Trains Through the Ages
The Severn Valley Railway is easily one of Britain’s crown jewels for heritage railways, a living museum where steam and diesel locomotives still rule the rails. So, with the promise of iconic engines and a special guest appearance, the early morning alarm was worth it. Six hour roundtrip on the road for a glimpse of railway heavy hitters? Absolutely.
The 4 AM alarm is brutal after a long work week — but a dawn dash to the Severn Valley Railway makes it all worthwhile. Who could resist Hagley Hall, the LMS Stanier Mogul, and the charming (if slightly sandwiched) 1450?
As always, the drive up was in the company of @chaileystowe3026 and his upgraded Ford Fiesta — extra legroom makes the M23–M25–M40–M42 crawl a bit more bearable. First stop: Bewdley S Bend, a favourite spot, and my debut glimpse of the mighty 46115 “Scots Guardsman”.
Sadly, the skies didn’t play ball — a stubborn blanket of cloud refused to shift. But even without perfect light, for me this spot holds a lovely place in my photography heart after getting 1450 and 7714 in the snow back in January.
Scots Guardsman - This rare appearance, standing in for Tornado of 46115 “Scots Guardsman” at Bewdley S Bend on loan for the weekend.
Camera Settings: Focal: 38mm, Shutter: 1/500th, Aperture: f6.3 ISO: 400
My photography usually revolves around RAW files — I love squeezing every last drop of detail out of an image and rescuing ‘lost’ shots in editing. But let’s be honest: it can get a bit samey.
Enter my “fun camera” — the Nikon Zf. Retro on the outside, powerhouse on the inside, borrowing features from Nikon’s Z9 and Z8. Inspired by its old-school vibe, I decided to shake things up: shoot JPEGs (I know, groundbreaking) with a twist.
A random YouTube rabbit hole, late one night had led me to film simulation recipes — think Kodak 200 and other nostalgic presets. So the plan? Capture some vintage-looking shots straight out of camera, but keep a few trusty RAW files in the bag — just in case.
Nikon Zf
24.2 Megapixel Camera
Excellent hybrid camera for stills and videosLightweight (compared to a Z8)
Excellent Expeed7 processor and a good autofocus system for trains using the vehicle mode
Gorgeous vintage feel and a great way to learn cameras with the dials making adjustments seemless.
First up for my film recipe experiment: a loco class I’d never shot before — and brace yourself, it’s not steam but diesel. Meet the Class 52 D1062 Western Courier, a beast from the 1960-70s that just had to have a nostalgic vibe.
Trimpley Reservoir isn’t usually my go to spot, but it was the perfect backdrop for my first attempt at this vintage look. And you know what? I’m pretty happy with the result. Sure, there’s room to tweak, but for once, Trimpley delivered — and so did that film recipe.
Nostaliga Courier - D1062 Western Courier is seen in 1973 (not really 2025) passing Trimpley crossing with a morning service.
Camera Settings: Focal: 28mm, Shutter: 1/400th, Aperture: f5.6 ISO: 800
Orchard Crossing is easily one of my favourite spots on the Severn Valley — a perfect sight line, plenty of approach to catch the full train, and a well-placed milepost for that extra bit of railway charm.
Shot two was once again the mighty D1062 Western Courier, and I made sure to stake out my spot early, just in case a crowd showed up. This nostalgic film recipe (I’ll drop the link below if you’re a fellow Nikon Z series shooter) was really delivering — maybe a bit of beginner’s luck, but the quick, simple JPEG edits were a breath of fresh air compared to RAW editing.
As she rounded the bend, a lovely two-tone horn echoed through the crossing — sadly no thrash this time, but a lovely image below made up for it.
The Final Shot? - What I thought was my final shot until the LMS Stanier Mogul failed with a broken spring and D1062 did another round trip.
Camera Settings: Focal: 70mm, Shutter: 1/400th, Aperture: f6.3 ISO: 160
You’re probably thinking Sharpthorne Steam has gone rogue and let Sharpthorne Diesel take the reins and you wouldn’t be wrong. Steam will always be my first love, but thanks to a certain bad influence (the guilty party knows who they are), I’ve grown to appreciate diesels too. Typical though: the sun shone for the diesels and hid behind clouds for steam, classic British weather!
Tenbury Wall was up next with Hagley Hall, the flagship of the SVR, and I wanted to test out my new B&W preset. Tenbury Wall is an SVR icon — the striking wall, the loco running high — a timeless shot. We lingered here for a while, and I finally got to meet @21c.railphotography in person after many Instagram chats — always nice to put a face to a name.
As for the shot? I’m my own worst critic, chasing that elusive “perfect” frame, and the shifting light didn’t help. But judge for yourself — I think I’m still a flat monochrome guy at heart.
The Flagship - GWR 4930 “Hagley Hall” passes Tenbury Wall during a mixed sunny and cloudy afternoon
Camera Settings: Focal: 62mm, Shutter: 1/400th, Aperture: f6.3 ISO: 100
After a few final snaps at Tenbury Wall with the Class 52, 14xx, and Class 50, we wrapped up the day at one of my favourite spots — The Rifle Range. With its sweeping curve and a generous dose of afternoon sun, it’s a must-shoot for anyone visiting the Severn Valley Railway.
We linked up again with @21c.railphotography and the man with flat cap The Southerner to swap stories — and listen to Matt’s latest SVR mishap (You will crack it next time, or when Taw Valley comes back into service). The funny highlight of the day? 21c.railphotography confidently betting his life savings the Western was next — right before the 14xx’s whistle squealed from behind us, triggering a hilarious pirouetting of tripods and cameras.
To keep this from becoming a Western Courier fan blog, I’ll share a quick before-and-after of my RAW edits below — plus a peek into how I process these shots behind the scenes.
Before Unedited RAW (top) and after Edited RAW (below).
This shot was a tricky one — taken at 18:36, with the sun awkwardly behind the train and shining straight along the spine of the consist. Not ideal light, but that’s where shooting RAW really shines.
Out of camera, RAWs always look dark, so my first step in Lightroom is to switch the profile to Camera Flat — it’s perfect for pulling out natural colours and hidden details fast.
For this shot, I dropped the exposure slightly to pull the highlights back, then dialled the highlights down about -30 to rescue the sky from being blowing out. To bring out the detail on the loco — the star of any steam shot — I bumped the shadows up by +30.
Next, the image looked a bit cold and clinical, so I warmed the white balance from 4600 to around 5200 to bring back that soft, evening glow. Finally, a quick brush to remove those telltale heads peeking through the windows (I’m usually one of them too, so no judgement!).
Small tweaks, big difference — that’s the beauty of RAW.
The Sandwich - 1450 operates with the two autocoaches as she provides shuttles during the event.
Camera Settings: Focal: 37mm, Shutter: 1/400th, Aperture: f6.3 ISO: 220
With all the run pasts done, we wrapped up the day with a well-earned pit stop at the local Golden Arches — though figuring out how to get in (and to the petrol station) felt like a Saturday night puzzle in itself. Not good for two sleep deprived people!
Then came the real finale: a rave in the Fiesta blasting 2016 bangers — although who slipped Shaggy’s It Wasn’t Me onto the playlist is anyone’s guess!
It will be back to the Valley in September. Fingers crossed the rumours are true and 73082 Camelot makes an appearance. That trip’s going to be a big one — four days of steam, two riding, two lineside. It should be a winner!
Have a fantastic week everyone and I will see you again shortly for a two-parter blog, any guess where?
Ah, I almost forgot the link to the presets - https://fujixweekly.com/2022/07/03/11-nikon-z-film-simulation-recipes/ or https://www.alexarmitage.com/nikon-zf-recipes#dlnikon
