[PRCo] A British fan's photo site

[Fred Schneider]

I could simply send this link to John Swindler and Dwight Long and Derrick Brashear

Or I could send it to the entire Pittsburgh address file and encourage some others to find an interest in rails on the other side of the puddle.

I think this chap is a little focused ... looks like he shows us everything he exposes.   He could probably cut it down by 80% and most of us would not mind.   I see that he went to Blackpool this month and has posted over 200 images.  Ouch.   

But it's interesting stuff.   He apparently does not escape from Britain too much but there is some nice material on the new British light rail lines and the preservation movement as well as British steam.   He hails from Leicester (pronounced Lester) ... its on the old London, Midland and Scottish Railroad line from London to Luton, Leicester, Derby (pronounced Darby), to Sheffield and on north.   So its easy for him to motor up to the trolley museum at Crich to work, or to photograph the new light rail at Nottingham or run up to London.  (The capital is always up.)   

The link I was sent started with the Blackpool event this month ... I am sending you the link to his homepage.   You can navigate to Blackpool either thorough the trams page or through the calendar page (to October 2010).   

http://www.15c.co.uk/index.htm

Why does Fred like Britain so much?   Well, I used to have an old friend who would be about 94 if he were still living.  I used to process his films when I was in high school.   In 1957 and 1958 John Bowman made his first two trips abroad, both to Britain to see old friends and chase steam.   Watching those images come up in the developer hooked me.   By 1959 I had a chance to spend a day in London.   I spent a month there in August 1960.   The first time I ever lifted a coal scoop and aimed the contents through a fire box door of a locomotive was standing on the footplate of the British Railways Black 5 in scheduled passenger service on the West Highland Mainline in August 1960.   I perfected my craft on the Strasburg Railroad in 1966-1968 in college.    There is still a very warm spot in my heart for British steam engines and for their people.

If you do look through the views of the trolley museum at Crich ... I have driven the London tram 1622.  

The disease is catching.  In 2004 I came through British immigration and customs for the 18th time.