The Railway

Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro with a Tamron AF Zoom 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Di II LD lens. Photographed in Sydney Gardens, Bath, in 2016. These trains no longer ply the London - Bristol route, having been replaced by modern sets.

Canon EOS 40D + EF100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM lens at 130mm. I never felt this kit delivered as I expected. Yet with a bit of post-processing some sort of atmosphere has emerged.

An old photograph and not the easiest to manipulate, being only a JPEG original. Nevertheless it gives it new life to adjust highlights and shadows and convert it to black and white, a medium I used not to much appreciate. Again I am drawn to the 10" x 8" format and have cropped accordingly. Much to learn. Nikon D2Xs + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8.

A few of those old coaches which were once in service all over the British Rail network survive in preserved steam railways. The experience of being hauled by a steam locomotive; the characteristic sounds and smells; the dusty bench seats in the compartments accessed through a corridor; all these things are heightened in authenticity and nostalgia by rain falling and assembling in drops on metal and glass surfaces. It's like time travel. Nikon D700 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D lens at f/2.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D lens.

Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AF lens.

8.15 am on 16 August 2010. Challenging, but not impossible, to get much improvement of a photograph which was never anything other than a JPEG. I have given it more exposure and reduced the contrast, as well as tackling lens distortion for which the Nikon 18-135mm was notorious. The last few occasions I was here the low parapet had been augmented by a higher chestnut paling fence while official discussions took place about a more permanent safety barrier. I don't know why this step is perceived as necessary; maybe there have been incursions, accidents, or worse. Maybe the train drivers are unnerved by photographers. I wouldn't blame them if they were, though none of them ever gesticulated or sounded their horn at me. However, I always stayed on the safe side of the wall. Others may have trespassed. It's easy enough to vault over. This section of the line was planned for electrification but the project was stopped part way through because of cost overruns. The new trains had therefore to be capable of generating their own electricity from Chippenham to Bristol. That rather defeats the objective of improved efficiency provided by using entirely overhead power. UK infrastructure projects seldom run smoothly and to budget. So now the 125 sets have been allocated elsewhere, I believe they can be seen between South Wales and Cornwall. Their replacements were built abroad. The British were pioneers of railways but less than 200 years later they cannot build their own trains. It is intolerable and a national disgrace.

8.15 am on 16 August 2010.

Waiting for the 16.22. It is late.

Photographed with a Nikon D50 and an AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens - which on the D50 is comparable to the experience of using a standard 50mm lens on an old 35mm film camera. Never a great picture, but significantly improved by cropping out irrelevant activity to what I perceived to be the main show. Maybe a zoom lens would have afforded greater possibilities in the first place. Post processing saved the day on this one.

Nikon D700 + AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-210mm f/4 at 90mm.

The doors are slammed shut. The guard's whistle sounds; the engine driver replies. We lurch away. With each belch from the engine the carriages jerk forward, It takes some distance before a steady rhythm of movement is established. The drizzle falls against the windows. There is a coolness in the air and a slight scent of wet socks. The dust rises and swirls due to being disturbed from the upholstery. This is comfort. Lens: Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AI-S.

I discovered this orphan photograph on the hard drive. There was an announcement from the computer that the original file had been lost. So I recreated it via a screenshot and a conversion to JPG. I must have deleted it having judged it to be crap. But I like it better now. East Somerset Railway, Cranmore. Nikon D40 and AF-S Nikkor 28-200mm VR lens.

Westbury railway station. February; warm coats weather. The wind can be keen when it whistles along Westbury platforms. Nikon D2Xs, Tamron AF 70-210mm f/2.8 SP lens. A heavy combination of kit.

Bradford-on-Avon railway station. A warm June evening.