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42You know, you had to pay a fortune back then,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45but, unfortunately, nowadays, you know, you can't bring your dog on,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- which is a shame.- Have you had any unusual or quirky requests?
0:17:48 > 0:17:53It was for a father who retired from his job after 40, 50 years
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and his wife commissioned me to put together an eight-ticket frame.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00He lived in Portadown and he worked in Carrickfergus
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and I was able to put together the frame for him,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04from Portadown to Carrickfergus.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06So something a bit personal like that, it's a nice touch to it
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and it's something he'll remember.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10It's all about the romance of these tickets
0:18:10 > 0:18:13because, nowadays, you get one of these, a bit of paper,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and even on your mobile phone. You've lost all of that.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18It's the beauty of back then, you know,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and the whole interaction thing
0:18:20 > 0:18:23between the passenger and the ticket master.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Each ticket is individual.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27It's stamped with a different colour
0:18:27 > 0:18:29and it's a bit more sort of appealing, you know, I think.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34It's a business but it is preserving some of our railway heritage.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Absolutely. I think it's upcycling as well.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40You know, all these tickets should have been binned 50 years ago
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and, luckily, they were kept.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47My journey so far has been on the Great Northern line
0:18:47 > 0:18:50but now I have to continue my lap of the Lough trip
0:18:50 > 0:18:55and it will be the Northern Counties line that'll take me onwards.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00The railway line at Castledawson ran over the Moyola River,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02a 27-mile waterway
0:19:02 > 0:19:06which cuts its course through the heart of mid-Ulster.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Toomebridge is a small village
0:19:17 > 0:19:20on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It's nice to enjoy the peace and tranquillity
0:19:27 > 0:19:31and rest awhile on the banks of the Lower Bann river.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46My journey takes me along the top of Lough Neagh now,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49towards Randalstown.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57The railway line built here between 1853 and 1860
0:19:57 > 0:20:00incorporated a great feat of engineering -
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the viaduct over the River Maine.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11In 1995, a community group was set up in Randalstown, called Arches.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Their first project was renovating the viaduct.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18The imposing Charles Lanyon structure was built in 1856
0:20:18 > 0:20:22to extend the railway from Randalstown to Cookstown.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27The original bridge has been replaced.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30This new one opens up the viaduct and old railway line
0:20:30 > 0:20:32to walkers and cyclists.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40'George Graham is chairman of the Randalstown Arches Association.'
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Well, it had lain idle for nearly 50 years and it was an eyesore,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50there was antisocial behaviour taking place, and Lanyon made such
0:20:50 > 0:20:54a wonderful job of that building there, we just wanted to preserve it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56It took us about six months.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58And what state was it in before you started the work?
0:20:58 > 0:21:03It was overgrown - brambles, thistles, just a mess.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06We got it cleared and there's now a lovely footpath up there
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and we put the bridge in and that became part of the Sustrans route.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13How important was the railway for Randalstown?
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Well, it was the main mode of transport.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18When it was opened in 1856, the junction went through to Cookstown.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22In 1864, Charles James Webb came to Randalstown,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and the River Maine and the railway line were instrumental
0:21:25 > 0:21:27in him setting up his worldwide-famous business
0:21:27 > 0:21:28in making linen.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31He exported it all over the world.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- So it really helped the town flourish.- Absolutely.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37At one stage, there had been 1,500 people employed in the mill
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and all the goods went out in an electric truck to the train station.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43And how happy are you with the finished product of your work?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46We're absolutely delighted.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It's been very rewarding to see the number of people that use it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51What different has it made to the town?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55The community now uses the viaduct on a very regular basis,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57people come and go to school,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and it's an integral part of our community
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and tourists and visitors come from all over to see Randalstown viaduct.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Not only can they see it, they can now go up on the top and have a view
0:22:06 > 0:22:09of Shane's Castle and the town, and it's a wonderful thing to have.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'I'm not alone in my quest to get people out and about.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23'This is Andrew Grieve from the Regional Development Cycling Unit.'
0:22:23 > 0:22:26This is literally recycling the old railway.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Why is this so important?
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Well, it's important because if you put greenways,
0:22:32 > 0:22:37walking, cycleways, on old railway bed you can actually get people
0:22:37 > 0:22:41out and about, walking and cycling, and adopting a more active lifestyle,
0:22:41 > 0:22:42A really important thing.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46If you think about sort of a grand plan, Northern Ireland Greenways
0:22:46 > 0:22:48have looked at all the dismantled railways.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It would be great to convert those all to greenways.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53And you've literally got hundreds of miles to play with.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Aye, There's about 6-700 miles.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58It's not all available. Roads have been built on some.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02What we would like to develop is what you would call like a greenway spine.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And if you get a greenway spine built,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08you have a long-distance route that covers Northern Ireland,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12joins to the south and from that, then, you can spread out.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15And doesn't just benefit locals because you're going to be able
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- to market this around the world for tourists.- That's exactly right.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23The good thing about it is that it has an economic impact locally,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26it's got social impacts as well, it helps people to mingle
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and meet each other, and there's tourism as well, there's recreation.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34It really gets people up and about and it gets people walking
0:23:34 > 0:23:35and it gets people cycling.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36And I suppose, to top it all off,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39you're keeping the history of the railways alive at the same time.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41If you can do greenways on the old railways,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44you can actually protect the line of the railway.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And Randalstown, I suppose, is a prime example of that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I think this Randalstown scheme really shows you what you can do.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You know, look at the width, look at the surface.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55This is the kind of thing that we would like to roll out.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It's something that really is marketable and it something
0:23:57 > 0:24:01that could make your journey to work a more pleasant experience.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07From the viaduct, it's a short walk to my next stop, Shane's Castle,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11set among 1,000 acres of woodland on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20The O'Neill family has a long association with Randalstown.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Miles of walling are a preparation for
0:24:22 > 0:24:26the medieval entrance to the castle.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27I'm here to meet Lord O'Neill,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31president of the Railways Preservation Society of Ireland.
0:24:36 > 0:24:42And inside these impressive gates, wow, it's a stunning location.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Acres of land in which to run your own personal railway,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48which Lord O'Neill did until 1995.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51But when did his love affair with trains begin?
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Well, I was brought up in England and during the war
0:25:01 > 0:25:05I occasionally had to spend the odd night in an Anderson shelter
0:25:05 > 0:25:07on the edge of London
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and the owner was a member of the Model Engineering Society
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and when I went down for the night
0:25:13 > 0:25:18he used to hand me a copy of the Model Engineers Society journal
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and that really sort of set the scene, I think.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And you've really amassed quite a collection yourself.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Well, I've rather run out of space.
0:25:28 > 0:25:3050-odd years ago, I became president of
0:25:30 > 0:25:33the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and became heavily involved in that.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37And then a few years after that,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41we decided to try and create a tourist attraction here.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48We set up the railway here in 1971
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and it kept going for 24 years.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Not everyone who is a rail enthusiast gets to
0:25:53 > 0:25:56build their own railway. What was it like?
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Well, it took a bit of time to collect all the bits and pieces.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04One of the locomotives came from Bord na Mona in the south,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and then we picked up bits and pieces here and there
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but I think mostly people thought I was stark raving mad, really,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11to do anything of the kind.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16But I enjoyed it and we kept it going for 24 years,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and we had various other events attached to it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22What are your favourite memories of that time?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Well, I think probably the steam rallies
0:26:24 > 0:26:29when we had a more intensive service running with both engines.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33And then, of course, you had a lot of visiting engines,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35fairground organs and all the rest of it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So that was probably the peak of the year.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44More recently, I reactivated my model railway,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47really for my grandchildren,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49however their interest is very limited
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and they're more interested in looking at their tablets,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56but it's mostly my contemporaries who come and have a look.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01This model railway is great fun,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05but it's back to the life-sized tracks for me now.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06The next part of my journey
0:27:06 > 0:27:09takes me close to a more modern form of transport.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18The original line ran from Randalstown, through Antrim,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21then Aldergrove and onwards to Crumlin.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31This line takes me into Crumlin and the final part of my journey
0:27:31 > 0:27:35takes me along the last railway line to close in Northern Ireland.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39The Knockmore Line between Antrim and Lisburn hasn't seen
0:27:39 > 0:27:41a regular service since 2003
0:27:41 > 0:27:44but, unlike other lines I've walked on,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46this hasn't been ripped up,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48and Translink hasn't lost hope of a revival.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52And it's easy to see why,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57with the line being on the doorstep of Belfast International Airport.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Well, there you have it. I've managed a lap of the lough.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Next stop is Lisburn.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But I'm not walking the line, I'm getting a lift.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10That's us, lads. Till next time, bye-bye.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14HORN BEEPS