The Paul Claxton Collection

IRFCA gallery is privileged to host Paul Claxton’s Indian Railway images on our server. Paul Claxton (1946-2009) was a British railway photographer who visited India around March 1974. Professionally, he worked as fireman on the South African Railways. After Paul Claxton passed, his brother Mike scanned all his images to compile this brilliant collection.

Most of Paul Claxton's Indian Railway images are from the Pune - Miraj line including exotic locations such as Shindawane ghat and Adarki. A few images also show Chennai Central and Bangalore City, as they were during the steam days. Mike Claxton did not find any notes relating to the India images, so on the original website, details remained uncatalogued. However, the IRFCA server images have information such as location, train number and loco number, all derived from the details found in the images and the extensive knowledge of IRFCA members of these sections.

Even in 2020, some of the locations in Paul Claxton's image are difficult to reach. However back in 1970s, he was present on location, day after day, to photograph the few daytime trains that passed that section. You will see repeat images of Nagpur - Kolhapur 84 express, Bombay - Miraj 307 Koyna express and it's reciprocal, the 308 Koyna express, but, they are shot on different days. All these trains are hauled by sparkling WP and WG powers, who were then in their prime. The images also document the nascent days of Shindawane ghat and Adarki, showing embankments and cuttings, that were constructed only recently.

Until these images became available, Pune gang believed that they were the first serious railfans to put their boots on these hallowed grounds. Happily, we were so wrong.

We thank Mike Claxton, who kindly consented to display of Paul Claxton’s Indian Railway collection on the IRFCA server. Do visit the website to view all the Paul Claxton images: http://www.railpictorial.com/piwigo/index.php