Adventure Week 4:
Steam at Shap Summit

To close out January, I continued my streak of steam trainspotting, this time at Shap Summit on the West Coast Main Line.

Another Saturday, Another Trainspotting

January has blessed me with two back-to-back weekends of trainspotting. Preparation and research have seen me add chartered steam journeys to my calendar that I can reasonably access. Both Saturday 21st and Saturday 28th January would lead me to rolling hills in search of illusive machines of steam.

After two weekends getting familiar with the Yorkshire Dales, a more familiar landscape. Shap, just off the M6, is just above Tebay. When my girlfriend lived in the Lake District, I would come through here often when visiting. It also happens to be home to one of the best motorway services in the UK.

Today, Shap Summit - a high point on the West Coast Main Line, and a popular sightline for avid trainspotters and photographers alike. I would catch The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express on its journey up from London before heading home, rather than loiter on the Yorkshire Dales waiting for its return before sunset.

The Allure of Shap Summit

A single-track farmer's road passes under the motorway before briefly running parallel between it and the rail line. Here trainspotting couldn't be easier - park up on the grass either side of the road, hop out, and immediately a view across Shap Fells is apparent. Here the train line rises from between the fields before curving left. In the distance between the day's clouds, Howgill Fells where the M6 snakes south towards the lakes.

I arrived and parked up behind four other cars who were particularly punctual today. As I removed my photography kit from my car boot, a steady trickle of other trainspotters appeared. Eventually the closest layby would be completely full. I can only imagine how busy it gets here when the weather is better.

With trainspotters staying in their cars until the last minute, under threat of rain spots, and their spaced-out nature, I only managed a few distant hellos today in contrast to the friendliness of group trainspotting last week. This made the wait particularly dull, but the excitement to see steam once again was ever ready.

Preparedness, Confidence, Results

After disastrous still photography last week at Blea Moor, I was determined to do better. My lens cleaned and a session of re-familiarisation with my DSLR completed, I was keen to have another go.

Rather than get adventurous with my angle as many others were doing - ascending any slope possible and spreading out down the length of the nearby track, I kept by my car. Rain was on the air, and I'd managed to remember everything but my coat. No matter, the lens caps would simply stay on as long as possible.

I opted to capture a 4K 60fps video of the locomotive's approach with my phone, pointing down the line and with a clear view of the part of the curve where it would be pointed directly at me. With my DSLR I opted for a three-quarter angle which would better capture the side of the locomotive, though risked more noticeable motion blur if my shutter speed was too high.

While shooting practice photos and video, there was no shortage of subject matter. A freight train carrying Tesco rail freight, two Avanti West Coast services, and two TransPennine Express services, in a variety of directions. One driver activated its train's two-tone horn in recognition of the mass of trainspotters, surely not here for a Class 390 Pendolino.

My first photographs were extremely promising. Using the camera's "sporty continuous advance" mode I was able to fire off a burst of photos in rapid succession - one would place the locomotive in the right part of the frame.

The photo below of a TransPennine Express Class 802 was an easy best effort. There is some slight motion blur when viewed at full resolution, but modern trains are quite punchy here, even on the 1:75 gradient. For me this is acceptable with a shutter speed of 1/1000s.

Scots Guardsman

After a now familiar hour's wait, some puffs of steam emerged from the distant valley. Then before long, a rising trail of steam from in front of the tree line. It was go time. Lens caps off. Video recording. Remote shutter release ready.

A large green locomotive with smoke deflectors thundered into view. I had prepared my binoculars and was able to marvel at its ascent towards me as it began rounding the curve.

The locomotive approached rapidly, eleven carriages in tow, and the usual diesel locomotive aiding at the rear. The camera snapped continuously. I dare admit I almost forgot to look with my own eyes. And just like that, it was gone, rising steam in its wake.

The crisp video is a lovely capture of the event. That being said, practice makes perfect, and experience makes standards. The shot would have benefitted from some panning action to keep the locomotive easy to follow, and not to waste the view of it disappearing away. Secondly, I need some sort of shotgun microphone with a wind muff to better capture the sound without ambient wind sound.

My best photo was a stunning success - exactly what I envisioned on the drive over! Instead of pretending that overhead electric lines don't exist, I chose to frame the locomotive around a set of poles. The smoke obscuring the wires adds depth to the photo. To the right, a window across the hills adds greenery and helps sell the surroundings of Shap Summit.

Wandering the Country Roads

With my work done at the strike of midday, I was keen to get home and rest up. Still, the drive back would take me near the Settle-Carlisle line, and I wanted to scope out my next photography viewpoint. This took me back along the road to Sedbergh from just outside Kirkby Stephen. Today clouds took the place of snowy hills but were no less a joy to see.

My drive took me across to Southwaite via Wharton Fell. Here I resisted the urge to stop constantly in the single-track road's passing places for shots of sunlit hillsides. After a left turn, I soon arrived back to Kirkby Stephen, though on a parallel street I've never driven down. It is fun to rediscover somewhere you thought you knew, from a new angle. After that, the journey home was uneventful.

Conclusion

This week provided another learning experience for trainspotting photography and videography, though my second attempt is clearly better than my first. I look forward to more opportunities to put these skills into practice! My next chance comes in early February.