Restoring old steam locomotives is a demanding hobby—full of rust, soot, fuel oil, and hard work.

In the Hradec Králové depot, Mr. Turek’s crew has been working since the 1990s. But their time is coming to an end. Once they finish their work on the last locomotive, the depot doors will close for good. The final story of the age of steam.

(Petr Machan, author)

Petr Machan (b. 1982) is a contemporary, thoroughly independent documentary and artistic photographer. He came to photography by a roundabout way—through poetry. For him, photography is both a passion and a daily livelihood. His poet’s soul, no longer seeking words, gradually found expression in his visual language. For years, he shared his work through a street photography blog and has worked—and continues to work—on a range of thematic projects, whether independently or in collaboration with fellow members of Verum Photo, a photography collective of which he has long been a member. Together, they published an extensive book of photographic essays.

At times, he passionately explores alternative techniques in the darkroom; at others, he returns to the roots of analog photography. Then again, with just a small digital camera in hand, he roams the landscape, recording his thoughts in an almost diary-like form.

The themes of his series evolve, but they never remain superficial—they invite the viewer to look more deeply, challenging them to reflect on how they themselves tell stories. In his photographic series Broken, he reveals the genuine emotions of today’s women from Central and Eastern Europe. In The last men of steam, he follows the traces of a world that is slowly disappearing.