Tag: Railway Station

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Station music

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Today was my annual visit to the seaside town of Mablethorpe. It’s been a long day, I’ve only just got home, and I’m tired, so this will be a short post. The pictures I took at Mablethorpe will appear in due course once they’ve been developed and scanned (and I’ve worked through my backlog of other shots).

So, for today, here’s another picture of another of those upright pianos that can be found at railway stations around the country.

Another station piano

Olympus 35 RC & Kodak Portra 800 (shot at 400asa). Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 10 August 2022

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Tinkling the ivories

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Many railway stations here in the UK, or at least the larger ones with sheltered concourses and departure areas, tend to have a piano (sometimes several) on which members of the public can exercise their musical talents (or lack thereof). This one is at Manchester Picadilly station – and there’s at least one more at this station.

This is a shot from the first roll I’ve shot through my Olympus 35RC in far too long. My XA3 seems to have gotten much of the love over the past year, but even before I got that camera, the 35RC had languished for longer than I liked. I’ve shot this roll with it and currently have a half-finished roll of FP4+ loaded. It’s a great little camera and deserves some use.

Tinkling the ivories

Olympus 35 RC & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 7 May 2022

35mm · Film photography · Photography

At Cleethorpes station

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Another trio of photos from Cleethorpes, this time taken at the railway station. I didn’t travel there by train, but the station was a stone’s throw from where I’d parked the car, so it seemed rude not to take a peek. I think I’ve mentioned before that I have no particular interest in railways or trains per se (at least beyond the usual level of interest that someone might have), but I do find that they make for interesting pictures.

At Cleethorpes station
Trio
Blue and silver under blue

Olympus XA3 and Kodak Colorplus (expired 2012 and shot at 100asa)

Taken on 31 January 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Arrival

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On my trip to Cleethorpes I made a number of pictures around the railway station. While I’m not a railway enthusiast in the sense of being interested in trains especially, I do find that the locomotives, carriages, rolling stock and the infrastructure that surrounds them makes for evocative photographs.

I like how this picture came out. It reminds me of something that might turn up in a set of old mounted slides or something, despite being a contemporary scene and being shot on colour negative film. It wouldn’t have worked anywhere near as nicely without the great light though

Arrival

Olympus XA3 and Kodak Colorplus (expired 2012 and shot at 100asa)

Taken on 31 January 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Love locks

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Padlocks denoting couples love hang afixed to the mesh fence over the railway line. It’s hardly the Seine, but the sentiment will still stand. I see these locks when I cross this bridge on occasion and wonder about their origins. Some of them have been there for years and now are gaining more and more rust. Some are engraved. Others have the names of their originators written upon them in ink, and those are fading away in some cases. How many of the couples are still together, I wonder? And do those who didn’t make the distance remember making their mark in this way? Have any been removed by those spurned? Little monuments to people’s lives.

Secured

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 50mm f/2.8 MC & Ilford HP5+ (@1600). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 20mins @ 20°.

Taken on 26 November 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Vintage sidings

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This is the railway station at Elsecar Heritage Centre. It forms the departure point for trains running on the Elsecar Heritage Railway, the only heritage line in South Yorkshire. At this time of the year the line runs “Santa Specials” where you are able to enjoy a trip on a train (consisting of vintage carriages usually pulled by steam locomotive) and the children are visited by Santa who gives them all presents during the journey (adults get a hot-chocolate or a mulled wine). While my own children are too old for such things now, I have fond memories of taking them on these trips when they were younger.

There was no sign of the steam loco on the day I took this and the station itself was closed, so this photo was taken through the gates at the level crossing just beyond the station. Fog and mist always adds a wonderful quality to photos, I think.

I took an almost identically composed picture with the Zeiss Mess-Ikonta just before this one. That’s a nice photograph too and much sharper due to the Zeiss glass, but I think the Holga shot just pips it to the post. Maybe because it’s more contrasty – the Holga’s single shutter speed and limited aperture control largely dictates the final exposure of the image, and I think this slightly darker one wins out in that respect. The Holga’s vignetting and soft edge focus also works very well to draw your eye into the frame, which is often an attractive compositional feature.

FILM - Vintage sidings

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 30 November 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Sir John Betjeman

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This statue of Sir John Betjeman stands in St Pancras railway station, London. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death in 1984. As well as a lover of railways, he was a vociferous voice in the preservation of ancient buildings and was instrumental in the saving of the St. Pancras station and hotel which had been scheduled for demolition. The station was secured and is now the London terminus for both the Midland Mainline domestic route as well as the international Eurostar service to continental Europe. This sculpture was commisioned for the re-opening of the station following its redevelopment in 2007.

You can watch him talk about railways in this film.

FILM - Sir John Betjeman

Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 9 October 2019