Steamed up

When I was growing up in the UK in the 40's,50's steam trains were ubiquitious but then in the 60s steam engines were rapidly replaced by diesel,diesel-electric and electric power and the age of steam was over.Most of the steam engines were scrapped but some escaped the wrecker's blowtorch to ride the rails again on enthusiast railways some after years of restoration.
Many of my school friends were train enthusiasts.Some probably still are.Trains never really interested me.I was into cars and cameras from an early age but I can still admire a working steam engine as a wonderful piece of heavy engineering.
Now in the UK and elsewhere railway nostalgia/restoration is a massive industry/hobby.In the UK in particular there are literally dozens of resurrected railway lines with enthusiasts running steam trains on them.

Paul Perton is a South African based photographer who is also a steam train enthusiast.He has a portfolio of superb and very atmospheric steam train photos a small selection of which are shown below.The photos look as if they were taken in the heyday of steam on film but appearances can be deceptive.They are all in fact modern era digital photos.

A presentation of some more of Paul's railway photos-"Saving steam" can be found on Saving Steam
Paul's website on Paul Perton showcases his wide range of photography.He even does Paris street photography.Well worth a look.