Having been rather taken up with getting to know how to use my Goodan Zone, I left my Frugal Film Project roll of HP5 for April until the last day of the month. Yes, I am trying to do too many things at once. I have a roll of Kodak Gold waiting to be developed that I shot with my Olympus 35RC for a future blog and I still have half a roll of Ilford FP4 shot with my OM-2 to develop for a 135mm lens challenge. Is it bad time management on my part or am I too enthusiastic for my own good? Probably both.
I went on a little trip on the day in question to visit my daughter and attend my grandson's 18th birthday celebration. I was asked to take photos of the occasion, which meant my DSLR was coming with me. You know I can't just take one camera out so I also took my trusty Pentax SP500 with 30mm f/3.5 Lydith lens, loaded it with Ilfords finest HP5 at box speed and decided to shoot as many photos as I could on the way. I don't drive and as I was with my youngest daughter and her two boys we went by train. This gave me the excuse to take photos through the window as we travelled.
I enjoy travelling by train, it gets a little crowded at peak times, but for most of my journeys I have been able to find a seat and relax. Having my daughter and grandsons along for the trip meant getting a seat for all of us together would be a little challenging if the trains were full. I need not have worried as there were some kind hearted folks along the way who gave up seats for us so we could enjoy our journey as a family. I couldn't thank them enough for their kindness.
As we settled down for our trip I spent a lot of time gazing through the window, finding compositions and interesting land marks on our journey. The city of Manchester where we made our first change has seen a lot of high rise development over the last decade or two. Several modern skyscrapers have added to the rich tapestry of the city skyline as demand for inner city apartments has grown.
Our second leg took us through the picturesque Derbyshire dales and I was able to capture some beautiful scenic vistas as our train made its way along the Hope Valley line to Sheffield. A few buildings caught my eye and also some shadows at various staions on route just begged for a photo. I only stopped taking photos when we entered the 3 miles long Totley Tunnel that took us beneath the eastern moors and on to our second change of trains.
We didn't have to wait long as our connecting train to our destination was waiting for us at the platform as our train pulled in to Sheffield. It didn't take long to disembark from one train and embark on the other and we were soon settled in our seats for the final leg of our journey. Sheffield and South Yorkshire were once the heartlands of the coal and steel industry here in the UK. Sadly the last of the coal mines closed long ago and only a fracion of the sprawling steel works has survived.
This last leg was a short one and we soon arrived at our destination. Bolton Upon Dearne is a former coal mining community, but now mainly a commuter town that relies upon it's railway link to take it's inhabitants to and from the cities of Sheffield and Leeds. We experienced no delays on our journey and it was reasonably priced too. My grandsons enjoyed their trip out, the birthday party was a lot of fun and we only managed one hiccup on the way home when our train from Sheffield to Manchester was delayed. But that's another tale.
I developed my roll of Ilford HP5 in Kodak HC-110 dilution H for 11 minutes and it was soon hanging to dry. I scanned it using my trusty Ion Slides2PC scanner for quickness and tidied up the spots and scratches in Affinity Photo. Here are a few of my photos from our train ride and I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film project album on Flickr. You can visit it using the link below. If you enjoy my blog you can support me by clicking on the Ko-Fi buttons on this page. A small donation will help me treat my Pentax SP500 to a well deserved service in 2023. As you can see from my photos, it really has earned it. I hope you enjoy them.
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