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Thursday 17 February 2011

Train driver


Rarely seen on SDP - a portrait of a person!  It's not so scary photographing people at events like the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway's Steam Gala Weekend - the volunteers seem to welcome it. There are probably many photos of this train driver on the Web!  There were hundreds of photographers around and he affably leaned out of his cab to chat to a passer-by.  Handsome man, don't you think?  It's a cliché that all little boys want to be train drivers - well, some of them manage it!  And as a visitor you get a real sense of the love that all the volunteers have for their work on the railway.  They all play their parts with relish: the ticket-sellers, the train drivers, the station masters and all those who run around doing the less visible jobs that together make the venture such a success.  Someone told me that KWVR have a hostel and people come to stay on working holidays to help with the restoration of the engines and rolling stock.  I salute them all.

14 comments:

  1. Lovely photo and we can really see this is someone enjoying his role! you are right, all these beautiful trains, hardware stuff need definitly peple's participation... photographers included...

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  2. Such an interesting photo!
    Great lighting!! Well done. :)

    Betty xx

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  3. And a great portrait it is. You can see by his hands that they don't shovel coal. Is that right? Bravo to the volunteers.

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  4. Yep, indeed, a handsome man. Great capture, Jenny.

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  5. A great portrait!i love this idea of volunteers making something work so well!

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  6. My grandson would love this job! Wonderful portrait.

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  7. Great portrait Jenny! I could see this on the front cover of a book! ~Lili

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  8. That is a great photo, Jenny! But I'm still wanting to frame 'Letting Off Steam' and hang on my living room wall! There's just something about steam locomotives.

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  9. Excellent choice of subject, and excellent photography too. I wanted to be an engine driver too once- my uncle Billy in Derby was one, lucky chap. Then I wanted to be a bus driver. My Uncle Tom drove from Buxton to Sheffield for years...

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  10. Yes, a very handsome conductor! Harry liked him as well! :)

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  11. Well, Jenny, now that you have broken the ice, are you going to have more portraits? It is odd that most CDP photos are without people. We are a community of chickens.

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  12. Exactly the same happens with the Tal-y-Llyn in mid Wales (and also the Ffestiniog I believe). We used to be members of the Tal-y-Llyn Railway Preservation Society. The people who volunteer are always so friendly and welcoming. It's almost like they are inviting you to join in their own special fun!

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  13. Ah yes, very handsome, perfect for his part! These days I think boys want to be pilots, no? This must have been such a joyful event.

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