Glossary

Adhesion - The ability of a locomotive to pull a load without its wheels slipping.
Atlantic - A locomotive with a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement.
Axle Load - The weight placed on the track by an axle on a train. which is limited by the rails, bridges etc.
Ballast - A material usually stone chips on which the track is laid.
Boiler - A metal barrel with tubes where water is boiled by mean of a firebox at one end.
Boiler Pressure - The maximum pressure expressed in pound per square inch (psi) which can occur in a boiler before the safety valve blows.
BR - British Railways or British Rail.
Broad Gauge - A gauge of 7ft 0¼ inches used by the Great Western Railway from 1838 until 1892.
Buffet Car - A carriage in which refreshments are served.
DEMU - Diesel Electric - These are locomotives where a diesel motor drives a generator which then powers an electric motor which provides the motive force.
DMU - Diesel Multiple Unit - Diesel powered vehicle with more than one carriage.
Double Heading - Two locomotives are coupled together to pull a train.
Double Track - A railway line where there is a different track for each direction.
Down - The direction away from the main terminus on the line.
Driving Wheels - Locomotive wheels which are powered by the connecting rods.
EMU - Electrical Multiple Unit - Electric powered vehicle with more than one carriage.
Footplate - The floor of a locomotive cab.
Gauge - The distance between the rails.
Ground Frame - A set of levers at the side of the track that controls signals or points.
GWR - Great Western Railway.
Halt - A station where trains only stop by request.
Island Platform - A platform that has track either side.
Light Railway Order - Many preserved railways operate under these regulations that require simplified safety regulations and a maximum speed of 25 m.p.h.
LMS - London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

LNER - London and North Eastern Railway.
Loop - Two lines running parallel that either allow two trains to pass or a locomotive to go to the other end of a rake of carriages.
Miniature Gauge - Any gauge 18 inches or under. Popular gauges are 15 inches, 10¼ inches, 7¼ inches.
Mikado - A locomotive with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement.
Mixed Train - A train with passengers and goods.
Mogul - A locomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement.
Multiple Unit - A diesel or electric powered set of carriages.
Narrow Gauge - Any gauge less than 4ft 8½ inches.
Pacific - A locomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement.
Pannier Tank - PT - Water tanks positioned either side of the boiler on a locomotive, pannier style.
Power Classification - A system used by British Railways indicating power rating of a steam locomotive from 1 up to 10, with letters showing type of traffic: P (passenger), F (freight) and MT (mixed traffic).
Rail Car - A coach that has its own motive power.
Saddle Tank - ST - Water tank mounted above the boiler on a locomotive.
Safety Valve - An automatic valve that opens to release excess steam pressure.
Semaphore Signal - A mechanical device with an arm or disc used for signalling.
SR - Southern Railway.
Standard Gauge - A gauge of 4ft 8½ inches.
Steam Outline - A locomotive that has the appearance of being steam powered but uses a diesel or petrol engine.
Tank - T - A locomotive that carries all coal and water within the engine frame and has no tender.
Token - An object used in single line working. A train driver must be in possession of the token to have permission to proceed.
Up - The direction towards the main terminus on the line.
Well Tank - WT - Water tank mounted between the frames on a locomotive.
Wheel Arrangement - The standard description of locomotive wheel arrangement is as follows, the centre figure indicates the driving wheels, with the leading and trailing wheels being the first and last number respectively. For example a locomotive with four leading, six driving and two trailing wheels would be 4-6-2.

Steam Railway Photography

A visit to a steam railway line will give you many opportunities to take interesting photographs. Check our website to find the railways in your area. Go to the site of the railway you have chosen to confirm their opening times, some lines have a service every day in the summer while others only run trains at the weekend.

We went to the Bluebell Railway on a week day when there was a single train service. Travelling along a minor road to Horsted Keynes station we almost missed the signpost directing us there. It is a remote spot, the station is over one mile away from the village it was named after.

Horsted Keynes has the appearance of a 1930s Southern station, with five platforms it is an impressive size. We purchased our ticket from the ticket office. There was only five minutes before the train was due to arrive so we made our way to platform three.

Our locomotive for the day came into view, as it got near to the station the engine driver exchanged the single line token with the signal box man. The engine was No.80151 a British Railways 2-6-4 built in 1956 at the Brighton works. This is an appropriate locomotive to have as they were often used on the line in the final BR days.

The first stop was Kingscote where the engine went along the run round loop to the front carriage, it was now forward facing, time to take some photos. Railways rarely have turntables so the locomotive will be running tender first one way, this does not look correct so wait until the engine reverses at the end of the line before taking photographs.

At each end of of the line the train waited for half an hour before doing the return journey, ample time to explore the stations. There was plenty to photograph including period posters, advertising, clocks, luggage, porters' trolleys. Parts of a steam locomotive can be interesting, examples are: nameplates, wheels, lamps, inside the cab. Candid photos of the people working on the railway such as the guard, station staff, fireman and engine driver can all be subjects for your camera. If the station has a foot bridge over the line this can be an excellent place to get a different view.

Steam engines in motion are a dramatic sight. You will need to plan your location to gain the best vantage point. Footpaths, level crossings, open countryside, bridges, land adjacent to stations can all provide excellent opportunities.

Photo Tips

Any camera can be used, film, digital or even disposable. Locomotives on preserved railways are limited to a speed of 25 mph so fast shutter speeds are not required. A zoom lens can be an advantage though not a necessity.

Slightly overcast with weak shadows is probably the most suitable weather for railway photography. Cloudy conditions can result in dull looking pictures whereas strong sunlight can produce too much contrast. We all know how variable the weather can be in Britain, so as long as it is not a really grey day you should be pleased with your pictures. In winter when the ambient temperature is lower steam is more noticeable often producing outstanding, atmospheric results. A snow fall or hard frost can also add interest.

If you use a digital camera try to use a slow ISO speed to get the maximum quality, depending on the light 100 or 200 ISO should be possible. Care should be taken with the exposure as there can be high contrast between the white of steam and the dark colours of the locomotives. Digital camera owners have the benefit of being able to check the highlights are not burnt out by using the histogram or highlight warning setting. Another asset is being able to check your shots on the LCD screen.

You could give your photographs vintage flavour by having them in black and white. This is easy for digital users, we would advise you to shoot in colour and do the conversion to black and white in an image editing program, this way you have the choice of colour or black and white.

So have an enjoyable trip to a railway and shoot some excellent pictures. Show the photos to your friends who will no doubt be impressed and want to visit the same railway themselves.

Broad gauge replica locomotive 'Fire Fly' 2-2-2 in the Transfer Shed at the Didcot Railway Centre

Battle of the Railway Gauges

In 1604 the first wagonway was built in Nottingham, it consisted of wooden rails with the wagons having flanged wheels. There is no record of the gauge used but this and later wagonways had to accommodate a horse between the rails so it varied between four to five feet. Usually wagonways, wherever possible, had the fully loaded wagons run downhill by gravity and returned empty pulled by horses.

Iron rails were developed in the late 18th century this enabled George Stephenson to build his first steam locomotives for the Killingworth Wagonway. The gauge at Killingworth just happened to be 4ft 8 inches. George Stephenson used the same gauge later on the Stockton and Darlington Railway which opened in 1825.

One of the conditions of the Rainhill Trials in 1829 was that the distance between the rails should be 4ft 8½ inches. The modification to 4ft 8½ inches came about, it is suggested, because of the need to fit conical tyres.

As the railway network grew the importance of gauge standardization became imperative as some lines had already been built using 4ft 6 inches and 4ft 9 inches. Despite this, the influence of Isambard Kingdom Brunel enabled him to insist in 1835 that a gauge of 7ft 0¼ inches be used on the Great Western Railway. Brunel argued the broad gauge would create improved stability, higher speeds, smoother ride and greater fuel economy. Detractors said that the broader gauge required extra land and wider tunnels incurring greater capital costs.

An example of broad gauge rail, compare the width to the standard gauge in the foreground

As the majority of goods were moved by the railways a break in the gauge was a real problem. While passengers can easily transfer to another train, uploading and reloading goods was a time consuming business.

In 1845 a Royal Commission looked into whether a standard gauge should be used on railways, by this date many lines had converted from 4ft 6 inches, 5ft and 5ft 6 inches to 4ft 8½ inches. Brunel proposed to the Commission that a trial of his 7ft 0¼ inch broad gauge against 4ft 8½ inches should take place. The broad gauge train was headed by a Firefly class 'Ixion' 2-2-2 and a Stephenson long boilered 4-2-0 locomotive on the standard. Broad gauge trains achieved a maximum speed of 61 mph while the 4ft 8½ inch gauge trials only reached 56¾ mph with one being derailed. Despite the superiority of the broad gauge in the trials the Commission came down in favour of having 4ft 8½ inches as the standard, the reason for this was the fact that there were 1,925 miles of 4ft 8½ inch track compared to only 275 miles of 7ft 0¼ inch gauge. It is easy to convert to a narrower gauge but can be impossible or costly the other way round.

New main line railways built after 1846 had to be built to a gauge of 4ft 8½ inches and 5ft 3 inches in Ireland. Even so the broad gauge continued on the Great Western for another 46 years, although many broad gauge routes had an extra rail added to provide both gauges.

Interesting Links

www.railwayherald.org - the online railway magazine Railway Herald
www.thomasand friends.com - the official Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends website.
www.a1steam.com - for all the latest news about the 60163 'Tornado' steam locomotive.
www.flyingscotsman.org.uk - all the latest information on the restoration of the 'Flying Scotsman'.
www.systemed.net/atlas - an excellent map in PDF format showing past and present railway lines and stations.
www.railroaddata.com - a database of railway related websites from all over the world.
www.swanagerailway.co.uk - a steam train journey through spectacular Dorset countryside.
www.mslr.org.uk - Mid-Suffolk Light Railway - the only standard gauge steam railway line in Suffolk.

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