Under a train

Under a train
Originally uploaded by norbography.

Yes, thats right, it is the under side of a flatbed train carriage. I have been driving past some railyards at Lilyfield in Sydney for years and years. When ever I drive past, I always have a quick look and think, "That would make some terrific photo opportunities in there". So last night, I took a stoll through there.

I ended up wandering around for over 2 hours, trying to get good angles and exploring different areas. You can walk from Victoria Road at the Eastern end, all the way to Balmain Rd (about 1.6km), and maybe further. Access is very easy. But you do need some rather sturdy shoes. My feet were killing me by the time I got home.

At one point, I had just crawled underneath the carriage you see in the picture above, and was setting the tripod up. You have to realise, it is pretty cramped under there, and I am not a hobbit. I had a backpack on my back, camera on tripod and I was under a train carriage. I used the torch on my mobile phone to light the axle and wheels and did a longish exposure. I had just taken the photo, and was thinking about another from a slightly different angle, when the noise of carriages clunking and moving gave me a rather scary moment. I didn't realise right away, but the line of carrigaes, next to where I was, had just been shunted by a loco further up the yard. I dived out, quickly reached around and grabbed the camera and tripod and then realised it wasn't the train I was under. Oh boy, nothing like a bit of adrenalin coursing around your system to make you feel alive.

That little fright aside, I had a ball. It is pretty dark and have to say, I was a bit spooked a couple of times, but I hope the photos show it was a worthwhile trip.

More can be found on my Flickr site.