Up until the mid-1980s there were so many steam locomotives operating around the globe that one could imagine great photo opportunities presenting themselves and flickering out on a second by second basis. At the start of the second decade of the new millennium this potential has been all but extinguished.

Up until the mid-1980s there were so many steam locomotives operating around the globe that one could imagine great photo opportunities presenting themselves and flickering out on a second by second basis. At the start of the second decade of the new millennium this potential has been all but extinguished. It is nice to be able to dig back and recapture the way it was. Regular service steam operation occasionally delivered the right loco on the right train to the right place with all other factors sun, wind, smoke, time of day, light angle, steam leaks on their best behaviour. Far more often one or more elements didnt co-operate and there was no opportunity to get on the two way radio and call for another runpast. This was a challenge, and so many of these photos are to be regarded as archival photos of days past rather than technically excellent photos.