AI-generated (not entirely realistic) railway images

[Sun Chariot]

A little known diesel locomotive spawned in the early 1960s: an EE - Brush collaboration.
Rarely if ever seen, it made a surprise appearance in its grey undercoat, in the 1980s, with a wagonload freight along the south Devon coast.

 

[eastwestdivide]

the south Devon coast

Are you sure it’s not the Cumbrian coast with the three-winged seagull?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Are you sure it’s not the Cumbrian coast with the three-winged seagull?

I think those gulls are guilty of family in-breeding...

 

[pokemonsuper9]

A little known diesel locomotive spawned in the early 1960s: an EE - Brush collaboration.
Rarely if ever seen, it made a surprise appearance in its grey undercoat, in the 1980s, with a wagpnload freight along the south Devon coast.

Did you ask for Dawlish?
Because that really looks like Dawlish (between the station and the tunnel)

 

[D6130]

Did you ask for Dawlish?
Because that really looks like Dawlish (between the station and the tunnel)

....with wrong line working!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

....with wrong line working!

These AI image generators seem to favour right-hand running judging by the images produced in this and the other thread. Presumably because a large proportion of the "source data" (if that's the correct term) images are from countries that run on the right. Although images of roads are probably also being used as sources, and right-hand running is the dominant side worldwide- particularly in the countries where there'll be more images available (the USA being the obvious one, but also mainland China).

At least Dawlish is somewhere that wrong-line running is quite often used... just usually not the side nearest the sea!

 

[Sun Chariot]

As a yoof, a week in Exmouth (to visit maternal grandmother) were my staple summer from latter 1970s to mid 1980s. The annual jaunt included an afternoon or two on Dawlish beach; and the location stuck firmly in my memory.
So, yes, I described to Gemini, the essence of what I recalled (I didn’t describe its low pedestrian underpass by the station, nor the floral covered roundabout!).
I've generated 100+ images using the same input descriptive instructions to Gemini - many results had the stucco fronted houses and road rendered closer to "real-life". This, however, was the only image generated with that curious loco!

Gemini's results seem to be a 50 : 50 split, between "left" and "right" running; and you'll see LH running AI images here:

Show off your realistic AI railway images!

I have started this thread after becoming rather too addicted (so my wife says...) to the capabilities of AI and Big Data. There are several AI image generators. I use Google Gemini. These images are created using my own descriptions into AI. Add your realistic AI generated railway themed...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[GusB]

First attempt...
View attachment 185330

Erm... that'll be the driver "throwing his heart out to the world", a la Elon Musk... (the 'tache looks a bit suspect)

It's nice that you managed to get a couple of spotting kids into the image, too. What I'd really like to know is: what the hell did you input to get that image?!

 

[Sun Chariot]

What I'd really like to know is: what the hell did you input to get that image?!

I wondered the same about the surreal and awesome image by @chrisjo on post 268!

 

[chrisjo]

What I'd really like to know is: what the hell did you input to get that image?!

Because the Copilot image generator is iterative, the sequence would have been something like this:

• Draw a picture of a Santa-Fe F-unit in Transport for Wales livery passing Conwy Castle
• Put some Welsh flags on the castle
• Add two trainspotters with cameras in the foreground
• Put some people on the bridge
• Change one of the flags to the flag of Owain Glyndwr
• The train driver is leaning out of the cab window and waving at the trainspotters
• The driver should be waving out of the cab's side window, not the front one.

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I wondered the same about the surreal and awesome image by @chrisjo on post 268!

This one was spawned by Gemini. The instructions were something like this:

"Make an image of a line-up of Tomy プラレール toy trains at London Kings Cross station. The tracks are made of プラレール blue rails, and the people on the platforms are Tomy プラキッズ."

プラレール is Plarail, a Japanese brand of toy train whose line-up includes both Japanese and Thomas and friends trains. プラキッズ is literally 'plastic kids', and is the name of the figures in the Plarail range. Gemini's プラキッズ are nothing like they should be though, I don't know where it got the ones in the image from. They are supposed to look like this (a Copilot tribute to a certain popular music ensemble in プラキッズ style):

 

[nlogax]

@chrisjo That's hilarious, absolutely love it.

On a similar vein but not quite as epic,



== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2025 ==

Also..

 

[Bonbonbalinski]

I wonder how AI would fare with being asked for a Networker. Especially given how the 3 4 versions of it don't look like each other anymore. It would probably be grotesque.

Not Gemini but I asked ChatGPT "Create an image of a British Rail Networker" and the result isn't so bad

 

[eastwestdivide]

British Rail Networker

Running on the increasingly-rare 5th-rail plus overheads electrical system

 

[Vexed]

Running on the increasingly-rare 5th-rail plus overheads electrical system

2 running rails, 1 current return for the overheads, then 2 LU-style -120/+120 rails so you can keep hotel power when the overheads fail. Disadvantage is that if the -120/+120 rails ice over in winter you get no hotel power and therefore no heating on board

 

[Pete_uk]

Class 800 livery idea

 

[pdeaves]

Prompt was, in every case, "generate photo realistic image of a British UK high speed train (HST) class 43 in Orient Express colours. The train is in a modern terminus station".
Goodness knows what happened with the first one ("Magic Hour")! The second ("Craiyon") isn't bad. The third ("deepdreamgenerator") isn't a bad Eurostar. Gemini (last one) has a good idea what an HST front looks like (don't look too closely at the power car side!).

 

[tfw756rider]

Class 800 livery idea

Funnily enough I had just been thinking about this! Looks better than GWR black too-dark green.

 

[Bertie the bus]

The third ("deepdreamgenerator") isn't a bad Eurostar. Gemini (last one) has a good idea what an HST front looks like (don't look too closely at the power car side!).

The third one is truly awful. You couldn't possibly mistake that for a real photo. It just looks like a screenshot from a simulator. The fourth one is pretty good if you ignore the windows in the power car.

 

[pdeaves]

The third one is truly awful. You couldn't possibly mistake that for a real photo. It just looks like a screenshot from a simulator. The fourth one is pretty good if you ignore the windows in the power car.

Of the four, that third one is most like an artist's impression. It does at least look like a plausible train in places (don't look at the wheels...), unlike that first one, which truly is mad!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Mythical beasts of Cumbria.

I instructed Google Gemini to create an AI image of a class 390 Pendolino 9 carriage train in Avanti West Coast livery. I got this.

Then I instructed Gemini to create an AI 801 Azuma with the same landscape I used in my description for the Pendo. The unit looks rather smart, despite it being nothing like an LNER Azuma. That OHLE though...

 

[chrisjo]

That OHLE though...

To be fair, the OHLE looks pretty good for the junk that's actually running the WCML in Cumbria! e.g. this at Grayrigg:

 

[Sun Chariot]

I'm no betting man, but I wager this track layout might lead to a few derailments...

 

[Topological]

I'm no betting man, but I wager this track layout might lead to a few derailments...

Some of the wagons behind the "37" in the second picture are already derailed based on the curvatures.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Some of the wagons behind the "37" in the second picture are already derailed based on the curvatures.

I think that is a rare "facing turnout plus trap point combi"

 

[Royston Vasey]

The third one is truly awful. You couldn't possibly mistake that for a real photo. It just looks like a screenshot from a simulator.

It's very much giving Knapford station vibes, in the Thomas CGI era. A flashy visitor not just from the mainland, but the mainland beyond that!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2025 ==

Mythical beasts of Cumbria.


Then I instructed Gemini to create an AI 801 Azuma with the same landscape I used in my description for the Pendo. The unit looks rather smart, despite it being nothing like an LNER Azuma. That OHLE though...

If Siemens had won the IEP contract...! "Ve vill call it ICE-P!"

 

[Bonbonbalinski]

Prompt was, in every case, "generate photo realistic image of a British UK high speed train (HST) class 43 in Orient Express colours. The train is in a modern terminus station".
Goodness knows what happened with the first one ("Magic Hour")! The second ("Craiyon") isn't bad. The third ("deepdreamgenerator") isn't a bad Eurostar. Gemini (last one) has a good idea what an HST front looks like (don't look too closely at the power car side!).

Oof, that 1st one is a mess

 

[Siimo]

Excited football fans seem to approve of this tram-monorail hybrid, even if it is taking up the entire station.

 

[chrisjo]

Interesting getaway strategy....

 

[nlogax]

Of the four, that third one is most like an artist's impression. It does at least look like a plausible train in places (don't look at the wheels...), unlike that first one, which truly is mad!

The poor guy on the bottom right looks very much like a Photoshop afterthought.

I like this, whatever it is. We have another electrification infrastructure issue though!

 

[eldomtom2]

Interesting getaway strategy....


View attachment 186311

What was the prompt, considering the American-esque train and Japanese-esque staff?