0:00:02 > 0:00:04Us Hairy Bikers might be known for our cooking,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08but our family roots lie in Britain's proud industrial past.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11My father was a print worker. My grandfather was
0:00:11 > 0:00:16a winder in the mines and his grandfather also worked in the pits.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Just do as you're told and be careful.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21My dad started work in the local steelworks when he was 12,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25the same steelworks that gave me my first wage packet.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28All across the country, teams of passionate, skilled volunteers...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Come on, next one. Get the bolt out.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34..are rebuilding the great icons of Britain's industrial past.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Can you go any faster, lad?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'And we are going to lend a helping hand tinkering with some
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'unbelievable machines...'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I am a train driver!
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'..from steam trains to coal mines
0:00:46 > 0:00:49'and traction engines to cotton mills.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:51What an achievement! Yes!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'Every week, we will be travelling across the nation seeking out
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'the most exciting restoration projects.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'Swapping our chefs' hats for hard hats, our spatulas
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'for spanners and getting our hands well and truly dirty.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Covered in muck and oil instead of pastry. Heaven!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11But we are in danger of forgetting what made this country
0:01:11 > 0:01:15the workshop of the world and we are absolutely determined that is
0:01:15 > 0:01:16not going to happen.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21And now is the time to rebuild industrial
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Britain before it is too late.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43This week I go back to my coal mining roots.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- That's what my grandad used to work. - Ow! You've caught my thumb!
0:01:47 > 0:01:50We fire up the engine that changed farming for ever...
0:01:50 > 0:01:52I have never seen it run.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Fingers crossed, we will have it going tomorrow.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56..dig the black gold...
0:01:56 > 0:02:00It weren't just a job, it were a way of life.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03..and celebrate the train that helped build a modern metropolis.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I can't believe I'm driving a train.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And there is all the fun of the steam fair. Well, for some of us!
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Ohhhhhh!
0:02:14 > 0:02:18- It's brilliant, isn't it? - It's not! It's not brilliant!
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Both our families have been shaped by the Industrial Revolution
0:02:32 > 0:02:34going back for generations
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and I have got coal in my blood, which is
0:02:36 > 0:02:40why our first restoration project means so much to me.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43We are heading to Pleasley, North Derbyshire, where
0:02:43 > 0:02:46a group of ex-miners are trying to save their heritage.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Coal was the fuel of Britain's Industrial Revolution and at its
0:02:57 > 0:03:02peak, there were nearly a million miners working in over 3,000 pits.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06But the industry went into decline and during the 1980s,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08most pits were closed.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15This one was shut in 1983, but the lads at Pleasley don't want
0:03:15 > 0:03:17the miners' way of life to be forgotten.
0:03:19 > 0:03:2316 years ago, they started an ambitious restoration project
0:03:23 > 0:03:24and we have come to help.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28It's massive, isn't it, the pithead?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Yeah, and that's what my grandad used to work.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- What did he do? - Well, he was a winder.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36This is the winding gate that would drop
0:03:36 > 0:03:42the cage down into the shafts, but it wasn't just one seam,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46so you had to know where to stop the cage
0:03:46 > 0:03:48so the boys could get a safe get out into the seam.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- It's like a very mucky department store, isn't it? "First-floor."- Yes!
0:03:51 > 0:03:54"Ground floor, perfumery, stationery and leather goods."
0:03:54 > 0:03:55It's a bit like that!
0:03:59 > 0:04:02My grandad controlled the winding gear -
0:04:02 > 0:04:05the key bit of engineering that allows the miners to access
0:04:05 > 0:04:07the richest seams of coal.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11It carries the miners down to the pit bottom...
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and the coal to the surface.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20The power to pull up 40 men or nine tonnes of coal
0:04:20 > 0:04:21comes from the winding engine.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27The team at Pleasley have been restoring the pit's two steam
0:04:27 > 0:04:29winding engines.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31When they first started in 1997,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34the whole site had gone to rack and ruin.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They have been working hard ever since.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40They had to restore the buildings
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and get the roof back on before they could even start on the machines.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50They have come such a long way but there is still plenty to do.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- Here's the lads.- Oh, brilliant! - How are you?- I'm Dave.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Pleased to meet you.- Good to meet you, Tony. How are you, sir?- Hello.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Good to see you. Nice to see you.- Hey, Dennis.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- So, when did you start work here? - 1949. Little lad.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11The first experience I had, that was the downcast shaft
0:05:11 > 0:05:16and we used to go up and down here, round about 48 times an hour.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Good grief.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22When the men went down the pit, they was lowered at 33 feet per second.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- A second?!- Per second, yes.- My God, your stomach would be in your mouth.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27It was.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31And then when they was winding coal, the mineral,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35it were 44 feet a second. That was really fast.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38I have to tell you, Dennis, Tony, lads,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- I am dying to see what is through that door.- Are you sure?
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- Go on, boys.- Crikey! It is massive, isn't it?- Yep.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Being a winder, my grandad would have felt right at home in here.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56To get this massive steam-powered winding engine working again,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01every part has to be scraped down and reconditioned.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Today, we are going to de-scale its 21-foot high winding drum
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and then reattach the connector rod,
0:06:06 > 0:06:11which transfers the power from the pistons to the winding wheel.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But it is decades since the engine had any TLC.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16No-one knows what problems we will face.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Right, lads. This is another baby for you to look at.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- There is a well down there, Kingy! - The scale of it is just enormous!
0:06:27 > 0:06:29An engine like this Markham
0:06:29 > 0:06:31had enough power to pull a freight train.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39The first job, scrape off the dirt from the massive winding drum.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44- Right. Are you ready for a bit of drum scraping then, lads?- Oh, aye.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Somebody hasn't been doing their housework.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The drum held the winding rope.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52For smooth and safe running, they were kept spotless.
0:06:54 > 0:06:5730 years of rust and filth meant this one is jammed solid.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00We've got to shift the lot before she will turn again.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- It is tough to get off this. - Isn't it?- Look at that.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10It's like a cross between kind of grease and rust.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Looks just like one of Kingy's beurre noisettes.- I heard that, you!
0:07:15 > 0:07:16Not half as tasty, though.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18It is like trying to get wood chip off, isn't it,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- but on an industrial scale?- Yeah.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- I'm afraid it's one of them jobs that has got to be done.- Yep.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25There is no easy way around it.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36We have shifted a ton of muck, but with a surface area of over
0:07:36 > 0:07:401,000 square feet, there's many more days of scraping ahead.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44At least we are one day closer to getting her turning.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Winding engines had to haul everything
0:07:54 > 0:07:57and everyone who went up and down the pit.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The blokes responsible for nothing going wrong were
0:08:01 > 0:08:07men like my grandad - the winders. That is him holding me big sis.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I want to get a sense of what his job was like winding the men
0:08:14 > 0:08:17up and down the shaft, their lives in his hands.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- Dear me. - So that is it, the throne of power.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27Yes, this is where your grandad would sit...for eight hours,
0:08:27 > 0:08:2912 if necessary.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34In fact, in 1920s, 30s he probably would be on 12 hours.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36So, Kingy, do you reckon you've got it in you to follow in the family
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- footsteps? Is it still in your blood?- I'm not entirely sure,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41- but it's quite a terrifying prospect.- You're going to find out.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Let's go and find out. Let's test.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53The winding process was controlled by a sequence of bells.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58But there was always pressure to bring the coal
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and the men to the surface quickly.
0:09:02 > 0:09:09- However, my grandad knew that one mistake and men might die.- Right.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I'm going to send some men up it, so you respond.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I'm going to ring a three.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17I respond with three.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25The bells tell the winder that the men are on board.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29That is my cue then to put the steam on.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Me grandad has got to manage the steam and the cage.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Overwind it on the way down and it plummets to the bottom.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46- Slow it down. Look for me mark. - Hurry up! I want my dinner!
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Done me eight hours!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Overwind it on the way up, and the cage flies out of the shaft
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and smashes into the headgear 70 feet above.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03I'd have to put the first steam to make the break. Take the steam off.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04Men safely up.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11He had the lives of his mates quite literally in his hands
0:10:11 > 0:10:12every day, every shift.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18I am fast appreciating what my grandfather did, that's for sure.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24He'd have a lot less safety devices. We are talking, what, 1930s?
0:10:24 > 0:10:25Yeah, 30s.
0:10:25 > 0:10:301930s, a lot of these electrical safety devices would not be on.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- He is winding by the skin of his teeth.- That is mad.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Whilst you have been reliving your family history,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39the guys have been getting stuck in.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43You're not wrong and it is time to help reattach that three-tonne
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- connector rod.- Right, lads.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Right. I've brought you two more lads here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- That's good. - I think we might do a bit of work,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58if they can get their hands out of their pockets, yeah.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Come on, lads. Come past here then.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Si, if you pull that that way steady,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07they will guide it in at this end.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Right. Four inches, three...
0:11:11 > 0:11:15The massive connector rod has been totally reconditioned
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and now we are just praying it will fit back into place.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24It's supposed to be done in one shift, you know, not two.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Can you go any faster, lad? - Yes.- Your face is going red, Dave.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32No, it's his helmet.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36You could tell Dennis was the overman at Pleasley.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Too right I can.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Back a bit this way, Si.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48The scale might be massive
0:11:48 > 0:11:53but it is an exact fit back into place to one hundredth of an inch.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Just a touch more, Si.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- You're on.- Oh! Bull's-eye!
0:12:07 > 0:12:11That's it, mate. That's it. Yes!
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Yes!- Well done, lads!
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It's amazing work the lads are doing here.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Yeah, and you know, these are the last people that have got
0:12:26 > 0:12:30these skills and they are using them to keep this place alive.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Aye, but at least we have done enough to earn a cup of char.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Here, lads. Something has just crossed my mind.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42You know with all this tea drinking? You know when you
0:12:42 > 0:12:46were below the surface and in the mines, where did you go to the loo?
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Well, we hadn't got portable loos I can tell you that.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52What you did, you used to just switch your light out and that was it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55You just did it where you was.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57What is it, lads, that you miss about the mine
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- not being open any more? - People, camaraderie.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It's family, but it was a family pit.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Tony, do you come from a mining family?
0:13:06 > 0:13:10There was only my father that wasn't a miner because he, unfortunately,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13had asthma and couldn't work down the pit but my grandads, my uncles -
0:13:13 > 0:13:15they are all miners local to this area.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I really do feel that what you are doing is very important.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I mean, you take a step back and look at what is here,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24it really is quite special.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- I mean, they are not making any more of these any more, are they?- No.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33This job, as Pete will tell you, has been a real project, a real...
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- Labour of love.- Yeah. We're really proud of it, Pete, aren't we?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39And you have been involved in this, Pete, since the beginning of it?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- Right from the word go, yes. - He started it.- Yeah?
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- Yeah, one of the three that started it.- Why? Why did you do it?
0:13:46 > 0:13:47I want to see it restored,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I want to see it get back to its former glory.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The whole building just says quality to you.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58The company that built it were passionate about it when they
0:13:58 > 0:14:01built it and we are still passionate now and want to see it back in steam.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- That is going to be some day, isn't it?- It certainly is.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07They're doing a marvellous job and yet they don't get paid.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10They just turn up, a mug of tea and that is it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14'D'you know, I'm really getting a sense of what life was like for me grandad,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19'but I have no idea what my Great Uncle Noble went through.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23'He was a face worker, one of the most dangerous jobs underground.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26'There's no open shaft here any more, but to see what it was like,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30'Dennis has promised to fix us up with a trip down a mine.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'But first, we've got another trip underground.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39'We're off to the smoke in London.'
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Whilst us Northerners were going underground to work,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Londoners were going underground to get to work.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51This year, it's the 150th anniversary of the Tube.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Before 1863, most Londoners had to walk everywhere.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- POSH ACCENT:- Or they took a hansom cab.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- GEORDIE ACCENT:- If they was posh, like, you know.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08This meant everyone had to live just a few miles from their workplace.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12The streets of London were crowded and smelly, even worse than today!
0:15:12 > 0:15:17So when the first Underground line opened, it was an instant hit.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18BELL RINGS
0:15:18 > 0:15:21The Tube helped open up the city, invent the commuter
0:15:21 > 0:15:25and transform London into the world's first mega city.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31To help celebrate the Tube's birthday,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34there's to be a special event in just a few days' time,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36when a number of early steam engines
0:15:36 > 0:15:40will once again run on the Underground network.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Met 1 is the oldest working underground steam train
0:15:45 > 0:15:47in the world. They've only just finished
0:15:47 > 0:15:49an extensive restoration of its frame,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53the bit that holds the hull together. During the celebration,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56she'll be sharing the tracks with the modern Tube trains.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'However, any breakdowns could cause major delays
0:16:01 > 0:16:03'and affect the safety of the network,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07'so unless she passes her train MOT, she'll be banned from the event.'
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Oh, wow! Oh, aye, what a garage full of goodies this is.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16'Today, we've come to the London Transport Museum Depot
0:16:16 > 0:16:17'to help her get through.'
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- Crumbs!- Crumbs! You don't get carriages like that any more!
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it? - It is. It's like our sideboard.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- Oh, look at her!- The famous Met 1.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35- Andy...- 'Andy's the operations manager, an important bloke.'
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- We're reporting for duty, sir. - Right. What do you think?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- She's just beautiful. - I still find it hard
0:16:40 > 0:16:45to get my head into the concept of a steam train running underground.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Well, the whole, er, Metropolitan Line was built for steam engines.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53It was built with ventilation, so that people didn't get choked,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- or not more than they would do otherwise...- Aye.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58..and this particular locomotive, when it was first built,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- had what they call condensing apparatus on it.- Right.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03So when the steam came out the chimney,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- it actually went back into the boiler...- OK.- ..and condensed.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Because if we had loads and loads of people that all got asphyxiated,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- it wouldn't be very popular.- No.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14I love it when you get back to the origins of
0:17:14 > 0:17:17a way of life we take for granted. I mean, like London Underground now,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20how many millions of people do you get in and out every day?
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Well, we move 4.1-4.2 million people. We moved more than that in the Games.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25- A day?!- A day.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- And that all comes back to Met 1, doesn't it?- Yes, it does.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33'Our first job is to help fire up the boiler.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36'We're all working hard.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38'Well, MOST of us!'
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'All right, mate, all right! I've got the message!
0:17:41 > 0:17:45'But I tell you what, that's a funny looking axe you've got there.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50'Any road up, Lance the stoker is getting the boiler lit.'
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- How we getting on, Lance? - Yeah, very good.- You're alight?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58We're alight and I'm just putting the wood in now.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Well, listen, boss, we'll just keep them coming
0:18:00 > 0:18:02until you tell us to stop, I guess.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- Have we got any more small stuff? - Yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06Thank you.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- 'Now, to get her up to steam... - GASPS:- ..will take six hours.'
0:18:11 > 0:18:14See, I actually don't think with steam trains, you know...
0:18:14 > 0:18:17We get so used to a push button society, whereas whether
0:18:17 > 0:18:21- it's a train or ship or whatever, you go, "Mmm," and it starts.- Yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- Of course, this, you've got to plan ahead.- You have.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26You know, it's four hours before it's on the boil.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'There's a good bit of smoke coming out of her now, though, Dave. Look!
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'Aye, she's well lit. She'll be wanting more coal!'
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- OK, now, what we'll do is put some coal in the fire, all right?- Yes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Because of the design of the door that folds in...- Yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40- ..we get flame in our face.- Right.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- Cos, at the moment, there's no steam to operate the blower.- I see.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- All right?- OK.- So, I would like you, if you could, to stand in that corner
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and just open the door for me each time, so that we both
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- get as little smoke and flame as possible.- Got you, sir.- OK.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58OK, door, please. Thank you.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00OK, thanks very much.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02SHOVELLING CONTINUES And one more.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04'Crikey! I tell you what, there's some heat
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- 'coming from that boiler, Dave!' - Thanks very much indeed.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08'Whilst Kingy is warming his backside,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11'driver Adrian gets me to do some real work!'
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Being an old engine...- Yeah. - ..there's no modern grease points
0:19:14 > 0:19:17or anything. Everything has to be oiled by hand.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20So we've got to start going round, doing the axle boxes first.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah, so if you look between the spokes there,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- you can just see there's a cork in the top there.- Yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- If you'd like to take that out. - It is a cork as well!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- HE LAUGHS:- Like a bottle of vinegar, in't it?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34We've got to fill it with lubricating oil now. It will take
0:19:34 > 0:19:38quite a while to fill up. You just need to pour it in nice and gently.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40It won't come out of there very fast anyway.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44'Imagine having to oil all the whole fleet every morning.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46'15 of these steam engines!'
0:19:46 > 0:19:48And we're still going.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- STEAM HISSES - 'Now, I've been asked to climb up
0:19:51 > 0:19:53'and add the final ingredient.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'And you'll not be taking a steam engine very far without it - water!
0:19:57 > 0:20:03'When she's steaming, Met 1 drinks around 500 gallons an hour!'
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- Thanks, mate.- Water on! - Not yet! Keep it off!
0:20:10 > 0:20:11- WATER RUSHES - Whoa!
0:20:15 > 0:20:17That's some power.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Let us know when it's getting near the top.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It's getting near the top!
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- Turn it off!- Off!
0:20:25 > 0:20:27WATER DIES DOWN
0:20:30 > 0:20:35- That's us! We're nearly ready to go! Come on, Kingy!- Fantastic!
0:20:38 > 0:20:40TOOT-TOOT!
0:20:43 > 0:20:48'Time for the test! To pass, this 100-year-old locomotive
0:20:48 > 0:20:52'has to prove she can successfully pull four five-ton carriages.'
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Clear my side.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Slow down, Adrian.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'She's fine steaming around on her own.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'But now, I've been tasked
0:21:18 > 0:21:21'with hooking her up to the other rolling stock.'
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Chain on that one. The hook on this one. OK.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- Can I go there now, sir? - You can, yes.- Thank you.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- There's some weight to that, isn't there?- In't there?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38And not the easiest things to get out of.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39- No.- Them trains, are they?!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44'Can she take the strain? Everything has to be perfect
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'for Met 1 to be allowed onto the actual network.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51'It's a big moment for the project leader Andy.'
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Our planning's been going on for a year,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56because we're running in between normal service trains.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57- It's not like a preserved line. - Mm-hm.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Where, if the train breaks down, then, "Oh, yeah, it doesn't matter,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04"we don't need to move for an hour or so." If we don't move within
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- a couple of minutes, we've got 250 people trapped on a train.- Yeah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- And, behind that, there's 1,000 people on a train.- Yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- STEAM HISSES LOUDLY - And that's about blowing off steam!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It's funny!
0:22:15 > 0:22:16The engine kind of tells you
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- when it's had enough hanging around, doesn't it?- Yeah, it does.- "Move!"
0:22:20 > 0:22:21"Let's go!"
0:22:21 > 0:22:25'It's now or never for the 110-year-old Met 1
0:22:25 > 0:22:28'and, unbelievably, they're going to let me drive!'
0:22:28 > 0:22:32'Well, dude, this is it, it's your boyhood dream come true.'
0:22:32 > 0:22:33Adrian?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Can we come aboard, mate? - Come on up.- Fantastic.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41What a treat!
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- Really looking forward to this, guys!- Right!
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Right, we're going to move it forward, so knock the catch out.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Right, and wind it so that that pointer comes back here.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57'In steam engines, this is what a gear lever looks like
0:22:57 > 0:22:59'and I'm putting her in forward!'
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- Right!- Put the latch in. - Put the latch in.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Just move it back a bit until the latch clicks.- Yeah.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05CLICK! That's it.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So, if we need to stop it...
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- ..just do that. - That's the stop, yeah?- Yeah. OK.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Now, to make it move, we're in gear,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18stick your head out the window, make sure nobody's trying to get out.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- All clear, Adrian!- Yeah, a quick couple of toots on the whistle.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- TOOT-TOOT! - Oh, yeah!
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- All right, and gently open the regulator.- Yeah.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Nice and gently...- Yeah.- ..cos it's got a lot of weight on this.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- It's hot, innit? Shall I put gloves on?- Yeah.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It might be a bit sissy, but that's red hot!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40SI LAUGHS
0:23:40 > 0:23:42You've got hands like asbestos, you, haven't you?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- Right, now... - Yeah, nice and gently.- Yeah.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'And now, we see if she can shift the four carriages. Come on!'
0:23:49 > 0:23:52That's it, hold it there. Let her take the weight.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54LOUD MOVEMENT
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Whoa!- Oh, what?!
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Oh, beautifully done!
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I can't believe I'm driving a train!
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- TRAIN CHUGS - Aw, the sound of it, Dave!
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- It's just like... - Give it a bit more.- ..Oh!
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- A bit more? - Just a touch. That's it.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16You do get a feeling of power, don't you, you see?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18You feel the heat in your face!
0:24:23 > 0:24:27- Dave!- I'm a train driver! Ish!
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'I think Met 1's up to the job, don't you?!'
0:24:32 > 0:24:35'It's looking good, mate, it's looking good!'
0:24:44 > 0:24:47OK, shut it off there. All the way down.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- All the way down.- Right, stop.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51STEAM HISSES Just push it up a bit.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Up, up, up. That's it.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Yes!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'She's done it. She's proved her pulling power,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02'which means she can take part in the celebrations and we'll be there
0:25:02 > 0:25:05'to join her and the other historic steam locos on the big day.'
0:25:08 > 0:25:10TOOT-TOOT!
0:25:11 > 0:25:16- Will you stop doing that?! - I so wanted to do that.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17TOOT!
0:25:21 > 0:25:24For soft Southerners, going underground
0:25:24 > 0:25:26was just about getting places faster.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30For us Northerners, it was about digging out coal.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Now, I've seen what my grandad did as a winder.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Now, I want to go down the pit and find out
0:25:36 > 0:25:39what it was actually like for my Uncle Noble at the coal face.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43It's where most of the men in my family spent their lives.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45'So Andy and Dennis have brought us
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'to the National Coal Mining Museum to dig some coal.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:50What a mean lift.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55- Thank you.- Thanks, mate. Thank you, boss.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Well, this is it. - Aye.- The descent!
0:25:58 > 0:26:02It's quite an ominous feeling, Dennis.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- LIFT SHUDDERS - Hey!
0:26:04 > 0:26:08'We're heading down, and down, for over 400 feet.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11'It's making me feel quite nervous.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- Just do as you're told... - Aye.- ..and just be careful.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- Were there many accidents down the pit, Dennis?- Quite a lot.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Through people not doing as they were told.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'That means we'll have to behave ourselves, Si.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:26'Oh, aye, cos there's no messing with our Dennis, I tell you.'
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Right, lads, is it your first day here, do you know?
0:26:28 > 0:26:33- Yeah.- Yes, it is, boss.- Right, well, here's your tools.- Right.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37- Down that way. - I'm glad somebody knows.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39MARCHING AND WHISTLING ON THE SOUNDTRACK
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- All right, lads, this is pit bottom office.- Right.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44And I will get my instructions from pit top on that phone.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It's not the sort of office where you have a secretary
0:26:47 > 0:26:49- and a coffee machine, is it, Dennis?- Oh, no, no, no!
0:26:49 > 0:26:52A bottle of water, that's it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54So, what, sit down?
0:26:54 > 0:26:56No, you used to stand here, like this, right in here.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58"What have you come for?" you know.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01"What you got, biker?" "If not, there's no weekend shifts,"
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- you know. All sorts of things. - DAVE LAUGHS
0:27:04 > 0:27:07'This really is Dennis's kingdom!'
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Right, under there, the pair of you, let's have some coal filled today.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- Right-o!- Don't get hanging about. - No, no.- Right, come on, then.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- Into the abyss.- I've got about five empty tubs waiting to be filled.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Come on, boys, you need your tools.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30You've got to get just 10 yards, just roughly about 16 tonnes.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34- 16 tonnes?!- 16 tonnes of coal you can throw out, yeah, easy.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39This is the position you need to be in.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- TAPPING And get the coal, like this.- Right.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- And that's it, Andy! Coal!- Coal!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50The stuff that fired the entire Industrial Revolution!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Come on, Dave, it's about time you had a go at this.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- We need to swap over, mate.- Right-o.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56- Easier said than done.- Oh, aye!
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Plenty of room, look!
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Right.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03I'll use Andy's pick.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Right, here we go.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13HE PANTS
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Look at that, Kingy! It's like black diamonds.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17Beautiful, isn't it?
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- It's what millions of men gave their lives for.- Amazing.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- Only another three ton to go, dude. - I know.- Can you imagine?
0:28:24 > 0:28:28- Imagine 40 years of this.- I know what my grandad's brother did now
0:28:28 > 0:28:30and my Uncle Noble for a living.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32He was a face worker. I wouldn't be liking that.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- What?- No! Well, it was the winder had the common sense.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Oh... Do you want to come and have a go, Kingy?
0:28:40 > 0:28:43I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get to you, mate,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- but I'll give it a go, aye.- Aye.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54- Can't you work any harder? - I'm... We're doing our best!
0:28:54 > 0:28:56- It's not good enough.- Oh, God!
0:28:56 > 0:28:59- You need to turn round. - And I cannae!
0:28:59 > 0:29:01If I've got to keep warm with what you two's producing,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03I should have to buy an overcoat.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05THEY LAUGH
0:29:05 > 0:29:07He's relentless, isn't he?!
0:29:07 > 0:29:10- Look at that.- Oh!
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Look at that. That'd be a piece you're proud of, in't it?
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Oh, that's mint, that. Can I take that home?
0:29:14 > 0:29:16You'll not want a very big bag for it.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18DAVE CACKLES
0:29:18 > 0:29:20There's no pleasing you, is there, Dennis?
0:29:20 > 0:29:22No! That's why I was like this.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26'Mining's got its own language as well.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29'There was a whole culture down here for generations.'
0:29:29 > 0:29:34As you go forward... Yeah. ..the iron drops behind you. It's called gob.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38- What's gob?- As we go forward and it all drops
0:29:38 > 0:29:41and it's subsidence on top, it's what they call gobsmacked.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44It blows air at you
0:29:44 > 0:29:47and frightens you to death the first time you ever see it.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51- You're joking?!- I'm not joking. It's like being buried alive.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54If you wait gob, you would be buried alive. They'd never see you again.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Can we get out now?
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- Right, lads, you can come out now. - Thank God for that.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Do you want a paper bag to put that coal in?
0:30:03 > 0:30:08- No, we've got half a sack of nutty slack.- Half a sack?- Aye.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10If you were selling that on pit top,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13it wouldn't get you a cup of tea in the canteen.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Times are hard, Dennis. Times are hard.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21I thought we did quite well.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- What did you reckon to that, then? - Hard work.- Hard work?
0:30:27 > 0:30:32- Hard, claustrophobic, uncomfortable work.- Dirty.- Aye.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33Well, you've not filled it out.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37You could have gone a bit faster and you could have filled more coal.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38You'd have got more money.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41You could have got more beer at welfare at night.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Now that's a key. We would have worked to that.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46But what did it mean to you, Dennis?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- You've spent your life in mines. And you.- Aye.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52I was a way of life. It wasn't just a job, it was a way of life.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Your life was run round the pit.
0:30:55 > 0:31:00Mining is a community. It's camaraderie.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03You'd be shouting at each other underground,
0:31:03 > 0:31:09and then when you go into the shop, "Are you all right?"
0:31:09 > 0:31:12The old saying "making the best of a bad job" is mining.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15You go into a bad job but you make the best of it with your mates,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17made it into a laugh, made it enjoyable.
0:31:19 > 0:31:24- Best of a bad job. You can't say fairer than that.- Aye, mate.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- After my first ever shift, I don't know about you, I'm starving.- Aye.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32It's time for a snack tin. That's northern for miner's lunch.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- You'd look forward to this, wouldn't you?- Ooh!
0:31:39 > 0:31:40- Bread and dripping.- Get in.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45You cannot whack it, like, can you?
0:31:45 > 0:31:47When we were a bit out of money,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49my mother used to send my father off with bread and dripping.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52She used to say, "Jim, all you've got is bread and scrape,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55"I'm sorry." That's bread and scrape.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02- It's not ham off the bone, is it?- No.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06- This was all you'd have for a 12-hour shift.- Yep.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Bread and dripping has to fuel us now for a long journey
0:32:10 > 0:32:15down south to join our next group of heritage heroes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Coal pouring out of the mines powered Britain's
0:32:21 > 0:32:25Industrial Revolution, transforming every corner of our country.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Coal-powered steam engines reached Britain's farms in the 1790s
0:32:31 > 0:32:35and the first was the barn engine, making light work for some
0:32:35 > 0:32:38of the menial tasks that once had to be done by horsepower.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Here at Hollycombe Estate, an amazing group of volunteers
0:32:48 > 0:32:49are restoring the engines
0:32:49 > 0:32:52that revolutionised life down on the farm.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57In fact, it's the largest collection of
0:32:57 > 0:33:00working steam engines in the world.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- There's steam in the air everywhere here.- Lovely spot, isn't it?- It is.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08There's traction engines, tractors, steam trains. Steam fairground!
0:33:08 > 0:33:11'Rob Gambrill is an expert in steam engineering
0:33:11 > 0:33:15'and has been volunteering here since he was 14 years old.'
0:33:15 > 0:33:18- Hello. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21There's more than just traction engines round here, isn't there?
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- It's incredible!- We've got a bit of everything, really.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27- It's quite an eclectic mix. - It's just a huge site as well.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29I'm really surprised at how big it is.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34The technology that kick-started a farming revolution was
0:33:34 > 0:33:35the barn engine.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40These were big, powerful steam engines that sat in one place
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and then powered all sorts of other machinery.
0:33:44 > 0:33:45Like this.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52All these machines here were designed to make the feed for animals cheaper.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- It was a very labour-intensive job. - It's amazing.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58- It's a factory production line. - Yeah.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01There's all these machines running off that one long spindle.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04That's right. The engine is driving through the shaft, so all of them
0:34:04 > 0:34:06through leather belts,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09which means that one man or two men can look after it.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16So instead of 10, 15 men making animal feed, every day,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19this does the job for you in bigger quantities.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Saves lots of time.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26These machines are powered by a barn engine from the 1900s.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30But they've got another barn engine they're working on at the moment.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32It's an early, early one from the 1840s.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36But after five years of hard work,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39the restoration team are on the brink of getting it going.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41And we're here to help.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The man in charge of nursing her back to life is Dave.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47Dave, we're quite excited
0:34:47 > 0:34:50because we've heard this engine hasn't run for an awful long time.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53There's a chance we could get it going tomorrow.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55We're not quite sure when it was run last
0:34:55 > 0:35:00- but it was certainly before the '50s. - Wow.- I've never seen it run.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Fingers crossed, we'll have it running tomorrow.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05- How long have you been working on this?- Since 2008.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07You've been working on it that length of time
0:35:07 > 0:35:09and you've never seen it run?
0:35:09 > 0:35:14- What keeps you going to do that? - Well, that's what I do!- That's it!
0:35:14 > 0:35:15Simple! "That's what we do!"
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Our first job is to get the engine's boiler in good working order.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23It's been connected up but if it's going to provide enough steam power,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26we have to make sure that no heat escapes,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28which means lagging.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32First up, we lay wooden slats.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34Slide it down towards me. That's it.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37It beats a cylinder jacket on your hot-water tank at home,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39doesn't it, Kingy?
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- Right.- Next.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Next up, it's bricks.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54- Are we chucking or carrying? - We're carrying.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- When I worked in the steelworks, we used to chuck them.- Yeah.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Adding these bricks will give more insulation to that powerful boiler.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Nice!
0:36:07 > 0:36:10So what do you do as a day job?
0:36:10 > 0:36:15I'm fortunate enough to be able to work on bits of old machinery
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- and old railway locomotives.- Wow.
0:36:19 > 0:36:25Hold on, you do it for a day job AND you do it for your hobby as well?
0:36:25 > 0:36:26- Yeah.- That's dedication.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Like most things, it's not as easy as it looks.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33But, as with all things in heritage restoration,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35with a bit of time and perseverance...
0:36:35 > 0:36:40- And patience...- ..and more patience, you can get it right.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43You see that bit there? That raggedy bit?
0:36:43 > 0:36:45- If you knock that bit off... - I'll knock your block off!
0:36:45 > 0:36:48I can't help it, it's just got to fit!
0:36:48 > 0:36:50BRICK CRACKS
0:36:50 > 0:36:54- Yes! Nice one! - # I hid my last brick for you... #
0:36:54 > 0:36:56It's like the last Rolo, isn't it?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Tell me that fits.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05- Beautiful job.- Beautiful.- You see? - Lovely job.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Finally, a dusting of sand to complete the job.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11The people who work in heritage engineering,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14there's a very measured approach to time, isn't there?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17"When will it be ready?" "In about ten years."
0:37:17 > 0:37:18"When will it need doing again?"
0:37:18 > 0:37:23- "100 years." That's heritage, though, isn't it?- That's right.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27We've been 150 years getting here, with that.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- Aye. So there's no hurry.- No.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Now we've got our old boiler lagged, Dave has asked us
0:37:33 > 0:37:36to fit a very heavy exhaust pipe onto the engine.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41Get it wrong, and you get, well, a jet of boiling steam spurting out.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42THEY GROAN
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Ow! You've caught my thumb!
0:37:46 > 0:37:50- Hold it there.- I've got it. Right, I'm safe.- Are you?- Yes.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53I feel I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Won't be long.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- Don't tighten it fully. - I won't.- Just...- Just nipping it up.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08DAVE BELCHES
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Sorry! Oops! Sometimes steam escapes from one's own pipes!
0:38:11 > 0:38:13I just couldn't help it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I am so sorry!
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Just got to slip these in there now.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23We can't just fit two pipes together.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25You'd get all sorts of unpleasant leakages.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Next, we fit the gaskets,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31which will provide a high-pressure seal between the two surfaces.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- Yes!- We're through.- Spot-on now, lads. All the way through.- Lovely.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40- That looks as though it's there for another 100 years.- I do hope so.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45This boiler hasn't been lit for over 60 years
0:38:45 > 0:38:48and now finally it's time to wake the dead.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52- Do you want to do the honours? - We couldn't.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55You've got to strike the light that fires this up
0:38:55 > 0:38:57the first time for 60 years.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01'Dave brings out what can only be described as an unusual firelighter.'
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Is this like a tradition that the first firing of a boiler,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05you set fire to your old pants?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08No, it's just a bit of rag that we had.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10THEY LAUGH
0:39:10 > 0:39:13- Now, they're going to be hot pants! - They are indeed.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19And the underpants that lit the boiler for 60 years...
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It's like the Olympic torch, isn't it?
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Right, we'll put the fire in there.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31- Elemental source of power.- There you go, boys. Put a bit in there.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Like a kettle, all we have to do to get the boiler going is
0:39:35 > 0:39:37to light a fire under it to boil the water,
0:39:37 > 0:39:42which then produces steam pressure and hopefully drives the engine.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46Isn't it amazing how you convert firewood into enough power
0:39:46 > 0:39:48to drive this massive engine?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Hold your horses.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54If it works, it'll still take two hours to get this up to steam.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Machines like our barn engine meant fewer people working on the land,
0:40:06 > 0:40:08but they earned higher wages.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12For Victorian workers,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15enjoying the sheer luxury of half a day off a week, there was
0:40:15 > 0:40:18nowhere better to spend their spare pennies than
0:40:18 > 0:40:22at a steam-powered fairground like the one right here at Hollycombe.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27I'm not keen. These rides give me the willies. I don't like them.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29If we get the barn engine working successfully,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Rob has promised us a ride on the world's only Razzle Dazzle.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38This is Britain's first thrill ride.
0:40:38 > 0:40:44- It's the first ride to rotate and tilt.- Where's he gone?
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- I think he's going to have a look.- Oi!
0:40:47 > 0:40:52- Myers! Will you get down off there?! Come on!- It's fantastic.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I know it's fantastic. It's shiny and it's going round.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Get down, we've got work to do.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00You can ride on that later, Myers. The boiler is steaming. Crack on.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02Oh, aye. It's time to go back
0:41:02 > 0:41:06and see if those burning underpants can work their magic.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10- I can hear hissing, Dave. - Yeah, we've got a bit of pressure on.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12You have as well.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15'As the pressure rises, Dave gets me to open the water pump.'
0:41:15 > 0:41:18If you'd like to open that valve a bit...turn a bit more.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23This little steam-powered pump keeps the water in the boiler
0:41:23 > 0:41:26topped up and stops its pressure getting too high.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30Without this clever little widget, the whole engine could boil dry.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37Yes!
0:41:37 > 0:41:38STEAM HISSES
0:41:38 > 0:41:41This is brilliant!
0:41:41 > 0:41:43With everything working as it should,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46it's time for the big one, the moment of truth.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53The first thing we've got to do is to turn the engine round once by hand.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54Right.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57We've got to give the wheel one turn by hand
0:41:57 > 0:41:59to check there's no snags.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Once the engine is powering it, she's a devil to stop.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06- There's some weight in this flywheel, isn't there?- Isn't there?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09METAL JUDDERS
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- Look at the motion, it's beautiful.- Beautiful.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Right. Let her be there.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Now we've to warm through the cylinder.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24Warming through the cylinder fulfils what purpose?
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- If you feel that, it's now stone-cold.- It is.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30That needs to be so you can't touch it, basically.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34We need to open this valve a little bit.
0:42:34 > 0:42:40If you open that a bit more, just a little bit. That's stopped the pump.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43That'll do.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45That's the first time we've seen steam bubbling
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- out of that for 60 years. - It's still cold.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50It'll be a minute or two before it comes up.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- The anticipation is absolutely killing us.- I know.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Look at this now! It is very Heath Robinson, isn't it?!
0:43:02 > 0:43:05You feel like Dr Frankenstein.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Just about to get the thunderbolt to Frankenstein's brain.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11- See if it will work.- Yes.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15- Come on! Is this it?- Let's give her a bit of a wind around, shall we?
0:43:15 > 0:43:16See what happens.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18METAL JUDDERS
0:43:22 > 0:43:24STEAM HISSES
0:43:24 > 0:43:28Wow! Yes! That's fantastic!
0:43:28 > 0:43:31It's working!
0:43:31 > 0:43:33The steam powers the piston, pumping in and out
0:43:33 > 0:43:35and that turns the flywheel.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38The flywheel can be used to power anything you need on the farm.
0:43:41 > 0:43:47- Congratulations, Dave. Absolutely magic. Magic.- Thank you.
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Well done, mate.
0:43:48 > 0:43:49STEAM HISSES
0:43:49 > 0:43:50She sounds so beautiful.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- That is the symphony of the Industrial Revolution.- Yeah.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02'It's great to see this historic steam engine running again.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07'When steam technology became widely used on farms,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09'it had a massive impact.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13'My family were farmers way back before steam power.'
0:44:13 > 0:44:15- Hello, Rob.- Hello. Fantastic!
0:44:15 > 0:44:19- Isn't it?- Magic. Well done, Dave, top job, mate.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23- Did you have any doubts, Rob? - No, of course not.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26'I've looked at my family history
0:44:26 > 0:44:30'and they were farmers before steam engines arrived.'
0:44:30 > 0:44:33I mean, my forebears were quite wealthy, they were yeoman farmers.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36That meant he had a farm with people working for him.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41But, you know, 100 years later they were all working as labourers
0:44:41 > 0:44:45in the steelworks and the shipyards, iron miners, engine drivers.
0:44:45 > 0:44:51What happened? Maybe my ancestor didn't embrace this technology.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Or maybe they thought they gave up, maybe didn't have the courage
0:44:54 > 0:44:58to face it and they went to work in the factories.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00What a complete change of life, though, it was.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06They went from having, you know, 12-14 acres of farm
0:45:06 > 0:45:11to living 12 people in a two-up two-down in an industrial terrace.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15- Yes. And that was all because of this.- Absolutely because of this.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18Now it's working,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21I can see exactly how it changed the face of our nation.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25It is powering all those things that were once done by hand -
0:45:25 > 0:45:31pulpers, threshers, hullers, clovers. All sorts of skills.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33You can't stop progress, Kingy.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37And I'm chuffed as nuts to see it going again.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41But it's time for our reward now, a ride on the Razzle Dazzle.
0:45:41 > 0:45:42You're joking! Do we have to?
0:45:42 > 0:45:45- Come on! - I am not coming.- Come on.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47I don't like them, you know I don't like them.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51It doesn't matter that it's steam.
0:45:51 > 0:45:57This was the state-of-the-art in its day. It was licensed to thrill.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Come on.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05- Hello, Jez.- Hello. Nice to see you. - How are you? All right?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- Yes, I'm good, thanks. - This is some machine, isn't it?
0:46:08 > 0:46:13This is fantastic. It's the only remaining Razzle Dazzle in the world.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14- THE only Razzle Dazzle? - The only one.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16You won't find another one anywhere else.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20Come on, Kingy, let's climb on board and put some razzle in your dazzle.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27It seems a bit incredible there is no safety belts or anything.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31No lap straps, nothing like that. This is just cutting edge.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35- Well, how do you stay on? - Centrifugal force.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36That's going to push you that way.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42- Hold on, you're in prime position there.- Not really.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48- Does it go fast? - Yeah, then it tips up.- It tips up?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50You never told us it tipped up!
0:46:50 > 0:46:52See, the thing about the Razzle Dazzle is,
0:46:52 > 0:46:57it was the first kind of fairground ride that worked on three axes.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01- The only way is up. - Oh. It makes you feel sick.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04You haven't seen nothing yet.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08- Ohh! - DAVE LAUGHS
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Oh, no, this is... Oh!
0:47:10 > 0:47:12DAVE LAUGHS
0:47:14 > 0:47:15This is mental.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20I'm nearly off!
0:47:20 > 0:47:21Ohh!
0:47:24 > 0:47:30- It's brilliant, isn't it?- It's not. - Faster!- Don't go faster.
0:47:30 > 0:47:31Shut up, you!
0:47:32 > 0:47:35'I'm hoping me head stops spinning in time to get back to
0:47:35 > 0:47:37'London for Met 1's big day out.'
0:47:40 > 0:47:45It's the day of the Underground's 150th birthday celebration.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49All the early pioneering steam and electric underground trains
0:47:49 > 0:47:54are being prepared for the big day, including our very own Met 1.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58She is already steaming into position further up the line.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Fingers crossed all goes well, you know, cos she's a bit old like.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11But at Wembley Station, we've joined the enthusiastic crowds,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14young and old, awaiting the first steam engine of the day
0:48:14 > 0:48:18which will be the 1920s-era L150.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22That's what makes this so exciting,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25the way they are meshing that with the modern Underground.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26Well, it is still...
0:48:26 > 0:48:29This has got to work because it is still on the same timetables
0:48:29 > 0:48:31and has to fit in with everybody else.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34- I think that's amazing and that is the achievement of today.- It is.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38'You can't ride on this Underground train with your travel card,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42'but tickets for this special event sold out months ago.'
0:48:42 > 0:48:47- How much did you pay for your ticket for this?- £30.- £30?
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Were you surprised to know that when this first ran, it was thruppence?
0:48:50 > 0:48:52I know, they've just added a nought
0:48:52 > 0:48:55- and just moved it up a bit. - Very clever.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57What motivates your interest in steam?
0:48:57 > 0:49:01- Well, it is my husband's birthday treat.- Hello, happy birthday!
0:49:01 > 0:49:05- Thank you.- Are you fans of the steam trains? Yeah?
0:49:05 > 0:49:08I've been a big fan of steam trains all my life.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11I bet you never thought you would go on the Underground on one?
0:49:11 > 0:49:13No, that was quite frightening to start with!
0:49:13 > 0:49:17- My grandad used to drive a steam train years ago.- Oh, fantastic.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22Not in this country, abroad. I have just always been interested.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25We did all our courting days going to see steam trains which is why
0:49:25 > 0:49:27I'm here!
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Really? Well, that's nice, isn't it?
0:49:37 > 0:49:42- Look!- Oh, we're up the steam, look at that. Fantastic.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52THEY CHEER
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Fantastic.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05- What a great feeling that is.- Yeah. - Get in.- That was worth waiting for.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11'Our first ride of the day and isn't she magnificent?
0:50:11 > 0:50:13'We are bound for Amersham Station, where we
0:50:13 > 0:50:17'will hook up with Met 1 and ride her all the way back to Wembley.'
0:50:21 > 0:50:24- 'POSH ACCENT:- First-class travel, Dave, on the Tube? Thank you.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27'Aye, in the early days they did. For them that could afford it.'
0:50:27 > 0:50:29WHISTLE BLOWS
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Look at that, what a sight.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Out of this carriage you're looking at London Underground.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44And we're off.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46But I have got bad news for you,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49- Si, on this trip we are not going underground.- What?
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Oh, don't tell me. Health and flaming safety.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Bingo, got it in one. But there is a good reason.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Mike Walton from the London Transport Museum knows how terrible
0:50:58 > 0:51:00it was back in the days of steam.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04It was variously described as Hades.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07This was a hell under the streets of London,
0:51:07 > 0:51:11with the filth and the smoke and the noise,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14but again, that must be put into context.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17The streets above London, you couldn't move in them.
0:51:17 > 0:51:23Horse traffic, pedestrian traffic, the streets were really narrow,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27so the Underground, even though steam technology was
0:51:27 > 0:51:34so awful for people in many ways, it represented a new fast way,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37relatively speaking, to get from one part of London...
0:51:37 > 0:51:39It was revolutionary.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42It was much more successful than the promoters envisaged.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44And it's been working for 150 years.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48Not with steam trains, but, yes, it has been working for 150 years.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50And you mustn't forget that this is the oldest underground
0:51:50 > 0:51:52system in the world.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58Now we're about to do something that hasn't been
0:51:58 > 0:52:02done on the London Underground for 70 years.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Would you like a bun, sir?
0:52:04 > 0:52:07- Lovely, thank you.- You all right? - There you go, guys.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12- Have we got enough?- Yeah, we have got loads.- How are we doing?
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Oh, we are nearly there, Kingy.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Excellent, now, you may be wondering why two Hairy Bikers are handing out
0:52:17 > 0:52:20buns on the London Underground cos they didn't have a catering service.
0:52:20 > 0:52:21Ah, there you're wrong,
0:52:21 > 0:52:26because between 1910 and the Second World War they had a Pullman Class
0:52:26 > 0:52:30dining car on the London Underground for the benefit of the toffs.
0:52:30 > 0:52:37- Thank you.- Enjoy your baps. Buns. - Hairy buns!- Hello.- Steady on, sir!
0:52:39 > 0:52:44As we come into the next stop, we catch sight of Met 1 in a siding.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Something is up, Dave, I don't like the look of this, I tell you.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- All right, gents?- All right, man? You all right?- You all right, Andy?
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Aye.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04- What's happened?- Well, we have had a really good time.- Yes, we have.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08- Our big end, a little bit weak. - Right.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11- So we have to take her back to the depot carefully.- Oh, no.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12Well, it happens.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15When you get an engine that is over 100 years old,
0:53:15 > 0:53:17it's one of these things that happens.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20And these guys have been nursing her through and, you know,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23we'll take her back and we'll spend a couple of days on her.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25She should be back on the road.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- It's been a massively successful day, Andy, hasn't it?- Yes, it has.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31And you have nursed her through to this point. What a shame.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34- Everybody has really, really enjoyed it.- Yeah.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39- It has been a piece of magic. - Well done, mate. Fantastic.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Met 1's being escorted back home by one of her mates.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51You can't win them all, Kingy.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55You're not wrong, dude, but I know she will be back stronger than ever.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03'And now we're heading back up north for one last time for another
0:54:03 > 0:54:05'very special event.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08'The lads at Pleasley are going to be firing up the winding
0:54:08 > 0:54:10'engine that they have restored.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13'And to see it turning 30 years after the pit closed
0:54:13 > 0:54:15'is worth a celebration.'
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- It's good to be back, isn't it?- It's great.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Oh, look, the boys are spannering.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23'At Pleasley, the lads have been fixing two winding engines.
0:54:23 > 0:54:28'And this, as TV chefs say, is one they restored earlier.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31'Our job today is to help start it and that is worth
0:54:31 > 0:54:34'celebrating in my book.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37'That would be brilliant, man, to see it in action, to experience
0:54:37 > 0:54:41'what my grandad did every day of his working life, amazing.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43'Engines are like men, you know,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46'the older they get, the more they want to drink.'
0:54:46 > 0:54:49- It is like me on a Friday night! - I may be here a while.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Come on, Kingy, you're not watering plants.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55I can only work with the tools that the fella has given us.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00- We are used to working with tools anyway.- I heard that!
0:55:00 > 0:55:04Kingy, bit of balsamic vinegar and dipping bread, you'll be laughing.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07We'll get the tomatoes from a greenhouse and all, it'll be great.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11- Beautiful.- Business end is ready. - This end is ready.- Let's start it.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Let's go for it.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15'This is the moment we have been waiting for,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18'the winding engine turning again.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21'In the old days, there would have been a powerful steam engine
0:55:21 > 0:55:24'to drive this wheel, but today it is linked to a small electrical
0:55:24 > 0:55:27'motor that needs some help to get it going.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29'So in typically British fashion,
0:55:29 > 0:55:31'we're going to give it a sort of kick-start...
0:55:31 > 0:55:33'with a big plank of wood.'
0:55:33 > 0:55:34That's it.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42Yes! This is fantastic, look at the size of it going.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Congratulations, this is what we have been working towards
0:55:47 > 0:55:49for the last...how many years?
0:55:49 > 0:55:53- 20 years.- Yes, it's majestic, isn't it?- It's lovely.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Lads, it's such a great privilege for me
0:55:58 > 0:56:02to be able to see what relationship my grandfather had with
0:56:02 > 0:56:04the Industrial Revolution and industry
0:56:04 > 0:56:07and to see it moving is so special.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09It's reactions like that that keeps us going.
0:56:11 > 0:56:12Tony, you are an ex-miner,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15what does it mean to you to see this running again?
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Just look at it, it's marvellous.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20I never thought I would have anything to do with mining
0:56:20 > 0:56:21once I left the pits.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23But, I mean, I joined
0:56:23 > 0:56:27and I was here every week for the last probably eight years.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29You can ask me wife!
0:56:29 > 0:56:32THEY LAUGH
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Tony, what has it meant to you to be involved in this restoration?
0:56:35 > 0:56:38It gave me a new lease of life. I was retired, I was bored.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43You think it is never going to move again but nothing fazes us.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47Everybody has put their heart and soul into getting it going
0:56:47 > 0:56:48and that's what they're like.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- It's not just a one-man job, there is a lot of us.- Brilliant.
0:56:52 > 0:56:53Well done, lads.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57To celebrate the turning of the wheel,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00the lads have laid on the local brass band.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07The pit is closed but there is still coal in this community's blood.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11What the lads are doing here is so important,
0:57:11 > 0:57:15a living testimony to all the men who came before them.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16You're not wrong there, mate.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19It's impressive to see that they have got this one going,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23but the engine we worked on is still a few years away from running.
0:57:23 > 0:57:24Do you know what, though?
0:57:24 > 0:57:27I can see us coming back here again to help, can you?
0:57:27 > 0:57:28Yeah, me too, Kingy, me too.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34Do you know, what I am fast learning about restoration projects
0:57:34 > 0:57:39like this, it's far more than just engines and steam and winders.
0:57:39 > 0:57:44It is about recreating that comradeship and regaining
0:57:44 > 0:57:49a bit of pride and passion for the industry that they clearly loved.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53Miners are skilled workers doing a dangerous and demanding job,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55and it is friendship that got them through.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59What's wonderful to see is the miners' spirit is still alive
0:57:59 > 0:58:02and well in the world of restoration.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04- And long may it continue.- Well said.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21'Next week, we try not to shoot each other.'
0:58:21 > 0:58:23You'd better stop! Ah, stop!
0:58:25 > 0:58:29'We get stuck trying to work a steam plough in the rain.'
0:58:29 > 0:58:30I can't really see.
0:58:32 > 0:58:36'And then when we try to spin cotton, things start to unravel.'
0:58:36 > 0:58:39This is a nightmare, a nightmare!
0:58:54 > 0:58:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd