? Trains + lost places + photography

[jaapstam]

Dear friends and experts,

a friend of mine loves three things: trains, photography and lost places.

I am looking for a possibility to combine all three of them for him. We are from Germany but I am looking for such "lost places" in the UK (preferably in or around London) to combine the trip with a journey onboard the Eurostar as my friend has never done this before.

Any ideas of great spots, which deserve to be called "lost places", where there are trains parked that have been in service let's say in the 1980s, 1990s and where access and the permit to take photos are officially allowed?

Thank you very much for your help!

Kind regards
Jaap Stam

 

[Bevan Price]

Dear friends and experts,

a friend of mine loves three things: trains, photography and lost places.

I am looking for a possibility to combine all three of them for him. We are from Germany but I am looking for such "lost places" in the UK (preferably in or around London) to combine the trip with a journey onboard the Eurostar as my friend has never done this before.

Any ideas of great spots, which deserve to be called "lost places", where there are trains parked that have been in service let's say in the 1980s, 1990s and where access and the permit to take photos are officially allowed?

Thank you very much for your help!

Kind regards
Jaap Stam

This website may help you to find good photo locations but most of them would not qualify as "lost places"
https://www.trainspots.co.uk/

Many of the trains in service in the 1980s and 1990s are still in daily service today.
Depots and train storage locations are not usually open to public visitors; some depots hold very occasional "open days" when the public are admitted.

 

[jaapstam]

This website may help you to find good photo locations but most of them would not qualify as "lost places"
https://www.trainspots.co.uk/

Many of the trains in service in the 1980s and 1990s are still in daily service today.
Depots and train storage locations are not usually open to public visitors; some depots hold very occasional "open days" when the public are admitted.

Wow! Thanks a lot Bevan Price,

that is a very interesting link you provided! But yes, you are right, in this case I am looking fewer for spots like Clapham Junction but more for the depots open to the public. Or, even better, locations where trains have been parked after being out of service and appear to have been forgotten.

 

[30907]

Wow! Thanks a lot Bevan Price,

that is a very interesting link you provided! But yes, you are right, in this case I am looking fewer for spots like Clapham Junction but more for the depots open to the public. Or, even better, locations where trains have been parked after being out of service and appear to have been forgotten.

Are you thinking of somewhere like Mukran?
And are you actually hoping to get close up to the vehicles?

At the moment we have more brand new trains waiting to enter service than older trains in "warm storage," and both categories are not likely to be accessible; I believe there are/were some stored at Ely.
Anything no longer required is probably in a scrapyard already, but you might have some luck with small private operators.
In the North of England are:
Hellifield station, where there is a long line of parcels vans slowly rotting (no idea who owns them, so you probably can't get near legally);
Carnforth West Coast Railway Company - long lines of vans and coaches in very poor condition (as well as some very nice ones in actual use, I hasten to add!).
Crewe is another possibility.
Some of our preserved railways also have a lot of unused stock, but more steam-era.
Sorry I can't think of anywhere specific near London, but you can fly Frankfurt to Manchester if your conscience allows.

 

[jaapstam]

Are you thinking of somewhere like Mukran?
And are you actually hoping to get close up to the vehicles?

At the moment we have more brand new trains waiting to enter service than older trains in "warm storage," and both categories are not likely to be accessible; I believe there are/were some stored at Ely.
Anything no longer required is probably in a scrapyard already, but you might have some luck with small private operators.
In the North of England are:
Hellifield station, where there is a long line of parcels vans slowly rotting (no idea who owns them, so you probably can't get near legally);
Carnforth West Coast Railway Company - long lines of vans and coaches in very poor condition (as well as some very nice ones in actual use, I hasten to add!).
Crewe is another possibility.
Some of our preserved railways also have a lot of unused stock, but more steam-era.
Sorry I can't think of anywhere specific near London, but you can fly Frankfurt to Manchester if your conscience allows.

Thank you very, very much "30907", for your very helpful hints!

You describe it exactly, I am looking for "something like Mukran"
Unfortunately Mukran is that far away that it would take me presumably more than double the time than coming to the UK...

For the moment, I favour the museum in Hermeskeil, Germany (www.dampflokmuseum-hermeskeil.de) as it is only a two hours drive from where we live. And my friend is using Eurostar in February to visit his family in Wales, so the extra "surprise highlight" would no longer be one when organising my photography trip.

Nevertheless thank you very, very much for the many tips you were able to provide. Well noted for a second or a third trip!

Kind regards
jaapstam