Railways

In contrast to the previous picture, this is how the station at Parsac-Gouzon usually looks! It's a lonely little place, some way between the two towns of it's name, and I think only a couple of trains a day in each direction actually stop here. It is on the single track line from Guèret to Montluçon, which is part of a longer cross country route from Bordeaux to Lyon, although direct services between those cities have been suspended for some time while this section of the route is completely re-signalled 1948 Kodak Tourist I converted to 120, f4.5/105mm Anaston lens, x2 yellow filter. Shanghai GP3 in Divided D23, 5+5 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson 500

Following on from the last photo, this is how I travelled up to Montluçon! Of course, this is not the usual motive power used on this line, (!) but a special train going from Limoges, to the annual Festirail meeting in Montlucon. This locomotive was built by SFCM de Denain in 1932, for the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'Est, it was one of 42 locomotives built for hauling heavy suburban trains in the Greater Paris area, which it did until it was finally taken out of revenue service in 1967. Steam trains cannot go very far before they need to have their water supply refreshed, and here we have stopped at the little station of Parsac-Gouzon to re-fill the tanks, which also gives people a chance to walk about, - and take photos of the locomotive! 1948 Kodak Tourist I, f4.5/105mm Anaston lens, x2 yellow filter. Shanghai GP3 in Thornton's Two Bath, 4+4 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson 500

This impressive structure is on a long disused railway line which ran from Guéret to Le Chartre, and although the viaduct took three years to build, the line had a very short life, being opened to traffic in 1906, and finally closed to freight in 1952, although passenger trains ceased to run on this route in 1939. Viaducts were always challenging structures to build, and when built on a curve, as this one is, especially so. It is just over 200m long, built on a curve of 300m radius, and the sixteen arches carried the single line 20m above the River Creuse. Built entirely from granite, it is now part of a pleasant country walk. Taken with a 1948 Kodak Tourist converted to 120, on Shanghai GP3 film, developed in divided D23, 5+5mins@21C and scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

Not really ! More play with the Silver Efex Pro , this time running as a stand alone program in Windows 7. Very easy to use, lots of pre-sets but also easily refined and configured. Not all subjects are suitable for this sort of thing, of course, but vintage steam trains seem to be a natural target ! Ex-Great Western Railway No 5542 drifts into Winchcombe station in the summer of 2015. Original photo 12mpx colour. Canon Ixus 960is, photofinished in Silver Efex Pro.

Similar treatment to the previous photo, this is a "Windsor" pattern gas light made by William Sugg & Co, London. This one has been converted to electricity, but the iconic design was once common throughout the UK until the latter part of the 20th century. Canon Ixus 960is. Photofinished in Silver Efex Pro

Waiting to be moved to the paintshop, this ex-Great Western Railway goods wagon has been given new bogies, buffers, and corridor connections, and now looks something like the original vehicle, or it will, when it has been painted! Seen in the goods yard of the imaginary English town of Newton Saint Aldwyn, my 1/76th scale model railway which I am slowly converting to radio control operation. I will probably never finish it, but it's fun trying to adapt new technology - keeps the "little grey cells" from dying too soon !! Sony Alpha A100, Sony 18-55mm SAM lens. Photofinished in Gimp