Knockbrake Railroad
In 2011 Gordon Ross set up Knockbrake Railroad in his garden at Crosshill, Ayrshire. His passion started when his grandfather bought him a train set for his 4th birthday. The garden railway began in 1990 & has grown & moved several times since. It now covers over 500sqm with over 1000m of track. 
Gordons first 1:22.5 scale model train arrived in 1990. The collection has continued to grow with his favourite Santa Fe F3 arriving in 2016. The collection comprises of more than 30 locos.10 trams and more than 250 carriages & wagons.
The garden is not just a rail track - there`s a town "Gibb Town" & villages with scale people and a large collection of diecast American vehicles. Ponds & a hydro-electric dam with bridges including the Morrison bridge named after one of the many volunteers. A 7m showpiece bridge inspired by the Vicksburg bridge, Warren county, over the mighty Mississippi forms the centerpiece of the garden. other features include stockyard, livestock, car scrapyard & railway siding. The 1950`s tram system travels through a manicured landscape. http://www.facebook.com/lococontrol has fitted the sound system & electronics to run the system including freight trains, circus train, military trains.... plus some favourites!
Yes!... you may recognise Gordon, he was one of the finalist on George Clark`s Shed of the year in 2017.
Knockbrake is a mountain summit in the Carrick and Galloway Forest region, in the county of South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is 196m high with a prominence of 39m. This is the view that Gordon sees from his garden & the inspiration of the name. The stunning view down Doon Valley towards Girvan.
The Knockbrake railroad has been supporting local Charities for over 10years. With this years Charity weekend on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th June 11am -3pm supporting The Ayrshire Hospice. There's something for everyone! Who knows who may make an appearance?
Santa Fe Railroad
The inspiration behind Gordon`s garden model railroad is the Santa Fe Railroad, San Diego. https://www.facebook.com/KnockbrakeRailroadCross The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kanas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is often refed to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF. It was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Santa Fe means - Holy Faith, the Santa Fe Depot or (station) was built to replace the small Victorian-style structure erected in 1887 & was officially opened on March 8, 1915 The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.
Gordon`s favourite engine is the Santa Fe F3. This is a painting of it done by Roddy McKenzie It hangs in pride of place in his lounge. The engine is in front of San Diego Union Station. The Spanish Colonial Revival style building is still in existence today, having be subject of proposed demolition (and it being replaced with 12- two storey buildings) but was saved in 1972. Amtrak agreed to preserve the station if the city would redevelop the surrounding neighbourhood.
Signed giclee prints are available.
Summer Art Group
Summer Art Group
What are you doing on Friday Mornings?
Why not come along to the Electric Brae Gallery & studio?
Every Friday from the 23rd June 2023, from 10am - 12noon we will open the gallery for all level of artists to meet & use the space to work on their own creative pieces.
Bring your own materials ....... be it oils, inks or pastels.
You will have the chance to work away from any homelife distractions with a group of like minded individuals.
If the weather permits feel free to paint en plein air, the way our resident artist Roddy McKenzie does!
refreshments will be available to purchase from Scone.
No need to book .........just come along!
Cost £5
Kays Curling
We are delighted to be working with http://www.kaysscotland.com.
Based in Mauchline, Ayrshire, Kays manufacture curling stones from the famous Ailsa Craig granite. There are 2 types of granite used to produce the Ailsa craig curling stones. - Blue Hone & Ailsa Craig Common Green. The blue hone is very dense being used to give the curling stone its striking band & also optimal sliding surface. the green granite is used to form the remainder of the body of the curling stone. Kays have been making curling stones since 1851 & now have exclusive right to Ailsa craig granite.
Ailsa Craig is an uninhabited island situated in the Firth of Clyde. It is a renowned land mark for travellers between Scotland & Northern Ireland. The island is now a bird sanctuary, where huge numbers of gannets & puffins nest.
Roddy McKenzie was inspired to paint the René Magritte influenced paintings in commemoration of Rhona Martin & her team winning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City in 2002. On this occasion Roddy's chosen medium was acrylic. That with his favourite canvas which he purchased from http://www.artdiscount.co.uk
All this series of paintings feature Ailsa Craig. It is also slightly ironic that he is now looking at this landmark on a daily basis.
Although the originals of these painting are now sold & can be found in new homes giclee prints & cards can be purchased from either the gallery or Kays.
A Beautiful Day
It has been another sunny hot day here at Croy Shore.
I enjoyed time out on my paddleboard tonight. The sea was really calm, allowing me to see the sand seaweed & rocks below. I don`t go far out to sea. My choice is swimming along the coast, but I always wear my lifejacket even though the water is not very deep. I really don`t understand why everyone is not safety aware? The quick temperature change of falling into cold water....it can be a real temperature change if the sun has been beating on you for some time & you fall into fairly deep water, which is only warm on the surface... can be a real shock to the body sending it into panic mode. I also wear old leggings & a long-sleeved top, just to protect me from extensive sun exposure.
Lots of local beaches have been bothered with jellyfish, but here at Croy shore we seem to be really lucky, I only saw a couple of dead ones on the sand. Having done some research I learnt that Jelly fish are made up of a high percentage of water, and once out of the water they dehydrate and die. Nature is a wonderful thing. The incoming tide washes then back into the sea, if they don`t provide food for other marine life, they fall to the seabed. decompose, then reform into another more simplified form of life.
Finishing off with a swim in the sea. I find swimming in the sea is really helpful in de-stressing. Certainly when I was lying on my back looking at the blue sky with the sun warming me I couldn`t have felt any more contented.
My end of swim routine is a shower in my new wet room. I have been using my favourite shampoo & conditioner fromthenaturalspa.co.uk/electricbraegallery
which is vegan friendly & uses plastic free packaging. I love that my shampoo & conditioner come in solid block form, ensuring no waste. if you use ELECTRICBRAEGALLERY at checkout you will receive a 10% discount
Christine of http://www.soapmatters.net is my go to choice for beautiful soap. Christine studied aromatherapy, so her products smell absolutely delicious. She uses natural ingredients with minimal packaging Her soap is simple & natural looking also leaves your skin feeling wonderfully soft. I think my favourite is the geranium & bergamot. Like the shampoo & conditioners the soap is hand made, the lovely 
heart shapes are also cut by hand.
Alexa Hope made the soap dish. Tonight I am hoping for a blissful sleep.....zzzzzz.