Terry Nicholls was a life-long devotee of both railways and railwaymen. Brought up within sight and sound of both the Great Western and Southern lines in St. Budeaux, Plymouth, he considered himself a Devonshire man through and through, never losing his accent despite living sixty years away from the county.
His very early interest in railway “spotting” quickly evolved into railway photography with the acquisition (like so many of his contemporaries) of his mother's Box Brownie. For many years he tracked the development and progress of both British and world-wide railways, travelling widely to photograph his beloved steam locomotives. He has left an outstanding collection of first-rate images of railway locomotives and personnel, many taken in beautiful landscape surroundings, clearly with an artistic eye for a good composition.
Terry photographed extensively in the UK and as an employee of British Rail, this allowed him certain access and privileges that few photographers enjoyed, resulting in some quite unique perspectives.
Included among the many locations he visited are Portugal, East Germany at the time of the Iron Curtain, the forests of West Germany, plus the lakes, mountains, valleys of Austria and Switzerland. Czechoslovakia, Eastern Turkey and Ukraine didn't escape his notice or his camera lens.
Further afield, he recorded the High Veldt of South Africa across to the shores of the Indian Ocean, not forgetting the sights of Botswana and Zimbabwe, including Victoria Falls.
The Far East beckoned, with China giving him superb images of steam in sub-zero temperatures, some of these becoming his favourite photographs, not least because they were hard won! In contrast, travelling to Pakistan, India and the foothills of the Himalayas were very different experiences, but despite succumbing to the inevitable ailments of a hot climate, his camera never failed him.
Scattered through the years were trips to both the United States and Canada, many latterly being accompanied by his eldest son as designated driver!
In later life he developed into a fluent and knowledgeable speaker, with his illustrated talks being highly regarded by both local and country-wide railway societies and camera clubs alike.
During the enforced inactivity of the lock-down years, he undertook the task of writing his biography, this being published posthumously. However, his family takes the greatest pride in his achievements and the hope is that his photographic legacy will live on.
You cab purchase a copy of this book here:
Saltash Auto to HST
His very early interest in railway “spotting” quickly evolved into railway photography with the acquisition (like so many of his contemporaries) of his mother's Box Brownie. For many years he tracked the development and progress of both British and world-wide railways, travelling widely to photograph his beloved steam locomotives. He has left an outstanding collection of first-rate images of railway locomotives and personnel, many taken in beautiful landscape surroundings, clearly with an artistic eye for a good composition.
Terry photographed extensively in the UK and as an employee of British Rail, this allowed him certain access and privileges that few photographers enjoyed, resulting in some quite unique perspectives.
Included among the many locations he visited are Portugal, East Germany at the time of the Iron Curtain, the forests of West Germany, plus the lakes, mountains, valleys of Austria and Switzerland. Czechoslovakia, Eastern Turkey and Ukraine didn't escape his notice or his camera lens.
Further afield, he recorded the High Veldt of South Africa across to the shores of the Indian Ocean, not forgetting the sights of Botswana and Zimbabwe, including Victoria Falls.
The Far East beckoned, with China giving him superb images of steam in sub-zero temperatures, some of these becoming his favourite photographs, not least because they were hard won! In contrast, travelling to Pakistan, India and the foothills of the Himalayas were very different experiences, but despite succumbing to the inevitable ailments of a hot climate, his camera never failed him.
Scattered through the years were trips to both the United States and Canada, many latterly being accompanied by his eldest son as designated driver!
In later life he developed into a fluent and knowledgeable speaker, with his illustrated talks being highly regarded by both local and country-wide railway societies and camera clubs alike.
During the enforced inactivity of the lock-down years, he undertook the task of writing his biography, this being published posthumously. However, his family takes the greatest pride in his achievements and the hope is that his photographic legacy will live on.
You cab purchase a copy of this book here:
Saltash Auto to HST
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