0:00:05 > 0:00:10Over a period of 40 years, Fred Dibnah demolished 89 chimneys.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15His 90th, at the former Park Mill in Royton near Oldham, was to be his last.
0:00:23 > 0:00:29It's the end of an era for Royton's textile industry and for Fred.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32But being Fred, he's got a new idea.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35My steeplejacking days are nearly over with,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39there's not many big chimneys like this left to knock down.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43They keep coming, but not quite as frequent.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47This will enable me to do lots of things that I've always wanted to do.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Now, after 27 years, my tractor's finished.
0:00:51 > 0:00:58I intend doing a grand tour of Great Britain, meeting interesting people who do interesting things.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03This series follows Fred Dibnah
0:01:03 > 0:01:07on the journey he made round Britain on his traction engine.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11It was a journey in which he went in search of the skills and technology
0:01:11 > 0:01:15that made it possible to build an engine like this in the first place.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22It was to be his last, because, by the time he set out,
0:01:22 > 0:01:28Fred knew that the cancer he'd been suffering from for nearly three years, was incurable.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34This series is a record of Fred achieving his last great ambition.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36WHISTLE TOOTS
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Fred's engine is a 1912 Aveling & Porter convertible tractor.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08On it, he toured the length and breadth of Britain under the power of steam,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12to celebrate the achievements of the engineers and industrial workers,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16whose endeavours made engines like this possible.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22It was a journey that took him to places like ancient iron foundries and boiler works,
0:02:22 > 0:02:28where skills that were once very common have now all but disappeared,
0:02:28 > 0:02:35and to little workshops where things are still made today just as they were 100 years ago.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Getting around the country under the power of steam wasn't easy.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44What are you doing?
0:02:46 > 0:02:51An engine like this wasn't designed to be driven in modern-day traffic.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57When these engines were made, the traction engine was king of the road.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Everything got out of the way.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01As time's gone by,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05you've got to be on your toes because they don't stop quick.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07You need a yard or two to stop.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10A lot of people who own these things don't go on the road.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15They're scared to get amongst the modern traffic.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19It was a journey full of ups and downs.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Whatever the problems they faced, they made it.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28They achieved a few notable firsts along the way, like crossing the Forth Road Bridge,
0:03:28 > 0:03:35the first time this had been done by a traction engine under its own steam.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38The highlight of the tour was a trip to London.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Fred had been honoured with an MBE for his services to industrial heritage and broadcasting.
0:03:44 > 0:03:50He was going to go to the Palace to collect it on the engine.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54In some ways, this journey is a celebration of finishing off my tractor
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and of Britain's great industrial past.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02When I bought it, 27 years ago,
0:04:02 > 0:04:08I didn't really think it would take as many years at it's done.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12I'll give you 2003 for it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14We're getting nearer now.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16The original were rotten.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23It were all rusty, and the rivets were pointed. I started off by making a new boiler barrel.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- I- didn't roll the plate, but I did all the riveting.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29You know, all the hole boring and the rivets.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33How are we going to manage paying for all the bits and pieces?.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37We'll manage. We managed before without, didn't we? No more holidays.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40We've never had any!
0:04:44 > 0:04:50Fred made nearly all the parts for the engine himself, which is one of the reasons it all took him so long.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00Everything were going very well, but with six rivets to do where the barrel goes into the throat plate,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03a horrible crack appeared in-between four rivet holes
0:05:03 > 0:05:09and this has been caused by expanding and contracting in all them years.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14'It meant that we'd got to make a new one which were quite a feat.'
0:05:16 > 0:05:19By this time, Fred had a lot of friends helping him.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Once the new throat-plate was made, progress was rapid.
0:05:34 > 0:05:41All locomotives and traction engines have all been made by belt-driven machinery.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I should imagine they had their first year of disasters.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48This is fully automatic. There's only one difference between this
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and the most modern, state-of-the-art thing -
0:05:51 > 0:05:54this works off sticks.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02The only awkward bit's sawing it up to make it fit in the boiler.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14It's nice to know that you've done it by burning sticks!
0:06:17 > 0:06:20We've got to the undercoat stage.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25Amongst the friends who helped were Alf Molyneux and Jimmy Crooks, both retired miners.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30There won't be much room for you in here, Fred, when I'm driving this.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- You what? - THEY LAUGH - Oh, this is nice on this side.
0:06:34 > 0:06:42- That's nice and smooth.- Yeah, that's lovely, innit?- It's nice that we're now getting to this stage.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48- Right, I'll go and put the kettle on.- That's the best idea you've had all day.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I got involved with this... We got talking about pits and he said,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55"I've got a pit-head in the back garden."
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I said I'd like to see that, being an ex-miner.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04I came to have a look and I came on the day when he needed a bit of muscle power on t'traction engine.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08He said, "Can you give us a lift with this?"
0:07:08 > 0:07:10That were it, I were trapped.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11That was it.
0:07:11 > 0:07:18He reckons now, I'm his expert stay-knocker.
0:07:18 > 0:07:26- What's the word for that? I'm your stay-knocker now, aren't I? - Oh, aye, yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Where can I put this bloody thing?
0:07:28 > 0:07:35- Will it fit on there? - I've got mine.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- Who's made these?- Me. - Looks like there's more in the tray than in the cup.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42It was a bit heavy for me.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Finally, after a lot more brews, it's the big day.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Is the engine going to work?
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Whoa!
0:07:56 > 0:08:02This is it. Here we go. Handle forward, regulator open.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Nothing happens. Wait a minute...
0:08:10 > 0:08:13ENGINE CHUFFS
0:08:16 > 0:08:21- Like a Rolls Royce.- One or two knocks but nothing terrible.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Magic.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30It's been a long, hard 27 years.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Every time, there were some unforeseen disaster.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41I'm not the only guy doing this, there's dozens of them all over England in little sheds,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44trying hard with very little money.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49In my opinion, instead of giving it to these men with the tight trousers who dance on stage,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53they should give a bit to the lads who are mending traction engines,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57because they're an unbelievable tourist attraction.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01There's a guy in Dorset that has I don't know how many million people
0:09:01 > 0:09:06come every year to a Traction Engine Rally from all over t'Continent.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12If you've never been to one before, it IS, like, a nice day out.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15So why had it taken so long?
0:09:15 > 0:09:19If I had an electric motor instead of a steam engine, driving my machinery,
0:09:19 > 0:09:25it would be a year or two less than 20 years.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29As soon as you light fires in boilers,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33they've this fatal attraction for people who just come from nowhere.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38And you can't stop talking, can you? You've got to talk to them.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43So I would say half the 27 years has been taken up with talking
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and not doing the job.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48WHISTLE MAKES LONG, SWOOPING NOTES
0:09:51 > 0:09:56But finally, in spite of all the interruptions, the great day has arrived.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00The engine is ready to go out onto the road for the first time.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Before we set off on this journey,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07I want to do a few road tests with it around the local area,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and visit people who have helped me
0:10:09 > 0:10:14with machining and engineering the bits that I couldn't do myself.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17It should be good fun.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22This young man with the red hair is my eldest lad Jack.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26He doesn't live here, but he likes coming here to help me.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28He's very keen on the world of steam.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32He lives in the Isle of Man and well in with a railway job there.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37He likes coming here and helping me with my traction engines and steam engines.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40He's not got his flat cap on.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Come on, we'll get on with it and then we can get it out of t'shed.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Tighten it up.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49An engine like this cannot be moved until it's steamed up.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51But even now, there's a problem.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Bloody stupid thing.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57While you're getting that steam up,
0:10:57 > 0:11:02I'll take that pump off and I'll check it on the floor.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08That Land Rover - thing has never been any good since I got it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13We just have one disaster after another at very important times,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16never when it don't matter.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21T'other day, I went out and it conked out on me miles out of town.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I ended up walking home.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35Getting a traction engine out on the road isn't like getting your car out of the drive.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Get that red thing away and hide it somewhere.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42There's hours of preparation involved.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Being a traction engine driver, weren't an easy business.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50It weren't just a matter of climbing on and setting off down the road.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54There's a lot of preparation before the thing even moves.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57You've got to procure the sticks and an oily rag
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and get the fire lit, make sure there's enough water in the boiler.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03If there's no water in the boiler, you're in trouble.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07You seem to go round with the oil can.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11There's dozens of oiling points.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15The whole procedure took a couple of hours before you set off.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18I can't think of anybody who's done it any quicker.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Two hours later...
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Driving the traction engine is a simple thing.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36There's very important things you've got to watch, like the water level in the boiler.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41If you're a beginner, and you've put in for your driving test on the traction engine,
0:12:41 > 0:12:46the man who comes to do the test is happy as long as you can get round the corner,
0:12:46 > 0:12:51do a three-point turn and stop the thing. There's a lot more to it than that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56They don't ask you what you'd do if the water disappears out of the bottom of the glass.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01It's very important, because a steam boiler is basically a bomb.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05This means that it's vital that it's kept full of water.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11Once they set off, this is something that's going to be a constant worry.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14What are you doing?
0:13:14 > 0:13:21The authorities turn a blind eye nowadays to stealing water from a fire hydrant.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- How do you know when it's full? - When I get wet through.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28In t'olden days, it were a serious business.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31There weren't as many hydrants but there were a lot of horse troughs.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36It was forbidden to put your sucker-pipe in a horse trough.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39It's all new to me this.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I've never filled it up before.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49I can't see it. It's somewhere down there.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It's there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- I can't see anything. - I- can't see anything
0:13:55 > 0:13:57At last, it's ready to set off.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06To make it go...
0:14:06 > 0:14:08is what's called the regulator.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12It opens the steam valve that lets steam into the cylinders
0:14:12 > 0:14:17or, in the case of the proper one - a car - lets petrol into the carburettor.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23An internal combustion engine is a very feeble thing compared with the power of steam.
0:14:23 > 0:14:29When he was building the engine, the local scrap-metal merchants provided a lot of the materials Fred needed.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34Today, he's looking for a bar to make a driving pin for one of the wheels.
0:14:34 > 0:14:42I'm on my way to see a scrap-metal dealing company, who have a fine set of weighing scales,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46where we can put the engine on and weigh it to the last couple of ounces.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49It's important you know how heavy the thing is.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52When we get there, you never know what you're going to find.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54We've come to have it weighed!
0:14:58 > 0:15:00How heavy is it?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Nine kilos.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Eight tonne. Just over eight tonne.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07That's all right.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11I'll just go and see if there's a piece of three-inch bar in the yard.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15If there is at piece, I'll come back and show it you like I normally do.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19You'll wave to me through the window and then we'll disappear quick.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22See you later. See you in a bit.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30I'm looking for a piece of three-inch bar to make a driving pin
0:15:30 > 0:15:34for the other rear wheel but there's nothing over there that's suitable.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38It's like pot luck. You come in one day and you get something good.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41You come for three weeks and there's nowt any good.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44There's nowt any good today so we're off.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Stop here a minute. I want a packet of Polo Mints.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- What do you want? Polo mints?- Aye.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06So how is the boiler after a couple of miles of driving?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08That's gone worse, this one's stopped.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Even that's not as bad as it looks.
0:16:14 > 0:16:21Why is it that we steamed this boiler about 15 times when it were just a boiler...
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and it didn't leak.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27And we put it all together and now that it's together,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30it's picked three places to leak what you can't get at.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33They'll seal up, but it's annoying
0:16:33 > 0:16:39when you think that we've had it once perfectly steam-tight and OK.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Next stop, the place where Fred got most of the copper and brass for the engine.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49I've brought some of your brass back.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52He's still short of some brass nuts.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- A fair machine.- Oh, aye.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04There's a lot of your brass.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I'll point a few bits out.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13All the metal that these taps are made out of, all come out of this scrap yard.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17All the lubricators, the nuts,
0:17:17 > 0:17:22the metal that these are made out of come from here.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27They were like sheet brass with paper on it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32There's a tap we get the washing water out of that's come from here.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Even these greasers come out of this scrap yard.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41People throw away stuff that they think is never going to be of any use in the modern world.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46People like me can put it to good use in the old world.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- It's nearly a new one. - I can see that.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54There's only that plate and that one and a bit of the back head
0:17:54 > 0:17:57left of the original boiler. The rest is new.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02We got a lot of other bits at home that've come from here, that we never got round to putting on.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09I'll have all of England jealous if they see this. It's our secret...
0:18:09 > 0:18:14you know, collection of jewels and everything splendid.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16All this steam stuff.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I'll go and do the bartering.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30We've had a maiden voyage now which has gone quite well. I'm pleased.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36There are some odds and sods that need seeing to and then it'll be ready for the world tour, I think.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Today has been 99% successful.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The leaks are a bit worrying,
0:18:49 > 0:18:56- but it isn't that serious. - A long 27 years, Fred.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01There were some days that I thought I'd never see it. But I've done it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It's finished.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05It's not finished but...
0:19:05 > 0:19:06it's running.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17All t'birds are singing, everything's going right for us.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Time now for some last-minute preparations.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25No living-van can go out on the road without a touch of the signwriter's artistry.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28And there are plenty of little jobs to keep everybody else busy.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30I'm cleaning t'smoke tubes out.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35They get full of a soot, and you've got to keep them clean
0:19:35 > 0:19:38or else you lose all your efficiency.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42It's one of them jobs you have to do regular, that's all.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Is there any bristles left on that?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- No. That's the last one. - All t'bristles have come off.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- That's the last one.- All right, then.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- That do?- Yeah! We've got...
0:19:53 > 0:19:59- We've got our long-vehicle thing now, so come and give us a lift and hold it in position...- Right.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02..while I mark where the screw-holes are.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08If you would help hold it up, I'll mark where we want the holes
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and then will you take it down and drill it?
0:20:15 > 0:20:20We need about eight in here, don't we? Make it look summat presentable.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Is it...horizontal?
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- You mean level. - FRED LAUGHS Yeah, level.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34Hang on, we could do with a ruler couldn't we?
0:20:34 > 0:20:40- You can still mark your holes, can't you?- Oh, yeah. Yeah.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Is that right, is it level?
0:20:42 > 0:20:47- I believe that's level. - Jimmy's in charge of the pencil.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Hold it there and let me have a look from up there.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I think it'll do, that.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03There's still plenty of testing to do and there's still a few scares for Fred.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08Ah, we've got some steam coming from underneath the wagon on the cylinder-block, which shouldn't be.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17It could be one or two things - a crack in a cylinder-block, which is disastrous...
0:21:17 > 0:21:24- CONSTANT, LOUD HISS - ..or water that's accumulated on a ledge when we hydraulic-tested it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I've been frightened like this before, when I were a beginner.
0:21:27 > 0:21:35All the lagging round the boiler, when you've do a hydraulic test, all the steam coming out everywhere,
0:21:35 > 0:21:41it's all the bloody water trapped inside the lagging been turned into steam by heat from the boiler.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46I'm going to lift up the lagging...
0:21:49 > 0:21:54- HISSING SUBSIDES - It's almost stopped. ..and we can see where that steams coming from.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57If it's coming out of a hole, we're in trouble.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Somebody with asbestos fingers has got to shove that rag in there.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- It's hot.- YEAH, I know it's hot. You're bad news with them gloves on.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12- You'll burn yourself. Shove all the rag in. That's it.- OK.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- Have you got another piece of rag? - That's t'best rag we've got and we're ruining it.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- Hey, no, that's our towel! - < LAUGHTER - You can't do that.
0:22:21 > 0:22:27- How are we going to dry our hands at dinner time? It's a' reet now. It's all gone.- You're sure?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Yeah. ..It's...
0:22:29 > 0:22:31It's a false alarm.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37There's no leak. The steam was coming from water that had accumulated under the boiler.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Time for more road tests. And now it's Alf's turn.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46We've now got it on t'road. It's beautiful and it's an achievement.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50A bit more love involved because you've helped to put it together.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52We're not losing any steam you know.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57When you're steaming along the road,
0:22:57 > 0:23:03and the roads are good and everybody is getting by you, you can relax. A bit like driving a canal boat.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07The steering's very similar. A bit this way and a bit that way.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09There's no signalling system on it.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14You've got to hang outside and put your hand out like the olden days.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20On this little trip, Fred's going to a local engineer's, where they machined the gears for the engine.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27- Hello, Fred.- Hiya. Get braked up... I've got to put t'brake on.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33I've not quite used to this yet. I nearly drove it through t'next door neighbour's fence this morning.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38- It's a credit to you, Fred. - Thank you. Mick come to see me over there, you know.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42He's not very free with his admiration words, is he?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- He never was.- And he said it were "a good thing".
0:23:46 > 0:23:52- What sort of speed d'you get out of it, Fred?- This, we've had it up to 12mph this morning.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- THEY CHUCKLE - It's quite early at that speed.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It don't stop!
0:23:57 > 0:24:01With t'brake screwed on, it's still going!
0:24:01 > 0:24:04All this lot here, Brian, here, did all of this.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08On t'other side, there's a great big 'un.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13The worn-out original one is still hiding in a corner in this engineering works.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Brian machined all the teeth off and we made it a shrink fit,
0:24:17 > 0:24:23then we welded it as well, with a shaving off each side on top of the teeth,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Then we took it to put all the teeth on.
0:24:26 > 0:24:32- Then the gear cutters went bankrupt, so we can't go there no more.- They did that work for Fred for nothing(!)
0:24:32 > 0:24:35No, I paid them. Ah, I paid YOU...
0:24:35 > 0:24:40- ..Did you? Oh, right(!) Bad memory, Fred.- ..two pints.- Yeah.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46We'll go and have a look at that wheel, we'll dig it out.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Them are big lumps, aren't they? Where did them come from?
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- Sheffield.- Have them been forged? - Yeah.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00When I think that when I got it all them years ago,
0:25:00 > 0:25:07- the teeth were all like that on every wheel.- They're really sharp, aren't they?- Yeah, oh, yeah.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Yes. They must have lost three eighths of an inch off each side, that's worn away.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16You can tell how many thousands of miles it must've done.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21This sort of engineering was too big for Fred to do in his shed.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27In this modern and advanced age, as they say it is that we live in,
0:25:27 > 0:25:34it gets more and more difficult to find people who can DO work like this. It's incredible.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39If I had to start again at the beginning, I'd be in trouble.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44It's the reason we're still here, having these big lathes.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48The smaller end of the business we've lost to countries like Taiwan.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54- Them as have got one in a shed in t'back yard.- They won't fit in your shed, Fred.- I know.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59All the people who've helped me, that have done various bits of machining for me,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01they've nearly all gone.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07That's why Fred's aiming to find some of these places before they all disappear.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16Before they can set out on the grand tour, there's one more hurdle to overcome -
0:26:16 > 0:26:18the boiler test.
0:26:18 > 0:26:25There's the usual, and them blobs that were coming out when we hydraulic-ed it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32- There, see. You can't get at it. - We need to make sure it seals up.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37Give it a dose of Quaker oats or summat like that and see what happens.
0:26:39 > 0:26:46- You're almost up to pressure now. - Yeah.- We just have to set the safeties to 150.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- Just get it to feather, first, Fred. - Yeah.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57About 145 now, so if you just get it to lift...
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- It's coming now. - VERY LOUD HISS
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Just leave it like that for a second...
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Fred's adjusting the safety valves
0:27:05 > 0:27:09so they lift at the correct pressure, about 150psi.
0:27:09 > 0:27:16One's sticking a little bit at the moment, so we're having to adjust a bit more.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21We'll bring the pressure down below 150, then raise the pressure again
0:27:21 > 0:27:24so they're lifting at the correct pressure
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Yeah... I'm happy with those, Fred.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Malcolm's last job is to have a look at the front shoe-plate
0:27:33 > 0:27:36to see there's no water fizzing out of it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46- There's nothing there, Fred. - healthy.- That's OK.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50There's no leaks at all there. That completes it.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56If you do those small alterations, it should be all right. I'll be able to sign you off.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59DOUBLE TOOT FRED CHUCKLES
0:27:59 > 0:28:01So they're ready for the road.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03And Alf can't wait to get started.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Aye, I'm on this holiday with him. He's invited me to accompany him.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14That'll be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm really looking forward to that.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- 'I'm the steersman!' - ALF LAUGHS
0:28:17 > 0:28:22I've no doubt he'll show me how to drive the thing properly(!)
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Of course, I'll have a running commentary off Fred.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32I'm really looking forward to that. That'll be something else, that.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39Next, they finally manage to set out on their grand tour...
0:28:39 > 0:28:43but not without a bit of trouble getting the living-van out of the drive
0:28:43 > 0:28:49as they set off for an open-cast mine to stock up with the coal they need for their journey.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55Subtitles by BBC Broadcast - 2005 E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk