Steam Train Photography

Picture of the Week: 34027/34053

Alan Ledger November 10, 2016

Here’s a picture or two for sore eyes. This could have been taken quite easily before 1967 if you worked on the footplate of the Southern Region but in 2016? well you have to be in the right place at the right time! Say no more. Two rebuilt Bullied Pacifics passing one another taken from the cab of West Country 34027 “Taw Valley” working the 16.20 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster train looking along that long firebox and boiler approaching Battle of

Picture of the Week: 5043 SUTTON PARK

Alan Ledger November 3, 2016

Ex Great Western Railway Castle class 5043 “Earl of Mount Edgcombe” climbs up through Sutton Park working the 09.13 Tyseley to Chester just over a week ago. The trees are beginning to change but the sun has not come out to brighten them up. It will return later in the day passing through Birmingham New Street station at 19.50. Saturday 22nd October 2016. Regards Ledg.

Picture of the week: 52 6208 Friestadt Austria

Alan Ledger October 27, 2016

Here we are in sleepy north east Austria in beautiful rolling countryside away from the mountains. I always liked coming here as we did a lot of walking along the railway finding places to photograph. This is 2-10-0 52 6208 an ex German kriegslok from the second world war working the 16.25 linz to Summerau on the Czechoslovakian border. It was climbing all the way from Linz for the train crew but great going back! The train is formed of

TK 48-143 a Polish 2-8-2 tank at Wolsztyn

Alan Ledger July 21, 2016

TK 48-143 a Polish 2-8-2 tank has just arrived at Wolsztyn with the 15.22 from Nowa Sol looking very smart. This was the only one of the class allocated to Wolsztyn and at the time was a great favourite with the train crews at the depot. We were to see more later on allocated to Jarocin. Saturday 23rd March 1991. Regards ledg.

Picture of the Week: South Africa 19D3362

Alan Ledger July 7, 2016

A nice action shot of a South African 4-8-2, 19D 3362 hurrying along right in the centre of the country absolutely miles from anywhere, the nearest place being Flips Kop, if you can find it on any map good luck. We seemed to end up in lots of these locations but they were well worth it for the scenery. It was a good job we had some good maps, and our camper van never broke down as we would have

Picture of the week: 35006

Alan Ledger June 23, 2016

A picture taken a few weeks ago of rebuilt Merchant Navy 35006 “Peninsular and Oriental Line” at the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway steam gala on Saturday 28th May 2016. Here it is having left Cheltenham Race Course and heading for Toddington with the 12.36 departure looking very smart. I remember seeing these engines tearing through Basingstoke from the Weymouth and Exeter lines coming down from Worting Junction in the early 1960’s the drivers hanging on the whistles as they approached

Picture of the week East Germany 44-0115 At Saalfeld

Alan Ledger June 16, 2016

Here is a panoramic view of Saalfeld in East Germany showing the depot yard and turntable on the left and the station in the background. 44-0115, a 3 cylinder 2-10-0 oil burner storms out of the freight yard with a long train for Gera putting up an almighty exhaust in anticipation of the long five mile climb ahead up to Unterwellenborn. The cylinder taps are open to clear any water from them after having stood in the yard. Saalfeld’s 01-0534

Picture of the Week: 4771

Alan Ledger June 10, 2016

Hi all, I had been on the Castle Bromwich Cement train and knew this special was coming so after a quick chat with the signalman at Saltley I was able to leave my engine in the picture, class 31 and climb the signal gantry to get this photograph of Gresley V2 2-6-2 4771 Green Arrow blasting past Castle Bromwich with a very mixed bag of 12 colourful coaches in tow. It’s now in York museum along with 2 other engines

Picture of the Week: 012-061 MEPPEN

Alan Ledger May 12, 2016

Another one of those West German 3 cylinder 4-6-2 pacific oil burners, 012-061. One of Rheine’s long standing allocations. It’s looking a bit worse for ware but still in good mechanical condition as the departure testified as always with these engines but not long to go before it will be finished and replace by diesels. lt’s the last time we would see them at work. Here it is standing at Meppen station with the southbound 07.50 Norddeich to Cologne. It

Picture of the Week: 92029 SALTLEY

Alan Ledger May 5, 2016

Here is Just one of the photo’s I took with my first camera when 15 years of age and working as an engine cleaner at Saltley along with a few others of you and able to wander round the shed at will. As you can see it’s not wonderful but every picture tells a story. 9F 92029 ex Crosti boilered 2-10-0 was one of the sheds allocation and what a state it’s in. The front end on the fireman’s side

Picture of the Week: 16R 791 South Africa

Alan Ledger April 14, 2016

We called into Port Elizabeth to see the last Pacific’s working in South Africa and also spent some time sorting out a puncture to our campervan, in fact it was a shredded tyre that disintegrated if memory serves me right, the roads were terrible. Here is the front end of South African 16R 791 standing at Utienhage depot. This is where these Pacific’s worked too. Every thing looks robust about this engine, Walschaerts valve gear on view large solid cross

Picture of the Week: 19D 2721

Alan Ledger March 31, 2016

South African 19D 2721 4-8-2 slogs uphill on the climb from Vickers through some pretty rugged terrain working a freight from Aliwal North to Barkley East high up in the centre of the country. We were well over three thousand feet up here and it was freezing cold at night in our camper. This was a very numerous class and were to be seen almost every where on the South African Railways being very versatile especially on the branch lines

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