Pitmatic Productions

11/01/2025

This month, hosts Caroline Hardie and Angela Pickering explore the overlooked contributions of women in the railway’s history.

27/12/2024

NEW TALES FROM THE RAILS: EPISODE 11 - WOMEN

The 11th episode of Tales from the Rails, has dropped!

In this month's podcast dedicated to uncovering the hidden stories of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, hosts Caroline Hardie and Angela Pickering explore the overlooked contributions of women in the railway's history.

Join Caroline and Angela as they delve into the lives of resilient women who defied societal norms to influence the evolution of the railway. From shareholders like the Peacock sisters to widows running essential passenger services, discover the stories of these pioneering women who were often written out of history.

Our Star of the S&DR is this episode's guest presenter, Angela Pickering, so stay tuned to find out why we have picked someone who is still alive. 🚂

Welcome to the 11th episode of Tales from the Rails, a podcast dedicated to uncovering the hidden stories of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. This month, hosts Caroline Hardie and Angela Pickering explore the overlooked contributions of women in the railway's history. Join Caroline and Angela....

15/12/2024

This month we take a close look at how railway stations evolved on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

12/12/2024

Congratulations to Paul Dobson for winning the SWDN Photo of the Year 2024 competition with his image 'Before the Fences'!

29/11/2024

NEW EPISODE: Tales from the Rails: Stations

This month we take a close look at how railway stations evolved on the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
This month’s Star of the S&DR is Percival Tully who managed two of the company’s depots, inherited a pub, briefly brewed and was landlord to another pub and then emigrated to America.
In our news this month, Caroline gets cross with the government for failing to help rescue the world’s earliest railway station.
That’s got to be worth a listen to! 🚂

Inventing Railway Stations on the S&DR This month we take a close look at how railway stations evolved on the Stockton & Darlington Railway. No such thing had been invented in 1825 when the railway opened, but quickly, the company started to provide facilities that would become the railway s...

26/11/2024

📢 Voting for our Photo of the Year 2024 competition is now open! 📢

Click 'See more' on the post below for all of the details!

17/11/2024

This month on Tales from the Rails, we are talking about education. Who had an education or skills in the early days of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, who didn’t, and how did senior S&DR staff decide to improve educational standards amongst its workers? And did the workers appreciate this? Did engine drivers prefer to fry their pocket watches in the pub?

This month on Tales from the Rails, we are talking about education. Who had an education or skills in the early days.

12/11/2024

Episode 9 of Tails for the Rails has arrived - a little later than expected, but now ready and waiting for our listeners to get on board! It's education this month, with two very special guests: Dave Reynolds of Shildon Railway Institute and Jane Hackworth-Young, great-great-granddaughter of Shildon's pioneering railway engineer, Timothy Hackworth. We hope you enjoy! 🚂

This month on Tales from the Rails, we are talking about education. Who had an education or skills in the early days of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, who didn’t, and how did senior S&DR staff decide to improve educational standards amongst its workers? And did the workers appreciate t...

28/10/2024

The legend of Peg Powel the water witch of the River Tees. Filmed on location at Cow Green Cauldrons Snout.

08/10/2024

Our friends over at Archaeology News North East have started a new series! 🔎

Jackie and Darren investigate the resting place of the last known witch in County Durham

06/10/2024

Even though the weather seemed threatening, with darkening skies and a light drizzle, we made our way up the terraces to the plateau. Here we were welcomed by the lively sounds of volunteers chatting and trowels clinking as they excavated a Bronze Age roundhouse.

Even though the weather seemed threatening, with darkening skies and a light drizzle, we made our way up the terraces to the plateau.

05/10/2024

Happy 199th anniversary to the Stockton & Darlington Railway! In this month’s Tales from the Rails podcast, we are in party mood!

27/08/2024

After a midsummer break, Tales from the Trowel is back with a look into the fascinating world of archaeology at Hamsterley Church.

Join them as Ady recounts the community's journey from initial curiosity to full-fledged archaeological exploration.

Welcome to Tales from the Trowel with Jackie and Sarah! In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of archaeology at Hamsterley Church, where we sit down with Ady Davis, the mastermind behind the Hamsterley Big Dig. Discover the origins of this ambitious project aimed at uncovering the mys...

27/08/2024

27/08/2024

NEW EPISODE: TAILS FROM THE RAILS - AMERICA

In Episode 7 of Tails from the Rails we travel across the pond to analyse the S&DR’s influence on American Railroads.

Joining Caroline and Archie this month to help us navigate American railroads is Jonathan Ratcliffe, secretary of the Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

We know that before, during and after the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, engineers and railway promoters came to visit to see how a modern railway was run. By modern railway we mean a railway that was a publicly available, permanent transport infrastructure that carried anything,....

27/07/2024

Yes, it's the 27th of the month and yes, you can now stop refreshing your browsers, because the latest episode of Tales from the Rails is now live! This month we celebrate the opening of Hopetown in Darlington and we take a look at the life of one of the Stars of the S&DR, George Stephenson - no, not that one, the other one! Listen to Episode 6 of Tales from the Rails to find out more... 🚂

This month we are looking at the latest S&DR visitor attraction to entice people from near and far – that is Hopetown in Darlington. This major visitor attraction is centred on an internationally significant collection of S&DR railway buildings. This podcast will explore these buildings an...

28/06/2024

A bit of oakum in the boiler this week, but we're back on the track to tell the tale of Locomotion No.1 and her first driver, James Stevenson, the 'colourful' older brother of George and this month's Star of the S&DR.

Our guest this week is Dr Michael Bailey, who has co-authored a highly detailed report on the 'superior travelling engine' that was at the heart of the opening day celebrations in 1825.

Tails from the Rails is brought to you by Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. We hope you enjoy Episode 5: Locomotion No.1. 🚂

Welcome to the fifth episode of Tales from the Rails, our monthly podcast celebrating the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the pioneering railway that transformed the world. As we approach the 200th anniversary of its inception in 2025, hosts Caroline Hardie and Archie MacKay delve into the fascinat...