In this video we are looking at a disused railway line and a disused railway tunnel. The now abandoned railway branch line was called the Delph Donkey. Situated just outside the town of Oldham in Lancashire. It ran from Oldham through the village of Lees and on into Saddleworth terminating at the village of Delph. A myth about the service was that at some point the train was pulled by a Donkey. However its was a single steam locomotive that did a push pull service. The Steam locomotive pulled the train from Oldham then pushed it back from Delph. We look at old heritage railway photographs of the now closed line. The line was populated mainly by Cotton mill workers that commuted from Oldham into Saddleworth. The line served the villages of Greenfield, Grasscroft, Dob Cross, Grotton, Lees and finally Delph. The branch line closed to passengers in 1955 and finally to freight trains in 1963. The railway lines were removed in 1964. The trackbed is now a walk and cycleway on the outskirts of Oldham.

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Looking for The Delph Donkey ? Forgotten Branch Lines

In this video we visit the Goyt Valley in the Peak district and go to the ruins of Errwood Hall. This is the story of a classic Victorian Mansion that only lasted 100 years. Samuel Grimshaw was a rich Manchester Merchant he purchased the land in 1832 and had the hall built in 1840. Errwood hall was a classic mansion very grand, it had servants and groundsmen. Renown for its extravagant high society parties it must have been quite a place to visit on the Victorian VIP list. Unfortunately the hall was demolished around 1934 as  on the death of the last of the Grimshaws it was compulsory purchased by Stockport Council. It was deemed too near to the construction of the Errwood and Fernilee reservoirs that were built to provide the town of Stockport with fresh drinking water. We get to see the ruins of the hall and some poignant Victorian and Edwardian photographs of  Victorian society back in the day. The day is a wonderful walk in the peak district and Goyt valley. It makes a great day out.

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A classic Victorian Mansion. Why was Errwood Hall demolished ?

In this video we take a look at a former railway sidings and disused railway line in Manchester. The land is being developed in Collyhurst near the River Irk. This was the Redbank carriage sidings. Historically the area was known as Great Horrocks. We find that the area had the first Public Baths in Manchester. In 1836 The Dolphin public baths was opened in the area. It was a pioneer of the Victorian Public baths. We actually get down on site with the civil engineers and look at the land and a former railway turntable that was a piece of hidden history. Finally we take a look at the river Irk. The river bed was dry due to work being done. There was a temporary dam on the river. It was great to see the stonework on the Weir. Plus look at all the civil engineering infrastructure.

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Hidden history uncovered by a modern development

A brilliant piece of Manchester music history. In this video we go to New Orders old Rehearsal rooms in Cheetham Hill Manchester. The building off Cheetham Hill road was mainly famous because the video for New Order's Perfect Kiss was filmed there. The director was Jonathan Demme who went on to direct The Silence of the Lambs. This would have been the location where Blue Monday would have been tried out by the Band. Purchased in 1981 This former Gas board premises was bought by the band to rehearse in They would of probably been putting together classic albums such as Power Corruption and Lies, Lowlife and the classic Blue Monday. Blue Monday being the biggest selling vinyl 12 inch of all time. We uncover the original deeds to the building and see the documents that New Order a Factory Manchester band signed in June 1981. If your a fan of Factory Records, martin Hannet, New Order, Joy Division or music from the 1980's then this video is for you.

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Where was Blue Monday written ?

In this evenings video we do some voluntary work with the @canalrivertrust We are in Sheffield tackling a menacing Buddleia bush. Buddleia is an invasive species in the UK and Britains canal provides a thriving environment for it. So we set off on the Sheffield and Tinsley canal to do our voluntry work. If you want to get involved in this kind of work be it gardening, pruning or Lock keeping you can look at the Canal River Trust website for more details.  Get our enjoying Britains canal network

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Whats it like to volunteer with the Canal River Trust. On Britains Canals

In this video we visit the site of an old Wesleyan cemetery that was in Cheetham Hill in Manchester. The cemetery is now a Tesco car park. The old cemetery was developed in the early 2000's. This involved removing the gravestones, exhuming the bodies and re locating them in cemetery's around Greater Manchester. However something went wrong. When some of the remains , mainly bones turned up on a landfill site in Oldham. It looks like the contractor put the remains in the wrong skip, thus causing the calamity. This was a scandal in Manchester and the city council were involved as well as grieving families. In the second part of the video we look at some Manchester Music trivia as behind the Graveyard was New Orders old rehearsal room. Bernard Sumner was convinced something from the Wesleyan Cemetery was poisoning the water in the studio.

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The Bodies were found on a landfill tip

This video is our new year review of 2024. Containing outtakes. A look back at our favourite explorations what did we love and what did we not enjoy. It features previously unseen clips of urban exploration that never made it into a video. Each one of the team chats about our favourite explorations of 2024 in a Podcast style presentation. This is a new year round up a review of some of our videos. Contains behind the scenes and outtakes.

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Our podcast review of 2024. Contains with unseen clips

In this video we look at the work of the Canal River Trust. We start at Lock 69 on the Rochdale canal in Manchester. The Canal and River Trust are replacing the lock gates at this location as part of their rolling 25 year replacement and canal maintenance program. We ask the question where are the lock gates made. This took us to the Bradley workshops just outside Wolverhampton. We look around the lock gate workshop and see the history of this former canal basin. There is a canal boat dry dock where once the canal boats were repaired. The lock gates are made of English oak and its great to see the canal lock gates being built. Meanwhile in Manchester on the Rochdale canal the old Lock gates are taken away and the new lock gates are delivered.

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Where are canal lock gates made ?

In this video we take a look around the TransPennine / Siemens train care facility in Ardwick Manchester. This is definitely a video for the rail enthusiasts and trainspotters. This is where the TransPennine class 185 diesel multiple units are based and maintained. We look around the train depot and see class 185' s being serviced and maintained. We see the wheel turning lathe and the refuelling points. We get to see the diesel engine that powers the diesel multiple units undergoing maintainance. We take a class 185 through the wash as part of the train's maintenance schedule. We get to have a train driver experience on the driver training simulator. The driver training simulator creates real scenarios for train drivers in training and  to test experienced drivers and test their knowledge of safety procedures. This is a brilliant behind the scenes look at a modern train depot.We were kindly invited along to see what happens at the facility and it was arranged by Don Coffey. You may know him from his Youtube channel.

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A look around the TransPennine/Siemens Traincare facility in Manchester

In this video we get to try and review the Cyrusher Rumble. the new step through E bike from Cyrusher. With its powerful 250 Watt motor and 6 power levels its great fun out and about cycling.  We took it to a local park in Sheffield UK to give it a good test over the varied terrain and up and down hills. The E bike comes with front and rear disc brakes. 7 speed Shimano gears for when riding manually without assistance. Adjustable front suspension. A maximum distance of 58 miles on a full charge. It has really good wide tyres and coupled with the suspension and comfy seat combined the ride is really smooth. If your new to cycling or haven't cycled for a while, worried about fitness levels this is the bike for you. The E bike is from Cyrusher's step through range so getting on and off is very easy for all levels of fitness. The Cyrusher Rumble retails at £1399 but you can use the discount code 'Martin Zero' to get £80 off the price.
UK Cyrusher Rumble E-Bike: https://bit.ly/47xHwyc
US Cyrusher Rumble E-Bike: https://bit.ly/3ZyYfiG
£80/$80 Off Code: martinzero (works for both links)

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Whats it like to ride The Cyrusher Rumble E bike ?

The Elland road steam museum houses the largest working steam powered Mill engine in the world. Situated just outside Manchester this engine house from the former Elland Road mill is now part of a working steam museum. The steam museum as well as housing a huge working cotton mill engine also has a Lancashire boiler to power it. We visit on steaming up day. The lancashire boiler is fired with coal. The engine is a twin compound steam engine rated at around 2800 horse power. Possibly the most powerful in preservation. The museum also houses a Whitelees beam engine. The static mill steam engine was built by J&W McNaught of St Georges Foundry Rochdale Lancashire in 1920.  There is a 220 foot mill chimney on sight as well.

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What is this huge machine for ?

In this video we look at the demolition of a gas holder, Gasometer in Manchester UK. The Bradford road gas works was established in Manchester in 1877. The Bradford area is a suburb situated in East Manchester. This area consisting of Gorton, Clayton, Bradford, Ardwick was very industrial. Victorian industry was able to flourish in the area due to the nearby coal resources. The demand for gas usage was increasing and so an additional gas works had to be built at Bradford road. These gas works at the time produced Coal gas or as commonly called ‘Town gas’ It was stored in huge Gasometers that dominated the skyline. Nearby was a Colliery, coal mine called Bradford Colliery. Although it eventually caused mining subsidence in the area and had to close. It was one of the main providers of coal for the gas works. The gasometer we are looking at is being demolished. It was built in 1908 and has dominated the skyline since. It is a telescopic gasometer, it rises and falls depending on how much gas is being stored in it. We have many old photos of Manchester that show the industrial history of the area. We see that stages of demolition at the hands of the cutters torch. Cut up with an oxy-acetylene torch the gas holder has been reduced to scrap metal. With the advent of Natural North sea gas not required to be stored it spelt the end for these kind of telescopic gas tanks, gas holders, gasometers. This is a video that documents the industrial and Victorian history of Manchester and the UK.

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What happened to Gasometers ?

In this video we look at what is being done on the River Irk in Manchester. The River Irk at Collyhurst in Manchester has recently been diverted a short way so that utilities can be passed underneath the river bed. This civil engineering project is fascinating as it exposes an old weir. For the first time the weir is dry and exposed. The weir is possibly around 200 years old. So for the first time possibly in our lifetime we get to see the exposed construction of this old industrial relic. This work is part of a bigger development in Collyhurst called the St Catherine's corridor along the Irk Valley in Manchester. Historically this area is very important because an old Corn mill was on the development site. Called Travis Island Mill, It was a water mill powered by the River Irk. We look at old maps to see that this old corn mill could possibly be exposed in the civil engineering work. The Mill and the weir look back to the start of the Industrial Revolution in Manchester. This is a video about Manchester's industrial history.

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What have they done to the River ?

This video is about the industrial history of Stockport and Manchester. We investigate The town of Stockport's old corn mill tunnels. These tunnels took water from the river Goyt to drive waterwheels for the old corn mills. We start the story at Stringers weir built in the 18th century at the start of the Industrial Revolution in Stockport and Manchester. Industrial wars and Stockport's famous workable sandstone created a situation where each mill owner ended up driving his own tunnel to utilise the precious commodity of water power. So much water was taken from the river Goyt that at times the river almost ran dry. This video overlaps with our Stockport power station video. As we got a glimpse at the old water tunnels in that video. We also further look at cultural references and this time we look at how the film A taste of honey utilised the back drop of stockport power station. Stringers tunnel is full of deep mud and proves to be a treacherous explore wading through the mud of the old water tunnel.

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Stockport's Old Corn Mill Tunnels

Subterranean Stockport. Stockport power station was also known as Millgate Power station. It was built in 1898 and was operational until 1976. It stood derelict until 1981 when demolition commenced. On the site now is a retail park and you would never know the Power station was once there. But underneath the original infrastructure of the power station is still intact. In the form of the old water intake tunnels for the steam turbines. The water intake tunnels utilised the old corn mill tunnels of stockport. Ancient Corn mill tunnels. These tunnels had their source at a river and sent water to turn waterwheels. We enter the Stockport power station tunnels via a water surge pipe. Then we have to pass underneath a partly closed penstock which is very frightening. Inside we can see the old chambers that took water into the power station for the boilers. The station was built to provide power for the Stockport tram system initially then domestic and industrial demand increased. The power station underwent various re fits one in the 1930's and one in the 1950's. Situated on the river Goyt in Stockport the power station was unusual in that it had two wooden cooling towers. This is also a part of Manchester history.

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Stockport Power Station tunnels

In this video we visit the source of the river Medlock. Situated just outside the town of Oldham in a place called Strinesdale. A spring gives rise to our River Medlock. It was a bleak and foggy autumn day the day we went to search for the river source on the moors above Oldham. Whilst looking at the upper reaches of the river, we also encounter the first river culvert that the river Medlock encounters. This takes the river under the streets and comes out near an Oldham cotton mill. This is a historic journey in Oldham and Manchester.

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The Source of the River Medlock

In this video we are back on Manchester's River Medlock. This is episode XII. We are on a historical journey following the river. This video is centred on the final part of the River Medlock from its confluence with the River Irwell up to potato wharf at Castlefield. Ultimately finishing at the diversion tunnel that runs from Knott Mill to Castlefield. This has been a historical journey around Manchester following the River Medlock. Castlefield Basin was a busy hub dating from the 18th century when the Bridgewater canal opened in 1761. The Duke of Bridgewater brought his coal along the canal to sell in Manchester. Then along came other goods and warehouses and the Industrial Revolution was underway. Castlefield Manchester and the River Medlock found itself at the centre of all this. James Brindley played a part in developing the area having put into the early warehouses and the canal engineering. This video is a historical documentary, using urban methods to investigate a piece of Manchesters history.

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The River Medlock Episode XII. The Diversion tunnel

The first 5 customers purchasing the A5 can use this discount code（DYUZA5K） to buy it for £549👉  https://s.zbanx.com/r/KUckeUw12tI3 
If you don't require front suspension and don't need an anti-theft  lock, you can choose the more affordable A1F. You can purchase it for £449 using this discount code（DYUZA1K）https://s.zbanx.com/r/lXwgBBkjbrTV 
In this video we review the DYU A5 folding E bike. This powerful portable bike packs a punch and is great fun, It comes with a 250watt motor and 3 power modes. We extensively tested it. It has a maximum speed of 25Km/hr a maximum ride load of 150KG. It comes with front and rear lights and a horn. It folds down into a very compact size and when we tested it and took it on the train it was very convenient. Folding the e bike is easy and is also very quick to set up. It comes with front suspension and disc brakes front and rear. It has a well padded seat and with the suspension gives a very comfortable ride. An excellent feature is that it comes with a built in alarm and when the alarm is triggered the motor disconnects and a resistance is applied to the wheels making riding it away very difficult. The DYU A5 folding E bike retails at £549 there is a cheaper option available see links above.

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The DYU A5. Folding E-Bike. Powerful, portable and fun

This is about Manchesters UMIST Sackville building. The UMIST building situated in Manchester was part of the Manchester University. UMIST stands for University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. The building is an iconic building in manchester dominating Sackville street. It also has the Godlee observatory on the top. The building is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture. built in 1902. It used to receive steam heat from the Bloom street power station. We look at the building from basement to roof. There are tunnels under the UMIST building. The Sackville building has its roots in the 1824 mechanics institute. One of the founding fathers of the mechanics institute was John Dalton. One of Manchester Universities famous sons. John Dalton is also the father of modern chemistry. The building is stood on the former site of Sir Joseph Whitworths engineering works. The home of spinning and dyeing Manchester also taught the world at the UMIST university

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Manchester, The history of the UMIST Building. The Sackville building

In this evenings video we are looking at an engineering project in the Standedge canal and disused railway tunnels. The Standedge canal and railway tunnels go back as far as 229 years. The canal tunnel is the deepest, highest and longest canal tunnel in the world. The engineering work is to renew a communication system for the canal tunnel so that canal boats can be tracked through the tunnel. Pleasure tours and private canal boats go through the Standedge canal tunnels. Thank you to the Canal & River trust for inviting us along and looking at what the civil engineering contractor has done in the tunnels.  The Standedge tunnel goes under the Pennine hills between lancashire and Yorkshire between the villages of Diggle and Marsden.

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Engineering in Standedge Tunnel

This video is about a unique ship. The Danny steam ship. It has a unique back story. It was built by Cammell Laird the shipbuilders and was built for the Shropshire union canal as a tug. Later it was purchased by the Manchester ship canal company re named and called the Daniel Adamson. It had a job transporting the directors of the ship canal company around and hospitality to visiting dignitaries. We get a glimpse into the luxurious surroundings of this ship and take a look into the ships engine rooms.

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A very unique vessel. The Daniel Adamson Steam Ship.

In this video we ended up in underground Manchester. In the sewer system. We never intended to be here but in searching for Shooters brook we followed some wrong information. We ended up in a sewer tunnel. Not for the squemish. This is an urbex trip into underground Manchester

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Sometimes you get lost. (Some boys wander by mistake)

This video is called the Black cat mystery. Its an industrial story about a Boulton and Watt beam pump engine. On the banks of the river Irwell at Mount Sion works, Radcliffe North Manchester. Here we find an old Boulton & Watt beam pumping engine that used to pump mine water in a Colliery in The Lancashire coal field. The Mine was called the Black Cat colliery. The Boulton & Watt engine was re purposed to be water powered as it started life as a steam pumping engine. In order to understand the story we must understand some of the history of the Manchester/ Lancashire coal field. The coal field around Cocky Moor in Radcliffe north Manchester was drained by a mine drainage sough or tunnel. This sough was called the Cocky Moor culvert. Our journey takes us along the banks of the river Irwell and finally we find a heritage Boulton & Watt pumping engine. The last of its kind. This is a story about the history of Manchester and the history of Lancashire mining and the Lancashire coal field.

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The Mount Sion Beam Pump.(The Black Cat mystery)

In this video we visit the Anderton Boat lift one of the wonders of the canal world in the Canals of Britain. There is also a steam heritage day on that day. so we get to see some wonderful steam vehicles. The Anderton boat lift links the Trent and Mersey canal to the River Weaver navigation in Cheshire. The boat lift is a Iron beauty that was built for the cheshire salt industry in Northwich. The Anderton boat lift is a wonder of Victorian Engineering.

Martin Zero