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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

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

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

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

Thank you Ray and Martyn, good to hear from you and thanks to all those who have offered support. I have been in this position before but this is the longest it has lasted, possibly made worse by the health issues. Once I am fully recovered the old instincts should kick back in. In the meantime I will post some pics of the alterations so you can try and spot the differences 😁 Regards Rob

It's been a while since I added anything to this thread which in part has been due to life getting in the way in the form of holidays and a period of poor health, but if I'm honest it has more to do with a loss of mojo which seems to have vanished down a black hole, partly I think because of finishing Osney Town and not having any idea about what to do next. I did get as far as ordering a trial pack of Sprat and Winkle auto couplings but apart from opening the pack and reading the instructions and putting it away in the drawer there has been no further progress in that direction. Osney Town should have been on its travels this weekend to our local show in Hayle but due to the ongoing health issues this is, sadly not now going to happen, but in preparation for the show, before having to cancel, I had been looking at the layout with fresh eyes. It sits beside me when I am in my workroom and the more I looked at it the more I began to think that I had overdone the vegetation in the centre of the layout. This may seem a little strange as you will recall that I was always concerned to reduce the impact of the size of the rolling stock in the relation to the size of the layout by screening. Looking at it again I decided that in the centre of the layout the screening had gone to far and actually obscured to much of the station and track and made it difficult to photograph the railway. After some thought and before I lost my nerve vegetation, in the form of smaller shrubs and trees, was cleared from various areas and the result, satisfaction! The relationship between the railway and the scenery is in my view much better and if the layout is exhibited again I think it will give a better balance to the scene. That's it really, nothing else to report but hopefully it will not be to long before there is better news. Regards Rob

Thank you Marc, Richard, Martyn and Rosspop for your continued help, particularly for that video clip from Marc. I'm not sure that I should be thanking Rosspop for throwing a new name, to me anyway, into the equation but a most useful video. I think it is a case of making a decision and biting the bullet and see how we go. One great advantage is that to operate the Town Wharf I only need a maximum of six wagons, so should be able to get something working! Thanks again Rob

Many thanks for that explanation Marc, just what I wanted to hear because it sounds as if they would give me just what I need. Rob

Thanks to you all for your comments about the Spratt & Winkle couplings. Although I was aware of them I hadn't looked at them in any detail, concentrating mainly on the Dingham couplings but now having done a bit more research they do seem to be a contender, especially as they can have a delayed uncoupling function. As you will be aware Osney Town Wharf consists of two sidings and the ideal would be to have a single permanent magnet on each siding with the ability to uncouple and position a wagon somewhere on the siding. From what I have read the S & P couplings would enable this scenario to happen, unless I am misunderstanding the information about the couplings. What I am unsure about is, if you can propel a wagon in an uncoupled state how do you then collect that wagon from the siding later on. I am probably missing the 'bleeding' obvious here which wouldn't be the first time but I would appreciate any help or advice. On a larger scale I am missing having a project on the go and have been looking around for possibilities, but given my lack of space the options are very limited. I do have one or two thoughts but nothing concrete at the moment, so I could say watch this space but you could be watching for a while 😁 but it does at least give me something to think about, apart from the couplings that is. Regards Rob

Hi Marc, sorry about the slow response, although there is little modelling going on at the moment there seems to be plenty of other things going on to fill the hours. Thanks for your comments and the info on the couplings. I need to do some serious research rather than just thinking about it and plan a way forward. As you say, hopefully we will get an opportunity to chat in the future. Regards Rob

Earlier in the year I said that OT would be appearing at the Plymouth Show on the 15th of July but unfortunately the show has had to be cancelled so no plans to exhibit for a while,. With no immediate focus and with both the recent layouts completed I am going through a period of doubt as to where to go next. I am thinking about automatic couplings to make the use of Osney Town Wharf more user friendly but haven't got any further than thinking about it!! Regards Rob

I've never been able to resist temptation Ray and why should you😁

We had a good weekend at the Hayle show, a lot of interest and a chance to link up with old friends. A few pictures taken after setting up on Friday night to illustrate the entire 7ft 6in by 1ft 6in in all its glory. The fiddle yard contains all the operational stock and provides some variation for the viewer. I was particularly pleased with the performance of the 'flying banana'. I must admit I wasn't keen on those 'don't touch' labels kindly provided by the club and took them off later and relied on peoples good sense. We were set up next to a stall selling scenic materials, a local firm I hadn't come across who normally operate online, and I gave in to temptation and in the quieter moments found myself adding various bits of vegetation to the layout.

Thanks Mark, I know what you mean, this is a branch where you would be lucky to get any passengers, but I must admit that I do have crew and the odd passenger on order from Modelu. There is a slight delay on delivery so might not be in place by the time we go out on the road to Hayle next weekend. Rob

Having checked out the economies of using a 'bubble car' over steam the management has also looked at other possibilities and I was recently able to get a photo from the bridge of the latest attempt to make the branch viable And in reality I remember sitting on the platform at Oxford as a young lad when I first saw one of these coasting silently into the station, yes, sadly I am that old, so when I saw the advert for the new Dapol version I knew I had to have one for Osney Town. So now I have three suitable options for use on the layout, just need to get a crew and some passengers. Regards Rob

Likewise Martyn, over time you see names appearing on the thread with comments and hitting the like button and you wonder whether you will get the opportunity to actually meet, so Sunday was an amazing chance to put faces to names. As we discussed, your models have given me food for thought and encouraged my wife to push towards her dream of me linking up my various layout in one long run but I don't think that is likely to happen in the immediate future! Regards Rob

First time we have make the long trek up from the far west for a while but well worth the effort and I can only agree with all the other comments and to thank all those involved in the organisation and running of a great day. A chance to meet some old friends and to put faces to names so familiar on line, for me the lemon drizzle cake was particularly good and I even came home with some of Mudmagnets lovely 3D models. When's the next one? Rob

I was out walking along the river valley when an unusual sound attracted me to look across to the railway station where I spotted a visitor to the branch line. I took a quick picture in case it didn't appear again and I wouldn't be believed as the visitor was a long way from its normal operating area. That's the story but what is really happening. Well this somewhat aged bubble car has been in its box for several years and I thought it would be handy to bring it out and add some variety at the first show in May. You can imagine my thoughts when the exhaust on the roof caught the underside of the exit from the fiddle yard. I had tested the clearance with a loco and auto coach, which was fine but I was now faced with not using it or enlarging the entry to the scenic boards without damage to the scenery. The decision was taken to enlarge the hole straight away and before I thought to much about it, and the result is the photo above and I can report that no damage was created in fixing the problem! Regards Rob

Make that the 13th and 14th of May!!!!

Hi Dave, thanks for your comments, sorry that I have only just got back to you as we have been away in Northumberland for a few days. It looks as though you have also been reading through the whole saga! As to where you can see it, only in the far west, I'm afraid, we will be in Hayle on the 14th and 15th of May and Plymouth on the 15th July. If either venue is close to you please make yourself known if you are able to visit, I will be the one operating! I must be going stupid as I have just seen the names of your layouts and finally made the connection, as I have been a great fan of your work for a number of years. regards Rob

Thanks for that Mark, I will pass on your comments to the other half! regards Rob

There has been steady progress on the scenic side, to the extent that the bulk of the work has been done and I am now down to adding small details and thinking about the presentational side, including changing the lighting to LED strip lighting. A couple of photos to show the present state of play. The sharp eyed out there may spot small differences in the area of the stream. There were some 'reeds' in a few places which I was not entirely happy with but as they were embedded in the stream I decided to accept them, particularly as they would be partially screened by work in the foreground. However, the other half came in to make one of her periodic inspections and announced that her eye was immediately drawn to the 'brush bristles' purporting to be reeds which distracted her from the rest, which she did pronounce as being to her liking. That of course was it as far as I was concerned as she had just voiced my own concerns. They had to go, easier said than done as, as I said they were well embedded into the pva water. The solution was to cut them down to 'water' level and disguise the remnants with stones and more pva, all this without wrecking the more delicate vegetation in the foreground. Job now done and everyone happy!! Things will now go quiet for a while as school holidays beckon and travel to northern parts looms large on the horizon, Regards Rob

Just had a quick look, but will come back later and go through carefully, as what I have seen, looks superb. Regards Rob

Hi George, I just went to have a look at your threads on here, but sadly all the photos on Bovey Tor have been lost but the photos on The Bovey Saga show what I have missed and are superb. I do recall dipping in to this a while back and admiring your work. I will definitely be watching for updates. Rob

Hi All, Just wanted to thank George, Adam and Mark for their kind comments and for all the likes. When you work on your own, as opposed to in a club, you can sometimes think you are loosing the plot, so it is good to see that what you are doing is appreciated by others. The comments re theatre reminded me of a display put on by a group, who I think came from the Plymouth area , at the Guilds Summer exhibition many years ago. It featured a small tableau with curtains to conceal the display and chairs arranged in front. At the appointed show time the curtains parted to show a short goods train held at a signal on a well modelled embankment. Then the signal went down and the train moved off with sound and steam emitted from everywhere. The train exited and the curtains came across to applause from the audience. Pure theatre, I wonder if anybody else remembers it, I know it appealed to me at the time and has always stuck in my memory, so perhaps Osney Town will be my version!!!! regards Rob