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00:01Trains. I've always loved them. Big, small, steam, diesel.
00:07Where did that love come from?
00:10When I was six years old, I stood on this very spot,
00:13and what I saw that day I'd never forgotten.
00:16It made me the envy of every boy in school,
00:19because coming across that bridge was a train,
00:22and that train was being driven by my dad.
00:26Ever since then, I've always wanted to get the view he had,
00:30the one that no-one else gets, the driver's view.
00:35So I'm off on a train-lover's odyssey.
00:42Riding the footplates of Britain and Europe.
00:45Oh, that's great.
00:47When you were growing up, did you always want to be an engine driver?
00:50Yes, it's a dream when I was a child.
00:54Some will be huge.
00:56Oh, some of that went in.
00:58Others are a little more modest.
01:00I'll meet some wonderful people
01:02dedicated to this majestic form of transport.
01:09Already I'm beginning to feel like a train driver.
01:12And have fun off the train too,
01:14along some of the world's most beautiful lines.
01:17Well, I wasn't expecting to be doing this.
01:19Join me for a ride with a viewpoint
01:22that only an engine driver gets.
01:32On my travels, I'll climb the mountains of Switzerland,
01:36cross the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and Moors,
01:40ride the narrow-gauge tracks of North Wales,
01:43enjoy the Pinecone Line through Provence,
01:46and catch a train to Kolditz in Germany.
01:50But this time, I'm on the Isle of Wight,
01:53in the best seat in the house.
01:55I started that. You started that. Wow.
02:02Located off the south coast,
02:04the Isle of Wight is England's largest island,
02:06celebrated for its sailing, coastline and nostalgic charm.
02:16My journey to the island begins at Portsmouth Harbour.
02:21The only way to get there is by boat,
02:23unless you're a seagull, of course.
02:27Once I arrive, I'll ride as many trains on the island as possible.
02:30I will start my trip in Ryde,
02:33travelling the Eidon Line to Shanklin,
02:35the last main line still running on the island.
02:40From Smallbrook Junction,
02:41I'll steam through the countryside of Wighton.
02:44I'll follow the long-lost routes closed in the 50s and 60s,
02:48where the spirit of the railway still lingers.
02:51And in Cowes, I'll circle the tiny track
02:54of the island's smallest railway.
03:00Sadly, there are no trains to the island,
03:03but you can get to drive the next best thing,
03:06a 520-tonne ferry.
03:13Hello. Are you Sergei?
03:16Hello there, how are you?
03:17Nice to meet you. Good.
03:19Are you the skipper? Yes, I am.
03:21OK, brilliant.
03:23Where do you want me to be?
03:24Please jump into the chair and you will assist me today.
03:27Oh, fantastic. Thank you so much.
03:29What a wonderful view.
03:35Captain Sergei Parahovniks has been sailing this route for eight years
03:38and knows every ripple of these waters.
03:41He seems to be looking out the back,
03:43which is probably good because we're going backwards.
03:44I'm tempted just to press loads of buttons,
03:46but that clearly wouldn't be a good idea, so I won't.
03:50Now we are pointing the right way,
03:52it's going to take about 22 minutes to cross the Solent,
03:56one of the world's busiest channels.
03:59I imagine that in the distance is the Isle of Wight,
04:02with a bit of luck.
04:03OK, Paul?
04:04Yes.
04:05I'm relying on your help today.
04:07OK, yes.
04:07Well, it all looks very complicated,
04:09but whatever I can do to help you,
04:10I'll be very happy to do so.
04:11Well, first of all, whatever you do,
04:13don't press the big red button, OK?
04:14The big red button, this one?
04:16Yeah.
04:18What we're doing here is keeping a good watch
04:20for any craft that can be on our way,
04:24possible risk of collision,
04:26so I want you to tell me if you see any traffic on our way.
04:29Yeah, I don't need binoculars to spot this one.
04:33That's a good start, Paul.
04:35Well, maybe I can ask you
04:37to make a welcome announcement for our passengers.
04:39Yeah, by all means, yes.
04:40All you have to do is press this button here
04:43and just read it out.
04:44OK, fine.
04:45Finally, I get to press a button,
04:47just not the red one.
04:49Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
04:51Welcome to White Lincoln.
04:52This is Paul Burton speaking.
04:54Don't worry, I'm not driving.
04:55I would like to welcome you aboard White Rider One
04:58for this short sailing bound for Ryan Pierhead.
05:02It's a brilliant sunny day in the Solent today.
05:04Please be advised that if you're more used
05:06to the typical British summer,
05:08the sun is that very bright object in the sky.
05:10Have a great day.
05:14That was excellent, Paul.
05:15You could make a living out of it.
05:17I could try, couldn't I?
05:19I could try.
05:20Well, I'm glad I was able to contribute something
05:21other than just saying there's a big ship over there.
05:23Now I've shown him I can press buttons,
05:26Sergey is handing me control of the ship
05:28as we approach the shore.
05:30If you want, you can pull this slowly, gradually.
05:32This one back, that will slow the boat down.
05:34Really?
05:35It will stop, yeah.
05:35OK.
05:36Is that the right kind of thing to be done?
05:38Oh, hello.
05:39OK.
05:40And now bring it to the middle.
05:41Bring it to the middle.
05:44OK.
05:44And now we're in neutral and we're approaching slowly
05:46with the air itself.
05:47Right.
05:48At this point, thankfully, Sergey takes over,
05:52berthing from the wing so he can see the side of the ship
05:55as we approach the pier.
05:56Paul, I'd like to thank you.
05:58Oh, well, thank you.
05:58You've done excellent work.
06:01Do you think I helped?
06:02I think you did.
06:03You paused.
06:04The most important stuff is you never press the red button.
06:07I know this button here.
06:07Which is already a great success.
06:11Well, as I walk over here, I'm now officially on the island.
06:15Fantastic.
06:15Beautiful day.
06:18My first ride pulls in and there's something familiar
06:21about the appearance of this electric train.
06:24This is Ride Pier Head Station.
06:27And this train here, waiting at its platform for 40 years,
06:30ran on the London Underground's district line.
06:33Coincidentally, the very same line that my dad was a tube driver on.
06:37But the big question is, what's a London Underground train doing here?
06:42Hello.
06:42Are you Alan?
06:43Nice to meet you.
06:43I'm Paul.
06:44Hello.
06:44Can I join you?
06:45Of course you can.
06:46Go in that way and go in that way.
06:47Easy to go, Alan.
06:48Fantastic.
06:51Oh, it's a bit cramped.
06:52It's a little bit.
06:52For two.
06:55Yeah, this is the first time I've been in the cab of a London Underground train.
06:59My dad was a driver.
07:00Oh, very nice.
07:01And...
07:01But on the district line, he didn't get this sort of view.
07:05I was going to say, yeah, it's definitely a different view.
07:12On a day like this, this is absolutely wonderful, isn't it?
07:14Oh, it's beautiful.
07:15Yeah.
07:16It makes you enjoy it, certainly.
07:17I've joined a job for that.
07:20The trains currently operated on the Island Line have been converted from underground D78 stock.
07:27They've been used in former tube trains on the island since the late 1960s.
07:33How long have you been driving this train?
07:35I've been driving over on the island 18 years.
07:38Really?
07:39You know, on a district line, some of it's overground until you get to sort of West Brompton
07:44and then it sort of becomes, you know, all tunnels.
07:46But you never would have experienced anything like this.
07:49No, not at all.
07:50This is...
07:51And I suppose, you know, when the seasons change and the view changes and...
07:55Absolutely, yeah.
08:00The ride tunnel, which we're passing through now, is the reason the Island Line uses London Underground rolling stock.
08:08Ah, now, this is the London Underground experience.
08:13The track in the tunnel was raised in the 60s to help prevent flooding.
08:17And as a result, the headroom is now so low that standard trains can't run through it.
08:23Going through the tunnel just there was a little taste of what it would have been like.
08:28So the London Underground train is short enough in terms of height to be able to fit into the tunnel?
08:33Yes, that's correct, yeah, yeah.
08:34But before, what sort of trains were running? Was it a steam line?
08:37Yes, it was a steam train, Tim.
08:38Right.
08:38Well, again, they were built specifically for the Island.
08:44My first stop is Ride St John's Road.
08:48This is where I get off the ball.
08:50Oh, right, OK. Have I taken over?
08:52Yeah, that guy's taken over.
08:53And this is where our maintenance depot is.
08:54Oh, right, OK.
08:55And if you follow me, I'll take it to see some of the guys there.
08:57Oh, I'd love to. Thank you very much.
09:02This way.
09:03This is the sort of place that the trains my dad drove would have been maintained.
09:10This is a slightly scary walk.
09:16You wouldn't really want to see me seeing this under any other circumstances, the underneath of a train.
09:22The Island Line is only eight and a half miles long, and each train racks up around 16 return trips
09:28a day.
09:29Assistant Fleet Manager Oliver Wilde keeps them on track.
09:32Hi, Paul.
09:33Heard you around. I'm Ollie.
09:35Oh, Ollie. Hi.
09:35Can I stand up? Oh, I can stand up.
09:37Yeah.
09:37Loads of room here.
09:38This is a site that no member of the public normally sees, is it?
09:43No.
09:43It's a very special place to be.
09:45Yeah.
09:46So what are you doing here?
09:47So we're just measuring the wheels.
09:49So checking the tyres, as we call them.
09:52OK.
09:53And checking for their sizes and conditions.
09:55So how often would you be measuring the wheels, checking the wheels?
09:58So we measure them every seven days at the minute, over here.
10:00Right, every seven days.
10:01Yeah.
10:02And what sort of errors or flaws are you looking for?
10:05The main one is the sort of diameter measurement between wheel to wheel.
10:09Right.
10:09So we're only allowed 1.5 millimetres difference.
10:11Right.
10:12So we can, using this, we can ensure that.
10:15Yes.
10:15Is there a reason why you examine the wheels every seven days?
10:19So we do it.
10:19It's mainly for safety.
10:21With our line, the trains always travel in the same direction.
10:23So they're essentially going around the same curves and the same way every time.
10:27Right.
10:28Obviously on the mainland, you have various areas, you can turn the train around.
10:31We don't have that ability.
10:32So the pressure going around curves and stuff is always the same side of the wheels?
10:36Essentially, yes.
10:36Right.
10:37So I suppose this is the equivalent of taking your car in for an MOT and having everything checked
10:41and having the wheels checked and making sure the tyres are pressurised and all that sort of stuff.
10:44Yes.
10:45Essentially an MOT every seven days.
10:47Yeah.
10:47Seven days of use almost.
10:48Yes.
10:49Yes.
10:49So this train is good to go?
10:52Yeah.
10:52Yeah.
10:52Ready to go back out and service this one.
10:54Brilliant.
10:54Fantastic.
10:58It's been a very interesting day here looking at the workings of these trains which used
11:02to run on the district line, the line that my dad used to drive on.
11:05And I perhaps may have seen more today than he ever did because he would turn up and drive
11:10the train, but I'm not sure he ever climbed underneath one.
11:12And to be looking underneath one of these things just shows you how much work goes into maintaining
11:18a superb safety record.
11:33I'm on the Isle of Wight, just off England's south coast, aiming to drive and ride in the cab
11:39on as many trains as possible.
11:41I've been picked up from the depot and we're back on the island's only mainline track, imaginatively
11:46named the island line.
11:48We're heading south and ride and driver Alan's put his foot down.
11:52Are we up to 45 now?
11:54No, we're still doing 40 at the moment, but we'll be there shortly.
11:58Yes.
11:59Well, this feels faster than if I was doing 40 in a car, I don't know why.
12:04It's an odd feeling when the first time you drive a train it's really weird.
12:09Yes.
12:12So how long does it take to learn to drive a train?
12:16It can take anywhere up to two years.
12:18On the island it's about a year and a half.
12:20Right.
12:21This view we're getting here is no passenger gets this view and I think this is absolutely
12:25wonderful.
12:27We're now enrolled in countryside, a mix of farmland, sleepy villages and small woodlands.
12:33It's like going back to 1950s England.
12:36Alan is dropping me off at a pretty little station called Smallbrook Junction which has
12:41no road access.
12:42You can only get to it by train.
12:53Well, I'm crossing the line here at Smallbrook Junction because I've left the electric vehicle
12:58behind and here I'm going back 100 years in time because this line is serviced by steam.
13:08I should be here at any moment.
13:13Mind you, if I'm going back 100 years in time, what's a few minutes?
13:16I've just heard a whistle so that's about half a mile away apparently.
13:28Look at that, the sound, the steam, it is something rather remarkable.
13:35There's nothing quite like a steam engine.
13:38This is the Isle of Wight steam railway which runs beautifully restored locos and carriages
13:44through five and a half miles of island countryside.
13:47Wow.
14:05The more observant amongst you would have noticed that train came in backwards, so what they're
14:09going to do now is they're going to uncouple the engine from the front of the train, bring
14:12it back on this parallel track here which is called a passing loop and the train is going
14:15to go back in the direction in which it arrived.
14:20The Loco W24 Cowborn was built in 1891 and is the sole survivor of its O2 class.
14:27Here it is on Ride Pier in 1962 before the island line was electrified.
14:33So it's going to slow right down now.
14:36It's the flagship steam engine on this line.
14:39It weighs 49 tonnes and comfortably pulls seven coaches.
14:43Look at this beautiful train, you can see it's been kept in wonderful condition.
14:47I'm sure it's been refurbed over the years but the paintwork, I love the sort of like the
14:52black outline on Southern, it makes it sort of stand out.
14:55Kitted out in overalls, it's time to meet my driver Steve.
15:00Right, wonderful.
15:01There we go.
15:01OK, I'll come and join you if I'm here.
15:03Come and join us, it's very warm in here today.
15:04Right, OK, I suppose it's very warm every day isn't it?
15:06Very much so.
15:07And here we are, the beloved O2.
15:09Right.
15:10Brilliant.
15:11It's in fantastic conditions though, presumably it's been refurbed over the years.
15:14Many times.
15:16Nearly as old as our fireman today.
15:18Oh right.
15:18He's clocking up the years there.
15:20Oh yes, OK.
15:21And what's his name?
15:22His name's Steve.
15:23Steve.
15:24Is that a regulation of the railway?
15:26Can they be called Steve to work on that?
15:27Everyone's called Steve.
15:27We even have it on the bucket, so everyone knows who we are.
15:30OK, Steve the bucket.
15:32Fantastic.
15:34All right then, well, should we get Steve on board then?
15:37Yes, certainly.
15:38We can't go about him.
15:39No.
15:39Hi, hello Steve.
15:40Hi, hello.
15:41Hello, I'm Steve.
15:42Morning, morning.
15:42I'm Steve.
15:43We're all Steve together.
15:45Fantastic.
15:46OK, this should be called a Steve train, not a steam train.
15:49Wow.
15:49Love it, love it.
15:52There we go.
15:55Oh, that is loud, isn't it?
15:57That's good.
15:58Oh, it's beautiful.
15:58No way you're missing that.
16:01For the first leg of this journey on the three and a quarter mile run down to Haven Street,
16:05I'll be learning the basics of driving from Steve.
16:09So what's that, what was that instrument there?
16:12That's called a regulator.
16:13Right.
16:13That's regulating the steam that's contained in the boiler.
16:16Uh-huh.
16:16Right.
16:17By opening that, opening the valve, allows the steam to go down to the valve into the pistons.
16:22Right.
16:22And now, once we're going, let's remove the pole.
16:29Quite changing the gear in the car.
16:31Right, OK.
16:32So that's conserving the steam as opposed to using all of the steam in one here.
16:36Right, I see.
16:38The train begins to pick up speed.
16:41This line used to be part of the Ryde and Newport Railway, which opened in 1875.
16:47I can see just on the bridge coming up there, you've got that sort of black smoke stain,
16:51which has probably been there for decades.
16:53Decades, definitely.
16:53Just with the steam trains going through.
16:56And we keep adding to it every time.
16:57Yes.
16:57Lovely, lovely.
17:00After the line closed to passengers in the 1960s, a group of enthusiasts stepped in to save
17:05a small section, restoring it as the Isle of Wight steam railway.
17:10When you were a boy, was it your ambition to be a boy?
17:13Always, always.
17:14Never thought I'd ever do it.
17:15Right.
17:16And it's wonderful.
17:18I think fantastic.
17:21On single track heritage railways like this one, trains carry a token as permission to
17:27be on that section of line.
17:29As we approach Haven Street Station...
17:31I can see there's a guy on the platform with his arm out.
17:34He's got a token.
17:36Fireman Steve exchanges it for the next one for the section ahead.
17:40Token?
17:41Yeah.
17:42That's very simple.
18:06Hello, are you Geoff?
18:07Hi.
18:07Yes, I am.
18:08Hello, I'm Paul.
18:09And Noel has the inside.
18:10Pleased to meet you.
18:11Hello, Paul.
18:11Welcome to the Isle of Wight signal box.
18:13Wow, this is quite impressive.
18:14It is.
18:15This is an original frame.
18:17Mm-hmm.
18:17I mean, this was a full working order in the 60s.
18:20Right.
18:20We have added to it.
18:21We've got the electric signals up there.
18:23Mm-hmm.
18:24But all this is mainly rod and cable.
18:27The token just handed to Steve comes from a machine in the signal box.
18:32It's a safety device that locks the line so no other train can follow.
18:37It also means I get to play with the points.
18:39If you'd like to pull number five.
18:41Okay.
18:42So is there a knack to this?
18:43Yes, there is.
18:44Okay.
18:44Keep it back in line with the lever.
18:46Pull.
18:47That's right now.
18:48Pull it right over.
18:49Oh, I see.
18:50All the way.
18:50All right.
18:51Yeah.
18:53And I let the lever go.
18:55Uh-huh.
18:55That's it.
18:56And that locks in place.
18:57Right.
18:57Okay.
18:59Yeah.
18:59Bit of effort needed there, isn't there?
19:01Yeah.
19:01That's not the heaviest though.
19:03No, isn't it?
19:03Number seven, we are changing two sets of points all in one go.
19:07Shall I try number seven?
19:08If you would like to.
19:09Okay.
19:09So we put that one back.
19:10I'll put that one back for you.
19:14Right.
19:14I was expecting a pint of beer to appear at the bottom.
19:17Okay.
19:18Number seven.
19:18Okay.
19:19Let's see what number seven is like.
19:22Oh, yeah.
19:24Oh, does that go any further down?
19:25Yes, it does.
19:26Right the way forward.
19:28I don't think I can get that.
19:29Can you do that?
19:30Can you do that last bit?
19:32Oh, yeah.
19:32It needs a bit of, I can see you've got the arm muscle.
19:34Oh, yeah.
19:35After doing it for so long.
19:36Yeah, yeah.
19:36That is hard.
19:37Push it.
19:38Back again.
19:39Again.
19:40All the way.
19:41Oh, I say it's easier going back.
19:43Blimey.
19:44No.
19:44No, it isn't, is it?
19:46No.
19:46I think you'll have to take over there.
19:49As I say, you're doing two sets of points.
19:51Right.
19:51Yeah.
19:52Yeah, yeah.
19:54Heritage Railways rely on strong, passionate volunteers like Geoff.
20:00Oh, no, here is a very interesting item here.
20:03It says here, during the 1800s, a railway signalman who lost his legs in an accident purchased
20:08a baboon.
20:09Baboon began to operate the railway and was eventually given a job and salary and in nine
20:14years of employment, never made a mistake.
20:16Well, there's a tribute to the ingenuity of the animal kingdom.
20:20It's not true.
20:22Well, you would say that otherwise a monkey could do this job.
20:25No comment.
20:26No comment.
20:27Back outside, the two Steves are nearly ready for me.
20:31But with another loco coming into the station, it's my chance to help with the token exchange.
20:37Just let them put their arms through and snatch it out of their hands.
20:41Right.
20:41Just keep an eye on this one.
20:43Yeah.
20:43Make sure you go through the loop.
20:44Okay.
20:45Okay?
20:45Right, okay.
20:46Okay.
20:47Look at the size of this engine coming towards me.
20:49And here I am.
20:50I look like I'm going to try and knock it out with my fist.
20:53Okay.
20:54Okay.
20:54Sorry.
20:59So this is, er, got this at the right height, hopefully.
21:03Yeah.
21:04Okay.
21:05Yeah, okay.
21:09There you go.
21:11Oh, brilliant.
21:12Well done.
21:12Oh, thank you.
21:14There you go, your first token exchange.
21:16Well done.
21:17Well done.
21:17I think it was quite helpful they were going at fairly slow speed.
21:20It does help.
21:21Yes, yeah.
21:22Thank you very much.
21:24When I was just standing here just now with the, er, with the token and this huge locomotive
21:29coming towards me, okay, admittedly fairly slowly, but nevertheless, the sense of power
21:34as it came forward and making sure that I did that and did that at the right height
21:37and stuff, that was quite something.
21:41It's time to get a real sense of that power.
21:45Do you fancy having a drive?
21:46Er, yes.
21:48You've seen how it's done now, haven't you?
21:50Well.
21:50Easy.
21:51How long did it take you to learn?
21:53A few years.
21:54A few years.
21:55Okay.
21:55Well, you show me what I need to do.
21:56The driving's the easy bit.
21:57It's the stopping.
21:58All right, okay.
21:58That's the bit we have to run into.
22:00All right, fine.
22:00We'll cross that bridge when we come through.
22:02Okay.
22:02Harden the pun.
22:03Yeah, indeed.
22:03All right.
22:04We have to move the pole forwards.
22:05Right.
22:05It will pull you because it's counterbalanced.
22:07Okay.
22:07So you need to put your foot against, hard against that.
22:09Hard against that, yeah.
22:10And then hold that and be better.
22:11Oh, hello.
22:12Right, okay.
22:12All the way.
22:13All the way.
22:15Okay, yeah, I've done that.
22:16Perfect.
22:16Now you want to get yourself into position with your back to that.
22:19Right.
22:19I'll stand that side.
22:20Okay.
22:21And here we have the regulator.
22:22Yeah.
22:23So we're going to use that like a hammer motion.
22:25Right.
22:25When we get right away from the guard.
22:27I hope the workout in the signal box has strengthened my muscles.
22:30Right away.
22:31So we've got a nice long whistle on this hand.
22:32It's up here.
22:33All right, yeah.
22:34Okay.
22:35Oh, that's great.
22:36Okay.
22:36Just open it gently, but push it further each time.
22:39Back and forwards.
22:42That's it.
22:42Keep going.
22:44Keep going.
22:47Keep going.
22:48Oh, I see.
22:49Oh, yeah.
22:49I got it there.
22:50Yeah.
22:51There you go.
22:52That'll do.
22:52Okay.
22:53And away we go.
22:58So I started that.
23:00Easy, isn't it?
23:00You've started that.
23:01Yep.
23:01Wow.
23:01That's a thrill.
23:04Great.
23:08I don't think we need you anymore.
23:09Thanks a lot.
23:10Good luck.
23:12Let me know when you've stopped it.
23:13Yeah, I will.
23:14The most important aspect of driving a steam loco is keeping your eyes on the dials.
23:20We've got food.
23:20We're looking at our ages now.
23:22We've got good point of pressure.
23:23Right.
23:24We've got our brakes all on.
23:25Yeah.
23:26We've got a nice motor in our boiler.
23:28Yeah.
23:29Relax.
23:33I'm getting the hang of this.
23:38It's just an amazing position to be in because you are just feeling the power of this magnificent
23:43locomotive.
23:45It's a great experience to feel that you've started a steam engine.
23:48I mean, not many of us who aren't steam engine drivers ever get that experience.
23:52I'm very grateful for the honour and people to be giving me today.
23:55Good pleasure.
24:05Now, we're going to come to a bend.
24:06You see that?
24:07That bend will actually slow us down a little bit.
24:09Right.
24:11I'm going to get you to do a bit of braking now.
24:13Okay.
24:14Pull that round to there and back to there.
24:17Oh, right.
24:17I see.
24:23We're arriving in Wooden, which in 1969 hosted the second Isle of Wight festival.
24:29That's beautiful.
24:30Where famously Bob Dylan came out of semi-retirement to play to 150,000 fans.
24:37Yeah, that was something.
24:39Wow.
24:44By then, Wooden station had already closed, so Dylan definitely didn't get here by train.
24:50But his appearance put the festival on the map.
24:54Earlier yesterday, I was on the island and there was a beautiful sort of view as you're
24:57going through, but it is an electric train.
25:00But this is a whole other level, isn't it?
25:02I mean, because there is so much...
25:04Well, there's so much to do, first of all, on this.
25:06Definitely.
25:07They're living and breathing.
25:08Yeah, they are living and breathing.
25:12As Paul's driven, I think he waggled a few levers in the signal box, didn't he?
25:15So he deserves a little bit of a treat.
25:18There you go.
25:19Bacon and eggs.
25:20Cooked on the shuttle.
25:21What do we have here?
25:22An engine man's brunch.
25:24An engine man's brunch.
25:25Okay.
25:26So how have these been cooked in there?
25:28Ah, Bob, I'll try to find them.
25:30Okay.
25:30Splendid.
25:33You know, this looks almost good enough to eat.
25:36Well, I hope it is.
25:37Okay, let's try it.
25:38Let's try it.
25:40Is it good enough to eat?
25:41Mmm.
25:53I'm continuing my Isle of Wight adventure.
25:57I've stepped away from the steam railway to explore the surrounding countryside.
26:01There's a long history of farming on the island, and this farm has been selling dairy products
26:06since 15 Guernsey cattle arrived way back in 1923.
26:11I'm supposed to be learning to milk this famous and beautiful breed, but when I arrive,
26:15one of the cows needs help.
26:19It's a problematic birth and I've been asked to lend a much-needed hand by my host, farmer Paul Griffin.
26:26If you would walk slowly along the fence line.
26:29If you would walk slowly along the fence line.
26:29Walk slowly along the fence line.
26:31Yeah.
26:33Will she be nervous of me, do you think?
26:36Don't give her eye contact.
26:38No.
26:38Okay.
26:39And then just come where I am.
26:41Right.
26:42And between us, we're going to deliver this calf.
26:45Okay.
26:46At the moment, I can't find its head, but I will do.
26:50Yes.
26:52I want you to come to the left of me.
26:54To the left of you.
26:54Yes, I'm doing that.
26:55And just gently hold that blue rope.
26:59The blue rope.
27:00So that it doesn't slip off from where I've got it.
27:03Okay, there.
27:03Yeah.
27:04Stand there for me.
27:05Stand there, yeah.
27:06And no need to pull too tight.
27:09Okay, fine.
27:09Just firm.
27:11Yeah.
27:12Most cows give birth without human intervention, but this calf is in the wrong position
27:16and urgently needs assistance.
27:19I've got one foot with a rope on.
27:21Right.
27:22I want to put the other rope on the other foot.
27:25Yeah.
27:25Save me putting that in my mouth.
27:27Loosen that for me.
27:28Loosen it.
27:28Yeah.
27:29Like that.
27:29That's it.
27:30Perfect.
27:30Yeah.
27:33This is like the most bizarre tug of war you're going to be involved in.
27:40Let's hope we don't get pulled in.
27:43Can you please?
27:44Yeah.
27:44Just gently hold that one.
27:46Hold, gently hold that.
27:47Yeah.
27:47Yeah.
27:47Yeah.
27:49And I'm going to go hunting for a nose.
27:52Yeah.
27:53Has she given birth before?
27:55She has.
27:55Right.
27:56So that's why she's letting me do this.
27:57She knows we're helping.
27:58Yes.
27:59Oh my God.
28:02Okay.
28:02Yeah.
28:03A bit slippery, but we've got a head here now.
28:07Right.
28:08Right, you can pull.
28:09Yeah.
28:12It's coming.
28:13Yeah.
28:15Yeah.
28:15I'm hoping it's a she.
28:16We want a girl.
28:18It's a bit too late to change now, isn't it?
28:20She isn't.
28:21Can't send it back.
28:22No.
28:23Come on.
28:25There we go.
28:26Oh.
28:27Come on.
28:27Blink your eyes.
28:30When it gets past its rib cage.
28:32Yeah.
28:32We're going to stop.
28:33Okay.
28:34Drain the lungs out.
28:36Stop.
28:37All right.
28:39This helps.
28:40Because they can drown.
28:42You can breathe, calf.
28:43You're alive.
28:45Okay.
28:45Lovely.
28:46Come and have a look, mummy.
28:48Come on.
28:50And it's a girl.
28:52Wonderful.
28:55And you see the milk is coming in now.
28:57Oh, right, yes.
28:58Yeah, so she's started running milk.
29:00Yeah.
29:00And that calf needs to get a good drink of that within two hours of birth.
29:03Right.
29:05So step back a little bit.
29:07Yeah.
29:07Yeah, okay.
29:07Give them a bit of space.
29:09Yeah.
29:11Well, that was an extraordinary experience, I must say.
29:13So thank you so much for that.
29:14But I think I've earned myself some refreshment.
29:16I think you certainly have.
29:18Yes, okay.
29:19Shall we?
29:19Yes.
29:24Delivering that calf was no picnic.
29:27But this is a scone with delicious Guernsey butter.
29:32And thankfully our calf is now standing as well as bonding with its mother.
29:38Can I do the honours?
29:39Yeah, go on then.
29:41Oh, that's a fair amount, isn't it?
29:43That's good.
29:44Go for it.
29:47Cheers, Paul.
29:48Cheers.
29:48Thank you very, very much.
30:05Yeah.
30:05Have you ever lost a wrist watch?
30:09It comes out in the end.
30:10Yeah.
30:18Talking of time, I have a train to catch.
30:22I'm back here at Wooden Station to catch the 11 o'clock train to cows.
30:27Unfortunately, I shouldn't have got here earlier because, well, I've missed the train
30:30by 60 years.
30:32In the 1960s, the infamous Dr Beechin swung his axe across Britain's railways.
30:38And this line got the chop.
30:40However, many of the island's other railways had already shut in the 1950s.
30:44Luckily today, there's a replacement service.
30:52Although it's a little slower than the train.
30:55For this next ride, it's less chuffing and more puffing.
30:59Are you good?
30:59Yeah.
31:00Three, two, one.
31:02Let's go.
31:03Many of the island's old railway lines have been turned into bike routes, and keen cyclist
31:08Keevan Ansel is taking me for a trip along one of the most popular, the Red Squirrel Trail.
31:13All right, squirrel.
31:15So-called because the old railway lines that make up the trail run through one of the
31:19last strongholds in England for the endangered rodent.
31:23So this used to be a railway line?
31:25Yeah.
31:26So this is the line that takes you through from Newport to Merstone Station.
31:31Uh-huh.
31:32You'll see the platform as you get to it.
31:34So this is why this is a very flat, nice route to be cycling along?
31:38Oh, absolutely right, yeah.
31:39That is the nice thing about the Red Squirrel Trails.
31:41Oh, he'd be coming into the-
31:43Oh, I see, yeah.
31:43He'd be coming in to see the platform there.
31:47Yeah.
31:47I mean, obviously the station buildings are gone, but yeah, this would have been a very
31:51busy station in this day.
31:52Yes.
31:54From Merston, a junction station, you could have taken a train to either Ventnor on the
31:59south coast or Sandown on the east.
32:01At its peak, the island's railway network stretched to 55 miles.
32:06Today, you can cycle over 40 miles of old railway routes.
32:10So where would be a good place to try and spot the Red Squirrels?
32:13Actually, we're not far off a station called Alverstone Station.
32:17Uh-huh.
32:17And just up from there, you've got Alverstone Mead, which is a nature reserve.
32:21Fantastic.
32:26But the Red Squirrel is famously elusive.
32:29So we've got, I think there's about, I think there's sort of roughly about 3,000 on the
32:33island.
32:34Mm-hm.
32:34This is a real hot spot because the reason is because they love, they love all the trees
32:39here.
32:40Yes.
32:40So you don't have any grey squirrels here?
32:43No.
32:44No.
32:44We've only got the red ones.
32:45So the grey squirrels were introduced from America in the 1800s, I think.
32:53Right.
32:53So that would be on the mainland.
32:54So that's on the mainland.
32:55Mm-hm.
32:55But obviously we've got that body of water, haven't we?
32:57Yes.
32:58So they can't get over here.
32:59And actually, Paul, it's actually illegal to bring a grey squirrel here.
33:03Right.
33:04And you can get...
33:04I think it's quite heavy fine, actually.
33:06On the mainland, grey squirrels are out-competed reds.
33:11The Isle of Wight, therefore, is an ideal haven.
33:14But today, the reds are proving hard to find.
33:17What is the red squirrel's natural diet?
33:20Well, they pretty much eat anything, to be honest with you, Paul.
33:23I mean, you know, hazelnuts, cob nuts, they love all that.
33:26Mm-hm.
33:27But just keep your eyes peeled and, you know, fingers crossed, you should see something.
33:31Where would be the best place to be looking for a squirrel?
33:33Up a tree?
33:34Yeah.
33:35They're running around a bit, really.
33:36They do like the treetops.
33:38Just then, there's a rustle up above.
33:41Can you see one?
33:42Yeah.
33:43Yeah, there's a little glimpse of red up there.
33:44Look.
33:45There you go.
33:48Yeah, it's quite distinctive against the greener.
33:50Yeah.
33:50It's quite red as well, that one.
33:51Mm.
33:55Right.
33:58Have they learned to fly planes?
34:00No, it's the flying squirrels.
34:02Right.
34:05With the heat of the day forcing most of the squirrels into hiding, it's back on the bike,
34:10as I have an appointment with another loco.
34:13So, I've got to get off at the Isle of Wight Model Engineering Society.
34:17Are we going to be ending up anywhere near there?
34:19Do you want me to give you a lift?
34:20Oh, yes, please.
34:21Right.
34:21Let's do it.
34:21You seem to know the way and I'll just follow you.
34:23I'll drop you off.
34:25I'll drop you off.
34:26My next stop on my Isle of Wight adventure is Cows, which is famous for the world's oldest
34:30regatta, Cows Week.
34:33But it's also home to the island's smallest railway.
34:36The Isle of Wight Model Engineering Society's miniature railway is a seven and a quarter inch
34:42track that circumnavigates a park.
34:45At the controls today is Ian Bland, who's been driving scaled down locomotives for half
34:50a century.
34:51How beautifully stopped.
34:52Hello, you're Ian.
34:54Hello, Paul.
34:54Hello, I'm Paul.
34:55Hello.
34:56Yes.
34:57We'll do a sort of a yes.
34:59So, this is a magnificent model you have here.
35:03What is the scale size of this compared to sort of a full scale?
35:08It's an eight scale model.
35:09An eight, yes.
35:10Now, I can see that you've got sort of smaller bits of coal, so you'll have a fire box just
35:15like the...
35:16Yeah, we have a fire in there, just the same as the full size ones.
35:20Is it difficult to learn how to drive one of these?
35:24No, basically running it round the track is quite easy.
35:27Keeping it in steam and full of water is a little more difficult.
35:31Do you think I'd be able to give it a go?
35:33Yeah, you can run it round for a couple of laps.
35:35Okay.
35:36It's only a matter of sitting on it and opening this.
35:40This is a regulator.
35:41Right, yeah.
35:42You just move that sort of vertical and then just use it like a throttle in a car.
35:47Right.
35:48I suppose one key question is how do I stop it?
35:51When you stop, you move that to there.
35:53Yeah.
35:54And put the brake on here.
35:55Right, yeah.
35:56It will stop the train.
35:57I don't think you'll be going round very fast.
35:59No, I hope I'm not.
36:02But luckily, because it's a loop, if it turns into a runaway train, I'll be passing you
36:06every couple of minutes until the steam runs out.
36:09With the fire stoked and a full head of steam, I'm gloved up and ready for the off.
36:14Okay, here we go.
36:16Hopefully I'll see you shortly.
36:19Definitely.
36:20We'll be back.
36:24Hercules is an 040 tank locomotive designed in the 1960s.
36:29It's just over three foot long, weighs approximately 220 pounds,
36:33and it's been painted in the same Southern Railway colours as the larger loco on the steam railway.
36:38Well, this is a rather exhilarating experience, to be honest.
36:41I'm in total control of this steam engine.
36:43Oh, I'm going too fast again. Let me slow down.
36:45We're coming up to a bend.
36:46So I don't want to be approaching that bend at too fast speed.
36:50It's an incredible piece of engineering to bring something as big as the loco I was driving earlier
36:56down to this kind of scale.
36:58Even the controls are identical.
37:04Just apply the brake.
37:07Or is he going round again?
37:10Driving all right, it's stopping the problem, isn't it?
37:12You need to use the brake.
37:14I push that all the way across.
37:15Yeah.
37:16But I need to pull that towards me.
37:17Correct.
37:18Okay.
37:18Can I go round one more time?
37:20Yes, of course you can.
37:20Okay, fantastic.
37:21And I'll see if I can stop right where you are.
37:23Okay.
37:24We'll make that a challenge.
37:25Okay.
37:26Let's...
37:27Let's give it a go.
37:28Let's find out what happens.
37:29Okay.
37:30Brake's off.
37:30Yeah.
37:31Here we go.
37:36That's good.
37:37All right.
37:38That's...
37:38I need to give it a bit more power because we're slowing down.
37:41It's obviously a gradient on this curve.
37:57That was better.
37:58That was better, isn't it?
38:00That was enormous fun.
38:02And thank you for showing me the brake, because I think that was the key thing I was missing,
38:05in terms of stopping it.
38:07Are you looking for any volunteer drivers at the moment?
38:09We're always looking for volunteer drivers.
38:12Oh, well, thank you so much.
38:13Okay.
38:13We can shake hands now.
38:14We can shake.
38:15Okay.
38:17Oh, great.
38:18Lovely.
38:18Can I take it home?
38:20No.
38:20That's good.
38:21Oh.
38:35I'm on the final leg of my Isle of Wight expedition
38:38to get the driver's eye view from as many trains as possible.
38:42And so I'm riding the rest of the island line
38:45on a train very similar to the ones my dad used to drive on the underground,
38:49all the way down to its southern terminus at Shanklin.
38:54Now, what was that? Is there a level crossing coming?
38:56It's a foot crossing ahead.
38:57Oh, right, I see, yeah.
38:59Just next to the football ground.
39:01Now, all these foot crossings, I assume, they are just for pedestrians.
39:04There's no vehicles coming across there.
39:05No, no, the only one is literally just round the corner,
39:07which is Brewhouse Crossing.
39:08That's a user work crossing, so the farmer has access across it.
39:13Right, uh-huh.
39:15That's just round this bend here.
39:18Beautiful view over there towards distant meadows.
39:24This is wonderful, I mean, this is a real treat.
39:28During its final miles,
39:30the island line drifts through farmland and wooded cuttings.
39:34Near Braden, it skirts wide marshes
39:37where reeds and waterways stretch into the distance
39:40before running south towards Shanklin.
39:43My final stop was once a Victorian holiday favourite,
39:46famed for its wide, sandy beaches
39:48and popular with writers such as Keats and Dickens.
39:52Right, so this is Shanklin?
39:54Yeah, that's it.
39:56So, do you get out and stretch your legs?
39:58Yeah, I've got to go back and go back and go back.
39:59Oh, of course you have, haven't you?
40:02Not so easy driving it backwards.
40:04Yeah, no wing mirrors.
40:05Yes.
40:06I'd better get up myself then.
40:14Sitting in the driver's compartment
40:16of that refurbished district-line train
40:19and looking at the controls
40:21that my dad would have been very familiar with,
40:23I suppose, made me think about him
40:26and like a lot of men who grew up in the Second World War,
40:29he was not one to display or discuss emotion.
40:35We never talked about my career in any meaningful way
40:39and after he died,
40:41I discovered a cupboard in my parents' living room
40:44above the television set
40:45that was full of videotapes that he'd bought
40:47and used to record every single television programme
40:50I'd ever been on
40:51and he'd written on the labels of the videotape,
40:54the name of the programme,
40:56the date it went out
40:57and although he never in any way
41:01suggested to me that he was proud of my career,
41:04here was the irrefutable proof that he was,
41:07a treasure trove of everything I'd ever done,
41:10hidden away.
41:19Thinking about my dad's generation,
41:21before I leave this island
41:22I want to discover the role it played in the war,
41:25lying just across the channel
41:26from Nazi-occupied France.
41:28I'm searching for clues in Shanklin, China,
41:31a lush coastal ravine filled with rare plants
41:34and some interesting creatures.
41:36Who would have thought it would have been easier
41:38to spot a dinosaur than a red squirrel
41:40here on the Isle of Wight?
41:43But I'm not here to explore the Jurassic wildlife,
41:45I'm here to find out a bit more
41:47about one of the most audacious top-secret operations
41:50of the Second World War.
41:53In fact, there were two top-secret projects
41:55developed here during World War II,
41:57both involving underground pipes.
42:00And I'm going to meet historian Tim Wander,
42:02who's going to tell me much more about them.
42:06So, tell me,
42:07well, first of all, I suppose,
42:08what was it used for?
42:09This pipeline was designed
42:11to flood the beaches with petrol
42:12should this beach on the Isle of Wight
42:15be attacked by the Nazis.
42:17Fuel could be flooded down to the beach,
42:20ignited,
42:20and in horrific form
42:24incinerate the invading army.
42:25Right.
42:26Wow.
42:27It was known as a flame barrage.
42:28Right.
42:28And because, and of course,
42:29we are very close to the mainland
42:31here on the Isle of Wight, aren't we?
42:32We are.
42:33We're only some three miles from the mainland,
42:36but the Isle of Wight
42:36has been a source of invasion
42:38for thousands of years.
42:40Churchill was absolutely adamant
42:42this island would not fall.
42:44And if we did fall,
42:46we would,
42:46the Germans would pay for every inch.
42:48Yes.
42:48The second top-secret pipeline
42:51was developed later in the war,
42:52ahead of D-Day,
42:53and codenamed Pluto,
42:55or Pipeline Under the Ocean.
42:57The idea was to supply petrol to the troops
43:00after they landed in Normandy
43:02more than 80 miles away.
43:04So, Paul,
43:05this is where Pluto happened,
43:07and this is Pluto.
43:08Right.
43:09This is the pipeline under the ocean,
43:11a three-inch Hamill pipe,
43:13and this is what will change the war.
43:15And there was 82 miles worth of that.
43:18There was.
43:18In fact, there was more than that
43:19because the idea was to lay six of these pipes
43:22all the way to Cherbourg,
43:23and in essence,
43:24they had to be over 90 miles long
43:26because they go down
43:26to the bottom of the ocean.
43:27Right.
43:28It was a huge endeavour.
43:29This technology did not exist in 1943,
43:32and they needed it 10 months later.
43:34Because what you've got to remember
43:35is during D-Day,
43:36on D-Day, June 6, 1944,
43:38we're going to land 1,550 Sherman tanks.
43:41They do less than one mile to the gallon.
43:44To mount the invasion,
43:45we need one million gallons of fuel a day
43:48to fight the Nazis.
43:50How do you get it there?
43:51Pipeline under the ocean.
43:53But the pipeline had one major flaw,
43:56which revealed itself
43:57the moment the pumps roared into life
43:59in October 1944.
44:01You can't force petrol
44:03down two and three-quarter inches of pipe
44:06over 96 miles
44:07when it's less than two degrees.
44:09It's just too thick.
44:10Right.
44:10So in the early hours of the morning,
44:11the first pipeline exploded,
44:13then the second pipeline exploded.
44:15It was truly a pipeline too far.
44:17It couldn't handle the pressures.
44:18So what they did
44:19is they used this experience
44:21as a prototype.
44:22Yep.
44:23They'll pack up here
44:23and they'll move literally down
44:25to Kent to Dungeness
44:26and relay the pipelines across there
44:29over just 21 miles.
44:30But here in the Isle of Wight,
44:32all this fuel is still not going to go to waste
44:34because what we'll do
44:36is we'll run fuel around the island
44:38and we'll then have these channel tankers
44:40which will take the fuel
44:42and we'll take it across the channel
44:44in 124,000 gallon lumps.
44:47They will offload their fuel
44:48into 20 million jerry cans
44:50within a month of D-Day
44:52and that allows them to fuel
44:53the trucks and the jeeps
44:56and of course the tanks
44:58and within three months
45:00we're knocking on the borders of Germany
45:01and the war is all but won.
45:03Yes, it's an incredible story
45:05of engineering ingenuity, isn't it?
45:07Yeah, and as General Patton said,
45:09my boys can eat their belts
45:10but my tanks have got to have gas.
45:12Yes.
45:12And Pluto
45:14and Pluto around the island
45:15and Pluto at Dungeness
45:17fueled the invasion
45:18to free Nazi Europe
45:20and the life and the world we now live in.
45:23Yes, absolutely.
45:24Fantastic.
45:30I know a little bit about the history of World War II
45:32but I'd never heard about this beach
45:34in the Isle of Wight
45:34that at one point they were considering
45:36setting on fire to repel the Nazi troops.
45:43It's extraordinary now
45:44when you see how beautiful it is
45:45to consider that 80 years ago
45:47it might have been all entirely up in flame.
45:51It gives you something to think about, doesn't it?
46:00It's time to speed home
46:02on another example of British ingenuity.
46:06This has been a magnificent trip to the Isle of Wight.
46:08I've had so many different experiences.
46:10First, I sat in a driver's compartment
46:12of a train that my dad would have been very familiar with
46:14and I've even driven a small little train myself
46:17as well as been on a big train
46:18and I've even helped deliver a baby calf.
46:20So all in all, it's been an extraordinary experience
46:22one that most tourists of the Isle of Wight
46:24I'm sure would never dream of having.
46:27See you next time.
46:34Isle of Wight
47:00Isle of Wight
47:04Isle of Wight
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