DMU Photography - Away from the Three-Quarter View

[Northmoor]

I mentioned on the Wright Writes thread that growing up in West Wales, I'd taken quite a few photos of DMUs as there wasn't much else.  I have always admired (and tried to emulate) the railway photographers who moved away from the "3/4 view, sun over the shoulder" school of railway photography.

 

I'll post a few of my early efforts, from the last years of the 1st Gens with a few Sprinters as they started to make an appearance and I moved away to other parts of the UK, by which time the Sprinter revolution was complete.  Apologies for the indifferent quality of the scanning (hairs/dust etc.), I've a cheap/bargain scanner but it seems to have attracted dust....

 

Here's #1 from my "portfolio", just labelled as a 2-car Cl.101 passing Gelli.  This was about 15 minutes cycle away from my house and a favourite spot.

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Northmoor

[Northmoor]

Here's another from just a couple of miles West along the line at the bridge, formerly the site of Clarbeston Crossing (we always knew it as Deep Ford Bridge when we crossed it on the school bus).  Behind the cameraman is the original crossing keeper's cottage, which ceased to guard the crossing after about 1906.

 

 

By this date (1989 I think, will have to check), Metro-Cammells were disappearing and being replaced by the Derby Cl.108s, some of which still had Manchester route maps for months afterwards.

Edited July 20, 2018 by Northmoor

[Ian Smeeton]

126 in possibly THE most bleak & barren landscape I have seen, just south of Glenwhilly, between Girvan & Stranraer

 

 

1981 or 1982.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Ian Smeeton]

View to the west of previous post.

 

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

[Market65]

That is just so grim and bleak! Glad I don't live there!

 

Regards,

 

Rob.

[Ian Smeeton]

Nobody does, not now anyway.

 

Even in the late 70's, in the WTT one train a week in each direction stopped to piick up/drop off railwaymen's wives for their shopping.

 

 

The cottages, derelict in 1982, can be seen here

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Northmoor]

Time for another.  I have a couple more from Gelli (it was close to home and offers many good camera angles) but will save them for now.

 

Coming forward a couple of years, here's one of my absolute favourite personal shots, a 150/2 on the Pembroke Dock branch, just East of Narberth.  It is so much better for firing the shutter early.

[eastwestdivide]

Did someone say bleak and barren?

[Market65]

That’s a lovely photo’, which shows how majestic the bleakness and grimness of the area is. To model it would require a huge room, but I hope one day perhaps someone might do just that.

 

Rob.

[Northmoor]

A completely different DMU view this time (and not really "In the Landscape").  

 

This is Chester in 1991 I think, the vehicles in the background were a line of withdrawn stock that stood there for months.  By this time I was a student in Liverpool and did a few North West Day Rangers on Saturdays.  

[Northmoor]

From a cycling holiday in Cornwall 1989, here's the Looe branch train at Coombe Junction.  Is that wagon still there?

 

[Killybegs]

Bassenthwaite Station on the old Cockermouth Keswick and Penrith Railway

 

[Northmoor]

Haven't put another DMU shot out for a while; here's another Gelli shot from about 1989:

[Northmoor]

Possibly the same day as my second post, it's from about 1/4 mile away up the hill.  One the few places where it is possible to get Foel Cwmcerwyn in the background:

[big jim]

Look closely there is a 158 in the picture

 

Another cambrian one

 

And an ‘urban landscape’ taken from Severn Jn signal box

[jonny777]

Not in too much countryside, but this is a Class 120 passing Standish Junction on 1st July 1967. 

 

The trailer buffet second is W59265. 

 

 

[Northmoor]

Look closely there is a 158 in the picture

 

 

Another cambrian one

 

 

And an ‘urban landscape’ taken from Severn Jn signal box

 

I think it's difficult to take a poor shot of Barmouth Bridge, but your second one is particularly excellent.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Northmoor

[Northmoor]

Coming forward a few years, I was living in Fife for a while.  One day on a day off work I walked the Coast Path from Aberdour to Burntlisland and back and took a few shots, here's one:

[Northmoor]

Jumping forward 23 years, here's one from yesterday.  A 165/166 passing through the autumn colours just East of Sonning Cutting.

 

[60091]

A small selection from the S&C taken 2009-11.

 

Blea Moor

 

Arten Gill

 

Mallerstang from Wild Boar Fell

 

Grisedale Crossing

 

Garsdale

[Ian Morgan]

Just north of Barmouth, somewhere around 1970.

 

[Northmoor]

A small selection from the S&C taken 2009-11.

 

2009-09-10 E 158xxx Blea Moor.JPG

Blea Moor

 

2010-07-10 C 153xxx+158xxx Arten Gill.JPG

Arten Gill

 

2010-09-02 B 158xxx Wild Boar Fell.JPG

Mallerstang from Wild Boar Fell

 

2010-10-07 C 158xxx.JPG

Grisedale Crossing

 

2011-08-05 D 158xxx+153xxx Garsdale Viaduct.JPG

Garsdale

A photographer after my own heart; if you can read the number, you're too close!

 

<Edited to add> Here's a another shot from the same day on the Fife Coast Path:

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by Northmoor

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

A classic shot of a 158 DMU crossing Barmouth Bridge on 25th March this year.

A 158 DMU in Criccieth 27th March this year.

A Northern Rail 150/142 combo in the Rochdale area near to Smithy Bridge on 25th July this year.

[Ian Morgan]

A long way from Barmouth

 

 

3H DEMU approaching Battledown Flyover.

[Karhedron]

I can't take any credit for the photo but this is a lovely shot of different generations of DMU crossing paths in the shadow the ruins of Corfe Castle.