I enjoy looking out for railway reflections, though my railway photographer contemporaries often ridicule this, let me know what you think as we look at rail photography through reflections—finding the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary.

It’s not always water creating the reflection – here a cafe window in Leeds created the perfect opportunity.

In the mirrored world of reflections, the railway transforms into something almost dreamlike—a fusion of reality and illusion. Whether in the still surface of a river, the gentle ripple of a canal, or the fleeting glimmer of a rain-soaked platform, reflections add a new dimension to railway photography. They offer a chance to capture not just the train or the railway scene but their interplay with light, water, and motion, creating railway images that feel dynamic, artistic, and alive with possibility.

331104 glides into platform 10 at Leeds on a damp autumn night, a precise shutter press captures the reflection in the puddle with the wet platform reflecting the warm station lighting.
The incoming tide on the Exe estuary offered an opportunity for a low-level Point of View along with a distorted reflection of the foreground boat and bridge support.

A train gliding past a calm river becomes a perfect symmetry of steel and shadow, its reflection shimmering like a painting. A puddle, often overlooked, becomes a portal, doubling the drama of a locomotive’s approach or the glowing signals in the distance. Even a freshly wet platform, illuminated by the soft glow of station lights, turns into a stage where reflections dance in golden hues, amplifying the scene’s cinematic quality.

Reflecting in the Spalding station puddles, 66110 speeds through with a Wakefield Europort to London Gateway freight.
The calm waters of the Calder and Hebble Canal reflect the train and impressive bridge.
Running high on the impressive 22 Arch, Grade II listed, Saddleworth Viaduct, Transpennine 185120 reflects in the rippled waters of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

Using reflections requires both vision and patience. It’s the art of seeing beyond the obvious—of finding beauty in the transient and the unexpected. The challenge lies in balancing the composition, in capturing that precise moment when the reflection aligns with reality to create something greater than the sum of its parts. A puddle may dry, a ripple may distort, but in the hands of a photographer, these fleeting elements can become a railway masterpiece of contrast and harmony.

The remains of a once vibrant canalside industrial past reflect at dusk in the still waters of the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal. The peace is disturbed momentarily as a Transpennine Express Class 185 speeds past.
The quiet River Don gently flows as a Northern Class 150 speeds over Attercliffe Road, reflecting in the still summer evening waters of the Don.
It’s after 10 pm on a summer evening and it’s still light enough for railway photography, a drainage ditch alongside the North Lincolnshire main line is used to capture a reflection of a couple of Transpennine units.
47593 makes fine reflection in the morning cool and calm waters of the Leeds – Liverpool canal at Gargrave.

Through reflections, trains and railways gain an ethereal quality, as if caught between two worlds—the tangible and the imagined. This approach doesn’t just showcase the railway; it transforms it into art, where light bends, water whispers, and each image tells a story of connection and creativity. A world where the railway’s beauty is doubled, its drama heightened, and its story reframed.

On a damp November Saturday Northern Pacer 142026 gets underway from Woodlesford a local pub bonfire kindly provided the pyrotechnic display, reflected beautifully in the puddle.
A Class 142 departs the western side of Leeds Station crossing the Leeds -Liverpool canal as dusk falls, the gentle ripples of the canal reflect the train and city lights. This is taken from a low POV (Point of View) and I’ve merged the nighttime lights into the image, look out for my Portfolio of Dusk to Night merges and low POV photography.

Railways in Reflections