Filling up with doubt

I probably didn’t see enough steam trains as a child. That is the only reason I can think of that explains why I just love trying to photograph these mainline locomotives. Is it the anticipation, the build up of waiting for them to arrive? It’s late. Does that mean that it has broken down? Has it just had to make way for a faster service train? Was it late setting off? On the Settle to Carlisle line you never know the answers to these questions because the phone signal is really poor out on the fells so you can’t take the easy option and look it up on the internet. You just wait until you don’t want to wait any longer. I guess in this respect it’s like fishing, you don’t know if you are going to have a good day until you’ve had a good day. To enjoy fishing you have to enjoy the sitting and waiting, and it’s the same with chasing trains.

As you sit and wait, you fill up with doubt. Have I chosen the right place to stand? What am I trying to do capture? A train in a landscape or a photo of the locomotive? Is somebody with a dayglo jacket going to rock up and spoil the view? Is the wind going to push the steam on the wrong side of the train? Will the engine be working hard and pushing out the exhaust? Is it too warm for the exhaust to condense into beautiful billowy clouds of steam. Will the coaches match or are they going to put a couple of old blue ones in the middle. Is there risk of fire, so they have stuck a diesel loco on the back to do take the strain so that the steam engine doesn’t blow sparks across the landscape. Am I too low, am I too high? Is the sky right? Some clouds are good, clear blue skies are bad as are 100% uniform grey. Rain? I’ll just stand closer to where the train will pass.

Photographing trains is a form of landscape photography. It’s all about light and composition. Train keenies will photograph locos going along the West Coast Mainline. I always ask why? This line has been electrified and the overhead cables kill any shot. It’s the same as photographing a tiger through the fence in a zoo, all it tells you is that it doesn’t belong in this habitat. The photos being produced nowadays are far superior to anything taken when steam was the only form of railway power. The trains are turned out like new, digital technology allows us to record more accurately and manipulate the image to create drama the used to be the exclusive reserve of painters.