The Railways of Yorkshire
In memory of Alan Walker 1949-2023
All photos displayed on this website are taken by Alan or Mark Walker UNLESS otherwise stated.
In some cases images will be marked " Mark Walker Collection" which denotes an image which we have purchased the rights to use.
We are VERY thankful to the other photographers who have allowed us to use their fantastic images.
Please do NOT attempt to use any images on this website, if you are interested in any of our work then please email me:
[email protected]
I'm normally more than happy to see our work in use elsewhere.
In some cases images will be marked " Mark Walker Collection" which denotes an image which we have purchased the rights to use.
We are VERY thankful to the other photographers who have allowed us to use their fantastic images.
Please do NOT attempt to use any images on this website, if you are interested in any of our work then please email me:
[email protected]
I'm normally more than happy to see our work in use elsewhere.
Alan Walker:
Alan in the cab of 45647 'Sturdee' at Normanton MPD, June 1967
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50 years later, Alan is pictured in front of 60103 at York.
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Alan was born in a former miners’ terraced house in Featherstone in September 1949 ,now long
demolished,he moved with his parents to a semi detached house in Halfpenny Lane near the railway line in 1953,where he would live for a further 35 years,taking a great deal of notes and images during this time,with the house handily placed just 100 yards from the former L&Y line to Goole and Hull!
Alan soon made friends with some local lads who lived in the former railway cottages close to the line,George King (whose father was a fireman and later a driver at Wakefield MPD)and John Marham whose dad was a porter on nearby Featherstone station and his mother was the crossing keeper at Halfpenny Lane farm crossing.
Being mates with these lads soon introduced Alan to the railway scene and it wasn’t long before he had started to become interested in the locomotives that were passing by, and often struggling up the considerable gradient towards Pontefract Tanshelf station with all the sound effects that produced!
Alan recorded, photographs, notes, audio and video around Featherstone over the course of the years from 1962 to the early 2000's and has an immense amount of information that will grace these pages over time. Beyond that he also traveled far and wide throughout the UK to record a wider variety of action, though this site will focus mainly on his Yorkshire work. He was also known for his contributions to the West Yorkshire (East) articles in the Railway Observer, a role which he carried out for over 50 years.
Unfortunately Alan passed away suddenly in June 2023 at the age of 73.
demolished,he moved with his parents to a semi detached house in Halfpenny Lane near the railway line in 1953,where he would live for a further 35 years,taking a great deal of notes and images during this time,with the house handily placed just 100 yards from the former L&Y line to Goole and Hull!
Alan soon made friends with some local lads who lived in the former railway cottages close to the line,George King (whose father was a fireman and later a driver at Wakefield MPD)and John Marham whose dad was a porter on nearby Featherstone station and his mother was the crossing keeper at Halfpenny Lane farm crossing.
Being mates with these lads soon introduced Alan to the railway scene and it wasn’t long before he had started to become interested in the locomotives that were passing by, and often struggling up the considerable gradient towards Pontefract Tanshelf station with all the sound effects that produced!
Alan recorded, photographs, notes, audio and video around Featherstone over the course of the years from 1962 to the early 2000's and has an immense amount of information that will grace these pages over time. Beyond that he also traveled far and wide throughout the UK to record a wider variety of action, though this site will focus mainly on his Yorkshire work. He was also known for his contributions to the West Yorkshire (East) articles in the Railway Observer, a role which he carried out for over 50 years.
Unfortunately Alan passed away suddenly in June 2023 at the age of 73.
Mark Walker:
On the footplate of 5029 'Nunney Castle', 1994.
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With my Border Collie, Diesel, 2022.
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I'm Mark, this website in truth is a dedication to my father, who is detailed above and without him this site would be a rather drab affair I'm sure, however I am a keen rail enthusiast myself and you'll find a lot of my own work within this site.
Born in Wakefield, these days I live in Barnsley, a stones throw from the former Midland Main line through Cudworth.
In my day to day job I work for Just Trains as a Train Simulator Developer.
I started out my railway photography in the early 2000's with a basic film camera, before getting a Canon 40D in 2009 and Canon 7D Mk1 in 2012. For videos I currently shoot with a Canon HF G30 having previously used less professional equipment. I also use an Autel Evo 2 Pro drone for a different take on railway photography. My aim is for this website to be a destination in years to come for those who wish to peek through a window into the past of our great county.
Born in Wakefield, these days I live in Barnsley, a stones throw from the former Midland Main line through Cudworth.
In my day to day job I work for Just Trains as a Train Simulator Developer.
I started out my railway photography in the early 2000's with a basic film camera, before getting a Canon 40D in 2009 and Canon 7D Mk1 in 2012. For videos I currently shoot with a Canon HF G30 having previously used less professional equipment. I also use an Autel Evo 2 Pro drone for a different take on railway photography. My aim is for this website to be a destination in years to come for those who wish to peek through a window into the past of our great county.
