1
00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:09,580
Britain's railways were once
the envy of the world.

2
00:00:09,580 --> 00:00:15,020
You could get a train from almost
anywhere to almost anywhere else.

3
00:00:16,980 --> 00:00:21,420
They were the network that supported
an industrial superpower.

4
00:00:21,420 --> 00:00:22,660
Here we go.

5
00:00:22,660 --> 00:00:23,780
EXPLOSION

6
00:00:25,820 --> 00:00:27,860
I've never seen anything like that.

7
00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:32,740
But today, 4,000 stations and

8
00:00:32,740 --> 00:00:35,860
8,000 miles of track lie silent.

9
00:00:35,860 --> 00:00:38,060
This station feels truly lost.

10
00:00:41,220 --> 00:00:45,660
So I'm setting off to discover
more of Britain's lost railways.

11
00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:50,420
Wow. This is something else.

12
00:00:52,180 --> 00:00:53,380
They tell a story...

13
00:00:53,380 --> 00:00:54,420
Look at this!

14
00:00:54,420 --> 00:00:56,060
..of how we once lived...

15
00:00:56,060 --> 00:00:58,220
Oh, I love that.

16
00:00:58,220 --> 00:01:01,300
..and how we once worked.

17
00:01:01,300 --> 00:01:03,980
This is one heck of a
piece of engineering.

18
00:01:03,980 --> 00:01:08,580
And they help reveal how our
world has changed today.

19
00:01:08,580 --> 00:01:10,060
Yes!

20
00:01:18,980 --> 00:01:21,980
This time I'm in Derbyshire.

21
00:01:21,980 --> 00:01:23,780
Matlock to be precise.

22
00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:28,420
The start point of Peak Rail.

23
00:01:28,420 --> 00:01:32,060
Four miles of
steam heritage railway.

24
00:01:32,060 --> 00:01:35,340
And all that's left of a quite
remarkable railway line.

25
00:01:46,220 --> 00:01:50,020
I've come to explore perhaps
the most unlikely and outrageous

26
00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:52,740
railway line ever built in Britain.

27
00:01:52,740 --> 00:01:56,820
They had to tackle some of the most
challenging terrain imaginable.

28
00:01:56,820 --> 00:02:00,300
And this wasn't just some
small rural branch line.

29
00:02:00,300 --> 00:02:05,340
This was the express route
between London and Manchester!

30
00:02:05,340 --> 00:02:09,700
This is the story of an ambitious
railway company that built a main

31
00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:13,420
line through the heart of what's now
the Peak District National Park.

32
00:02:15,180 --> 00:02:16,420
From Matlock,

33
00:02:16,420 --> 00:02:19,940
I'll be following a line
that was tough to design and

34
00:02:19,940 --> 00:02:22,900
even tougher to complete,
all the way to Buxton.

35
00:02:25,140 --> 00:02:29,660
But 50 years after its closure,
the legacy of this railway remains

36
00:02:29,660 --> 00:02:34,540
etched into the Derbyshire
landscape and it's become perhaps

37
00:02:34,540 --> 00:02:37,740
the most celebrated
lost line in the country.

38
00:02:40,340 --> 00:02:43,780
Here we go. Just drop that in there.

39
00:02:43,780 --> 00:02:45,900
Woo! That's an inferno in there.

40
00:02:47,620 --> 00:02:50,180
How much coal will you go through
on your journey here compared

41
00:02:50,180 --> 00:02:52,140
to what they might have been
doing back in the day

42
00:02:52,140 --> 00:02:55,340
when they were running steam
engines on this line?

43
00:02:55,340 --> 00:02:57,820
I think probably a fifth
of what the real railway

44
00:02:57,820 --> 00:02:59,340
would have used.

45
00:02:59,340 --> 00:03:02,420
They were bigger engines,
they were heavier trains,

46
00:03:02,420 --> 00:03:04,620
and they had a much more
aggressive timetable.

47
00:03:04,620 --> 00:03:07,900
So the speeds that they would go
at would be higher than we do.

48
00:03:09,340 --> 00:03:10,940
Speedy or not,

49
00:03:10,940 --> 00:03:16,180
since 1997, Peak Rail has brought
steam back to this short section

50
00:03:16,180 --> 00:03:17,180
of my route.

51
00:03:18,220 --> 00:03:20,460
WHISTLE BLASTS

52
00:03:21,620 --> 00:03:25,380
It brings me to the edge
of the Peak District National Park

53
00:03:25,380 --> 00:03:28,460
and a very important spot
for the company that first built

54
00:03:28,460 --> 00:03:31,100
this line over 150 years ago.

55
00:03:36,220 --> 00:03:39,700
Rowsley South Station is where
I'm meeting Peak Rail's

56
00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:41,580
project director, Paul Tomlinson.

57
00:03:42,820 --> 00:03:44,180
Oh, hello. Hi, Rob.

58
00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:45,460
Pleased to meet you.

59
00:03:45,460 --> 00:03:47,660
And welcome to Peak Rail.
I mean, it's popular.

60
00:03:47,660 --> 00:03:49,820
We have people getting on
and off the carriages.

61
00:03:49,820 --> 00:03:50,980
Yes, absolutely.

62
00:03:50,980 --> 00:03:53,820
I mean, we carry something
like 45,000 people a year

63
00:03:53,820 --> 00:03:56,740
and we have aspirations
to do an awful lot better

64
00:03:56,740 --> 00:03:58,460
than that in the future.

65
00:03:59,580 --> 00:04:02,500
I'm stopping here because
Rowsley South today

66
00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:05,340
is a railway treasure trove,

67
00:04:05,340 --> 00:04:10,220
and Paul is an expert in
the whole history of this line.

68
00:04:10,220 --> 00:04:15,140
This is a Class 25 locomotive
diesel electric.

69
00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:19,660
It's of a type that was starting
to appear in some numbers

70
00:04:19,660 --> 00:04:24,020
on this line around the time of its
closure. Lovingly restored, I'd say.

71
00:04:24,020 --> 00:04:27,380
So, yes, they've made a
superb job of it.

72
00:04:27,380 --> 00:04:29,100
For over a century,

73
00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:33,820
this was the locomotive depot
of the Midland Railway Company.

74
00:04:33,820 --> 00:04:38,060
On that very same spot today
is Peak Rail's own engine shed.

75
00:04:39,140 --> 00:04:40,980
This is the centre of our empire.

76
00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:42,700
This is the workshops.

77
00:04:42,700 --> 00:04:44,660
This is lovely, Paul.
This is what I want to see.

78
00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:47,620
It smells good in here as well.
It most definitely does.

79
00:04:47,620 --> 00:04:49,820
Well, tell me a bit about
the history of this line.

80
00:04:49,820 --> 00:04:51,740
It's not straightforward, is it?

81
00:04:51,740 --> 00:04:55,140
Well, basically, it comes down
to the rivalry between the

82
00:04:55,140 --> 00:04:58,100
Midland Railway and the London
and North Western Railway.

83
00:04:58,100 --> 00:05:00,860
So this was built by the
Midland Railway. Indeed it was.

84
00:05:00,860 --> 00:05:03,420
And the Midland were determined
to get a main line through

85
00:05:03,420 --> 00:05:05,420
from London to Manchester.

86
00:05:05,420 --> 00:05:08,820
The London North Western had already
done it, but the Midland, well,

87
00:05:08,820 --> 00:05:11,020
they were determined to match them.

88
00:05:11,020 --> 00:05:15,260
And that meant coming
through the Peak District.

89
00:05:15,260 --> 00:05:19,300
By the mid 19th century, the London
and North Western controlled a route

90
00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:22,380
from London Euston to Manchester.

91
00:05:22,380 --> 00:05:25,340
But with their headquarters
in Derbyshire, the Midlands

92
00:05:25,340 --> 00:05:28,300
set their sights on a route
that would connect Manchester

93
00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:30,620
with London St Pancras.

94
00:05:30,620 --> 00:05:33,340
But it wasn't for the faint-hearted.

95
00:05:33,340 --> 00:05:36,500
When you look at the landscape
and you see it on a map,

96
00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:40,740
you see that you've got river
valleys, steep river valleys,

97
00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:43,140
and the railway was kind
of crisscrossing all of that.

98
00:05:43,140 --> 00:05:46,260
Yes, it was. And in the
northern part of the line,

99
00:05:46,260 --> 00:05:50,660
there is this six-mile stretch
where you have six tunnels

100
00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:53,340
and bridges in a very short space.

101
00:05:53,340 --> 00:05:56,820
Six bridges, six tunnels
over a six-mile stretch of track?

102
00:05:56,820 --> 00:05:59,020
Some of the tunnels are very short,

103
00:05:59,020 --> 00:06:02,420
but that doesn't mean that they're
any less demanding to build.

104
00:06:02,420 --> 00:06:05,100
Does that tell you a little bit
about just how profitable

105
00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:06,820
the railways could
have been at that time?

106
00:06:06,820 --> 00:06:07,980
Oh, absolutely.

107
00:06:07,980 --> 00:06:11,140
It was all about money,
because at the end of the day,

108
00:06:11,140 --> 00:06:14,060
the people who were building
and operating these railways

109
00:06:14,060 --> 00:06:16,100
were not railway enthusiasts.

110
00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:18,420
They were hard-nosed businessmen.

111
00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:20,620
But it has given me
what I'm assuming is going

112
00:06:20,620 --> 00:06:23,340
to be a very enjoyable walk,
though, Paul. Most definitely.

113
00:06:23,340 --> 00:06:25,140
It is beautiful scenery,

114
00:06:25,140 --> 00:06:28,740
even if - as a Derbyshire person -
I say so myself, and I'm sure

115
00:06:28,740 --> 00:06:30,260
you'll really enjoy it.

116
00:06:30,260 --> 00:06:34,420
But before I explore the old
Midland line at ground level...

117
00:06:37,420 --> 00:06:38,620
..I've had an idea.

118
00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:42,820
Hey. Can I jump in?

119
00:06:42,820 --> 00:06:48,140
To see just what those Victorian
railway engineers were facing,

120
00:06:48,140 --> 00:06:49,700
I'm taking to the air.

121
00:06:50,780 --> 00:06:51,780
We're away.

122
00:06:53,380 --> 00:06:55,100
Ooh, lovely.

123
00:06:57,460 --> 00:07:01,140
So we're going to be flying around
600 or 700 feet above ground level,

124
00:07:01,140 --> 00:07:03,060
which puts us somewhere
in the region of

125
00:07:03,060 --> 00:07:05,340
1,800 feet above sea level.

126
00:07:05,340 --> 00:07:08,820
Pilot Sean Humphrey has been getting
a bird's-eye view of the

127
00:07:08,820 --> 00:07:12,380
Peak District landscape
for the past ten years.

128
00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:14,380
It is just spectacular up here.

129
00:07:16,380 --> 00:07:19,180
The area to our left-hand side
over there is commonly known

130
00:07:19,180 --> 00:07:20,540
as the White Peak area.

131
00:07:20,540 --> 00:07:23,580
Covers most of the area pretty much
from where we are down to the bottom

132
00:07:23,580 --> 00:07:25,780
edge of the Peak District,
just the north of Derby.

133
00:07:25,780 --> 00:07:28,020
And White Peak - why was it
known as White Peak?

134
00:07:28,020 --> 00:07:31,180
It's known as the White Peak area
predominantly for all the limestone.

135
00:07:31,180 --> 00:07:33,940
Because the landscape here, then,
what you get is this almost flat

136
00:07:33,940 --> 00:07:37,300
plain of just beautiful,
lush greenery in these fields

137
00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:40,940
and then these really quite
deep valleys. Yeah.

138
00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:43,460
Probably 150 to 200-foot
deep in some places.

139
00:07:43,460 --> 00:07:47,700
It makes for really
dramatic scenery. It does.

140
00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:53,420
The River Wye, below us now, cut
one valley through the limestone,

141
00:07:53,420 --> 00:07:56,700
and it was chosen by the Midland
Railway as their route across

142
00:07:56,700 --> 00:07:58,740
the White Peak.

143
00:07:58,740 --> 00:08:00,140
There it is. Look.

144
00:08:00,140 --> 00:08:03,860
This beautiful juxtaposition
of nature with water carving out

145
00:08:03,860 --> 00:08:06,700
this squiggly path through.
And the railway trying to keep

146
00:08:06,700 --> 00:08:09,020
it as straight as possible
for obvious reasons.

147
00:08:09,020 --> 00:08:11,660
It's such a contrast
between the two.

148
00:08:11,660 --> 00:08:15,180
Just goes to show almost how
ludicrous this line was to try

149
00:08:15,180 --> 00:08:18,100
and build a railway line through
this kind of landscape here.

150
00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:19,780
Very much so.

151
00:08:19,780 --> 00:08:23,060
But the railway's first challenge
was to get permission to

152
00:08:23,060 --> 00:08:24,500
build here at all.

153
00:08:25,740 --> 00:08:28,300
We're coming up on Chatsworth House
now the left-hand side.

154
00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:30,500
Unmistakable, really. Look at that.

155
00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:32,540
One of the most famous
country houses in Britain.

156
00:08:32,540 --> 00:08:35,100
The Duke of Derbyshire was an
avid supporter of the railways,

157
00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:37,660
but he didn't want any of the
railways coming through his land.

158
00:08:37,660 --> 00:08:38,940
"Not in my back yard."

159
00:08:38,940 --> 00:08:41,060
Nope. "Not in my back yard."
Nimbyism at its best.

160
00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:46,460
Luckily, the Duke of
Devonshire's neighbour

161
00:08:46,460 --> 00:08:48,740
was a little more welcoming.

162
00:08:48,740 --> 00:08:50,940
This is Haddon Hall? It is.

163
00:08:50,940 --> 00:08:53,180
The Duke of Rutland allowed
the railway to be built,

164
00:08:53,180 --> 00:08:56,580
but wanted to use tunnels so that
he couldn't see the smoke and steam

165
00:08:56,580 --> 00:08:58,220
going through his land.

166
00:09:00,500 --> 00:09:03,940
The tunnel actually passes
within 100 metres of the

167
00:09:03,940 --> 00:09:05,860
Duke of Rutland's home.

168
00:09:05,860 --> 00:09:08,060
Just trying to figure out
where it might have gone.

169
00:09:08,060 --> 00:09:11,020
I can't see any sign of a
railway tunnel going through.

170
00:09:11,020 --> 00:09:12,340
And that's exactly the point.

171
00:09:12,340 --> 00:09:15,660
He allowed the railway to be built,
but using tunnels so he couldn't see

172
00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:18,420
the smoke and the steam.
He obviously did a very good job.

173
00:09:19,940 --> 00:09:21,140
Coming up...

174
00:09:21,140 --> 00:09:23,420
First beast is in the pen.

175
00:09:23,420 --> 00:09:27,060
..I see how the railway changed
Bakewell's original industry.

176
00:09:29,260 --> 00:09:30,580
And I'm on two wheels...

177
00:09:30,580 --> 00:09:31,980
Woo!

178
00:09:31,980 --> 00:09:34,780
..for the country's
prettiest viaduct.

179
00:09:34,780 --> 00:09:37,100
Oh, yeah. What a spot.

180
00:09:42,900 --> 00:09:45,860
OK, Rob, so I'm now going to drop
you off at the Bakewell Showground

181
00:09:45,860 --> 00:09:49,100
just to the south
of the town of Bakewell.

182
00:09:49,100 --> 00:09:53,540
I'm in Derbyshire, exploring a
very dramatic railway that once

183
00:09:53,540 --> 00:09:56,340
crossed the heart of the
Peak District.

184
00:09:57,660 --> 00:10:00,140
What a beautiful part
of the country.

185
00:10:01,500 --> 00:10:02,620
Touchdown.

186
00:10:02,620 --> 00:10:05,020
That was wonderful.

187
00:10:05,020 --> 00:10:08,300
Sean's brought me to
the town of Bakewell,

188
00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:12,260
the only significant town
inside the Peak District.

189
00:10:12,260 --> 00:10:16,460
And back in the day, the only major
town on my lost railway routes

190
00:10:16,460 --> 00:10:18,380
between Matlock and Buxton.

191
00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:25,300
Bakewell today is an absolute
hub for the national park.

192
00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:31,700
But that's just the very latest
chapter in Bakewell's long history.

193
00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:37,140
The railway reached Bakewell
in 1862, but the main aim

194
00:10:37,140 --> 00:10:40,220
of this line was always
to whisk passengers straight

195
00:10:40,220 --> 00:10:43,940
through this region to get
to Manchester or to London.

196
00:10:43,940 --> 00:10:47,860
So how much of an impact
did this railway line have on towns

197
00:10:47,860 --> 00:10:49,380
like this?

198
00:10:49,380 --> 00:10:51,260
160 years ago,

199
00:10:51,260 --> 00:10:54,940
Blackwell's main industry
was farming.

200
00:10:54,940 --> 00:10:58,580
And despite the rise of tourism
and the loss of the railway,

201
00:10:58,580 --> 00:11:00,380
farming still rules here.

202
00:11:02,660 --> 00:11:06,340
Today is Monday,
and that means market day.

203
00:11:07,780 --> 00:11:11,100
But this market
isn't about fruit and veg.

204
00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:16,940
All right, here we go.

205
00:11:16,940 --> 00:11:18,740
First beast is in the pen.

206
00:11:20,420 --> 00:11:23,700
MAN QUICKLY AUCTIONING

207
00:11:27,620 --> 00:11:29,380
Sold!

208
00:11:29,380 --> 00:11:33,460
I don't know how much that sold for,
but it sounds like it was sold.

209
00:11:33,460 --> 00:11:38,540
Trading like this has been going on
in Bakewell for hundreds of years.

210
00:11:38,540 --> 00:11:40,660
And not just cows, either.

211
00:11:45,020 --> 00:11:50,060
But to find out what impact having
a railway made here, I'm meeting

212
00:11:50,060 --> 00:11:53,580
someone who's Bakewell
through and through.

213
00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:55,260
Janet, hello. Hello, Rob.

214
00:11:55,260 --> 00:11:57,140
Nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you.

215
00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:01,180
That's an impressive operation
you've got going on in there.

216
00:12:01,180 --> 00:12:02,540
I wish it WAS mine.

217
00:12:03,660 --> 00:12:05,500
Yes, it is very impressive.

218
00:12:06,580 --> 00:12:10,580
Janet Bailey is the manager of
Bakewell's Agricultural Society,

219
00:12:10,580 --> 00:12:14,380
now celebrating its
200th birthday.

220
00:12:14,380 --> 00:12:17,580
How important was the arrival
of the railway into Bakewell?

221
00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:19,060
Vastly important.

222
00:12:19,060 --> 00:12:21,020
And it left a great big hole
when it went.

223
00:12:21,020 --> 00:12:24,020
You can imagine farmers, for
instance, they could transport

224
00:12:24,020 --> 00:12:26,220
stock and take their stock
to market on the train.

225
00:12:26,220 --> 00:12:29,740
Lots of the farmers relied on nearby
railway lines to get their milk

226
00:12:29,740 --> 00:12:31,540
to wherever it was going.

227
00:12:32,860 --> 00:12:36,020
Throughout the whole railway age -
and ever since -

228
00:12:36,020 --> 00:12:41,620
Bakewell's centrepiece event has
been the annual agricultural show.

229
00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:43,980
Do you look forward to it
every year? Ah, absolutely.

230
00:12:43,980 --> 00:12:46,500
I mean, I'm a Bakewell girl.

231
00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:49,340
Been associated with the show
since I was that big.

232
00:12:49,340 --> 00:12:52,220
But it was the arrival of
the Midland Railway that turned

233
00:12:52,220 --> 00:12:55,820
the show from a local event
into a rural festival.

234
00:12:57,060 --> 00:12:58,220
I can show you this.

235
00:12:58,220 --> 00:13:01,820
This is a history book of the
Bakewell Show and there you can see

236
00:13:01,820 --> 00:13:04,620
cheapday excursion tickets
to the Bakewell Show 1958.

237
00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:07,420
This is what this is - an advert
by British Railways. Exactly.

238
00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:09,900
And there's another one here
which has got the timetable

239
00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:12,660
to and from Bakewell to various
places like Matlock and...

240
00:13:12,660 --> 00:13:16,340
Look here, so they're offering to
bring in people from all stations

241
00:13:16,340 --> 00:13:18,700
within a rail distance of
60 miles around.

242
00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:20,900
Yeah. That's a huge area to cover.

243
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:24,100
So you're getting all these people
in, and would these be extra special

244
00:13:24,100 --> 00:13:27,220
trains they'd put on? Extra special
trains just for Bakewell Show.

245
00:13:27,220 --> 00:13:29,580
Look at that -
"Travel in rail comfort."

246
00:13:29,580 --> 00:13:33,300
So this would have been bringing
in thousands of people.

247
00:13:33,300 --> 00:13:36,100
And then, of course, you had
the trains which would bring

248
00:13:36,100 --> 00:13:39,340
the livestock for
the farmers to show, etc...

249
00:13:39,340 --> 00:13:42,820
So, yeah, the railway was
important to us. Yeah.

250
00:13:44,860 --> 00:13:49,300
So before I leave Bakewell, I need
to find where the Midland Railway

251
00:13:49,300 --> 00:13:52,620
once brought thousands of
people into the town.

252
00:13:54,940 --> 00:13:56,620
OK. Here we are.

253
00:13:56,620 --> 00:13:59,780
This is the old station
building at Bakewell.

254
00:14:00,900 --> 00:14:06,740
From 1862, it was possible to
reach here by rail from London.

255
00:14:06,740 --> 00:14:11,060
Now this old photo here was taken
just before this line closed.

256
00:14:11,060 --> 00:14:14,460
You can still see
exactly where we are.

257
00:14:14,460 --> 00:14:18,220
I mean, the main difference
is the track has all been taken up.

258
00:14:18,220 --> 00:14:20,940
This canopy is now gone.

259
00:14:20,940 --> 00:14:24,620
But you can see on the building
where that was with these triangular

260
00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:26,820
zigzags across the top.

261
00:14:26,820 --> 00:14:30,020
That's the stone arch bridge
in the background back there.

262
00:14:30,020 --> 00:14:31,620
That's still there.

263
00:14:31,620 --> 00:14:36,020
What, 50-odd years ago, if I stood
here now, I'd have been in danger

264
00:14:36,020 --> 00:14:38,220
of being hit by a train.

265
00:14:38,220 --> 00:14:41,580
This station had been around
for five years before the Midland

266
00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:45,500
finally completed their line
north to Manchester.

267
00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:50,980
But from the beginning, Bakewell
had some first-class waiting rooms.

268
00:14:50,980 --> 00:14:54,100
Now I'm looking for something
very specific here.

269
00:14:55,820 --> 00:14:57,860
I think that must be it.

270
00:14:57,860 --> 00:15:00,660
This is the crest of the
Duke of Rutland.

271
00:15:00,660 --> 00:15:04,540
Now the Duke may have been
vehemently opposed to seeing trains

272
00:15:04,540 --> 00:15:08,940
crossing his land, but I'm told
he was perfectly happy to get

273
00:15:08,940 --> 00:15:11,620
on and off of those
trains from here.

274
00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:15,660
This railway and this station
gave him easy access

275
00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:17,020
straight to London.

276
00:15:22,060 --> 00:15:27,340
As for me, though, I'm heading north,
where the old line has become one

277
00:15:27,340 --> 00:15:30,420
of the most well-trodden
routes in the area.

278
00:15:32,620 --> 00:15:36,820
This is now a shining example
of how a disused railway

279
00:15:36,820 --> 00:15:39,740
can be reborn into something new.

280
00:15:39,740 --> 00:15:42,340
There's one thing you can
guarantee about an old railway -

281
00:15:42,340 --> 00:15:44,140
it's going to be nice and flat.

282
00:15:44,140 --> 00:15:49,860
And so the old Midland line has
become a very easy way to explore

283
00:15:49,860 --> 00:15:52,140
the rugged landscape of the Peaks.

284
00:15:54,820 --> 00:15:59,900
8½ miles of my route is now
called the Monsal Trail -

285
00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:05,060
perfect for walkers, or in my
case today, for cyclists.

286
00:16:05,060 --> 00:16:07,580
Hi, Rob. How are you doing?
Good, thank you.

287
00:16:07,580 --> 00:16:10,340
Good day for a little cycling.
It's fantastic.

288
00:16:10,340 --> 00:16:13,820
Trail ranger Dave Watts has been
developing the old railway's

289
00:16:13,820 --> 00:16:16,180
new purpose for 29 years.

290
00:16:18,420 --> 00:16:20,740
How popular is the
Monsal trail here?

291
00:16:20,740 --> 00:16:23,300
It is extremely popular.
You're probably looking at

292
00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:26,780
over 320,000 visitors annually.

293
00:16:26,780 --> 00:16:29,700
Are you really? To this trail alone.
Huge numbers.

294
00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:32,980
That must be a massive win for you
guys for the national park.

295
00:16:32,980 --> 00:16:35,460
It is. And what a great way to
come and visit and explore

296
00:16:35,460 --> 00:16:37,100
the Peak District. Exactly.

297
00:16:37,100 --> 00:16:39,780
If you're a walker or a cyclist,
or even a horse rider,

298
00:16:39,780 --> 00:16:41,660
it is extremely safe. Yes.

299
00:16:41,660 --> 00:16:44,500
For cyclists, it's a great way
for families to bring

300
00:16:44,500 --> 00:16:45,740
their kids into cycling.

301
00:16:45,740 --> 00:16:49,500
If you're less able, it's flat for
wheelchair users, pushing a baby

302
00:16:49,500 --> 00:16:51,820
in a buggy. It's a dream, isn't it?
It's so accessible.

303
00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:54,380
That's the beauty of the railway.
They're always nice and flat.

304
00:16:54,380 --> 00:16:56,220
They've done the hard work. Exactly.

305
00:16:57,340 --> 00:16:59,100
Now we've come to
Great Longstone Station.

306
00:16:59,100 --> 00:17:00,380
Ah-ha. Yes.

307
00:17:00,380 --> 00:17:01,980
A little bit of infrastructure here.

308
00:17:01,980 --> 00:17:05,580
Yeah. And you see how nature's
actually taken over these platforms.

309
00:17:05,580 --> 00:17:09,420
And just to our left, which looks
like a grand house, was the private

310
00:17:09,420 --> 00:17:12,020
access for a Mr Marples -

311
00:17:12,020 --> 00:17:15,540
a Sheffield lawyer,
Midland Railway director -

312
00:17:15,540 --> 00:17:18,660
and this was for him to have his own
private access-cum-waiting room.

313
00:17:18,660 --> 00:17:20,100
His own private access?

314
00:17:20,100 --> 00:17:22,580
So your normal punters would be
coming through the station.

315
00:17:22,580 --> 00:17:26,220
Yeah, normal people from
Great Longstone, Little Longstone.

316
00:17:26,220 --> 00:17:30,020
But what an ornate station it was.
It is a beautiful station.

317
00:17:30,020 --> 00:17:34,260
And this private waiting room here
is not too shabby either, is it?

318
00:17:34,260 --> 00:17:38,060
No. Honestly, these trees wouldn't
have obscured the building itself.

319
00:17:38,060 --> 00:17:39,620
All this would've been open.

320
00:17:39,620 --> 00:17:41,060
Lovely gardens here probably.

321
00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,500
And his visitors could
disembark the train,

322
00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:46,300
access Mr Marples' property...
Goodness me.

323
00:17:46,300 --> 00:17:50,900
..and it's thought the train would
stop at the station and then pull

324
00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:54,180
forward to accommodate
Mr Marples' guests.

325
00:17:56,020 --> 00:17:59,060
I mean, that is proper influence
and clout, isn't it?

326
00:17:59,060 --> 00:18:00,940
When you can get a
train company to do that.

327
00:18:00,940 --> 00:18:04,260
Mind you, if you're a director of
that train company. Yeah.

328
00:18:04,260 --> 00:18:06,100
The world's your Oyster.

329
00:18:06,100 --> 00:18:07,700
Times have changed, though.

330
00:18:07,700 --> 00:18:09,460
Yeah, try getting that these days.

331
00:18:09,460 --> 00:18:10,460
Good luck!

332
00:18:12,940 --> 00:18:14,620
Leaving Great Longstone,

333
00:18:14,620 --> 00:18:18,860
the geology of the Peak District
begins to change as we reach

334
00:18:18,860 --> 00:18:23,100
the engineering highlights
of the old railway line.

335
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:25,460
We're now entering
Headstone Cutting.

336
00:18:25,460 --> 00:18:27,180
It's all change here, isn't it?

337
00:18:27,180 --> 00:18:29,460
All of sudden you get
those views out across. Yeah.

338
00:18:29,460 --> 00:18:32,300
So now we're coming to a limestone
area of the Peak District.

339
00:18:32,300 --> 00:18:35,020
Here we go. Great slabs
of limestone here.

340
00:18:35,020 --> 00:18:37,060
Look how deep this cutting gets.

341
00:18:37,060 --> 00:18:39,780
For much of the past 50 years,

342
00:18:39,780 --> 00:18:43,060
this cutting has been
closed off to the public.

343
00:18:43,060 --> 00:18:46,220
A lost world from
the days of the railway.

344
00:18:46,220 --> 00:18:47,860
This is amazing.

345
00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:52,140
Just think of the effort
it would have taken to blast

346
00:18:52,140 --> 00:18:55,380
and dig your way through here
for the railway, originally.

347
00:18:55,380 --> 00:18:56,580
Ah! Stunning.

348
00:18:57,820 --> 00:19:03,300
In 2011, Dave and his National Park
colleagues set about clearing

349
00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:07,660
and reopening this cutting,
along with what it leads to.

350
00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:12,060
This is the Headstone cutting
because we're just entering here.

351
00:19:12,060 --> 00:19:13,980
This is Headstone Tunnel.
Headstone Tunnel.

352
00:19:15,220 --> 00:19:17,700
It's enormous, this tunnel, Dave.
It is.

353
00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:19,900
Woo! A good echo, too.

354
00:19:21,460 --> 00:19:25,820
Headstone Tunnel took the railway
underneath Monsal Head,

355
00:19:25,820 --> 00:19:30,540
the high ground, which now gives
the Monsal Trail its name.

356
00:19:30,540 --> 00:19:31,660
Let's have a look, then.

357
00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:34,060
How long is this tunnel?

358
00:19:34,060 --> 00:19:36,540
It's 505 metres.

359
00:19:36,540 --> 00:19:38,740
It's the longest of our
four tunnels.

360
00:19:38,740 --> 00:19:41,460
It feels like you would've had a
double track coming through.

361
00:19:41,460 --> 00:19:42,860
Yeah, a double track.

362
00:19:42,860 --> 00:19:45,060
These arches here,
which you can see,

363
00:19:45,060 --> 00:19:48,060
were refuges for workers to escape
a steam train coming down.

364
00:19:48,060 --> 00:19:50,860
Yes. If they're working down here
and the train comes through.

365
00:19:50,860 --> 00:19:53,780
And you've got all this brick lining
all the way across, as well,

366
00:19:53,780 --> 00:19:56,380
which is just beautiful, isn't it?
Victorian brick.

367
00:19:56,380 --> 00:19:59,060
Blue brick, which is just
facing the bedrock.

368
00:19:59,060 --> 00:20:00,860
It's not actually holding
anything up.

369
00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:03,340
I mean, these railway engineers
knew what they were doing.

370
00:20:03,340 --> 00:20:05,300
This was the best of the best.

371
00:20:05,300 --> 00:20:08,860
Yes. Yeah. They've left
this fantastic legacy, really.

372
00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:14,180
But as railway legacies go,
there are few better known

373
00:20:14,180 --> 00:20:16,940
than the one at the
end of this tunnel.

374
00:20:22,420 --> 00:20:24,100
Ah, yes!

375
00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:25,220
What a spot.

376
00:20:26,420 --> 00:20:31,020
Standing tall over the River Wye
is the Headstone Viaduct.

377
00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:33,420
Wow.

378
00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:36,780
We're straight out of the tunnel.

379
00:20:36,780 --> 00:20:39,860
One engineering feat onto
another one here.

380
00:20:39,860 --> 00:20:42,380
Can you imagine when the trains
were running through here come

381
00:20:42,380 --> 00:20:43,980
out of that tunnel... Yeah.

382
00:20:43,980 --> 00:20:46,580
..and just come through to this
view... From complete darkness,

383
00:20:46,580 --> 00:20:48,780
and then you get all of this.

384
00:20:48,780 --> 00:20:51,460
That is picture-perfect view,
that is, isn't it?

385
00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:52,900
Absolutely stunning.

386
00:20:56,140 --> 00:20:58,780
When it was built,
the Midland Railway was said

387
00:20:58,780 --> 00:21:00,620
to have ruined the valley.

388
00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:05,100
But that opinion didn't
last for long.

389
00:21:07,060 --> 00:21:10,980
And Monsal Dale today,
with its man-made addition,

390
00:21:10,980 --> 00:21:14,180
is one of the most famous
sights in Derbyshire.

391
00:21:17,580 --> 00:21:18,660
Coming up...

392
00:21:18,660 --> 00:21:20,380
It's not exactly how we picture

393
00:21:20,380 --> 00:21:21,980
our national parks today.

394
00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:24,180
..I find that the Peak District
was once full

395
00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:26,100
of more than just railways.

396
00:21:26,100 --> 00:21:28,900
We're entering the kiln here now.
We are.

397
00:21:28,900 --> 00:21:33,700
And I discover why one tiny valley
needed a very big station.

398
00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:36,020
Nearly everybody descended
on Millers Dale.

399
00:21:43,310 --> 00:21:46,750
In the heart of Derbyshire,
I've been seeing how the old

400
00:21:46,750 --> 00:21:50,710
Midland Railway engineered its
way through a famous landscape.

401
00:21:53,270 --> 00:21:57,790
In 1951, the Peak District became
this country's very first national

402
00:21:57,790 --> 00:22:03,510
park, which means that for its first
17 years or so, you had an express

403
00:22:03,510 --> 00:22:06,590
railway thundering
through the heart of it.

404
00:22:06,590 --> 00:22:10,550
It's not exactly how we picture
our national parks today.

405
00:22:11,950 --> 00:22:15,870
But the truth is, the Midland
Railway was just one chapter

406
00:22:15,870 --> 00:22:18,190
in a rich industrial history

407
00:22:18,190 --> 00:22:20,750
that's been part of the Peak's
story for centuries.

408
00:22:22,950 --> 00:22:26,390
This is the remains of
Monsal Dale station.

409
00:22:26,390 --> 00:22:30,230
It's quite clear that this is
the stone edge of the platform here.

410
00:22:30,230 --> 00:22:33,750
But it's hard to figure out exactly
the configuration of how the station

411
00:22:33,750 --> 00:22:34,870
would have been.

412
00:22:36,270 --> 00:22:42,910
What I do know is that the track ran
so close to this steep valley

413
00:22:42,910 --> 00:22:47,830
on this side here, they had to build
the platform on this side

414
00:22:47,830 --> 00:22:51,590
out of wood, sticking out
over the edge of this drop.

415
00:22:54,230 --> 00:22:56,030
And that is quite a drop.

416
00:22:58,470 --> 00:23:01,710
In its final years,
this station brought walkers

417
00:23:01,710 --> 00:23:03,630
into the new national park.

418
00:23:06,190 --> 00:23:09,910
It was a far cry from one
of its earlier roles of bringing

419
00:23:09,910 --> 00:23:14,830
workers to the local cotton
mill, but this rural area

420
00:23:14,830 --> 00:23:18,470
was where it all began
for the Industrial Revolution.

421
00:23:18,470 --> 00:23:22,390
The world's very first factories
weren't in big cities -

422
00:23:22,390 --> 00:23:26,390
they were powered by the
rivers of Derbyshire.

423
00:23:26,390 --> 00:23:27,910
Right next to my route,

424
00:23:27,910 --> 00:23:31,110
Litton Mill was up and running
a full 80 years

425
00:23:31,110 --> 00:23:33,950
before the railway was built.

426
00:23:33,950 --> 00:23:36,750
It's a really lovely spot
down here now.

427
00:23:39,110 --> 00:23:42,870
But the truth is that Litton Mill
had an appalling reputation

428
00:23:42,870 --> 00:23:45,830
for cruelty and hardship
when it was in full swing.

429
00:23:48,510 --> 00:23:52,510
Litton recruited children from
orphanages and workhouses.

430
00:23:53,790 --> 00:23:57,470
The tales of what went on here are
claimed to have inspired Dickens

431
00:23:57,470 --> 00:23:59,390
when he wrote Oliver Twist.

432
00:24:00,710 --> 00:24:05,510
And when the mill finally closed
in the 1970s, these buildings stood

433
00:24:05,510 --> 00:24:07,510
empty for decades.

434
00:24:11,230 --> 00:24:12,350
But not any more.

435
00:24:13,390 --> 00:24:15,430
Hello. Hi. Hello. Good morning.

436
00:24:15,430 --> 00:24:18,750
Just out for a walk, are you?
Just going off with Lenny.

437
00:24:18,750 --> 00:24:20,790
You guys live here, do you?

438
00:24:20,790 --> 00:24:23,550
Yeah, we do. And were you
aware this is the old mill

439
00:24:23,550 --> 00:24:26,030
when you moved in?
Have you lived here for a while?

440
00:24:26,030 --> 00:24:28,510
We've lived here nine years.
Nine years.

441
00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:32,190
And were you aware of the fact that
this did have a huge industrial

442
00:24:32,190 --> 00:24:33,390
history when you moved in?

443
00:24:33,390 --> 00:24:36,590
Yes. It's not a very nice
past, either.

444
00:24:36,590 --> 00:24:40,550
And in fact, when we first moved
here, the first night, dropping

445
00:24:40,550 --> 00:24:43,230
off to sleep, and suddenly
I could hear singing

446
00:24:43,230 --> 00:24:45,070
and I'm thinking,
"Where is that coming from?

447
00:24:45,070 --> 00:24:46,910
"Is it some kids in the village?"

448
00:24:46,910 --> 00:24:49,390
And then I realised it wasn't
the kids in the village at all.

449
00:24:49,390 --> 00:24:53,710
It was children - from the past,
I'm guessing - singing.

450
00:24:53,710 --> 00:24:56,390
And I've heard it several times.
Goodness me.

451
00:24:56,390 --> 00:24:57,870
It gives you chills, doesn't it?

452
00:24:57,870 --> 00:25:00,310
It was a bit spooky.

453
00:25:00,310 --> 00:25:02,910
And there's still a surprising
amount of the old mill that's

454
00:25:02,910 --> 00:25:04,990
been left behind.

455
00:25:04,990 --> 00:25:09,230
We're right up alongside this
fast-moving river along here.

456
00:25:09,230 --> 00:25:11,150
It's a natural supply of energy.

457
00:25:11,150 --> 00:25:15,390
Exactly. Originally, it was
a water wheel.

458
00:25:15,390 --> 00:25:19,870
Luckily, it was made to
travel down those big pipes

459
00:25:19,870 --> 00:25:22,390
and drive those turbines.

460
00:25:22,390 --> 00:25:26,270
And then the water continued
on under the mill and away.

461
00:25:27,310 --> 00:25:31,670
And the railway's on the other side
of the river just up here, is it?

462
00:25:31,670 --> 00:25:35,030
Just about above where the cliffs
are. You've got the tree line.

463
00:25:35,030 --> 00:25:39,750
I remember as a child catching the
train in Buxton to Millers Dale,

464
00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:43,150
with my jam sandwiches and a bottle
of water for the day, a shilling

465
00:25:43,150 --> 00:25:44,590
return on the train,

466
00:25:44,590 --> 00:25:45,830
and then as I got older,

467
00:25:45,830 --> 00:25:48,350
I was catching that
London connection,

468
00:25:48,350 --> 00:25:50,630
but getting off in Derby
to meet my boyfriend.

469
00:25:50,630 --> 00:25:52,350
Oh, hello.

470
00:25:52,350 --> 00:25:54,990
And missing half a lesson
from school to do it.

471
00:25:54,990 --> 00:25:56,470
Did you?!

472
00:25:56,470 --> 00:25:59,870
Incidentally, I've only
just found this out.

473
00:26:03,030 --> 00:26:06,190
Which sounds like my cue
to be moving on.

474
00:26:09,190 --> 00:26:13,430
Derbyshire is now a renowned
beauty spot, but it's filled

475
00:26:13,430 --> 00:26:16,150
with the remnants of
successive industrial eras.

476
00:26:19,230 --> 00:26:21,750
And just over a mile down the line,

477
00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:25,910
I'm reaching a point that
I've particularly wanted to see.

478
00:26:26,950 --> 00:26:30,950
In order to bridge the 200-metre gap
at Millers Dale,

479
00:26:30,950 --> 00:26:35,510
the Midland Railway built an
impressive viaduct.

480
00:26:35,510 --> 00:26:37,830
But for well over a century now,

481
00:26:37,830 --> 00:26:39,510
the standout feature...

482
00:26:41,310 --> 00:26:43,310
..is that there are two of them.

483
00:26:45,350 --> 00:26:46,510
Walking along here,

484
00:26:46,510 --> 00:26:50,790
I'm on the original viaduct that was
built for when this line opened.

485
00:26:50,790 --> 00:26:53,070
But right alongside me here,

486
00:26:53,070 --> 00:26:57,670
the newer viaduct, which came
along just over 40 years later.

487
00:26:59,030 --> 00:27:04,590
Now, if you stop and have a look,
you can see they both

488
00:27:04,590 --> 00:27:06,870
have these stonework piers

489
00:27:06,870 --> 00:27:10,150
built from limestone
and gritstone.

490
00:27:10,150 --> 00:27:12,710
The main difference is up top.

491
00:27:12,710 --> 00:27:19,470
The original viaduct has these
beautiful, huge iron arches

492
00:27:19,470 --> 00:27:22,790
on its spans as it crosses
the river below.

493
00:27:22,790 --> 00:27:26,310
But across the way, the new viaduct
used a material that had come on

494
00:27:26,310 --> 00:27:29,830
leaps and bounds during
that 40-year period.

495
00:27:29,830 --> 00:27:34,070
A material that was more reliable,
and had better strength qualities -

496
00:27:34,070 --> 00:27:35,230
steel.

497
00:27:37,430 --> 00:27:41,630
But the question is, why did
the quiet valley of Millers Dale

498
00:27:41,630 --> 00:27:42,870
need two viaducts?

499
00:27:45,510 --> 00:27:50,750
The answer - on the other side - is
Millers Dale Station, the largest

500
00:27:50,750 --> 00:27:53,630
station anywhere between
Derby and Manchester.

501
00:27:54,790 --> 00:27:57,350
And it's here that I'm meeting
someone who's known

502
00:27:57,350 --> 00:27:59,590
this place since childhood.

503
00:27:59,590 --> 00:28:02,190
Harry. Hello. Hi, Rob.

504
00:28:02,190 --> 00:28:04,390
Nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you.

505
00:28:04,390 --> 00:28:06,950
Well, even though there's no trains
coming through these days,

506
00:28:06,950 --> 00:28:09,150
it's still quite busy here
at Millers Dale, isn't it?

507
00:28:09,150 --> 00:28:12,270
People coming through all the time
now, almost like the old days.

508
00:28:12,270 --> 00:28:13,910
Well, why was it such
a major station?

509
00:28:13,910 --> 00:28:16,710
Because we've got these
platforms that we can see here.

510
00:28:16,710 --> 00:28:18,270
Did it extend further than that?

511
00:28:18,270 --> 00:28:21,710
Yeah, it started out as a
two-platform station and finished

512
00:28:21,710 --> 00:28:23,590
up as a five-platform station.

513
00:28:23,590 --> 00:28:27,830
The only five-platform station
outside of a major city in the UK,

514
00:28:27,830 --> 00:28:30,630
in the middle of the Peak District -
seems rather stupid, doesn't it?

515
00:28:30,630 --> 00:28:32,590
It does. So why were there
five platforms?

516
00:28:32,590 --> 00:28:36,270
Well, you had the busy quarrying
industry right down the line.

517
00:28:36,270 --> 00:28:39,430
You've got the mills at
Millers Dale, Litton Mills,

518
00:28:39,430 --> 00:28:44,030
Cressbrook, coal deliveries were
made to here, so materials and goods

519
00:28:44,030 --> 00:28:48,110
had to come in. So this was a
real hub of industry. Absolutely.

520
00:28:48,110 --> 00:28:51,870
And to have express trains stopping
here as well between Manchester

521
00:28:51,870 --> 00:28:54,910
and London was quite exceptional,
I think, for such a

522
00:28:54,910 --> 00:28:56,950
small community, you know. Yeah.

523
00:28:56,950 --> 00:28:59,710
You know, nearly everybody
descended on Millers Dale.

524
00:29:00,870 --> 00:29:05,110
In the final years of the railway's
life, Harry's father was both

525
00:29:05,110 --> 00:29:07,990
station booking clerk and
sub postmaster for

526
00:29:07,990 --> 00:29:12,230
Millers Dale Post Office,
based right next to the platform.

527
00:29:13,350 --> 00:29:16,110
Do you remember being up and
around here as a kid? Oh, yeah.

528
00:29:16,110 --> 00:29:18,990
Yeah, coming on here, watching
the trains go in and out.

529
00:29:18,990 --> 00:29:21,030
I would come over and
sometimes help the porters,

530
00:29:21,030 --> 00:29:23,190
sometimes get in the way of
the porters, you know?

531
00:29:23,190 --> 00:29:25,190
Yeah, I remember it very fondly.

532
00:29:25,190 --> 00:29:28,390
So that's my father back in '67.

533
00:29:28,390 --> 00:29:31,230
Inside the booking hall
and the Post Office counter.

534
00:29:31,230 --> 00:29:33,190
There's the rack of tickets behind.

535
00:29:33,190 --> 00:29:34,990
He looks very happy and jolly.

536
00:29:34,990 --> 00:29:36,230
I bet everybody knew him,

537
00:29:36,230 --> 00:29:38,190
and I bet he knew almost
everyone around as well.

538
00:29:38,190 --> 00:29:39,310
Oh, yeah, without doubt.

539
00:29:39,310 --> 00:29:42,310
I can even remember the days when
as a sub postmaster he would deliver

540
00:29:42,310 --> 00:29:44,190
the post on Christmas Day.
There you go.

541
00:29:44,190 --> 00:29:46,110
I mean, that's commitment, isn't it?

542
00:29:46,110 --> 00:29:48,230
Yeah. It was just
a perfect community.

543
00:29:51,830 --> 00:29:56,270
But, as Harry says, Millers Dale's
importance didn't just stem

544
00:29:56,270 --> 00:29:59,030
from passengers and locals.

545
00:29:59,030 --> 00:30:01,030
And there's one giant
local industry

546
00:30:01,030 --> 00:30:04,590
I still haven't investigated.

547
00:30:04,590 --> 00:30:09,510
Old films at the Midland Railway
show this industry in action.

548
00:30:09,510 --> 00:30:14,270
Long trains, wagon after wagon
filled with the spoils

549
00:30:14,270 --> 00:30:16,910
of this region's natural resource -

550
00:30:16,910 --> 00:30:17,910
limestone.

551
00:30:21,110 --> 00:30:25,150
Right next to the railway
line here. Look at this.

552
00:30:25,150 --> 00:30:28,310
It looks like something
straight out of a sci-fi movie.

553
00:30:28,310 --> 00:30:30,990
It's actually a Victorian lime kiln.

554
00:30:30,990 --> 00:30:36,430
Giant structures like this were used
to turn local limestone into

555
00:30:36,430 --> 00:30:42,710
quicklime, used to fertilise soil,
make cement, steel and even glass.

556
00:30:42,710 --> 00:30:46,750
And the process started
at the very top of the kiln.

557
00:30:46,750 --> 00:30:48,310
Hello. Hello.

558
00:30:48,310 --> 00:30:52,390
Here to meet me is Peak District
archaeologist Anna Badcock.

559
00:30:52,390 --> 00:30:55,430
So we're right on top of one
of the lime kilns here.

560
00:30:55,430 --> 00:30:58,230
We are. There's two,
actually, side by side.

561
00:30:58,230 --> 00:31:01,030
And they were constructed
in the late 1860s.

562
00:31:01,030 --> 00:31:02,990
So shortly after the
railway was built.

563
00:31:02,990 --> 00:31:04,710
That's not a coincidence
then, is it? No.

564
00:31:04,710 --> 00:31:06,630
Because they're built
right alongside.

565
00:31:06,630 --> 00:31:08,230
They're here because
of the railways.

566
00:31:08,230 --> 00:31:12,830
The railway allowed that limestone
industry to just mushroom

567
00:31:12,830 --> 00:31:16,350
because of access to fuel, which
could be brought in on the railway

568
00:31:16,350 --> 00:31:19,510
and then access to markets
with the product at the end.

569
00:31:19,510 --> 00:31:23,750
So then if quicklime comes out the
bottom, what's going into the top

570
00:31:23,750 --> 00:31:27,550
to make that? So, blocks of
limestone, various sizes.

571
00:31:27,550 --> 00:31:31,830
So these wagons would be loaded
with the limestone and the fuel

572
00:31:31,830 --> 00:31:33,470
and they'd just go round.

573
00:31:33,470 --> 00:31:35,150
Tip in. And tip in.

574
00:31:35,150 --> 00:31:37,790
And the Peak District
is known for being an area

575
00:31:37,790 --> 00:31:39,270
abundant with limestone.

576
00:31:39,270 --> 00:31:41,510
So that would have been
locally sourced? Yeah.

577
00:31:41,510 --> 00:31:44,510
The evidence of quarrying is
just everywhere all around us.

578
00:31:44,510 --> 00:31:47,030
And so those faces that you
can see in the distance...

579
00:31:47,030 --> 00:31:50,790
Yeah, the sheer stone faces here.
Yeah. So that's all human-made.

580
00:31:53,230 --> 00:31:57,270
This one site could produce
50 tonnes of quicklime a day,

581
00:31:57,270 --> 00:32:01,750
but only once workers had stepped
inside to set the kilns and ensure

582
00:32:01,750 --> 00:32:04,310
a temperature of 1,000 degrees C.

583
00:32:05,630 --> 00:32:08,470
You can see how it's been cut
through solid rock, can't you?

584
00:32:09,710 --> 00:32:11,190
Can we go in? Yeah.

585
00:32:15,870 --> 00:32:19,910
So this is the eye of the kiln
and this is where wood would be laid

586
00:32:19,910 --> 00:32:22,590
to set the fire to
start it all off. OK.

587
00:32:22,590 --> 00:32:26,470
And then can you imagine layers
of limestone and coal, limestone,

588
00:32:26,470 --> 00:32:28,670
coal, stacked all the way...

589
00:32:28,670 --> 00:32:30,430
All the way to the top
where we were earlier.

590
00:32:30,430 --> 00:32:32,430
Where we were earlier.
All the way through.

591
00:32:32,430 --> 00:32:35,150
And it would slowly burn up.

592
00:32:35,150 --> 00:32:38,710
And it's the same on this side.
Exactly. It's a mirror image.

593
00:32:38,710 --> 00:32:41,390
That little thing's a toot hole.

594
00:32:41,390 --> 00:32:43,710
So that's where they would
have tested the temperature,

595
00:32:43,710 --> 00:32:46,870
make sure it's firing at
the right temperature.

596
00:32:46,870 --> 00:32:48,670
I think that's coal.

597
00:32:48,670 --> 00:32:50,310
That is coal. That is the fuel.

598
00:32:50,310 --> 00:32:52,470
That's from the last time
this would've been fired up.

599
00:32:52,470 --> 00:32:53,830
That's a bit of old coal. Yep.

600
00:32:53,830 --> 00:32:55,870
Goodness me. Still here.

601
00:32:55,870 --> 00:32:58,510
And then underneath, this is where
the quicklime would come out.

602
00:32:58,510 --> 00:33:01,710
It is. So it would be shovelled
out into barrows and then out

603
00:33:01,710 --> 00:33:04,070
onto the railway. Straight on to the
railway.

604
00:33:04,070 --> 00:33:05,750
Yeah. Couldn't be any closer.

605
00:33:05,750 --> 00:33:08,070
I mean, it's not the best
working conditions.

606
00:33:08,070 --> 00:33:10,750
It would be horrible. Hot, smoky,

607
00:33:10,750 --> 00:33:14,510
and you've got...
Dusty and then it's caustic,

608
00:33:14,510 --> 00:33:17,950
so the quicklime
will burn your skin.

609
00:33:17,950 --> 00:33:19,910
So it must have been
really, actually,

610
00:33:19,910 --> 00:33:21,830
very horrible working conditions.

611
00:33:21,830 --> 00:33:26,590
The fires were finally put out
at this kiln in 1944, just seven

612
00:33:26,590 --> 00:33:30,630
years before this land of heavy
industry was transformed

613
00:33:30,630 --> 00:33:33,070
into our very first national park.

614
00:33:34,510 --> 00:33:35,910
Coming up...

615
00:33:35,910 --> 00:33:39,030
There's a 3,000bhp engine in there.

616
00:33:39,030 --> 00:33:43,190
..I find a railway industry
that's alive and massive.

617
00:33:44,230 --> 00:33:45,230
Oh!

618
00:33:46,630 --> 00:33:50,830
And in Buxton, I run into
the Midland Railways' arch rival.

619
00:33:50,830 --> 00:33:54,030
And their station is still here!

620
00:34:00,910 --> 00:34:03,470
Well, there is no doubt about it.

621
00:34:03,470 --> 00:34:08,350
The simplest route between London
and Manchester is definitely not

622
00:34:08,350 --> 00:34:11,310
through all this,
but the Midland Railway

623
00:34:11,310 --> 00:34:14,030
built their line here anyway.

624
00:34:14,030 --> 00:34:16,510
And mighty impressive it's been, too.

625
00:34:18,310 --> 00:34:22,230
I've been crossing the Peak District
by following a quite

626
00:34:22,230 --> 00:34:23,950
remarkable lost railway.

627
00:34:25,190 --> 00:34:28,230
But before my journey ends
in Buxton, there's one

628
00:34:28,230 --> 00:34:32,750
more Derbyshire industry to see,
and this one's alive and well.

629
00:34:38,230 --> 00:34:42,630
Tunstead is the largest
limestone operation in the UK.

630
00:34:44,310 --> 00:34:48,070
Work's been going on here
for almost a century.

631
00:34:48,070 --> 00:34:52,830
And right alongside, a short section
of railway is still working, too.

632
00:34:54,550 --> 00:34:57,510
So this is still part
of the old Midland Railway

633
00:34:57,510 --> 00:34:59,710
that is in operation.

634
00:34:59,710 --> 00:35:02,070
That's right. The railway has been
here since the late 1800s.

635
00:35:02,070 --> 00:35:03,270
TRAIN HORN TOOTS

636
00:35:03,270 --> 00:35:05,470
And this train that's
just blown its horn now

637
00:35:05,470 --> 00:35:08,190
will be going through
the batch loader plant.

638
00:35:08,190 --> 00:35:11,830
When the rest of my line
closed in 1968,

639
00:35:11,830 --> 00:35:15,430
a few miles looping around
the quarry was kept open to carry

640
00:35:15,430 --> 00:35:17,550
freight to Buxton and beyond.

641
00:35:19,670 --> 00:35:24,150
Tunstead manager John Fotherby
now controls 9km

642
00:35:24,150 --> 00:35:29,110
of quarry sidings, five separate
loading plants, and four locomotives.

643
00:35:30,270 --> 00:35:34,830
So this engine here weighs
about 130 tonnes and there's a

644
00:35:34,830 --> 00:35:38,150
3,000bph engine in there.

645
00:35:38,150 --> 00:35:41,070
The trains that go out of here
go to two and a half thousand

646
00:35:41,070 --> 00:35:44,190
tonne gross. So each one of these
wagons is fairly sizable,

647
00:35:44,190 --> 00:35:47,150
as well, then. This wagon here,
when it's fully laden,

648
00:35:47,150 --> 00:35:49,110
will be 90 tonne in total.

649
00:35:49,110 --> 00:35:52,870
This whole train will take
45 trucks off the road. Wow.

650
00:35:52,870 --> 00:35:55,230
The amount of pollution
that would chuck out compared

651
00:35:55,230 --> 00:35:57,830
to one train delivery
is unbelievable.

652
00:35:57,830 --> 00:36:00,590
The limestone is then
processed into lime.

653
00:36:00,590 --> 00:36:02,150
Where does that end up?

654
00:36:02,150 --> 00:36:05,630
Lime product ends up in your
toothpaste, in your food,

655
00:36:05,630 --> 00:36:08,870
but major construction
the lime's been used in

656
00:36:08,870 --> 00:36:12,670
is the Mersey Gateway that's
recently opened in Liverpool.

657
00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:16,510
The Shard, O2 Arena - it ends
up literally everywhere.

658
00:36:18,310 --> 00:36:21,670
Concrete and cement for constructions
all around the country

659
00:36:21,670 --> 00:36:26,630
are made with limestone from here,
and one more train load

660
00:36:26,630 --> 00:36:28,190
is about to be filled.

661
00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:31,470
So that's going to be quite
noisy up there, isn't it?

662
00:36:31,470 --> 00:36:33,750
Dumping loads of tonnes of
limestone. It's going to

663
00:36:33,750 --> 00:36:36,430
be a very noisy affair and
we're going to have to get

664
00:36:36,430 --> 00:36:38,590
out of this area very shortly.

665
00:36:39,790 --> 00:36:43,990
Luckily, the control room is on hand,
from where you can survey

666
00:36:43,990 --> 00:36:45,830
the whole process.

667
00:36:45,830 --> 00:36:47,630
Go ahead, Dave. Set her off.

668
00:36:48,750 --> 00:36:51,070
Ooh. Hello.

669
00:36:51,070 --> 00:36:53,950
Straight away, there's rumble.

670
00:36:53,950 --> 00:36:58,150
That there is 66 tonne of material
dropping into the wagon in one go.

671
00:36:58,150 --> 00:36:59,350
HE CHUCKLES

672
00:37:00,510 --> 00:37:03,870
Each wagon is filled in
just five seconds

673
00:37:03,870 --> 00:37:06,030
as the train creeps forward.

674
00:37:09,470 --> 00:37:12,510
The whole train will be through
here in about 20 minutes.

675
00:37:12,510 --> 00:37:14,390
Wow.

676
00:37:14,390 --> 00:37:19,270
But to get this far, a lot of
work has already been done.

677
00:37:19,270 --> 00:37:23,630
A fleet of dumper trucks carry
100 tonnes of rock at a time,

678
00:37:23,630 --> 00:37:27,030
to where it's crushed, blended
and carried to the railway

679
00:37:27,030 --> 00:37:28,470
sidings by conveyor.

680
00:37:32,190 --> 00:37:34,670
It's got a little platform
here so we can get the best

681
00:37:34,670 --> 00:37:37,750
views in the house?
Just for you today, you see.

682
00:37:37,750 --> 00:37:39,950
Gives us a brilliant view
of the quarry.

683
00:37:39,950 --> 00:37:42,270
The size of this quarry,
when you come up here,

684
00:37:42,270 --> 00:37:44,790
it's just phenomenal, isn't it?

685
00:37:44,790 --> 00:37:46,310
Yeah. This is massive.

686
00:37:46,310 --> 00:37:50,670
This whole site is about
2,000 acres in total.

687
00:37:50,670 --> 00:37:53,670
John's brought me to see
the dramatic start

688
00:37:53,670 --> 00:37:55,870
of the quarrying process.

689
00:37:55,870 --> 00:37:58,630
There'll be a 45,000-tonne
blast going off today.

690
00:37:58,630 --> 00:38:00,590
45,000 tonnes?

691
00:38:00,590 --> 00:38:01,950
In one blast? That's right.

692
00:38:01,950 --> 00:38:03,950
Yes, that's one of the
smaller blasts we have here

693
00:38:03,950 --> 00:38:05,830
at Tunstead Quarry.

694
00:38:05,830 --> 00:38:09,190
So it's not the old plunger job
to get the explosion going, is it?

695
00:38:09,190 --> 00:38:11,830
No, no, it's not going to be
coyote looking for roadrunner

696
00:38:11,830 --> 00:38:14,070
with TNT there.

697
00:38:14,070 --> 00:38:16,510
No, it's all done by
electronic explosives -

698
00:38:16,510 --> 00:38:18,790
electronic detonators - nowadays.

699
00:38:18,790 --> 00:38:22,070
It's actually ten tonnes of
explosives used in this blast today.

700
00:38:22,070 --> 00:38:23,470
Is it really? Goodness.

701
00:38:23,470 --> 00:38:26,230
RADIO: Tend to all stations.

702
00:38:26,230 --> 00:38:27,550
SIREN WAILS

703
00:38:27,550 --> 00:38:29,750
That's the blasting siren
now going off.

704
00:38:29,750 --> 00:38:31,590
Phil and his team are
just getting ready now.

705
00:38:31,590 --> 00:38:34,150
There's a blasting supervisor
there with the transmitter

706
00:38:34,150 --> 00:38:37,030
in his hands,
ready to push the button.

707
00:38:37,030 --> 00:38:38,470
This is tense.

708
00:38:39,990 --> 00:38:43,030
RADIO CHATTER

709
00:38:52,550 --> 00:38:56,030
That is something. I've never
seen anything like that.

710
00:38:56,030 --> 00:38:57,670
That was a good one today.

711
00:38:57,670 --> 00:39:00,630
Yeah, it seems to echo a little
bit around the quarry, as well.

712
00:39:03,550 --> 00:39:05,110
Now the dust all cleared,

713
00:39:05,110 --> 00:39:07,310
you can see just what's
come out of that rock face.

714
00:39:07,310 --> 00:39:11,710
What was a solid rock is now
all this great big pile of rubble.

715
00:39:11,710 --> 00:39:14,870
That's right. A few trainloads
of earth. Yeah, indeed.

716
00:39:14,870 --> 00:39:16,630
Prime limestone material.

717
00:39:21,350 --> 00:39:24,190
Just two miles from the giant quarry,

718
00:39:24,190 --> 00:39:27,670
perched on the very edge
of the limestone plateau,

719
00:39:27,670 --> 00:39:31,550
is my destination -
the spa town of Buxton.

720
00:39:34,070 --> 00:39:37,150
This feels like a
well-deserved refreshment.

721
00:39:44,070 --> 00:39:46,510
Yep. That's definitely water.

722
00:39:46,510 --> 00:39:49,630
It's warmer than you might think,
but I guess that's to be expected,

723
00:39:49,630 --> 00:39:51,070
coming up from the ground.

724
00:39:51,070 --> 00:39:54,950
Geothermal water certainly
put Buxton on the map,

725
00:39:54,950 --> 00:39:58,870
but it was the railways that
made the town what it is today.

726
00:40:00,430 --> 00:40:04,110
Just over 50 years ago, you'd
have found the Midland Railway

727
00:40:04,110 --> 00:40:05,470
station right here.

728
00:40:07,030 --> 00:40:08,830
There's not much left of it.

729
00:40:10,630 --> 00:40:13,750
But we do know exactly
what the station looked

730
00:40:13,750 --> 00:40:17,070
like because its twin
is still with us.

731
00:40:18,910 --> 00:40:22,950
Buxton is where the Midland Railway
ran into its arch rival -

732
00:40:22,950 --> 00:40:28,470
the London and North Western -
and their station is still here.

733
00:40:31,510 --> 00:40:33,950
The Midland had hoped to
build their line straight

734
00:40:33,950 --> 00:40:36,830
through Buxton to Manchester.

735
00:40:36,830 --> 00:40:40,670
But as they got here, the LNWR
were finishing their own line

736
00:40:40,670 --> 00:40:42,510
to Buxton FROM Manchester.

737
00:40:44,750 --> 00:40:46,190
Look, you can see.

738
00:40:46,190 --> 00:40:50,270
London and North Western
Railway Company carved in stone

739
00:40:50,270 --> 00:40:53,310
above this wonderfully
intricate window.

740
00:40:58,270 --> 00:41:02,830
Both stations were designed by
Joseph Paxton, who'd made his name

741
00:41:02,830 --> 00:41:05,510
creating the
Crystal Palace in London.

742
00:41:06,910 --> 00:41:08,870
Perfect railway symmetry.

743
00:41:10,070 --> 00:41:15,230
Amazingly, they each had their grand
opening on the same day in May 1863.

744
00:41:16,350 --> 00:41:21,310
The Midlands had their dinner
at 2pm and the LNWR just an hour

745
00:41:21,310 --> 00:41:23,710
later at 3pm.

746
00:41:23,710 --> 00:41:26,510
Allegedly, Paxton
made it along to both.

747
00:41:30,030 --> 00:41:34,030
In a quirk of Victorian railway
building, Buxton ended up

748
00:41:34,030 --> 00:41:36,150
a terminus to two lines.

749
00:41:38,150 --> 00:41:41,870
But did that stop the Midland
reaching Manchester?

750
00:41:41,870 --> 00:41:45,870
Oh, no. They simply backtracked
down their own line and created

751
00:41:45,870 --> 00:41:48,750
a new route, missing out
Buxton entirely.

752
00:41:51,270 --> 00:41:55,590
You've got to admire the Midlands'
determination, but I don't think

753
00:41:55,590 --> 00:41:57,950
Buxton was any worse off.

754
00:41:57,950 --> 00:42:02,870
The population of the town
tripled within just 20 years

755
00:42:02,870 --> 00:42:05,230
of the railways arriving.

756
00:42:05,230 --> 00:42:11,030
And the country got its second main
line between London and Manchester -

757
00:42:11,030 --> 00:42:16,150
one full of the beauty and drama
of the Peak District.

758
00:42:16,150 --> 00:42:19,710
That one's no longer with us,
but what a train ride

759
00:42:19,710 --> 00:42:20,990
it must have been.

760
00:42:25,510 --> 00:42:26,750
Next time...

761
00:42:26,750 --> 00:42:29,950
It's the story of the
very first railways.

762
00:42:29,950 --> 00:42:34,750
..I'm in the northeast to see how
coal kick-started the railway age.

763
00:42:34,750 --> 00:42:37,390
That could be 200 year old.

764
00:42:37,390 --> 00:42:40,070
I'll pay a visit to the 1820s...

765
00:42:40,070 --> 00:42:42,750
All the mechanics of this
are right on show.

766
00:42:42,750 --> 00:42:47,390
..and see how lost mining railways
are getting a new lease of life.

767
00:42:47,390 --> 00:42:49,750
C'mon! Yeah!

768
00:43:13,950 --> 00:43:16,070
Subtitles by Red Bee Media