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Welcome & thanks for having a look at my photosite.
I'd promised myself a photosite, somewhere where I could document more than 20 years of my photography, for a year or so prior to signing up to Fotopic (I finally took the plunge and signed up on Sunday 24 June 2007). I decided intentionally to opt for the highest image size available (1280x1024 pixels), so in effect I'm future proofing the site saving me from feeling the need to upload my images again to the larger size - I apologise for those who are still using smaller monitors.
I have chosen not to sell my railway photos (although I have asked that a small voluntary donation be made to a registered charity e.g. SANDS), so if you would like a copy of the original image without the copyright logo, just leave me a message with an e-mail address so I can contact you back. Also feel free to make suggestions or comments.
Not that she'll thank me, but I want to dedicate this photosite to my wife, Melanie, who I've embarrassed on many an occasion taking that "one last photo". Also thanks to my parents who endured the same when I was in my formative years - I hope you enjoy the site.
Best wishes
Chris W |
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| Hits (today): | 1 |
| Hits (this week): | 7 |
| Hits (this month): | 352 |
| Hits (this year): | 1669 |
| Hits (all-time): | 95901 |
| Collections: | 12 |
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Sadly vandalism and security alerts have had an impact upon the hobbies of trainspotting and railway photography so its probably prudent that I make some comments as regards railway photography.
There have been many instances cited of railway staff being over officious, needlessly blocking railway enthusiasts from taking photographs. For example, I have been incorrectly informed by LU station staff that ALL railway photography is now banned AND even by one Northern Line T/O over the train tannoy system that it is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE - this is clearly incorrect.
Generally speaking, what you must NOT do is:
1) Go outside areas available to the public
2) Use flash; if your camera has an auto flash facility you MUST turn it off
3) Use tripods
Please refer to current regulations (they do change occasionally) and when unsure seek the advice of the Station Supervisor prior to taking any photographs. It may be sensible to make the Supervisor aware of your presence in the first place.
To clarify matters I have created Photography Guideline links (see Links section on the right) to useful sites that give advice about railway photography as well as photography in general.
All images published on this website have been taken, to the best of my knowledge, legally (usually passenger side). Where photos have been taken rail side they were during depot open days or my presence was known and I had been expressly permitted by railway staff (we are talking about old BR days here). |
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Who am I?? mmmmm so much I can say; where shall I start - the beginning seems probably best!
My passion for photography didn't start until I become interested in railways (initially becoming the almost archetypal trainspotter). Today, being an almost reformed character, instead of taking down the numbers I take photos (so much more credibility that being a trainspotter - or so I claim to those who ask).
I can remember the very first railway photo I ever took; it was taken on 28th July 1985 through the railings on the Embankment in Plymouth of a blue HST in Laira depot (I was just 13 years old at the time). Three cameras later, now using a Canon EOS 400D, I have taken countless thousands of railway photos, the best of which are here. My Non-railway related photography can be found on my other site 'Chris W's General Photography' (see link above).
Away from railways and/or photography, I'm an IT Trainer based (or at least that's where I'm meant to be working) in the City of London.
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 | 11/10/2009 | Very Latest Photography: Mainline Railway Modelling (54 images)
Visiting friends I discovered a well planned model railway layout in their loft and took the opportunity to capture a few photos.
Richard was a guitarist in a band called Mournblade, the first photo being a page from Kerrang music magazine (wearing shades), but is also a railway enthusiast on the quiet. Photos here are of his layout featuring a wide range of stock from yesteryear as well as modern trains.
I've never been into railway modelling bar a brief flirtation in my teenage years (the Hornby sets are still in my parent's loft), but this might has just planted a seed of thought in my head for the future.
Whenever I discover another layout in the future I'll add images to this gallery.
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 | 07/03/2009 | Crossrail (29 images)
Crossrail promises to be a revolution in travelling east to west (& visa versa) across London. After many years of plans and even two projects proposed (east to west and also north from Epping to Wimbledon in the south) work is finally getting underway to turn vision into reality and relieve London's railways of some railway and passenger congestion.
From Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood in the east under London to Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, under the control of TfL, the project is due for completion by approximately 2017.
This section will document progress where I find it, starting with the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road in early 2009. Many buildings here are due to either be demolished or rebuilt as part of the extensive rebuilding project to Tottenham Court Road station, currently served by the Central and Northern lines of London Underground.
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 | 01/01/2009
to 31/12/2009 | UK Mainline Railways (2009) (360 images)
Railway Photography taken in 2009.
Images in this section start with further developments to Stratford station as the nearby 2012 Olympic stadium and adjacent shopping centre take shape. A London Eye view of both Charing Cross and Waterloo stations feature in a few images captured on Saturday 11 April as well as a visit to north west London, namely Willesden (via Euston) and an old haunt of mine (and many other railway enthusiasts), Old Oak Common towards the end of the month.
Additional photos include those taken at Kings Cross and Newark during May on my way to and from a beer festival as well as including those captured at London Fenchurch Street station and Barking in early September.
More photos will be added throughout the course of the year.
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 | 01/01/2008
to 31/12/2008 | UK Mainline Railways (2008) (250 images)
2008 witnessed the handover of train operation between companies, an example being National Express taking over services in and out of London Liverpool Street and Kings Cross with former operators 'One' and 'GNER' respectively who both seemed to disappear overnight. Work commenced in earnest at Stratford station just east of London and the area immediately to the north in preperation for the Olympics in 2012.
Images here capture those events and whilst many photos in this section are again captured in and around the London region, the collection does end up in Scotland with photos taken at both Edinburgh Waverley and at Perth stations.
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 | 01/01/2007
to 31/12/2007 | UK Mainline Railways (2007) (240 images)
Photos captured in 2007 that feature here include a visit to Bristol Temple Meads (June), Windsor & Eton (August), a variety of visits to station around the London area and the very final day of Silverlink services on the North London Line (the following day London Overground came into being under the control of TfL).
Other highlights include St. Pancras that reopened after several years of redevelopment, initially to serve domestic Midland Mainline passengers and later (after my visit) for international services.
I also managed to capture the old departures and arrivals board at London Liverpool Street just days before it was withdrawn from use.
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 | 05/08/2000
to 25/02/2008 | European Railways (318 images)
Yes I have been sad enough to take photos of transport systems around Europe when I've been on my travels (to my fiancee's continuous embarrassment).
In this section you'll find photographs of European mainline trains, city metro systems and trams from Berlin / eastern Germany, Pisa & the Tuscany region (Italy), Prague (Czech Republic) and Barcelona (Spain) taken since 2001.
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 | 01/01/2000
to 31/12/2006 | UK Mainline Railways (2000-2006) (268 images)
This 7-year collection saw some significant changes on Britain's railways. We said goodbye to the class 86 and end end of old slam-door rolling stock on commuter services as well as the disappearance of some train operating companies such as Connex.. .
This section starts at the 2000 Old Oak Common open day, scenes from around London terminii and Railfest that was hosted at the National Railway Museum at York in June 2004. It also records both the class 86, 87 and old Mk. 1 EMU's in action in and around London in the months prior to being withdrawn.
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 | 06/09/1997
to 29/06/2008 | Miscellaneous Transport Photography (41 images)
Transport photographs in the UK and abroad that don't fit in anywhere else on this photosite.
Trains from around the world, planes and the just plain weird & wonderful - expect the unexpected!
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 | 01/04/1994
to 31/12/1999 | UK Mainline Railways (1994-1999) (178 images)
Privatisation was meant to have a number of positive effects on mainline railways - improved customer safety, regulated fairs, construction of new trains, increased investment and improvements in safety and punctuality amongst others. After years of under investments there have been some improvements, however whether all the of these aims have been achieved are still causing many a contentious debate.
Ownership of rolling stock became shared between 3 main companies - Angel Trains, Porterbrook Leasing, and Eversholt Trains, which Train Operating Companies would lease.
Images here date of privatisation (1 April 1994) until the end of the 1990's and also include the Deltic Scotsman railtour between Kings Cross and Edinburgh that took place on 6 September 1997, the date of Princess Diana's funeral.
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 | 01/01/1990
to 31/03/1994 | British Rail (1990-1994) (120 images)
British Rail ceased to exist on 31 March 1994. The 1993 Railways Act saw to that.
This section documents the last few years of British Rail just before it was to be broken up into more than 100 seperate companies.
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 | 28/07/1985
to 31/12/1989 | British Rail (1985-1989) (67 images)
I took my very first railway photograph through the railings Plymouth Laira depot of HST 43010 in blue & yellow livery. This was the start of my obsession/love (I'll let you decide for yourself) of railway photography.
Photos in this inaugural section were taken when trains were in rail blue, large logo or at worse Network South East colours and feature Plymouth (obviously), Baking, Euston, Liverpool Street, Kings Cross, Paddington, St. Pancras and Waterloo (all London), Peteborough and Old Oak Common depot.
These were to good old days when trains ran on rails and not on software.
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 | 01/06/1955
to 25/07/2009 | Guest Railway Photos (192 images)
This Guest Railway Photography section is dedicated to those amateur photographers that have asked me to display their photos on my site.
Brothers Al and Phil Kimbrey are now joined by Plymouthian born and bred Neville Bartrop - sorry Al & Phil... you've lost your exclusivity here. Neville's photos record Plymouth North Road, Laira, Newton Abbott and Bristol from the mid 1950s, with the Kimbrey brothers joining him in the Leamington area from the mid-1960s
Photos here record the end of steam, early diesels/electrics and more recently feature the new A1 Pacific 'tornado' 60163, the Great Central Railway that Al volunteers on and photos of traction in Norway from Phil.
If anyone would like to submit any photos to me, I would be happy to post them here - just get in touch via the 'Leave a Message' board to the right.
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Happy New Year - Thank you for visiting!!!
I hope that you and yours have a fantastic Christmas and a very happy and safe New Year.
The most recent update here remains the model railway that lives in a friend's loft last Sunday. I think you'll agree is quite impressive and something that I'll aspire to replicate or even beat in the future.
I still have to upload images taken at Stratford station in early August as well as a few photos of Manchester while a visited the city overnight during September.
This (my original Fotopic railway site) concentrates on mainline railways here in the UK and abroad. Links to other galleries featuring London Underground (TfL), my General non-railway site and the newly created Preserved and Withdrawn Railway Photos can be fund below.
Feel free to browse - you might even find of photo of me in the collections if you look closely enough ;-)
Chris W |
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