Matt Ditch Photography Blog

  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

Ribble Steam Railway & Museum steam gala 25/03/23 I felt like the steam gala was a good excuse to make my first visit to the railway. I arrived the night before and stayed in the local Premier Inn, which was quite nice and reasonably priced. My trip down was plagued with cancellations and overcrowded trains, so it wasn't the best ride down! The walk from the City Centre to the railway was very pleasant. And I even managed to find several Geocaches on the way.  Grant Ritchie No.272 of 1894 & Hawthorn Leslie 3931 of 1938 "Linda" cross the level crossing at Lockside road with a mid-afternoon train. The railway itself is just over a mile long and runs through the redeveloped Preston Dock area. It isn't the most scenic of lines. But, it's nice to see Industrial steam locos working in an industrial setting. And that was one of the things that made me want to visit. I found the line very reminiscent of my local railway, the North Tyneside Steam Railway. FR.No.20

  Tanfields Railways 2017 "Legends of Industry" gala. featuring visiting locomotives, Hawthorn Leslie 3931/1938 ‘Linda’ and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 7673/1950 “Ugly” "Linda" and a mixed train leave Marley Hill yard. "Ugly" at Bowes Bridge with a demonstration coal train The full gallery can be found here Please consider supporting this website on Patreon. Their are exclusive perks for those who do. Or alternatively visit my Ko-Fi page by clicking here.

  Pictures Hawthorn Leslie "No.2" storms up East Tanfield bank. Click here for the full gallery YouTube video