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Just a quick update. Track has arrived and the boards have been ordered. Unfortunately because of the time of year and the pressure of work the boards are unlikely to be ready before the new year, but that is probably still quicker than if I had made them myself. It will give me time to source a few other things I need and no longer seem to have in the modelling stores. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a modelling session and to find you have run out of a particular paint or some other vital item, so preparation is everything, or so they say. Rob

I agree CME, I have been there many times in the past and the place has a lovely atmosphere. When I was last there all the main buildings were still in existence, I don't know whether they still are but a good reason to visit the area again. I'll have to talk to someone about that! Thanks Don and Marc for your comments, I should have realised that mentioning auto couplings would start discussions going and leave me more confused than ever, I do agree with Don though, the 3 link couplings do look better and I am awaiting my shunter's pole with bated breath in the hope that it will solve the problem. Regards Rob

Only just caught up with this Stu. I love it. Rob

The new title to this thread probably says it all. I have added the 'cameo' as this seems to be flavour of the month as a layout type. Well, there has been a lot of energising of the little grey cells and things are on the move. At the Taunton show I had interest from two possible exhibitions next year for TS so its future is secure for the moment, as regards Osney Town I don't know but I don't have to make any decisions yet. At the show we were talking to someone about modular layouts which could be linked, an idea put forward by my wife and when I suggested I had no room to store anything else she said, 'well you could use the spare bedroom'. What could I say? I am probably going to continue to use the name Osney, I like it and it doesn't pin me down to a particular area and provides some sort of continuity to my modelling efforts, also I have a Guild shirt with the name embroidered on it!! I thought about starting a new thread but I have always liked to follow the development and ideas progressed on other threads so I will keep this thread going on that basis. I am definitely going down the Dinas Mawddy route but any similarity between that station and the new Osney is purely coincidental. I have a reputation for building pointless layouts and I thought that this time I would incorporate one point, however, it just would not work in the space available without considerable extension of the baseboards, which would have precluded any chance of getting the layout in the car, if I had the opportunity of exhibiting. So no points. I am currently in the process of ordering some kit built boards as I no longer want to spend time and energy on this aspect and I have also ordered some more track. So things are certainly on the move. The issue of the auto couplings is under consideration. I have been reading up on the various discussions on here and haven't come to any conclusions but the layout will allow the shunting of wagons should I want and from my investigations I have ordered a magnetic shunting pole, discussed in a thread on the 7mm topic, to facilitate the use of 3 link couplings. That's the situation at the present. I will let you know when there is further news. Rob

Hi Everyone, I have only just got back to my computer after a few days so have missed your comments, so sorry if it looked as though I was ignoring them. To start we had a great time in Taunton, we were very busy on both days and I got some lovely comments about TS, and since we got back we have been making the most of half term, so no actual progress on my deliberations but being at the show has confirmed my need to get modelling again.. Thanks to Stu and Ray for your comments and to your faith, some what misguided I would say, in my ability to make automatic couplings work!! Also thanks Richard for posting that great photo, I can't decide which version I like best. Regards Rob

Hi all, its been a very long time since there has been any input on this topic which has , in part been due to life in all its forms getting in the way of modelling and also a loss of mojo with regard to modelling, probably brought on by the life changes going on which have given me many other things to occupy my mind. However, things have been stirring again in the old brain and I have done a little work on The Shed, my other micro preparing it for the Taunton Show where we are off to later this afternoon, which triggered the desire to build something. But what? Space as always is at a premium, so do I get rid of one of the layouts, do I re-use one of the old baseboards or do I start completely fresh. I must admit that both the baseboards were built to withstand a small earth quake and consequently, though small, are becoming increasingly heavy to lug around as I get a little older. So if I start afresh I will be looking for light weight and I might be tempted to go to one of the manufacturers rather than waste time on building new boards. The next question has to be what to model next. Due to the emphasis on getting a quart into a pint pot I have always gone for an urban subject as they were usually built on more restricted sites. I am not a fan of shunting layouts as I use 3-link couplings and even at home I have been almost driven to screaming in frustration trying to couple wagons, this was at home so what would I be like at a show!! I have looked at various discussions on auto couplings but I am concerned that I lack the patience and technical skills to make them work. The alternative might be a small rural terminus but then I am up against the more open aspect of these locations but an empty, open station does appeal after the tight urban sites I have been building. It was this open feeling that drew me to Bude Quay in the first place, which started off this saga in the first place. Some years ago we visited the site of a former station in mid -Wales where we had a lovely lunch in the former station house. It has always been at the back of my mind since and it is now shouting at me to model it, in some form. I speak of Dinas Mawddy, spelling (?). It was a former Cambrian Railway branch which closed to passengers very early on and to goods about 1950. I have been looking at options and as always I would only be able to model some of the layout which is pretty basic already but I think I could capture the feeling of the station, and liking a challenge I might try to get it on to a smaller base board. That's about where I am at the moment so it is a question of watch this space. Hopefully there will not be such a gap in progress as there has been but now its off to Taunton with The Shed for a happy weekend exhibiting. Regards Rob

Hi All, Looking forward to the show, a first for The Shed. Hope to see a few old friends. Rob

Hi Richard, Its a new venue for me and the furthest TS has been from home so it will be good to see a familiar face. Rob

As a follow up to my last post I have been getting TS ready for the Taunton show. I thought it was looking a little tired so have touched up some of the paintwork which had had various knocks at shows. The grass was also looking as though it had been subject of a prolonged drought so have re-vitalised those areas with some new grass. Finally looking at the shed itself I felt that it looked as though it has only recently been built rather than coming to the end of a long hard life, so have added a little ageing, nothing to obvious but I think it looks better in my opinion. so everything is now looking good for the show. Rob

Thanks for the continued interest guys. Nothing to report I'm afraid on the modelling front as other things have been taking priority but The Shed still exists, which is not bad for me, and will be making an appearance at the Taunton show on the 21/22 October. regards Rob.

Like others have said Marc, its good to see you back modelling and am watching with interest. Thanks for the plug for The Shed, which is still around and getting invites. If Chris is interested he can find it at http://www.rmweb....TheShed Format might be wrong as the link doesn't seem to work!! Regards Rob

Everything has been very quiet down Osney way since my last post, other than outings to Barnstaple, Hayle and yesterday the Cornwall Model Railway Exhibition at Redruth organised by the Cornwall O Gauge Group. This was a show to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the setting up of the Group and they had organised a much larger show than they have previously done. A most enjoyable day and an opportunity to see some familiar faces. I managed to take a few photos of OT at the show before things got to busy. Regards Rob

Hi Pete, I am watching this with great interest. Its my sort of layout and have considered something similar in the past. I was a little concerned when you said you had laid your track on card as I have not used card for track laying but did use it in the past for other things and regretted it when it came into later contact with water, inevitable when you spray ballast or use very dilute paints as I do. The card absorbed moisture and assumed very unnatural shapes! I suppose you could seal it in some way but I wondered If you had considered this aspect. Regards Rob

Hi Ray, We are all packed up and ready to go tomorrow afternoon. Really looking forward to the day, as always. Sadly this year we will not be staying for the meal but heading for home straight after the show, as we have a lot of things going on at the moment and need to get back. Regards Rob

Hope to see you there Phil. I think Camborne was probably the first outing for the original OT. Rob

Thanks CME for the comments. I have always loved the way railways sit in the urban landscape and the glimpses you get between the buildings. It is that idea that drew me back to re-creating OT after I broke up the original and I am pleased with the result. I don't know what part of the world you are in, but living as I do in the deepest south-west, it is a bit of an expedition to anywhere east of Devon! Regards Rob

Hi Spence, do introduce yourself if you get to Barnstaple. Its always good to put a face to those posting on this topic. Regards Rob

Hi Everyone Well trains are at last running back into Osney Town after a lengthy period of branch closure for much needed maintenance and attached are some photos taken on a recent visit. In reality, I have been checking everything works for the layouts first public outing to Barnstaple at the end of this month. Happily it all works after some cleaning and light oiling, and the board and fascia have also received a coat of paint to match the new look of the layout, and so, to quote my partner, dunners! Regards to all, Rob

Hi everyone, Work has now progressed to the point where I think I am almost there, although there are always small details that can be added, a little rust here and there and some coal dust, maybe. I did briefly look at the possibility of adding a mirror at the end of the siding and under the bridge. This has been done very effectively elsewhere but I was unable to get it to work to my satisfaction. From some angles it looked good but if you looked from other directions you could see the reflection of the platform which destroyed the illusion, at least for me. I now need to get the fiddle yard altered from the one which was used on the layout in its previous outing as Osney and then we will be ready for our first public outing. I think! So a few photos to show the present position:

Hi Ray, just caught up with your comment for which thank you. There has been more progress since my last post but I have been concentrating on the layout and not taking any photos as the deadline of Barnstaple approaches too quickly!. We are off for a mini break later but hopefully will get some up to date photos out later. Will see you soon. Regards Rob

Hi Don, OT will be at Barnstaple for their show in July so maybe I will see you there. Rob

Hi everyone, at last some positive progress at Osney Town. As my working conditions are more restricted now I can only work on one board at a time so have been concentrating on the right hand board, the south end of the station. This is now virtually complete, maybe some slight weathering and a little more vegetation in places but otherwise I am quite pleased with the end result. I thought you mind like to see the new workshop first! The following sequence shows various stages in the recent work I have been spurred on by the thought that the first outing for OT is in July, which initially seemed a long way off but is now rapidly approaching, and I have also received another invitation to exhibit, so now have three reasons to complete fairly quickly. Regards Rob

Hi CME Good to hear from you. I am a great fan of Marc's work and he was instrumental in getting me posting on here in the first place. It is always interesting at exhibitions watching people's reaction to my layouts, some just walk straight past with barely a glance while others will stop and spend an amazing amount of time looking at the detail because it certainly isn't the movement which attracts them, as there is very little of that! As you say, the fact that you build micro layouts doesn't mean you can't appreciate a good 'roundy roundy' layout, in what ever scale, but I have spent many happy moments just watching O gauge layouts like Holiday Haunts, Dainton Bank (?) and, my personal favourite, Bucks Hill, and thinking if only. The good news is I have found the camera, the bad news is I can't find the lead to connect to the computer to download photos. Arrgh!! Regards Rob

It's been a long six months since I last posted, so I thought it about time I up-dated everyone on progress, or rather reasons for lack of same. When I last posted I was waiting for builders to arrive, which they duly did and spent the next few months knocking things down and then re-building them, all through the worst of the weather. We now have a lovely new en-suite bedroom and enlarged garage and since completion we have been working our way round the house decorating and trying to put two houses into one, and as everyone knows, two into one won't go, hence many visits to the local tip and charity shops! At least we can now see the garage floor and soon we may be able to get into it. You would think that with a new enlarged garage and equally large new room that there would be increased room for railway related activities but sadly that is not the case and I am now relegated to the smallest room in the house, so I am now definitely the builder of micro layouts, ideally ones which stack on top of each other. The only thing I managed to progress before work ceased was fixing the platform and bedding it in. No pictures at the moment, maybe when I can find where I put my camera, but I hope to get back to modelling very soon so that I can get OT finished in time for its next public outing. Regards to all, Rob

Good to se you back on here Marc, I have missed your modelling. Love the building. Rob