There is something romantic and magical about
steam trains. The atmosphere created by
steam, smoke and the nostalgia of a bygone age
attracts thousands of people who want to ride
behind a steam locomotive, take photographs
or just experience the unique aroma they
create.
Back in the 1960s the future of steam locomotives
looked very bleak as British Rail sent
them to the scrap yard and replaced them with
more modern diesel and electric locomotives.
Yet you don’t have to go far in the UK today
to have your own steam experience, and
Derbyshire is no exception.
Through recent decades there is hardly any
part of Derbyshire that has not witnessed the
sight of a steam train, from the once railway
Mecca of Derby, to Chesterfield and through
the dramatic scenery of the Peak District on
the Hope Valley line. Buxton and Matlock have
also seen occasional trains. And away from
the national network there are a number of
preserved lines and centres in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire-based Robert Falconer has been
photographing steam engines in action in his
home county for more than a quarter of a
century. Through many different styles of railway
photography, and in more than 140 superb
images, he captures a large variety of locomotives
from the small industrials to large express
engines. The steam locomotives are undoubtedly
the stars of the show but Derbyshire’s
often spectacular landscape sets them off to
their very best advantage in this supremely
colourful and evocative collection.
Robert Falconer first picked up an SLR
camera at the age of 12 to capture on
film steam trains on days out with his
father. He soon developed a love of photography
and it was not long before he
started to aim his camera at landscapes
as well as steam locomotives. After leaving
school he went on to study photography
for 4 years, achieving a National
Diploma at Norton College, Sheffield and
a Higher National Diploma at the Blackpool
and Fylde College. Since then
Robert has had pictures published in
numerous magazines, calendars and on
cards. He now has a collection of over
20,000 images of many places and subjects
but it is images of the Peak District
which dominate. His previous book for
Halsgrove The Peak District: A Winter’s Tale
was published in 2009.
Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 0 85704 116 6, hardback, 214x230mm, 144 pages. Published September 2011.