Episode 3 The Hairy Bikers' Restoration Road Trip

Us two Hairy Bikers might be known for our cooking,

but our family roots lie in Britain's proud industrial past.

My father was a print worker,

my grandfather was a winder in the mines,

and his grandfather also worked in the pits.

Just do as you're told and be careful.

My dad started work in the local steelworks when he was 12 -

the same steelworks that gave me my first wage packet.

'All across the country, teams of passionate skilled volunteers...'

Come on, then. Next one, get the bolt out.

'..are rebuilding the great icons of Britain's industrial past.'

Can you go any faster, lad?

'And we're going to lend a helping hand,

'tinkering with some unbelievable machines...'

I'm a train driver!

'..from steam trains to coal mines

'and traction engines to cotton mills.'

What an achievement! Yes!

Every week, we'll be travelling across the nation seeking out

the most exciting restoration projects.

Swapping our chefs hats for hard hats,

our spatulas for spanners,

and getting our hands well and truly dirty.

Covered in muck and oil instead of pastry! Heaven!

But we're in danger of forgetting what made this country

the workshop of the world.

And we're absolutely determined that's not going to happen.

And now is the time to rebuild industrial Britain

before it's too late.

'This week, we're fixing a 200-year-old relic

'from the earliest days of steam.'

Ah, Dave, are we going to be able to get a Hairy Biker down that hole?

-We are, now we've been on that diet!

-OK!

'I'm back to me roots, working in a steelworks as I did

'when I was a young 'un.'

God! Me hair nearly went up then, what's left of it!

'And something close to our hearts - how the industrial revolution

'fed the nation.'

It sounds great, doesn't it?

'But first, the restoration of one of the greatest locomotives from

'when steam ruled the rails.'

We're heading to the Llangollen Railway works in North Wales,

where a team of skilled engineers are bringing Britain's steam

locomotives back from the dead.

You know, today, we talk about steam with nostalgia,

but back in the day, steam was king.

My goodness! Look at the size...!

They're impressive, powerful beasts close up, aren't they?

It's a leviathan.

We've come to help the Llangollen engineering team on their most

ambitious project to date -

a locomotive even bigger than this one.

It's early days in a ten-year long and £1.5 million restoration

of a lost engineering masterpiece.

The Night Owls were Britain's first high-speed freight trains.

These powerful but elegant beasts could reach speeds of 65mph

which, back in 1919, was going some.

Brilliant British engineers had spent 100 years constantly

improving steam trains,

and the Night Owl is the ultimate refinement of steam technology.

Night Owls were majestic freight trains,

run by the Great Western Railway that brought food

from Britain's ports to feed our rapidly expanding cities.

But in the 1960s, almost all of Britain's steam trains were

scrapped - amongst them, every single Night Owl.

So the team here are building a new Night Owl, scavenging parts

from all over Britain.

And what they can't find, they'll have to make from scratch.

It's the biggest steam restoration project in Britain,

and Paul Carpenter is the bloke in charge.

Today, we're here to help with the wheels.

Oh, wow.

Hello, Paul. What are these off? The size of these!

Nice to see you.

Paul, very nice to meet you, sir. How are you?

-Nice to meet you, Simon.

-So are these six wheels,

are they off a Night Owl?

They're not, but they're identical

to the ones that would have been on a Night Owl.

The nice thing - Great Western were very ahead of their time

in that they standardised components.

So, although these other engines were of different types,

their components were standardised.

So we've spent quite a while studying the drawings identifying

those parts, and now we're magpie-ing them together.

Yes, it's not quite as simple as just going down to the tyre shop

and buying a couple.

If only it were. And it's a bit more expensive.

Yeah, but this was so much more than just a train, wasn't it?

It was the freight train that carried the food

-that fed the workforce that was growing at huge rate.

-It was.

This engine was designed to get fresh perishable goods

from the docks quickly to the markets in London.

And, as a result, only ever ran at night,

because it was at the markets in the early hours.

And hence the nickname Night Owl, cos you rarely saw it by day.

Wow.

After months of hunting through Britain's last locomotive graveyard,

Paul eventually found six wheels that fit the Night Owl -

but she needs eight.

Where's the other two?

Well, we've got to make the other two.

And we're very much hoping you could help us with that.

There is a foundry in Dudley who have the expertise

and they have the equipment.

And we'd like you to go down there

and come back with a new pair of wheels.

It will be fantastic, though, to think that one day those

wheels will be on a Night Owl, on the railways running again.

-Yeah.

-It will be fantastic.

-Come on, mate.

-Better get on, mate.

-Give us a go.

-Good luck!

-It's exciting, isn't it?

-Isn't it just?

When the Night Owl was originally built, it was all made

in one massive train factory.

But that place has long gone.

So today we're having to travel 70 miles to a foundry in the Midlands

to cast the new wheels the way they would have done it 100 years ago.

And I'm excited, cos my first job was working in a foundry.

Oh, this takes me back, Kingy.

Me Uncle Harry worked in a steelworks for over 40 years.

And every summer when I was a student I used to go

and work for him at the furnaces.

Did you? You'll be a dab hand at this, dude, will you?

Not really. I used to work cleaning the flues out - it's filthy.

'Well, we'll be doing more than that today, mate!

'Here's the gaffer, Steve.'

Glad to meet you, Dave, good to meet you, Si.

Hello, Steve. How are you?

-So, when you've got a locomotive...

-Yes.

..you've got a couple of wheels that are knackered, this is where

-you come for your spare parts.

-Absolutely.

We're going to cast the wheels here, aren't we?

We are indeed. Yeah, this is the mould.

And the mould is made from a wooden pattern...

-The pattern which you see over here.

-Over there, yeah.

That's right - that gives us the cavity, which you see there

in the mould, but then it's split into two halves.

The wooden pattern has imprinted the shape of the wheel

into moulding sand that's now set solid.

And now we can turn two tonnes of steel into molten metal

to make one of Night Owl's wheels. And it's hot work.

I mean, we're normally used to working in temperatures

between, you know, 180 to 300 at the most.

And that's hot enough, isn't it?

Well, sometimes it's not enough, but this is 1,650 degrees, isn't it?

-Yes.

-That's going to burn your tongue, isn't it?

It is. Keep your tongues well away.

These furnaces are as hot as volcanoes.

And need constant feeding with metal.

Hold it by there, so as it touches the metal let it slide in.

'Whilst that's cooking up to temperature,

'we need to coat both halves of the sand mould with a special

'alcohol-based paint, to stop the sand mixing into the molten metal.'

I can smell alcohol.

You can smell the alcohol, yes.

I thought it was Kingy!

-It's good, this, isn't it?

-Paints nicely, doesn't it?

Lovely nice paint, like.

-Goes on well, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

Isn't it an amazing thought, Si,

that, in the golden age of steam,

there would be thousands of locomotives ploughing

up and down the country?

That's tens of thousands of wheels like this -

that's maybe 100,000 men doing what we're doing

now for decades on end.

Amazing, just amazing.

'In case he's missed a bit, Si finishes the job

'by spraying on a final coat of paint.

'Now I get to do the fun bit.

'We've got to burn off the alcohol so it doesn't cause problems

'when we pour in the metal.'

I love this.

Go on, you maniac.

Fire. Good God, me hair nearly went up then - what's left of it!

Of course, we have to spray and burn the top half of the mould as well.

It does look like a giant gas ring, doesn't it?

Bring the pan in for the stock!

Yeah. You know, in Spain, they have those fiestas, the big paella pans?

This one would take the biscuit, wouldn't it?

Have you noticed he's got a look in his eye...

Will you put your tongue away?

Look at that.

'It's nearly up to temperature, and we've got a matter of minutes

'before we need to pour the molten metal.

'So it's time to put the two halves of the mould

'together by flipping one upside down onto the top of the other.'

What we doing?

Will it not fall out?

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Will it fall out?!

'Don't worry, Kingy! The sand is set solid.

'These guys know what they're doing.'

Steady, now.

'Dave and I are controlling the two gantry cranes

'whilst the lads turn the mould.'

'It's no easy task. This thing weighs as much as a car.'

Come on!

-Right, coming!

-Wait!

Yep!

'It might look just like sand in two rusty metal frames,

'but in fact it's a precision fit.'

Well, it fits!

'Time to see if the metal's hot enough.'

1,643!

'It's close. In seconds, it will hit the correct temperature.

'We've got to go for it.'

'Like any cooking, there's a time when it's ready.

'Leave things too long and the dish is ruined.'

-Wow.

-It's hot, innit?

-Innit?

I can't get over, just... It's so mesmerising. That's molten metal.

'Molten metal is tipped out of the furnace and into two giant ladles.

'Then simultaneously poured into holes on the top of mould.'

'No amateurs allowed in this bit. A mistake here could be lethal.'

'The lads have weighed down the mould with massive iron weights.'

You've got all the weight on there because the gases expand.

You lift the mould into two pieces

and all that metal goes on the floor.

Dear me.

-Look at the flames coming out from the seam, Kingy.

-Oh, yeah.

No, no, don't stop there.

Lovely jubbly. Well done.

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic.

Who'd be a moulder?

Who'd be a moulder? Ha!

Well done! That's amazing to see.

'That's it all done. Now leave to cool for 24 hours!'

After it's come down to a manageable temperature, the lads break open

the sand mould.

It takes a bit of brute force, though.

They won't be using that one again!

Eventually, the birth of a brand-new wheel.

Oh, it's magical, man, isn't it? She looks good!

But a bit rough round the edges.

Oh, aye - she's got to be finished off by a local engineering company.

-Beautiful stuff, isn't it?

-It is.

Normally, they make bits for the nuclear industry,

but today - well, it's a wheel for an Edwardian steam train!

This lathe is computer-controlled, but back in the day

it would've been done by the skilled hands of British workers.

It was them and the ingenuity of our engineers that created

world-beating industries.

And you know, that spirit is still alive today

in our hi-tech engineering.

That's some machine.

Times have certainly moved on, haven't they?

They have, mate.

I'll tell you what, though, we still need good craftsmen and women

and it's great to see that we still have the skills in Britain

to make world-class products.

The only thing is, mate, I kind of wish we just did more of it.

We should be proud of our industrial present,

as well as our great industrial past.

-Yes, yes, I'll drink to that, mate.

-Oh, me too! Glug, glug!

Now, from the ultimate steam locomotive to the earliest

steam engine - we're going back to the machine that fired up

the whole Industrial Revolution.

In the small mining village of Elsecar, near Barnsley,

is one of the last examples

of an engine that quite literally changed the world.

The team here are working on a two-year project

to completely restore this Newcomen Beam engine.

Named after its inventor Thomas Newcomen,

it's the daddy of all steam engines.

Without the clever bloke that invented the beam engine,

do you know what, mate?

We would have arrived here on horses today - not bikes.

Cor, a world without bikes! What a thought, eh!

-So that must be a very important machine.

-Indeed.

The Newcomen engine was invented in Cornwall in 1712,

and was the first reliable source of machine power

in the history of mankind.

There were once thousands all over the world. Now there is just one

left on its original site.

Elsecar's Newcomen engine, seen here in its heyday,

allowed miners to dig out the rich seams of coal that lie

beneath this whole area, by continually pumping out water.

The giant cylinder sits above the boiler which produces steam.

The piston inside the cylinder is connected by a rod

to a huge overhead beam. The cylinder pulls the piston.

-The piston pulls the beam.

-And the beam works the pump.

And without it, there'd be no mine here and no village.

She worked until the 1920s,

and except for one run out in the '50s was retired. Until now.

Today it's crunch time for the restoration.

We're going to open her up for the first time in decades.

Nobody knows what we'll find inside or how bad any damage might be.

-Well.

-This is it, Kingy.

-It's an old building, isn't it?

It might not look much, but this is one of the starting places

of the Industrial Revolution, you know.

An innocuous-looking thing like this was hugely important.

-Aye, I wonder if Geoff's here?

-I don't know.

-Geoff!

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Oh, he's here.

-Come on up.

'Geoff has been busy saving our industrial heritage

'almost his entire working life.

'But for him, this is the single most important steam engine

-'he's ever worked on.'

-Good to see you.

-And you, sir.

What do we have here, Geoff?

You're looking at the open cylinder of probably the world's oldest

steam engine that's still on its original site.

There are others in museums, but this one is over its original mine.

-Crikey.

-Wow. Why was this so important,

why is there such a huge amount of interest in this engine?

It's the first application of steam power that really worked,

so no longer constrained by the power of a horse or humans.

Wow. What are we trying to achieve?

What are we doing with this, with this piece of kit?

-Well, this has been stationary for at least 50-60 years.

-Yeah.

We don't know what condition it's in, but we're going

to restore the whole engine to a condition where it works again,

for visitors to come and have a look at.

First job is to try and get the giant piston

out of the huge cylinder. Let's hope it's not seized up.

Then we've got to check inside for cracks.

If we find any, it would be a real blow to the project.

After that, we'll be working on getting that beam rocking.

Right, time to get our work togs on, mate.

Do you know what, mate?

I am genuinely looking forward to getting this machine going.

-It's the story of my life, that.

-What is?

-"Piston broke"!

Put your hat on.

Right then, so should I go up and lower the hoist?

Yeah, that'll be great. Thanks very much.

'With the piston weighing over a tonne, we have to winch it out.'

-Right!

-Smashing.

-What weight's on this piston, Geoff?

-Just over a tonne.

A tonne?

-Right, lads, that's some tension on it now!

-OK, Si.

Up now, slowly.

I've got to tell you,

there's some weight on the end of this hoist. Dear me!

'Winching up this piston is heavy going.

'For every pull on the chain, it barely shifts an inch.'

How far do we need to go, Geoff?

-Five feet.

-Five feet?!

Five feet.

You're about a foot up, so another four!

'This piston hasn't worked in this cylinder since 1953.'

-Just keep it there, lads, if you can.

-Yeah.

-That's nice and clear.

'Finally, here she comes.'

Whoa, hold it there now. OK, lower away, Si.

-Is that us down, boys?

-That's fine, Si, thanks very much.

This is quite a moment, isn't it?

I wonder, how long is it that someone's looked in that barrel?

It's certainly some years.

Let's have a look, see what we've got. The moment of truth.

Oh, it's big, isn't it?

All right, Kingy, come and have a look at this -

the biggest pressure cooker you've ever seen.

Oh, wow. It does look... It's remarkable, that.

'At the bottom are holes where the steam's pumped in.

'Geoff checks the cylinder for obvious cracks,

'but to be certain, it needs closer inspection.'

Dave, are we going to be able to get a Hairy Biker down that hole?

-We are now we've been on that diet!

-OK.

HE LAUGHS

'It's about flamin' time that Cumbrian did some actual graft!'

'I'm just praying that the cylinder is OK.

'It's not like we can go down the DIY store and buy a new one.'

Are you there?

Moment of truth, then, Dave.

What's it like?

Looks in good nick.

'Great news - 218 years old and she's wearing well.'

-OK, that's great.

-Yep?

-Si, can you go off and get the wire brush?

'Back of the net then! Project Newcomen, full steam ahead!'

OK, Dave, if you'd like to clean off some of the rust...

You've missed a bit!

No, I'm doing it methodically.

A tidy barrel is a happy barrel.

-Oh!

-What've you done?!

I got my mask out and I've dropped my wire brush down a big hole.

-You are having a laugh.

-I'm sorry.

-Well, go and get it, then.

-I don't think there's room there for me.

What, like RIGHT down the big hole?

No, I can see it.

Oh, that's handy(!)

How would I get that out? It's about six feet down.

Fishing time, then.

Just think of it like Hook The Duck, but different.

Yes.

Gentle now, gentle.

No pressure.

Yes, Mr Myers!

Right. I'm ready to crack on now.

Let's rebuild Britain.

It shouldn't take too long...

when I put my back into it.

How long will that take?

At that rate, about three or four days, I should think.

Will it? Tea and tinkering.

-Here, talking of tea, do you fancy a brew?

-Yeah. Come on. Let's go.

We'll not be long, mate.

-We'll bring you one back.

-Hey?

-Carry on!

Cheerio, Dave.

Kingy!

Kingy!

I'm only joking. I couldn't really leave me mucker down a hole

when it's time for a brew now, could I, really?

Geoff, how did you get involved in fettling all this old lovely stuff?

Well, it was back as a lad when I was an apprentice

in the aircraft industry. I got involved as a volunteer,

actually restoring the oldest engine that's still working

down in Wiltshire and I thought, this is seriously good fun,

and that was 33 years ago.

It's been a real privilege to work on these sort of things

and to work out just what good conservation is,

what it is we're trying to preserve.

-Of course.

-Yes.

-So, Geoff, when you start a new project,

is there a spirit involved in it?

Is there an essence of touching the past

and the people that worked the past and worked in this situation

and worked the machines that you're restoring?

Yeah, there is. There is certainly that emotional connection to it,

but, first of all, this is a conservation project.

What you're looking at here is a scheduled ancient monument,

as it's called.

It's the same sort of grade as Westminster Abbey or St Paul's...

-Wow.

-..believe it or not. Might look like a load of rust,

but it's that important. It's of international importance.

It's not just the materials. It's the evidence, the history,

the changes, even. And there's been a lot of changes on this engine

-and that's what's telling its story. Absolutely fascinating.

-Uh-hm.

Even the cracks round the cylinder, I love to see that.

-You can see what's gone wrong...

-Yes.

..and how they've patched it up and just carried on

cos the mine's flooding, you haven't got time

to change the cylinder. Just patch it up and get on with it.

Below us is the Barnsley coal seam

and the Newcomen engine's job was to keep the mine from flooding

by pumping water up the shaft and out.

But the pump was turned off decades ago

and who's been maintaining the shaft in the meantime?

No-one. So, Geoff's sending us two down to check it out.

OK. So, are you happy to go down, then, lads?

Oh, yeah. It'll be fascinating.

-Absolutely.

-Slightly scary, but it's a great privilege.

Imagine going down there to do an eight-hour shift, though, Kingy.

No, I can't. Because you knew that when you were pooped

at the end of your shift, you had to walk back up these,

and they're proper steep, Dave.

Really steep. Oh, God. It's wet and dank.

This is what you call a black hole, isn't it?

-Isn't it, Dave?

-Aye.

Is there room down there for a little 'un?

-It'll be cosy, mate.

-Aye.

And I think we can report to Geoff that there's not a lot of pointing.

Well, just a bit.

'The brickwork could do with a bit of maintenance here and there.

'But after 200 years down a damp hole, it's not looking too bad.'

I think what's astounding, Dave, is that

-we know that it's been built by hand...

-Yes.

..blood, sweat and tears. It's quite remarkable.

It's quite awe-inspiring to think

that there's 80 feet of water below us.

-It is awesome, isn't it?

-It is awesome.

-It's also cold and wet.

-Yeah.

'And this is what it looks like when you turn the pumps off in a mine.'

'It's kind of spooky to think that hundreds of men worked down here.'

-Dear me!

-Well, that was an experience and a half.

-What a privilege that is.

-Aye. Aye.

-Do you think you'd like to be miners, then, lads?

-Nah.

-No.

Absolutely not. It's cold, dark and wet.

The Newcomen engine powered a pump that delivered 13 strokes a minute

for up to 24 hours a day for 128 years.

The cylinder and the piston have stood the test of time,

but we can't fire her up just yet

because there's a problem with the link mechanism

that transfers the power from the overhead beam to the pump.

It's got, well...twisted.

The whole link mechanism has to be straightened

before the engine can operate again.

Thing is, this really is like archaeology,

and these relics are very precious, aren't they?

Don't want to damage them.

We shall be putting it all back together exactly as we find it.

'We get the first bit off OK.'

Lovely job. Keep it that way round. Put a mark on that.

'But then we've got to undo some seriously seized nuts.

'Try a bit of spanner, mate.'

'Geoff applies some heat.'

That looks proper hot.

'If it wasn't so historically important,

'I'd be taking a flaming hacksaw to it.'

-OK?

-Yeah.

'Still nothing doing. Geoff's called a halt to operations.

'We're just going round in circles here. Quite literally.'

For me, the satisfaction also comes from not doing any damage.

So, let's stop and just do it another way so we can get that out

in a relaxed way so we don't spoil it. Then we can put back

all the original material and we're doing a proper conservation job.

He's a one, isn't he? He is.

He's like the Dr Dolittle of the steel world.

Geoff's got his work cut out

if we're ever going to see this engine moving again.

I really enjoyed that, Si. It's so interesting.

-We've learned such a lot.

-Well, Geoff, he's a mine of information.

-Ha-ha! Like what you said.

-No pun intended.

I know. He's got such a lot of work on, though.

He has, but you know what, Dave? I think if there's any man

that can get that going, it's Geoff.

-Yeah. Me for one, I want to see it working again.

-Same here.

We'll be back to find out if Geoff's found a way to fix it

in a few weeks' time.

But for now we're off down south.

While the Newcomen engine's job was to solve the problem of water,

our next project relies on water to work.

The new industries made Britain richer,

and led to an enormous population explosion.

Between 1801 and 1851, it doubled.

There were millions of new mouths to feed,

and the flour mills of old England had to become ever-more productive.

Here at Houghton in Cambridgeshire,

milling became an industrial process.

Throughout the 19th century, it was a proper money-spinner.

But, eventually, even the most effective water-driven mills

couldn't keep pace with the new steam-powered bread factories.

After decades of decline, from ten working millstones,

it now has only one water-wheel powered millstone left.

But the volunteers at Houghton urgently need to increase production

if they're to earn enough money to keep the place going.

So we've come to help install a brand-new millstone

and get Houghton back to full-on flour production.

Hey, that's a beautiful building when you get up close, isn't it?

-Fantastic.

-Fabulous.

-There he is.

-Who's this? Oh, great!

-Hello, Phil.

-How you doing?

-Morning, Phil. How are you?

-I'm brilliant, thanks. And you two?

-Yeah, good, thanks, mate.

This is a bit bigger than your average windmill, with one man

doing flour for the village.

It is indeed. This mill, when it was going at full capacity,

had three water wheels, ten millstones,

-and it could make 20 tonnes of flour in a day, so...

-Wow.

It was a big factory in its day.

It's interesting because this was that kind of fulcrum point

from the agricultural to the industrial, wasn't it?

Absolutely. Absolutely. There's a lot of technology in here

that nowadays looks old-fashioned, but when this was operating,

it was revolutionary. It was state of the art

in terms of food production. And the amazing thing is that

this one survived cos so many of these buildings didn't.

And the great thing is, we're here to help you get this mill working again, producing flour to sell

to sustain this mill into another century.

Absolutely. One of the things we've got today for you...

We're just at the final stages of installing a new set of millstones

which is going to run with an electric motor,

using power that we generate with our own turbine, by the way.

-Hey, smarty pants!

-So it's still water power, just round and about.

So we can actually mill more commercially.

We can mill whenever we want to, not just when the river lets us.

So we can get our flour and sell it out to a wider market

which helps us support this lovely old building

-cos they ain't cheap to look after.

-Well, we'd better get on with it.

Come on, then. I'll bring you inside and introduce you to Sandy.

Put our nose to the grindstone.

-Up onto the stone floor where all the millstones are.

-Right.

-That's Sandy and John over there.

-Oh, wow.

'Sandy and John are two of a very small number of people

'who know how to get this olden-days technology to work.

'Aye. There's no A-Level in 19th-century flour milling, you know.'

John, nice to meet you.

Sandy, nice to meet you, sir. John, how are you, man?

-Good to see you.

-Good to meet you.

-And you.

Well, this is incredible, isn't it?

So, are these new millstones, Sandy?

These are old millstones recycled from some old mill.

-Right.

-Ah, right.

-We used to have millstones here originally,

but they were probably lost 100 years ago

-and we are now replacing them.

-OK.

-OK.

And Sandy, is there a particular...

-Millstones have a cutting edge on them, don't they?

-They do.

So, is there a particular cutting edge on a millstone

that is particular to this area and the grain that was grown here?

-It's a general pattern that's on the millstone.

-Right.

The pattern you have here is called a harp.

-See this pattern here?

-Yes.

-And you have furrows in each of them

-and that then gives you your cutting surface.

-Right.

It's opposite on the stone above...

so that when the two are together, it produces a scissor motion.

And a good way of demonstrating it is this.

And that's what happens, so you get a cutting action.

And does it drive the grain from the centre of the stone to the outside?

It does indeed, yes.

The idea being that the grain from the chute comes down

through the top, into the middle and works its way out.

And as it works out, it gradually gets finer and finer,

-by getting passed through...

-With a scissor action, it cuts it?

That's it, yeah. Until it comes out onto the edge here,

down into a chute which is actually directly below this stone

and that's where your flour comes out.

'To help this mill grind flour for another 250 years,

'it's getting a few 21st-century components

'that will link it to an electric motor.'

So, Sandy, what's it going to mean to you

to see this mill making flour again?

It will be a marvellous climax of the whole job

that I've been running for two years. Wonderful.

We can put the mace on top.

And these millstones are going to outlive the lot of us.

-They are. Definitely.

-Well, this is it, then, gentlemen.

-Shall we get on with it?

-Let's get on with it!

-Great.

You see, this is clever, the winch system -

-how one man can lift a tonne.

-Yeah.

-Without the aid of a rupture!

-You're there, mate. You're there.

-We're there?

-Now we can swing it round.

Right. Here we come.

Bit more. Bit more round. And we can start to lower it now.

All nicely lined up.

-There we are. In place.

-Fantastic.

And that's the hole for the flour to run down.

'Before we can get these stones milling again

'there's a few bits and bobs that we've got to fit first.'

There's a hopper which will fit into here, this way round.

The grain goes through the bottom of the hopper, into the chute.

-Yeah.

-Which is shaking.

-Yes.

The damsel goes into there, sits on top of the bridge and top stone.

Ah, so that shakes the hopper? That shakes the shoe?

And that shakes it, yes.

Ah, brilliant, it's simple genius.

It is simple, isn't it?

One reason they call it a damsel is because it's always chattering.

'Those old millers were a bit of a sexist lot, weren't they?'

There's another piece of wood on the top, over there.

And this one goes over the damsel.

Supports it, there.

If you pass the grain chute, the end there goes into the hopper.

-Ah, man!

-There is the grain feed, from the bins upstairs.

-So, that's it then, lads?

-That's it.

'We'll find out whether our newly installed electric millstone

'works in a bit, but first there's a problem with the water wheel

'that powers the original millstone.

'And, for some reason, I've been given a pair of waders.'

-Hi, fellas.

-Hi, guys. How you doing?

-Hi, Phil.

-How you going, on?

-Yeah, we're good mate. This is Steve.

-Hello, Steve. How you doing?

-Nice to meet you.

-And this is our water wheel.

Excellent. And the fact is, I've been given a pair of waders.

There's a water wheel. I think I might be going in the water!

You're getting wet.

You had a choice out of being a wader, paddling,

or going inside the water wheel and possibly being a hamster.

-Excellent.

-I'll go hamster.

-Run, Geordie, run!

'The wheel works by falling water pushing against its wooden blades,

'which, in turn, drives the millstone.

'But one of the blades is rotten and beyond repair.'

Thanks for lending me your waders, Phil.

That's all right.

Not easy this, mate, is it?

It is a bit of a tight squeeze.

-So this is the board?

-You can see why it needs doing.

-It's rotten, isn't it?

-Look at it.

-We need to get these bolts out.

-Make a pattern?

-Make a pattern.

-Put a new one on.

-Put a new on one and we're good to go.

But we do need some people inside the wheel to hold the bolts on.

Yeah, cos it's just going to turn. The heads will turn.

-Otherwise you can't get hold of them, that's it.

-That'll be Kingy.

-Hello, mucker. How you doing?

-Hello!

'With the mill depending on the waterwheel for power,

'a job like this would bring the millstone to a grinding halt.

'Which, incidentally, is a term coined by millers back in the day.'

-How far off are we?

-Oh, not far.

-Well, we're nearly there.

-We've been hearing that for the past 12 minutes!

I'm slightly worried that the waters have broke! I'm on the inside of this wheel!

Oh, it's coming.

One down, one to go.

-Are you on?

-I'm on.

Nearly there, boys.

Yep, we're there! Bolt, washer.

-Washer, bolt.

-That's the bolt out.

-Right.

-Yes.

-Lovely job.

-Should it get up there and then pass it up?

-Yep.

I'm exhausted. 'I'll rest up whilst Dave prepares a new blade.'

This is oak.

-It's lovely stuff to work with.

-Oh, God, aye.

Better not let me wife see this on the telly,

or she'll have me putting shelves up, Phil.

'Hurry up, Myers - this hamster's getting tired of waiting.'

-Have you got him?

-I've got him.

If you hold the spanner, we've got a ratchet here

-so it'll be a lot quicker.

-Oh, heaven.

Nip in!

That feels quite tight, boys.

Yeah, that'll do.

Looks good, Kingy, it's not going anywhere.

It's good, isn't it?

Good, solid job. Proper British workmanship.

'Now we can get it working again.'

There she goes, powering the shaft that meshes with the wooden gears

that, in turn, drive the millstone. Job done!

Best test our new electric-powered one.

It will double flour production if it actually works. Fingers crossed!

With luck, in a moment, Houghton Mill will have two working

millstones for the first time in 120 years.

Big moment.

You put it all together upstairs, now let's get it running,

-and see what we can do.

-Right.

The on switch is through here.

-This the start button, the green one?

-Press the start button.

-Fingers crossed.

That's it.

She going?

-I pressed the start.

-Are numbers coming up on the display?

-Yes.

You can press the faster button a bit. There she goes.

That's five, six, seven, eight.

MACHINE RUMBLES INTO LIFE

A whole tonne of stone up on the top, slowly getting up to speed.

-It's momentum, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

'The grain is moving through the hopper.

'The damsel starts to chatter.'

It sounds great, doesn't it?

It's like being in the engine rooms of a big ship.

Down the chute it goes, into the centre of the millstone

to be ground into flour.

It's quite coarse, isn't it?

It's still quite coarse, yes.

Shall we have a bit more speed, Si, please?

Yeah, we're at 28, 29, 30. One, two, three, four, 35.

It's like Scotty on the Starship Enterprise!

Ah cannit had her, Captain!

Hold on, hold on.

45.4.

That'll do! That's as far as we want to go.

See how it's going.

There we are, gentlemen. Fresh flour from electric power.

We've done it, gents.

Electric flour! I've had a glimpse of the future.

Fabulous.

'And, having more than doubled production, it's time for a taste.'

What better way to end today than with a scone,

made with flour from that flour mill?

And those scones, mate, are about as far away from mass-produced

white bread as you can get.

Yeah. Well, you know, it was no kind of cutesy cottage industry.

I mean, that mill was run by skilled workers who produced food

that fed thousands of people.

And I think it's great, isn't it, that the local team here

have kept those skills alive.

And, even more important, that this place

hasn't just become some picturesque relic.

And with our new millstones, it'll probably carry on producing flour

for the next 200 years.

Hey, good news, Kingy.

Yeah, right, I'm going on me holidays.

But divvent worry, mate, I'm only for a few days, mind.

I wondered why I were on me own.

While Si is sunning himself, I'm back on up to Elsecar,

where Geoff's been working hard to restore the Newcomen beam engine.

On our first visit, we ran into a spot of bother with the beams linkage.

But he's fixed it, so I've come to help with the next stage.

Today's a huge day for the engine. It hasn't run in 60 years.

If we get it moving again, it's going to be magic.

'This historically important ancient monument was neglected

'for decades and was on the verge of collapse.

'I'm hoping that Geoff and his team have caught it

'just in the nick of time and, one day soon, it will pump again.'

-Nice to see you again.

-Yes, good to see you, too.

-Welcome.

Thank you. I remember last time we we're here

it all collapsed around the link motion and it just wasn't happening.

One of the bearings of the beam had gone over about two inches.

It had dropped because the soft wood bearer underneath had rotted.

If Geoff hadn't replaced the rotten wood that supported the beam,

it would have collapsed, potentially destroying the whole engine.

Now with new axle supports in place, we need to test if the beam and the

cylinder can now run freely before Geoff even thinks of firing her up.

So there'll be no steam today, only manpower.

If we do get her moving,

it will be the major milestone in this two-year restoration.

OK, let's go.

-It must have been two months since we were here last.

-Aye.

'It's good to be back, but I'm glad I'm not going down that hole again.'

Ah! Now it is a beam engine.

And that's what you call a beam, isn't it?

There you are. That's it.

'The beam needs to be chunky, as it transfers the power

'of the steam engine to the pump 100 feet below in the mine.'

And you reckon we're going to get that moving?

We'll see what we can do. But we need to sort this bearing out first,

so if we can take off the cover...

The trick is not to drop the washer down the side there,

otherwise you've got a long walk.

So we need to lift it without tilting it.

-Shall we take one side each?

-Oh, aye.

-That's it.

'There's a good chance that, after decades of neglect,

'the beam could be rusted solid.

'So we're going to clean and regrease everything we can.'

That's it, brill. Good.

There's some old grease in here.

Like some chippies I know.

Dirt, bird droppings, dead spiders.

False teeth.

We must get the grit out.

Let's put a bit of oil down in there, Dave.

Right.

Same on the other side, so we can get drawn in.

That's lovely.

'Here's me favourite part, black icing grease.'

Not too much.

I'm like this when I'm cooking, Geoff.

-That's a lovely job.

-You should see me Black Forest gateau, I tell you.

When you're ready then, Dave.

-Yep.

-Just don't catch your fingers on the hole.

-No, I've got you.

-Drop it there.

-That's it.

-All right?

-Yes.

-Square and drop.

Done. How many fingers you got?

-Full complement of soldiers.

-Excellent.

Of course, back in the day, she would have been powered by steam.

But without a fire in the boiler, it's up to us to do the grunt work.

So, we're at the pump end now.

We're standing over the top of a 100-foot-deep shaft here.

So that's the bit that the engine would have driven the water out of?

-Pulled the water out of.

-Pulled the water out of.

-This end is heavy. So the engine is like that.

-Yeah.

It's fairly well balanced now cos of the weights.

But we're going to have to lift it like that.

So we're pulling up at this end.

-Right.

-OK?

-So, in theory, we pull this end up.

We should see the first few strokes in this engine for over 60 years?

Absolutely.

So it should go up like that, and then we'll unhoist it,

take the hoist off and, of course, it's heavy this end.

So it should run back.

-Might need a bit of help, though.

-Right, right.

-Do I get to do it?

-Yes.

-Go on.

-Other way, other way.

-Other way? 50-50!

Taking the weight now.

-Something's happening.

-Yeah, it is.

That's it, we're there.

So now if we take this off, we'll see whether it will run back.

Is this not just going to go crashing through the floor?

Let's hope we haven't got too much weight on this end.

It's like Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.

Could be collecting waste from 100 foot under water. OK, give it go.

'I can't believe it, we've done it.

'After 60 years frozen in time, this Newcomen beam engine,

'the last of its kind, is rocking once again.'

It's magic to see this move again.

Can I go inside and have a look at the barrel and the piston

-if you do some donkey work?

-Yeah, sure.

-Brill.

And here comes the giant piston, moving smoothly up the cylinder

like it did in its glory days.

This village was founded on mining, and when the restoration's finished,

it'll be a permanent reminder of that heritage.

You know, I'm so proud to have played a small part

in the restoration of this wonderful engine. I'm chuffed as nuts!

Si, I wish you'd been here to see this.

I thought you we're on holiday! Where's your tan?

I only went to Whitley Bay!

Thanks to Newcomen's beam engine, steam power ruled Britain for the

next 200 years, creating majestic powerful beasts like the Night Owl.

Now we're heading back to the UK's biggest steam restoration,

in Llangollen.

None of the Night Owl's original components exist

and there isn't the budget to build everything brand-new.

So, when it comes to expensive items like boilers,

the team have to improvise.

Which means going down the scrap yard.

When the end of steam came, and the locos were sold for scrap,

many ended up here in Barry, South Wales.

Over the years, a lot of these engines were saved and restored

as the heritage railway movement went from strength to strength.

Today, the yard is empty apart from one engine.

By a massive stroke of luck, this rusting hulk

is just what our team is looking for.

It's another type of Great Western freight train and shares

many of the same components as the Night Owl crucially, the boiler.

So she's being brought to Llangollen to become a donor engine.

We'll be helping the lads with the boiler in a bit,

but first one of our new wheels has arrived and we can't wait to see it.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

-5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

-Hooray!

What do you reckon, guys?

That looks all right. Needs painting.

Needs painting, anything else?

Yes, it's too small.

Ah.

-It didn't look smaller when it was in the...

-No, it looked huge.

All right, there is a reason for that.

-Thank God for that.

-It's meant to be like that?

-It's meant to be like that.

-Right.

The wheel is smaller because it has a tyre fitted to it to bring

it up to the diameter of the others.

-Right. Get it straight, though, it is a metal tyre, a

-metal band.

Absolutely. The next process is to then forge tyres for these wheels.

-My God, it's not easy, is it?

-There's always more to do.

There's always more. Yeah.

Looking at those wheels together, I'm beginning to get

an idea of the scale of Night Owl.

-Do you want to see the eight wheels together.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah!

-Oh, yeah.

Well, it will give us some idea of scale, then, doesn't it?

-Yeah, it's a big fella.

-Yeah, go on, boys.

'When I said yes, I didn't think it would be such heavy work!'

It's like pushing against Gosford Stone, this.

It's about 800lbs in that weight.

-That'll be why, then. Right, we're there.

-We're there.

The next wheel has to be 6 foot 6 back from there.

Right.

Using Paul's plans we line up the wheels exactly as they will be

on the finished Night Owl.

This one should be easier.

Ah!

-Lovely.

-Well done.

-Right.

-6 foot 6.

What's the next, Kingy?

Another 6 foot 6 dude, I think, is it?

No, it's 7 foot.

THEY GROAN

This one's uphill.

We're there now.

-Right just nice and gentle boys!

-We got chocks.

Chocks is there.

-Beautiful.

-That's us, great.

There she is.

You can already see how much bigger she is than the engine next to her.

God, yeah.

She's massive.

That's the first glimpse anyone's had of a Night Owl for 40 years.

She's going to be magnificent when's she's finished.

Come on, Si, it's time to help the lads with the next stage.

They've been busy removing the bolts that hold the boiler onto the frame.

But before we can use it on the new Night Owl it's going to

have to be sent to Oxfordshire for reconditioning.

So now we're going to help lift the boiler off the frames

of the donor engine and onto a lorry.

-Come on, then, Dave.

-Cheers, mate.

Getting into the crane is a thrill for me

because my mam was a crane driver

at Vickers-Armstrong shipbuilders in the '40s and the '50s.

Mind me napper! That's it.

This is a big bit of kit, though, isn't it?

-Lifts 50 tonnes.

-Right.

No, they always said me mother worked in the big overhead cranes.

So she'd be climbing up the side of the factory building

and sit in a little cab all day waiting for a lift. But when I

was a little lad she was older than, you know, the rest of the ladies.

And they all took together, all me baby clothes. They all used

to sit there knitting while they were waiting for lifts.

So I used to have all these jumpers when I was a baby.

Like Vickers-Armstrong and pictures of cranes knitted in.

Why, that's all well and good, Myers, but some of us

have got work to do, you know.

OK, Mike, let's go!

Now, it's my job to stop this 18-tonne boiler from flapping

about in the wind.

It's like the biggest kite I've ever flown.

Yes!

So, we've got the wheels and now we've got the boiler.

And do you know what? One day soon the Night Owl will steam again!

But before we leave, the lads at Llangollen have arranged

a special treat for us.

Oh, look at this, Dave.

-Yep, the reward after a hard day's work, Mr King.

-Indeed.

Hiya, fellas.

It's a ride on the footplate of another Great Western Railway freight train.

She's not quite as big as the Night Owl...

WHISTLE SOUNDS

..but she's still a lot of train and even more fun.

The power of this thing's unbelievable, isn't it?

It is unbelievable.

It doesn't fail to make you smile, man, does it?

It's all your boyhood dreams come true.

And somehow this is a big leviathan but it sits in the countryside OK.

-It does.

-It seems to fit. There's a beauty and a majesty to it,

it doesn't clash, it's not synthetic.

No, and in the way that it runs

and it's motion is...it's just part of the landscape.

Aye.

WHISTLE SHRIEKS

And you've got a whistle.

What more do you want, dude? What more do you want?

What's not to love?

That's another advantage to the golden age of steam.

WHISTLE SOUNDS

You get to have a cooked breakfast on your shovel. It's tradition!

Green on the end, Graham.

OK, guys, if you're ready we'll have breakfast.

What a top man. Get in. Right, where's a shovel?

Here we are - sausage, bacon and eggs and black pudding.

-Put another one on there.

-Eight.

Beautiful! Yes.

Your sausage.

Oh, the eggs. Aren't they beautiful?

-Beautiful!

-Nice one, Dave.

-Egg and bacon.

Ah, hey.

Now, not only can you be part of the Industrial Revolution

and smell it, we can actually taste it now, as well.

Yeah. Whoever thought...that a mixture of good breakfast

products, soot and coal could taste so good?

WHISTLE SOUNDS

Well, Kingy, it's been quite a journey.

I know, mate, it's been amazing.

We've helped fix some incredible machines.

He's better with spaghetti.

But it's been so much more than that.

Ah, Dave, you're not wrong, and what's going to live with me

forever is experiencing what my own grandfather did.

This is where your granddad would sit.

Aye, and I'll never forget forging steel the same as my granddad and my uncle.

Will you put your tongue away?

Britain's industrial past is part of us all.

That's why keeping its spirit alive is so important.

THEY CHEER

And thanks to the amazing teams of people up and down the country...

To steam!

-ALL:

-To steam.

..I'd say it's in pretty safe hands.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd