0:00:02 > 0:00:04'Us two Hairy Bikers might be known for our cooking.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08'But our family roots lie in Britain's proud industrial past.'
0:00:08 > 0:00:10My father was a print worker.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12My grandfather was a winder in the mines.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15And his grandfather also worked in the pits.
0:00:15 > 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 > 0:00:24the same steelworks that gave me my first wage packet.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26'All across the country,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'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 > 0:00:36- Can you go any faster, lad?- Yes.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'And we're going to lend a helping hand,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'tinkering with some unbelievable machines.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- Yes!- I'm 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 > 0:00:54'Every week, we'll be travelling across the nation,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'seeking out the most exciting restoration projects.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'Swapping our chefs' hats for hard hats, our spatulas for spanners,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'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 > 0:01:11For we're in danger of forgetting what made this country
0:01:11 > 0:01:13the workshop of the world.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16And we're absolutely determined that's not going to happen.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22And now is the time to rebuild industrial Britain,
0:01:22 > 0:01:23before it's too late.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39HORN TOOTS
0:01:40 > 0:01:45'This week, I try farming like my great-great-great granddad...'
0:01:45 > 0:01:49- Now turn it the other way, quickly. Not yet, back a bit.- Not yet!
0:01:49 > 0:01:53- Not yet! What are you doing?! - This is what our ancestors did.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It brings you close to your roots.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59'..And fix the engine that changed the face of the British countryside.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Cor, look at this! It's traction engine Utopia!
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Oh, wow! Look, there's loads of them!
0:02:04 > 0:02:07'And we get all tied up in knots with cotton...'
0:02:07 > 0:02:09He's better with spaghetti!
0:02:09 > 0:02:13'..and get mucky restoring Britain's first HGV...'
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- I think that's all right, that, yeah. - He didn't sound too surprised!
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'..With some heritage heroes who'll help see us right...'
0:02:20 > 0:02:24You find yourself working as part of a team, which is a lovely feeling.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Brilliant! Next!
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Well, we start our journey in Swindon, in the leafy south,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36in search of our own farming roots.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45You see, my great-great-great-great-great grandparents were Yeomen farmers
0:02:45 > 0:02:47who owned a few acres of their own.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Landed gentry, eh, Myers?! Aye!
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Well, my lot were all labourers, doing all the blooming work!
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Yeah, well, hard work doesn't seem to run in your blood, though, Kingy!
0:02:56 > 0:02:58You can shut your face, you, you toff!
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Before the Industrial Revolution,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13farmers worked the land with horses, the way they always had.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But then, from the 1840s, steam power arrived
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and changed everything.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26The most revolutionary of engines on the farm was the traction engine.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29We're all used to seeing tractors and combine harvesters.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Well, the traction engine is their daddy.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The traction engine's job was to power farming machinery.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42They could power anything from ploughs to threshers to dredgers.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Now, instead of a team of labourers and horses,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49just a couple of farmers and a traction engine would do the job.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54It was a massive change and our great-great-great grandparents,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57along with their horses, were no longer much needed.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59They were out of a job.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00But, like horses,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04chugging traction engines soon became part of our landscape.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Until the 1950s, when they were finally overtaken by tractors
0:04:07 > 0:04:09and sent for scrap.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Today, we're going to meet two passionate restorers,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21who have made it their life's work
0:04:21 > 0:04:24to save as many traction engines as they can.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27And we're going to help restore a prized example.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Cor, look at this! It's traction engine Utopia!
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Oh, wow! Look, there's loads of them!- Isn't there?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- This is my brother, Ian.- How do, Ian?
0:04:40 > 0:04:45'Brothers Colin and Ian Hatch have steam running through their veins.'
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'Their father and grandfather both worked on the railways
0:04:48 > 0:04:49'in the golden age of steam
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'and they're carrying on the family tradition with traction engines.'
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Oh, look at this!
0:04:55 > 0:04:58This is traction engine Keeling, which was built in 1909.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It's fantastic! And this was an agricultural engine?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04That's right, yeah. So it was used for general farm work.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07This is it, the Burrell traction engine.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Travelling at an astonishing six miles an hour,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11it was the Ferrari of its time.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12But she needs a lot of work
0:05:12 > 0:05:15if she's going to hit those dizzy speeds again.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18'And it's not like booking your car in for a service.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22'She's already been in restoration for two years.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:24'You know, I feel a bit sorry for her.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27'At the moment, she's looking a bit bare.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:29You see the skeleton of it now.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I mean, the boiler there is the main frame of the engine.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And everything is bolted on and around it.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38So it's quite a lovely looking thing when it's all together.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- It's a beautiful thing. - Yeah.- It's a beautiful thing.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- Right. Well, shall we get cracked on?- Well, we ought to, yeah.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Brilliant. Let's go. Lead the way.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50'Colin and Ian have reached an important stage in the restoration,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52'work on Keeling's enormous drag gears.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'The gears are what let the steam engine power the wheels,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'so it's a critical job. '
0:05:58 > 0:06:02'And you know what? we're here to provide some muscle.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:05'The gears consist of a huge set of interlocking cog wheels.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07'Before we can put them back on the engine,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10'two of them have to be riveted together.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:13'Now, you'd think that was a simple job, wouldn't you?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15'If you weren't 100 years old and entirely made by hand.'
0:06:15 > 0:06:17OK, guys, what we're going to do now,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19we're going to move on to the differential gear.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- We're going to rivet that onto the brand-new gears.- Right.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Before we do that, we've actually got to make the rivets.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Because we can't just go down the DIY and get some.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- So what we're going to do, we're going to take the rivet bar...- Right.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34..and then we're going to make them in the press.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- We're going to form the heads first. - So that's done by hand?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39That's done in a big press.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- Let the meat feel the heat! - Let's go and make some rivets!
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'The two gears need to turn together and for a permanent join
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'for two bits of metal in the Industrial Revolution,
0:06:51 > 0:06:52'they used rivets.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'And we're going to have to make them ourselves.'
0:06:57 > 0:06:59'I tell you what, it's not easy, this restoration lark, is it?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02'I mean, making your own rivets from scratch? Crumbs!'
0:07:02 > 0:07:05'Aye, it's no wonder it's taken them two years so far!'
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- OK, guys, are you happy with that? - Yeah.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Well, that's the professional way of doing it!
0:07:11 > 0:07:14'There's only a couple of other places in Britain
0:07:14 > 0:07:16'that still make rivets this way.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'The brothers are keeping a heritage skill alive.'
0:07:20 > 0:07:23'First, heat the steel bar until it's red hot.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27'And that's an 800 degree hot steel sausage. I tell you!'
0:07:29 > 0:07:31'That's 70 tonnes of pressure.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'That's like dropping a truck on your sausage!'
0:07:36 > 0:07:41- How's that? First one. Nice!- Nice! - OK, let's go for another.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'I'm not just tapping them for luck!
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'It's to get rid of stray bits that don't belong.'
0:07:56 > 0:08:02Let's have a look, Si. Yeah, that's a good shape. Ideal, ideal.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06There's something kind of primeval, a man at the forge!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Oh, it's brilliant!- It is brilliant.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10- Good job.- Thank you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Do you know, that's the first time I've ever done kind of tool-making.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- Yeah.- You know, actually making the tools with which to do the job.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Yeah. Just amazing.- And you find yourself working as part of a team.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- Yeah.- Which is a lovely feeling. - Brilliant! Next!
0:08:26 > 0:08:31'Well, next, Colin asks us to get this massive gear into position,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33'so that we can take out the bolts and replace them
0:08:33 > 0:08:35'with the rivets we've just made.'
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Oh, I get it.- So we're going to put this tube through the hole.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44- A bit higher?- Yes. Give it a bit of brute force and ignorance!
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- Right, we're down, Dave. - That's lovely.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'And the reason we replace the bolts
0:08:48 > 0:08:51'is because after years of vibration, bolts can rattle loose.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56'But rivets can't, and we want this gear to last another 100 years.'
0:08:57 > 0:08:59OK, guys. Right.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03This is the serious stuff now, we're going to talk about riveting.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05We'll talk you through the gun. What we've got...
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Just take hold of that one and feel the weight of that.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- Get a feel for the job.- Oh, it's heavy.- It is heavy, yeah. Yeah.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14It's a pneumatic riveting gun.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17And inside the barrel there's this item, which is called the piston.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21And this reverberates when we throttle on the lever,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25inside the chamber. And that strikes on the end of this snap. Rivet snap.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28And this is what gives us our nice formed head when we close the rivet.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29OK.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34- Most importantly, this is quite a dangerous piece of equipment.- Yes.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37OK. If you don't hold the gun up against the work,
0:09:37 > 0:09:38rigidly hold it there,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41it will try and throw the snap out the end of the gun.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And of course, you're opposing your mate the other side.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- So you could shoot your friend! - You could, yeah.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52'So, if you slip or lose control, you could shoot your mate!'
0:09:52 > 0:09:54'Ah, brilliant(!) Don't shoot us, mate, will you?'
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'Oh, I'll do me best!'
0:09:56 > 0:09:58You need to be aware that you must get your body weight
0:09:58 > 0:10:01behind the thing and be in control of it. Don't let it control you.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Sounds easy!- OK.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09- Yeah.- Do you want to give it a go? BOTH:- Yeah!
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Mike reheats the rivets until they are red-hot
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and there's no going back.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Take that bolt out, and then we're ready for Mike.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Ready?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31OK, mate! Hammer's on.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34'It's a tough job, and we have to use the force of our entire
0:10:34 > 0:10:37'body weight to push against the rivets.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:42Stop!
0:10:44 > 0:10:45How's that?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Brilliant! Fabulous!
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- Nice one, mucker. - Well done.- It's mint as well!
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- Next one, get the bolt out. - It's more manly than making scones.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Isn't it? Covered in muck and oil instead of pastry. Heaven!
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I tell you what, there's no rest for the wicked.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14We have to strike while the rivet's hot.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Hammer's on!
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Stop!
0:11:25 > 0:11:31- Lovely! That's a good rivet. - Good rivet.- This is so satisfying!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It's proper heavy engineering, isn't it?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It's where we're from, mate.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41It is, it's in our genes. This is what our ancestors did.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- It brings you closer to your roots. - It does.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47You'll be able to stand back and look at the rivets you've put in,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49there for everybody to see.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Another hundred years.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Yeah, why not?- That's heritage.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- We've got to keep it going. - Dead right.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01'The gears will soon be ready to fit onto the engine,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03'and that will be a proper heavy lifting job.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08'Colin will need us to come back for that to lend some muscle power.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14- 'Spinach for breakfast, spinach for lunch and spinach for tea.- Oh, no!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16'But before Colin lets us go,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18'there's one last thing he wants to show us.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21'Colin spent years restoring
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'another Burrell traction engine of his very own,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26'just like the one we're restoring.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30'And he wants us to see what the finished engine looks like.'
0:12:30 > 0:12:36- Look at this!- She's beautiful.- A rather nice Burrell traction engine.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Thumping away like a beating heart. - It's lovely, isn't it?
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Listen to it. Fabulous.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49ENGINE CLICKS REGULARLY
0:12:49 > 0:12:50It's therapeutic, that, isn't it?
0:12:57 > 0:13:01The motion of that engine, in my head,
0:13:01 > 0:13:07is in direct proportion to the pace of time in those days.
0:13:07 > 0:13:14It's just everything is just so, nothing too fast, nothing too slow.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17It's funny, it's so relaxing, and yet the presence of these machines
0:13:17 > 0:13:21heralded a more hectic age in a way.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24People lost their jobs because of mechanisation on the farms, so this
0:13:24 > 0:13:28was regarded as a modern contrivance that put people out of work.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31That's our lot he's talking about, that is, there.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34It's keeping people in work now,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38because things like this are part of our historical importance.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Traction engines replaced our ancestors down on the farm.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50You know what? I'd like to see how they actually did change things.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53So we're heading down the road to see a pair of traction engines
0:13:53 > 0:13:55at work, ploughing a field.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Let the traction see the action!
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Once upon a time, ploughing meant one man and his horse
0:14:09 > 0:14:13going up and down at field at a leisurely pace all day.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- That's what my great-great-great- grandad did.- And my family too.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It sounds like a nice old life if you ask me.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25And then along came traction engines, just like Keeling.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Traction engines could pull a plough much faster than a horse could,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32with up to six times the number of blades.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33There was no competition.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38For the most efficient ploughing system,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40you would use two traction engines.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45You'd put one traction engine at one end of the field and the other
0:14:45 > 0:14:49at the other end, and you'd connect the two by a long table.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Then you'd simply attach the plough to the cable
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and pull it up and down. It's like a push-me, pull-you
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and it's about 20 times faster than the horse.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Goodbye, ancestors.- Goodbye, horse!
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Right, mate, let's have a go.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Robert here has a fully restored pair of traction engines
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and he's all ready to show us the pluses of ploughing by steam.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25How are you doing? Are you well? Here's the man himself!
0:15:25 > 0:15:30- Hello, Robert.- Hi, Robert, how are you? This is an amazing sight!
0:15:30 > 0:15:34So, Robert, how much faster was it to plough like this
0:15:34 > 0:15:36than coming from horse-drawn ploughing?
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Horse-drawn, you'd be lucky if you did an acre in a day,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and these, you could do a good 20 acres of ploughing,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- if you're cultivating, probably twice that.- Wow.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'Dave, just think, you lot were landowners before all this happened.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'Aye, but I guess they were the ones that got left behind.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58'They were still sticking with the horse.'
0:15:58 > 0:16:00They were wealthy before the Industrial Revolution,
0:16:00 > 0:16:01but it went the other way.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04They went in as labourers and never came out!
0:16:04 > 0:16:06And my lot, we were just thrown off the land
0:16:06 > 0:16:10because we were itinerant workers. Started out in the south,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13moved to Cumbria for work, and then everybody went,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- "Right, forget that," so we went down the pit.- Displaced.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We were displaced and thinking, "Right..."
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- Can we have a go?- Certainly.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Robert's plough has six curved blades at each end
0:16:26 > 0:16:28so it can be pulled up and down the field
0:16:28 > 0:16:30without having to turn it around.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- Come on, then. Who's going to steer?- Me.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39Dave's going to pull the plough down. Are you short? He's disgruntled.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41You can have a go!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44That'll be me being the stability management executive.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47In other words, human ballast!
0:16:48 > 0:16:53You're going to tell Jason when you're ready to go.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55We might not be ready for a while.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00- Go on, Dave, you'll be all right! Go on, Dave!- We'll do it when he moves.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Are you ready, then?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05WHISTLE TOOTS LOUDLY
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Jason toots twice so the engine at the other end of the field
0:17:10 > 0:17:13knows we're ready and he can start to pull the plough.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Except we're not ready at all, and it's raining.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18We're fighting against the weather.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Ordinarily, in the olden days, they wouldn't have done this,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23they would have given it up as a bad job and gone to the pub.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- I like the term "we"! - I'm explaining to the viewers
0:17:25 > 0:17:28why it's difficult for you, because it's pouring with rain
0:17:28 > 0:17:30and they wouldn't have been doing it, would they?!
0:17:30 > 0:17:32But because we're professionals,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35we want to make a good television show for you lovely people
0:17:35 > 0:17:37sitting with a cup of tea in your front rooms,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40we're out here getting soaking wet with a very large piece of machinery
0:17:40 > 0:17:42we've never driven before, in the rain.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- Si, are you going to get on here too?- What do you mean?
0:17:46 > 0:17:52- Just pull that down. - Put some beef into it, Kingy!
0:17:52 > 0:17:57- That's it.- Mind the wire! - Down. That's it.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- How do I get on here? - You're the passenger.- Look at that.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Look at this.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- You want a leg up?- No, he's athletic.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- Where do I put me feet? - Just hold on to that, you'll be fine.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Hopefully with a bit of luck, my weight will push
0:18:15 > 0:18:19the blades into the ground as the plough is pulled along.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20With a bit of luck?!
0:18:20 > 0:18:23With a bit of luck, they won't get stuck, you mean!
0:18:23 > 0:18:26All right, you're driving.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30So you've just got to keep that wheel just inside the furrow wall.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- I'll stand next to you. - It can't be that hard.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40- I'll tell you what. I don't think this is going to fly.- It might.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Keep your chest away. It might knock your teeth out.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- It's not his chest, it's his belly! - That's not my belly!
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Give Jason a wave, then.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- WHISTLE TOOTS TWICE - I wish he wouldn't do that.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59You wouldn't get Jeremy Clarkson doing this.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06- Put the right hand down. Bit more! - It's easier said than done!
0:19:06 > 0:19:09- Get it over! - I am getting it over! It's over.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23- Not bad, Kingy. - It's not easy, I'll tell you!
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It's not, but you can suddenly see how a pair of engines,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32one at each end of the field, could do the work of tens of labourers,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36like my great-great-great-great- great-grandparents.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Now a bit of left hand down, just before he stops, hard left.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45That's it!
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- How did it go, then? Did you enjoy it?- Aye.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It was quicker than I anticipated.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01Power steering could be a useful thing on this thing.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04It's not too bad, Kingy, you have carved a course.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09With blades on both ends of the plough, there's no need to stop.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14All you do is pull the other end down and off you go.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15This time, it's not so easy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19You've got to steer left to go right and steer right to go left!
0:20:19 > 0:20:24You need to go at the front, then. There we go.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26And we've got to put the rope in there.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30That's it.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- My feet don't reach. - So when he starts off...
0:20:33 > 0:20:35I can't really see.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Tally ho!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Right hand down.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Don't fall off! Get your feet up on them things!
0:20:48 > 0:20:52- Oh, you've only got little legs! - I've got very long legs.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56- Is that right?- Now turn it the other way, quickly.
0:20:56 > 0:20:57- Not yet! Back a bit.- Not yet!
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- What are you doing?!- It's all right. I'm getting the hang now.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04That's it, mate, that's it. Go on, Dave!
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Look what we've done to this field. We can't gloss over that, can we?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- Shut up.- It's like an S-bend.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21It's all gone a bit wonky donkey.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- That was an experience. - I'm frightened to look back.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Go on, have a look.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33THEY LAUGH
0:21:39 > 0:21:44- Not bad. What do you think?- Well, you couldn't see, could you, mate?
0:21:44 > 0:21:48No, but I didn't feel it go out of the furrow.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51No, you can't see, which is probably part of the reason why...
0:21:51 > 0:21:56- Bit more practice, eh?- How do you put a field back into rightful order?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It might take me a while. Anyway, we're not worried about that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03- Just as well, really. - Come on, then.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Robert has what's called a living van.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09At last we can get out of the flaming rain.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10After you, boss.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Yes, but for a whole team of ploughmen,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15this would have been home.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16And for months on end,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19they would have travelled round with their own traction engines.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24- Well, this is cosy, isn't it? - There's such a lot of work in this.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Why do you do it, Robert?- For fun. I just enjoy it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33It's taken me years. The first engine took 13 years to restore.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I get a great sense of achievement in getting a rusty hulk
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and bringing it back to life.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42That motivation and passion to keep the heritage and fundamentally
0:22:42 > 0:22:46the culture of our country is quite a remarkable thing.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48It's just amazing.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53It's important to keep them working and not just as static exhibits.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Steam engines are very special things.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00They move, they're warm, they have their own characteristic smell
0:23:00 > 0:23:03and characteristics in themselves,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and they're quite unique in that respect.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09As they say, once bitten, forever smitten.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11It's strange to think
0:23:11 > 0:23:15we've just worked the machine that ruined my family.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Steam engines changed people's lives and even changed the countryside.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And yet you can't help but love them.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28But what about all the people who left the land? Where did they go?
0:23:28 > 0:23:33- My family went to the steelworks. - Aye, and mine went down the pit.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36But by far and away the biggest employer
0:23:36 > 0:23:40of the Industrial Revolution was the textile industry.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43We Brits clothed the world.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50And it was in the picturesque Derbyshire valley of Derwent
0:23:50 > 0:23:51where it all started.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59it was here at Masson Mills that the great inventor
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Richard Arkwright used waterpower to spin cotton and change the world.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14You see, mate, this is more like it! Look, a dark Satanic mill.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17You might call it Satanic, but before the Industrial Revolution,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21cotton was spun by hand, using just one spindle.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27A really skilled spinster could make about nine feet of thread a minute.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31With the Industrial Revolution came the spinning mule,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34a revolutionary machine that could spin 600 times more cotton -
0:24:34 > 0:24:36three miles a minute.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45With the help of the spinning mule,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Britain soon became the world leader in cotton production,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51producing 98% of the world's cotton.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Aye, and at its peak,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58the British cotton industry employed 750,000 people.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Sadly, there's been no spinning at Masson Mills since 1991.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Until now.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10In the Mill's basement, mechanical engineer Howard
0:25:10 > 0:25:15has been tinkering with this 1906 spinning mule for ten years.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20It's got several hundred thousand parts, and with 748 spindles,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25it's the longest-surviving machine of its type in the world.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26And Howard is the only man alive
0:25:26 > 0:25:30who could put this industrial jigsaw puzzle back together.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Howard, hello, I'm Si, very nice to meet you.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- Hello, I'm Dave, pleased to meet you.- Good to meet you.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37'Howard's mum worked down t'mill,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40'so he's been picking up these skills ever since he was a nipper.'
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I first went in mills as a small boy
0:25:42 > 0:25:45when I was about nine or ten years old.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49I went in mills and I saw machinery very much like this running,
0:25:49 > 0:25:54and that was how I got interested in it, and still do it as a hobby today.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And you're one of the few people still left who know how
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- to rebuild this machine.- Yes.
0:26:00 > 0:26:01'This is the big day.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05'If all goes well, Howard is planning to start her up.'
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'We could be helping Howard to spin cotton on this machine
0:26:08 > 0:26:10'for the first time in 25 years.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:14'But my guess is, he'll have some tricky jobs for us to do first.'
0:26:14 > 0:26:16You've got some work on.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Yeah, we've a fair bit to do, as you can see.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I'm glad to see you've got your overalls on.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- We're ready for work!- Excellent. - Give you a hand, mate, we thought.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26There's no shortage of that, no shortage of that.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Howard, what is a spinning mule?
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Well, spinning mule -
0:26:29 > 0:26:32spinning is the process of turning raw cotton into yarn.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- So, this is a bit of cotton yarn here.- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38As you can see, it's quite fine, and reasonably strong.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43Cotton itself, as a raw material, is just very short fibres,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- so if I untwist this, it comes to pieces.- Yes!- Mm-hm.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49You see, the fibres themselves are maybe only an inch long.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And the process of spinning is about putting twist in the yarn.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Twist is the thing that gives it its strength.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00- Yeah?- Wow.- So, that twist is the secret of virtually all textiles.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Right.- And a spinning machine is a machine that puts the twist in.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04Right.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Well, I think we'd better get cracking,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- I think we've got our hands full. - I think we have.- Plenty to do.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11- Right.- Let's go.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Time to get this hundred-year-old mule spinning again. If we can.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- What you don't want is dirty yarn coming off the machine.- Right.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22So, first thing to do is to take these bolsters out the top, here.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'Right, we're going to take the spindle mechanisms apart,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27'bit by bit, and clean it.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28'Aye. It's fiddly.'
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Not a job for the clumsy folk, is it, this one?
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Well, there's lots and lots of delicate little things.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36'This mule had more than 700 spindles.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39'In its glory, it was 120 feet long.'
0:27:39 > 0:27:43- It's got the smell of Meccano. - Er - yeah. Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48'Decades of accumulated filth on hundreds of moving parts -
0:27:48 > 0:27:51'oh, this is going to take a while.'
0:27:51 > 0:27:53The thing is, it is an antique.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And I'm very conscious of the fact I don't want to break anything
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- or split anything.- Yeah.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01They're all going to be cleaned.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Right, so there we go.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09'Giving us a hand with the cleaning is mill manager Andy.'
0:28:09 > 0:28:12What's your connection with the mill?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15I used to work here when it was a mill. I started here from school.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- I was the last apprentice in the mill.- Really?- Yes.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21What was it like working here, in the day?
0:28:21 > 0:28:22Oh, it was good fun.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Yeah. The mill girls, they were...
0:28:24 > 0:28:26rum 'uns, but it was all harmless fun.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28THEY LAUGH
0:28:28 > 0:28:30- "They was rum 'uns"! - "There's trouble at t'mill."
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- There were definitely trouble at t'mill, yeah.- Hee hee.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36So, how many generations of the family was here, then?
0:28:36 > 0:28:40I can take mine back to about 1900, something like that.
0:28:40 > 0:28:41- Really?- Aye.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46'With the spindles cleaned and back in place,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48'I'm hoping it's time for a spinning class.'
0:28:50 > 0:28:52'But Howard's got a couple more jobs for us to do
0:28:52 > 0:28:55'before we get 'er fired up.'
0:28:55 > 0:28:58'Spinning machines were driven by what's called a line shaft,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01'that ran the entire length of the mill.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04'You just hooked your mule up, and away you went.'
0:29:06 > 0:29:09'But our mule's leather connector belt is slack,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12'and needs to be taken off and tightened.'
0:29:12 > 0:29:14'Si's just the man for the job.'
0:29:14 > 0:29:17'That's easy for you to say, mate.'
0:29:17 > 0:29:18It's coming.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Hee hee, it's like watching me mother taking her corsets off.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Lots of straining, then a gasp of relief.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Pshaw.
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Right...
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Well, the good news is, of course, getting it back is even harder.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38'Si's managed to pull the belt off - Howard will tighten it up,
0:29:38 > 0:29:39'and then we're off.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43'But right now, it's my turn to have a go at some work.'
0:29:43 > 0:29:45'About time too, mate, as well.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49'The mule's rope drive is stretched, so it needs repair.'
0:29:49 > 0:29:52'Well, you'd be stretched after spinning for 80 years.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54'Oh, the poor old girl.'
0:29:54 > 0:29:55Could we not just have had chain?
0:29:55 > 0:29:58You wouldn't believe how fast this rope goes round.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00- Right.- And how quiet it is when it's driving.- Right.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03So, ropes are actually a very efficient drive.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05This is it, this is what made Britain great.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09- Two blokes talking about rope.- Aye.
0:30:09 > 0:30:10It's true, though!
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- You know? Cos it's not just any old rope.- No.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- It's well-oiled, that rope. - It's a bit like you, last night.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Aye, pot and kettle black.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22'I thought it would all be about steam and welding and widgets.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25'I never imagined for a moment that the key to restoring this machine
0:30:25 > 0:30:29'was to learn an obscure form of knot.'
0:30:29 > 0:30:31All you have to do is take a strand from that
0:30:31 > 0:30:33and a strand from that and wrap them round each other.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Yeah?
0:30:35 > 0:30:37It's not easy, is it?
0:30:37 > 0:30:40He's better with spaghetti.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46'Whilst I try and perfect my splicing,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49'Howard carries out some final checks on the mule's gears
0:30:49 > 0:30:52'before we fire her up. But there's a problem.'
0:30:52 > 0:30:53What's up?
0:30:53 > 0:30:55What's going on?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02'One of the gears is too warm to operate.'
0:31:02 > 0:31:06- Howard's looking very, very intense.- Isn't he?
0:31:06 > 0:31:07You all right there, Howard?
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Um, perhaps taking a little bit longer than we expected.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Do you think we'll spin cotton again?
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I'm...very hopeful.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21'While Howard works at fixing the gear,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24'we meet modern-day mill owner Robert.'
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'Robert used to be a history teacher,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29'but left school when he fell in love with steam.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33'He's been collecting and restoring unwanted mills for over 30 years,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36'and he has an industrial revolution treasure trove
0:31:36 > 0:31:38'he wants to share with us.'
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Come on in the bobbin room.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Good grief!
0:31:47 > 0:31:52This is the largest collection of different bobbins in the world.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53Is every one different?
0:31:53 > 0:31:59There's over 660,000 bobbins, and every one is different.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03'When they were spinning cotton here to sell to other mills,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05'they'd wind the thread onto bobbins,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07'which had to match the machine
0:32:07 > 0:32:09'they'd be put onto at the other end.'
0:32:09 > 0:32:12'So every single mill that bought yarn from Masson
0:32:12 > 0:32:14'had its own design of bobbin.'
0:32:14 > 0:32:16You know, it's interesting. I think this place,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19more than any other, symbolises the human nature of the mill.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22I mean, the labels with names long gone.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Geo Mallinson & Sons Ltd, Spring Grove Mills,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Linthwaite, Huddersfield.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Quote for a thousand lots, that bobbin.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33- But there's such a lot of people's lives in this room.- Yeah.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35What would life have been like
0:32:35 > 0:32:39- for the workers in the 19th century, here?- It was a mixed picture,
0:32:39 > 0:32:44but, I think, let this room talk to you, really.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49This, here, is the result of generations of families
0:32:49 > 0:32:50working in a mill.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55'It looks like Howard is ready for the big moment,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58'to see if we can actually spin cotton here for the first time
0:32:58 > 0:33:01'in a quarter of a century.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:03'This is pretty exciting.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06'It's taken him ten years to get to this point.'
0:33:06 > 0:33:08So, the first thing to do is to push that handle down.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10And hold it down.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14SPINNING MULE WHIRRS
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Oh, listen to the sound of it!
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Oh, brilliant!
0:33:19 > 0:33:20WHIRRING INTENSIFIES
0:33:20 > 0:33:23She cannot take much more, skipper!
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Now lift it right to the top and hold it there.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29That's it. That's the motor starting.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31'Look, that's me strap running!'
0:33:33 > 0:33:37'Howard has set the gears so that only the spindles move,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38'nothing else.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'First, we have to attach a length of starter cotton
0:33:42 > 0:33:44'to every single spindle.'
0:33:44 > 0:33:48MUSIC: "Hey, Let's Twist" by Joey Dee & The Starliters
0:33:48 > 0:33:50# Hey, let's twist
0:33:50 > 0:33:52# All you do is this... #
0:33:52 > 0:33:55This is not as easy as it looks.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58It's supposed to look like that...
0:33:58 > 0:34:01but I'm only getting one out of ten at the minute.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04'Which is better than some people round here.'
0:34:04 > 0:34:05Now...all the way down that way.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07No, not up... No.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10It's very infuriating, because it keeps snapping.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13'Back in t'day it would have taken just a few workers
0:34:13 > 0:34:16'about ten minutes to do this job.'
0:34:16 > 0:34:19That's what you're looking for, all the way up to the top.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22I think I've got it now. Ohh... Cha! Ohh...
0:34:25 > 0:34:28'Once we've loaded the spindles, we take the raw cotton
0:34:28 > 0:34:31'from the back of the machine and twist it together.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35'If you get it right, the mule will keep spinning yarn
0:34:35 > 0:34:36'until it runs out of cotton.'
0:34:36 > 0:34:40- Nothing is like this, though, is it? - No, this isn't...
0:34:40 > 0:34:41- Howard?- Hello.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Would people...those years ago
0:34:43 > 0:34:45have done exactly the same as we're doing now?
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Exactly the same,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50except they'd be much more skilful even than you are.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- And therefore quite a bit quicker. - Aye?
0:34:52 > 0:34:56- That's him trying to be polite, but saying get a shift on.- Yeah.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01'Getting a spinning mule set up and properly calibrated
0:35:01 > 0:35:03'is a real skill.'
0:35:05 > 0:35:06This one's done.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10'Get it wrong, and you end up with dozens of broken threads.'
0:35:13 > 0:35:17- Let's have a percentage bet. - Well, 50% if we're lucky.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- 50% of them'll break?! Nah.- Maybe, we'll see.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23'So, this is it.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26'After years of lying in bits forgotten,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30'this 1906 spinning mule, if we're lucky, is about to spin again.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32'Howard puts her into gear.'
0:35:37 > 0:35:40'Go on, girl, go on. You can do it, go on!'
0:35:40 > 0:35:42'The spindle starts spinning.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43'Howard guides back the carriage
0:35:43 > 0:35:46'and draws from the bobbins lengths of cotton.'
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Wow!
0:35:48 > 0:35:50'It starts twisting into yarn.'
0:35:53 > 0:35:55'Or breaking.'
0:35:55 > 0:35:57- No!- Oh!
0:35:58 > 0:35:59Nuh...
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Looks bad, looks bad, but it's not as bad as it looks.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Not as bad as it looks?!
0:36:07 > 0:36:08Not as bad as it looks?!
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Let me show you what happens now.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16- It's like a pan of bloody spaghetti, Howard.- This is a nightmare!
0:36:16 > 0:36:17- Nightmare!- Ahh, you're panicked.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Look, that one's up, that one's up, that one's up.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23'We have to get the tension on the threads exactly right, Kingy,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25'or they just keep breaking.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29'Right, we'd better give it another go then, mate, didn't we? You know.'
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Well, that's about another hundred rethreaded, Howard.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34- Let's make cotton!- Come on!
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Be good to us, machine. Be good.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Oh...!
0:36:40 > 0:36:42- Oh!- Oh-oh!
0:36:42 > 0:36:44No, it's not bad.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46- Yes!- Yes.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49'Well, you know, it's not quite three miles a minute,
0:36:49 > 0:36:54'but we've just successfully spun cotton on a 1906 spinning mule.'
0:36:54 > 0:36:58'And we've got enough for a couple of Hairy Biker hankies.'
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Hi, Andy!
0:37:00 > 0:37:04'And you know what? Andy's going to weave our yarn into cloth.'
0:37:04 > 0:37:06In a second, you will see...
0:37:07 > 0:37:11..your spun cotton woven into material.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- Right!- Oh, this is brilliant.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Come on!
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- MULE CLICKS - Look at that!
0:37:19 > 0:37:21It's our material!
0:37:21 > 0:37:22Yes!
0:37:22 > 0:37:26'Doesn't it look grand? Our very own Hairy Bikers hanky.'
0:37:26 > 0:37:29'We could do some of these for Christmas, you know.'
0:37:29 > 0:37:33'Ooh, aye. And that sound - that sound is the sound of progress.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37'It's the sound of Howard having got one of the last spinning mules
0:37:37 > 0:37:38'of its kind working again.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43- 'That's what that is, dude.' - 'And that's what we came here for.'
0:37:43 > 0:37:45I think Richard Arkwright - Sir Richard Arkwright -
0:37:45 > 0:37:49will be looking down on us with pride, now.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54- That his mill is still living on. - Come on, Fred Astaire.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55Right, lads, let's go.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Once you've spun your cotton or harvested your crops,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08you need to get them where they're going.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10And that didn't happen by bike.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14It happened by boat.
0:38:16 > 0:38:1970 miles west of Masson Mills is Ellesmere Port,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23an impressive canal system typical of the Industrial Revolution.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Canals were the motorways of their day,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29allowing cargo to move easily around the country.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33One of the first kind of canal boats to do this was this one -
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Box Boat 337.
0:38:36 > 0:38:43Box Boat 337 might not look much, but her design's over 250 years old,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46the only one of her kind left in the world.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Before canals, cargo was transported by horse and wagon,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53which could only carry about a ton of cargo at a time.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56But the same horses pulling a canal boat
0:38:56 > 0:39:00could carry 30 tons of cargo, and on a trip from London to Birmingham,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02they'd be three days quicker.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07With the box boat, suddenly, for the first time ever,
0:39:07 > 0:39:12large cargo could be moved around the country for half the price.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Box boats were like the first container ships
0:39:15 > 0:39:18loaded with identical boxes that could be lifted in and out
0:39:18 > 0:39:22with a crane, filled with anything you like, from coal to cotton.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31Head volunteer and ex-head teacher Di Skilbeck was here
0:39:31 > 0:39:35when the box boat was first saved 35 years ago.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38She was one of the founding members of the Ellesmere Port
0:39:38 > 0:39:41volunteer group, and she's been saving and restoring
0:39:41 > 0:39:44heritage boats since the '60s.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46There's all sorts of boats here, isn't there, Di?
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Look at that big 'un there, Bigmere.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52- Well, that one used to work for Kellogg's.- Right.- And carried maize.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55The maize actually came into Liverpool, was transhipped here...
0:39:55 > 0:39:59- Yes?- ..then taken up the ship canal by Bigmere
0:39:59 > 0:40:01to the Kellogg's factory at Trafford Park.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- Ah!- And there were your cornflakes. - You...Really?
0:40:04 > 0:40:07You don't automatically associate boats like that
0:40:07 > 0:40:09with stuff that you eat. Cornflakes, and stuff.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12- It's a bit of a misnomer, really. - That's the diversity of canals,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- you've got boats that were carrying oil, coal, cornflakes.- Yeah.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18- It was the lifeblood of the country. - Sugar, flour,
0:40:18 > 0:40:20all sorts was coming in.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22It was the highway of the Industrial Revolution,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25it's what got it going and what kept it going.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28So, Di, when did you first get involved in canal restoration?
0:40:28 > 0:40:29Er, about 38 years ago.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Well, I came down here because I was keen on industrial archaeology,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36and saw this place in a terrible state,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38and thought, "We can't let this go!"
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And so I brought girls down, a group from school, and...
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- This basin end here was solid mud. - That?
0:40:43 > 0:40:45- You could have walked out on it. - Good grief.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48And there was no way you could get any boats in here at all.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- And how did you get rid of the mud? - Dug it out.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53- Hand-bashed it?- Hand-bashed it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Used to bring a load of - I taught at a girls' school -
0:40:56 > 0:40:57a load of girls, and we all helped.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01- Ee.- With adult volunteers as well, obviously.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03- Wow.- But everywhere was derelict.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11One of the boats being restored here is the box boat.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Today it's mid-restoration,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18and we've come to help with a crucial part of the work -
0:41:18 > 0:41:20making the boat waterproof.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27'Foreman of the boatyard is John,
0:41:27 > 0:41:31'and he knows all the old skills needed to restore a classic boat.'
0:41:31 > 0:41:36- What it is is actually old rope, unpicked.- Right.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39I don't know if you've ever heard the saying "money for old rope"?
0:41:39 > 0:41:41- Yeah, yeah. - That's where it comes from.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44What they would do, people in workhouses, prison,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46that sort of thing, for their keep,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- they would sit and they would unpick rope.- Right.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51And make it into this fibrous cord
0:41:51 > 0:41:54that we can actually put into the seams, yeah?
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- So they'd get paid for that. Money for old rope, yeah?- Ah!
0:41:58 > 0:42:01So, John, what would you like us to do? Cos we'd love to help.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Right, we've got a couple of seams down the back end that you can do.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- Right.- I want you to caulk it... - Cos without the caulking,
0:42:06 > 0:42:08obviously, the boat's going to leak like a sieve, in't it?
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13You pick the right size iron to fit the seam,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15so you pick up your oakum,
0:42:15 > 0:42:19and sort of going in at, like, a 45 degree angle...
0:42:19 > 0:42:21And drive it in, and you hear it go "bong-bong."
0:42:21 > 0:42:22Yeah, I heard that, yeah.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25And that means it's right. Pick up the next piece...
0:42:25 > 0:42:26- CHISEL KNOCKS - That's it.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29What you end up with is, like, this barley-sugar twist.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32- Oh, right, yeah, yeah.- You pick each piece up and put it underneath.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36All the time, we're going along continuously at this 45 degrees
0:42:36 > 0:42:39and forcing it right into the back of the seam.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42So, what we do is, we go for an iron, now,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- that is virtually the width... - The same size.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- Virtually... Just a bit of slack on it.- Yeah, obviously, yeah.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49And it's got a groove in it, and that'll actually shape the oakum,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51- and it'll actually firm it up. - Mm-hm.- Yeah?
0:42:51 > 0:42:54- So that's... That's firming that. - It's just amazing, isn't it?
0:42:56 > 0:42:58And we'll just...work that in.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- Now, that looks like an immensely satisfying thing to do.- It is.
0:43:02 > 0:43:03You can do it for hours.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07- So, do you want to get set up?- Yeah! - Yeah? OK.- Let's do it.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08Oh, brilliant.
0:43:08 > 0:43:09'We'd best do a good job, Kingy.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12'We don't want any leaks to be blamed on the Hairy Bikers.'
0:43:12 > 0:43:14'You're not wrong there, mate, I tell you.'
0:43:14 > 0:43:16- BOTH: Chisel.- I'm off.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18What's the...? Yeah, that'll do.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22So, then I pick up from there...
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Yeah. Little bit more of an angle on your...
0:43:25 > 0:43:26Ah, I get you.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Yeah, you're starting to get the noise now, yeah?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Yeah, and then I've got the tuft for Kingy to pick up on.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34- That's it, so then you can...- Move on a bit.- ..move on a little bit.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Right, well, I'm going to leave you to it.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40I've got to go and have a look at my pitch boiler, and...
0:43:40 > 0:43:43- All right, mate.- ..leave you to it. - Cheers, John. Thanks for that.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51It's like decorating a cake, isn't it?
0:43:51 > 0:43:53- With icing.- No, not really.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56No, you know, look, that little furl thing, you know?
0:43:56 > 0:43:58- Where you go up and around, up and around.- All right,
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- the furl's important. - Do you know what I mean?
0:44:00 > 0:44:03This is man's work, caulking.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07SI CHUCKLES
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Come on, then! Give it a bat.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Well, I was just waiting for you to finish.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Oh, that's looking good, now, that, dude.
0:44:27 > 0:44:28You're on.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37John! Right, mate.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43- What do you reckon, John? - Eh-up, are you done?
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- Aye.- I think so.- Finished the seam.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46Let's have a look.
0:44:48 > 0:44:49Hey, that's all right, that.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Well, you didn't sound so surprised.
0:44:51 > 0:44:52JOHN LAUGHS
0:44:52 > 0:44:55No, you've done a good job there. That's boss.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57I tell you what, you can see you've got better as you've gone along.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Yeah, that's well tight, there.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02That's absolutely superb, that. No problems with that.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04- We can black that up, and... - Brilliant.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06- Yeah, absolutely no problem. - Oh, mint. Minted.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11'Blacking, or pitching, is taking this thick, disgusting tar -
0:45:11 > 0:45:14'a bit like some of Kingy's leftover flat rib broth -
0:45:14 > 0:45:16'and painting it all over the outside
0:45:16 > 0:45:17'of our beautiful clean boat.'
0:45:17 > 0:45:19'The oil in the tar repels the water,
0:45:19 > 0:45:23'making the whole boat waterproof and keeping her afloat.'
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- Safety glasses.- Safety glasses on.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27- Gloves.- Gloves.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29- Attractive hats.- Hats.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33- All right. - Mine doesn't fit very well.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35- Champion.- Come on, then. Let's have a go.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38- One for you. I'll get another one. - Cheers, John.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- I've got it.- Right.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44DAVE WHISTLES
0:45:44 > 0:45:46All right, Si. There you go, that's yours.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49You can start at the other end, work towards him.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51- Just be nice and careful with it, yeah?- I will.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Kingy, it's great when you get a good bit in,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56- and it grabs in your crack, innit? - I'll say it is.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05So, John, is there any restoration job that you get in
0:46:05 > 0:46:08that you just think, "Dear me, that's never going to float again,"
0:46:08 > 0:46:10or can you pretty much make anything float?
0:46:10 > 0:46:12We can make anything float.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13We've got the skills,
0:46:13 > 0:46:16but one of the things that we are lacking is the actual labour.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19- Yes.- And this is where the volunteers come in.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22They play a huge part in what goes on in the yard.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26'It's a short wait for the pitch to dry
0:46:26 > 0:46:28'before we're ready for the next job.'
0:46:30 > 0:46:33- What we're going to do now is scrape off the excess, yeah?- Right.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Scraper. Dead easy.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38- Ooh, aye!- Yeah.- Oh, and it's tidy -
0:46:38 > 0:46:40you're just left with the caulking strips.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Yeah, you're just left with the caulking strips.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44And what we'll do, we'll do it again.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46But...we'll do all of it.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- So it'll look lovely. - It'll all look nice and...
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- And we'll get another layer of pitch into the seams.- Yeah, brilliant.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53There we go.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54One for you, sir.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58And what we do, we keep all this, and we put it back in the pot.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02- SI LAUGHS - Mine's a bit wet.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05- Ah, you need some... - Need a bit of elbow grease, Kingy.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08- You'll be fine.- I've got elbow grease, dude, it's not happening.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'Once we've scraped off the excess, it's time for another layer.'
0:47:19 > 0:47:21'And time to finish the job.'
0:47:21 > 0:47:24- We'll use the big brushes. - Yeah, just use the big brushes.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26- Put that on the deck, between you. - Yep.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- And then away you go.- Champion.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34- Right, try and avoid the writing. - I will do. I know.
0:47:43 > 0:47:44When the boat's finished,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47it should be just this big black outline on the floor where it was.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50- Does it come in other colours, John? - Yeah, it comes in black,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52or you can get black,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55and there's, like...maybe two other shades of black that you can get.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56Hey-hey!
0:47:56 > 0:47:57THEY CHUCKLE
0:47:59 > 0:48:01- Wow.- I think that's about as much as we can do
0:48:01 > 0:48:03without doing a bit more caulking, John.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Yep, I'd agree with you on that.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07That looks absolutely fantastic, that.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11That, forever, will be a corner of Hairy Bikers' English heritage.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13- Where do we clean the brushes? - I'll clean them.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15You go and play with your boat.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18'It'll be another three months at least before this boat is
0:48:18 > 0:48:20'ready to go back on the water.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24'But when it does, it will be the only one of its kind.'
0:48:24 > 0:48:26'Another piece of saved heritage,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29'all thanks to passionate volunteers like John and Di.'
0:48:35 > 0:48:39I'm really enjoying every chance we get to get our hands dirty,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42helping them out and learning some of the amazing heritage skills.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Oh, definitely, Dave.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48For me, one of the highlights has to be learning how to hot-rivet
0:48:48 > 0:48:50gears with the Hatch brothers.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52And today they've told us
0:48:52 > 0:48:54they're ready to put the gears back on the engine.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00'After two years of hard work,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04'getting the gears back on is a major milestone.'
0:49:04 > 0:49:07'And after this job it'll only be another four months
0:49:07 > 0:49:09'before the engine is rumbling down the road
0:49:09 > 0:49:11'looking splendid.'
0:49:11 > 0:49:15'All they're waiting for is two hairy fellas to do the grunt work.'
0:49:19 > 0:49:21There we go. Right, just the job.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23- OK, right, we need to get on.- Yeah.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26So, the first thing, we're going to get this lifted up with the forklift.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33'It's straight to work to get all the gears onto the engine
0:49:33 > 0:49:34'and turning properly.'
0:49:37 > 0:49:40- It's like docking a space station, in't it?- It is!
0:49:40 > 0:49:42We need to come down!
0:49:43 > 0:49:46'Step one - put the gear...
0:49:46 > 0:49:50- '..riveted by Simon King and Dave Myers...'- '..onto the engine.'
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Stop! Yes.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56'And get it to mesh with the smaller gear behind it.'
0:49:56 > 0:49:58Take a little bit of the weight off!
0:50:00 > 0:50:02- That's it.- Yeah.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06'The problem is, when the gears don't fit to each other,
0:50:06 > 0:50:07'they don't mesh.'
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Slacken this thing... Just turn it a bit, that's it.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14- There we go.- Yeah!- There we go.. How's that?
0:50:14 > 0:50:16- Just need to get these to mesh now. - Yeah.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19So just turn each one until it meshes in completely...
0:50:19 > 0:50:21No, it'll need to go in a bit more.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23I think it may be that one, then, is it?
0:50:23 > 0:50:27- That's it, that's it. - Hold on, boys. Hold on.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29There we are. That's it, yes!
0:50:29 > 0:50:31- That's it!- Good job.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32There.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37'Step two - put a small gear on top of the differential gear.'
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- I've got it.- All right?
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Up another two inches.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44- Push it down a bit...- Yeah.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Down a tiny bit! Tiny, tiny bit.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53You take one side and I'll take one side, and now it's on.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55And try and wiggle it on.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57We're getting there!
0:50:57 > 0:51:01'Except that after a lot of pushing and pulling, we're not.'
0:51:02 > 0:51:05- I'll just get a mallet so we can give it a tap.- OK.- Yeah.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07- If you just hold on a minute.- Aye. - I'll go and find that.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09The gears are not engaging,
0:51:09 > 0:51:12so we wait for the master to return to help us out,
0:51:12 > 0:51:14while Dave here sings a little song.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18DAVE MIMICS RHYTHMIC MACHINERY
0:51:20 > 0:51:22It's quite tight, that, actually.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Right, it sounds like the teeth are starting to engage, now.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32'In the end, it's a hi-tech solution that saves the day(!)'
0:51:34 > 0:51:35- Now it's there. - Right, there we are.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37Now we're getting somewhere.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39- Yes!- Yes!
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Right, that's it.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43OK, that goes on there first.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47'Step three - secure the gears with plates and bolts.'
0:51:47 > 0:51:49That pin locates in that hole...
0:51:49 > 0:51:52Dave, you've got the bolt that goes in the middle now.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54- The big 'un. - Yeah, put the big one in.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- Right, I've got me doo-dah. - OK. You can do that up.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01'Putting this together is SO satisfying.
0:52:01 > 0:52:02'It's like when you're a kid
0:52:02 > 0:52:04'and you're putting together a Meccano crane.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09'Except this is like a monster Meccano crane. Huge!'
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Do you need to give the threads a wipe?
0:52:13 > 0:52:14- That was it there.- That was the one.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Funny, isn't it, with the old machinery,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20it's...some bits fit a certain place, don't they?
0:52:20 > 0:52:23- They do.- Because if it's all bespoke-made...
0:52:23 > 0:52:28When we had the Second World War, head sizes on bolts were reduced,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30- to save materials.- Really?
0:52:30 > 0:52:34If I had to take a guess, I'd say that the one with the big head
0:52:34 > 0:52:37is a pre-war head, and the one with the smaller head...
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Even though they're both Whitworth, the same size,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44that's a bolt from after the Second World War.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48- And that's where we get the confusion with spanner sizes.- What do you know?
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Ah, you know your onions.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Knows his nuts.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Pull it!
0:52:56 > 0:52:58'Step four - the final gear goes on
0:52:58 > 0:53:01'before we're ready for the last piece of the puzzle.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03'The flywheel.'
0:53:07 > 0:53:08Stop! That's it.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11'The flywheel on the other side of the engine
0:53:11 > 0:53:13'will ultimately connect to the crankshaft
0:53:13 > 0:53:15'to get the engine moving.'
0:53:15 > 0:53:16'If we can get it on.'
0:53:16 > 0:53:20We've got it on the end, but we can't get it slidden down the spine.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23- If you can turn the wheel the other side...- We're kind of jammed, really.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26..through the crank and the key, so they're lined up...
0:53:26 > 0:53:30We'll try and stop the crankshaft rotating
0:53:30 > 0:53:32so that we can...turn that, yeah.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35'Si goes over to the other side of the engine to try to hold
0:53:35 > 0:53:39'the gear still, and stop the crankshaft from rotating,
0:53:39 > 0:53:41'while we try to fit the flywheel.'.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46Now, if we can just gently rock that...
0:53:46 > 0:53:48- Beautiful.- It's going now.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49You've done this before, haven't you?
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Ahh...
0:53:53 > 0:53:55Another inch, boys.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57- How's that?- Pretty perfect. - That's about there, isn't it?
0:53:57 > 0:54:01- Perfect.- That's the way. OK, lovely.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Right. Here you are, then, give that a little tap. Not too much, but...
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Just... It'll be quite easy. OK?
0:54:07 > 0:54:10That should do us. That's lovely.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12That'll be fine. Right.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16- Hey-hey!- The moment of truth. - Get in!
0:54:16 > 0:54:19'Our last job is to make sure it all turns as it should,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21'and hopefully nothing breaks.'
0:54:21 > 0:54:24- So, I just spin this in a clockwise direction?- Spin it round, yeah.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26- That'll be lovely.- Right!
0:54:26 > 0:54:27- Yep.- Say when, boys.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30OK.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Doo-doo-doo!
0:54:32 > 0:54:35DAVE CHUFFING TRAIN ENGINE
0:54:35 > 0:54:36Wonderful.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45That's beautiful. What an achievement!
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Yes.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49'It's perfect and beautiful,
0:54:49 > 0:54:53'and we're chuffed as nuts to see our hard work pay off.'
0:54:58 > 0:55:00Well, that's been a grand day, hasn't it?
0:55:00 > 0:55:02- It's hard work, mind.- It was.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04You know, the funny thing is,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06these traction engines may have replaced horses on the farm,
0:55:06 > 0:55:11but funnily enough, they have life and personality, foibles...
0:55:11 > 0:55:14And I just got that hint that we're beginning to breathe life
0:55:14 > 0:55:18- back into this beast. - It's - well, it's kind of...
0:55:18 > 0:55:21- I mean, I know this sounds mad, but it feels a bit human.- It does.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25Because the care and dedication and passion that Colin and Ian have,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27and all the lads in the yard,
0:55:27 > 0:55:30for these wonderful, wonderful pieces of heritage,
0:55:30 > 0:55:32- is just...- Yeah.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34- It's great to be involved in, isn't it?- It's wonderful.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36I've got muscles in me spit.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38- Oh, I love it. - It's brilliant.- I love it.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43This is what the engine we've been working on will look like
0:55:43 > 0:55:44when it's finished.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Ha!
0:55:53 > 0:55:56- What a majestic sight that is.- Yep.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Taxi for the Hairy Bikers.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02'In the world of heritage restoration,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04'driving the finished engine is what it's all about.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07'It's what inspires people who catch the steam bug.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10'For us, it's the icing on the cake.'
0:56:12 > 0:56:14- Oh, Dave. - SI CHUCKLES
0:56:14 > 0:56:18I've got to say, visibility's quite good.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21You know, the last time I felt this was when we were riding elephants.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24You know that kind of sense of being on something
0:56:24 > 0:56:26that was massive and slightly unpredictable?
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Oh, that - getting the steam in your face is just brilliant!
0:56:34 > 0:56:37'It's been a fantastic trip, and what a way to end it,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40'Meeting Colin and Ian's steam friends
0:56:40 > 0:56:43'for our own little steam celebration.'
0:56:44 > 0:56:48'I wanted to find out more about our industrial past,
0:56:48 > 0:56:49'and I'm glad that we did,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53'but who would've thought that we'd be falling in love with steam?'
0:56:53 > 0:56:58'Steam engines, volunteers, cotton, oil and grease and metal.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00'It's been great.'
0:57:00 > 0:57:01WHISTLE BLOWS
0:57:01 > 0:57:06'And I think it's the beginning of a steamy Hairy Biker love affair.'
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Wow, look at that!
0:57:08 > 0:57:11That was absolute poetry!
0:57:11 > 0:57:14I mean, traction engines all in unison,
0:57:14 > 0:57:17it was like as if Busby Berkeley met Brunel.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19I'm with you, dude, I'm with you. And you know what?
0:57:19 > 0:57:21It calls for a celebration, I think.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24- Oh, let's us get steaming. - Good idea.
0:57:24 > 0:57:29'Kingy MacSteamy and Myers MacFires. I think we may be on to something.'
0:57:29 > 0:57:31'I think we are, you know, dude, I think we are.'
0:57:31 > 0:57:34Cheers, boys, cheers. Thank you so very, very much.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37What a fantastic, fantastic opportunity.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40- Thank you.- To steam! - To steam!- ALL: To steam!
0:57:40 > 0:57:43- Cheers. - ALL CHEER
0:57:46 > 0:57:48'Next week, we forge a giant wheel
0:57:48 > 0:57:52'for the fastest steam train of its day.'
0:57:52 > 0:57:54Have you noticed, he's got a look in his eye that's...
0:57:54 > 0:57:56Will you put your tongue away?!
0:57:57 > 0:58:01'We help restore the world's first ever steam engine.'
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Dave, are we going to be able to get a Hairy Biker down that hole?
0:58:04 > 0:58:06- We are now we've been on that diet! - OK!
0:58:06 > 0:58:09'And we have our first fast food steam breakfast.'
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Beautiful!
0:58:11 > 0:58:15Who would've thought that a mixture of good breakfast products,
0:58:15 > 0:58:19soot and coal could taste so good?