The Osney Story: 0 Gauge Cameos and Dioramas

[rcf]

23 hours ago, bcnPete said:

I think when we aren’t feeling 100% it’s normal to have a dip in mojo - Hope you feel better soon Rob with those health issues.

 

Maybe visit a show as a punter as a good show can help restore it.

 

 

Thanks for that, you are absolutely right, in the past after a dip in mojo I have visited a show  and it only takes one good layout to give you that lift and the wish to get home and start something yourself. The health is also improving on a daily basis so fingers crossed.

 

Regards Rob

[rcf]

I did say I would post some pictures of the new, slightly, de-forested Osney Town, so here are a couple to see if you can spot the difference!

 

Rob

 

[rcf]

As well as visiting a good show to boost the mojo, a visit to the local model shop can be good as well as I found out yesterday. Spent far to long and mentally spent a lot of money drooling over the Lionheart 55xx Class prairie tank and also the Manning and Wardle narrow gauge tanks, the latter giving me much pause for thought!

 

Rob

[2996 Victor]

Hope the old mojo is coming back now, Rob! Your layout design and building skills are huge talents but, as others have said, loss of enthusiasm is something that happens in any hobby.

 

My own railway modelling mojo seems to have emigrated - I've got no enthusiasm for it at all and my part-built layouts have been consigned to the garage for many months. I'm busy building aircraft instead - short-term projects where I can see a completed model in a relatively short space of time.

 

I'm sure you'll find a spark somewhere soon, and you'll soon be off on a new project. I see Lightmoor are re-issuing their history of the West Somerset Mineral Railway and Brendon Hill Iron Mines - how about the Osney Mineral Railway? 😉

 

Cheers,

Mark

[rcf]

17 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Hope the old mojo is coming back now, Rob! Your layout design and building skills are huge talents but, as others have said, loss of enthusiasm is something that happens in any hobby.

 

My own railway modelling mojo seems to have emigrated - I've got no enthusiasm for it at all and my part-built layouts have been consigned to the garage for many months. I'm busy building aircraft instead - short-term projects where I can see a completed model in a relatively short space of time.

 

I'm sure you'll find a spark somewhere soon, and you'll soon be off on a new project. I see Lightmoor are re-issuing their history of the West Somerset Mineral Railway and Brendon Hill Iron Mines - how about the Osney Mineral Railway? 😉

 

Cheers,

Mark

Hi Mark,

Sorry to hear about your loss of mojo but it sounds as though you have a plan B in the form of model aircraft. When I consign layouts to the garage it usually means that they are only one step away from being 'recycled' so I hope that's not the situation with you.

 

Your comment re an Osney Mineral Railway are interesting as I have the Middleton Press books on the East Cornwall and West Cornwall Mineral Railways which I have recently been looking through and are part of ideas slowly going through my head. You will gather from this that the old brain cells are beginning to surface and were certainly given an uplift with my visit to the model shop. So I think things are now moving in the right direction and hopefully there will be news of some sort of idea forming to get me back into modelling.

 

Regards Rob

[2996 Victor]

On 08/12/2023 at 09:15, rcf said:

When I consign layouts to the garage it usually means that they are only one step away from being 'recycled' so I hope that's not the situation with you.

Hi Rob,

 

that's yet to be decided, although I feel that Yeoman's Wharf will be seeing it's demise before long. It started out okay and grew organically which actually seemed alright but, as time went on, the lack of proper planning began to take its toll. Of the other two, I suspect Newton Lane will be resurrected at some point, but I'm not sure about Great Bunbury - the idea may survive or the baseboard can be recycled (maybe even as an offshoot of the WSMR!). In the meantime, Tamiya P-47D Thunderbolts are occupying my workspace :D 

 

On 08/12/2023 at 09:15, rcf said:

Your comment re an Osney Mineral Railway are interesting as I have the Middleton Press books on the East Cornwall and West Cornwall Mineral Railways which I have recently been looking through and are part of ideas slowly going through my head. You will gather from this that the old brain cells are beginning to surface and were certainly given an uplift with my visit to the model shop. So I think things are now moving in the right direction and hopefully there will be news of some sort of idea forming to get me back into modelling.

What a coincidence! :) Cornwall's mineral railways are fascinating, and the actual CMR particularly with it's back-to-back paired locos. Hmmm 🤔

 

All the best,

Mark

[mullie]

Just seen that Osney will be at SWAG next April,  will be great to see it, something I've wanted to do for a long time.

 

Always a great day so that should help the MOJO.

 

Martyn 

[rcf]

7 hours ago, mullie said:

Just seen that Osney will be at SWAG next April,  will be great to see it, something I've wanted to do for a long time.

 

Always a great day so that should help the MOJO.

 

Martyn 

Hi Martyn, yes indeed, I have just had a look at Rob's announcement of Swag 24 and there is certainly plenty there to appreciate including several layouts I have wanted to see for a long time. It has the makings of a great day out. The mojo is definitely returning and plans are afoot!  When I have a moment I will do an update but I have had a busy weekend dealing with life's little problems. Yesterday the washing machine packed up and the other half was panicking that she would be unable to do any washing until after Christmas, but after swift action a new washing machine has been delivered this afternoon and installed and the first wash has been completed to her great satisfaction. Not bad service bearing in mind it is the weekend.

Rob

[mullie]

I feel your pain,  we have a new dishwasher arriving Thursday having just paid out for a new oven. 

[rcf]

In my last post I mentioned that plans were afoot and guess what has recently arrived, 

 

 

Yes, that's right it is a new baseboard but what to do with it as it is on the small side. As I have said before, I build small cameo layouts because of a lack of space and looking around my railway room I already have the two layouts, Osney Town Wharf and Osney Town, which doesn't leave a lot of space for much else. Both layouts are new and I am happy with both, so they definitely stay, no moving one to the garage!

 

Looking around the railway room I have identified a corner which could accommodate a small board. However, with all my recent boards I have standardised on a size, 2ft 6in x 1ft 6in. This is a size, which with my increasing years, I can manage on my own and get through doors and down stairs and load the car, so I do not have to depend on help. Looking at the space that is available one board that size would fit well, but even I can't think what I can do with that little space in O gauge. So, with a bit of juggling, and leaving a small working area I have decided that one board of 3ftx 1ft 6in could be built. This takes me into the world of dioramas, but a working diorama, by using the existing fiddle yard when required. 

 

So that's the state of play. I have an idea as to what I could do with it but the first thing to do is to get the board made up so that I can better assess what the space looks like. This will not now happen, probably until after Christmas, as we are off for a pre-Christmas break and then with the usual festivities after that I can't see much being done before then, so it's a situation of watch this space.

 

Rob

 

[Siberian Snooper]

Could you put the new board between the other two Osney boards to make one layout? Just an idea.

 

 

[mullie]

Linked dioramas,  could be a good idea?

 

Lots of pondering time over Christmas.  Have a good one. 

 

Martyn 

[rcf]

2 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Could you put the new board between the other two Osney boards to make one layout? Just an idea.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, mullie said:

Linked dioramas,  could be a good idea?

 

Lots of pondering time over Christmas.  Have a good one. 

 

Martyn 

Have you both been talking to my wife as she has this dream of linking all the boards in one long layout. Trouble is there is no where at home that I could set it up, maybe in an exhibition setting but sadly I could not get it in the car and I believe I am too ancient to hire a van. But the new board could be linked, possibly, with one of the other shorter boards to give a variation on a theme . Thoughts for the Christmas period. Actually, this is what I enjoy, all the planning for a new layout, the ideas and then discarding them before settling on an idea.

 

This is probably a good opportunity to wish all those who follow this saga a good Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

 

Regards to everyone Rob

[Siberian Snooper]

With the domestic authorities being amenable to linking the boards together and your boards being only 18 inches wide, you could set them up through a doorway, for the odd running session. I do that when testing layouts, the scenic part fits in the front bedroom, and the fiddleyard fits through the door and onto the landing. I could probably make the whole thing transportable, if I made the backscene removable and made some light but strong box lids to allow them to be stacked in the back of the car.

 

 

[mullie]

 

"Have you both been talking to my wife as she has this dream of linking all the boards in one long layout."

 

I think we had that conversation at SWAG last year!

[rcf]

Progress, of a sort,

 

 

At the moment the backscene is only clamped on, it still needs to be cut to size, similarly with the end panels. It is actually straight, it's just the angle of the photo that makes it look slightly drunk. It does give an appreciation of the space that is available to me which is helpful. After a lot of thought since my last post an idea has begun to swirl around in the little grey cells but more thought is still needed before committing myself to public inspection, as it may not be particularly new. I will leave it at that for the moment!

 

regards Rob

[rcf]

Hi All,

The baseboard is now nearly complete, only the back board on the left hand end is clamped as I don't want to fix it until I have decided where the exit (s) to the fiddle yard will be located. Having now had time to absorb the size of the board I realized that my normal preference for a curved backscene would eat up valuable space, plus the fact that bendy mdf is in short supply down this way. I know, I could get it online but just another issue to slow things down. An alternative solution and one I used on The Shed quite successfully is to use buildings to screen the corners. That was because space was at a premium as well as now. This idea does need quite big buildings which brings me to the subject of the next build  and an option such as an industrial complex. This would involve some form of shunting, if this is going to be a working diorama, and being based in the far west the china clay industry does spring to mind. However most of their rail related buildings are huge and would not really work in the space available, plus others have used this subject before and I don't think I could add anything new to the subject.

 

I also thought about using the new board as an extension to one of the existing layouts or as a link between them but decided that either solution would be frustrating as I would not really be able to use it in that way without more space and that it would be better to build something self contained as a stand alone project.

 

Which brings me to the present state of play. The other user of a limited space is one I have done before, the shed! But how big a shed, single road or double road. Initially I had looked at double roads and came up with some possibilities but eventually decided that a double would be too dominant, even if you only used the front part of the shed. As you will be aware my purpose with all my builds has been to produce a balanced 'picture' that works as a railway scene, so after extensive research a photograph in a book triggered that magic moment. The subject was Wallingford, the end of a branch line In Berkshire (?). The station had a single road shed opposite the platform and the photo in question was of this immediate area. I know there are other stations with a similar arrangement but this one just shouted out to be built as a diorama, at least it did in my head.

 

So looking at the practical aspects and how to adapt the subject to my board there will obviously be a need to site the station next to some industrial buildings to screen the corners and to move the station building slightly to help screen the exit to the fiddle yard. This is beginning to look a lot like The Shed Mk II and nothing like Wallingford but then that was only the spark to get me going. I have been testing the idea with the use of some buildings from The Shed and some card mock-ups of the main buildings and the photos attached illustrate the current position.

 

While my enjoyment of this hobby has always been the scenic work and constructing the buildings myself I have been somewhat seduced by the Intentio web site and some of their lovely laser cut engine shed kits. I have resisted so far but I can feel myself weakening. So there it is, any thoughts always welcome,

 

regards Rob

 

 

[BrushType4]

Do it ! You know you really want an intentio Shed!!

Edited January 18 by BrushType4

[2mmMark]

5 hours ago, rcf said:

Hi All,

The baseboard is now nearly complete, only the back board on the left hand end is clamped as I don't want to fix it until I have decided where the exit (s) to the fiddle yard will be located. Having now had time to absorb the size of the board I realized that my normal preference for a curved backscene would eat up valuable space, plus the fact that bendy mdf is in short supply down this way. I know, I could get it online but just another issue to slow things down. An alternative solution and one I used on The Shed quite successfully is to use buildings to screen the corners. That was because space was at a premium as well as now. This idea does need quite big buildings which brings me to the subject of the next build  and an option such as an industrial complex. This would involve some form of shunting, if this is going to be a working diorama, and being based in the far west the china clay industry does spring to mind. However most of their rail related buildings are huge and would not really work in the space available, plus others have used this subject before and I don't think I could add anything new to the subject.

 

On my 2mm scale Irish NG cameo layout, I faired in the corners of the box using sanded down polystyrene ceiling coving, which gave a nice effect when covered with a skim layer of filler and undercoated with white primer, ready for backscene painting.

I built the layout in the early 2000s and don't know if this product is still available. It may have fallen out of favour with modern building regs.

A possible alternative would be quarter circle sections of 32mm  or 40mm plastic waste pipe with the cut edges sanded very thin.

Mark
 

[mullie]

The wooden back boards on my layouts are square.  Artists mount board is glued to it and curved just tight enough so it doesn't crease.

 

Martyn 

[rcf]

12 hours ago, mullie said:

The wooden back boards on my layouts are square.  Artists mount board is glued to it and curved just tight enough so it doesn't crease.

 

Martyn 

Hi Martyn, I used mounting card on New Osney, of short lived fame, and discovered that it had come away from the backboard when I dismantled the layout. The problem, I think was that I had glued a photographic back scene to it and the glue from that had soaked into the card and into the glue on the mounting card, result a mess! Should have sealed the card but the experience did put me off somewhat. 

 

Rob

[Stubby47]

Another option is to use multiple sheets of thin card, one layer at a time, laminating them with glue.

[Gedward]

 

On Bovey Tor I used normal and bendy 6mm MDF for the backscene. And then plastered between the joins.

 

 

[rcf]

Thanks to everyone for their ideas on curved backscenes. I thought I had made up my mind as to how to proceed but now  I'm not so sure 😀

[rcf]

On 18/01/2024 at 20:21, mullie said:

The wooden back boards on my layouts are square.  Artists mount board is glued to it and curved just tight enough so it doesn't crease.

 

Martyn 

Hi Martyn, I have been thinking again about the use of mounting card as I have some pieces to hand and I can get quite a tight curve which won't take up too much space. My concern remains as to whether the card can take paint and glue without it soaking in and causing lifting of the card. When you have used it, do you paint on it, if so with what type of paint, and do you seal the card with anything before and after gluing it to the wood backscene?  Your help and advice would be appreciated, in the meantime I have prepared a small test piece using wood glue and emulsion paint, so hopefully that will work ok.

 

regards Rob