Full Steam Ahead

The introduction of the steam railways in the early 19th century changed Britain in many ways. The team explore how they created a domestic revolution, changing the way people lived, from the houses they lived in to the food they ate.

The team visit Beamish in County Durham to explore how the railway companies soon recognised that there was money to be made in moving people, rather than just stone, coal and iron. The comfort of the early passenger wagons are put to the test.

How the railways transformed the British diet, rescuing a nation that was struggling to feed itself. Alex and Peter load sheep onto a train, discovering how the transportation of livestock by rail transformed the quality and quantity of meat.

At the National Railway Museum, Alex and Peter help get the most famous locomotive in the world, the Flying Scotsman, into steam. The team take a ride of a lifetime as the loco travels along its original route.

Ruth hand-milks a local breed of cow, and discovers how the railways came to the rescue when a deadly disease wiped out almost the entire stock of London cattle. Peter undergoes an eyesight test, Victorian-style.

The team discovers how the combination of increased leisure time and affordable rail transport brought a new kind of freedom for working-class Victorians.