[Jocko]

Now that's what you call an exhaust.

[Dougson]

    NYMR again 4MT approaching Ford Darnholme

[Jocko]

Beautiful images. Some lovely shots of steam. Takes a lot of beating.

[delb0y]

Yep, love shots of steam trains, especially as good as those on this thread. There are a few steam railways around these parts - Dean Forest, Gloucestershire & Warwickshire, Didcot Museum, Severn Valley... I must make more of an effort to get out and take some photographs.

[Jocko]

Just to spoilt the steam party, here is an old diesel. This Class 47 was snapped, back in the very early 70's, on the East Coast mainline along the Fife coast. It was originally a 35mm transparency, very poorly scanned, some years back. Possibly taken with my Praktica Super TL.

   

[MrB]

That's a good composition, John but, as you imply, it is a pity that the quality is not there in the scanned image.

Much as I generally like railways and railway photographs, it's hard to beat the apparent life and character that are always key features of active steam trains, both in reality and in photography.

As a general point, I am pleased that this thread is proving to be so popular, and that so many interesting shots are being posted here. Many thanks to all the contributors, and keep them coming!

Cheers.
Philip

[MrB]

Cookham Railway

Cookham is a village along the River Thames west of London. The railway there is a single track line that links Maidenhead with Marlow via Cookham. The diesel railcar runs a regular service, even on a Sunday. This is a little series of shots taken in the late afternoon on a dull wet 2015 August Sunday:

1. Cookham station taken from the road side:
   
[f=100mm; ISO 160; f/4.5; 1/40s]

2. The station buildings taken from the level crossing:
   
[f=18mm; ISO 160; f/4; 1/60s]

3. The station clock at the end of the building:
   
[f=88mm; ISO 640; f/5.6; 1/60]

4. The train arrives from Maidenhead:
   
[f=100mm; ISO 320; f/5.6; 1/50s]

5. The train departs for Marlow, over the level crossing:
   
f=100mm; ISO 640; f/5.6; 1/60s]

[All were taken with a Pentax k-5 II, and an 18-135 zoom lens; images were edited in PaintShop Pro X8]

Cheers.
Philip

[Dougson]

Yep, love shots of steam trains, especially as good as those on this thread. There are a few steam railways around these parts - Dean Forest, Gloucestershire & Warwickshire, Didcot Museum, Severn Valley... I must make more of an effort to get out and take some photographs.

Hi Delboy
Someone said to me once, you never take a good photo from the sofa,I've just returned from a holiday to New Zealand, Wow! What a place I was getting up at 04.00 to photograph the Milky Way what an impressive sight you could almost reach out and grab the centre of our Galaxy.

[Dougson]

Just to spoilt the steam party, here is an old diesel. This Class 47 was snapped, back in the very early 70's, on the East Coast mainline along the Fife coast. It was originally a 35mm transparency, very poorly scanned, some years back. Possibly taken with my Praktica Super TL.

Hi Jocko
I used to drive those out of Kings Cross back in the 70's but never got as far as you we would go as far as Newcastle stop in a hotel and bring a train back the next day. As a 17 yr old it was the best way to learn the route and learn to drive an engine. Happy days.

[Jocko]

Nice sequence of shots, Philip. Plays to my, "Keeping a record", style.
Dougson. My family were railwaymen. My grandfather was a Ganger, my father a Ganger then a Shunter and my uncle a Fireman, then a Driver in steam, before converting to diesels.

[Dougson]

Nice sequence of shots, Philip. Plays to my, "Keeping a record", style.
Dougson. My family were railwaymen. My grandfather was a Ganger, my father a Ganger then a Shunter and my uncle a Fireman, then a Driver in steam, before converting to diesels.

Morning John
My only regret now is that I didn't follow my fathers interest in photography when I worked on the railway, the steelworks were difficult as cameras were not allowed on site and you risked instant dismissal if caught. So I missed some fantastic opportunities .
Regards Doug

[Jocko]

I stayed in Dunfermline for a brief period, and while out walking one day I came across this.

   
Dimage Z3, 1/320 sec, f4.5, ISO 50, 61mm lens equivalent.

   
Dimage Z3, 1/160 sec, f4.5, ISO 50, 35mm lens equivalent.

This old cast iron footbridge spanned the line between Dunfermline and Stirling which closed in October 1968. I was only ever on it once, in 1962, and it was a 4 wheel Railbus, like this one.
   
Photograph courtesy of Google.

The journey was the lumpiest I have ever undertaken by rail. It was the old bolted track sections, and with the four wheels, felt like you were going down a flight of stairs.

These old cast iron structures are sought by heritage railways. When I was a lad, there was a Victorian cast iron urinal (no, before anyone comments, it wasn't new then) beside the tracks in Burntisland docks, which I believe is now restored and at Bo'ness Heritage Railway.

[MrB]

John, it's such a shame to see a wonderful and well-made old structure like that bridge abandoned in such a state. The EXIF shows the photo was ten years ago - do you know whether anything positive has happened to the bridge since then?

Cheers.
Philip

[Dougson]

I stayed in Dunfermline for a brief period, and while out walking one day I came across this.


Dimage Z3, 1/320 sec, f4.5, ISO 50, 61mm lens equivalent.


Dimage Z3, 1/160 sec, f4.5, ISO 50, 35mm lens equivalent.

This old cast iron footbridge spanned the line between Dunfermline and Stirling which closed in October 1968. I was only ever on it once, in 1962, and it was a 4 wheel Railbus, like this one.

Photograph courtesy of Google.

The journey was the lumpiest I have ever undertaken by rail. It was the old bolted track sections, and with the four wheels, felt like you were going down a flight of stairs.

These old cast iron structures are sought by heritage railways. When I was a lad, there was a Victorian cast iron urinal (no, before anyone comments, it wasn't new then) beside the tracks in Burntisland docks, which I believe is now restored and at Bo'ness Heritage Railway.

John
I hope it gets taken in and given a good home. But at least you got a photo in situ.
Regards Doug

[Dougson]

    4MT draws a Train past Sleights on its way to Gromont on the North York Moors Railway.
Pentax K5 f13, 1/200sec, ISO400, 40mm

[Jocko]

Nice image, Doug. I like these mid-sized locos.

Philip. I have never been back, but according to Google Street View, it was there, totally overgrown, in June 2015.

   

[Dougson]

Thanks John

[Gary Wilson]

Former East Midlands Train in Sheffield Stations

[Jocko]

Nice unit. I like cab shaped cars. Not the corridor units that seem to be prevalent on Scottish Region.

[Jocko]

Here is a nice shot of Boat of Garten station, back in October 2010. It shows a Class 31 snuggled up to a rather rough saddle tank loco of indeterminate identity.

   
Nikon D80, 1/200 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, 150mm lens equivalent.

[Dougson]

Interesting photo, is Boat of Garten a Preserved railway ?

[Jocko]

Yes. It is the Strathspey Railway.

[delb0y]

That's a lovely shot, Jocko. I've no idea if it's possible but if you could clone that car out it would be even lovelier still.

[Jocko]

It would improve it. I'll give it a try over the weekend.

[delb0y]

I have very few photographs of trains. But here's one, taken on a borrowed Nikon D5100 with an 18-55 kit lens at the 55mm end, 1/500th second at f/9.