Stuart Ord
December 2025 - Sir Nigel
About the Image(s)
Sir Nigel Gresley is an iconic English steam locomotive. I was lucky to find it undergoing work at a maintenance facility in Crewe that my model engineering club visited a month ago. The engine itself is large, and in the large but crowded repair site, I couldn’t get an overall picture of it. However, it’s the wheels and linkage that in many ways defines these powerful machines.
OM Systems OM-1, Olympus 17mm f1.8 lens, taken at 1/125 sec, f4, ISO 800. Processed from RAW in Affinity 3
3 comments posted
Parts of mechanical things tend to make good monochromes and this is a good example. The different tones of the more finely finished and rough steel provide good contrast. You managed to compose a good monochcrome without trying to get the entire engine. The tonal range and contrasts of the various parts are excellent. Posted: 12/12/2025 18:44:21
Thanks, Stan. I feel a bit like I'm cheating as I've taken similar photos many times before, and as I have more time for model engineering these days, my interest in steam locos is only increasing! Posted: 12/13/2025 22:08:05
Going in close was'nt a bad option here as it emphasizes an important part of the loco. The sense of steel comes through strong with those linkages almost silver in colour and they contrast really well with the darker tones. The long straight steel rod behind the linkages leads nicely through the image. Posted: 12/18/2025 09:10:47