About Me
It all began when my Dad made me a Hornby 3-rail model railway. I was six years old, and soon afterwards discovered my Dad's "Railway Modeller" collection, becoming hooked on P.D. Hancock's "Craig and Mertonford" articles which ran in the sixties. Then I saw the models of Ken Ball at the Macclesfield Model Railway show, and I've been flailing about, trying to raise the bar on my own work ever since. I've been helped by inspiration from the many superb modelmakers around: Gordon Gravett, Geoff Kent, Brian Mculloch to name just a few. I suppose my touchstones must be P D Hancock and Illiffe Stokes and of course, Roye England.
I blame my Dad, too, for my interest in steam traction engines and trucks. He took me to traction engine rallies up and down the country, sometimes helping out on a six-ton Super Sentinel steam lorry that he had a share in ownership. Later, I was very proud to drive with him, delivering to mills in Lancashire with a variety of articulated trucks.
My first visit to Porthmadog, a place that was to change my life, occurred on a family holiday when I was nine. Even when we both got a dose of food poisoning from the water supply of the caravan site, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for the Ffestiniog Railway!
I've lived in in Wales for nearly twenty years, near Porthmadog with my partner, Petra.
I've written several books- currently a book of transport related short stories "The 236", a novel called "Bowden's Boat" and a collection of poems, "Helgi Ddu". I have a supernatural novel under preparation, "The Shadow Line". I propose to make them all available, free to read, on this blog.