Matt Ditch Photography Blog

 Askham Hall - The forgotten Avonside. Askham Hall in Whitehaven in 1976.  © George Woods   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 ...

Event recap: Beamish Museum - "Coffee Pot 150"  01/05/21 Beamish museum held their first event since 2019 on the 1st of May 2021. The event was to celebrate the 150th birthday of the museums 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. It is believed that the engine was in use up till 1949, although some reports suggest that it was dismantled for inspection in 1950 and returned to steam, steaming till 1952 when it was withdrawn. In 1960, it was repurchased by its makers and along with 2 other "Coffee Pots" both from Seaham. These were No's.21 and 33, which is also a Beamish resident. No.21 is now on static display at Preston Park near Thornaby. No.1 was offered to Beamish Museum in 1962 but did not arrive at the museum till 1970. Between 1962 and 1970 it was stored at British steels Consett Ironworks. At Beamish it was restored to opera...

5 little known Industrial railway sites along the River Wear A few days ago I was exploring my local area using Rail Maps Online . I noticed that since my last visit to the site a few railways had appeared in my area, I thought it rude not to go for an explore! I didn’t expect to find much at any of these sites as many of them fell out of use many years ago and have been reclaimed by nature, but I was pleasantly surprised…. Site 1. An unidentified shipyard on the North side of the River Wear I haven’t been able to find too much out about this site. It appears to have been abandoned around the 1930s. The buildings were on the left where the thick undergrowth now stands. On the right was a wharf, the remains can still be seen. On closer inspection of some old OS maps it would appear that the tracks ran along the wharf. I believe the railway system here was narrow gauge, but I was unable to find anything due to the boggy nature of the area. Site 2. Incline to a Quarry & another shipy...

  Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST "Horden"  On Sunday I was fortunate enough to see my first steam loco of the year. It was also my first opportunity to see newly restored Andrew Barclay "Horden" in steam. The engine has been painstakingly restored over the past several years by the volunteers at the Tanfield railway, where the loco will be based.  "Horden" was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co in 1904 with the works number 1015. It was built for the Horden Colliers LTD in County Durham. During Horden's working life it was based at the companies collieries at Horden, Shotton and Blackhall. She was also the only Durham area locomotive to be sent to the Ashington Central workshop for repair. To avoid paying the North Eastern Railways' movement charges the loco was once moved by road using four track panels.  Horden became a National Coal Board engine in 1947 while it was based at Shotton Colliery. It was at Shotton where Horden took on a  Q6 0-8-0 and won...

 Howe & Co Sidings and Cocklakes Works Tramway © Bill Watson https://ironroad.smugmug.com/ History & The Route Located several miles south of Carlisle lies the site of Howe & Co Sidings and Cocklakes works tramway. The short but steeply graded tramway connected Howe & Co sidings on the famous Settle & Carlisle railway with the Gypsum works at Cocklakes. It was in  operation from the 1880s until the 1970s when it was put on "Care & Maintenance" and subsequently closed. However, Gypsum had been mined in the area since the 1680s. But, things did not fully take off till during the second world war when there was an increased demand.  John Howe opened and operated the mines till around 1910 when the Carlisle plaster & Cement company took over. They were later taken over by British Gypsum.  Today the majority of the 1-mile tramway can be walked. And, in places there are some reminders of its previous life as an industrial railway. Starting at th...

The Lambton Waggonway  Lambton Works which was the headquarters of the railway. In the background is the remaining headgear of the former Dorothea Pit, but this time-serving only as an emergency shaft.  © Copyright Alan Murray-Rust and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence The Lambton Waggonway or Newbottle Waggonway as it also appears to have been known was a waggonway that linked the coal fields of Durham with the River Wear at Lambton Staithes. It can trace its roots back to the early 1700s when a horse-drawn waggonway was constructed to link the mines around Fatfield with the River Wear at Cox Green. Sometime in the early 1800s a line was built between Burnmoor and Philadelphia. The latter became the engineering base of the Lambton system. Some of the orignal structures still stand to this day.  A recreated wooden waggonway at Beamish museum. By 1819 the Newbottle waggonway had been acquired and integrated with the Philadelphia and Burnmoor section. A...