steveNCB7754

Born in Warwickshire (1957), but have lived most of my life on the south coast in Dorset.  As of September 2019 (after early retirement), I have finally moved to Mid-Wales, an area I have know well since the mid-1980's.

Apprenticed Mechanical Engineer, I spent 18 years in engineering as a Design Draughtsman, then left in 1991 to try something new (college again AND then University).  Despite qualifications, job-wise, things did not really work out as planned and so ended up working in Local Government (Planning and then in the County Archive) for 17 years, finally taking early retirement in September 2019.

Returned to railway modelling from aircraft modelling in the early 1980's and began working in 'OO' scale, originally to create a GWR branchline terminus based on Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire.  Spent far too long on the research and got as far as building the baseboards, which winched up and down into a storage box in the garage ceiling, and scratch-building all the structures.  However, the whole thing took too long and I lost interest (sold the buildings).
 

Meanwhile, I got interested in the South Wales area, in the late steam period, and began planning a fictitious NCB colliery (in the spirit of the Mountain Ash area in South Wales), combining secondary line working with the end of colliery steam (late 60's/early 70's).   At the same time, a latent interest in US (HO) modern image switching layouts has also resurfaced, meaning I'm a pretty conflicted modeller!  Time was always at a premium when I was in full-time employment, so I never really made much progress in any direction.  Keeps me off the streets at any rate.  Now I have moved into my new home, here in Llangurig, we will have to see whether railway modelling will even be possible (and if some, or any, of the associated materials I have accumulated, will ever get used).

Layout(s), if they ever materialise, will be DCC with sound.

Although just old enough to have witnessed the end of steam on the Southern, I'm afraid I missed it, as we were not a railway/steam oriented family.  That said, I visit preserved steam whenever I can and have been on several steam charters over the years, including overseas.  Needless to say, moving to Wales will give me the chance to visit many 'Great Little Trains', much more often (Vale of Rheidol being my nearest).