Steam in Scotland

[alphaomega]

Steam propulsion is living here in Scotland both on land and in the water. The first picture is of a socalled "Black Five" Class 5 steam engine propelling a special over Loch Awe viaduct en route to Oban on the coast. A550 with CZ16-80.

The second picture was taken with one of my venerable X700 and my much beloved Sigma 28-70 F2.8. Pure metal and glass and it weighed a ton. Another "Black Five" heading towards Mallaig on the coast from Fort William. These type of trains run every day from mid May to mid October. One of the most scenic rail tours in the World. As usual I used the Fujifilm Provia 100.

Third on to the River Clyde with steam powered paddle steamer Waverley heading out on a day outing with expecting passengers calling at various port on the river and estuary. Again I use my A550 but this time with Sony's version of the 18-250 zoom. I must admit that I am impressed by that lens.

Hope you like the pictures. There should always be room for a bit of nostalgia and harmless fun.

[Birma]

Some very scenic and interesting pictures there Alphaomega. They are all very appealing. Great reflection in the first (and perhaps that special CZ lens feel ?), the iconic view in the second, and the lovely blues in the third. The film gives a very different 'feel' the the two digital images, especially the first.

I hadn't really considered my self as interested in steam trains, but before Christmas we had a trip on the Severn Valley Railway and it was a bit of a revelation. The only down side was not be able to leap from the train to take pictures of it as it raced along, and then get back on again!

[bakubo]

It is rare to see a steam train these days. I especially like the first photo. Thanks for posting.

[UrsaMajor]

It is rare to see a steam train these days. I especially like the first photo. Thanks for posting.

Anyone who is interested in steam trains, or who just wants a train ride through stunning scenery - and will be in the western part of the state of Colorado - should definitely plan a trip on the Durango - Silverton railroad. The rail line itself is narrow-gauge, which makes the train even more rare than ordinary steam rail, and the line runs through some very impressive scenery in the Rocky Mountains section of the US.

FWIW, there is a Wiki article about this train ride at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durango_an ... e_Railroad

And the web site for the railroad is at:

http://www.durangotrain.com/

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[aster]

Lovely threesome!

The colours and the subjects remind me of the postcards I used to collect when I was a kid, of the times before me. : )

The ferry in the last shot is very similar to the ones that were in use in Istanbul from the beginning of the last century. I think some of those ferry boats were purchased from the UK; I remember seeing brass plates on the walls of their stairwells, inscripted with where they were manufactured initially and how they were shipped to Istanbul. They no longer are in use I'm afraid and some are preserved as museums on water... I still have to check, though. : )

Thanks for sharing,Alphaomega. These are truly nice.

Yildiz

Here's one link to Glasgow Steamers that used to carry us around the Bosphorus until late 1990s and a few years more into 2000s.

[Dusty]

Why do I get the feeling that train is headed to Hogwarts?

Dusty

[alphaomega]

You are close Dusty, but not exactly where the Harry Potter filming took place. They used the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is about 15 miles west of Fort William in the Western Highlands of Scotland. Here is a picture of a steam engine passing over this viaduct (X700 and Provia 100). They used the engine seen in the second picture and a helicopter. The steam train would pass over the viaduct and the helicopter swoop over to get the right sequence. They did it over and over again at least ten times.
The second picture was taken in July 2006 when a group of American Harry Potter enthusiasts came over and hired the same engine as used for the filming to travel from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Here the train is passing over the River Lochy just north of Fort William en route to Mallaig (Sony DSC-R1).

Also thanks to Aster for her kind comments.