Colin Boocock – Railway photography through the decades 1980 to 2025

MEETING REPORT 11.11.25

Colin Boocock from Derby made a welcome return to Sheffield branch in November with the second part of his fantastic show “Railway photography through the decades”. Colin started with a brief resume of his previous show (covering 1947-79 and presented to Sheffield branch last year) and then presented a selection of both UK and worldwide photos from 1980 up to the present day. Different jobs on the railway kept Colin on the move and he started with some images from Scotland, where he lived for a time in the 1980s. He then moved to Derbyshire where we saw several photos, as well as images from the Isle of Wight and some fantastic views in Ireland in the 1980s. His extraordinary worldwide travels were of course also documented and we saw photos from over 30 different countries ranging from Czechoslovakia to Romania, China, India, New Zealand, the USA and even Syria! UK photography focused on the preserved scene, narrow gauge and miniature railways as well as UK main line subjects, and Colin was never one to shy away from capturing the contemporary scene and latest motive power. Some of the more recent photos were taken with Colin’s mobile phone – showing just how such technology has advanced. Another fantastic show and we look forward to welcoming Colin back to Sheffield branch very soon!