My apprenticeship in the modelling of railways began some twenty or so years back, and I’d be inclined to say it’s an on-going vocation, as I’m of the belief “you learn something new in every model you produce”, be it modifying an RTR item, assembling a kit, or creating a model from scratch.
My actual interest in railways started as a toddler, one of my earliest memories being a trip on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, Tenterden. My father grew up watching the sight of Bullied Pacifics, Q1’s, and Standard 4 tanks steaming through Kent, and so the interest for railways was already in-place within the household, as train sets appeared from the loft on winter Sunday afternoons to play with, along with the insistence of more outings to local preserved railways. My father was also a keen modeller of Airfix kits, along with an interest in classic cars and motor bikes, and many evenings I’d sit at the family dining table and watch him assemble such models, and I’m sure he must have tired of the constant questions born out of my curiosity. Naturally, I gained my own train sets, along with extra track, buildings, and stock, and come my early teens gained a garden shed to become lost within, and from here on I suppose you could say the rest is history…
Up until a few years ago, I’d been modelling the light railway scene of the Great Western in 4mm scale for quite some years, and became rather well known on the exhibition circuit for this. A change is as good as the rest though, and now I am modelling the industrial narrow gauge scene, in 7mm scale/16.5mm gauge (more commonly known as 0-16.5). For those curious though, a trip down memory lane can be had within the gallery section of this site, with views of my previous layout, “Pudley Lane”, of which is now under new ownership.
As far as I’m aware, I’ve never been a modeller pigeon holed for specialising in a particular field within the hobby, being something of an all-rounder and turning my hand to whatever is required to get a model finished to a standard I’m happy to put my name to it. Prior to setting up business on my own, I’ve had experience of working within the retail side of model railways, as well as working alongside Nevile Reid at Scenic Model Railway, based in West Kent, assisting in the design & construction of bespoke model railways.
The Mulberry Works itself, came to fruition after the frustration of trying to find employment, yet having very little success in the recent economic climate. Previously employed as an electrical engineer, assembling control panels and such like, work within the industry was beginning to be contracted out to overseas companies, and those that were still producing in the UK weren’t able to provide anything in the way of either job security, or a decent salary. Anyway, many of my friends had been making suggestions that I should do my modelling for a living, and after giving it some thought, here I am. Also, with none of us getting any younger by the day, I felt it time somebody younger got in on the act to try and keep the trade going…