Midland Railway Centre
The Midland railway Centre is unique, not only is there the 3.5mile standard guage line that runs between Butterley to Riddings Junction, it also has a superb Museum dedicated to the Midland Railwayat Swanwick Junction.
The site is a huge 57 acres with a 40 acre country park right next to it as well. Included in the museum grounds you will find a Victorian Railwayman’s church, a demonstration signal box, the Princess Royal Locomotive trust shed and the 2 foot gauge Golden valley light railway that takes passengers from a station next to the Mathew Kirtley Musuem past its own purpose built engine shed and into the country park.
For photographers the classic location is the causeway at Butterley but with lineside access there’s a wealth of shots to be had at Swanwick Junction with the weathered Signal box & signals giving a real 1960′s feel…….A railway that can only get better and better….
A Martin Creese charter run by Simon Hopkins, motive power was in the form of Ex GWR 56xx 5643 with a short mixed freight to bring back echoes of the Midland Railway having tenticles into the South Wales coalfields. An added bonus was the 9F 92214 being in light steam, which we took back to the causeway to shoot some crossing runpasts...The weather was very kind to start with at Swanwick but we lost the light across the causeway, the night shoot was infront of the signal box to the East of Butterley station.In Summary a great shoot at a great price, Thanks to all the staff at the MRC and Simon for running it.
19 Photos