Dereliction, Tanfield Railway, Co. Durham.

Tanfield Railway was opened to transport coal from nearby collieries to ships on the River Tyne. Its oldest parts date from 1647, however the remaining section dates from 1725 and is the World's Oldest Working Railway.

Marley Hill engine shed, built in 1854 is where the loco fleet is maintained. the shed is open to the public every day. However behind the sheds lie several locos and carriages awaiting repair, restoration or cannibalisation for the good of others. 

The public are also allowed unrestricted access to walk around these crumbling wrecks and to explore their wonderful textures.

In the top photograph I have isolated a section of the carriage door. I was attracted to the tones and textures of both the rotten door and the handle and lock. I chose to change the original colour photograph into a monochrome as my interests were in tone and not colour. Although the original colours were muted they did not add to the image.

In the second photograph I zoomed in closer to a section of another carriage as I was attracted to the pealing paint and the textures of the bare woodwork.

In the third image I have selected several links in a heavily rusted chain and chosen to show it off against a section of pealing paint. I like the contrast in textures and also the intriguing shape of the chain. 

I used a tripod in all three photographs as I wanted to ensure sharpness from front to back. As all images are relative 'close ups' it was essential to use a small aperture to achieve the desired depth of field.