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home to all things transport related in the British Isles
Kewrail : A Journey Through Mental Health CrisisKewrail was created around 2012 after finding myself redundant and spiraling into a very dark place. During my recovery I found that creating the image website and transport illustrations was an excellent distraction as I really didn't have the ability to concentrate for prolonged periods. The original illustrations were nothing more than "colouring in" exercises using paintshop with outline drawings I found online and took a couple of hours in 10 - 15 minute blocks.
The initial objective was not so much about filling my time but convincing myself that I could do something productive. As the comedian Billy Connolly once said, "redundant is a rotten word because it makes you think you are useless". I can say from personal experience that he's very much correct. Over time, and with much support from family, friends, and an excellent mental health team on the Isle of Man, I found i was able to focus for much longer periods. Creating my own outline illustrations initially, It was a further 18 months before having the confidence and mind set to building some basic model "Airfix" type kits. I'd been a keen modeler of kits and railways from a young age. One of the worst aspects of battling mental health is the complete loss of interest in everything. Learning to engage with relationships and rediscover interests and hobbies (and letting go of some of the latter too!) is, possibly, the hardest thing ever I've had to do.
Next came a small model railway and the creation of the first Kewrail website and social media. After some 3 years, I was finally able to return to part time work and the website developed alongside during the afternoons and evenings that I had available. Rebooting KewrailFollowing 3 years of part time work, I finally had the strength to consider full time employment. I retrained as a bus driver spending 4 years on the road before being offered an opportunity to obtain qualifications as a transport planner a few months ago (April 2021). The new position is hugely rewarding and definitely flexing the old grey matter! The downside, if you can call it that, is that I no longer have the time to develop Kewrail in its original format. After much deliberation, I decided the best direction was to reformat the website into blog posts so that I can continue to share the transport content in a way that could be easily structured and discovered. The small commercial aspect of Kewrail has been closed but I will still release occasional illustrations along with the usual photo and video media. If you would like to use anything released in future for your own projects, please use the "get in touch" form. Mental Health : Getting HelpIf you or someone you know needs urgent support for their mental health you can find the most appropriate numbers to call below: EMERGENCY For urgent medical attention please call 999 or go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department.
or visit mentalhealth-uk.org for guidance and support.
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