Most of my work is centred around scratch-building models of prototype buildings, but occasionally, I'm asked to take on restoration work or enhanced kit building. For some time now, I have been making buildings for a layout, which doesn't depict a specific location so much as capture places and events important in the life of the layout’s owner. This has been most interesting, resulting in me making scratch-built models of a variety of buildings that were significant to this family and its life in East Lincolnshire from the 1970s to early 2000s. This is, in effect, a layout of family memories and a highly personal piece of work to capture elements of the builder’s own life and, for me, a great privilege to be part of.
From an early age, thesurprises with much-admired items from the Hornby catalogue (way beyond pocket money reach) as “something special” for the train set. One such gift was the remarkable Hornby (R199) Mainline Station building, now a rare find, which was loved and played with for many years until it was badly damaged in a house move. Fast forward to today when, in creating this memories layout as much more of a finescale model railway, the matter of the old station arose, and I was asked if I could do anything with the few remnants of the building. Before I could even consider the problem, I got an email informing me that the owner had found a mint-boxed-unmade kit of this product on eBay from a loft clearance in Australia. I was asked if I could make it up in such a way that it would retain the memory of that cherished 'toy' from childhood, but be compatible with the layout and its loosely East Lincolnshire theme? Clearly, that was a challenge I couldn’t resist.
