Matt Ditch Photography Blog

My previous visit to Beamish was in less-than-ideal conditions (rain!). So, when I found out visiting Andrew Barclay No.1219 would be running during the week I decided to make another visit. thankfully the weather was much nicer! And, I was able to record a video of it shunting. Which I'll release this weekend on my Youtube channel (Matt Ditch Photography) The attached image shows 1219 passing by the colliery engine shed with a rake of Chaldron wagons. The full gallery can be found here

 Beamish Steam Gala. 01/04/23 Over the weekend of the 1st &2nd of April, Beamish Museum held its first transport-related event of the year. The star guest for the event was Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No.1219 visiting from the Pontypool & Blaenavon railway in South Wales. The engine was operating on the colliery railway with museum resident Coffee Pot No.1. 1219  is staying at the museum till early May.  Below are some of my favorite pictures from the event. The full gallery can be found here. Visiting Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No.1219 Foden "Mighty Atom" No.1 behind the Colliery engine shed 1219 & Stephen Lewin replica "Samson" Fowler road locomotive and Sunderland tram No.16

Cawfields Quarry Railway   Kerr Stuart "Sirdar" class 0-4-0T "Vyrnwy" crossing high Mill bridge. The engine shed can be seen behind the wagons. The above picture can be seen on an information board for the burn neat the start of the walk. The orignal picture was taken by J.Keen. History & the route Many in the narrow gauge community will be familiar with the town of Haltwhistle as the planned terminus for the South Tynedale railway from Alston, who hope to return to the town within the next several years. But the South Tynedale won’t be the first narrow gauge railway within the town. By Roger Cornfoot © Creative Commons In 1905 a narrow gauge railway was constructed to link the Newcastle & Carlisle railway with the Whinstone quarry at Cawfields, near Hadrian’s wall. Part of the line was built on a pre-existing Tub way that linked South Tyne Colliery with the South Tyne Colliery screens at  Townsfoot. A number of bridges on the route and embankments had to be...

 Tanfield Railway "North Pole Express" 19/12/20 Keighley corporation gas dept. no. 2 & Santa!! at Causey No.2 & "Sir Cecil A Cochrane" taking the empty stock to East Tanfield at the start of the day. Please click here for the full gallery.

For this weeks "Throwback Thursday" I thought we'd take a look back to the Bowes Railway in 2017. The 2nd of April marked the last operating day for orignal Bowes locomotive, Andrew Barclay 0-4-ST No.22. Along with W.S.T both engines need overhauls before they can run again. The event also marked the first public display of Ruston 165s “Pink” & “Perky” from the Port Of Sunderland.  Link to full gallery