Landscape,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general

Gallery: from a train window

May 3, 2026 / 65 Comments

These are the moments I love most when travelling: the gentle, rhythmic jolt of train wheels on rails; the long, mournful blast on the locomotive’s whistle way up ahead; the feeling of being taken inexorably on a journey, heading somewhere new, yet moving slowly enough to have time to take in the changes along the way.

Frank Gardiner

I am a big admirer of Frank Gardiner, the BBC’s Security Correspondent. He has overcome the challenges of being shot by al-Qaida gunmen in Saudi Arabia in 2004 which led to him being partly paralysed. He has reported from many of the world’s most volatile regions, mainly in the Middle East, and always explains things in detail but very clearly. And he has written several engaging books about his experiences, including the gripping Blood and Sand.

When I read the above quote in another of his books, Far Horizons, I saved it, knowing that it captured better than I could the feeling induced by a train journey, especially one in distant lands. I remembered it again today when I saw Ann-Christine’s Lens Artists challenge, to illustrate a quote.

So here are five memorable train journeys from my travels. I could also have mentioned my first long trip across Europe, from London via Cologne to Prague and on to Vienna. Or travelling from Moscow to Leningrad, as it was then called, in the early 1980s. But I have no digital photos of those.

By the way, I’m not really interested in the trains themselves. Trainspotting definitely isn’t my thing. But the experiences you have on board, especially if you get the opportunity to chat with local people, and the views of the passing scenery, are almost always memorable. So for each of these journeys I’ve chosen one scene that caught my eye as I watched from the window.

Disclaimer: photos taken from moving trains aren’t always of the best quality, a challenge compounded by age!

RAJASTHAN (2015)

At a station in Rajasthan, India

We took a train from Sawai Madhopur (near Ranthambore National Park) to Delhi. It took the best part of the day and as we travelled we enjoyed chatting to the Rajasthani couple who shared our compartment. They told us something about the stations we passed through, enquired about our experiences in India, and even shared some snacks.

The compartment windows weren’t very clean but I managed to get some photos, especially when we stopped in the several stations on route. This lady was sweeping the platform at one of the quieter ones.

GOA TO KARNATAKA (2003)

Rice harvest in Karnataka

The train to Delhi wasn’t our first experience of travelling by train in India. Many years before we had a ‘sun, sea and sand’ holiday in Goa, but of course were far too interested in our surroundings not to get out and explore. One of the trips we did was a several day tour to Karnataka to visit temples and a tiger reserve. We travelled by train and I enjoyed looking out at the passing landscape of rice paddies. It was harvest time and I was especially taken by the colourful saris of the women working in the fields.

My photo was originally a 35mm slide so my apologies for the quality of the image. However it illustrates perfectly the scenes that struck me most back then, when life in India was something of a revelation.

TAKING THE SLOW TRAIN IN JAPAN (2013)

Fields near Nikko

Japan’s bullet trains are justly famous, and we enjoyed travelling on them. But it’s hard to take photos out of the windows when moving that fast. It was on our slower journeys, such as that from Tokyo to Nikko, that I had the chance to enjoy and capture the views of rural life in Japan.

My feature photo however does feature a bullet train, as backdrop to a guard at Odawara Station.

FROM KRAKOW TO LVIV (2010)

View from a train to Lviv

Sixteen years ago now I travelled with a group of Virtual Tourist friends by train from Krakow to Lviv. Although the cities are only about 325 kilometres distant from each other, the journey took all day. The train moved slowly, and at the border stopped for an hour while the carriages were lifted off the bogie and the latter changed to a different gauge. Under Stalin the Soviet Union had introduced the use of a wider gauge than the standard across the rest of Europe, as a defensive measure. Even in the 2010s, with Ukraine an independent country (as it still is and must remain), the wider gauge persisted.

Once in Ukraine the landscape became dotted with small villages, each with its onion domed church.

PERU FROM A TRAIN (2005)

From the rear platform of the Andean Explorer

In Peru we took the tourist train, the Andean Explorer, from Puno to Cusco. This is a more luxurious experience than the others I mention here, with an onboard train restaurant and viewing carriage to make the most of the stunning landscapes. I was only just getting used to digital photography and took fewer photos than I probably would today, but nevertheless I found several to choose from for this post. It seemed only right however to finish with this one that shows the railway tracks.

65 Comments

  • leightontravels

    June 7, 2026 at 08:18 Reply

    Some fine captures Sarah, especially knowing how tricky it can be to get good shots from a train window. I enjoyed this piece as train travel is my favourite way to travel. One could easily set a train wheels soundscape to this post to read and look through. The segment about Krakow to Lviv sounded especially appealing.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 7, 2026 at 09:16 Reply

      Thank you very much Leighton 😊 That Krakow to Lviv journey was one of my most memorable. I’m hoping to do a similar one next year, Bucharest to Chisinau, so watch this space!

  • equinoxio21

    May 6, 2026 at 01:38 Reply

    I like trains. One of our wildest experiences was the Nairobi-Mombasa train. 😉
    Now to me, train means the Army. I spent my Army year in a combat regiment near Rennes in Brittany. (I say combat though we did not see combat because we trained extensively during the whole year.)
    Train then meant freedom. When we got leave, we’d hop on the train in Rennes to Paris (where my family lived). Boarding the train was entering freedom from officers and petty officers. Priceless.
    (PS. Great shots. Even the 35mm is fine.)

  • wetanddustyroads

    May 5, 2026 at 09:20 Reply

    I love travelling by train and hope to take a long trip someday (your photos have inspired me again). I especially like your photo in Peru – the railway and mountains make a beautiful picture!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 5, 2026 at 08:54 Reply

      Many thanks Leanne 🙂 Yes, it’s not always the cheapest way to travel – we could probably find flights to Paris significantly cheaper than the Eurostar, for instance. But it’s greener, more relaxing and often more fun!

  • Mick McCann

    May 5, 2026 at 02:59 Reply

    Nice post Sarah! Especially liked the Andean train shot. If you ever get to Alaska, try the train from Skagway up through White Pass into the Yukon Territory. Another favorite of mine is the Cuban Steam train from Valle de los Ingenios near Trinidad, which passes through sugar cane fields. And, next time you are in the Western USA, Amtrak lines go slow enough to take some great pictures of some stunning landscapes.
    Buen viaje!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 5, 2026 at 08:52 Reply

      Thank you very much Mick 😊 That train in Alaska sounds especially great! Alaska is definitely on my wish-list but we’re not looking to travel in the US again right now. Hopefully one day!

  • Rose

    May 4, 2026 at 20:13 Reply

    That is a wonderfully romantic quote to inspire train travel. I really liked your capture of the rice harvest, and the landscape and train tracks in your last photo. I dream of traveling more by train. We took a train from Prague, Czechia to Dresden, Germany a few years ago. It was such a lovely ride with so much beautiful landscape to see.

  • Sofia Alves

    May 4, 2026 at 16:50 Reply

    I love, love this, Sarah. What an inspired idea you had and your photos are fantastic. This is one of my favourite posts of yours, thank you!

  • ThingsHelenLoves

    May 4, 2026 at 12:20 Reply

    I do enjoy a journey by rail. Like you, not a train spotter, but I do enjoy a mooch round a nice station.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 4, 2026 at 12:46 Reply

      Thanks Helen 🙂 I enjoy a station if it has something different to offer, like Grand Central in NYC, but run-of-the-mill London terminals don’t excite me (though the ceiling in Kings Cross is rather special!)

  • Monkey's Tale

    May 4, 2026 at 11:34 Reply

    I was sure there would be one from Sri Lanka 😊 Travelling by train often let’s you enjoy the scenes as you slowly pass by, and you caught good ones here. Maggie

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 4, 2026 at 12:14 Reply

      We were supposed to travel by train from Anuradhapura to Jaffna but at the last minute (the day before) they closed the line for two weeks of repair work – I think a hangover from the cyclone in December. So we had to go by road instead – but I enjoy a road trip almost as much as a train one, if I’m not driving!

  • restlessjo

    May 4, 2026 at 10:23 Reply

    I’m a fan too. How can you not be? Riding the Bullet train or a slow train in Japan (or Peru!) is a dream for me. I remember travelling by ‘express’ from Piotrkow Trybunalski in Poland to Warsawa many years ago. It involved laborious carriage changes and we weren’t sure if we were in the right bit of the train xx

  • Leya

    May 4, 2026 at 07:56 Reply

    Oh, Sarah, what a wonderful idea to pick train rides! A great quote – that I too will save… Trainspotting is not my idea either, but seeing the landscapes and the people working while we are passing by is a treat you get nowhere else. Beautiful shots and beautiful travels. The lady sweeping is a favourite, but so is the Andean view. I wish I’d had a camera back then, we have only a few pictures my husband took from that ride.
    My daughter loves to go by train as well, she says the feeling of beeing in transit, between nowhere and everywhere, is the best feeling.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 4, 2026 at 09:34 Reply

      Thanks so much Ann-Christine – for this lovely comment and for giving me the opportunity to use this quote 😊 I love your daughter’s description of being in transit, but maybe it could apply to all forms of travel?? Certainly I often get it while in the air.

  • Suzanne

    May 4, 2026 at 05:20 Reply

    The Peruvian train trip would’ve been fascinating. I love an enjoyable train ride, one form of transport I really miss since being back in NZ. I’ve written a similar thought from a different angle this week. 🙂

      • Suzanne

        May 4, 2026 at 09:37 Reply

        Good grief, just reread my first comment. A lack of sleep does wonders to the brain🙄 I meant to write – I wrote a similar post for this week. I hope you get to do another train journey. Just do it, I say.

  • the eternal traveller

    May 3, 2026 at 23:52 Reply

    We love travelling by train too. There’s always so much to see. And I agree, the biggest issue can be dirty windows. The only place we’ve been to in this post is Odawara, so I’ve enjoyed this quick trip around the world.

  • Sue

    May 3, 2026 at 20:47 Reply

    What a wonderful post and love that quote. I’m going to have to find a train quote because I’ve got a few images I would like to show

  • Tina Schell

    May 3, 2026 at 20:25 Reply

    An excellent idea to focus on train traveling Sarah! The rather stern attendant in your opener is a marvelous portrait, but the woman in the red sari sweeping stole my heart this week. In addition to the woman who couldn’t be more perfect, the background is perfect for the capture. That one’s a heart-stealer for sure!

  • Egídio

    May 3, 2026 at 19:46 Reply

    Those fields are so beautiful. The collection is excellent, but I gotta say that when I saw the Peru photo, my heart stopped. What a wonderful image! It’s timeless.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 4, 2026 at 09:24 Reply

      Very many thanks Egidio 😊 That train in Peru had a platform at the back in addition to the viewing carriage and I loved standing out there to soak up the views!

      • Image Earth Travel

        May 4, 2026 at 00:30 Reply

        Think my comment was wiped?

        I also love train travel and used local trains a lot in Japan this year. Efficient and rarely late, Brisbane could learn a lot as our public transport isn’t great.
        Back in 1985, India’s trains were hit and miss with a 6-hour delay not uncommon.
        But as the locals said what’s the hurry? ☺️
        There wasn’t really a train option travelling from Krakow to Lviv in ’23 and ’24, with the war on, only cramped buses. How that country has changed since you were there…
        Great photos as always, Sarah.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 3, 2026 at 18:32 Reply

      Thank you Marie 🙂 Some of these trains go so slowly that taking photos really isn’t that hard – in fact, dirty windows are often more of a challenge than movement!

  • Yvonne Dumsday

    May 3, 2026 at 16:43 Reply

    What wonderful memories those must have brought back Sarah. For me, it reminded me of myself, sixty years ago, when I was working my way around the world and was moving from Ottawa to Los Angeles. I bought the thickest book I could find to help me pass (what I expected to be) a long, mainly uninteresting journey. Even though we seldom entered a town (as their railway stations tended to be on the outskirts) I hardly got past the first few chapters in the three day journey. Fantastic experience. 😊

  • photobyjohnbo

    May 3, 2026 at 16:30 Reply

    You had me at trains, Sarah! I just watched a YouTube video about an excursion train that travels from Salt Lake City to Denver, during the day, unlike Amtrak which travels through beautiful scenery in the dead of night. It’s the same company that also owns Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer. They stop for the night and have your luggage delivered each night to the hotel they use at each of the three overnight stays.
    Not cheap, but doable, the problem… getting back to Salt Lake City and our car after we get to Denver… oh, simple solution, ride the train back. >grin<

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 3, 2026 at 17:11 Reply

      Thank you very much Anne 😊 I took these while the trains were moving fairly slowly – and in the case of the Rajasthan station, probably not at all!

  • margaret21

    May 3, 2026 at 15:50 Reply

    An inspired idea for the challenge. I’m a huge fan of train travel as a mean of getting about on holiday. As you say, there’s usually the chance of an interesting chat, but definitely lots of people-watching, and train tracks seem to change the immediate scenery less than roads often do – certainly soulless motorways. You’ve picked a good selection here, that could probably not have been taken from anywhere but the track. Well, definitely that last one!

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