File:2007-08-27 Sherwood Forrester.JPG

Scarborough Spa Express. Sherwood Forrester loco, passing Pannal pedestrian crossing, North Yorkshire. I lay down on the gravel, two feet from the tracks, on three occasions to get this shot. The train was racketing along because it was late on this occasion.

Why the image is blurred

The blurred quality of the image is a necessary art element. It is due to the fact that the loco was moving probably in excess of 60mph, or whatever max speed it was permitted, bearing in mind its age. I was lying on my back, two feet from the track, at risk of flying gravel, with a small camera which did not have multiple-shot ability. I had to move the camera body very fast along with the movement of the loco to get the picture. In this circumstance you only get one shot, and less than a second to set up that shot, then have to wait until next time the train passes for another go. As far as I know, the loco made very few passes that season, and I was only able to have three goes at this, on three separate days. We are fortunate to have this kind of shot of this loco - I am not aware that anyone else has attempted this kind of shot of it. When you are that close to the train, and it is moving at over 60mph, it is not easy to get the loco in frame, or get anything more than an unrecognisable whoosh-streak. So this image is actually a successful image in the context of its execution, and the blurring can be seen as an indication that the loco was moving very fast and very close indeed. I would not recommend anyone else to try this for safety reasons. Storye book (talk) 11:01, 20 April 2019 (UTC)