A YORK-BASED train firm has uncovered "Spectacular Sunsets" from locations across the country after launching a photography competition for customers earlier this year.

In a bid to uncover some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets taking place across the country this Autumn, Grand Central Rail launched the competition encouraging the nation’s rail passengers to share their snaps taken while on their daily commute.

Earlier this year, Grand Central also released a series of full-length train ride videos highlighting the landmarks, scenery and places of interest the UK has to offer.

Emily Jordan, marketing and communication executive for Grand Central Rail, said: “Travelling via rail is often just seen as a means of getting to get from A to B, but journeys by train also provide an amazing way to see the UK’s landscape from the comfort of the carriage.

“Spectacular views of British coastlines, countryside, and cities can all be experienced in the length of just one train journey, which is something we aimed to showcase with the videos we created earlier this year.

“Following this, we were keen to share even more of the wonderful scenery on offer here in the UK, which is why we launched our latest competition inviting UK train travellers to snap and share their best photographs of the stunning sunrises and sunsets they experienced this Autumn whilst travelling by rail. We were thrilled so see the entries that showcased the range of beauty across the country.”

As sunrise took place at around 7:30am while the sun set at around 4pm in November, most commuters were able to enjoy at least one ‘golden hour’ every day.

The Isle of Skye’s Neist point was recently crowned the UK’s best sunset location, according to a recent poll, ranking 13th in the world. But, the various entries of Grand Central’s competition proved that there is beauty to be found all across the country - as the winning photograph was taken at Leeds railway station during sunset.

"Showing off a full gradient of colour in the sky, with the dark outline of the tracks this photograph was picture perfect", a Grand Central spokesperson said.

Other entries to the competition came from London, with a shot from Royal Albert Bridge capturing the sunrise perfectly in this cityscape.

"Taken while crossing the River Thames, this photo shows the beauty of the capital from the comfort of their train seat", the spokesperson added.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, a sunset shot, taken on the journey from York to London’s Kings Cross, showed a sunset on a cloudy afternoon while travelling through the countryside.

The winner of the competition was handed two first-class train tickets for any journey onboard a Grand Central train.