This morning I visited the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Narrow
Gauge Engine Maintenance Shed in Siliguri, West Bengal, India.
The line runs uphill for about 55 miles to Darjeeling at 2,200 m
(7,218 ft). It was incredible having free access to the
locomotives and carriages being worked on. My only frustration
was seeing a large bonfire at the far end of the site. They were
burning many old steam engine maintenance manuals. I recued one
to read and found it fascinating. I would have loved to have
preserved it for posterity but it was wrestled from me by an
overzealous official and I had no choice but to hand it back.
Officialdom in India is mindless and any further resistance
would have meant the police being called.
Sun 22 Oct 2017
Still trekking in the high Himalayas of Sikkim. I wouldn’t have
got anywhere without our amazing support crew and Sherpa guides.
With the help of Udan our Sirdar I managed to rig up a photo
studio in the mess tent using a piece of old sleeping mat as a
background and Uden holding my portable reflector as light fill
in. At 4,163m (13,658ft) it must have been one of the highest
photo studios. I photographed most of the team and here are
three that represent the amazing faces. At 4,163m (13,658ft) it
must one of the highest photo studios.
Chety one of the Dzo-men
Santabir - Cook
Rinju – porter
Mon 02 Oct 2017
We had an excellent night at Chorley Photographic Society as we
held the annual portrait photography practical sessions. Three
lighting setups were available for anyone wanting to take
portraits and three wonderful models to pose. Thanks to Karen,
Emma and Brad for making the evening a great success.
