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00:00Welcome to you, Tom.
00:02This is now.
00:03I am so excited.
00:09I have not done this before.
00:10Well, I think you're in for a treat.
00:12What better way to go up to Inverness?
00:14You fall asleep in one of the busiest terminuses in London,
00:17and you wake up with the rolling, snowy hills of Scotland.
00:22It's deeply romantic.
00:24I'm glad I'm with you, but I sort of wish I was my girlfriend.
00:26Well, you can actually get a double bed on this train.
00:29Really?
00:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:32So drop our bags, then we'll go to the bar.
00:34Oh, Francis, I knew we'd get on.
00:37I knew we'd get on.
00:46I'm Francis Bourgeois, and I love trains.
00:49Oh, my God!
00:50Oh, God, it's such in my mouth!
00:52I've roped in my petrol head pal, Chris Harris, for an epic project.
00:57That's impressive.
00:57Rescuing a dilapidated locomotive.
01:00This isn't a quick fix.
01:02No shit, Sherlock.
01:03Look at the size of it.
01:04Francis hooked me with engineering.
01:06That is the coolest kilometre ever fitting to a machine.
01:09Look at that.
01:10Then blew me away with weapons-grade enthusiasm.
01:14Nice one, Danny!
01:17And I'm all in for a restoration race against time.
01:20She just rolled beautifully.
01:22Yeah, seven times.
01:24We've just six months to fix this loco to replace her failing sister.
01:29We have to get this locomotive ready for when she needs to come off.
01:33It's a race against time.
01:35Yeah!
01:35This is British industry!
01:38My dream is to see her back on the railway.
01:41Feel like an infant reattaching to its mother's teat.
01:44Mine, I can live vicariously through you, is to witness that moment.
01:51Brilliant.
01:51Absolutely brilliant.
02:04Do you have a preference, top or bottom?
02:08I'll go on top.
02:10Oh, bunk.
02:12Bottom, really.
02:13That's fine.
02:14Yeah, yeah.
02:16Normally, Chris and I travel separately to Scotland.
02:19But today, I want him to experience the sleeper.
02:23It's cosy, isn't it?
02:25Mm.
02:25All facilities you need.
02:27It reminds me of school as well.
02:29I love bunk beds.
02:30This looks like the new controls for the Ferrari electric.
02:34Oh, yes.
02:35The Luce.
02:35The Luce.
02:36It will be a great way to bolster his growing enthusiasm for the railway.
02:41Maybe I'll sleep well.
02:42So, what about you?
02:43Do you count locomotives, like sheep or not?
02:46I've tried to remember all of the names of the Class 50s,
02:49from the first one to the last.
02:51Did it send you to sleep, or just your friends?
02:53No, it helps along to kind of just have that kind of rhythm, I suppose.
02:59It was quite cosy.
03:01We have to have a sort of undressing strategy.
03:03Someone will have to go first.
03:04Mm.
03:05Cos it could get a bit physical.
03:07There's also a fudge we can share later.
03:13I mean, this is just...
03:14It's like being on a film set.
03:16Yeah.
03:16I love it.
03:17Cos that stuff's gonna happen.
03:18Is it gonna be a murder?
03:20Is somebody gonna get lost?
03:20Is somebody gonna jump off?
03:21Is somebody gonna go missing?
03:26Welcome to the bar car.
03:27Look at this.
03:28This is civilised, this is.
03:31Before resuming work at Bowness, I'm taking Chris on a very special trip.
03:36Francis, where have trains been all my life?
03:42While we sleep, we'll travel over 500 miles to Inverness.
03:47From there, we will take another train to Kyle of Lockausch, over a line 025 once ran.
03:54And one very poignant to me.
03:58I'd like to bring you to the Kyle line.
04:01And in doing so, I'm introducing you to a bit of my family history.
04:06My great-great-uncle saved the Kyle line from closure.
04:11It's something that I feel very proud of.
04:13So, I wanted to set this up for you.
04:16I wanted to contextualise it and show how beautiful it is.
04:21I can't wait for it.
04:22It's a real treat.
04:22Good evening, James.
04:23What do you fancy this evening?
04:25I'd like a single malt, please.
04:26No problem at all.
04:27Make that two.
04:28Oh, get in there.
04:30Knocking back a Scottish whisky is a great way to start a trip to Scotland.
04:35So, what we do is a little bit of water, takes that alcohol hit away from you.
04:39Good whisky glass as well.
04:41That's a nice whisky glass.
04:45Is that not just fabulous?
04:48Cheers, Chris.
04:48That's been in a cask for five years minimum, I would've thought.
04:52Yeah.
04:53I'm feeling it in my toes.
04:55It's going to be a bit tricky to maintain.
04:58Is it that crooked, is it?
04:59Oh, and we're away.
05:02Drinking whisky as we leave.
05:06Do you know that...
05:08Do you know?
05:09Did you know?
05:11The whisky's touching my brain.
05:16I imagine there might be...
05:19Oh, come on.
05:21Come on.
05:22You've had literally a thimble full of it.
05:24I can't string a sentence together now.
05:25You can.
05:26You're absolutely fine.
05:27This is a very bad influence, Chris.
05:30We're coming up to Wembley Yard, a railway enthusiast's paradise.
05:35A great opportunity to divert Chris's enthusiasm from whisky to locomotives.
05:42Now, now, this is a game we can play.
05:43See how many locos you can spot.
05:46Okay.
05:47One, two, three, four...
05:48Oh, my God.
05:5037218!
05:51What's the pressure about?
05:5266715.
05:53I missed all of those 90s because I saw the 37.
05:56What, you can spot these by the way they look?
05:5860...
05:5960 028s there.
06:01Oh!
06:02I heard the 66.
06:04I knew we were next to one.
06:06Even I heard something.
06:08You could suddenly just tune into it.
06:12It's time for us to hit the hay.
06:15I think we're around Stafford now.
06:17With the soundtrack of the West Coast mainline underneath us.
06:21We're in.
06:24What are you doing?
06:26It's fudge.
06:35The following morning, while Chris and I still slumber,
06:39the Bowness Heritage Railway is coming to life.
06:45We've been allowed to take our trip because today
06:47there are more than enough volunteers at the depot.
06:52Cliff is overseeing preparations for another coat of paint.
06:57It's nice to muck in and do my little bit.
07:01Today, in terms of the locomotive 425, we've got brake parts to put together.
07:07The brake blocks hang onto these.
07:11I'm about to change the bushes on quite a few of them.
07:15Hundreds of small parts that we need to clean up to make sure they're fit for purpose.
07:21If it still works, we use it.
07:24We've still got parts of the bogey still to put together.
07:28025 is currently sitting on temporary accommodation bogeys, while work continues on the actual ones.
07:39Stuart and Alistair are preparing the traction motors that will ultimately drive the wheels.
07:47While Guy ensures all contact surfaces are clean and rust free.
07:53Let's do this first, Guy.
07:54A copper-based grease is added to the surfaces which will have contact with the motors,
07:59to avoid them rusting together in the future.
08:04Helping to fit these motors is our job when we return to the depot tomorrow.
08:14Wow!
08:15Look at this!
08:16Isn't it beautiful?
08:18Wowzers!
08:20It's just like the Polar Express.
08:23Ten hours into our journey, and 130 miles north of Bowness, we're closing in on Inverness.
08:31So this is the Highland Main Line, and it's otherwise known as going up the middle.
08:37Is it?
08:37A notable point of the Highland Main Line is Dravokta Summit, the highest point of the main line in the
08:44UK.
08:44How high is it?
08:46I can't remember. I can't remember.
08:49You've let yourself down.
08:50I know.
08:51You've let the television show down.
08:52I know, I know. All right, all right.
08:53You're fallible.
08:54Okay, I think it's 1,400 and something feet.
09:021,516.
09:04I mean, it's not bad, but it's not up to your usual high standards.
09:09Would you rather be doing this or stood at an airport?
09:13One of my favourite railway memories is on this bridge.
09:17I had 37403, came onto full power, and it was just wide open on this bridge, and I was right
09:24behind it.
09:24So that's like me seeing Senna go through Copse flat in a FW14 or something, isn't it?
09:30Whilst being right behind him.
09:32Yeah.
09:33Thank you, boss.
09:37Right on time, we pull into Inverness Station.
09:41Here we'll board another train that will take us on to the car line.
09:45All right.
09:47Oh, she's fresh.
09:48No sooner do we get off.
09:51HST.
09:52Is that the best-looking British train?
09:54No.
09:55Will there be red light?
09:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:57I do believe Chris has hit an enthusiast milestone.
10:02He's getting excited about seeing a train, and he's filming it.
10:05Yes, red lights!
10:08Across the track is something equally exciting.
10:12This wall and everything behind it, these windows.
10:15Do you know what it is?
10:16No.
10:17The home of 025.
10:19What 025 was named after.
10:21Was named after this?
10:22Yeah.
10:23The initials TMD, in the loco's name, stands for Traction Maintenance Depot,
10:29a building out of which she operated and was maintained.
10:33Not disrespectful, but to be named after a shed?
10:37I mean, normally you get named after a mystical beast.
10:40I'd like to see it the other way.
10:42I think you're being named after a palace, for example.
10:45Ah, so this, for you, is Versailles?
10:48Blenheim.
10:49Blenheim, I like it.
10:50Before boarding our train to Kyle,
10:53we have just enough time to check out the Class 66 that hauls us here.
10:57I believe it's a winner.
10:59What does that mean?
11:00I haven't had it before.
11:01Oh!
11:02A winner means it's new?
11:03Yeah.
11:04Oh!
11:05Ooh!
11:06739.
11:07I haven't had this yet.
11:08You'll have a good look up and down it.
11:10Oh!
11:11The Bluebell Railway.
11:14This would have been cast where we cast the nameplate of Inverness TMD.
11:18It would have, wouldn't it?
11:20It's a two-stroke V12, and it's pro-charged.
11:24There's a blower that makes up for the lag of the turbo,
11:27and that's what you can hear.
11:28Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
11:31That's the blower.
11:32Is there any limit to this man's sound effects repertoire?
11:38Sitting readily on the other side of Inverness Station is our Class 158 to Kyle of Lochash.
11:45Right.
11:45Ah, nice and toasty.
11:49Right, double buzz, here we go.
11:52We'll be tracing the route of 025's former working day across the beautiful Highlands.
11:58And to keep the excitement levels high for Chris...
12:02Remember when I sent you the picture of that Astro GTE?
12:05Yes, was that here?
12:06It was in this car park.
12:07Oh, wow, is it still there?
12:08It might be.
12:22This is a beautiful swing bridge.
12:25I like a swing bridge.
12:26When we go onto the swing bridge, it will go dum-dum.
12:30Oh, wow.
12:36Isn't this just lovely?
12:38I have to say, with the snow caps in the background, it's gorgeous.
12:43That's the far north line.
12:45This is now the Kyle line, my favourite stretch of railway in the UK.
12:52Chris and I are on our way to Kyle of Lochash,
12:55on a line once worked consistently by our locomotive, 025.
13:01Can you see how it's quite well suited to terrain like this?
13:06It's hardiness.
13:07It's got a thick skin.
13:09They're toughies, aren't they?
13:10They're powerful, they're resilient,
13:12with a good light on the front to check there aren't any fallen trees.
13:17This is what they were made for.
13:19Between 1982 and 1998,
13:23025 worked this line almost daily,
13:26battling harsh weather and steep gradients.
13:31But the most significant battle faced on this line
13:34was over a decade prior, involving an ancestor of mine.
13:41It's beggars' belief to think that this line was once under threat.
13:48In the 1960s, around 4,000 miles of UK railways were shut,
13:54in an attempt to save money.
13:57This line only survived through subsidies,
14:00and by the 1970s, it was under threat again,
14:03when the government proposed closing it and replacing it with a bus service.
14:09That's where Uncle Talkwill really got going.
14:13He went back and forth between the West Highlands and the House of Commons,
14:19and he campaigned hard to keep this line open.
14:23He knew how important it was to his community.
14:27He needed to prove that the alternative, which was the bus,
14:31wasn't up to scratch,
14:32so that if the line were to close,
14:35people would be worse off for it.
14:39Buses stranded in snowdrifts,
14:41clogged routes during the summer,
14:43road journey times far exceeding that of the train,
14:46Torquil's findings solidified the importance of the railway.
14:50It was the 31st of July, 1974,
14:53and thankfully since then,
14:55this line has carried passengers
14:57and kept the communities in the West Highlands connected.
15:03Going on this line,
15:04it just feels like I'm just touching something that's in my spirit,
15:09and it just feels very special.
15:17I think what this represents is a reminder of the journey to somewhere
15:23as being powerful.
15:24There's a place in Cornwall that matters enormously to me.
15:29My father passed away there.
15:31My mother's ashes are scattered there.
15:33I have a connection to it like you have with this place.
15:36Yeah.
15:36The drive there isn't that special,
15:39but the moment I set off on that journey,
15:42there's something there, and I sense that with you.
15:45Yeah.
15:45It just so happens that your special journey
15:46happens to be one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
15:51We may not be in Bonas,
15:53but here my thoughts are of 025.
15:57The fact that we're working on a locomotive...
16:00That?
16:00...that works most frequently between Inverness and Kyle of Loch Aush.
16:05When, you know, we're cutting away and when we're painting the locomotive,
16:08we're not only contacting it physically,
16:11but also everything that the locomotive has done on this line too.
16:16That's why I want to bring them together.
16:18You do.
16:18To get 025 on this track,
16:21a journey, a moving tour.
16:24Bringing 025 back here wouldn't be solely for my pleasure.
16:30Countless other diesel fans would love to be aboard a train pulled by her along this line.
16:40Taking a loco out on tour is very much part of the culture at Bonas.
16:46It's a great way for the group to make some money,
16:48while at the same time allowing railway enthusiasts to enjoy a trip on the main line in 60- to
16:5570-year-old coaches.
16:58This will be what will be the kitchen, with a bit of lunch.
17:01This morning, 025 has a companion in the shape of a coach that's being refitted for use on such tours.
17:09It's in the process of having everything put back together and the lights back in.
17:14The boiler for this is 60 years old.
17:18It works very well, mainly for this.
17:21So this is for teas, coffees, etc.
17:23But you need a lot of water.
17:26You could have two or three hundred cups of tea an hour.
17:29Today I've been working on fitting central door locking to some of our Mark 1 fleet.
17:34There's new regulations that have come into force that say they've got to be centrally controlled
17:39with electric or pneumatic locks so that the guard can open and lock the doors on the whole train from
17:45a single panel.
17:49Over the past few years, 403 has been hauling tours out of Bowness.
17:56But she's due a major refurbishment, and with the touring season beginning in eight weeks,
18:01it's imperative 025's overhaul is completed quickly so she can assume the mantle of chief hauler.
18:13My parents did stop me, but on the Bakerloo line I used to lick the window.
18:18So that's on a 158.
18:21You thinned out a lot.
18:22And then that's taken from the other side.
18:25I mean, you can see where the enthusiasm started, really.
18:32Two and a half hours out of Inverness, we arrive at Kyle of Lukausch.
18:39And what a location.
18:44It's beautiful.
18:46Oh, absolutely gorgeous.
18:48Just across the water is the Isle of Skye.
18:52Hi.
18:53Hello.
18:56As I'm soaking in the Highland air, a local face calls out.
19:01You know Torquil?
19:01I knew them, yeah.
19:03Really?
19:03Yeah, yeah.
19:04What was Torquil like?
19:06He liked his risky.
19:07Did he?
19:07And liked his pipes.
19:09I want to meet the man.
19:11His hair was slightly longer than yours, but it looks like him.
19:14Ah.
19:14Well, thank you for that insight into my great-great uncle.
19:21He's got this vision of Uncle Torquil smashing back four large whiskies.
19:26A nice museum here that kind of contextualises the Kyle line.
19:31Wow.
19:33A small museum is part of the station.
19:36Didn't realise this was here.
19:38114, is this known to you?
19:40I haven't had much experience with 114.
19:43It looks exactly like 025.
19:46It does a good livery.
19:48So this is what your great-great uncle was campaigning against?
19:52That's right.
19:53Rail closure proposal.
19:55So what they're saying is, you lot are too expensive and you're not worth it.
19:58They then try and sell us the bus service underneath.
20:00But it's all bullshit, really.
20:03Uncle Torquil proved the buses took far longer than the trains.
20:07So Torquil took that document and told them to shove it, really, didn't he?
20:11Yep.
20:15Torquil lived in the Highlands all of his life and died in 1978.
20:22At the end of the line, there's something emblematic of his achievements.
20:27Thanks to Torquil, we're now looking at the buffers.
20:33I think I could take a bit of this home, okay?
20:36Not really, no.
20:37It's like taking coral from the Seychelles, you shouldn't.
20:40If they were ever called into action, I honestly think a set of Twiglets would be more useful than those.
20:46Oh, come on. I'm having a moment here, Chris.
20:49Do you want to clean up or...?
20:49No, I'm fine, thanks.
20:51Okay.
20:51You know, all I'm thinking of now, Chris, is 025, a couple of metres away from the buffers.
21:00And we've worked so hard so far on 025.
21:05Admittedly, not as hard as Stuart or those at SRPS who have worked tirelessly, but I think we can get
21:10it here.
21:11And I think it's a good way to signify its return.
21:15Well, thank you for coming along on this journey.
21:18I hope this paints the picture for you as to why I want to bring 025 here.
21:22I like the fact that it's a journey for you.
21:25And this is not meant to garner any kind of sympathy, but I don't know where I came from.
21:30But I've no idea. I don't have any stories to tell.
21:33So to be involved in your story and to know that you feel this depth of connection to something, I
21:40love it.
21:40I can live vicariously through you, which I really like.
21:43Let's get this train here somehow.
21:45I don't think we've succeeded unless we get this train here.
22:01Do you remember the overalls we wore for our nameplate casting?
22:07Yes.
22:08I miss them more than I miss Froobes.
22:12They were cosy, weren't they?
22:14It was like a romper suit.
22:17The morning after our trip to Kyle, we're back at Bowness,
22:21where the team is already fitting traction motors to the bogies.
22:26Hi, Guy.
22:28How's it going?
22:28How's it going?
22:29Good to see you.
22:31Is it traction motor time?
22:33Yes, it is.
22:33Got a few final tweaks to do.
22:35Have these been completely rebuilt?
22:37We have stripped them back down, cleaned and put them back together again.
22:40They're 65 years old, so some of them are better than others.
22:43But yeah, this block is the original. These are the original.
22:48Fantastic.
22:49They're huge.
22:50Well...
22:50Big beasts.
22:52In other news, Guy, I've taken Chris to Kyle.
22:56Oh, right.
22:56To celebrate the return of 025, I wanted to bring it back to its old stomping ground as a rail
23:03tour.
23:04025 to Kyle, that is a basher's dream, right?
23:07I agree that is quite beastly.
23:09That's not a phrase that should be used outside of this building, by the way.
23:11I appreciate that.
23:12I appreciate that.
23:13There's a whole kind of jigsaw to get the train up to Kyle and back again.
23:17You know, we are talking many tens of thousands of pounds.
23:20This is a big selling point.
23:22I've seen people follow him through towns.
23:24For free.
23:26There is that.
23:27But the attraction is that.
23:29Let me look at some numbers, talk to some guys as well.
23:32Mm-hm.
23:33Leave it with me, okay?
23:34I'm going to be praying to the railway lords.
23:38Oh, Nigel Gresley.
23:40Oh, so I'll ever bullied.
23:42Please let this tour happen to Kyle.
23:45I'm going to have to manage your expectations, I think.
23:47Mm-hm.
23:48Nothing new there.
23:49Right, what are we doing now?
23:50Come on.
23:50Do some work.
23:51Yes, traction motors.
23:52Yes, please.
23:53Right, these are magnificent.
23:55Look at the size of them.
24:10Do you just snap it?
24:11Yeah, I did.
24:12Like a bottom?
24:14Yeah.
24:14I mean, it's unyielding, isn't it?
24:16It's very heavy.
24:18Two and a half tons.
24:19Yeah.
24:20This morning, we will be helping the team install traction motors to the bogies.
24:25These will turn the wheels of zero to five.
24:33When four zero three erupts into life outside, we're reminded of the core of the Class 37's
24:40tractive effort, its huge V12 diesel engine.
24:46Unlike V12s in cars that quite satisfyingly connect directly to the wheels in one way or
24:53another.
24:53The V12 in the Class 37 supplies a shaft through into a generator, which then creates electricity.
25:01It comes through these cables.
25:03We're talking about thousands of amps through here.
25:06And the traction motors supply the torque to the axles.
25:10Yeah.
25:10The electric motors in cars are rated at having more power than this.
25:14Yeah.
25:14They're about that big.
25:15The torque figures are vastly different.
25:17Yes.
25:20A punchy electric car could deliver 400 pounds feet of torque.
25:24Each of these generates just over 8,000.
25:30And a Class 37 locomotive has six of these traction motors.
25:35One on each axle.
25:38Right.
25:40How can we be of assistance, Stuart?
25:42I bet there's traction motor.
25:43That's the next job.
25:45Are we allowed to get to this axle?
25:47Yep.
25:47OK.
25:49Feeling confident, I volunteer to operate the crane.
25:58That didn't go to plan?
26:00Not quite.
26:02There she goes.
26:03There she goes.
26:04There she goes.
26:06With the motor off the ground, it's all hands on deck to push the bogey to the motor.
26:11Keep coming.
26:12Keep coming.
26:14Keep coming.
26:15Keep coming.
26:16About there, I reckon.
26:17Yeah.
26:17Up it up.
26:18There's one thing we have to do before we drop it down.
26:20See the grease nipple there?
26:21So that needs to be accessible because every so many thousand miles you have to grease them.
26:26But this is the axle itself?
26:29Or is the axle through?
26:30The axle's inside there.
26:31Inside there?
26:32Yeah.
26:32That's the thing I didn't know.
26:34And the motor clamps onto the suspension tube so that the axle can rotate within it.
26:40Inside are bearings that can be lubricated via the grease nipple.
26:44So why is it called the suspension tube?
26:46Because it suspends the motor.
26:48Right.
26:48So it's nothing to do with the suspension itself?
26:50No.
26:51Unlocking all of this engineering knowledge thanks to you, Stuart.
26:56Crane operator Francis has the tricky job of marrying the drive gear of the motor to the drive gear of
27:03the axle.
27:03That's the sense of responsibility.
27:06You've got your concern face.
27:08You're meant to be looking, Chris.
27:10Sorry.
27:13This is very good work, Martin.
27:15Very good work.
27:16Go on.
27:16Go a bit low.
27:19Go a bit low.
27:20That's in now.
27:21Those are now perfectly aligned.
27:23Oh!
27:24Great job.
27:26Thank you, Chris.
27:27Whew!
27:28We are literally making a train.
27:29Sorry.
27:31A locomotive.
27:32Well, I think that's one step backward in Chris's path to fully fledged Basher.
27:38Whew!
27:40Even though it hasn't been secured, Stuart assures us that we can leave our traction motor safely for an hour
27:46or so, while I enlighten Chris further on electric torque.
27:51I know I've done a lot of whiteboard explanations, but we can see it here in practice.
27:59Railway teaching aids don't come finer than our very own Wee Inver.
28:05It was a great demo tool on braking, but I didn't see this.
28:09In case of emergency, get off and run fast.
28:14Is this a joke to yourself, or was I not supposed to see that?
28:17There are little Wee details on Wee Inver.
28:21When it comes to the principles of laying down power, Wee Inver replicates 025 nicely, but in miniature.
28:29Generator.
28:30Yeah.
28:30420 cc.
28:32Yeah.
28:326,000 watts.
28:34That's quite good power.
28:35It feeds through into the traction motor, which is 3 horsepower.
28:40Not bad, actually.
28:45Wee Inver's little traction motor quickly gets us going onto the heritage line.
28:504, 3, 2, 1.
28:53Go for 20.
28:54Go for 20.
28:57There she goes.
28:59Considering how heavy we are and how small Wee Inver is, the excellent torque supplied by the traction motor gets
29:06us moving quickly.
29:08That's the beauty of electric torque, isn't it?
29:12Yep.
29:13Being supplied by the generator.
29:15Woo!
29:15This feels like about 50.
29:18Oh my god, it's a bioduck!
29:20Bioduck!
29:21Yeah, it's a bioduck!
29:22Whoa!
29:27And look at this!
29:29Wow!
29:37Hummus is just amazing.
29:39You load up heavily, don't you?
29:42I'm not a man of half dunks.
29:45At nearby Birke Hill Station, we stopped for a light bite.
29:51How do traction motors sit with you at the minute and how they integrate with the engine?
29:57I get it.
29:58Yeah, yeah.
29:59But it still seems an odd solution.
30:01Because you've got this hugely capable internal combustion engine that feels like it should just drive the wheels.
30:07If you're from the car world, you don't understand why you need to have this thing that generates electricity
30:12that then transmits that to a motor that then drives the wheels.
30:16It seems like a needless complication.
30:18With the railway, the most critical point is getting going.
30:23Torque.
30:24Getting started.
30:25Torque, yes.
30:26So if you can imagine a diesel engine with 2,000 tonnes behind it.
30:31It's waiting at a signal, waiting to get the green.
30:35That kind of moment when they need to put the power down requires the most amount of tractive effort,
30:41a.k.a. torque.
30:42And the Class 37, at its maximum, can deliver 55,000 pounds-feet of tractive effort or torque.
30:50Can you imagine a gearbox that could cope with that level of torque?
30:54That's a very, very good point. Or a clutch plate. Or a clutch. Yeah.
31:02It's that electric torque that allows a Class 37 to shift 2,000 tonnes of coal without breaking a sweat.
31:16Diesel electric is such an efficient way of driving the wheels.
31:21The most important thing is maintaining the lubrication between the gears,
31:25from the traction motor to the axle.
31:26And that's why they're covered in this very heavy grease.
31:29Yeah.
31:30Before we start work again, there's just enough time for me to show Chris what happens
31:35when that lubrication isn't maintained and metal-on-metal friction begins.
31:42That's all gear sound, is it?
31:44Sounds like an underground train.
31:46One of my favourite recordings is of a Class 455 in such condition.
31:52That's unbearably noisy.
31:54All the windows down, and I'm there just having an absolute riot.
31:59How far is that going now?
32:00About 75.
32:02It can't go like that for long without buzzing a gear cog, can it?
32:07But do you know what's lovely?
32:09I can hear sounds of the Class 455s in the Class 37s,
32:15because you must only do have the lovely engine noise.
32:18There's that gear sound.
32:19A bit of the gear sound as well.
32:20Like a nice bit of gravy on a Sunday roast.
32:23Just finishes it off nicely.
32:26I made a recording of such a Sunday roast and gravy moment
32:30at Bowness when I was behind 4-0-3.
32:35You can hear the thrash.
32:37But can you hear the...
32:41Yeah.
32:42Then it...
32:45That sound shouldn't really be as audible as that.
32:49Do not.
32:50That's why 4-0-3 is coming in for a big refresh.
32:54Oh, I just remembered.
32:59What are they chanting?
33:01Sing to Daddy.
33:07Are they in relationships or...?
33:09Yeah.
33:10What do they say to other halves, then?
33:13Maybe the same thing.
33:17Lunch break is over,
33:19and that tractor motor we left needs our attention.
33:22So, should we get the caps on now?
33:24Yeah, we can do that now.
33:26Ooh!
33:27The caps secure the motor to the suspension tube.
33:31At around 40 kilos each.
33:33They're not light.
33:34That might have been the manliest thing I've done so far,
33:37this whole restoration process.
33:39The bolts to attach them are pretty masculine, too.
33:42Oh, wow!
33:44Okay.
33:47Don't get that in the car world.
33:49With the help of a beer crate,
33:51the first cap is moved into position.
33:53I need to get underneath here.
33:55Yeah.
33:55And articulate it.
33:57And this is where the fun starts.
34:00You've got to break your fingers with a little bit of this.
34:01Oh, that hurts.
34:05Oh, that hurts.
34:09Stuart?
34:10Yeah?
34:10This is a f***ing hideous job.
34:12Doesn't quite go on, does it?
34:15Time for Stuart to apply some brute force.
34:19That's much better.
34:21Well done, Stuart.
34:22Gills.
34:24I can say I tried.
34:26Great.
34:27That's not going to fall off.
34:28Nope.
34:32With one appropriately named tool,
34:34all the bolts on the cap are tightened.
34:37Good back position, I like it.
34:39Now it's my turn to attach the other cap.
34:45Let's try that.
34:46Come on, you bastard.
34:51All right.
34:51Need the hammer.
34:52It's draining.
34:53Just for reference, I wasn't calling you a bastard.
34:55No, don't mind.
34:56I was calling the cat.
34:57I also never thought I'd be in a position where I fed this
35:00between your legs.
35:01Right, we're going to go again.
35:02And I might come in with the hammer.
35:04I can splay my legs a little bit more.
35:06I can't hammer between your legs.
35:07I've got Amy to think about in your future lives together.
35:11OK.
35:13It's...
35:14I can't see it.
35:16Yep.
35:17Oh, my gosh.
35:18Where is it?
35:19There?
35:20There it goes.
35:21Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
35:23I'm in, I'm in, I'm in.
35:24Where's the nut?
35:25I think we're cooking now.
35:29With one bolt of this cap done, the rest go on easily.
35:35Lastly, every bolt is torqued to spec,
35:39requiring a handsome bit of leverage.
35:43Come on, big guy.
35:44I want to see this vein come out here.
35:46Come on here.
35:47Go, go, go.
35:48Oh, yes.
35:50Big guy.
35:52An audible click says they're done.
35:57Yes, crack.
35:59I can't believe we just did that, Chris.
36:02We have just installed a traction motor into a bogey.
36:07Have you ever done that before?
36:09Well, no.
36:10Did you think you'd do that?
36:11No.
36:12Probably one of the most satisfying jobs we've done.
36:15The most, I think.
36:16Yeah?
36:16Yeah.
36:16Look.
36:18This now resembles something that might work.
36:21Indeed.
36:22Love it.
36:23That was satisfying.
36:25Before basking too much in our glory,
36:27we're summoned by Guy to the Bothy.
36:30We'll hopefully find out if the trip to Kyle is on or not.
36:46When the restoration of 025 is complete,
36:49its main job will be to haul coaches on tours across Scotland.
36:54I have proposed a tour to Kyle, but will Guy agree to it?
36:59Guy, you called us over.
37:01Yes.
37:02So, remember the earlier conversation about Kyle of Lechealsh?
37:06Yes.
37:07The good news is there is a path up to Kyle.
37:11What do I mean by a path?
37:12I mean the timetable that it will allow us to get through so we can...
37:16There's lots of single track.
37:17The whole entire railway from Inverness to Kyle is single track.
37:20At one point we're going to be passing the train from Inverness
37:22that's going down to London.
37:23We really don't want to hold that up.
37:25No.
37:26We hold that up by three minutes.
37:28That delay across the rest of the country could be hundreds of minutes.
37:32OK?
37:33Because that train is then late into Edinburgh.
37:35Trains around Edinburgh get delayed, trying to let it in.
37:38Then it will delay trains in Newcastle, York, all the way into London.
37:42So that actually is a massive risk for running any rail tour.
37:45Would you get billed?
37:47Yeah, absolutely.
37:48About 80 quid per minute, is it?
37:49Yeah, something like £50 to £80 a minute delay.
37:53Do you want to be doing this?
37:55Well...
37:55Let's not get too downbeat about it, OK?
37:59Yeah.
38:01Recounting the rugged outline of Scotland...
38:04That's Kyle.
38:04I proceed to draw a map so that Guy can explain the path our tour could take.
38:11Stirling.
38:12So on day one, we'd leave Bourness.
38:15Because of the distances, he proposes a two-day trip with an overnight in Inverness
38:21and a return leg on the east coast.
38:25That's 627 operational miles.
38:28I've got the total cost of the fuel up at £8,000.
38:31And you've got two locomotives.
38:33You've got 025 at the front.
38:35So we'd have an insurance locomotive on the back.
38:37The Bushes would rather it be 025 solo,
38:40because then it's more pure in a way.
38:44Too risky.
38:45Too risky, no, from a financial point of view.
38:47Because if we delay that Inverness-London train, as I just explained.
38:51In terms of other kind of costs, the driver costs.
38:54There's the network rail planning costs.
38:56Interior cleans.
38:58One and a half hours per carriage at £20 an hour,
39:00because we get contractors in.
39:02So, you know, you've got CET, so that's emptying the toilets.
39:05All the carriages have toilets that we need to empty.
39:08Yeah, I'd say that we would help, but probably not.
39:11There's feeling like a lot of reasons not to do this.
39:13What are the positive aspects of this?
39:15025 to Kyle.
39:16Passion.
39:17Why would we let all these things get in the way of?
39:19You're sitting here going,
39:21well, that's not going to work, that's not going to work,
39:23that's too expensive,
39:23and then you both give it the childish,
39:25but it's 025.
39:26We're looking for the one reason why we can,
39:29not the 20 reasons why we cannot.
39:31OK.
39:31What's the other side we've got?
39:32We've got him.
39:33We've got a train rockstar.
39:35There's only one in the world,
39:37and you've got 025,
39:38and you've got this line.
39:40Can't we think of doing something?
39:41We do have some nice carriages,
39:43so they do attract a premium,
39:45and first class with dining,
39:46and we've got all the standard class with all the,
39:48what we call the cranks.
39:50Are you a crank?
39:51Oh, yes.
39:52It's definitely a crank.
39:54Absolutely no doubt it's a crank.
39:56It's not even worth debating or discussing.
39:58But I think base it on a kind of price of 400 to 500 for first class,
40:02250-ish for standard class.
40:05Can you just get more first class carriages
40:07and get rid of the crank carriages?
40:10Definitely not.
40:12Then you're into timing.
40:14We already know there's really only one day available,
40:17and that's seven or eight weeks' time,
40:19because there's so many tours going up to Kyle of the Couch,
40:22so there's only a few weekends a year
40:23when it's actually available for us on a Saturday,
40:25and that is probably more so than the cost.
40:28There's going to be the kind of killer, the killer argument here.
40:31It's literally timing.
40:32It's not if we can do it, it's when we can do it.
40:35So what you're saying is that you don't think it's possible
40:37to get to Kyle?
40:41I hate to say this,
40:42but I just think it's going to be incredibly difficult to do that.
40:46You know, as a potential plan B,
40:49we've got a tour to Fort William.
40:52That tour is also the last time that 37.403 will go.
40:58It will be on the main line before we have to withdraw it.
41:00That this will be its swan song.
41:02Could you do 403 and 025 together?
41:05Yes, potentially.
41:07The passing of the button, perhaps?
41:09Yeah.
41:10And they would be together at the front.
41:12But I think that's your best move.
41:14If you want to get to Kyle,
41:15train to Fort William,
41:16a wee wander over Ben Nevis,
41:18and then down the other side,
41:19and you're nearly there.
41:21Have them both break down on the same day,
41:22that'd be good.
41:23Oh, you're just a laugh a minute, you are.
41:29But, yeah, I think we could make it work, Francis.
41:33I just need to speak to my ancestors
41:35and apologise that we're not going to Kyle of Lockhouse.
41:38Could they walk over Ben Nevis and down?
41:42Well, they're dead.
41:43Oh, that's maybe a bit of an issue.
41:45A trip to Fort William would still be marvellous.
41:48We just need to make sure it happens.
41:51Instagram.
41:52Can you film a video for me, Guy?
41:54I'll do my best.
41:55Ensuring bums on seats,
41:57I'm keen to do a call-out to my social media.
42:00I feel like Amy all of a sudden.
42:02Oh, yes.
42:03She usually wears a lovely soft scarf
42:05that she cleans the lens with before filming.
42:09I can't give you that.
42:10I wouldn't mind.
42:12Hello, everyone.
42:12You can get Preston as well.
42:19If you haven't ever considered
42:21travelling on a heritage train journey before,
42:25then I feel like this journey will be just the one for you.
42:29And if you have,
42:31and you're a seasoned basher slash crank,
42:35well, I think you'll be in for a treat.
42:43Honestly, you know, it's a bit of a tough pill to swallow not going to Kyle,
42:47but the thing that's kind of the saving grace for me is that it's 025,
42:52being handed the baton from 403 on the same train to another Highland location.
42:58I think you're being very positive.
43:01I'm gutted for you because I know how much you wanted to get there.
43:05And we've been up there.
43:06And, of course, now I'm bought into that idea as well.
43:08But as long as you are being sincere, and I believe you are, then I'm on board completely.
43:13I'm just happy.
43:14I'm just happy.
43:15I'm just happy that we're going somewhere with it.
43:17It's still the West Highlands.
43:19We're nearly at Kyle.
43:20We're still going to be behind 025,
43:23with fellow bashers, real ale.
43:26We're going to be flailing, shouting,
43:28Sing to Daddy, maybe?
43:31Sing to Daddy.
43:33Sing to Daddy.
44:03Transcription by CastingWords
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