Coal Tank out and about on the KWVR

Proof that it was sunny at least twice this winter... We had a second trip out on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway back in Jan, for Younger Child's birthday.

Pleasantly, the Coal Tank no.1054 was on the service. Less pleasantly, and more sadly, the loco was carrying a wreath in remembrance of a Volunteer who'd passed away.

Photography was a little tricky; both the lighting, which was bright and a bit harsh, and the lack of a proper camera, so I was shooting on the phone.

Most of the pics were taken whilst the loco was running-round at Keighley Station, where a bit of a stroll took me to the picnic area (unsurprisingly deserted on such a chilly day).

Surprisingly, a shot in print; Heritage Railway magazine. I (Ben) had been sending the odd shot off this year, but with the focus on the model-making I've not been taking many train shots, so it's nice to get something in the mags.

 

Model-making over the bleak midwinter.

As mentioned in the previous post, the photography work tends to quieten down somewhat over winter due to the weather, the Day Jobs, and real life getting in the way. That said, we don't exactly sit around doing nowt, and indeed the commissioned works for the hobby mags have somewhat kicked up a gear over the last few months.

British Railway Modelling continues to be the main focus for Ben- two pieces in the most recent issue!

This was a fun one, combining a bit of illustration work with the model-making.

Hallie ('Robot Girl From The Future!') continues her recent trend of sneaking into projects, whilst ideas are developed for a possible kids-book featuring her.

And then there's the quarterly work for Hornby. These tend to be much bigger articles, and have been a bit of a struggle to fit in over a very busy winter, but nevertheless, it's a nice regular gig.

And then there's the shared work we do for Garden Rail.

This is a lovely, steady little gig, an excuse for photography trips out, and forces us to do bits of model-making even when we're otherwise busy. Which is good, because losing yourself in a project for a little bit every day is a marvellous way to relax. 

So yeah, just because the blog is quiet, it's not that we've given up on being creative. There's plenty more info on the model-making blog, accessible from the list on the right-hand side if anyone's interested.

 

A rare sunny Jan day, on the Worth Valley

The winter is always a quiet time for us, photography-wise. This winter more than most, as it seems to have been perpetually dull and rainy.

One of the exceptions, luckily, was early in Jan where we paid one of our visits to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Since we moved from Ingrow to a bigger house down the valley, we don't spend nearly as much time on the KWVR as we'd perhaps like, so it's nice to pop over and just spend a bit of time riding the trains when we get chance.

The opportunities for photography were a little limited, in spite of the nice weather, mainly because we were busily riding the trains for a family day out. but still managed a few shots around the stations.

This was actually the first of two visits we squeezed-in during January, and so a second post should appear soon. And if this weather starts to vaguely improve at some point, hopefully some more (and more varied) pics should start appearing on the blog and insta feeds again.