Whitchurch railfan captures dream locomotive

But as one former professional photographer who captured the Royal Scot in the town this week explains, there is more to the art than pointing a camera and shooting.

Chris Kapolka has spent his whole life as a transport photographer, so is no stranger to capturing the perfect shot of a moving train having captured images for British Rail and the London Underground, as well as rail networks around the world.

But the Royal Scot was a train he had been hoping to capture for some time and it passed through north Shropshire just this week.

"I surveyed the entire route between Wem and Wrenbury and concluded the best classic angles are just south of my new home in Whitchurch on the two overbridges," he explained.

"My philosophy is that I am as good as my last shot and hence I put all my efforts to get the best of the situation and 'lady luck' plays her part too.

"I thought I would chance a shot from the A525 overbridge near Waymills.

"I found a comfortable composition that would look balance with a train running through it, but I was a bit disappointed by the cloud cover but weather was in the lap of the gods.”

He added: "Since its restoration to working order, the famous loco 46100 Royal Scot has eluded me, as I've always had other commitments that denied a chance to photograph it.

"Suddenly the gods did their stuff and voila 46100 Royal Scot appeared with a fully authentic train glistened in the low morning sunlight just as the clouds moved back."

"Trains were my speciality as a young lad," said Chris.

"I was a trainspotter living in north London and became acutely aware of the passing on an era. I was just a bike ride away from the Kings Cross to Edinburgh main line which was all steam when I first started train watching. Mallard and Flying Scotsman were regulars through Oakleigh Park station. Equidistant was the Midland Railway main line from St Pancras to Manchester which was also all steam except for the Blue Midland Pullman.

"Then suddenly almost overnight it was all gone and steam trains vanished.

"With my father's 35mm film camera I started tracing the last remaining bastions of steam, recording the majority on black and white film which I processed myself."

Chris was able to turn his hobby into a profession, and visited some of the most iconic railways in the world for work.

"Leaving school I worked in all sorts of menial jobs which supported my hobby of photography," he added.

"I turned professional and with my knowledge of railways my main client was British Rail which operated the railway network at the time. I also worked for London Underground.

"Over the years I have photographed and filmed trains around the world, the highlight being paid to photograph the Australian Indian Pacific train on the world's longest straight piece of track – 297 miles – over the Nullarbor Plane. This was work for Air New Zealand's in-flight magazine which used the story.

"I've also covered the railways across the Andes in Peru, in Africa, Eritrea and Zimbabwe, China, USA and Europe.

"I am working on several books at present."

As Chris explains, there is more to taking a photograph than just aiming the camera.

"Morning and late sunlight are always the best for trains as it adds the sparkle to all the wheels and coupling rods," he added.

"Every shot is challenge, but composition to produce a balanced image is the basic criteria.

"If it's wet and miserable there are different opportunities such the sparkle of wet station platforms.

"The railway environment is a dangerous place and everyone must respect that it is forbidden to go anywhere on the trackside and the continuance of steam hauled excursions is dependent on that premise.

"The best shots are looking slightly down on the train and its setting and I am an advocate of that view angle.

"It's a great fun challenge for anyone who enjoys taking pictures."