Matt Ditch Photography

A selection of images taken at Threlkeld Quarry near Keswick. The image show the museums resident Bagnall 0-4-0ST "Sir Tom" in steam at various points around the museum site.

This series of images was taken on two separate tours of the Bowes Railway. The first tour concentrated on the wider Bowes site with a trip to the site of Mount Moor Colliery followed by a visit to both Black Fell and Blackham’s Hill Hauler Houses.

The second tour was focused on the Springwell site and included a look at the original buildings, which still house many of the original tools and machines. A further look at the rope-hauling infrastructure and, the locomotives and stock.

The 2023 steam gala at Threlkeld Quarry near Keswick. This years Gala featured visiting locomotives Andrew Barclay “Cegin” and Peckett “Liassic”.

Pictures taken on the second day of the railways Lambton-themed gala. The gala featured the reunion of Lambton locomotives 0-6-2 No.29 (Kitson w/n 4263) and Austerity No.60 (Hunslet w/n 3686). They were joined by the railway’s other visiting locomotive “Illingworth “ (Hudswell Clarke w/n 1208).

Beamish Colliery Railway running day featuring visiting Andrew Barclay 1219, the boiler of new build North Eastern Railway K class No.559 and narrow gauge Andrew Barclay “Glyder”

A serioues of photographs featuring the replica “Puffing Billy” which returned to steam this week after winter maintenance.

Head, Wrightson & Co No.21/ Seaham Harbour Dock Company No.16

No.21 was built in 1870 by Head, Wrightson & Co as No.21 at their Teesdale Ironworks in Stockton-on-Tees for the Londonderry Railway to work at Seaham Harbour in County Durham, just south of Sunderland. In 1899 the Londonderry Railway became part of the North Eastern Railway. And in 1900 the Seaham Harbour Dock Company Ltd was formed and the locomotive passed into their ownership, where it became No.16. It remained at Seaham until 1959 when it was sold back to Head, Wrightson & Co. Who restored it to how it would have looked when built. Today the loco is on static display in Preston Park near Stockton.

Sister engines No.33/17 and No.1 are based at Beamish museum. No.1, which is nearly identical to 21 is operational and steamed regularly.

Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST “Illingworth” is currently visiting the railway from its current home, The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway in Yorkshire. “Illingworth” was built in 1916 for use at the Ministry of Munitions at Gretna Green, during the First World War. In 1922, it was sold to Bradford Corporation for use on the Nidd Valley Light Railway, where it was initially named “Mitchell”. From 1930 it was named “Illingworth” after William Illingworth, who opened the Nidd Valley Water Supply Scheme. The engine was sold again in 1936 to Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd who renamed the engine “Harold”. It was used in the construction of Ebbw Vale steelworks in Wales. 4 years later in 1940 it was again sold, this time to Mowlem’s who renamed it “Swynnerton”. Following sale to them, the locomotive was used at a variety of industrial locations. Including, Workington breakwater project and Mowlem’s Braehead power station. In 1957 the locomotive was sent for scrap. But, was thankfully saved. The loco returned to steam in 2017 once again named “Illingworth”. In 2022 the locomotive was once again renamed “Seacole/Nightingale” after two famous Nurses.

Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST “Illingworth” is currently visiting the railway from its current home, The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway in Yorkshire. “Illingworth” was built in 1916 for use at the Ministry of Munitions at Gretna Green, during the first world war. In 1922, it was sold to Bradford Corporation for use on the Nidd Valley Light Railway, where it was initially named “Mitchell”. From 1930 it was named “Illingworth” after William Illingworth, who opened the Nidd Valley Water Supply Scheme. The engine was sold again in 1936 to Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd who renamed the engine “Harold”. It was used in the construction of Ebbw Vale steelworks in Wale. 4 years later in 1940 it was again sold, this time to Mowlem’s who renamed it “Swynnerton”. Following sale to them, the locomotive was used at a variety of industrial locations. Including, Workington breakwater project and Mowlem’s Braehead power station. In 1957 the locomotive was sent for scrap. But, was thankfully saved. The loco returned to steam in 2017 once again named “Illingworth”. In 2022 the locomotive was once again renamed “Seacole/Nightingale” after two famous Nurses.

Bank holiday steam on the AVR with Lambton Austerity No. 60.

An event to mark the bicentenary of the opening of the Hetton Colliery Railway. The event featured a parade of vintage vehicles with local connections. And, the return to Hetton of No.14. The last steam locomotive to run on the HCR in Hetton.

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT (well tank) Grey/Glyder was built in 1931 for the Burnhope Reservoir railway near Wearhead. "Grey" was one of 5 well tanks built for use on the line by Andrew Barclay. When the railway closed in 1937 many of the locomotives including Grey were sold on to Penrhyn Quarry railway in North Wales. Here the engine was renamed "Glyder". When the PQR closed, the engine and several others were sold onto private collections in the USA. Grey/Glyder returned to the UK in 2012 along with Avonside 0-4-0T "Durham/Ogwen". All the engines that were exported have now returned to the UK. In recent years Grey/Glyder has returned to steam at Beamish and still carries a lot of its original Penrhyn Quarry railway livery.

The reunion gala for Bagnall saddle tanks “Victor” & “Vulcan” at the North Tyneside steam railway.

Merchant Navy No.35018 “British India Line” at Plawsworth with the York to Edinburgh section of the Great Britain XIV.

Photos of Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST “Horden” on the Tanfield railway between East Tanfield and Andrews House.

A selection of random images taken over the last several years at various events and visits.

Hunslet 0-4-2 “Green Dragon” at various spots between Slaggyford and Kirkhaugh.

Pictures from the monthly running of Beamish museum’s resident "Coffee Pot" No.1. Which, was built in 1871 by Head Wrightson & Co Ltd in Teesside for Dorking Greystone Lime Company for use at Betchworth Quarry. Also in steam were Stephen Lewin “No.18” and narrow gauge Andrew Barclay “Grey/Glyder”

Andrew Barclay 0-6-0st “Horden” in steam on the Tanfield Railway.

The Histroy of “Horden” can be found here.

North Tyneside Steam Railway - 30th Anniversary gala

The gala featured 3 steam engines in operation. These were; Bagnall "Vulcan", Austerity No.49 (Tanfield Railway) & J27 No. 65894 (NELPG/NYMR)

An event to celebrate the 50th birthday of the last commercially built industrial steam engine in the UK. Trangkil No.4 was built in 1971 by Hunslet for the Trangkil Sugar Mill in Java.

with Bagnall 0-6-0ST “Victor” in charge of trains.

Featuring Bagnall 0-4-0ST “Sir Tom”

Austerity 0-6-0ST No.49 returned to steam for the first time in 14 months during the late May bank holiday.

Anyone who has visited Threlkeld Quarry in recent years may have spotted the unrestored and sad looking 0-4-0 saddle tank sitting in the lower storage area. This is Avonside No.1772 of 1917 “Askham Hall”. Built by Avonside locomotives works, Bristol. The engine was originally named “Sella Park" a name it carried until Hawthorn Leslie rebuilt it during 1935.

The engine spent its working life on the Cumbrian coast, spending time working at industrial sites in Workington & Whitehaven. In the early 1970’s it ran over BR metals under its own power moving from Solway colliery Workington where it saw little use, to Whitehaven where it worked coal trains along Whitehaven harbour, transporting coal from Howgill incline to ships that would then take the coal to Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Askham Hall finally became surplus and was donated to Copeland Borough Council who transferred the engine to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite railway near Windermere. It remained there from the late 1970’s to the early 2000’s. It was never steamed while there, instead it was put on static display outside the engine shed with another Cumbrian industrial engine. Andrew Barclay no. 929 of 1902 “Alexandra”, which worked at Millom Ironworks just down the coast from Whitehaven.

After leaving Haverthwaite Askham Hall returned to Whitehaven and was put on display at Haig Colliery Mining Museum, who at the time intended to build a railway on the site linking Haig pit with the Beacon museum located on the harbour at Whitehaven. Askham Hall was not the only loco on site as there were a number of diesel shunters, Hunslet (2389 of1941), Thomas Hill (130c of 1963) and Vulcan Foundry (5262 of 1945). These now reside at the Eden Valley Railway near Warcop.

Askham Hall moved in 2008 to its current resting place at Threlkeld quarry near Keswick. From what I understand it is planned to move Askham Hall to the Eden Valley Railway once they have erected a shed. Hopefully this means the engine can be restored to operational condition, but years of outside storage will make it a costly restoration.

The museums first gala since March 2019 celebrating Coffee Pot No.1’s 150th anniversary.

“Horden” preforming a second round of loaded test trains. All the pictures were taken around East Tanfield.

Newly restored Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST “Horden” on test at the Tanfield Railway.

Tanfield Railway "North Pole Express" featuring

Hawthorn Leslie "Keighley Corporation Gas Dept. No. 2", Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn "Sir Cecil A Cochrane" and Santa!

An impromptu visit to the railway to see No.2 in steam. The railway recently received a grant for £245k by Government’s Culture Recovery Fund which will help secure the future of the railway.

Probably my last visit to the Ratty of 2020. The locos in operation were, River Esk, Whillan Beck & Northern Rock.

Photos taken between Newby Bridge halt and Lakeside featuring Bagnall 0-6-0 “Princess”

Merchant Navy No.35018 “British India Line” hauling the “Dalesman” railtour from Chester to Carlisle at Howe & Co Sidings. 35018 hauled the train from Hellifield-Carlisle-Carnforth.

Thanks to a tip off from a volunteer at the North Tyneside Steam railway I was able to catch Bagnall 401 “Vulcan” hauling a number of demonstration freight trains for training purposes.

Bagnall 0-6-0ST No.401 “Vulcan” first passenger trains since repaint into its original Steel Company of Wales livery.

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.

Pictures taken on the 06/08/20 featuring Northern Rock & River Esk.

The railway ran a series of crew familiarisation trains over the weekend of the 1st-2nd of August. The railway will be reopening to the public on the 9th of August.

Pictures from a visit to the Worth valley spring steam gala on the 6th March 2020. Visiting engine for the gala was Prairie tank No.4144

A quick trip to Beamish to see Peckett 0-6-0ST No.2000 in steam.

By my own admission I’m not really a fan of diesels, I much prefer steam! However some of my earliest memories are going to Newcastle with my granddad Charles to watch the intercity trains pass through. I seem to recall the first cab I ever went in was that of a HST bound for Kings Cross when I was no more than 3-4 years old. My granddad had got talking to the driver and somehow manged to persuade him to let me have a look. So for “old times sake” I made sure I went out to photograph the farewell tour as it Newcastle.

Flying Scotsman on the “Christmas Dalesman” near Cumwhinton in Cumbria. And some S&C and Tyne Valley misc.

My first visit to the railway for there autumn steam gala. The gala featured: Caledonian Railway No. 419, which hauled a pair of Caledonian Railway coaches, No. 1 Lord Roberts, unfortunately painted like a certain little blue engine, Hunslet Austerity No.19 and Andrew Barclay No.6

A quick trip around the museum in between photographing trains on the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway. A really impressive museum with a lot to explore, worth the visit!

A quick trip to Beamish to take some Autumn shots.

Featuring most of the railways operational fleet including, Twizell, No.49, Sir Cecil A Cochrane & Armstrong Whitworth diesel No.2. Also on site was Tarmac Sentinel DG8.

Pictures taken during the 2019 steam gala at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The gala featured a fantastic variety of steam locomotives from many different regions.

Pictures taken during the Saturday of the 1940s weekend. The event featured two steam engines in operation, No.49 and “Sir Cecil A Cochrane”. It was also possible to view the railways latest arrival Armstrong Whitworth diesel “D21”.

Photos taken at Plawsworth in Co.Durham to see No. 62005 "Lord of the Isles” pass through on its way to Grosmont on the NYMR.

Mostly pictures of Peckett No.2000…

Images from a rather wet trip on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway.

A couple of pictures taken during a quick stop over at Kings Cross station.

Pictures from the Old King coal event at Beamish museum. This event was the official launch of newly restored Andrew Barclay E-class “Grey/Glyder”

A visit to the Ratty in late May 2019 in typical Cumbrian weather…grey, overcast & cold!

Flying Scotsman & Mayflower head north through Plasworth Co.Durham with the “Highlands & Islands” railtour