Steam Trains

The low viewpoint on this photo of X4014, ‘Big Boy’ really emphasises the size and power of this loco. Set against a lovey backdrop the image has great clarity showing in great detail the 4-8-8-4 motion gear. A lovely image of a great loco. If anything, I think I would have cropped it a little tighter to the left and left a little more space to the right to move the engine to the left of centre.

This image could have easily been taken back in the days when steam was the powering force of the railways. The locos are all nice and sharp, the lighting is great, the early morning sun adding warmth to the foreground and the smoke. A very pleasing image of a typical Steam shed

Steam at night always has that certain alure to it and this image has it. The station buildings are nicely lit and the light is cast nicely on to the loco. The loco is nice and sharp and the steam rising between the platform and the wagons all adds to the picture, a very nice photo.

A dark storm sky provides a great backdrop when the sun bursts through on the subject. The lighting on the engine is perfect, the exhaust contrasts well with the dark sky and the rainbow just makes this great image even better. A very nicely composed and lit image, a worthy winner.

Re-enactors are not to everyone's taste, done correctly they can add interest and this is the case here, lots of atmosphere with all the smoke, the low key image with the back lighted figure work well, a lovely image in difficult lighting

This image jumped out at me, the colour and smoke all add to the atmosphere of a lovely scene. The lights on the building and in amongst the trees add warmth and the reflections just add to the interest, well done

This image everything you could want photographing steam engines, lovely light, moody sky with a rainbow, some nice exhaust and all nicely reflected in the lake. The crop works well on this image with the rainbow and its reflection appearing to ‘frame’ the loco as it passes autumnal colours in the trees.

The Jacobite train in the Scottish Highlands runs through some amazing scenery which creates some great locations to shoot these wonderful engines, a well composed image showing off the scenery as well as the Black 5 engine. A couple of small points, the highlight between the peaks above the engine draws the eye away from the main subject and it is not quite straight, a slight crop and rotate would address both of these points

To me, Steam photography is as much abut atmosphere as it is about the engine, this image of the Flying Scotsman has it all, the very well know ‘Flying Scotsman’ and plenty of steam. With the sun behind the train it has cast all the foreground into shadow with glints off the rails and some of the lineside structures all adding to the atmosphere that the steam creates.

This image could easily be taken in the great bygone days of steam, the long focal length has created a compressed perspective which, I think, works well on this image, the exhaust hanging under the bridge covering the tops of the mixed goods wagons. The square crop is different but suits this image nicely.

The warm early morning sun on the locos caught my eye on this mage, it shows off the colours in the paint work on these 2 magnificent engines nicely and creates a nice glint on wheels and motion gear. The smoke from the funnels of both engines brings them to life. A nice photo.

There is something about photos of steam engines in black and white, the atmosphere in this image is wonderful, from the black smoke out of the funnel to the steam hanging in the air all around this image. The steam to the right of the saddle tank ‘hides’ the buildings and keeps the viewers eye on the engine and its short train. A very nice image that works well in black and white.

The steam and exhaust creates some great atmosphere here as it is blown about in this long exposure image. The shutter speed was long enough to show the movement but short enough to retain some detail. The lighting works well keeping the focus on the engine and the station building. A very nice photo.