Lift shaft & pedestrian bridge installation for new train station at Magna Science Adventure Centre
Location
Magna Power Station, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Date
Saturday night, August
Deliverables
4 edited videos, full drone image set, full ground photography set (standard + dramatic creative edit)
Kit
Canon R5 + 70-200mm, Canon 5D Mk IV + 16-35mm, DJI Mini 3 Pro drone
The Brief
Amco Giffen asked me to cover the full overnight installation of the new lift shaft and bridge deck
at Magna. The goal: capture each stage of the heavy engineering process, from ground shots to aerial
footage, in a way that tells the story for PR, stakeholders, and creative use.
Conditions
True to British form, it rained. Not just drizzle — that sneaky, soaking rain that ruins your lenses if
you’re not paying attention. The weather cleared later, but the first phase meant working carefully,
keeping cameras dry, and flying only when conditions improved.
Installation Stages
Lift Shaft: The largest element. Two cranes worked in tandem, slowly rotating and
righting the huge shaft from horizontal to vertical. Operatives on cherry pickers guided it onto
concrete bolts. Precision at its finest — every movement tiny, every step deliberate.
Services Unit: A smaller but critical module housing the power systems and acting
as the base for the stairs and bridge. Two cranes again, this time smoother. By now the rain had
cleared, so drone stills and HDR footage were captured safely.
Stair Sections: Installed in two parts. The upper stairs required meticulous
levelling by crane crews; ropes and cherry pickers guided them in. The lower stairs proved more
challenging but went in with patience and teamwork. Both captured on ground and drone.
Bridge Deck: The headline moment at around 2am. The long span was lifted into place
and aligned with the stairs. By now the skies were clear, allowing cinematic drone footage and stills
to really showcase the scale and drama.
How We Worked
Ground photography: Documented each stage, long-lens for safety, wide for context.
Drone: Launched when conditions allowed, giving aerial perspectives of cranes,
structures, and final placements.
Tethered safety: Only moved in closer when flagged by site operatives.
Creative delivery: Standard edits for PR plus a dramatic “sci-fi” filtered set
for Amco Giffen’s creative director.
It was a long night — sandwiches in the car kept me going between phases — but worth it for the
results.
What We Delivered
4 edited videos showing different stages of the build.
Drone stills set (HDR + cinematic angles).
Ground stills set covering all four phases.
Creative “edgy sci-fi” edits for design use.
Results
A rare chance to see heavy rail infrastructure installed live — and to document it from every angle.
The images and videos not only tell the technical story but also capture the drama, scale, and
teamwork involved in building a new station for Magna. A demanding but unforgettable commission.
Suggested Uses
PR and press releases
Stakeholder and client presentations
Website and social media content
Design inspiration and internal creative use
Need Rail or Infrastructure Photography?
From overnight bridge lifts to live engineering works, I can capture projects safely, clearly,
and with a bit of cinematic flair. Get in touch if your project needs documenting.
