Awesome seems to be a much over-used word these days but it is the only way of describing the photographs of Bob Green which so enthralled the audience at the Birchley Social Club on the evening of April 2.

This was not Bob's first visit to the Society and so we had an idea of what to expect but the quality of the photography simply took our breath away.

Most photographers manage to take one or two really good pictures but in a presentation lasting over two hours there were few shots that could not be described as spectacular.

Bob has travelled extensively throughout the UK in search of preserved steam working on the main line and we were treated to the autumn colours of the West Highland line from Fort William to Mallaig, Devon and Cornwall in high summer, the Severn Valley in winter and the southern approaches to the Capital at various times of year.

On one memorable occasion he went out for a paper and ended up in Aberdeen: he called his wife to say that he'd had some difficulty in finding a newsagent's!

Despite being lucky with the weather (the sun went in just after I'd taken this one'), Bob's superb photographs are a consequence of detailed planning (avoiding rain and midges in Scotland), good intelligence on train times and working and the ability to walk large distances over often-difficult terrain. It was not difficult to see why Bob's photographs feature so often in books and magazines.

We learned much about framing shots, how to use (and avoid) the sun and how to position the train in the landscape.

Not that all Bob's landscapes were pretty': photographs taken against a background of Yorkshire mills or Battersea Power Station were no less impressive than those taken among the mountains of Cumbria. We all learned so much about railways and photography and look forward to another of Bob's shows in the future.

The next meeting will be on Monday May 14 (note that this is the second Monday in the month), when David Skitt will present an illustrated talk on the history and development of the Severn Valley Railway.

All meetings start at 7.30pm at the Birchley Social Club, Brunel Road, Oldbury. Everyone is welcome and no membership is required.

For further information, contact George Richards (0121 559 4888), Alan Shenton (0121 559 3200) or Alan Atkinson (01562 886549).