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Intercity Livery Added to Class 37 and Class 47 Railway Clothing

47843 Intercity and 37409 Intercity Designs

Intercity Livery Added to Class 37 and Class 47 Railway Clothing

After several requests I have added Intercity livery to the Class 37 and Class 47 embroidered clothing range.

This brings the available liveries for Class 37s to 12 and for Class 47s 11!!

The current available liveries for Class 37 and Class 47 locos is detailed below.

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Class 37 Liveries

  • BR Blue
  • Colas
  • Dutch Yellow/Grey
  • Intercity Swallow
  • Red Stripe Railfreight
  • Large Logo
  • Railfreight Coal
  • Railfreight Construction
  • Railfreight Distribution
  • Railfreight Metals
  • Railfreight Petroleum
  • ROG Phoenix
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Class 47 Liveries

  • BR Green
  • BR Blue
  • BR Blue – SF Silver Roof
  • Dutch Yellow/Grey
  • Large Logo
  • Railfreight – Construction
  • Railfreight – Distribution
  • Railfreight – Metals
  • Railfreight – Petroleum
  • RES Parcels
  • Intercity Swallow
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Still To Come

We have plenty more locos classes and livery variations to come. 

A recent online poll from our Facebook Group and Instagram followers requested the Class 68 to be added next closely followed by the Class 91

They will be appearing in the next week or so!

Also making a debut soon will be Virgin Crosscountry for the Class 47 designs!

Is there a loco class or livery you want to see added – if so let me know!!

Thanks for reading and stay safe

Cheers

Gary

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Personalised Wording Now Available on All Embroidered Railway Clothing

Personalised Wording Now Available on All Embroidered Railway Clothing

After the huge success of offering personalised wording on our aircraft embroidered designs, I am delighted to announce you can now add personalised wording to all our embroidered railway locomotive clothing designs.

What Can I Personalise?

As standard, you can personalise your railway clothing by choosing your favourite loco number and choice of livery. If the loco was named the nameplate will also be added to your design.

Additionally, you can now add personalised words above and/or below the embroidered locomotive to replace the standard name and number design.

For classes that featured variable front ends such as Class 37, Class 40 and Class 45, the design will have either a split box or flush front design as appropriate for the loco number you choose.

Which Loco Classes Are Available Now?

Our range of embroidered loco designs are steadily increasing and currently include the following classes of loco

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Which Loco Classes Will Be Released in The Future?

We are busy working on and testing new designs which include the following classes of loco

In fact after releasing the Class 37 today, we are planning on releasing another two loco classes this week in time for fathers day!

** Flash Sales **

Our flash sales on Facebook, Instagram and our email newsletters have been going down a storm and this weeks features data panels at knock down prices so check our social media to grab a bargain!

1st to claim an item gets it – simple as that!

Which Loco Liveries Are Available?

We have an extensive choice of loco liveries available for your personalised clothing including –

  • BR Green
  • BR Blue
  • Large Logo
  • Network SouthEast Original
  • Network SouthEast Revised
  • Dutch Civils
  • GWR Green
  • Railfreight Sectors
  • RES
  • East Midlands Trains
  • East Midlands Railways
  • LNER ECML
  • Red Stripe Railfreight
  • ROG – Phoenix

Thats All For Now – Stay Safe Everyone

Check out the news about our new Class 37 embroidered clothing designs.

Here is the link to the latest on how the Covid 19 situation is affecting our operations and your orders.

All the best for now and I look forward to hearing your feedback on our personalised clothing range – stay safe!!!

Gary

GDMK Images is established as a leading supplier of gifts railway enthusiasts, check out our railway gifts below ….

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Class 37 Added to Embroidered Railway Clothing Range

Class 37 Large Logo Oxford Blue Varsity Jacket snippet

Class 37 Added to Embroidered Railway Clothing Range

I am delighted to announce the addition of the hugely popular English Electric Class 37 to our embroidered railway clothing designs.

The highly detailed embroidered Class 37 features either a split box or flush front design and several different livery options.

Which Class 37 Loco Liveries Are Available For My Clothing?

We have 6 Class 37 liveries for your clothing including –

  • BR Blue
  • Large Logo
  • Dutch Civils
  • All Railfreight Sectors
  • Red Stripe Railfreight
  • ROG – Phoenix
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Can I Personalise My Class 37 Embroidered Clothing?

Yes, you can recreate your favourite Class 37 loco by choosing the number and colour scheme of the design. The design will also include the nameplate if the loco was named in real life.

With the launch of the Class 37 designs, we have introduced the facility for you to personalise your clothing by adding your own wording. You can add personalised words above and/or below the embroidered locomotive to replace the standard name and number design.

Which Clothing Can I add the Class 37 Design Onto?

Our full range of clothing and bags are available featuring the Class 37 design including –

Thats All For Now – Stay Safe Everyone

Here is the link to the latest on how the Covid 19 situation is affecting our operations and your orders.

All the best for now and I look forward to hearing your feedback on our Class 37 design – stay safe!!!

Gary

GDMK Images is established as a leading supplier of gifts for railway enthusiasts, check out our other Class 37 gifts below ….

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More Railway Side Profile Pictures Added

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More Railway Side Profile Pictures Added

  • Update – Since this post was added, our agreement with Stuart Black has evolved into a collaboration whereby you can order your favourite loco, in your chosen livery as part of our Personalised Gift Service

Read about the Stuart Black/GDMK Images Collaboration

Create Your Personalised Railway Gift Now

We are delighted to announce we have more railway side profile pictures available to buy on all our products. Our previous batch of profile pictures is proving extremely popular so we hope you enjoy our latest pictures. Locomotives included in this batch are some old favourites plus a few designs renamed and renumbered exclusively for us! These pictures are courtesy of Stuart Black and are exclusively available on all our gift products via our event stall and website.

New Railway Side Profile Pictures

The locos and designs featured are –

  • Black 5 45428 Eric Treacy
  • 75th Anniversary World Steam Record featuring 4468 Mallard and a lineup of A4 Pacifics
  • Class 37 37408 Loch Rannoch
  • 30th Anniversary Diesel World Speed Record featuring HST power cars 43102 and 43159
  • 40th Anniversary of the Class 43 HST featuring 43185 and a lineup of different liveried HST power cars
  • Class 50 50001 Dreadnought
  • Class 50 50004 St Vincent
  • Class 50 50005 Collingwood
  • Class 50 50006 Neptune
  • Class 50 50010 Monarch
  • Class 50 50014 Warspite
  • Class 52 D1049 Western Monarch with a lineup of different liveried Class 52s
  • Class 68 68005 Defiant
  • Class 91 91110 Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid style=”lazy” items_per_page=”5″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1543260629277-26669a41-56ec-3″ include=”52040,52039,52038″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All the designs are available to buy now from our stall at these upcoming events. They will also be added to the website over the coming weeks.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment

All the best

Gary and Dawn[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala 2018

Class 40 40106 at Bury on the East Lancs Railway

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East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala 2018

The weekend of February 17th and 18th February was the East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala 2018 and saw us make our first of several visits this year to the East Lancs Railway.

The East Lancs Railway always puts on a great show in conjunction with the East Lancs Railway Diesel Group and the other based owners and loco groups.

In all, the East Lancs Railway probably has the best ‘home fleet’ of any preserved railway in the UK.

Not many railways can boast the following locos as ‘home based’!

  • Class 14
  • Class 33
  • Class 35
  • Class 37
  • Class 40s – note the plural!
  • Class 45
  • Class 47
  • Class 50

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Pre Show Hiccups

No gala ever runs smoothly and a few locos did succumb to niggly problems before the gala started namely –

  • Class 56 56006
  • Class 47 D1842
  • Class 42 D832

At the end of the day, these complicated locos require a great deal of time and manpower combined with plenty of cash to keep running, so can be forgiven for the odd hiccup now and then – although 56006 seems to be pushing its luck. This loco is turning into a bit of a hangar queen![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Warm Welcome

We arrived nice and early and had a fantastic reception from the staff and volunteers. Its always a pleasure to bring the stall to the East Lancs Railway as everyone is so warm and friendly – rather befitting as it was somewhat wet and extremely cold!

We set up in between the Bury Valiant Group and the Class 40 Preservation Society.

There were a few new goodies – all of our clothing was on show including fleeces, hoodies, polos and beanie hats.

Also we had a small range of our 50021 and 50026 fund raising merchandise on sale.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid style=”lazy” items_per_page=”5″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1551112118999-ed0c6717-2864-5″ include=”51963,51956,51955″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Another Great East Lancs Railway Gala

By all accounts the gala went well. The train service was mostly maintained although there were a few issues here and there. Class 50 50015 Valiant had encountered a few problems on the run up to the gala but performed impeccably.

Everybody we spoke to seemed really happy with the event, so well done East Lancs!

Trade was good on the 50021 and 50026 fundraising items and the main stall so a huge thanks to everyone who came and chatted or bought something. Its all very much appreciated!

Below is a fun video of the highlights from Bury followed by some cartoon storyboard artworks I have been playing with.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/8E2FPck42SQ” align=”center” title=”Video Highlights of the East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala 2018″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

ELR Locos in Cartoon storyboards

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Thanks and Back Again Soon!

Another big thanks to all the loco owners, volunteers and staff who jointly made this a thoroughly enjoyable – albeit absolutely freezing – railway gala!

We will be back to the East Lancs Railway on 2nd March for the 3 day East Lancs Railway Spring Steam Gala to do it all again!

If you are planning on going then make sure you drop by and say hi! If not, you can find GDMK Images at these events

All the best

Gary and Dawn[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

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East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala

English Electric locos Class 37 37109 and Class 40 D345 at Bury railway station

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East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala

Last weekend saw us at Bury on the East Lancs Railway.

This was our first outing to a railway gala in 2017 and what better place to start than the East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala!

The Spring Diesel Gala is a home fleet only affair, but still boasts an impressive lineup of heritage diesel locos including

  • Class 14 D9531
  • Class 31 31466
  • Class 37 37109
  • Class 40 D345 (40145)
  • Class 45 45108
  • Class 47 D1501 (47402)
  • Class 50 50015
  • Class 73 73001

The gala was also the springboard to launch my latest digital painting featuring a BR Class 40 in the snow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

#gdmkimageslive

The East Lancs Diesel Gala saw the launch of our new #gdmkimageslive feature where I go on Facebook Live to bring an insight into the event, a product or general discussion surrounding our business and events.

The first #gdmkimageslive session saw the unveiling of our new Class 40 digital painting picture and can be seen below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Views from the East Lancs Railway Spring Diesel Gala

Here is a quick sample of pictures I managed to take during the event. First off though check out our view from the stall Sunday morning – a beautiful concerto of English Electric power gently idling away provided by Class 37 37109 and Class 40 D345.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/4_DRzosxYiM” align=”center” title=”English Electric Sweet Tunes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]The weather wasnt fantastic being mainly overcast with occasional rain. Nevertheless I managed a few nice pictures, some of which will make their way onto products in due course. The low angle picture of 50015 Valiant with the cab reflected in the wet has given me inspiration for a new digital painting.[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”east-lancs-railway-spring-diesel-gala”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

40135 No Show

The weekend went without too many hitches. The failure of much anticipated Class 40 40135, complete with repaint into BR Blue, was an obvious disappointment. Lets face it though, these machines take a hell of a lot of money, time and dedication to keep running. These things happen and we will just have to wait till next time to sample this great loco in its new guise. Good luck to everyone at the CFPS in getting 40135 up and running – heres hoping its a quick and not too expensive fix![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Next Stop Nene Valley Railway

So before we knew it the weekend was over and done with and we were packing the van for another exciting trip down the M6! Well actually we went back cross country because, as usual, the M6 was doing its best impression of a car park.

And now we are looking forward to the Nene Valley Railways Bulleid 50 Event this weekend.

I have 3 new wall art prints of 34053 Sir Keith Park for this event so drop by the stall and say hi where you can see them up close.

Also dont forget I will be doing another #gdmkimageslive Facebook Live session over the weekend. I will be talking about our ordering process and some of the benefits of ordering from our art stall at an event. Please join us!

All the best for now and look forward to perhaps seeing you at the weekend!

Cheers

Gary[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1487774908241{background-color: #fffffc !important;border: 1px solid #0098da !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”][vc_cta h2=”Subscribers get early notice and discount prices on new pictures!” txt_align=”center” add_button=”top” btn_title=”Sign Me Up!!” btn_custom_background=”#fffffc” btn_custom_text=”#0098da” custom_background=”#0098da” btn_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fstaging.gdmkimages.co.uk%2Fsubscribe-gdmk-images-newsletters%2F|||” custom_text=”#fffffc” css=”.vc_custom_1487775061813{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;border-left-color: #0098da !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #0098da !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #0098da !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #0098da !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”][/vc_cta][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”sky” el_width=”80″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

If you liked this article then why not share it with someone you know who will also find it interesting  …. thanks! [juiz_sps buttons=”facebook, twitter, google, pinterest, digg, linkedin, stumbleupon, mail”]

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Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway 2016 Diesel Gala

Ted on the GDMK Images stall inside the diesel shed at Toddington on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway

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Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway 2016 Diesel Gala

We had the pleasure of attending the recent diesel gala at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.

Our stall was located inside the diesel shed at Toddington which created a great atmosphere for the event surrounded by locos under restoration and all the associated engineering equipment.

In the shed was D1693 (47105) undergoing a thorough restoration by its owners the Brush Type 4 Fund. The class 47 loco was used extensively on all sorts of freight and express passenger duties all over the UK network and a small number are still in use today. Over 500 of these locos were built and several are preserved or under restoration on preserved railways around the UK.

The groups other Class 47 loco, 47367, was in use during the diesel gala and is painted in Railfreight grey Freightliner colours as carried in the 90s.

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Class 47 47105 Under Restoration

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Rare Class 20 

Next to this was a very rare class 20 loco. This loco, currently numbered 2001, was part of the CFD fleet which worked in connection with the construction of a high speed rail link in France. In British Rail service the loco was numbered 20035. 20035 went to France in around 1992 but was never very reliable in service for its French operator. It spent a long time out of service following mechanical breakdowns and eventually returned to the UK in 2005. It is in a very poor condition and is being used as a source of spares for the other class 20 loco on the railway D8137 (20137) and the owners other class 20 (20228) based at Barry. Once component recovery is completed the shell will most likely be scrapped.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18050″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Growler Groups Stunning Restoration of 37248

One of the highlights of the diesel gala was the use of English electric Class 37 D6948 (37248) which is looking absolutely immaculate following a thorough rebuild and looks as good as the day it entered service in 1964.

This loco is owned by the Growler Group which is based on the railway with its stablemate 37215.

37215 has been restored into BR Blue colours as it would have looked in the 1970s and 1980s whilst D6948 carries its original BR Green colours in which it was delivered to British Rail.

The Growler Group had their publicity stand in the diesel shed with us and several other stall holders. Ted took the opportunity to join the Growler Group as he was very impressed with their locos.

Below are two short videos of their Class 37s. The first shows the stunning quality of 37248s restoration into as built condition. The second shows 37215 departing Toddington with a train.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/bZJLjPfAPjQ” title=”Class 37 37248″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/973N4pFxRtA” align=”center” src=”“https://www.youtube.com/embed/973N4pFxRtA“” width=”“560“” height=”“315“” frameborder=”“0“” title=”Class 37 37215″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Ted Gets to Grips With a Class 47

Following Teds recent flights in the C-47 Skytrain and B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B, Ted jumped at the chance to get to grips with a main line diesel loco. Class 47 D1693 (47105) was open to inspect so Ted dived at the chance to sit in the driver’s seat of this 95 mph main line mixed traffic loco.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][ess_grid alias=”ted-drives-a-class-47″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway History

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway runs through the stunningly beautiful Cotswold countryside. The heritage railway was originally part of the Great Western Railway’s main line from Birmingham to Cheltenham, via Stratford-upon-Avon. Work started in 1900 and was completed by 1906.

The line was closed to Passenger traffic in March 1960. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway was formed in 1981 with the intention to re-open the line from Stratford Race Course to Cheltenham Racecourse. The line was originally double tracked throughout but now consists of a single line with passing loops at stations.

The railways operating base was established at Toddington. The railway restored 1/4 of a mile in 1984 and the first trains operated in the same year. There is now just over 12 miles of track from Laverton to Cheltenham Race Course with an almost complete northern extension to Broadway.

The railway predominantly runs steam hauled trains with regular turns for its diesel loco fleet.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Preserved Locomotives Based on the GWSR

The GWSR has a wide range of locomotives and their associated owning and support groups based on the railway. Below is a listing of steam and diesel locos based at the time of the 2016 diesel gala. I have included links to their owning groups. Please take time to have a look at the groups pages as you will find much of interest about the respective groups locomotives. Each of these groups are to be applauded for the excellent restorations of their locos which are a tribute to their hard work.

Steam locos based on the GWSR

Diesel locos based on the GWSR

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The gala featured most of the home diesel loco fleet plus class 33 D6575 (33057) visiting from the West Somerset Railway.

Crowds seemed healthy enough, with trains seemingly well loaded with happy punters, so hopefully the railway will make sufficient profit to ensure many more of these great events can be run.

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Locos Taking Part in the GWSR Diesel Gala

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Railway Photography Tips – Abstract Pictures

Railway Galas quite often provide us with quiet periods after each train has departed. Apart from allowing us to take a breath from selling and answering questions about my art style, I like to hunt out abstract picture opportunities.

There are photo opportunities everywhere and many times I like to look for abstract scenes that would look good in black and white or subjected to various colour treatments.

Railways are full of picture opportunities. Of course everyone wants to get the standard shots of the ‘big’ attractions, but for the following week, social media is awash with similar pictures of locos all looking sort of well …. similar. ‘Record shots’ are everywhere, don’t fall into becoming a ‘record shot’ photographer.

Push yourself to break the mould and look for different opportunities. Low angle, ground level, high vantage points, close-up and abstract picture opportunities are all around you. Challenge the inner photographer in you and find something different. Many pictures might well turn out pants, but some will be a little bit special. Many more efforts will let you know you are on to something different and next time you will know to get a little higher, a little lower, a bit closer or indeed further away.

Do something different. Your eye will develop and you will create your own style. Become a railway photographer rather than someone who takes pictures of trains.

Below is a selection of picture scenes I hunted out.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][ess_grid alias=”abstract-pictures-at-gwsr”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1498680345351{margin-top: 5px !important;margin-right: 5px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;margin-left: 5px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;border-left-color: #0098da !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #0098da !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #0098da !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #0098da !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”]

See All Railway Pictures

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Licence Railway Pictures

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I hope you have enjoyed the photos and my overview of the diesel gala, please feel free to leave any comments below

All the best for now

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Peak Rail Steam Railway

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Peak Rail Steam Railway

Welcome to the first of my Location Reports.

My intention is to provide information for the photographer, and casual visitor, to various places of interest.

See the main Location Reports page for more details of the series and links to the reports.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Railway Overview

The Peak Rail steam railway is part of the old Midland Railway line that originally ran from London St Pancras to Manchester Central via Derby.

The railway was identified for closure as part of the infamous ‘Beeching Report’ of the 1960s.

As a result, local passenger services ceased between Matlock and Buxton in 1967 and through express trains finally ended in 1968.

Currently local services, operated by East Midlands Trains, still run from Derby to Matlock, which is the ‘mainline’ terminus.

Directions to Peak Rail.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column font_color=”#00478c”][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”1721″ img_size=”medium” title=”Matlock”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At Matlock, you change to platform 2 and join the Peak Rail line for a run of 4 miles through to Rowsley South.

In 2011 arrangements were finalised to allow Peak Rail trains to run into the mainline station making access to the steam railway extremely easy.

In November, January and February only, Peak Rail trains run into Matlock Riverside station which is slightly north of the mainline station. It is only a short riverside walk into the main town.

The railway is open throughout the year. You will find both steam and old BR diesels running the service.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row font_color=”#00478c”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Darley Dale Railway Station

[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”darley-dale-railway-station”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Darley Dale is the first station north of Matlock.

There is a small museum featuring  various exhibits showing the railway during its working period. The exhibits include photos, posters and items of equipment that give a good flavour of times gone past.

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Rowsley Railway Station

[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”peak-rail-rowsley”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The northern terminus is Rowsley South. The station is a modern build, albeit in traditional style, alongside the main engine shed and engineering facilities.

On the station is a nice buffet and a gift shop with lots of transport related wares.

During British Rail days this site was a sizeable depot and maintenance facility.

Within this engineering complex are several enthusiast groups dedicated to restoring, preserving and maintaining various historical locomotives and rolling stock.
Below are a few links to some of these groups.

Heritage Shunters Trust

LMS Carriage Association

Renown Repulse Restoration Group

Also to be found at Rowsley South is a picnic area which gives a good view of the railways operations. There is a short narrow gauge railway operated as the Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway which runs alongside the picnic area.

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Photographic opportunities

There are many photographic opportunities to be found on and around the Peak Rail facilities.

Matlock and Matlock Riverside stations offer little other than the standard railway platform type environment.

A footpath runs a good way alongside the railway between Matlock Riverside and Darley Dale. The River Derwent also runs close at several points. The footpath provides many opportunities for lineside shots of the passing trains.

Darley Dale station has an authentic steam era feel and look. The crossing gates immediately south of the station also offer another unusual opportunity for creative photos.

The Matlock bound platform is laid out with authentic milk churns, enamel signs, period railway signage and stacks of luggage. It really looks the part. The Rowsley platform buildings are under renovation and not open to visitors yet.

Rowsley has many great opportunities. The many types of wagons, coaches and locomotives under restoration and stored is very impressive. The sheer number and differing types of railway vehicles present many photo opportunities. There is a fully working turntable which in itself is a rarity nowadays.

As is typical for Britain, the weather was changeable during my visit. The day started nice and bright with good light from the winter sun.

As the day progressed, the clouds crept in and the day became much darker with only very brief glimpses of sun. The darker skies led to flatter looking scenes with little in the way of saturated colours. At times like these it sometimes pays to look for scenes that would look good in black and white.

A steam railway is the perfect place to practice black and white photography. It not only gets around the problem of flat colours, but also leads you into creating a little bit of authenticity with your photos.

As shown below, when the sun shines keep an eye out for colourful scenes, but when the light isnt favourable look for patterns, shapes or reflections in otherwise dull scenes. The sky was heavily overcast on the carriage shot. The dull maroon colours were muted, yet the sheen provided lots of reflections from the wooden boarding on the platform. A dull image in colour is transformed when converted to black and white.

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Lasting impression

My lasting impression of the Peak Rail steam railway was positive.

Although the line is only 4 miles long, it provides ample opportunities for creative photography. The railway shouldn’t be compared to larger steam railways such as the Severn Valley Railway as that simply isnt an equitable comparison.

The Peak Rail steam railway does a great job of providing a compact snapshot of a railway from the past.

Darley Dale and Rowsley are both full of opportunities for the photographer who enjoys railways or recreations of times long gone.

The railway operates a number of special theme days which provides additional photographic opportunities.

All in all, I recommend the Peak Rail steam railway to both photographers and also to general visitors looking for an authentic steam era experience.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave your views and comments …[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”sky” el_width=”70″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1443099097328{padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1471794501127{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #fffffd !important;border-left-color: #0098da !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #0098da !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #0098da !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #0098da !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 4px !important;}”]

See My Railway Editorial Stock Pictures

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See My Railway Wall Art

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