A picture perfect misty morning bags local train driver a European prize

A Derby-based train driver has won a European photography competition hosted by transport group Arriva.

Mark Scott of CrossCountry was awarded Arriva Photo of the Year 2009 for his image of a train at Wingfield, on the Derby to Chesterfield line.

After winning two quarterly awards for his photography, Mark’s photos were entered as two of four finalists for the annual award, judged by transport magazine New Transit.

Mark, aged 41 and from Risley, said: “I’ve been a keen photographer since my early teens, and railways have always been the main attraction. Recently I’ve been taking more landscape and scenic shots, and this image at Wingfield was pretty much a combination of both interests.”

Mark visited the spot at Wingfield three times to perfect the shot. “Some mornings were too misty and the light wasn’t right’, he said. “I waited for the right conditions. Autumn is a lovely time of year for photography. The natural colours are amazing.”

His eye for a picture has netted him a total of £950 in prizes from Arriva’s photo competition this year.

Judges at New Transit said: “It was a pretty tough decision this year and the consensus was the standard was extremely high. All of the finalists deserve congratulation. We thought that Mark’s photograph was a pretty evocative picture and we liked the traditional, and atmospheric, countryside setting. It also brings to mind a variety of themes, including the environment, and the sunrise perhaps representing a new dawn for public transport.”

David Martin, chief executive of Arriva, said: “Mark’s photograph is a deserving winner in a competition that has a staggeringly high quality of entries.”

The competition, open to all 44,000 Arriva employees across 12 countries, attracts hundreds of entries every year from staff across Europe.

All winning photos, and runners up, are available to view online.