Dave Hewitt

Since Dave Hewitt’s first road trip to the United States in 2006 he has always tried to return to North America at least once a year to photograph trains. Not just trains, though, but trains embedded in the landscape. The North American continent is so vast and the scenery so varied that endless opportunities arise for a man in a car with a map and a camera.Here, he presents his impressions of American and Canadian railroads, from British Columbia to California, from Maine to Colorado, all showcasing wonderful panoramas and spectacular vistas. A wealth of stunning images is coupled with amusing anecdotes and intriguing insights, summing up the adventures to be had as an English railfan in North America.

In 2025 the Tanfield Railway in County Durham celebrates its 300th anniversary, having been constructed in 1725 as a wagonway to carry coal from the North Durham coalfields to the River Tyne. By the 1960s it was in the hands of British Railways before volunteers took over early the following decade. Since that time the heritage railway has developed as a centre for the preservation of industrial locomotives, which operate over a 3-mile section from East Tanfield to Sunniside. Notable locations along the route include Causey Arch, the first bridge built to carry a railway in 1726, and Marley Hill, the oldest continuously operating engine shed, built in 1854. Although constructed for the transportation of coal, passenger trains now run regularly for visitors on Sundays, between March and October, and in December, the North Pole Express takes eager children to visit Father Christmas. Train enthusiasts are also catered for with demonstration coal trains and an annual gala weekend. All these events are possible due to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers of all ages who ensure that traditional skills are passed from one generation to the next.Henry Elliott and Dave Hewitt illustrate Tanfield’s story as a heritage railway with stunning photographs and informative captions.