Oxford 2017 - Announce - 'Oxford Structures'

[dinkyme]

More information now showing on Oxford web site, station, engine shed, good shed & bungalow. They look very good for the price.

[County of Yorkshire]

The goods shed looks superb - i'll certainly be getting one at that price. 

 

CoY

[gwrrob]

The goods shed looks superb - i'll certainly be getting one at that price. 

 

 

CoY

 

37 sheets.

 

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/search?q=OS76*

 

 

http://oxfordrail.com/76/structures.htm

Edited July 5, 2017 by gwrrob

[Hilux5972]

Very nice. I do hope the doors on the Engine Shed are openable.

[Steamport Southport]

Possibly not if it's stonecast.

 

That was the thing I noticed about the goods shed, most of the time the doors would be open as people would be working.

 

 

 

Jason

[Andy W]

Possibly not if it's stonecast.

 

That was the thing I noticed about the goods shed, most of the time the doors would be open as people would be working.

 

 

 

Jason

I seriously doubt it will be stonecast - that would mean the model was made out of plaster. Stonecast is a brand name for a plaster-based modelling material, Ten Commandments use it for low relief buildings and it is also used in some of the Harburn Hamlet range. It isn't used for  products intended to have widespread distribution because of the weight and fragility.

If you meant that it will be cast in plastic resin, that's highly likely, given the success of Bachmann's Scalescene and Hornby's Skaledale ranges. I have Bachmann Scalescene models with openable doors, so it is certainly possible in this material.

I like the look of the Oxford goods shed, and wouldn't baulk at taking a saw to the door frame if necessary - while a shed this size wouldn't have staff on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week, meaning the doors would be shut overnight and on Sundays, you wouldn't have the chance to run the pick-up goods then. Of course given the prevailing wind and weather conditions the loading bay doors might have been shut more than we think, to protect the goods in transit from rain and the staff from freezing.

[The Johnster]

These are some nice models, and very reasonably priced as well.  I am glad that Ox have produced their railway buildings unweathered, as this makes them much more suitable for period modellers, especially those who might be buying Dean Goods' in pre Great War liveries (coaches to follow, Ox?).  The rest of us cane easily apply a weathering wash to tone things down, or go to town on them with rust streak, algae from leaking gutters, and so on.  I cannot imagine that the doors do not open, and if they can be opened and shut that is a big bonus; as Andy W says they spent a lot of their time shut in inclement weather, and open in warm weather to get a breeze through.  

 

In general, I would like to see doors and even some windows more easily openable on resin models; an open door is a good way of suggesting that there are people around without the actual people.  I have a station building cobbled out of two NER 'Skaledale' ones with a home made canopy (I am not a good enough modeller to get away with the term 'scratchbuilt'; it's just a piece of card with Wills valances glued on), and would like to have had a door or two open, but it is not really feasible on such a model.  You could saw the door out and 'home make' a replacement, but you'd still have the thickness of the resin moulding spoiling it.  There seems to be a convention that models are all of the railway on a warm and sunny summer day, and my feeling is that a 50s Welsh Valleys layout should evoke a sense of drizzle, damp, greyness, and gloom; nobody hangs around outside and even the sheep look fed up.  My human presence is the station staff, a couple in a conversation outside the office door (shut) and one wheeling a barrow further along, but they don't wear overcoats and the sense of summer is prevalent.

[The Stationmaster]

All of them have some peculiar features except, possibly, the station building.  The engine shed is a strange mixture with concrete lintels and very non-GWR windows plus some peculiar smoke vents so I wonder if they modelled it on a building taken into industrial use and modernised?  In fact it would be rather good for that - apart from the peculiar smoke vents.

 

The signalbox doesn't look too bad at all apart from the peculiar colours (no doubt easily dealt with) and the very strange brick 'pier' under the landing for the steps - presumably it is there as a production aid to add some strength to the steps and make moulding easier - but at least it's got seemingly decently proportioned six pane windows although the nameboard backing looks well overscale.   

 

The good shed looks a bit odd but I tend to compare such things with smaller goods sheds I can remember and it's definitely rather different in character from GWR goods sheds which I knew.  The big let down - but obviously done to make moulding less complicated - is the closed door to the cart loading bay and those wing walls look a little strange to my eyes but as AndyW said above it has its good points.   And it depends on period of course but by the '60s the ability to open or close the doors of that type on a small goods shed would probably have been lost and they would have been left open, but not so in earlier years.

 

So some interesting 'near misses. although the station building - assuming they've got the size right - doesn't look too bad at all.

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

These could make some great bases for alterations

[Edwardian]

All of them have some peculiar features except, possibly, the station building.  The engine shed is a strange mixture with concrete lintels and very non-GWR windows plus some peculiar smoke vents so I wonder if they modelled it on a building taken into industrial use and modernised?  In fact it would be rather good for that - apart from the peculiar smoke vents.

 

The signalbox doesn't look too bad at all apart from the peculiar colours (no doubt easily dealt with) and the very strange brick 'pier' under the landing for the steps - presumably it is there as a production aid to add some strength to the steps and make moulding easier - but at least it's got seemingly decently proportioned six pane windows although the nameboard backing looks well overscale.   

 

The good shed looks a bit odd but I tend to compare such things with smaller goods sheds I can remember and it's definitely rather different in character from GWR goods sheds which I knew.  The big let down - but obviously done to make moulding less complicated - is the closed door to the cart loading bay and those wing walls look a little strange to my eyes but as AndyW said above it has its good points.   And it depends on period of course but by the '60s the ability to open or close the doors of that type on a small goods shed would probably have been lost and they would have been left open, but not so in earlier years.

 

So some interesting 'near misses. although the station building - assuming they've got the size right - doesn't look too bad at all.

 

Fair assessment. I had a good look at the Engine Shed.  It does look odd, and I find I cannot love it.  Odd smoke vents, odd lintels and the fear that only the closed doors are holding the end wall up, as there is surely not enough brickwork round that aperture.  The pitch of the roof looks iffy.

 

A bête noire of mine is the anachronistic use stretcher bond, which we see here. That just rules the Engine Shed out for me.

 

Much more promising, then, is the Goods Shed.  Some odd features, as you say, but it appears to be in English Bond, which makes it possible to use, adapt, modify and upgrade a basically attractive structure.

[The Great Bear]

The goods shed looks superb - i'll certainly be getting one at that price. 

 

CoY

 

Looks pretty much the same/same prototype as the scalescenes one:

[Andy W]

Ooh, doesn't it just.

Without knowing where the actual prototype is/was we're all assuming this is meant to be GW in origin. Certainly the blue engineering brick lower courses and detailing with mainly red brick structure is very GW, for structures designed in-house from the 1880s onwards.

That aside the only differences I can see between Bachmann and Oxford versions is the placement of the goods office chimney, and the absence/presence of a handrail on the steps up to the office door.

[Roy Langridge]

Ooh, doesn't it just.

Without knowing where the actual prototype is/was we're all assuming this is meant to be GW in origin. Certainly the blue engineering brick lower courses and detailing with mainly red brick structure is very GW, for structures designed in-house from the 1880s onwards.

That aside the only differences I can see between Bachmann and Oxford versions is the placement of the goods office chimney, and the absence/presence of a handrail on the steps up to the office door.

Yep, and look at where that chimney is. You would walk in the door and straight into the fireplace! If doesn't look like it is placed where you would ever expect on a prototype.

 

Roy

[Froxfield2012]

Ooh, doesn't it just.

Without knowing where the actual prototype is/was we're all assuming this is meant to be GW in origin. Certainly the blue engineering brick lower courses and detailing with mainly red brick structure is very GW, for structures designed in-house from the 1880s onwards.

That aside the only differences I can see between Bachmann and Oxford versions is the placement of the goods office chimney, and the absence/presence of a handrail on the steps up to the office door.

Scalescenes downloadable kits not Bachmann Scenecraft?  The position of the windows would preclude putting the chimney where Scalescenes have it.  I am grateful to Stationmaster for pointing out the strange brick support for the stairs platform (but not incidentally for the "offices" at the top of the stairs!).  I had missed that and considered this as a roughly suitable ready to plant representation of the Southcote Junction box in which I spent so much of my youth.  I still might consider it?

[grahame]

Yep, and look at where that chimney is. You would walk in the door and straight into the fireplace! If doesn't look like it is placed where you would ever expect on a prototype.

Roy

Yep, and being against the flank/eaves wall of the main building it ought be taller and terminate above the roof line.

 

G.

[Edwardian]

Looks pretty much the same/same prototype as the scalescenes one:

 

Good point.  The major oddness, which I find detracts from an otherwise convincing model, are those large blue things under the roof eaves on the main wall either side of the main doors.

 

Well your comparison suggests the answer; there are intended to be a strip of vertical bricks.  If so, they are massively over-scale.  If not, what the blue-blazes are they supposed to be?

 

This is a trait I am starting to recognise in Oxford's approach; they get 85% of the way there and then some fundamental lapse in understanding of how the prototype is put together results in them filling in the remaining 15% with some child's drawing guess-work about what it should look like. 

 

It's a shame here, because this is a really nice looking model.  Perhaps covering up these strips with embossed brick-work could save and enhance the model? 

 

Frankly, I'm not much persuaded by the vertical bricks on the Scalescenes model, either, and it's not very Great Western.  If I had the Oxford Goods Shed, I'd cover the blue bits under the eaves with embossed sheet to resemble this:

Edited July 10, 2017 by Edwardian

[The Stationmaster]

Scalescenes downloadable kits not Bachmann Scenecraft?  The position of the windows would preclude putting the chimney where Scalescenes have it.  I am grateful to Stationmaster for pointing out the strange brick support for the stairs platform (but not incidentally for the "offices" at the top of the stairs!).  I had missed that and considered this as a roughly suitable ready to plant representation of the Southcote Junction box in which I spent so much of my youth.  I still might consider it?

 

I do wonder how easy it might be to get rid of that brick 'plinth' without damaging the stairs and that it wouldn't be too difficult to match the brickwork.  The stairs handrails aren't strictly accurate anyway so they could be replaced but that apart the landing and porch/facilities area looks quite good.

[Scalescenes]

That's interesting! As with most of my kits, my Good Shed is a hybrid of several real life structures, so the chances of so many similar elements coming together in the one model are pretty slim. I guess at £36.99 vs £4.99, modellers can decide for themselves....

 

John

[No Decorum]

Yep, and being against the flank/eaves wall of the main building it ought be taller and terminate above the roof line.

 

G.

I have had struggles with coal fires in my time but I think it would be extremely difficult to get that fire to draw properly! *Cough, cough.*

[Miss Prism]

I find all of these buildings have inexplicable and unprototypical quirks of design or style or embellishment. Stationmaster Mike's epithet of 'interesting near misses' seems to sum up Oxford perfectly.

[Talltim]

I think I prefer the look of the non railway buildings

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

I think I prefer the look of the non railway buildings

Agreed! The bungalows look very useful

[mikeharvey22]

 

That's interesting! As with most of my kits, my Good Shed is a hybrid of several real life structures, so the chances of so many similar elements coming together in the one model are pretty slim. I guess at £36.99 vs £4.99, modellers can decide for themselves....

 

John

 

 

You can also see exactly how they have ended up with the chimney where it is. Following your design would leave a relatively fragile part on the edge of the mould, so the chimney got moved inboard without making any alterations in height. 

[Edwardian]

 

That's interesting! As with most of my kits, my Good Shed is a hybrid of several real life structures, so the chances of so many similar elements coming together in the one model are pretty slim. I guess at £36.99 vs £4.99, modellers can decide for themselves....

 

John

 

 

John, interesting to learn that your kit was a hybrid.  What are the chances of the resemblance being a coincidence in the circumstances?!?

 

It would be quite a hoot to send OR a strongly worded solicitors' letter, but, seeing the legal implications of daily life is a curse of the lawyer's private life, and I would expect you to answer, quite rightly, that you had better things to do!

 

Anyway, any opportunity to promote Scalescenes is welcome, even on a RTP topic!  As a returnee to the hobby, getting on for two years ago, now, my first happy discovery was Scalescenes and the world of downloadable structures and scratch-building materials. 

 

Imagination is your only limitation: Unique and characterful buildings for pennies! 

 

BTW, I don't say that vertical bricks laid at the eaves is not prototypical, only that it does not appear to be a feature of Great Western Goods Sheds (which yours is not claiming to be), and that Oxford has rendered them as weird giant blue blocks in any event. 

Edited July 11, 2017 by Edwardian

[Talltim]

What are the buildings in your pic? They are very well done