Matt Ditch Photography Blog

For a while now I've been working on a Hunslet heavily inspired by those used on the Howrah-Amta Light Railway. And I've very pleased to finally be able to share the model. Website eBay

  Throwback to happier times with J27 No.65894 & T2 (Q6) No.2238 double-heading a train away from Grosmont during the 2019 steam gala. Full gallery

  Today's shot comes from the heavily overgrown trackbed of the Lambton railways Littletown & Sherburn branch. The picture was taken near the site of Hunter's house pit.

 

 Today I walked part of the "Tyne Dock to Consett" route from Washington to near Pelton. Obviously, this got me thinking about what the line must have been like back in the day and how I wish I could've seen a 9F thunder through South Pelaw on its way up to Consett. The above shots is of 9F No.92134 taken last year on the NYMR during their steam gala.

Heywood 0-4-0 "Katie" passes the site of Gill force junction with a train from Ravenglass to Dalegarth. The video was taken during River Esk's 100th centenary gala on the 29/04/23 The full gala video can be found here:     • River Esk's 100th...  

 

  Last night the South Tynedale Railway published an image on their social media of the completed work to radically alter the appearance of historically important Thomas Green 0-6-2 "Barber".  The loco, pictured above  was built in 1908 by Thomas Green & Sons of Leeds and spent its entire working life on the Harrogate Gas Works railway. It was even used during the construction of the railway. "Barber" was named after Francis Barber who was the chairman of the gasworks. It is also thought to be the only Thomas Green locomotive left in this part of the world "Barber" was built with a cut-down cab to allow it to fit through a tunnel with a reduced clearance, hence the somewhat squat appearance. Prior to 2015 "Barber" was last steamed in the 1940s by which time it was worn out. The rear of the frames were extremely weak due to the lowered cab. And there were also issues with its regulator. The engine had been rebuilt a number of times during its...

  A little sneak peek from an upcoming project. No prizes for guessing which railway this is/was!

River Esk's 100th centenary gala 29/04/23 Visiting Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway locomotive No. 2 "Northern Chief" passes Gill force Junction with a train for Ravenglass. Full gallery

  River Esk's 100th centenary gala 29/04/23 Here are my pictures from River Esk's 100th centenary gala on 29/04/23. As always the whole gallery  can be found here . But, below are a few of my favorites.

 The view from Slate Fell near Cockermouth around the time of Sunset. 

  A quick snap of the remains of Whitwell level crossing on the Leamside line. I passed over here yesterday whilst out exploring the Shincliffe and Sherburn areas. The leamside line is currently mothballed with no trains having ran on it in over 30 years. 

  Afternoon everyone, I have a few things I need to get off my chest regarding the use of my photography. It goes without saying that I take a lot of pride in my photography, and I enjoy sharing it with you across social media and on my website. However, there have been a few incidents recently regarding the use of my work that I wanted to address here. Firstly, relating to people using my work without my permission. To put it simply, don’t do this. Photography is my job and people do pay me to use my images. Not only is it illegal and a violation of copyright laws, but it is also disrespectful to the time and effort I put into creating these images. If you want to use my work, please ask for permission and credit me appropriately. Secondly, there have been cases where people have cropped or edited my photos without my consent. This is also unacceptable. When you crop or edit my work, you are essentially changing my art and presenting it in a way that may not align with my original...

 

  Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No 14 (Works No 3056) the last steam loco to work on the HCR returns to Hetton on the 18/06/22.  Full gallery

  BR 2-6-4T Class 4MT No.80136 passes through Goathland with a demonstration goods train

  Looking down Nanny Mayer's Incline My latest disused railway gallery is now live on my website. It covers a walk along the Stanhope & Tyne railway from Lydgetts junction to the top of Weatherhill incline. Below is a small selection of images from the gallery, see individual photos for more details. The full gallery can be found here If you'd like to learn more about the Stanhope & Tyne railway then I highly recommend the books by Rob Langham

Looking back to a cold and grey day in February this year. Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST “Illingworth” creeps under the old Wallsend road bridge with a short freight train on the North Tyneside Steam Railway Full gallery >> https://www.mattditch.photography/rail#/north-tyneside-steam-railway-freight-demonstration-day-260223/

It's been a little while since I posted any new models. Well, today I'm very pleased to be able to share my latest creation.  Going back several years one of the first 009 kits I designed was for a Pre-War Sentinel. The model quickly became outdated as I learned new skills and improved my offerings. However, I always intended to re-release it at some point in the future. Over the last several weeks I've designed a completely new model from scratch, which I'm now happy to share with everyone. The attached photo shows my very work-worn-looking Pre-War sentinel trundling along with some wagons. The model is designed to fit a shortened Kato 109 or 108 chassis (Not included)  If you'd like your own the kit can be purchased on either of the below links Website  Ebay