I've been interested in trains and the railway scene since 1957 but often ancillary to other things. My steam days were hampered by cost and poor equipment. One of my first colour slides was 1108, a Class 47 at Doncaster, which was taken in September 1970 with an Instamatic camera. I bought a Pentax SP1000 in 1974 and my shots then tended to relate to the area I lived in; i.e. Scotland 1972 to 1978 and Darlington after that. My favourite diesel class was the Deltics but they along with other interesting classes were scrapped in the 1980's. At the end of that I started to go to Europe on holidays and took shots of French, German, Swiss and Italian railways. The British scene did not have the same interest. In 2000, I went to Ireland to work and renewed an interest in Irish railways. I bought a digital camera in 2005, whilst over there.

I retired in 2007 and now have more time to follow trains in the UK but mainly in the north of England.

Digital cameras and computers make it relatively easy to capture the railway shots I admired in the past and it is also easier to get to places like Shap and the S&C. The only problem though is the sameness and lack of loco hauled trains.

Latterly, from 2002 to the present, I have visited South Africa twice a year. I find it a magnificent country, which satisfies my interests and provides a wealth of photographic opportunites, not just of a railway nature.

I hope you enjoy this collection of photographs accrued over the period.