0:00:02 > 0:00:04Us two 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 > 0:00:10My 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 > 0:00:28'All across the country, teams of passionate skilled volunteers...'
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Come on, then. 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're going to lend a helping hand,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'tinkering with some unbelievable machines...'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I'm a train driver!
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'..from steam trains to coal mines
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'and traction engines to cotton mills.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:51What an achievement! Yes!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Every week, we'll be travelling across the nation seeking out
0:00:55 > 0:00:57the most exciting restoration projects.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Swapping our chefs hats for hard hats,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01our spatulas for spanners,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and getting our hands well and truly dirty.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Covered in muck and oil instead of pastry! Heaven!
0:01:09 > 0:01:12But we're in danger of forgetting what made this country
0:01:12 > 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 > 0:01:21And now is the time to rebuild industrial Britain
0:01:21 > 0:01:23before it's too late.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43'This week, we're fixing a 200-year-old relic
0:01:43 > 0:01:44'from the earliest days of steam.'
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Ah, Dave, are we going to be able to get a Hairy Biker down that hole?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50- We are, now we've been on that diet! - OK!
0:01:50 > 0:01:54'I'm back to me roots, working in a steelworks as I did
0:01:54 > 0:01:55'when I was a young 'un.'
0:01:55 > 0:01:58God! Me hair nearly went up then, what's left of it!
0:01:58 > 0:02:02'And something close to our hearts - how the industrial revolution
0:02:02 > 0:02:03'fed the nation.'
0:02:03 > 0:02:05It sounds great, doesn't it?
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'But first, the restoration of one of the greatest locomotives from
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'when steam ruled the rails.'
0:02:17 > 0:02:21We're heading to the Llangollen Railway works in North Wales,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24where a team of skilled engineers are bringing Britain's steam
0:02:24 > 0:02:26locomotives back from the dead.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36You know, today, we talk about steam with nostalgia,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38but back in the day, steam was king.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42My goodness! Look at the size...!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45They're impressive, powerful beasts close up, aren't they?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47It's a leviathan.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51We've come to help the Llangollen engineering team on their most
0:02:51 > 0:02:53ambitious project to date -
0:02:53 > 0:02:56a locomotive even bigger than this one.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04It's early days in a ten-year long and £1.5 million restoration
0:03:04 > 0:03:06of a lost engineering masterpiece.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13The Night Owls were Britain's first high-speed freight trains.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17These powerful but elegant beasts could reach speeds of 65mph
0:03:17 > 0:03:20which, back in 1919, was going some.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Brilliant British engineers had spent 100 years constantly
0:03:25 > 0:03:26improving steam trains,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and the Night Owl is the ultimate refinement of steam technology.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34Night Owls were majestic freight trains,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37run by the Great Western Railway that brought food
0:03:37 > 0:03:42from Britain's ports to feed our rapidly expanding cities.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47But in the 1960s, almost all of Britain's steam trains were
0:03:47 > 0:03:50scrapped - amongst them, every single Night Owl.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56So the team here are building a new Night Owl, scavenging parts
0:03:56 > 0:03:57from all over Britain.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And what they can't find, they'll have to make from scratch.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's the biggest steam restoration project in Britain,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and Paul Carpenter is the bloke in charge.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Today, we're here to help with the wheels.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Oh, wow.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Hello, Paul. What are these off? The size of these!
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Nice to see you.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Paul, very nice to meet you, sir. How are you?
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- Nice to meet you, Simon. - So are these six wheels,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23are they off a Night Owl?
0:04:23 > 0:04:24They're not, but they're identical
0:04:24 > 0:04:27to the ones that would have been on a Night Owl.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30The nice thing - Great Western were very ahead of their time
0:04:30 > 0:04:32in that they standardised components.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35So, although these other engines were of different types,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37their components were standardised.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40So we've spent quite a while studying the drawings identifying
0:04:40 > 0:04:45those parts, and now we're magpie-ing them together.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Yes, it's not quite as simple as just going down to the tyre shop
0:04:48 > 0:04:49and buying a couple.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52If only it were. And it's a bit more expensive.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Yeah, but this was so much more than just a train, wasn't it?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57It was the freight train that carried the food
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- that fed the workforce that was growing at huge rate.- It was.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05This engine was designed to get fresh perishable goods
0:05:05 > 0:05:08from the docks quickly to the markets in London.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10And, as a result, only ever ran at night,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13because it was at the markets in the early hours.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16And hence the nickname Night Owl, cos you rarely saw it by day.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Wow.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21After months of hunting through Britain's last locomotive graveyard,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Paul eventually found six wheels that fit the Night Owl -
0:05:24 > 0:05:26but she needs eight.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Where's the other two?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Well, we've got to make the other two.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And we're very much hoping you could help us with that.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37There is a foundry in Dudley who have the expertise
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and they have the equipment.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41And we'd like you to go down there
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and come back with a new pair of wheels.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46It will be fantastic, though, to think that one day those
0:05:46 > 0:05:50wheels will be on a Night Owl, on the railways running again.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52- Yeah.- It will be fantastic.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Come on, mate.- Better get on, mate. - Give us a go.- Good luck!
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- It's exciting, isn't it? - Isn't it just?
0:06:00 > 0:06:04When the Night Owl was originally built, it was all made
0:06:04 > 0:06:06in one massive train factory.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08But that place has long gone.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14So today we're having to travel 70 miles to a foundry in the Midlands
0:06:14 > 0:06:18to cast the new wheels the way they would have done it 100 years ago.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And I'm excited, cos my first job was working in a foundry.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Oh, this takes me back, Kingy.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Me Uncle Harry worked in a steelworks for over 40 years.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36And every summer when I was a student I used to go
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and work for him at the furnaces.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Did you? You'll be a dab hand at this, dude, will you?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Not really. I used to work cleaning the flues out - it's filthy.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47'Well, we'll be doing more than that today, mate!
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'Here's the gaffer, Steve.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Glad to meet you, Dave, good to meet you, Si.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Hello, Steve. How are you?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- So, when you've got a locomotive... - Yes.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57..you've got a couple of wheels that are knackered, this is where
0:06:57 > 0:06:59- you come for your spare parts. - Absolutely.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01We're going to cast the wheels here, aren't we?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03We are indeed. Yeah, this is the mould.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And the mould is made from a wooden pattern...
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- The pattern which you see over here.- Over there, yeah.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12That's right - that gives us the cavity, which you see there
0:07:12 > 0:07:15in the mould, but then it's split into two halves.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18The wooden pattern has imprinted the shape of the wheel
0:07:18 > 0:07:21into moulding sand that's now set solid.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And now we can turn two tonnes of steel into molten metal
0:07:27 > 0:07:31to make one of Night Owl's wheels. And it's hot work.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I mean, we're normally used to working in temperatures
0:07:33 > 0:07:36between, you know, 180 to 300 at the most.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38And that's hot enough, isn't it?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Well, sometimes it's not enough, but this is 1,650 degrees, isn't it?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- Yes.- That's going to burn your tongue, isn't it?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It is. Keep your tongues well away.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49These furnaces are as hot as volcanoes.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And need constant feeding with metal.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Hold it by there, so as it touches the metal let it slide in.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04'Whilst that's cooking up to temperature,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07'we need to coat both halves of the sand mould with a special
0:08:07 > 0:08:11'alcohol-based paint, to stop the sand mixing into the molten metal.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I can smell alcohol.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16You can smell the alcohol, yes.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17I thought it was Kingy!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- It's good, this, isn't it? - Paints nicely, doesn't it?
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Lovely nice paint, like.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- Goes on well, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Isn't it an amazing thought, Si,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29that, in the golden age of steam,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31there would be thousands of locomotives ploughing
0:08:31 > 0:08:32up and down the country?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35That's tens of thousands of wheels like this -
0:08:35 > 0:08:38that's maybe 100,000 men doing what we're doing
0:08:38 > 0:08:40now for decades on end.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Amazing, just amazing.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46'In case he's missed a bit, Si finishes the job
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'by spraying on a final coat of paint.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52'Now I get to do the fun bit.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'We've got to burn off the alcohol so it doesn't cause problems
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'when we pour in the metal.'
0:08:58 > 0:08:59I love this.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Go on, you maniac.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Fire. Good God, me hair nearly went up then - what's left of it!
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Of course, we have to spray and burn the top half of the mould as well.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16It does look like a giant gas ring, doesn't it?
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Bring the pan in for the stock!
0:09:18 > 0:09:23Yeah. You know, in Spain, they have those fiestas, the big paella pans?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25This one would take the biscuit, wouldn't it?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Have you noticed he's got a look in his eye...
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Will you put your tongue away?
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Look at that.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39'It's nearly up to temperature, and we've got a matter of minutes
0:09:39 > 0:09:41'before we need to pour the molten metal.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'So it's time to put the two halves of the mould
0:09:43 > 0:09:47'together by flipping one upside down onto the top of the other.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:51What we doing?
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Will it not fall out?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Hold on, hold on, hold on.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Will it fall out?!
0:09:57 > 0:10:00'Don't worry, Kingy! The sand is set solid.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02'These guys know what they're doing.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Steady, now.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'Dave and I are controlling the two gantry cranes
0:10:07 > 0:10:09'whilst the lads turn the mould.'
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'It's no easy task. This thing weighs as much as a car.'
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Come on!
0:10:18 > 0:10:20- Right, coming!- Wait!
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Yep!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'It might look just like sand in two rusty metal frames,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33'but in fact it's a precision fit.'
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Well, it fits!
0:10:41 > 0:10:43'Time to see if the metal's hot enough.'
0:10:43 > 0:10:461,643!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49'It's close. In seconds, it will hit the correct temperature.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'We've got to go for it.'
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'Like any cooking, there's a time when it's ready.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59'Leave things too long and the dish is ruined.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Wow.- It's hot, innit?- Innit?
0:11:04 > 0:11:08I can't get over, just... It's so mesmerising. That's molten metal.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16'Molten metal is tipped out of the furnace and into two giant ladles.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22'Then simultaneously poured into holes on the top of mould.'
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'No amateurs allowed in this bit. A mistake here could be lethal.'
0:11:29 > 0:11:34'The lads have weighed down the mould with massive iron weights.'
0:11:34 > 0:11:37You've got all the weight on there because the gases expand.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40You lift the mould into two pieces
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and all that metal goes on the floor.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Dear me.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- Look at the flames coming out from the seam, Kingy.- Oh, yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58No, no, don't stop there.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Lovely jubbly. Well done.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Who'd be a moulder?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Who'd be a moulder? Ha!
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Well done! That's amazing to see.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'That's it all done. Now leave to cool for 24 hours!'
0:12:23 > 0:12:26After it's come down to a manageable temperature, the lads break open
0:12:26 > 0:12:28the sand mould.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It takes a bit of brute force, though.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34They won't be using that one again!
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Eventually, the birth of a brand-new wheel.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Oh, it's magical, man, isn't it? She looks good!
0:12:44 > 0:12:46But a bit rough round the edges.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Oh, aye - she's got to be finished off by a local engineering company.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Beautiful stuff, isn't it?- It is.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Normally, they make bits for the nuclear industry,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05but today - well, it's a wheel for an Edwardian steam train!
0:13:06 > 0:13:10This lathe is computer-controlled, but back in the day
0:13:10 > 0:13:13it would've been done by the skilled hands of British workers.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17It was them and the ingenuity of our engineers that created
0:13:17 > 0:13:19world-beating industries.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22And you know, that spirit is still alive today
0:13:22 > 0:13:23in our hi-tech engineering.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25That's some machine.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Times have certainly moved on, haven't they?
0:13:28 > 0:13:29They have, mate.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I'll tell you what, though, we still need good craftsmen and women
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and it's great to see that we still have the skills in Britain
0:13:36 > 0:13:39to make world-class products.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The only thing is, mate, I kind of wish we just did more of it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44We should be proud of our industrial present,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47as well as our great industrial past.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- Yes, yes, I'll drink to that, mate. - Oh, me too! Glug, glug!
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Now, from the ultimate steam locomotive to the earliest
0:13:55 > 0:13:58steam engine - we're going back to the machine that fired up
0:13:58 > 0:14:00the whole Industrial Revolution.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09In the small mining village of Elsecar, near Barnsley,
0:14:09 > 0:14:10is one of the last examples
0:14:10 > 0:14:14of an engine that quite literally changed the world.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19The team here are working on a two-year project
0:14:19 > 0:14:22to completely restore this Newcomen Beam engine.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Named after its inventor Thomas Newcomen,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28it's the daddy of all steam engines.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Without the clever bloke that invented the beam engine,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36do you know what, mate?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40We would have arrived here on horses today - not bikes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Cor, a world without bikes! What a thought, eh!
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- So that must be a very important machine.- Indeed.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53The Newcomen engine was invented in Cornwall in 1712,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57and was the first reliable source of machine power
0:14:57 > 0:14:58in the history of mankind.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02There were once thousands all over the world. Now there is just one
0:15:02 > 0:15:04left on its original site.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Elsecar's Newcomen engine, seen here in its heyday,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12allowed miners to dig out the rich seams of coal that lie
0:15:12 > 0:15:15beneath this whole area, by continually pumping out water.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19The giant cylinder sits above the boiler which produces steam.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23The piston inside the cylinder is connected by a rod
0:15:23 > 0:15:27to a huge overhead beam. The cylinder pulls the piston.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- The piston pulls the beam. - And the beam works the pump.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And without it, there'd be no mine here and no village.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36She worked until the 1920s,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and except for one run out in the '50s was retired. Until now.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Today it's crunch time for the restoration.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We're going to open her up for the first time in decades.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Nobody knows what we'll find inside or how bad any damage might be.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- Well.- This is it, Kingy. - It's an old building, isn't it?
0:15:53 > 0:15:58It might not look much, but this is one of the starting places
0:15:58 > 0:16:00of the Industrial Revolution, you know.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03An innocuous-looking thing like this was hugely important.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- Aye, I wonder if Geoff's here? - I don't know.- Geoff!- Hello!
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- Hello.- Oh, he's here. - Come on up.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13'Geoff has been busy saving our industrial heritage
0:16:13 > 0:16:15'almost his entire working life.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'But for him, this is the single most important steam engine
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- 'he's ever worked on.' - Good to see you.- And you, sir.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23What do we have here, Geoff?
0:16:23 > 0:16:26You're looking at the open cylinder of probably the world's oldest
0:16:26 > 0:16:29steam engine that's still on its original site.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32There are others in museums, but this one is over its original mine.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- Crikey.- Wow. Why was this so important,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39why is there such a huge amount of interest in this engine?
0:16:39 > 0:16:42It's the first application of steam power that really worked,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46so no longer constrained by the power of a horse or humans.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Wow. What are we trying to achieve?
0:16:48 > 0:16:51What are we doing with this, with this piece of kit?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- Well, this has been stationary for at least 50-60 years.- Yeah.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58We don't know what condition it's in, but we're going
0:16:58 > 0:17:02to restore the whole engine to a condition where it works again,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04for visitors to come and have a look at.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07First job is to try and get the giant piston
0:17:07 > 0:17:10out of the huge cylinder. Let's hope it's not seized up.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Then we've got to check inside for cracks.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17If we find any, it would be a real blow to the project.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22After that, we'll be working on getting that beam rocking.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Right, time to get our work togs on, mate.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Do you know what, mate?
0:17:28 > 0:17:32I am genuinely looking forward to getting this machine going.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- It's the story of my life, that. - What is?- "Piston broke"!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Put your hat on.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45Right then, so should I go up and lower the hoist?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Yeah, that'll be great. Thanks very much.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51'With the piston weighing over a tonne, we have to winch it out.'
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Right!- Smashing.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- What weight's on this piston, Geoff?- Just over a tonne.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04A tonne?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- Right, lads, that's some tension on it now!- OK, Si.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Up now, slowly.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20I've got to tell you,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23there's some weight on the end of this hoist. Dear me!
0:18:23 > 0:18:26'Winching up this piston is heavy going.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'For every pull on the chain, it barely shifts an inch.'
0:18:29 > 0:18:31How far do we need to go, Geoff?
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- Five feet.- Five feet?!
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Five feet.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42You're about a foot up, so another four!
0:18:46 > 0:18:50'This piston hasn't worked in this cylinder since 1953.'
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- Just keep it there, lads, if you can.- Yeah.- That's nice and clear.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57'Finally, here she comes.'
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Whoa, hold it there now. OK, lower away, Si.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10- Is that us down, boys? - That's fine, Si, thanks very much.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14This is quite a moment, isn't it?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I wonder, how long is it that someone's looked in that barrel?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It's certainly some years.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Let's have a look, see what we've got. The moment of truth.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Oh, it's big, isn't it?
0:19:24 > 0:19:27All right, Kingy, come and have a look at this -
0:19:27 > 0:19:29the biggest pressure cooker you've ever seen.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Oh, wow. It does look... It's remarkable, that.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36'At the bottom are holes where the steam's pumped in.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39'Geoff checks the cylinder for obvious cracks,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42'but to be certain, it needs closer inspection.'
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Dave, are we going to be able to get a Hairy Biker down that hole?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- We are now we've been on that diet!- OK.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51HE LAUGHS
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'It's about flamin' time that Cumbrian did some actual graft!'
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'I'm just praying that the cylinder is OK.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'It's not like we can go down the DIY store and buy a new one.'
0:20:03 > 0:20:04Are you there?
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Moment of truth, then, Dave.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24What's it like?
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Looks in good nick.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30'Great news - 218 years old and she's wearing well.'
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- OK, that's great.- Yep?- Si, can you go off and get the wire brush?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37'Back of the net then! Project Newcomen, full steam ahead!'
0:20:39 > 0:20:42OK, Dave, if you'd like to clean off some of the rust...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46You've missed a bit!
0:20:46 > 0:20:47No, I'm doing it methodically.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51A tidy barrel is a happy barrel.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- Oh!- What've you done?!
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I got my mask out and I've dropped my wire brush down a big hole.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- You are having a laugh.- I'm sorry.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- Well, go and get it, then.- I don't think there's room there for me.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10What, like RIGHT down the big hole?
0:21:10 > 0:21:11No, I can see it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Oh, that's handy(!)
0:21:13 > 0:21:17How would I get that out? It's about six feet down.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Fishing time, then.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Just think of it like Hook The Duck, but different.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Yes.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Gentle now, gentle.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30No pressure.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Yes, Mr Myers!
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Right. I'm ready to crack on now.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39Let's rebuild Britain.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43It shouldn't take too long...
0:21:43 > 0:21:45when I put my back into it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51How long will that take?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53At that rate, about three or four days, I should think.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Will it? Tea and tinkering.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Here, talking of tea, do you fancy a brew?- Yeah. Come on. Let's go.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00We'll not be long, mate.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- We'll bring you one back. - Hey?- Carry on!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Cheerio, Dave.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Kingy!
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Kingy!
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I'm only joking. I couldn't really leave me mucker down a hole
0:22:15 > 0:22:17when it's time for a brew now, could I, really?
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Geoff, how did you get involved in fettling all this old lovely stuff?
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Well, it was back as a lad when I was an apprentice
0:22:25 > 0:22:28in the aircraft industry. I got involved as a volunteer,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32actually restoring the oldest engine that's still working
0:22:32 > 0:22:35down in Wiltshire and I thought, this is seriously good fun,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and that was 33 years ago.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40It's been a real privilege to work on these sort of things
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and to work out just what good conservation is,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44what it is we're trying to preserve.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- Of course.- Yes.- So, Geoff, when you start a new project,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50is there a spirit involved in it?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Is there an essence of touching the past
0:22:53 > 0:22:57and the people that worked the past and worked in this situation
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and worked the machines that you're restoring?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Yeah, there is. There is certainly that emotional connection to it,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07but, first of all, this is a conservation project.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10What you're looking at here is a scheduled ancient monument,
0:23:10 > 0:23:11as it's called.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It's the same sort of grade as Westminster Abbey or St Paul's...
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- Wow.- ..believe it or not. Might look like a load of rust,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but it's that important. It's of international importance.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's not just the materials. It's the evidence, the history,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25the changes, even. And there's been a lot of changes on this engine
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- and that's what's telling its story. Absolutely fascinating.- Uh-hm.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Even the cracks round the cylinder, I love to see that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- You can see what's gone wrong... - Yes.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34..and how they've patched it up and just carried on
0:23:34 > 0:23:37cos the mine's flooding, you haven't got time
0:23:37 > 0:23:40to change the cylinder. Just patch it up and get on with it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Below us is the Barnsley coal seam
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and the Newcomen engine's job was to keep the mine from flooding
0:23:49 > 0:23:52by pumping water up the shaft and out.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58But the pump was turned off decades ago
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and who's been maintaining the shaft in the meantime?
0:24:01 > 0:24:05No-one. So, Geoff's sending us two down to check it out.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09OK. So, are you happy to go down, then, lads?
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Oh, yeah. It'll be fascinating.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14- Absolutely.- Slightly scary, but it's a great privilege.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Imagine going down there to do an eight-hour shift, though, Kingy.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24No, I can't. Because you knew that when you were pooped
0:24:24 > 0:24:26at the end of your shift, you had to walk back up these,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and they're proper steep, Dave.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Really steep. Oh, God. It's wet and dank.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35This is what you call a black hole, isn't it?
0:24:35 > 0:24:36- Isn't it, Dave?- Aye.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Is there room down there for a little 'un?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44- It'll be cosy, mate.- Aye.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53And I think we can report to Geoff that there's not a lot of pointing.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Well, just a bit.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00'The brickwork could do with a bit of maintenance here and there.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03'But after 200 years down a damp hole, it's not looking too bad.'
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I think what's astounding, Dave, is that
0:25:09 > 0:25:13- we know that it's been built by hand...- Yes.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16..blood, sweat and tears. It's quite remarkable.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It's quite awe-inspiring to think
0:25:20 > 0:25:23that there's 80 feet of water below us.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- It is awesome, isn't it? - It is awesome.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- It's also cold and wet.- Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36'And this is what it looks like when you turn the pumps off in a mine.'
0:25:42 > 0:25:45'It's kind of spooky to think that hundreds of men worked down here.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- Dear me!- Well, that was an experience and a half.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- What a privilege that is.- Aye. Aye.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- Do you think you'd like to be miners, then, lads?- Nah.- No.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Absolutely not. It's cold, dark and wet.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08The Newcomen engine powered a pump that delivered 13 strokes a minute
0:26:08 > 0:26:13for up to 24 hours a day for 128 years.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17The cylinder and the piston have stood the test of time,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19but we can't fire her up just yet
0:26:19 > 0:26:22because there's a problem with the link mechanism
0:26:22 > 0:26:25that transfers the power from the overhead beam to the pump.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27It's got, well...twisted.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The whole link mechanism has to be straightened
0:26:34 > 0:26:35before the engine can operate again.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Thing is, this really is like archaeology,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and these relics are very precious, aren't they?
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Don't want to damage them.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46We shall be putting it all back together exactly as we find it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49'We get the first bit off OK.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Lovely job. Keep it that way round. Put a mark on that.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55'But then we've got to undo some seriously seized nuts.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59'Try a bit of spanner, mate.'
0:27:03 > 0:27:05'Geoff applies some heat.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:08That looks proper hot.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11'If it wasn't so historically important,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13'I'd be taking a flaming hacksaw to it.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- OK?- Yeah.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23'Still nothing doing. Geoff's called a halt to operations.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'We're just going round in circles here. Quite literally.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:29For me, the satisfaction also comes from not doing any damage.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So, let's stop and just do it another way so we can get that out
0:27:33 > 0:27:36in a relaxed way so we don't spoil it. Then we can put back
0:27:36 > 0:27:40all the original material and we're doing a proper conservation job.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42He's a one, isn't he? He is.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45He's like the Dr Dolittle of the steel world.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Geoff's got his work cut out
0:27:49 > 0:27:52if we're ever going to see this engine moving again.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I really enjoyed that, Si. It's so interesting.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- We've learned such a lot.- Well, Geoff, he's a mine of information.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02- Ha-ha! Like what you said. - No pun intended.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05I know. He's got such a lot of work on, though.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08He has, but you know what, Dave? I think if there's any man
0:28:08 > 0:28:10that can get that going, it's Geoff.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- Yeah. Me for one, I want to see it working again.- Same here.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18We'll be back to find out if Geoff's found a way to fix it
0:28:18 > 0:28:20in a few weeks' time.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24But for now we're off down south.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28While the Newcomen engine's job was to solve the problem of water,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31our next project relies on water to work.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36The new industries made Britain richer,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and led to an enormous population explosion.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Between 1801 and 1851, it doubled.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46There were millions of new mouths to feed,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and the flour mills of old England had to become ever-more productive.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Here at Houghton in Cambridgeshire,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56milling became an industrial process.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01Throughout the 19th century, it was a proper money-spinner.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04But, eventually, even the most effective water-driven mills
0:29:04 > 0:29:07couldn't keep pace with the new steam-powered bread factories.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13After decades of decline, from ten working millstones,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17it now has only one water-wheel powered millstone left.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23But the volunteers at Houghton urgently need to increase production
0:29:23 > 0:29:26if they're to earn enough money to keep the place going.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29So we've come to help install a brand-new millstone
0:29:29 > 0:29:33and get Houghton back to full-on flour production.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Hey, that's a beautiful building when you get up close, isn't it?
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- Fantastic.- Fabulous. - There he is.- Who's this? Oh, great!
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- Hello, Phil.- How you doing? - Morning, Phil. How are you?
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- I'm brilliant, thanks. And you two? - Yeah, good, thanks, mate.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49This is a bit bigger than your average windmill, with one man
0:29:49 > 0:29:50doing flour for the village.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53It is indeed. This mill, when it was going at full capacity,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56had three water wheels, ten millstones,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- and it could make 20 tonnes of flour in a day, so...- Wow.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01It was a big factory in its day.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05It's interesting because this was that kind of fulcrum point
0:30:05 > 0:30:08from the agricultural to the industrial, wasn't it?
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Absolutely. Absolutely. There's a lot of technology in here
0:30:11 > 0:30:14that nowadays looks old-fashioned, but when this was operating,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16it was revolutionary. It was state of the art
0:30:16 > 0:30:19in terms of food production. And the amazing thing is that
0:30:19 > 0:30:22this one survived cos so many of these buildings didn't.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27And the great thing is, we're here to help you get this mill working again, producing flour to sell
0:30:27 > 0:30:30to sustain this mill into another century.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Absolutely. One of the things we've got today for you...
0:30:33 > 0:30:35We're just at the final stages of installing a new set of millstones
0:30:35 > 0:30:37which is going to run with an electric motor,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40using power that we generate with our own turbine, by the way.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43- Hey, smarty pants!- So it's still water power, just round and about.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45So we can actually mill more commercially.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48We can mill whenever we want to, not just when the river lets us.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51So we can get our flour and sell it out to a wider market
0:30:51 > 0:30:53which helps us support this lovely old building
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- cos they ain't cheap to look after. - Well, we'd better get on with it.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Come on, then. I'll bring you inside and introduce you to Sandy.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Put our nose to the grindstone.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07- Up onto the stone floor where all the millstones are.- Right.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- That's Sandy and John over there. - Oh, wow.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14'Sandy and John are two of a very small number of people
0:31:14 > 0:31:18'who know how to get this olden-days technology to work.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22'Aye. There's no A-Level in 19th-century flour milling, you know.'
0:31:22 > 0:31:23John, nice to meet you.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Sandy, nice to meet you, sir. John, how are you, man?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28- Good to see you.- Good to meet you. - And you.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Well, this is incredible, isn't it?
0:31:32 > 0:31:34So, are these new millstones, Sandy?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37These are old millstones recycled from some old mill.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41- Right.- Ah, right.- We used to have millstones here originally,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43but they were probably lost 100 years ago
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- and we are now replacing them. - OK.- OK.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48And Sandy, is there a particular...
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- Millstones have a cutting edge on them, don't they?- They do.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55So, is there a particular cutting edge on a millstone
0:31:55 > 0:31:58that is particular to this area and the grain that was grown here?
0:31:58 > 0:32:01- It's a general pattern that's on the millstone.- Right.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03The pattern you have here is called a harp.
0:32:03 > 0:32:09- See this pattern here?- Yes.- And you have furrows in each of them
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- and that then gives you your cutting surface.- Right.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14It's opposite on the stone above...
0:32:14 > 0:32:18so that when the two are together, it produces a scissor motion.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21And a good way of demonstrating it is this.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25And that's what happens, so you get a cutting action.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28And does it drive the grain from the centre of the stone to the outside?
0:32:28 > 0:32:30It does indeed, yes.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33The idea being that the grain from the chute comes down
0:32:33 > 0:32:37through the top, into the middle and works its way out.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39And as it works out, it gradually gets finer and finer,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- by getting passed through...- With a scissor action, it cuts it?
0:32:42 > 0:32:46That's it, yeah. Until it comes out onto the edge here,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48down into a chute which is actually directly below this stone
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and that's where your flour comes out.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54'To help this mill grind flour for another 250 years,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'it's getting a few 21st-century components
0:32:57 > 0:32:59'that will link it to an electric motor.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:03So, Sandy, what's it going to mean to you
0:33:03 > 0:33:05to see this mill making flour again?
0:33:05 > 0:33:08It will be a marvellous climax of the whole job
0:33:08 > 0:33:10that I've been running for two years. Wonderful.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12We can put the mace on top.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15And these millstones are going to outlive the lot of us.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18- They are. Definitely. - Well, this is it, then, gentlemen.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20- Shall we get on with it? - Let's get on with it!- Great.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26You see, this is clever, the winch system -
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- how one man can lift a tonne.- Yeah.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32- Without the aid of a rupture! - You're there, mate. You're there.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- We're there?- Now we can swing it round.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Right. Here we come.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Bit more. Bit more round. And we can start to lower it now.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48All nicely lined up.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- There we are. In place.- Fantastic.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55And that's the hole for the flour to run down.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58'Before we can get these stones milling again
0:33:58 > 0:34:01'there's a few bits and bobs that we've got to fit first.'
0:34:04 > 0:34:08There's a hopper which will fit into here, this way round.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13The grain goes through the bottom of the hopper, into the chute.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Yeah.- Which is shaking.- Yes.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The damsel goes into there, sits on top of the bridge and top stone.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Ah, so that shakes the hopper? That shakes the shoe?
0:34:22 > 0:34:24And that shakes it, yes.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Ah, brilliant, it's simple genius.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27It is simple, isn't it?
0:34:27 > 0:34:31One reason they call it a damsel is because it's always chattering.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34'Those old millers were a bit of a sexist lot, weren't they?'
0:34:34 > 0:34:37There's another piece of wood on the top, over there.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40And this one goes over the damsel.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Supports it, there.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51If you pass the grain chute, the end there goes into the hopper.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- Ah, man!- There is the grain feed, from the bins upstairs.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- So, that's it then, lads?- That's it.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00'We'll find out whether our newly installed electric millstone
0:35:00 > 0:35:04'works in a bit, but first there's a problem with the water wheel
0:35:04 > 0:35:06'that powers the original millstone.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10'And, for some reason, I've been given a pair of waders.'
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- Hi, fellas.- Hi, guys. How you doing? - Hi, Phil.- How you going, on?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Yeah, we're good mate. This is Steve.- Hello, Steve. How you doing?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- Nice to meet you. - And this is our water wheel.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Excellent. And the fact is, I've been given a pair of waders.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26There's a water wheel. I think I might be going in the water!
0:35:26 > 0:35:27You're getting wet.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30You had a choice out of being a wader, paddling,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32or going inside the water wheel and possibly being a hamster.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35- Excellent.- I'll go hamster. - Run, Geordie, run!
0:35:37 > 0:35:41'The wheel works by falling water pushing against its wooden blades,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43'which, in turn, drives the millstone.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46'But one of the blades is rotten and beyond repair.'
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Thanks for lending me your waders, Phil.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53That's all right.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Not easy this, mate, is it?
0:35:57 > 0:35:59It is a bit of a tight squeeze.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- So this is the board? - You can see why it needs doing.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04- It's rotten, isn't it?- Look at it.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06- We need to get these bolts out. - Make a pattern?- Make a pattern.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09- Put a new one on.- Put a new on one and we're good to go.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12But we do need some people inside the wheel to hold the bolts on.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Yeah, cos it's just going to turn. The heads will turn.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17- Otherwise you can't get hold of them, that's it.- That'll be Kingy.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20- Hello, mucker. How you doing?- Hello!
0:36:20 > 0:36:23'With the mill depending on the waterwheel for power,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27'a job like this would bring the millstone to a grinding halt.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30'Which, incidentally, is a term coined by millers back in the day.'
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- How far off are we? - Oh, not far.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39- Well, we're nearly there. - We've been hearing that for the past 12 minutes!
0:36:41 > 0:36:45I'm slightly worried that the waters have broke! I'm on the inside of this wheel!
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Oh, it's coming.
0:36:50 > 0:36:51One down, one to go.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53- Are you on?- I'm on.
0:37:00 > 0:37:01Nearly there, boys.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Yep, we're there! Bolt, washer.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09- Washer, bolt.- That's the bolt out.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13- Right.- Yes.- Lovely job.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15- Should it get up there and then pass it up?- Yep.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22I'm exhausted. 'I'll rest up whilst Dave prepares a new blade.'
0:37:27 > 0:37:29This is oak.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36- It's lovely stuff to work with. - Oh, God, aye.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42Better not let me wife see this on the telly,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45or she'll have me putting shelves up, Phil.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47'Hurry up, Myers - this hamster's getting tired of waiting.'
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- Have you got him?- I've got him.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58If you hold the spanner, we've got a ratchet here
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- so it'll be a lot quicker. - Oh, heaven.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05Nip in!
0:38:10 > 0:38:12That feels quite tight, boys.
0:38:12 > 0:38:13Yeah, that'll do.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Looks good, Kingy, it's not going anywhere.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19It's good, isn't it?
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Good, solid job. Proper British workmanship.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25'Now we can get it working again.'
0:38:28 > 0:38:32There she goes, powering the shaft that meshes with the wooden gears
0:38:32 > 0:38:35that, in turn, drive the millstone. Job done!
0:38:39 > 0:38:41Best test our new electric-powered one.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46It will double flour production if it actually works. Fingers crossed!
0:38:47 > 0:38:51With luck, in a moment, Houghton Mill will have two working
0:38:51 > 0:38:54millstones for the first time in 120 years.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Big moment.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58You put it all together upstairs, now let's get it running,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00- and see what we can do.- Right.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02The on switch is through here.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06- This the start button, the green one?- Press the start button.- Fingers crossed.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08That's it.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10She going?
0:39:10 > 0:39:13- I pressed the start.- Are numbers coming up on the display?- Yes.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17You can press the faster button a bit. There she goes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20That's five, six, seven, eight.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23MACHINE RUMBLES INTO LIFE
0:39:23 > 0:39:26A whole tonne of stone up on the top, slowly getting up to speed.
0:39:26 > 0:39:27- It's momentum, isn't it? - It is, yes.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29'The grain is moving through the hopper.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32'The damsel starts to chatter.'
0:39:32 > 0:39:33It sounds great, doesn't it?
0:39:33 > 0:39:36It's like being in the engine rooms of a big ship.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Down the chute it goes, into the centre of the millstone
0:39:40 > 0:39:41to be ground into flour.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48It's quite coarse, isn't it?
0:39:48 > 0:39:49It's still quite coarse, yes.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Shall we have a bit more speed, Si, please?
0:39:53 > 0:39:57Yeah, we're at 28, 29, 30. One, two, three, four, 35.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02It's like Scotty on the Starship Enterprise!
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Ah cannit had her, Captain!
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Hold on, hold on.
0:40:06 > 0:40:0845.4.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13That'll do! That's as far as we want to go.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15See how it's going.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18There we are, gentlemen. Fresh flour from electric power.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19We've done it, gents.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Electric flour! I've had a glimpse of the future.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24Fabulous.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28'And, having more than doubled production, it's time for a taste.'
0:40:28 > 0:40:32What better way to end today than with a scone,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34made with flour from that flour mill?
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And those scones, mate, are about as far away from mass-produced
0:40:37 > 0:40:38white bread as you can get.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42Yeah. Well, you know, it was no kind of cutesy cottage industry.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46I mean, that mill was run by skilled workers who produced food
0:40:46 > 0:40:48that fed thousands of people.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50And I think it's great, isn't it, that the local team here
0:40:50 > 0:40:52have kept those skills alive.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55And, even more important, that this place
0:40:55 > 0:40:57hasn't just become some picturesque relic.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00And with our new millstones, it'll probably carry on producing flour
0:41:00 > 0:41:02for the next 200 years.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Hey, good news, Kingy.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Yeah, right, I'm going on me holidays.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17But divvent worry, mate, I'm only for a few days, mind.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20I wondered why I were on me own.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26While Si is sunning himself, I'm back on up to Elsecar,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29where Geoff's been working hard to restore the Newcomen beam engine.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34On our first visit, we ran into a spot of bother with the beams linkage.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39But he's fixed it, so I've come to help with the next stage.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Today's a huge day for the engine. It hasn't run in 60 years.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46If we get it moving again, it's going to be magic.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51'This historically important ancient monument was neglected
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'for decades and was on the verge of collapse.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56'I'm hoping that Geoff and his team have caught it
0:41:56 > 0:42:01'just in the nick of time and, one day soon, it will pump again.'
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- Nice to see you again. - Yes, good to see you, too.- Welcome.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Thank you. I remember last time we we're here
0:42:09 > 0:42:13it all collapsed around the link motion and it just wasn't happening.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18One of the bearings of the beam had gone over about two inches.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21It had dropped because the soft wood bearer underneath had rotted.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26If Geoff hadn't replaced the rotten wood that supported the beam,
0:42:26 > 0:42:29it would have collapsed, potentially destroying the whole engine.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34Now with new axle supports in place, we need to test if the beam and the
0:42:34 > 0:42:39cylinder can now run freely before Geoff even thinks of firing her up.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42So there'll be no steam today, only manpower.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45If we do get her moving,
0:42:45 > 0:42:50it will be the major milestone in this two-year restoration.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51OK, let's go.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- It must have been two months since we were here last.- Aye.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05'It's good to be back, but I'm glad I'm not going down that hole again.'
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Ah! Now it is a beam engine.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15And that's what you call a beam, isn't it?
0:43:15 > 0:43:17There you are. That's it.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20'The beam needs to be chunky, as it transfers the power
0:43:20 > 0:43:23'of the steam engine to the pump 100 feet below in the mine.'
0:43:25 > 0:43:27And you reckon we're going to get that moving?
0:43:27 > 0:43:30We'll see what we can do. But we need to sort this bearing out first,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33so if we can take off the cover...
0:43:36 > 0:43:39The trick is not to drop the washer down the side there,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41otherwise you've got a long walk.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43So we need to lift it without tilting it.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47- Shall we take one side each? - Oh, aye.- That's it.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56'There's a good chance that, after decades of neglect,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58'the beam could be rusted solid.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01'So we're going to clean and regrease everything we can.'
0:44:04 > 0:44:07That's it, brill. Good.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09There's some old grease in here.
0:44:09 > 0:44:10Like some chippies I know.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15Dirt, bird droppings, dead spiders.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17False teeth.
0:44:17 > 0:44:18We must get the grit out.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25Let's put a bit of oil down in there, Dave.
0:44:25 > 0:44:26Right.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Same on the other side, so we can get drawn in.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33That's lovely.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38'Here's me favourite part, black icing grease.'
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Not too much.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I'm like this when I'm cooking, Geoff.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52- That's a lovely job.- You should see me Black Forest gateau, I tell you.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54When you're ready then, Dave.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56- Yep.- Just don't catch your fingers on the hole.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59- No, I've got you.- Drop it there.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02- That's it.- All right?
0:45:04 > 0:45:06- Yes.- Square and drop.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Done. How many fingers you got?
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- Full complement of soldiers. - Excellent.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19Of course, back in the day, she would have been powered by steam.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23But without a fire in the boiler, it's up to us to do the grunt work.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28So, we're at the pump end now.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31We're standing over the top of a 100-foot-deep shaft here.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35So that's the bit that the engine would have driven the water out of?
0:45:35 > 0:45:37- Pulled the water out of. - Pulled the water out of.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40- This end is heavy. So the engine is like that.- Yeah.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43It's fairly well balanced now cos of the weights.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45But we're going to have to lift it like that.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47So we're pulling up at this end.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51- Right.- OK? - So, in theory, we pull this end up.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55We should see the first few strokes in this engine for over 60 years?
0:45:55 > 0:45:56Absolutely.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59So it should go up like that, and then we'll unhoist it,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02take the hoist off and, of course, it's heavy this end.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04So it should run back.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07- Might need a bit of help, though. - Right, right.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- Do I get to do it? - Yes.- Go on.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21- Other way, other way. - Other way? 50-50!
0:46:25 > 0:46:26Taking the weight now.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31- Something's happening.- Yeah, it is.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49That's it, we're there.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53So now if we take this off, we'll see whether it will run back.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Is this not just going to go crashing through the floor?
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Let's hope we haven't got too much weight on this end.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01It's like Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05Could be collecting waste from 100 foot under water. OK, give it go.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12'I can't believe it, we've done it.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15'After 60 years frozen in time, this Newcomen beam engine,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18'the last of its kind, is rocking once again.'
0:47:21 > 0:47:23It's magic to see this move again.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Can I go inside and have a look at the barrel and the piston
0:47:26 > 0:47:28- if you do some donkey work? - Yeah, sure.- Brill.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40And here comes the giant piston, moving smoothly up the cylinder
0:47:40 > 0:47:42like it did in its glory days.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51This village was founded on mining, and when the restoration's finished,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54it'll be a permanent reminder of that heritage.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57You know, I'm so proud to have played a small part
0:47:57 > 0:48:01in the restoration of this wonderful engine. I'm chuffed as nuts!
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Si, I wish you'd been here to see this.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14I thought you we're on holiday! Where's your tan?
0:48:14 > 0:48:16I only went to Whitley Bay!
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Thanks to Newcomen's beam engine, steam power ruled Britain for the
0:48:22 > 0:48:26next 200 years, creating majestic powerful beasts like the Night Owl.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32Now we're heading back to the UK's biggest steam restoration,
0:48:32 > 0:48:33in Llangollen.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39None of the Night Owl's original components exist
0:48:39 > 0:48:42and there isn't the budget to build everything brand-new.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45So, when it comes to expensive items like boilers,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47the team have to improvise.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Which means going down the scrap yard.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55When the end of steam came, and the locos were sold for scrap,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57many ended up here in Barry, South Wales.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Over the years, a lot of these engines were saved and restored
0:49:04 > 0:49:07as the heritage railway movement went from strength to strength.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12Today, the yard is empty apart from one engine.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21By a massive stroke of luck, this rusting hulk
0:49:21 > 0:49:23is just what our team is looking for.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26It's another type of Great Western freight train and shares
0:49:26 > 0:49:30many of the same components as the Night Owl crucially, the boiler.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38So she's being brought to Llangollen to become a donor engine.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47We'll be helping the lads with the boiler in a bit,
0:49:47 > 0:49:52but first one of our new wheels has arrived and we can't wait to see it.
0:49:52 > 0:49:53- You ready?- Yeah.
0:49:53 > 0:49:58- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.- Hooray!
0:49:59 > 0:50:01What do you reckon, guys?
0:50:01 > 0:50:04That looks all right. Needs painting.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Needs painting, anything else?
0:50:06 > 0:50:07Yes, it's too small.
0:50:08 > 0:50:09Ah.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14- It didn't look smaller when it was in the...- No, it looked huge.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16All right, there is a reason for that.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18- Thank God for that. - It's meant to be like that?
0:50:18 > 0:50:20- It's meant to be like that.- Right.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23The wheel is smaller because it has a tyre fitted to it to bring
0:50:23 > 0:50:25it up to the diameter of the others.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- Right. Get it straight, though, it is a metal tyre, a- metal band.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34Absolutely. The next process is to then forge tyres for these wheels.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37- My God, it's not easy, is it? - There's always more to do.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39There's always more. Yeah.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Looking at those wheels together, I'm beginning to get
0:50:41 > 0:50:43an idea of the scale of Night Owl.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47- Do you want to see the eight wheels together.- Yeah, yeah, yeah! - Oh, yeah.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Well, it will give us some idea of scale, then, doesn't it?
0:50:50 > 0:50:52- Yeah, it's a big fella. - Yeah, go on, boys.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55'When I said yes, I didn't think it would be such heavy work!'
0:50:55 > 0:50:58It's like pushing against Gosford Stone, this.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00It's about 800lbs in that weight.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04- That'll be why, then. Right, we're there.- We're there.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08The next wheel has to be 6 foot 6 back from there.
0:51:08 > 0:51:09Right.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13Using Paul's plans we line up the wheels exactly as they will be
0:51:13 > 0:51:15on the finished Night Owl.
0:51:15 > 0:51:16This one should be easier.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18Ah!
0:51:21 > 0:51:23- Lovely.- Well done.
0:51:23 > 0:51:24- Right.- 6 foot 6.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26What's the next, Kingy?
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Another 6 foot 6 dude, I think, is it?
0:51:28 > 0:51:30No, it's 7 foot.
0:51:30 > 0:51:31THEY GROAN
0:51:31 > 0:51:33This one's uphill.
0:51:33 > 0:51:34We're there now.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38- Right just nice and gentle boys! - We got chocks.
0:51:38 > 0:51:39Chocks is there.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45- Beautiful.- That's us, great.
0:51:45 > 0:51:46There she is.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49You can already see how much bigger she is than the engine next to her.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51God, yeah.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53She's massive.
0:51:53 > 0:51:58That's the first glimpse anyone's had of a Night Owl for 40 years.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01She's going to be magnificent when's she's finished.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05Come on, Si, it's time to help the lads with the next stage.
0:52:05 > 0:52:10They've been busy removing the bolts that hold the boiler onto the frame.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13But before we can use it on the new Night Owl it's going to
0:52:13 > 0:52:16have to be sent to Oxfordshire for reconditioning.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20So now we're going to help lift the boiler off the frames
0:52:20 > 0:52:22of the donor engine and onto a lorry.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25- Come on, then, Dave.- Cheers, mate.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Getting into the crane is a thrill for me
0:52:28 > 0:52:30because my mam was a crane driver
0:52:30 > 0:52:33at Vickers-Armstrong shipbuilders in the '40s and the '50s.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Mind me napper! That's it.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44This is a big bit of kit, though, isn't it?
0:52:44 > 0:52:46- Lifts 50 tonnes.- Right.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58No, they always said me mother worked in the big overhead cranes.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01So she'd be climbing up the side of the factory building
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and sit in a little cab all day waiting for a lift. But when I
0:53:04 > 0:53:08was a little lad she was older than, you know, the rest of the ladies.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11And they all took together, all me baby clothes. They all used
0:53:11 > 0:53:14to sit there knitting while they were waiting for lifts.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16So I used to have all these jumpers when I was a baby.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Like Vickers-Armstrong and pictures of cranes knitted in.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Why, that's all well and good, Myers, but some of us
0:53:22 > 0:53:24have got work to do, you know.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26OK, Mike, let's go!
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Now, it's my job to stop this 18-tonne boiler from flapping
0:53:36 > 0:53:37about in the wind.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40It's like the biggest kite I've ever flown.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Yes!
0:54:09 > 0:54:13So, we've got the wheels and now we've got the boiler.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19And do you know what? One day soon the Night Owl will steam again!
0:54:24 > 0:54:27But before we leave, the lads at Llangollen have arranged
0:54:27 > 0:54:29a special treat for us.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Oh, look at this, Dave.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35- Yep, the reward after a hard day's work, Mr King.- Indeed.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Hiya, fellas.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40It's a ride on the footplate of another Great Western Railway freight train.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43She's not quite as big as the Night Owl...
0:54:43 > 0:54:44WHISTLE SOUNDS
0:54:44 > 0:54:49..but she's still a lot of train and even more fun.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04The power of this thing's unbelievable, isn't it?
0:55:04 > 0:55:06It is unbelievable.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09It doesn't fail to make you smile, man, does it?
0:55:09 > 0:55:11It's all your boyhood dreams come true.
0:55:11 > 0:55:16And somehow this is a big leviathan but it sits in the countryside OK.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19- It does.- It seems to fit. There's a beauty and a majesty to it,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22it doesn't clash, it's not synthetic.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24No, and in the way that it runs
0:55:24 > 0:55:29and it's motion is...it's just part of the landscape.
0:55:29 > 0:55:30Aye.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47WHISTLE SHRIEKS
0:55:51 > 0:55:53And you've got a whistle.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55What more do you want, dude? What more do you want?
0:55:55 > 0:55:57What's not to love?
0:56:05 > 0:56:08That's another advantage to the golden age of steam.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09WHISTLE SOUNDS
0:56:10 > 0:56:14You get to have a cooked breakfast on your shovel. It's tradition!
0:56:26 > 0:56:27Green on the end, Graham.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34OK, guys, if you're ready we'll have breakfast.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37What a top man. Get in. Right, where's a shovel?
0:56:37 > 0:56:43Here we are - sausage, bacon and eggs and black pudding.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47- Put another one on there.- Eight.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Beautiful! Yes.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Your sausage.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Oh, the eggs. Aren't they beautiful?
0:57:03 > 0:57:07- Beautiful!- Nice one, Dave. - Egg and bacon.
0:57:10 > 0:57:11Ah, hey.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16Now, not only can you be part of the Industrial Revolution
0:57:16 > 0:57:20and smell it, we can actually taste it now, as well.
0:57:20 > 0:57:25Yeah. Whoever thought...that a mixture of good breakfast
0:57:25 > 0:57:29products, soot and coal could taste so good?
0:57:32 > 0:57:34WHISTLE SOUNDS
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Well, Kingy, it's been quite a journey.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41I know, mate, it's been amazing.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44We've helped fix some incredible machines.
0:57:44 > 0:57:45He's better with spaghetti.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48But it's been so much more than that.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51Ah, Dave, you're not wrong, and what's going to live with me
0:57:51 > 0:57:55forever is experiencing what my own grandfather did.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58This is where your granddad would sit.
0:57:58 > 0:58:03Aye, and I'll never forget forging steel the same as my granddad and my uncle.
0:58:03 > 0:58:04Will you put your tongue away?
0:58:07 > 0:58:10Britain's industrial past is part of us all.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13That's why keeping its spirit alive is so important.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16THEY CHEER
0:58:16 > 0:58:20And thanks to the amazing teams of people up and down the country...
0:58:20 > 0:58:22To steam!
0:58:22 > 0:58:23- ALL:- To steam.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26..I'd say it's in pretty safe hands.
0:58:51 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd