Steam Engines are Good for the Soul

I have not really talked about my love of Steam Engines, but my love of trains and also photography has led me to start a small photo business on the Web (www.imagesoftransport.com).

My interest in trains started when my Mum and Dad bought me a train set, then to pass the time I started to write down train numbers when I was 11, and I caught the bug. Being only 3 when steam in the UK ended, my interest was mainly diesels (Deltics sound almost as good as a Spitfire!), but Steam was always there in the background.

Now I am older, steam is probably more interesting to me. Gone is the variation in trains, they are now all the same shape and bland.

Steam trains evoke all kind of emotions, in most people. I see it when we visit railways as a family, most are not enthusiasts, but everyone loves the sound and most like the smell... For me steam engines are living things; breathing, sighing, sometimes yelling, warm and full of movement. Ang puts up with this, and so do the kids; but our smallest (despite being a girl) loves trains, well Daddy thinks so anyway!

If you get a chance visit your local railway and support them. Today's railways are increasingly just a means of getting from A to B, but preserved lines allow a means of escapism, a look back at more relaxed times, when children entertained themselves (LOL!) and people were generally more sociable!

Take time to look at an engine, see the movement, breathe in the atmosphere and I can assure you that you will slow down a bit; trust me its Good for the Soul.....