Railway Photo Gallery
October 2007
Click on the thumbnails to view a larger image.
1st October 2007 - Last Day
of a Short Break in Blackpool
I started the day with an early morning drive
down into Blackpool. I should have seen three trams during this journey, but I
only saw one. Something must have gone wrong, so I headed for the depot to find
718 sitting in Hopton Road having trashed its pantograph as it left the depot
with the 0553 for Fleetwood. All other trams were trapped in the depot, and by
the time 718 was pushed clear, the tram timetable had gone out of the window.
Cue 703 on a short working to Thornton Gate with some rather nice dawn skies to
boot. The rest of the day was pleasant and was rounded off with some rather nice
sunshine in Fleetwood just before I set off back to Leicester.
20th October 2007 - The
Atomic Harbour Master
Pathfinder Tours operated a railtour from
Crewe to Folkestone Harbour and Dungeness. 86101 worked the WCML sections of
this tour with 37603 and 37601 taking over for the Southern Region sections of
the tour. It was an early start to intercept 86101 for a night shot during its
station stop at Stafford. It was then an easy chase (made easier by a signal
failure at Penkridge!) to Leighton Buzzard for a sunny shot of the same loco. A leisurely
drive down to Kent then followed, but the first shot of the tour approaching
Ashford wasn't in sun although we did walk back to the cars in full light! Next
up was the main event and the main reason for driving all the way down to Kent -
Folkestone Harbour. By the time the train came, the skies had cleared and best
use was made of our vantage point on the 10th floor of the Great Burstin Hotel
(many thanks to the Hotel staff). The departure shot was taken from the usual
low down shot off the harbour wall, and once the train had departed it was off
to the bland Dungeness branch for a couple of shots to finish off the day. It
was one of those days when nearly everything dropped into place and even the M25
flowed nicely both ways!
23rd October 2007 - Trams
& Choppers
A fantastic day out with the family to the
Beamish Open Air Museum. Although it started cloudy, after just an hour of being
there, the skies opened up and it was clear blue for the rest of the day. Three
trams were in action - Sunderland 16, Newcastle 114 and Blackpool 31. I was
especially pleased to get a few shots of Blackpool 31, though I wasn't too keen
on the adverts it carries for the Darlington Building Society - so I've erased
them!
I timed the journey home so that we could intercept the 20's on the Rail Head
Treatment Train at Worksop which was in the hands of 20301 and 20302.
25th October 2007 - ED's
A pair of class 73's were top and tailing a
stock move to Barrow Hill, and a night shot was on at Derby. I copped for a
nasty reflection on the cabside, but the train didn't stand long enough for me
to adjust my position and take another shot, so this effort will have to do.
It's not every day a 73 pulls up in the platform at Derby!
26th October 2007 - Wallasey
78 at Woodside
A trip to Birkenhead for a spot of night
running on the Birkenhead Tramway. Wallasey 78 was in action and was illuminated
for the occasion. Apart from an incident with a group of immature p**sheads, who
decided to remove a light bulb from the tram and throw it at me while I was
photting at Woodside, it was a very enjoyable evening. Big thanks to the
volunteers of the MTPS who were
very welcoming as always, and who dealt with the light bulb incident
appropriately.
27th October 2007 - Crich
Tramway Village
Crich Tramway Village's annual Halloween
event offers the chance to photograph trams at night. This year, there seemed to
be quite a few street lights turned off - great for creating a spooky
atmosphere, but not very good for photography. It's a fun event though, and I
didn't come away empty handed.
