A RAILWAY artist from Kirkby Stephen is making tracks to Carnforth railway station for his first public exhibition.

Alan Gunston, 66, who lives close to the Settle-Carlisle line with wife Bridget, decided to pursue his rail art hobby upon taking early retirement from Cumbria County Council.

"Having retired, I ran out of excuses for not returning to a passion which had started in childhood – drawing and painting," said Alan, who became an associate member of the Guild of Railway Artists 34 years ago.

Recent works have included two book jackets - Millom: A Cumberland Iron Town and its Railways; and The Railways of Carnforth; plus two railway posters - Ribblehead, the famous North Yorkshire viaduct, and The Mighty Bridges of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Alan trained in design and advertising at the West Sussex College of Design, and during the '70s he worked for package design and publishing companies in London. During that time his love for railway art began, and in 1986 he was invited to submit two paintings to the prestigious By Land, Air and Sea exhibition in Bath, which brought together works from the Guilds of Aviation, Maritime and Railway artists. He then put his painting career on hold for both work and family, until 2011.

"Having taken up the paint palette again, my primary objective has been to reflect both the social and physical dimensions of this compulsive subject and, wherever possible, to strike a chord with the viewer," Alan told the Gazette.

"Since moving to Kirkby Stephen, and being surrounded by some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside a stone’s throw from the Settle-Carlisle line, I have taken up voluntary work at Kirkby Stephen East railway station. This magical corner of rural England with its railway heritage has provided me with an added stimulus for future paintings."

- The Railway Art of Alan Gunston opens at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre's Link Gallery on Tuesday, October 4 and runs until December 31. For more, see www.carnforthstation.co.uk