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1000 results for “vigue”
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@pixeldailies.bsky.social
Developed this out of a scrapped idea from the contest entry I've been working on. @pixeldailies.bsky.social
#laynalazart #claw #pixel_dailies #pixelart #art #animation -
Grosse déception cet appareil. Les fils se coincent plus souvent qu'ils ne passent ou il faut.
Les fils se sont coincés 6 ou 7 fois en une après-mid, et j'ai du démonter 3 fois l'ACE, pour me rendre compte que j'avais même d'anciens bout de fils coincés dans dans les circuits des autres bobines que je n'avais pas testé.
Et a peine relancé, le fils prend encore un mauvais chemin, et obligé d'y retourner. Vraiment je sature.J'en suis à me demander si plutôt que prendre le ACEpro2 ( ce que je pensais faire ) je ferais pas mieux de me prendre une bambu lab :blobPikaGlare:
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A quelques heures de la date limite pour obtenir une ACE pro 2 avec une réduc de 45%, je me rend compte que 99% des fois ou mon print 3D déconne, et ça arrive très souvent, c'est à cause de l'ACE pro 1er du nom.
Conclusion: le 2 serait mieux?
J'y crois a 0%
Par contre, je suis en train de réaliser que je ferais mieux de ne simplement plus utiliser d'ACE pro.
Les prints multicouleurs gaspillent énormément de matière, et surtout je perds plus de temps a démonter l'ACE pour retirer des bouts de fils coincés ou il faut pas, que je n'en gagne en imprimant 3 objets de 3 couleurs différentes sans préparer le plateau entre. -
I vaguely remember something about #Apple several years ago changing from "byte" kb to "human" kb in their system dialogs etc. This was a minor change and may have been good on some level. Mostly ended questions like "why does it say 2 Gig here but only 195943567899 bytes lower down in the same dialog box?"
I never imagined the 1024 thing would work the other way... kilometer = 1024 meters. 😅
For those who aren't computer scientists, here is an explanation from Wikipedia...
"In some areas of information technology, particularly in reference to random-access memory capacity, kilobyte instead often refers to 1024 bytes. This arises from the prevalence of sizes that are powers of two in modern digital memory architectures...
The kibibyte is defined as 1024 bytes, avoiding the ambiguity issues of the kilobyte."
In other words, in #binary we count 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, 16s, 32s, 64s, 128s, 254s, 512s, 1024s, etc.
I totally forgot (if I ever knew) about the #kibibyte!
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The Lesbian MasterDoc by Anjeli Luz pulls heavily and uncritically from Rich's text, so if that document also felt vaguely TERFy to you, then now you know why.
#lesbianmasterdoc #thelesbianmasterdoc #comphet #compulsoryheterosexuality #transsexualempire #thetranssexualempire #adriennerich #janiceraymond #transmisogyny #transphobia #terf #transexclusionaryradicalfeminism #radfem #radicalfeminism #queerhistory #transhistory -
If the concept of "compet", AKA "compulsory heterosexuality", feels vaguely TERFy to you, well, that's because it has its roots in literal TERFery.
#comphet #compulsoryheterosexuality #transmisogyny #transphobia #terf #terfs #transexclusionaryradicalfeminism #transexclusionaryradicalfeminist #transexclusionaryradicalfeminists #radfem #radfems #radicalfeminism #radicalfeminist #radicalfeminists #queerhistory #queerliberation #transhistory #transliberation -
"our energy systems are already massively in carbon debt. We cannot afford to borrow any more carbon from fossil reserves. To burn carbon now to build AGI on the vague hope that it may by some remote chance produce systems with more insight than we now have, at a time when our politicians are already failing to act on the very clear data being produced by their own scientists, it the purest folly"
#AGI
#ArtificialGeneralIntelligence
#ClimateEmergencyhttps://www.journeyman.cc/blog/posts-output/2026-05-11-AGI-Will-Not-Have-A-Lizard-Brain/
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The pre-print for the #ICPC paper “Pinpointing the Learning Obstacles of an Interactive Theorem Prover” by @sarantja @azaidman and yt is now available at https://sarajuhosova.com/assets/files/2025-icpc.pdf
I very much hope this will inspire more research on the usability and accessibility of the languages we build going forward!
Abstract:
Interactive theorem provers (ITPs) are programming languages which allow users to reason about and verify their programs. Although they promise strong correctness guarantees and expressive type annotations which can act as code summaries, they tend to have a steep learning curve and poor usability. Unfortunately, there is only a vague understanding of the underlying causes for these problems within the research community. To pinpoint the exact usability bottlenecks of ITPs, we conducted an online survey among 41 computer science bachelor students, asking them to reflect on the experience of learning to use the Agda ITP and to list the obstacles they faced during the process. Qualitative analysis of the responses revealed confusion among the participants about the role of ITPs within software development processes as well as design choices and tool deficiencies which do not provide an adequate level of support to ITP users. To make ITPs more accessible to new users, we recommend that ITP designers look beyond the language itself and also consider its wider contexts of tooling, developer environments, and larger software development processes.
#Agda #TheoremProving #DependentTypes #Usability #Accessibility #ICPC25
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Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried and for the US government appeared in court to argue whether Bankman-Fried’s conviction should be overturned. SBF argued that he was improperly prohibited from presenting arguments around FTX’s solvency and the advice of his lawyers.
It may be several months before the judges come to a decision, but they seemed skeptical of Bankman-Fried’s arguments during questioning. “[Y]ou just have this vague, you know, ‘there were attorneys out there somewhere,’ defense,” said one of the judges.
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Trump diz haver “inúmeras” quebras do cessar fogo pelo Irã, que reage
As tensões entre Irã e EUA atingiram um novo patamar às vespéras do fim do prazo de vigência do cessar-fogo entre ambos os países. Nesta terça-feira (21/4), O presidente Donald Trump utilizou suas redes sociais para acusar o governo iraniano de violar o acordo de cessar-fogo em “inúmeras ocasiões“. #eua #irã #donaldtrump Fique por dentro das principais notícias do Brasil e do mundo no Metrópoles TV.
https://fllics.com/en/video/trump-diz-haver-inumeras-quebras-do-cessar-fogo-pelo-ira-que-reage/
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“Starmer's go-to excuse: 'I was in the dark'. Don't believe it. He's deeply in the loop”
by Jonathan Cook on Substack
“From Jimmy #Savile to Peter #Mandelson, Starmer has followed a trajectory of career-enhancing ignorance. He knows far more than he lets on. It's the reason, after all, why he was knighted.
[..]
“This is one long trajectory of career-enhancing ignorance and incompetence. Does any of it sound even vaguely plausible?”
https://open.substack.com/pub/jonathancook/p/starmers-go-to-excuse-i-was-in-the
#Press #Labour #Austerity #WFA #FreeGearKier #Reeves #Starmer #BenefitsHarmer #Streeting #RachelThieves #FreezeAndStarve #TwoChildBenefitCap #ChildPoverty #Genocide #Complicity #Authoritarian #Hypocrisy #Lies #ToryContinuityParty #KidStarver #LabourVoteRigging #LabourCorruption #LabourFriendsOfBigBusiness
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New national rules limiting non-sufficient funds fees to $10 came into effect
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/03/12/new-federal-rules-limiting-non-sufficient-funds-fees-to-10-kick-in-thursday/
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Les nouvelles règles limitant les frais pour fonds insuffisants à 10$ sont entrés en vigueur// Article en anglais //
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New national rules limiting non-sufficient funds fees to $10 came into effect
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/03/12/new-federal-rules-limiting-non-sufficient-funds-fees-to-10-kick-in-thursday/
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Les nouvelles règles limitant les frais pour fonds insuffisants à 10$ sont entrés en vigueur// Article en anglais //
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New national rules limiting non-sufficient funds fees to $10 came into effect
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/03/12/new-federal-rules-limiting-non-sufficient-funds-fees-to-10-kick-in-thursday/
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Les nouvelles règles limitant les frais pour fonds insuffisants à 10$ sont entrés en vigueur// Article en anglais //
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Je crois que je viens de tomber sur un tuto, ou un mec fait comme si il comprenait ce qu'il faisait, en mettant des valeurs " au pif", alors qu'elles s'expliqueraient via la trigonométrie.
A force d'apprendre via des tuto ou on nous donne une solution toute faite, on fini par faire des trucs bêtes sans réellement comprendre, et ça me frustre de fou.
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A lot of times with fiction, I find myself reflexively recoiling away and shutting down when I feel that the story is trying too hard to make me feel any given emotion. Recent-ish examples in #endwalker are Matsya's Run ("The game is rated 'T', I'm pretty sure they won't have [spoiler] happen"), any time "Flow" started to play (I refused to listen to the lyrics), and most recently how they really seem to be pushing Wuk Lamat as Best Girl (I already have G'raha following me around like a lovesick puppy, I don't need another).
As a result my WoL is half vague self-insert, half fourth-wall breaking, genre savvy, piss-taking Deadpool clone.
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https://www.europesays.com/afrique/11473/ Investissement: La Tunisie dispose d’atouts réels, mais doit renforcer son positionnement pour capter les nouvelles vagues #ChaînesDeValeurMondiales #Energie #flux #Investissements #promotion #tia #Tunisie
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Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026
It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USMCanon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Jump to GalleryAs is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).
We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 190mmAs has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 35mmThe good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.
We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 105mmAs I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mmLovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.
One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 100mmWe then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 275mm1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 65mmThis was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/
We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 70mmWe then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 100mmOn the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200, 100mmFrom here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.
1/500sec, f/5, ISO 100, 70mmThe plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmWe continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 50mmThe question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 250, 42mmWith the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 186mm 1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 100mmWe then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmThe last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).
1/25sec, f/14, ISO 100, 80mmSoon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.
1/25sec, f/18, ISO 100, 100mmThis run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.
The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 70mmIt was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.
1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 800, 100mm1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 1000, 28mmMy shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.
After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.
1/25sec, f/32, ISO 100, 70mmThen it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 23mmBut this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 22mmI’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.
For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.
1/25sec, f/25, ISO 100, 343mm 1/25sec, f/20, ISO 100, 270mmAlthough it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.
We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 160, 105mmUnfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 125, 65mmThen it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 200, 100mmWe continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.
1/200sec, f/4.5, ISO 160, 40mmIn this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.
We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmAt this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.
With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 35mmFor the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mmConsidering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 40mmYou might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 80mmWe then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 320, 135mmWith that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 24mmThe glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.
Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).
Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.
1/1250sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 70mmI also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.
1/100sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 45mm 1/100sec, f/4, ISO 100, 39mmWith the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.
1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 52mmSoon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mmOut near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.
1/320sec, f/5, ISO 100, 238mm 1/400sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 135mmLady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmAtlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 1600, 35mmFrom here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 100, 105mmAs well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mmNot that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 40mmI walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmI got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.
1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmSoon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 120mmIt after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.
But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.
As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.
#BluebellRailway #Photography #steamRailways #sussex #trains #travel -
Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026
It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USMCanon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Jump to GalleryAs is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).
We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 190mmAs has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 35mmThe good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.
We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 105mmAs I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mmLovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.
One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 100mmWe then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 275mm1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 65mmThis was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/
We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 70mmWe then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 100mmOn the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200, 100mmFrom here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.
1/500sec, f/5, ISO 100, 70mmThe plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmWe continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 50mmThe question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 250, 42mmWith the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 186mm 1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 100mmWe then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmThe last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).
1/25sec, f/14, ISO 100, 80mmSoon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.
1/25sec, f/18, ISO 100, 100mmThis run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.
The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 70mmIt was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.
1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 800, 100mm1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 1000, 28mmMy shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.
After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.
1/25sec, f/32, ISO 100, 70mmThen it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 23mmBut this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 22mmI’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.
For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.
1/25sec, f/25, ISO 100, 343mm 1/25sec, f/20, ISO 100, 270mmAlthough it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.
We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 160, 105mmUnfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 125, 65mmThen it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 200, 100mmWe continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.
1/200sec, f/4.5, ISO 160, 40mmIn this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.
We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmAt this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.
With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 35mmFor the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mmConsidering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 40mmYou might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 80mmWe then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 320, 135mmWith that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 24mmThe glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.
Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).
Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.
1/1250sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 70mmI also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.
1/100sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 45mm 1/100sec, f/4, ISO 100, 39mmWith the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.
1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 52mmSoon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mmOut near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.
1/320sec, f/5, ISO 100, 238mm 1/400sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 135mmLady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmAtlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 1600, 35mmFrom here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 100, 105mmAs well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mmNot that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 40mmI walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmI got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.
1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmSoon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 120mmIt after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.
But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.
As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.
#BluebellRailway #Photography #steamRailways #sussex #trains #travel #writing -
Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026
It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USMCanon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Jump to GalleryAs is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).
We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 190mmAs has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 35mmThe good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.
We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 105mmAs I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mmLovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.
One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 100mmWe then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 275mm1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 65mmThis was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/
We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 70mmWe then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 100mmOn the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200, 100mmFrom here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.
1/500sec, f/5, ISO 100, 70mmThe plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmWe continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 50mmThe question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 250, 42mmWith the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 186mm 1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 100mmWe then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmThe last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).
1/25sec, f/14, ISO 100, 80mmSoon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.
1/25sec, f/18, ISO 100, 100mmThis run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.
The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 70mmIt was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.
1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 800, 100mm1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 1000, 28mmMy shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.
After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.
1/25sec, f/32, ISO 100, 70mmThen it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 23mmBut this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 22mmI’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.
For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.
1/25sec, f/25, ISO 100, 343mm 1/25sec, f/20, ISO 100, 270mmAlthough it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.
We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 160, 105mmUnfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 125, 65mmThen it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 200, 100mmWe continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.
1/200sec, f/4.5, ISO 160, 40mmIn this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.
We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmAt this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.
With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 35mmFor the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mmConsidering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 40mmYou might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 80mmWe then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 320, 135mmWith that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 24mmThe glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.
Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).
Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.
1/1250sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 70mmI also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.
1/100sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 45mm 1/100sec, f/4, ISO 100, 39mmWith the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.
1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 52mmSoon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mmOut near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.
1/320sec, f/5, ISO 100, 238mm 1/400sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 135mmLady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmAtlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 1600, 35mmFrom here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 100, 105mmAs well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mmNot that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 40mmI walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmI got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.
1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmSoon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 120mmIt after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.
But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.
As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.
#BluebellRailway #Photography #steamRailways #sussex #trains #travel -
Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026
It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USMCanon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Jump to GalleryAs is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).
We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 190mmAs has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 35mmThe good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.
We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 105mmAs I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mmLovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.
One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 100mmWe then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 275mm1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 65mmThis was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/
We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 70mmWe then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 100mmOn the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200, 100mmFrom here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.
1/500sec, f/5, ISO 100, 70mmThe plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmWe continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 50mmThe question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 250, 42mmWith the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 186mm 1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 100mmWe then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmThe last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).
1/25sec, f/14, ISO 100, 80mmSoon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.
1/25sec, f/18, ISO 100, 100mmThis run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.
The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 70mmIt was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.
1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 800, 100mm1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 1000, 28mmMy shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.
After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.
1/25sec, f/32, ISO 100, 70mmThen it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 23mmBut this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 22mmI’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.
For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.
1/25sec, f/25, ISO 100, 343mm 1/25sec, f/20, ISO 100, 270mmAlthough it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.
We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 160, 105mmUnfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 125, 65mmThen it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 200, 100mmWe continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.
1/200sec, f/4.5, ISO 160, 40mmIn this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.
We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmAt this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.
With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 35mmFor the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mmConsidering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 40mmYou might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 80mmWe then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 320, 135mmWith that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 24mmThe glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.
Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).
Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.
1/1250sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 70mmI also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.
1/100sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 45mm 1/100sec, f/4, ISO 100, 39mmWith the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.
1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 52mmSoon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mmOut near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.
1/320sec, f/5, ISO 100, 238mm 1/400sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 135mmLady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmAtlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 1600, 35mmFrom here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 100, 105mmAs well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mmNot that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 40mmI walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmI got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.
1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmSoon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 120mmIt after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.
But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.
As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.
#BluebellRailway #Photography #steamRailways #sussex #trains #travel -
Bluebell Railway: Spring Gala 2026
It’s Easter, which is prime spring gala season in the heritage railway world. Many railways like to run galas at this time of year, running more intensive timetables and bringing in guest locomotives to attract crowds. In previous years, the Bluebell Railway has run what they call a Branch Line gala in the spring, but this year they ran a more general spring gala, presumably to free themselves from working to a ‘branch line’ theme.
Kit ListCanon EOS R6 Mk IICanon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 L IS USMCanon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USMCanon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USMCanon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Jump to GalleryAs is now traditional for me at a Bluebell gala, I attended the Friday and Saturday of the event, and would once again mostly be rolling with Sharpthorne Steam and 72B Photography (although our little lineside crew is getting bigger, with both Chailey Stowe and SouthEast Classic Rail now also holders of the orange vest).
We started the weekend at Freshfield Bank, which is also a very popular spot for people on the fence side of the line. There are usually a couple of choices when shooting here: out in the field for a wide shot, or lineside with a more front-on shot. This time out I went for the lineside shot. Although it was a sunny day it was a hazy morning, so I decided to edit this shot in monochrome to cover up the slightly pale colours. The first locomotive was one of the visitors for the event, British Railways standard 4 75069.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 190mmAs has also now become standard, I was shooting in Manual Mode (with auto ISO) and mostly using my 28-300mm “railway lens” for the freedom to shoot both zoomed in (as above) and wide angle (so below).
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 35mmThe good thing about spring galas is the weather is still usually good for lovely exhaust.
We headed north to a spot known as Holywell. It’s just south of the s-bend near Waterworks I’m quite partial to. There we readied for the arrival of 75069’s big sister, resident locomotive 73082 Camelot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 105mmAs I opened up the angle, all the factors aligned for this next shot.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 28mmLovely exhaust, beautiful morning light, blue skies, a locomotive perfectly matched to a set of gorgeous rolling stock, and if you’re really picky (and I’m usually not, but I can’t help but notice it) the wheel connecting rod is in the more aesthetically pleasing downward position. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is probably one of the better shots I got all weekend.
One of the challenges of this gala was that several of the locomotives running would be facing south. There aren’t as many spots to capture a south-facing steam engine working as there are north-facing ones, so it’s harder to get into the right spots. We tried to make it south to shoot 80151 at a decent spot but decided we had ran out of time, so we ended up shooting her coasting.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 160, 100mmWe then travelled by car up to Horsted Keynes and headed north, so shoot the next northbound train, which would be 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair on a stonking run, come under Horsted House Bridge.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 275mm1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 65mmThis was one of the best runs of the weekend. My photos don’t really do it justice, but luckily as ever I also took some video too.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWHbkAjDI4N/
We headed north, eventually meeting up with The Southerner who was also out. We trekked up in the general direction of the southern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel. The idea was to try shooting a locomotive coming out of Courtland Wood. That locomotive ended up being 80151, which as she would be coming bunker-first, made it a little bit of a throwaway shot. It worked quite nicely though – definitely one to try again.
1/500sec, f/5.6, ISO 250, 70mmWe then headed back south a little, to catch 75069 just north of Vaux End Bridge, running through the s-bend where we’d shot Sir Archie on New Year’s Day. With the longer shot, I broke out my bigger 100-500mm telephoto.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 320, 100mmOn the footplate of this locomotive over the weekend was a Bluebell volunteer who originally fired this very engine back in the BR days, making this a nice reunion of man and locomotive. He can be seen on the right of the shot below.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 3200, 100mmFrom here, we returned to the car and headed up the line towards Kingscote station. We headed to just south of the station, where we encountered SouthEast Classic Rail, and waited for the other visitor, W8 Freshwater, doubleheading with 72 Fenchurch, to arrive from the south.
1/500sec, f/5, ISO 100, 70mmThe plentiful daffodils also served as an interesting framing device when 75069 went back towards Sheffield Park, tender-first.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmWe continued south, with the intention of getting into a spot ready for both Fenchurch and Freshwater to come back south, which they’d be doing in a triple header with 80151, facing the right way and hopefully working hard. On the way we met up with Chailey, because that sort of thing seems to happen often when you’re lineside at the moment. In the meantime, we had another run from Sir Archibald Sinclair to enjoy. For this, 72B, SouthEast and myself positioned ourselves north of Birchstone Bridge, whilst Sharpthorne and Chailey headed to the south. Luckily, Archie got signal checked, meaning we actually had some exhaust where we were, unlike the unfortunate pair south of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 50mmThe question then became where to go for the triple header. We ended up scattered across this section of the line. SouthEast and I decided the light would be better slightly north, on an embankment that would also give us a wider angle and some elevation (which is nice for a train pulled by three locomotives). Sharpthorne and Chailey remained south near Birch Farm crossing hoping the engines would be working harder there, and 72B chose somewhere in the middle. In the event, the locos didn’t work particularly hard on this run, so I’m glad I chose to go where I ended up, because at least I got some decent photographs out of it.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 250, 42mmWith the triple header done, focus shifted back to locomotives facing north, so we headed back to the Horsted Keynes footpath, there to capture 75069. This remains a shot where I prefer to use my bigger telephoto.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 186mm 1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 100mmWe then headed to Freshfield Bank for the last trains of the day, the first of which would be Sir Archibald Sinclair, which I elected to shoot lineside, exactly where I’d started the day.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmThe last train we planned to shoot this day would be pulled by Freshwater and Fenchurch, albeit bunker-first. For this, I decided I wanted to head out into the field and get a slow shutter panning shot. Whilst I waited, Camelot came back south, which presented a nice opportunity to further practice the technique (which is to shoot in shutter mode at a speed of 1/25th or thereabouts, and pan smoothly with the locomotive).
1/25sec, f/14, ISO 100, 80mmSoon Fenchurch and Freshwater arrived.
1/25sec, f/18, ISO 100, 100mmThis run marked the end of the first day of the gala for most of us. Apart from me, because (much like during Giants of Steam the previous October) I stayed on to do a night shoot with Freshwater at Horsted Keynes – although the results of that will be coming in a separate post.
The next morning, for various logistical reasons, I made my own way to the lineside to meet up with 72B and Sharpthorne. The first locomotive was due to be Sir Archibald Sinclair making a light engine movement down to Horsted Keynes to pick up a set of coaches and forms the first service of the day from there. When I entered the lineside at the Tremains foot crossing I decided I didn’t have the time to make it down to Holywell to meet them before the locomotive came up, so instead I positioned myself at Rock Cutting for the light, knowing full well the engine probably wouldn’t be working that hard (there was also another photographer there, so I could check whether I’d missed the run entirely).
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 250, 70mmIt was then safe to head up the line to meet up with Sharpthorne and 72B at Holywell, where we prepared for the next service, which would be 2999 Lady of Legend leading Camelot in a doubleheader. Lady visited the railway for Giants of Steam last October and hasn’t actually left yet, although for whatever reason she hasn’t been in steam for most of that period. Hopefully she’ll be out a bit more over the coming weeks, especially once the bluebells start sprouting.
1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 800, 100mm1/2000sec, f/5, ISO 1000, 28mmMy shooting at 1/2000th was an error. I suspect I knocked a setting somewhere. AAs it didn’t lead to any crazy ISO settings or me missing the shot, it’s not that much of an issue – certainly it didn’t cause as much headache as another settings whoopsie I’d make later in the day.
After this it was back to Freshfield Bank for 75069, where again I decided I wanted to get a panning shot. Unfortunately as it’s so exposed, Freshfield can sometimes be a bit breezy, and on this occasion the wind was blowing towards us, so the exhaust did obscure the locomotive a little bit.
1/25sec, f/32, ISO 100, 70mmThen it was up to Horsted Keynes, where we headed north with only a vague idea of what we were going to do. In the end we went our separate ways, with 72B heading further north towards Vaux End Bridge and Sharpthorne and I staying near Horsted House Bridge. I wanted to try a shot I’ve been thinking about for a few months, involving looking up at a locomotive as it passes under a bridge, with the exhaust pluming around the arch of the bridge. I had done a couple of test shots in the weeks leading up to the gala, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how it would work. Sharpthorne stayed south of the bridge so he wasn’t in my shot, and I sat just north of the bridge with my wide angle lens ready for Sir Archibald Sinclair to arrive. The shot just before the one I was aiming for actually had the engine and her exhaust nicely framed by the arch of the bridge.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 23mmBut this next one is pretty much the shot I was after.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 160, 22mmI’m happy with the result, but it’s not as dramatic as the shot I was visualising. More than anything the exhaust was not as voluminous as I was hoping. I think the next time I try this shot (and try it I will) it’ll need to be somewhere like Leamland Bridge, where locomotives are moving slower and working harder to get moving. It’s the bridge that inspired the shot in the first place, with this run during the New Year’s Day gala. I might also need to wait until winter comes back before giving it a proper go again.
For our next shot we headed down to the footpath north of Horsted Keynes station for another run by Lady of Legend, where we bumped into a bunch of other shooters. This is where I made my second settings-related boo-boo of the weekend. At some point, presumably when I was switching over to my big telephoto (which is my go-to lens for this bit of track), I knocked my camera into Shutter Priority mode, which was still set up for a slow shutter panning shots, and didn’t notice. Some shots came out completely blurry and unusable, as expected. A few, though, came out pretty decent, and a bit different because the exhaust was smoothed out a little, rather than frozen in time.
1/25sec, f/25, ISO 100, 343mm 1/25sec, f/20, ISO 100, 270mmAlthough it makes a nice change, I’d definitely have been happier with the shot I was going for, which was capturing the texture in the exhaust. Even so, I’m glad I got something useable and a bit different out of my error.
We then hopped back to Freshfield Bank, where a BR standard doubleheader was in the offing, with standard 4 75069 leading standard 5 Camelot. With a doubleheader such as this, it makes sense to get wide of the track where you can see both locomotives clearly.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 160, 105mmUnfortunately the wind was still blowing in the same direction as earlier and so the exhaust started to obscure Camelot.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 125, 65mmThen it was back in the car to head all the way up to the other end of the line, to photograph a repeat of the previous day’s triple header from Imberhorne Bridge as it departed from East Grinstead. This is another public spot, as linesiders aren’t allowed on the section of track north of Kingscote.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 200, 100mmWe continued hopping about, this time heading back to Tremains to head to Lindfield Wood. The sun was starting to get a little low so it wasn’t entirely clear how much light would be shining on the next locomotive, which would be Lady of Legend. As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad, but Lady wasn’t working hard when she came through.
1/200sec, f/4.5, ISO 160, 40mmIn this light she looks really nice with the Pullman dining coaches. Only thing this shot is missing is a nice thick exhaust.
We then headed back to Rock Cutting, as both Fenchurch and Freshwater were due to come back south light engine. This spot is usually not bad for locos heading south, but can sometimes be hit and miss, and this time they were taking things easy.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 50mmAt this point, we split up again to shoot the upcoming doubleheader of Camelot and 75069. Sharpthorne headed north back towards Holywell, whereas 72B and I headed south towards the broken bridge. For both groups, timing would be tight.
With the tightness of time, unfortunately 72B and I didn’t pick quite the right spot. Going for a shot through the bridge, sadly the locomotives shut off before they passed through, so we got some nice light, but not much exhaust.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 400, 35mmFor the next train, we moved only a few feet up the track, for 80151 to come back down.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mmConsidering I don’t have too many great shots of 80151 the conditions for this run were pretty spot on, with exhaust, clear skies, and lovely golden hour light.
1/640sec, f/4.5, ISO 320, 40mmYou might have also spotted the second exhaust plume in the shots above. This service was top and tailed, with № 65 sitting on the back. The locomotive caught the light nicely too so I made sure to get a shot, and it’s one I can might be able to pass off as an engine going forwards, if I were so inclined.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 320, 80mmWe then headed south to Freshfield Bank again for our last booked photograph of the day, Sir Archibald Sinclair. Unfortunately she was pulling the metropolitan coach set, which is a very odd pairing. Even so, the golden light was continuing to impress.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 320, 135mmWith that, all our planned shooting for the day was done, and we started walking back to Tremains to meet up with Sharpthorne and head back to Sheffield Park. Inevitably on the way we encountered another locomotive coming the wrong way, but given the light remained lovely shooting it was inevitable.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, 24mmThe glint off the tender is lovely, but a little bit blown out. Turns out, it is possible to have too much glint on a locomotive.
Now, this was planned to be the end of my time at the Spring Gala, but unfortunately when we got back to Sheffield Park, the offices were shut and we weren’t able to return our hi viz vests, which necessitated a trip back to Sheffield Park for me on Sunday to return my vest. Of course, I wasn’t about to leave my camera at home, even if I had every intention of being good, and not going lineside (I even handed in my vest as soon as I arrived).
Inevitably, I ended up spending a little bit of time around the station, photographing some of the sights and comings and goings. Firstly, the crew of 75069 were taking on water.
1/1250sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 70mmI also had the opportunity to do some of the more abstract railway photography that I just don’t get when lineside shooting running trains.
1/100sec, f/2.8, ISO 100, 45mm 1/100sec, f/4, ISO 100, 39mmWith the venting steam, this shot of the engine cab takes on a lovely atmosphere.
1/1250sec, f/4, ISO 100, 52mmSoon 75069 backed down into her coaches, giving me a chance to shoot this member of crew watching proceedings. In monochrome it could almost be from 60 years ago. As long as you don’t notice the modern shunting signal.
1/640sec, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500mmOut near the loco shed, Lady of Legend was sitting steaming away in a siding, complete with The Merchant Venturer headboard.
1/320sec, f/5, ISO 100, 238mm 1/400sec, f/4.5, ISO 100, 135mmLady soon moved out behind the loco shed, so I headed in to see the sights. There, Lady was steaming away alongside Fenchurch, also being prepared for the day, and № 65, who had the day off.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 24mmAtlantic House was open too, meaning I could pop in and give my regards to the Adams Radial 30583, patiently waiting for her own overhaul (which sadly isn’t any time soon).
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 1600, 35mmFrom here I could also see Freshwater getting ready for the day.
1/640sec, f/5, ISO 100, 105mmAs well as a clearer view of Fenchurch and Lady.
1/640sec, f/4, ISO 100, 35mmNot that it was the most visible, I also got a shot of the current state of 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, whose boiler is off in Devon. This is a locomotive I’m looking forward to seeing back in steam.
1/60sec, f/4, ISO 200, 40mmI walked back into the engine shed and caught sight of Camelot lined up nicely with the window slats.
1/320sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmI got back out onto the platform in time to see 75069 getting ready to go. She let off a big plume of steam which contrasted nicely against the now blue sky.
1/1600sec, f/4, ISO 100, 28mmSoon she was off, making a nicely dramatic departure.
1/640sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 120mmIt after two hectic days of shooting running locomotives, it was nice to spend a calm hour or so watching steam engines shunting about. The perfect way to end the weekend – technically the first gala where I’ve attended all three days. But with the station now quiet, it seemed like the perfect time to head back home.
But since it was gala season, it would only be a week before I was out at another railway, and their own spring gala. But that, obviously, will be another post entirely.
As always, there are a lot of shots that didn’t make the cut above, which are in the gallery below. A video montage of the weekend can be seen on my Instagram account.
#BluebellRailway #Photography #steamRailways #sussex #trains #travel -
Mayotte : entrée en vigueur du durcissement de l'acquisition de la nationalité française pour les #enfants nés de parents étrangers à #Mayotte. Des députés de gauche avaient saisi le Conseil constitutionnel au moment de son adoption par l'Assemblée en avril 2025 pour tenter d'annuler la mesure, en vain. https://www.infomigrants.net/fr/post/71243/mayotte--entree-en-vigueur-du-durcissement-de-lacquisition-de-la-nationalite-francaise-pour-les-enfants-nes-dans-larchipel
#france #migrants #immigration #actu #info #information #actualite #extremedroite #RN #loi #politique #societe
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Alex Chan: The Internet forgets, but I don’t want to . “I want to remember social media, and not just as a vague memory. I want to remember exactly what I read, what I saw, what I wrote. If I was born 50 years ago, I’m the sort of person who’d keep a scrapbook full of letters and postcards – physical traces of the people who mattered to me. Today, those traces are digital. I don’t […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2025/12/09/alex-chan-the-internet-forgets-but-i-dont-want-to/
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Quand, après 2h d’attente téléphonique, tu réussis enfin à joindre Sylvie* de la #CAF, que tu lui indiques être #aveugle et que tu ne peux utiliser ni leur site ni leur application, rien ne répondant aux lois et normes en vigueur concernant l’ #accessibilité et que Sylvie te répond: «Pas de souci, je vous envoie un courrier postal, Môssieur!».
(* les prénoms ont été changés pour garantir l’anonymat de Sylvie)
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More than just dismissing us: the thread about the history of the Leith Police
Today’s auction house artefact is this Victorian Leith Burgh Police truncheon.
Victorian Leith Police truncheonPolicing in Leith goes back to the 17th century, when the first High Constables of the Port of Leith were established. They were appointed by the Magistrates of the Royal Burgh of Leith to uphold “cleanliness and orderliness, keeping the peace, law and order“. But at this point they acted as empowered individuals, rather than a force. Orders were given in 1725 stating that “they were responsible for the apprehension of beggars and vagabonds, persons guilty of a crime or disturbance, informing on houses of ill repute, bringing order to mobs and overseeing weights and measures.”
At this time, the principal civic building of Leith was the Tolbooth. It functioned as a seat of municipal government and administration, a customs house, a guardhouse, a jail and a meeting house and was one of the three essential public buildings of the Scottish Burgh; the others being the Mercat Cross and the Kirk.
Leith Tolbooth by James Skene, 1818. © Edinburgh City LibrariesIn 1762, the seven constables held a meeting and elected a moderator, treasurer and clerk, and drew up regulations to form themselves into the Honourable Society of the High Constables of the Port of Leith. In 1771, Parliament passed the “Act for Cleansing and Lighting the Streets of the Town of South Leith, the Territory of St. Anthony’s and Yardheads thereunto adjoining, and for supplying the several parts thereof with fresh water“. The description of the act itself is a reminder that at this time, the municipal police were primarily concerned with lighting, cleansing and water supply; not watch keeping or law enforcement.
The act saw the election of 30 Police Commissioners to enact its provisions; the electors were the 2 magistrates of Leith (appointed by Edinburgh), the masters and 6 assistants of the 4 Leith trade incorporations (the Cordiners, Carters, Tailors and Weavers) and all heritors (the feudal landholders of a Scottish parish who were obligated to pay tax), liferenters (landholders for life) and proprietors of lands and tenement within the burgh. Basically, the people (men) with claim over land and/or property. Added to the Commissioners were the Lord Provost, Town Clerk of Leith, The Baillie (a civic officer) of St. Anthony’s Preceptory, and 2 others elected by the feudal heritors of Yardheads and St. Anthony’s.
The heading of a poster from a ceremonial dinner of the Honourable Society of High Constables of the Port of Leith showing the outline of a constable’s baton © Edinburgh City LibrariesSo the Police Commissioners were basically a committee of the local worthies who were charged with keeping the streets clean and supplying water. At this time, Leith had no piped water, sewers, pavements or metalled roads (causeys) of any kind so they had their hands full. Such was the difficulty in resolving these issues in Leith, that for the next 20 years the Commissioners were fully occupied with water, cleansing and lighting. It was not until 1791 that attention turned to “watching and warding”, i.e. something more akin to modern policing.
The mean streets of Leith in 1790. An illustration by Dominic Serres.The Commissioners had always employed a part time “Police Officer”, but his job was to keep order at the wells and to try and keep people to the schedule of the carters who carried away the filth of the town. Perhaps he is the officious looking man in Serres’ illustration conferring with the carter and the town drummer and poring over a schedule?
The Leith “police officer”?In 1791, this was made a full time position, and Leith’s first professional polisman was hired; at £25 a year. 10 years later, in 1801 the officer, one John Ross, was finally provided with a uniform. “A blue coat, red neck with buttons thereon and a red vest with a pair of boots“. In 1802, lawlessness in Leith was such that one of the Baillies proposed to the Police Commissioners that a part-time force of sixty men, in three watches, be hired for the purposes of law enforcement. At this point, Edinburgh stepped in and said “naw”, and that it would sort it. Edinburgh then did nothing for Leith, as was frequently the case; as James Scott Marshall puts it. “Edinburgh’s policy of masterly inactivity once more frustrated [Leith’s] desire for improvement.”
A new Leith Police Act, in 1806, made provision for the recruitment of watchmen for “Guarding, Patrolling and Watching the streets“. But again nothing was done, this time for want of money. Leith had 20,000 inhabitants, but Edinburgh absolutely and tightly controlled its purse strings. Finally in 1814, the size of the Leith Police force was tripled; to 3. Two watchmen were employed to assist the “intendant” (the man in the blue and red coat). The appointments were made by the Paving Committee as they had responsibility for safety on the streets.
In 1815, the force doubled in size, to 6, with 3 more watchmen being recruited. Finally in 1816, a special “Watching Committee” was formed, rather than leave the Police under the direction of the Paving Committee. But the new force was not well thought of and there were complaints asking for it to be better organised. The watchmen were also unhappy, as the day shift worked 6AM-9PM (!) and were unable to take on labouring work on the side as a result like the shorter nightshift could.
The force grew no further until the Municipal and Police Act of 1827, when the whole force of 6 was disbanded and then re-hired under a new system under a Superintendent; one James Stuart on £120 a year. The new force totalled 20, 1 Sergeant Major, 3 Sergeants, 3 “Daymen”, 3 “Night Patrol” and 10 Watchmen. Superintendent Stuart had the force raised to 27 with 1 more Dayman, 2 Night Patrol and 4 more Watchmen. The senior ranks were paid a guaranteed basic rate, which was supplemented by the court fees of each offender they brought in; half to the Sergeant Major, and the other half split between the Sergeants.
Silver and ebony High Constable’s tipstave from 1833. ; “ON ONE END IT IS NUMBERED ’41’ , ON THE OTHER END IS ENGRAVED A SHIP AND GENTLEMAN WITHIN AND AROUND THE SHIP ‘ BURGH OF LEITH 1833’. ON ONE SIDE IS ENGRAVED A SHIP WITH ‘PERSEVERE’ BELOW IT. ON THE OTHER SIDE IT IS ENGRAVED ‘ HIGH CONSTABLE’.” The Tipstave was a symbol of office, and could be unscrewed to reveal the warrant of office carried within.The 1827 act finally settled the boundary of the Leith Police, which had been rather vaguely defined up until this point due to the fragmentary municipal boundaries and land superiority of the separate parishes of North and South Leith. When the 1832 Great Reform Act extended the boundary of Leith to the red line on this map, the reach of the Leith Police extended too. A deal was also struck with the Edinburgh Sheriff to charge him for the lodging of prisoners sent from Edinburgh to languish in Leith.
1831 boundaries of the Burgh of Leith. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandThe 1827 act also got round to the business of providing Leith with its first modern courthouse and police station, to replace the ancient Tolbooth. Some of the land of “Dr. Colquhoun’s Chapel” was acquired; a 99 year lease being taken on it. Dr Colquhoun was the minister of St. John’s Chapel of Ease on Constitution Street. This is how Leith’s first court house and police station came to be built on the corner of Constitution Street and [Queen] Charlotte Street, where they are to this day – although the courthouse is long unused.
The New Town Hall, Leith, by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd, 1829. Dr. Colqhoun’s chapel can be seen behind.The Leith Burgh Police were established in 1859 to cover the wider burgh of Leith defined in 1831 by the Great Reform Act. Policing of the port and docks was subsumed into the new force as a division, but the High Constables were maintained as an honourable society for ceremonial occasions. They still exist in this form, the uniform still being top hats and tails and the badge of office still being an ornamental baton. Until recently it was strictly a gentlemen’s club, although they have more recently elected a woman to their ranks.
The High Constables of Leith form a guard of honour for the arrival of HM The Queen on arrival at Leith on the HMY Britannia in 1956. The girl presenting the bouquet was “6 year old Edwina Burness”. Still from a film of the occasion held by the BFI.The High Constables of Leith and their truncheons meet the late Duke of Edinburgh. CC-by-SA, R. Clapperton via Edinburgh CollectedThey can be seen performing these same ceremonial duties for royalty here in Alexander Carse’s painting of the arrival of George IV in Leith back in 1822, backs to the artist with their top hats off. The fellows with the broad bonnets, white sashes and curving long sticks (bows) are the Company of Royal Archers .
George IV’s visit to Leith by Alexander CarseAt this point, the need for separate Commissioners of Police was redundant, as Leith was finally an independent burgh, The responsibility for oversight of the Police passed to the new Town Council, who made their home in the police station and court on Constitution Street. Below can be seen a picture of the Town Hall / court house / police station in 1870. It shows St. John’s, after the mock Tudor tower was built and parish school buildings were added to the front. Between the two is the small burgh fire station building .
Leith Town Hall, 1870, Adam W. Steele. © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe helmet badge adopted by the Burgh Police was from the traditional Leith coat of arms; the Virgin Mary and child on a galleon, underneath a canopy. The date of 1563 beneath refers to a letter signed by Mary Queen of Scots granting South Leith permission to erect its Tolbooth. Granting Leith this was a big step in its ancient struggle to exert independence from Edinburgh. The English had burned Restalrig Tolbooth in 1544 during the “Rough Wooing” (Restalrig at that time was the administrative centre of South Leith parish) and since then Edinburgh had been trying to prevent Leith from re-establishing its own local centre of law, order and taxation.
Leith Police helmet and badge from book coverAnyway, Leith Burgh Police was a small force, but one well respected for keeping law and order in the potentially lawless port town. They were merged into the Edinburgh City Police as D Division in 1921.
The last parade of the Leith Burgh Police in 1921, before becoming D Division of the Edinburgh City Police. © Edinburgh City LibrariesLeith policemen were distinctive for wearing a “ball top” to their custodian helmet, Edinburgh had these only for upper ranks, the rank and file had a “button top”.
British “custodian” Police helmets. Left is button, centre is pike and right is ball top. None are Edinburgh or Leith helmets.Leith’s greatest contribution to the world of policing is of course said to be the legendary tongue twister “The Leith Police Dismisseth Us” – which was apparently a test for drunkenness (but just try saying it sober!)
The Leith police dismisseth us, I’m sorry sir to say;
The Leith Police Dismisseth Us, a version from 1927
The Leith police dismisseth us, They thought we sought to stay;
The Leith police dismisseth us, They thought we’d stay all day;
The Leith police dismisseth us, Which caused us many sighs;
And the size of our sighs, when we said our goodbyes;
Were the size of the Leith police.However the origin of The Leith Police Dismisseth Us is probably nothing to do with Leith. It actually first originates in print on the other side of the Atlantic; in the Boston Youth’s Companion, October 20th 1887, as a line in a list of “verbal snares” or tongue-twisters. It is quite similar to an earlier American tongue-twister; variously The Sea Ceaseth and Dismisseth Us With His Blessing or The Sea Ceaseth And that Sufficeth Us and it is likely these were created for elocution purposes and inspired by biblical verse.
It first appears in a British newspaper shortly afterwards, in December 1887 in the Irvine Times, before being reprinted widely across English papers the following year. These early examples are always in lists of tongue-twisters, many of which are still familiar such as Peter Piper and She Sells Sea Shells. A fuller version does not seem to appear in print until 1919 (in The Childrens Newspaper) but it had been widely popularised before this by the Mancunian musical hall comedian Wilkie Bard, one of the biggest acts of his day, whose stage gimmick was tongue twisters. Variety magazine announced in 1909 that he was appearing in London at the Tivoli, Oxford and Paragon with “a new tongue twister. It is called The Leith Police Dismisseth Us. Bard gets a whole lot out of this number with the aid of an assistant who does a lisping souse.“
Wilkie Bard, 1911, © National Portrait GalleryThe rhyme is still used for elocution, particularly in helping non-native English speakers master the “th” and -“s” sounds of the language.
Thank you to Chris Wright for his assistance and advice in researching the early details of “The Leith Police Dismisseth Us.”
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#Lochend #Logan #Restalrig #StMargaret -
Guerre au Moyen-Orient: comment Donald Trump se prépare à une reprise des hostilités avec l'Iran
🗞️ RFI - 🕐 01/05 14:44
Selon Fox News, le commandant du commandement central (Centcom), l'amiral Brad Cooper, aurait présenté à Donald Trump un plan pour porter le coup fatal à l'Iran. Il s'agirait d'une vague de frappes « courtes et puissantes » contre ses dispositifs mil... [1662 chars]
🔗 https://www.rfi.fr/fr/moyen-orient/20260501-guerre-au-moyen-orient-comment-donald-trump-se-pr%C3%A9pare-%C3%A0-une-reprise-des-hostilit%C3%A9s-avec-l-iran
#actu #news #presse #rfi -
The Halls of Arden Vul (OSRIC) Session 32:
After a brief stop at the Troll Hall arena, we convinced some beastmen into escorting us back to their home territory (we only vaguely knew the direction).
We brought a big supply of their favorite mushrooms, hoping to trade them for a kidnapped priestess of Mitra, but appears she’s already been sold as a slave to Set-worshippers.
After introducing ourselves to the Eastman matriarch, we plan to head to the Setite camp.
