Working in groups with teaching personnel and students from the Photography Department at Newcastle College, the young people used the internet and archive images to research the history of waggonways, focusing on key themes including industry, transport, health, economy and society.

The students then worked on mapping activities and designed storyboards and models to illustrate what they had learnt about waggonways to other groups taking part.

Above and below: mapping the waggonways at the Waggonways Then and Now Digital Photography Summer School 2007.

On the second day of the workshop programme, the young people visited the Stephenson Railway Museum and walked sections of local waggonway at the Rising Sun Countryside Park. During thier visit, they took digital photographs of engines and trains on display at the museum and of the contemporary waggonways landscape.

Photographing the exhibits at the Stephenson Railway Museum

Returning to their workshop base at the Langdale Centre, Wallsend, the photography team from Newcastle College assisted the young people to develop new skills using Photoshop digital imaging software. Editing and manipulating archive waggonways images with their own photographs taken during the visits to the Stephenson Railway Museum and the waggonways, the young people produced a series of new images capturing the essence of waggonways, both past and present.

Students using Photoshop software to design images of waggonways, past and present.

The young people's images have now been produced as limited edition packs of postcards, to be disributed as a learning resource to all schools in North Tyneside.

The postcard images can also be viewed by clicking on the link below:

Waggonways Postcards.pdf

To view images of the Waggonways Then and Now Summer School in action, please click on the galleries at the top left of this page.