Writing in 1954,[2] he described the background to his work as follows: From about 1900 onwards, I have made a point of giving a week annually to a tour devoted entirely to Railway Photography, on some occasions by car, but, when long distances were involved, by train... During these 54 odd years I suppose I must have covered a large part of England and Scotland.
I visited many interesting districts on several occasions – with a few years' gap between – and therefore was able to record the changing outline of the locomotives on the important trains.Oxenholme station is an example of a favourite location, but Tidey did indeed range widely, and it is estimated that he took around 6000 photographs.
By the middle of his photographic career he preferred to use a Delnollo Nettel focal plane press camera[4] taking glass plates.
At times in his career he sold postcard prints of his photographs himself or through Oldlands of Palmers Green or "B[rightman] & R[ushton]" of London.
[3] By profession he was an estate agent in North London, also contributing photographs to the local Southgate Recorder newspaper and being an amateur musician.