Hickleton Plank Wagon

“Dad bought a random cart from the train stall!”

No. Dad bought a 1:76 scale model of a seven plank coal wagon, with which he has a deep and personal connection.

When ‘Dad’ was a nipper, there was a decommissioned coal mine where he would explore the derelict buildings, play in the abandoned marshalling yards, and stomp recklessly across the death trap slagheap. Would splash around with mates in the heavy metal stained orange waters that flowed from the mine nearby, and climb the felled floodlight towers for a laugh.

Family worked that mine, uncles, grandparents, his mother was born in its shadow. The lifeblood of our community in its day.

That coal mine was Hickleton Main Colliery. I had no choice but to buy it.