Powerful Pictures of Steam Trains From the Past.

Powerful Pictures of Steam Trains From the Past.

Ever since he was a little kid staring at his toy train running around the Christmas tree, Matthew Malkiewicz knew he loved trains. In 2005 he bought his first digital camera and started taking pictures of what will eventually become this amazing series, called "Lost Tracks of Time". Matthew calls the trains he loves so much "fire breathing monsters of yesteryear", and some of the trains he shoots are indeed over 100 year old. And yet despite their age, these old metal giants are still working today, and have the power to blow me away with a wild and powerful kind of beauty we just don’t get to see any more…

Steam locomotives were first developed in Great Britain during the early 19th century and dominated railway transport until the middle of the 20th century. From the early 1900s they were gradually superseded by electric and diesel trains.

Diesel locomotives began to appear in mainline service in the United States in the mid-1930s. The diesel reduced maintenance costs dramatically, while increasing locomotive availability. On the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad the new units delivered over 350,000 miles (560,000 km) a year, compared with about 120,000–150,000 for a mainline steam locomotive.

With the rise of diesel prices over the years some companies went back to using the old Steam locomotives, and even building a few new ones. These trains work as both cargo and passenger transporters and are a common sight on heritage railways, meant to keep the living history of the railway scenes of the past.

Although Matthew had to wait patiently for hours before each photo and endure harsh weather, he says it's all worth it. "Shooting trains can be compared to hunting" he says, and I agree, but the prizes you get are unlike any hunters catch in the world.