Without a doubt, the highlight of the year was a two week trip to China in January. The rest of the year I didn’t manage to get to as many photo charters as I’d like – work always seemed to get in the way.
And the charters I did manage to get to were generally pretty poor from a light perspective.
I only managed one lineside tip on the ‘big railway’ – so I guess that makes me a bit of a lightweight too.
Despite that, its been a year of making progress down my road of getting away from purely recording railways to the impressionist style I prefer. You judge…
Picture 1
At least eight active SY 2-8-2 in the open cast pit, 7 January 2008
I’ve always wanted to get to the open cast coal mine at Zhalai Nuer, China. In early January 2008, I made it. We spent two days there. Perfect light, but biting cold. It was awesome, just awesome.
When we first looked down into the pit, this is the sight we saw.
My mate Roger looked down, and with his best Brummie accent said, ‘Where’s the shot then?’
We stood transfixed to the spot taking in all the action going on around us. Everywhere you looked there were SY 2-8-2s at work. This was better than I’d ever imagined.
The two days threw up a great crop of pictures, but this remains my favourite, capturing the essence of what Zhalai Nuer is all about.
It’s been printed as a double page spread in Steam Railway’s Annual Review of 2009.
Want to go there? You’d better be quick. Only yesterday my friend Bernd Seiler emailed saying its all going to end in 2009.
See the rest of the pictures from the Zhalai Nuer visit.
Picture 2
C2 0-8-0 no. 004 being serviced at Xiahua Zhan, whilst 011 heads towards Huanan with a loaded train, 10 January 2008
Same trip to China, a couple of days later. We’d moved on to the 762mm gauge line at Huanan.
Again we were blessed with perfect weather from a photography perspective, but bitingly cold from a photographer perspective!
We started out at Huanan. At sunrise, the shedmaster’s peace was shattered by the sudden arrival of a bus load of western gricers.
The railway staff hurriedly closed the gates to keep us out, so we hung around just outside, photting the C2 0-8-0s being prepared for work.
As luck would have it, a train of empties was just about to leave for the mine. We shot the departure, and then gave chase.
A bit unfair really – a mad Chinese bus driver versus a leaking C2 – not even a contest. We shot the train several times before its first water stop at Xiahua Zhan.
It was at the water stop that lady luck really came and sat down right next to me.
I was just squatting down to get the shot of the C2 being watered, when I realised a loaded train was drifting down the hill into the station from the other direction.
Finger on continuous drive, and the shot was in the bag. Bernd had realised the potential too, so the two of us high-fived our delight with the shot.
See the rest of the pictures from Huanan.
Picture 3
C2 0-8-0 no. 004 between Xiahua Zhan and Tuoyaozi, 10 January 2008
Some days are just great days when everything comes together.
This was one of those days - this shot came just minutes after Picture 2.
With watering complete, the C2 set off again on the long climb with its train of empties.
We had the fastest ever scramble back on board our bus and set off in our bus in hot pursuit.
We saw the backlit steam and smoke, the dark forest in the background was a lucky break to bring it all together.
Picture 4
C2 0-8-0 no. 011 pausing at Lixin waiting to bank the next loaded train up to the summit, 10 January 2008
Another image from the Huanan visit! Our time there was quite an experience.
Staying in a real Chinese ‘house’ for two nights was one of those not be be missed, but equally never to be repeated experiences!
Staying in the Chinese houses in Lixin on the Huanan Coal Railway was all good and fine, but in the long periods between trains it wasn’t thrilling!
Luckily there was usually a C2 parked outside waiting to bank the next loaded train up to the summit. So when there’s not a lot to entertain you, you go looking for the off the wall shots.
That’s what happened here.
The setting sun provided the backdrop, it just took some lying in the snow to sort the angle out, and job done.
Picture 5
SY 2-8-2 nos. 1446 (left) and 0950 (right) at Didao Hebei Washery, 14 January 2008
From Huanan, we moved on to the fascinating system at Jixi. I’ve been there before, but that didn’t take away any of the pleasure. Of course we enjoyed Dongchang – how can you not – but this time visited the Didao area for the first time.
We got there just after sunrise. The next few hours were astounding. Apart from being bitingly cold – so cold my trusty Nikon actually wobbled a bit – it was just out of this world.
I’m always a sucker for backlighting – and this was backlit with a vengeance. A couple of SY were parked up for servicing between duties, so I had all the time in the world to wait for the right combination of sun, smoke and light. I ended up with about twenty variants of the shot – and this is my favourite.
See the rest of the pictures from the Jixi visit.
Picture 6
SY 2-8-2 crossing the river near Qiaotou just after sunset, 15 January 2008
The very last shot from the China visit was this SY heading across a frozen river on the Nanpiao Coal Railway.
We knew the train was coming, and we knew the sun was setting. It was just a question of how well the two events would coincide.
In the event, just about perfectly – the sun had just dipped enough behind the hill so a low viewpoint took it out of the shot.
Of course the waiting was a laugh.
The river was frozen, and it was obvious the further out across the river you could get, the better the shot would be.
Now call me a wuss, but crashing through the ice into the cold waters below is not on my list of great things to do.
So I walked out pretty carefully – testing step by step for creaking or cracking noises. Everything was fine, so I ended up mid-river on the ice.
Of course, when one’s done it, others join you. Still no cracking or creaking.
So then the conversation moved to would pee melt the ice. So you have to try. And no it doesn’t.
See the rest of the pictures from the Nanpiao visit.
There’s a whole post in this Blog devoted to the China trip – read China Gricers January 2008.
Picture 7
'Dukedog' Class 4-4-0 no. 9017 'Earl of Berkeley' at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway, 10 October 2008
A long gap in time from January to October! All through the spring and summer I hardly managed to get out and about at all – the demands of work getting comprehensively in the way.
Those that know me will know that green engines with certain shiny bits on the top are not my bag. But an opportunity to play with the ‘Dukedog’ on the Severn Valley was too good to miss.
The day started out dull, damp and misty. Typical photo charter weather! And exactly my favourite weather to photograph engines in yards and sheds.
So while everybody else was still chomping breakfast, I got this shot of the ‘Dog being prepared for the day’s charter.
In my book you can have just too much wall-to-wall sunshine – the world’s just not like that.
So a dull day shot that works is a result. In most cases they work best as mono – and that’s the case with this one.
The sun did come out later in the morning – for the rest of the pictures from the day, see my Severn Valley Railway album.
Picture 8
'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 no. 5690 'Leander' departing Loughborough on the Great Central Railway, 29 October 2008
For me, railways are about movement and people. Hence I don’t see the need to get everything sharp. In fact, introducing a sense of motion is a very good thing.
The early morning sunshine had moved on, and we found ourselves trying to do departure shots from Loughborough on the Great Central Railway.
Even with the ISO cranked right up, it had become so dull that getting any sort of reasonable shutter/aperture combination was out of the window.
So I went the other way. ISO to 100. Shutter to 1/10th second. Aperture becomes irrelevant with this sort of shot.
All I had to do then was get away from the crowd, set continuous shooting, and off we go.
I use the focus blobs in the viewfinder to line up on a feature on the loco, and then as it goes by, pan keeping my finger on the shutter.
Of the dozen or so shots in the burst, there’s always at least one that hacks it.
I really like the way this captures the grace of Leander – it feels like a large, powerful loco thrashing past. Result.
Picture 9
'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 no. 5690 'Leander' at Rabbit Bridge approaching Swithland on the Great Central Railway, 30 October 2008
Day two of the photo charter with Leander and we’re at Rabbit Bridge. The weather's a bit variable and the sun's popping in and out.
It's one of those locations that every photo charter on the GCR always goes to.
And as a straight front three quarter shot, it’s a nice one, if that's your thing.
I usually shoot there with a slightly wide lens, but on this occasion, for whatever reason, I stuck a long one on.
As Leander burst out from under the bridge, that was going to be the shot.
The way the smoke curled up and around - framing Leander to perfection – made the shot.
To see the pictures from both days, go to my album of pictures of the Great Central Railway.
Picture 10
0-6-2T 'Triumph' (Bagnall 2511/1934) resting on shed at Kemsley Down on the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, 15 November 2008
I’d heard about the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway’s problems, so when an invite came to do a photo charter there it was just too good to miss.
It turned out to be a cracking day – a mix of sunshine and cloud that enabled me to get a real mix of pictures from a single day. There were a load of pictures from the charter I really like, but this one’s my favourite.
I’m always a sucker for pictures of bits of engines – especially bits of steam engines that show the life they breathe.
As ‘Triumph’ stood outside the shed at Kemsley Down during the lunch break, I took a number of pictures.
This is the one that hacks it for me because the way the steam is curling round works just right, and the deliberate lack of depth of field emphasises the end of the coupling rod.
I really hope the SKLR can resolve their problems and continue – and I’d really like to make a return visit at some point.
See the rest of the pictures from the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway.
Conclusion
In terms of quantity, not the best year ever.
In terms of my journey to define my personal style of railway photography, some real progress.
Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below…
