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Bala Lake Railway
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The largest collection of photographs comes from the Bala Lake Railway. This is
mainly down the fact that I am a volunteer driver on the line and rarely go there
without a camera with me! The line and its engines are extremely photogenic and
it is a wonderful place to work.
There are three different sections with photos from the line:
- The main collection, featuring photos
over several years. I have used several different cameras over the years, so the
quality of the photographs can vary...
- The 25th Anniversary Celebrations. After
borrowing a very high quality Epson scanner, I was able to scan the photos directly
from the negatives. Therefore, despite being taken on a disposable 35mm camera, the
images are generally of a good quality.
- The centenary celebrations for Maid Marian
and Irish Mail in 2003.
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Talyllyn Railway |
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I was an active volunteer on the Talyllyn Railway for
the best part of 15 years, which has resulted in a large collection of photographs from
this railway. As with the Bala Lake, the cameras used have varied considerably over
the years.
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Severn Valley Railway
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One of the longest preserved lines in the country, the Severn
Valley Railway runs for 16 miles between Kidderminster and Bewdley.
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Dobwalls Theme Park
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My family and I have been visiting Dobwalls Theme
Park, near Liskeard in Cornwall, for as long as I can remember. I know the
owner of the park quite well and was fortunate to be able to renew my acquaintance
with him whilst on a holiday to the area in 2001. As you might imagine, I also
had my camera with me and this section contains the resultant pictures. Sadly, I
did not get any pictures of "Big Boy" in action.
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Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
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The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
is a relatively short line but is bursting with character, and even better,
you can enjoy a pint of beer on the train!
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Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
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My trip to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
was on the occasion of their "Double-Header Day" in October 2001. It was a
splendid day but unfortunately, the weather started bad and got progressively
worse during the day, which made photography almost impossible. Still, I got
some reasonably good shots at Hythe before it turned really foul.
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Ffestiniog Railway
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The Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales
is a spectacular 14-mile run from the coast at Portmadog up in to the hills to
Blaenau Ffestiniog. With amazing scenery and spirited running, its quite an
experience.
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The Jacobite
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We had a ride on "The Jacobite" during a visit
to Scotland in September 2002. The ride itself was spectacular to say the least
and the engine, Thompson 'B1' No 61264, was in superb condition; my only gripe
would be the state of the carriages which were absolutely filthy. The weather was
not great (what else is new in Scotland...!) but never-the-less, a very memorable trip...
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Bluebell Railway
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We visited the Bluebell Railway on the way
back from a wedding in Brighton. The previous day had been foul weather but the
Sunday turned into a gloriously sunny Winter's day. The trip was very memorable
behind 9F 92240, with 80151, "Birch Grove" and "Stepney" in action on other
services.
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The Roger H. Abbott Collection
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This collection of photographs was taken
by my late father, Roger H. Abbott. We discovered the negatives whilst sorting
out his belongings after his death in February 2002 and I thought it would be a
shame for others not to see them. Unfortunately, none of them were labelled and
my knowledge of BR steam when they would have been taken (late 1950s to early
1960s) is limited to say the least. However, I have undertaken research to
identify the locomotives (Rail
UK was a huge help in this task - thoroughly recommended!) and engines
as best possible but if anybody out there can help, I would be delighted to
hear from you.
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South Devon Railway
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We visited the South Devon Railway with
friends of ours who live near Exeter. It is a beautifully restored and scenic
line, capturing the spirit of a GWR branch line beautifully.
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Leighton Buzzard Railway
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Whilst short, the Leighton Buzzard Railway
boasts a large collection of locomotives (both steam and industrial diesel) and
has a unique character of its own.
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Great Central Railway
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I have made a couple of visits to the Great
Central Railway, which features the unique restored section of double-track
main-line running.
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The Golden Arrow - 14th to 16th May 2004
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In May 2004, we travelled on the Railway Touring Company's
Golden Arrow from London Victoria to Paris Gare du Nord via Dover and Calais. In England, we
were hauled by Tangmere and in France, by 231-K89. Unfortunately, Trangmere
was failed on the Saturday and we were taken from Dover back to London behind a Class 20. It was
an interesting weekend and 231-K8 performed superbly on both days.
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Bure Valley Railway
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The Bure Valley Railway is a 9-mile
narrow-gauge line in Norfolk, and is quite similar to the Romney, Hythe and
Dymchurch in that the scale locomotives roll along at 20-mph. It's quite a
ride with the locomotives working hard up some quite stiff climbs.
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Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon)
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The Welsh Highland Railway is a
spectacular ride through Snowdonia and will be even better once the final
phase between Rhyd Ddu and Portmadog is completed. Normal service trains
are hauled by massive NGG16 Class Beyer-Garratts, with other visiting
locomotives from the nearby Ffestiniog Railway,
to which the WHR will eventually connect to at Portmadog.
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The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
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The 15" Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a
wonderful ride through some of the best scenery in the Lake District.
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The North Norfolk Railway
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I have visited the North Norfolk Railway Railway
on a couple of occasions, taking a ride behind 92 Squadron. Whilst only 5 miles long, the
line has some stiff gradients that really make the engines work.
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Videos
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A collection of short video clips of various railways...
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