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Bleak Mid-Winter

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A heritage railway is a bleak though beautiful place to visit in Winter in the snow and DRC is no exception though it presents fabulous photographic opportunities and a warm welcome from staff and volunteers alike, brave souls.

The sweeping vistas with the permanent way delineated by the snow allows the photographer to give photographs depth by emphasising vanishing points using the rails of the tracks. 

The snow also helps emphasise geometric shapes and curvilinear features providing a contrast which is not usually available at other times.

The locomotives were all cocooned for the Winter season, so the place had a feeling of melancholia which the snow and the far-reaching views helped emphasise. There was a feeling slumbering dragons; the great fire breathing, coal eating, once steaming monsters now cold and sleepily dreaming, waiting for the return of Spring.

The low level Winter sun helped underscore the cold bleakness of the day and this was reflected in a soulful beauty unique to winter.

At the end of it all it was good to retreat indoors to warm up and visit, thanks to the kind auspices of one of the volunteers acting as guide, the workshops where maintenance work is a never ending labour of love whatever the time of year..

Then off to the cafe for tea and cake. A set of photos from my archives taken in happier, non-Covidy, times can be found here. More information about the brilliant Didcot Railway Centre can be found here.

✧ Jokul Frosti ✧

A space containing the thoughts, experiences, photos and collected curiosities of a walkabout photographer with a snapshot style.