AI-generated (not entirely realistic) railway images

[Sun Chariot]

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Inspired by my trips in August 1985 (34092 "City of Wells") / May 1990 (with 20 010 + 20 132), when the fine semaphore gantry dominated station's throat.
This scene re-imagines the track layout and horizon - with a 40 doing what they did best!

 

[D6130]

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Inspired by my trips in August 1985 (34092 "City of Wells") / May 1990 (with 20 010 + 20 132), when the fine semaphore gantry dominated station's throat.
This scene re-imagines the track layout and horizon - with a 40 doing what they did best!

Do you mean making a lot of noise and clag without going anywhere particularly quickly?

 

[Sun Chariot]

The train now arriving.
A benefit of virtual modelling, is the ease at modifying well-known long-standing railway infrastructure! York's splendid station loses a through-road, to balance the scene better.

Do you mean making a lot of noise and clag without going anywhere particularly quickly?

It's the only way I remember them!

 

[Ashley Hill]

The train now arriving.
A benefit of virtual modelling, is the ease at modifying well-known long-standing railway infrastructure! York's splendid station loses a through-road, to balance the scene better.



It's the only way I remember them!

A cracking image.

 

[Sun Chariot]

A cracking image.

Thanks if I close my eyes, I can hear them. Although, in BR service, I only saw Deltic 21 at York; and my only Whistlers were at Carlisle.

 

[aavm]

I'm fond of classic era railway posters. So, to celerbrate the roll out of new SWR trains, I thought I'd try and make one.

 

[Tester]

View attachment 209191
I'm fond of classic era railway posters. So, to celerbrate the roll out of new SWR trains, I thought I'd try and make one.

That is excellent!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Another well-known location - again, modified to balance the composition. "WESTERN LORD" echoes its two Maybachs in Bristol Temple Meads; while a Hymek departs to cross back to Bath Road depot.

I'm fond of classic era railway posters. So, to celerbrate the roll out of new SWR trains, I thought I'd try and make one.

Superb image! It really reminds me of USA railroads "Golden Age" posters, such as Western Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande.

 

[D6130]

View attachment 209191
I'm fond of classic era railway posters. So, to celerbrate the roll out of new SWR trains, I thought I'd try and make one.

Excellent! For conosseurs of sewage farms, Hersham may well be the gateway to paradise!

 

[Sun Chariot]

For five years, I lived fairly close to Hollycombe Steam Museum: a fabulous collection of traction engines, of steam fairground-rides, plus a steam narrow-gauge railway through bluebell-dazzled woodland.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Another well-known location - again, modified to balance the composition. "WESTERN LORD" echoes its two Maybachs in Bristol Temple Meads; while a Hymek waits to cross back to Bath Road.

Nice image and the trainshed has come out nicely. Sadly one line short.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Nice image and the trainshed has come out nicely. Sadly one line short.

I deliberately did three lines for my BTM and my York, hence my comment in each of those posts.
Compositions with four lines, made the images look barren because the AI images' aspect ratio wasn't wide enough to include the two platforms and people; hence my "tweak".

 

[Ashley Hill]

I’ve not had much inspiration lately to create any images. I do miss the themes from the other thread.

 

[Sun Chariot]

This prolonged hot, dry summer - and current sad destruction of the New Forest - reminds me that other steam transport is at risk of throwing sparks, too.

Armchair traveller. Recalling those golden years, in a Pullman dining car, across France or perhaps Italy.
My wife loves the feel-good film "Burlesque", starring Cher & Christina Aguilera; so it got me wondering if 1930s European Pullman travel offered similar pre-dinner entertainment....)

I’ve not had much inspiration lately to create any images. I do miss the themes from the other thread.

The thread on the other forum has gained a great following - close to 15,000 views and has quite a few contributors now.

 

[Topological]

This prolonged hot, dry summer - and current sad destruction of the New Forest - reminds me that other steam transport is at risk of throwing sparks, too.

Armchair traveller. Recalling those golden years, in a Pullman dining car, across France or perhaps Italy.
My wife loves the feel-good film "Burlesque", starring Cher & Christina Aguilera; so it got me wondering if 1930s European Pullman travel offered similar pre-dinner entertainment....)


The thread on the other forum has gained a great following - close to 15,000 views and has quite a few contributors now.

I am not as much of a film expert as I should be. Which one of the waiters is Christina Aquilera?

On the rare occasion I see anyone order food on the TfW Manchester to Cardiff train they do not spit it out like that. Someone needs to have a word with the chef. Perhaps Christina has a way to make the wish for edible food come true?

I like the old tractors more. That red one has come a long way.

 

[Sun Chariot]

That red Foden steam-lorry perhaps set the ManCon wheels in motion, @Topological ?

Christina Aguilera is in the farthest waiter's bottle. She's the genie in a bottle. The film's a musical belter. The storyline's clever, too. Something about having air rights.
My wife insists on having air-rights over me, in our toilets.

 

[Topological]

That red Foden steam-lorry perhaps set the ManCon wheels in motion, @Topological ?

Christina Aguilera is in the farthest waiter's bottle. She's the genie in a bottle. The film's a musical belter. The storyline's clever, too. Something about having air rights.
My wife insists on having air-rights over me, in our toilets.

I suspect it could be, I certainly think the thought of Foden in red motivated Phil's contract extension.

It is interesting you noted about Aguilera. That made me remember a photo from earlier in the ManCon tour. Indeed this is before they got their wish for a life size BeeNetwork bus. I will let you fill in what the other two wishes were used for...

 

[Sun Chariot]

Grand day out. Recalling the affordable day-excursion trains, in the years of postwar and early Nationalisation. Bring your own tea and sandwiches.

I will let you fill in what the other two wishes were used for...

View attachment 209287

They wanted a painted picture of Elsa from Frozen, escaping a hot pot of Earl Grey?

I’ve not had much inspiration lately to create any images. I do miss the themes from the other thread.

I do miss them also; but it seemed they were more popular to some of us than they were to others.

 

[Krystal]

Courtesy of Reddit, this AI generated picture was used as a thumbnail about the Manchester meltdown that happened not long ago, at the time of writing. This is meant to be Manchester Piccadilly.
There's so many things wrong about this that I could potentially make a new post challenging everyone to find everything wrong with this.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Courtesy of Reddit, this AI generated picture was used as a thumbnail about the Manchester meltdown that happened not long ago, at the time of writing. This is meant to be Manchester Piccadilly.
There's so many things wrong about this that I could potentially make a new post challenging everyone to find everything wrong with this.

Its Hilton Deansgate on the skyline (I saw that building get constructed) is a pretty good likeness. Aaaaaand - that's it.


No idea what was used for this (genuine) short film's header. 47-56 mongrel... It's odd because 47s and 56s are accurately rendered by AI tech such as Google Gemini

 

[Topological]

The crane constructing Viadux 2 is missing from near Beetham Tower?

Also the glass on the overall roof should be slightly greener.

Took a lot of careful inspection to spot any issues with that one.

 

[Sun Chariot]

If you're eclipse-gazing this evening, I wish you the best of luck!

Took a lot of careful inspection to spot any issues with that one.

 

[Topological]

If you're eclipse-gazing this evening, I wish you the best of luck!

Here is a much more accurate version of the same announcement image. It has slightly downplayed Denton, but the sense of busy station persists.



It looks like the photographer here used a special fisheye lens that makes anything in the foreground much larger. The scale for most elements takes from the station buildings. Perhaps it was just a water droplet on the lens.

It seems to be darkening up a bit here in Manchester

 

[D6130]

Here is a much more accurate version of the same announcement image. It has slightly downplayed Denton, but the sense of busy station persists.

View attachment 209373

It looks like the photographer here used a special fisheye lens that makes anything in the foreground much larger. The scale for most elements takes from the station buildings. Perhaps it was just a water droplet on the lens.

It seems to be darkening up a bit here in Manchester

Are my eyes deceiving me....or is the middle road narrow gauge?

 

[Topological]

Are my eyes deceiving me....or is the middle road narrow gauge?

It is a direct connection to the Welsh Highland Line to recreate Manchester to Caernarfon. Routing through Denton recognises that it would be hard to fit paths in Slade Lane.

 

[BeeBus]

It is a direct connection to the Welsh Highland Line to recreate Manchester to Caernarfon. Routing through Denton recognises that it would be hard to fit paths in Slade Lane.

View attachment 209376

Funnily enough I set out tonight with the notion of photographing a Bee Network Bus and the eclipse. I could say the bus was not Wright for that but actually, given that my shots of the eclipse were at 1/16000th of a second at f45, I think it's fair to say my idea was not well thought-out. Not helped by a temporary road closure meaning the bus went on a different road anyway!

With the Garratt, it's good to see they have managed to improve on the original green, taking a cue from Stroudley.

It's my first comment on this thread but I have been watching with interest and some amusement for some time. Unfortunately I am trying to do so many things that I cannot afford to go down the rabbit-hole of experimenting with generative AI, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in the results others produce and often entertained by them as well as being amazed at what AI can do well, at least sometimes. Due to my long-standing interest in South Wales quite a few of the images from @Topological have really struck a chord with me, not least because I know Abercwmboi particularly well!

I have thought a bit about why not so many participate in this thread and I think that there is a tendency for the themes to come across as in-jokes (and please read on as I'm not attempting to criticise anybody). However, on reflection I realise that the very nature of what is being done here tends to make that happen because AI is a tool that can produce a picture of almost any scene you can conjure up. That infinity of subject matter is much harder to deal with than real photographs where what you can illustrate is very much finite. So what DO you produce a picture of? What people do is produce something with a connection to a previous picture and this develops a theme. And I actually think if you didn't do that it would become just a load of random images which wouldn't keep up the interest.

Just some thoughts which are my attempt to understand the responses. I may be wrong in my thinking - either way I certainly don't intend to offend anybody and sincerely hope I haven't. I always look forward to new postings on this thread.

​

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @BeeBus and many thanks for your post's insight - it is great (as if @Topological needs any more reasons to create South Wales images! )

We had another thread, too, which included monthly "image themes" - realistic ones, fun tongue-in-cheek ones. That one, whilst very engaging and creative, wasn't as popular in the eyes of a few; and that thread ceased in April this year..

The thread I started on RM Web, end-April, is specifically for believeable AI images - two examples attached. It has built a good level of engagement - and contributions - from ex-BR people, layout-builders, "rivet counter" fastidious modellers.
Nearly 15,000 "hits" on that one - so AI can't all be slop.

It's fun and surprisingly addictive! It's free to use (albeit with limited "AI daily quota") and the horizon is your imagination! By all means have a go, we'd love to see yours!

Because r-AI-lways and tr-AI-ns are cool!

 

[Rick1984]

Thomas the Tank Engine meets Breaking Bad

 

[HighlandStorm]

So instead of asking AI for some nostalgia, I asked for a crystal ball - what a Stadler Flirt derived future might look like for ScotRail, both inter7city services and more sub-urban services.

Can but dream!
I like the nod to the HST - class 430 !

 

[Sun Chariot]

In the antelope's stride. Scene inspired by my own photo (A1 60163 instead of a B1), near Shalford.
(Real phioto attached for comparison)

A made-up scene and AI motion-blurred. The Standard 7MT is happily still with us.