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Railway photography, anyone?

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
I have a dirty little secret to share. Although I bill myself as a nature photographer, I also love to shoot railways, an obsession I've had since growing up in the UK in the age of steam.

So during my trip to Lake Superior last week I couldn't help myself. Students of history may know that the history of Canada is inextricably intertwined with that of the CPR, and you cannot get far from the line as you travel the Trans-Canada Highway, particularly around the big lake.

So here are a couple - the first with P45+, then the same train a few minutes later with the a900.

Anyone else into my obsession?

View attachment 18564

And the Sony shot.
View attachment 18565
 
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carstenw

Active member
I enjoy photographing old trains, but I would not call it an obsession in my case. I just love mechanical detail, and old trains have enough of those!
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
I enjoy photographing old trains, but I would not call it an obsession in my case. I just love mechanical detail, and old trains have enough of those!
Yes Carsten
I do love to shoot trains as well and have done so in the past . But I do not like to shoot modern highspeed trains .
Unfortunately , there are almost no more occasions to see steam trains in Germany , or lets say Europe .
If you know places , just let me know . I would appreciate that very much .

Jürgen
 

carstenw

Active member
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin :) Once a year they also drive back and forth on a local track a bit.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I have a dirty little secret to share. Although I bill myself as a nature photographer, I also love to shoot railways, an obsession I've had since growing up in the UK in the age of steam.

So during my trip to Lake Superior last week I couldn't help myself. Students of history may know that the history of Canada is inextricably intertwined with that of the CPR, and you cannot get far from the line as you travel the Trans-Canada Highway, particularly around the big lake.

So here are a couple - the first with P45+, then the same train a few minutes later with the a900.

Anyone else into my obsession?

View attachment 18564

And the Sony shot.
View attachment 18565
Absolutely Bill.

I used to be a N gauge model railroader. An obsession I had to give up because I'd be in the poor house supporting that hobby and photography ... two obsessions is one to many time/money eaters for me :ROTFL:

I have two friends that were RR Engineers ... I love getting them together to hear their RR stories ... especially about the idiots that tried to beat their trains and got to visit St. Peter for their misguided efforts.

While it's not the same as a live, active train, if you every get to the Michigan area I'll take you to Greenfield Village where they have a huge and wonderful collection of old steam trains (including a massive mountain locomotive) and a complete working round house. It was sort of Henry Ford's way of being a model RRer ;)
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Absolutely Bill.

I used to be a N gauge model railroader. An obsession I had to give up because I'd be in the poor house supporting that hobby and photography ... two obsessions is one to many time/money eaters for me :ROTFL:

I have two friends that were RR Engineers ... I love getting them together to hear their RR stories ... especially about the idiots that tried to beat their trains and got to visit St. Peter for their misguided efforts.

While it's not the same as a live, active train, if you every get to the Michigan area I'll take you to Greenfield Village where they have a huge and wonderful collection of old steam trains (including a massive mountain locomotive) and a complete working round house. It was sort of Henry Ford's way of being a model RRer ;)
I'd like to take you up on that - I live directly across the lake from Alpena, so it's not a long trip to the Bluewater Bridge and thus to Franklin/Greenfield Village. Sounds like we might do a shoot together....sometime in the fall maybe?
Bill
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Thanks for the hints from Carsten and Graham .

I have done some research in the net and found , that there is still one repairshop in Meiningen/Germany and an other one is INTERLOK in Pila/Poland .

Both repair/refurbish any kind of old steam engines . Visitors are welcome .
Photographers of course as well .

Jürgen
 
D

David Stephen

Guest
Although I didn't get a photo of it, I once worked with design clients from the B$O railroad family, a brother and sister still living in their childhood estate in suburban Philly.
To gain access to the property you had to pass through a remotely operated antique railroad crossing gate.

The basement of the 12,000 sq. ft. house had one of the largest train sets in the world.

The brother and sister were in their 80's and quite a funny pair.

This is my first post. Nice to be on board!
 

simonclivehughes

Active member
Bill,

Welcome and please post more train pictures! I wouldn't say I'm obsessed but I've always had a thing for trains. I just turned 60 this year but one of the earliest and strongest memories I have is from my childhood in England where, as a boy of three, I always wanted to go down to the station to see the trains. The memory? An olfactory one... I can still smell that wonderful aromatic mixture of steam, coal and oil when the trains would pull past you into the station, enveloping you in their portable cloud!

Every time I cross a railway track, I look down the length of it and wonder where it goes and what you'd see along the way. If I had my druthers, I'd hop a train instead of a plane anytime.

Here's one I took a couple of years ago in Seattle. This train does a yearly trip.


View attachment 18658

There's something so thrilling about the sheer size and the scale of the mechanical intricacy that still holds my senses.

Cheers,
 
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gandolfi

Subscriber Member
Hello All,

Yes we still have steam trains in England- in fact I believe we invented them:)
This one the Gresley class 'Bittern' steaming into Bath last year, taken with GX100.
You can take a day trip to the coast in this- buffet lunch and 4 course dinner en route for about £300 I think.

Cheers,
Gandolfi.
 
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Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Bill,

Welcome and please post more train pictures! I wouldn't say I'm obsessed but I've always had a thing for trains. I just turned 60 this year but one of the earliest and strongest memories I have is from my childhood in England where, as a boy of three, I always wanted to go down to the station to see the trains. The memory? An olfactory one... I can still smell that wonderful aromatic mixture of steam, coal and oil when the trains would pull past you into the station, enveloping you in their portable cloud!

Every time I cross a railway track, I look down the length of it and wonder where it goes and what you'd see along the way. If I had my druthers, I'd hop a train instead of a plane anytime.

Here's one I took a couple of years ago in Seattle. This train does a yearly trip.


View attachment 18658

There's something so thrilling about the sheer size and the scale of the mechanical intricacy that still holds my senses.

Cheers,
Pretty dangerous invitation - I'll pull up a few of my oldies from England in the next few days and you and I can bathe in memories of steam!

Love your Seattle shot!


Bill
 
D

David Stephen

Guest
Here's one taken moments before it broke free in my direction.
 

simonclivehughes

Active member
Pretty dangerous invitation - I'll pull up a few of my oldies from England in the next few days and you and I can bathe in memories of steam!

Love your Seattle shot!


Bill
Thanks Bill! Although I lived in Seattle for 9 years, I had moved back to Vancouver, Canada but was in Seattle for a Jay Maisel workshop and it happened to be the same weekend this train was running. Serendipity indeed. The smells as it rolled past just brought all those memories rushing back... it was intoxicating.

Cheers,
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Thanks Bill! Although I lived in Seattle for 9 years, I had moved back to Vancouver, Canada but was in Seattle for a Jay Maisel workshop and it happened to be the same weekend this train was running. Serendipity indeed. The smells as it rolled past just brought all those memories rushing back... it was intoxicating.

Cheers,
OK - here's a few from way back. The first is from the UK, Devon, circa 1960, taken with a Rollei TLR.View attachment 18799

The next is with a Rollei 6008View attachment 18800 in 1998.

The last was not (shudder!) an MF picture - it was a Yashica J5 in about 1969 just outside Toronto.View attachment 18801

I've got lots more so be careful not to encourage me!
 
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