MattDitch

New Kit! 009/oo9 Manning Wardle Tram I was recently researching the North Sunderland Railway. During my research I found that one of the original ideas was for the line to be built as a narrow gauge tramway...and this got me thinking! For more info and to purchase the kit please follow this link It can also be found on my eBay And Shapeways

New year, new blog post! I've long been fascinated with the Cawfields Quarry Railway, a narrow gauge industrial railway in Northumberland. Please click on the below image to read the article.

2020 in review. What a strange year! Obviously due to these strange time a lot of heritage railways have been closed and as a result many events cancelled. Below is a selection of my favorite images from trips that I have been able to make this year. Please follow this link to view the full gallery

Advent Calendar Day 25... Merry Christmas! Austerity "No.49" and Hawthorn Leslie "No.2" pass at a festive looking Andrews House station on the Tanfield Railway. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 24 I've posted about Barber and the Harrogate Gas works railway a few times recently. Below is a picture of the other surviving Harrogate Gas works loco, Peckett 2050 "Harrogate". The Peckett lost it's distinctive cutdown appearance during a rebuild at the Bredgar & Wormshill Light railway during the late 80s early 90s. It now resides at the Statfold Barn railway. The below picture was taken at Lintley Halt on the South Tynedale Railway during the summer of 2017 while "Barber" was undergoing repair at Statfold barn. Personally I think it would be nice to see "Harrogate" returned to its as built cutdown appearance one day. Full Gallery History of the Harrogate Gas works railway

Advent Calendar Day 23 Bassenthwaite Lake station is a disused station on the closed Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway. It is located near the small village of Dubwath just off the A66 near Bassenthwaite Lake. The station is currently been restored to its former glory as a tourist attraction. The locomotive and coaches are the props used during the filming of the 2017 film ”Murder on the Orient Express”. At present the station is closed to the public but can be viewed from the road. The locomotive is based on a SNCF class 241P. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 22 It's been a little while since I've been able to make a video due to obvious reasons. But below is one recorded at the Tanfield Railway during the first day of the 2020 "North Pole Express" on 19/12/20. Featured in the video are Hawthorn Leslie "Keighley Corporation Gas Dept. No. 2", Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn "Sir Cecil A Cochrane" and Santa! Along with a quick look at some of the stored engines in Marley Hill yard.

Advent Calendar Day 21 River Esk at Gill Force Junction Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 20 Beamish Museum "Old King Coal" 29/06/19 Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT “Grey/Glyder” and museum resident replica Stephen Lewin “Samson” at the start of the day. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 19 Tanfield Railway "North Pole Express" 19/12/20 Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 18 Former Southam Cement Works Peckett 0-6-0ST “Liassic” at Threlkeld Quarry with a short freight train. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar Day 17 "Sir Nigel Gresley" shortly after arriving at Locomotion Shildon during the preparation for the "Great Goodbye" on 13/02/14. Full gallery

Advent Calendar day 16 Caledonian Railway No. 419 prepares to depart Bo’ness during the 2019 winter steam gala Full Gallery

Advent Calendar day 15 Several days ago I posted a few images of former Harrogate Gas works railway 0-6-2ST "Barber". This post generated a lot of interest so I've prepared a follow up article giving more information on "Barber" and the railway it was built for. Click here to read that

Advent Calendar day 14 “Katie” and “River Irt” from the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway on the 15inch gauge railway in the colliery village. Running alongside them is Stephen Lewin No 18 "Lewin" Full Gallery

Still got a few copies of my 2021 railway calendar available. Click here if interested.

Advent Calendar day 13 K1 No.62005 & A4 pacific No.60009 “Union of South Africa” pass through Darnholme. Full gallery

Advent Calendar day 12 Bagnall 0-6-0ST No.401 “Vulcan” first passenger trains since repaint into its original Steel Company of Wales livery. This image was taken at the North Tyneside Steam Railway on the 28/08/20. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar day 11 A4 pacific No.60009 "Union of South Africa" double heading day 4 of the Great Britain XII with Black Five No.44871. The pair are seen shortly after arriving at Carlisle. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar day 10 Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-4-0ST “Eustace Forth” at Locomotion during the 2018 steam gala. Full gallery

Advent Calendar day 9 Sunderland Tram No.16 at Beamish Museum. Full Gallery

Advent Calendar day 8 Last night I learned of some controversial plans to alter the cab height on Thomas Green 0-6-2 "Barber". The engine was built in 1908 for the Harrogate Gas Works railway in Yorkshire. Due to the height of a tunnel on the railway "Barber" was built with a reduced height cab. The below images show the engine during its 2015 re-launch event at it's current home, the South Tynedale Railway. Hopefully the engines historic appearance isn't to radically altered.

Advent Calendar day 7 Something a bit different today. here's an article I wrote on the North Sunderland Railway. Click the image below to read the full thing. A special thanks goes to Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust for allowing me to use several of there images. Please respect their copyright and do not use any of their images without permission.

Advent Calendar day 6 Pockerley waggonway. 29/10/19 “Puffing Billy” hauling the recreated wagonway train towards the end of the running line. Note the Replica “Brampton” carriage at the rear. Link to full gallery

Advent Calendar day 5 Flying Scotsman on the “Christmas Dalesman” near Cumwhinton in Cumbria. Full gallery