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Hi All, A further update from Osney Wharf. The rear section is now largely complete, just a few little items to add later to bring it more to life, like the odd person and other bits and pieces, as they spring to mind. At the moment I have to decide whether to model the gateway into the wharf open or closed, decisions , decisions. Then its back to the last of the buildings, which is already in shell form. I did say in a previous post that this would be based on an existing building on Newham wharf, just down the road, but I have decided that the mock-up was a little to large. So, the building will be more freelance but will still be dual aspect, as per the original. Opinions on the gateway are always welcome, as will be the possibility of adding a yard crane to the wharf, but that's a question for later! That's it for now, regards Rob

Hi David, thanks for that. At the moment I am managing to contain my enthusiasm and the results seem to work so it makes it easier to slow things down! Hi Adam, thank you for your continued interest and comments. Thanks also for your offer over Newham and pictures, but as it happens, as I type this, I am not a million miles away from Newham Wharf. In fact I often walk down the old branch line, which is now a footpath/cycle path. There are still a few features left, including the old stone built goods shed which has been restored to a business premises and which I have in mind as the inspiration for the last building on Osney Wharf, although I may well use a little artistic licence. I also keep looking at the Dapol site, especially the 14xx Class Tanks, would look nice shunting the Wharf!! Kind regards Rob

Time for a quick update. Work progresses on the main building to the rear of the wharf. Still a few tweaks left to do and then it can be fixed down and bedding in done to get rid of those black lines beneath the building. I am really enjoying this build and have to keep telling myself to slow down as there is a tendency to rush on and cut corners, to see how it all works out in the end!! However, despite the limited size of the layout, there is still much to do to keep me happy for some time yet. Rob

If its well drained I won't be able to put any puddles in

Hi Barnaby, You ask an interesting question. I keep looking at the area between the tracks, and it is a large expanse, relative to the whole layout, and thinking about the very question you have asked, how do I finish that. I am also after a well worn, unmade surface. If you look back at the first page of this saga there are some photos of Bude Quay, which has the sort of finish I am after. I think most of my layouts have used the same approach to the ground level. I use the cork tiles to bring the surface up to sleeper level. This helps to create the allusion of older trackwork but also, as you say, reduces the amount of ballast needed and the potential weight. I have used a skim of modelling clay in some areas and various types of small ballast to portray gravel but in small quantities. I will try and differentiate between the well trafficked parts of the wharf and the little used areas using variations in the colour. I like using washes and build up the colour until I get what I think looks ok. I may also incorporate some puddles, we'll see. I haven't really been able to answer your question, I know, but most of my modelling is based on seeing how it goes on the day, so I can only say, watch this space. Regards Rob

Some work on the yard area of the Osney Farmers Association warehouse, including initial work on the carcass of the warehouse, has commenced but there is still some way to go. Nothing is actually fixed down as yet, as you can probably tell from the photos. so far so good! Rob

After a slight pause for half term activities work continues down on the wharf. As you can see I went for the cheap and cheerful approach on the loading bank and chose timber for the facing material, which I think works for the atmosphere I am looking for, that is gentle decay at the end of the line. I think I will continue along the back of the right hand board before doing anything more to the left. That way I can then move forward along the length of the layout without risking any damage caused by having to work across existing detail. Regards to all Rob

Hi Don, thanks for that. The idea that we may be going to exhibitions again, anytime soon seems a long way away but we can but hope. We thoroughly enjoyed our last visit to Taunton so maybe it will happen again. Kind regards Rob

The workmen have been busy down on the Wharf and have managed to knock up a couple of new 'old' buildings. There are still a few details to add, including guttering and down pipes, and maybe some advertising, then they can be bedded down and the yard areas in between completed. The fencing you can see between, and to the rear of the buildings is there to give a feel of how the area will be developed and will be replaced with something more appropriate in time. The trouble with showing them at this stage is you see all their all their faults in lovely technicolour, rather than seeing them in the overall picture, which they are intended to be just part of. Rob

Hi Steve, no, no airbrush involved as such but a spray can of 'sleeper grime' as a base coat and then a brush using a fairly dilute paint building up layers, as I've mentioned, until I get the affect I want. I also start with a dark ballast, in this case Woodland Scenics medium brown ballast. This works for me because I am usually modeling track that has seen better days but I might have to use a different approach it I were to model pristine track. A few photos of work in progress. The light is not good ,so apologies for the quality. One of the foamboard buildings to show how I have taken the advice on bracing the structure to heart and a couple to show where they will locate to, when complete. The floating section will eventually sit on timber supports. Regards Rob

Hi Pete, I am very much a 'suck it and see' sort of modeler, and work things out as I progress. Where possible I would go for a base coat and then add washes or highlight certain areas to get the affect I want. With the stone wall, for instance, I used a base coat of stone grey and then used washes of different strengths of raw umber and finally picked out small areas with the darkest paint. But with the larger twin gabled building I went straight in with the main colour, black, and then added a little rust here and there. There have been many occasions when I have been dissatisfied with a paint finish and have painted over the lot and started again. One thing I do try and do is keep to is a limited palette throughout the build which helps to create an overall continuity to the layout. I can then add little details with more colour to provide highlights where needed. Hope this answers your question Pete. It certainly made me stop and think about my methods of work and made me realise how chaotic my modeling can be at times ! Regard Rob

First, thanks to Stu, Ray, and Richard for their comments, they are greatly appreciated. I have realised, just in time, that 'project management' is important to this build because if I fix the buildings at the front of the wharf I am going to have difficulty in dealing with the strip between the buildings and the track. It will be quite difficult to see this area and some might say 'why bother' but I would know that it hasn't been modelled and worry about it, so the next step has been to glue a strip of wood along the building line and then make up the ground level to that point. The attached photos show the current position and also illustrate how my cardboard buildings have no backs, a bit like a stage set. The fact that I have these mock-ups has enabled me to slightly adjust there size and position to open up the views of the backscene before I start work on there construction. More soon. Rob

Hi All, With the rest of the family, either at work or back at university, the time has come to crack on down on the wharf. There have been a few hiccups along the way, not so much with the build as the basics. You may recall that I departed from my usual practice of a painted plain backscene and used a photographic background on New Osney and regretted it afterwards. I know people use these very successfully but it didn't work for me, ok when looked at straight on but when you move around it looked very flat. So for this build it was back to a muted backscene using tester paint pots. When clearing some stuff from the garage I came across some undercoat and in my wisdom I thought I would make use of it to make the tester pot go further. I thought no more about it until I erected the boards after the holiday when one day I was close up to the boards and realized the backscene was covered in little blisters. Yes I hear you shout never use an oil based paint under an emulsion. I should have thought about it more carefully but I didn't. Lesson learned. The result was that I had to use the time to strip all the paint off and start again, which is where we are at now. Having confessed all that there has actually now been some modelling and I am well pleased so far. I will let you judge how you think it is going from the following set of photos: I Particularly like the third photo with the curving track. Unfortunately some of these angles will be out of reach when the front of the wharf is modelled. Looking at the photos now the affect seems to be, when Bude Quay meets The Shed. Regards Rob

At last some progress. The first thing I needed to attend to was one of the last things I did before packing everything away. When I lifted the small siding, which was to serve the coal wharf, I enlarged the loading bank area to replace the track. What I didn't do was check that I had left sufficient clearance for the facing material. At the moment I haven't definitely decided whether to face the platform with stone or timber, or a combination of the two but whichever I choose I hadn't allowed for it when I enlarged the platform. So the first job was to remove the platform extension and set the edging back, as below: Having put right that mistake I then moved on to the first of the buildings on the back scene. The first two are now roughly in place but still require further work, guttering and down pipes and more weathering. The strip of foam board in front will eventually be a boundary wall. Its good to see the layout begin to take shape but does show that my modelling is following my usual pattern of two steps forward and one step back More progress soon, hopefully. Regards Rob

When we last left Osney Wharf we were off to Wales for a holiday and sadly there is little to report on progress since. When we decided to go to Wales we knew there would not be much in the way of steam to visit but had to make do with much walking instead, so we returned much fitter than when we left. On our return we had a friend to stay and those of you that follow this saga will recall that I initially said that I could not start a new layout as I didn't have the space to build it, but it was suggested that I used the spare bedroom, an offer that couldn't be refused. Unfortunately I didn't appreciate that apparently guests can't sleep under a railway layout. I know, who knew. So the layout had to be packed up for the duration. As my other half worked all through lockdown looking after the children of essential workers, which included what would have been the Easter holidays and half term, we have been enjoying the delights of Cornwall and even Devon but now with schools soon going back, the layout has been erected again and the card mock ups put back in place. Which brings me finally to the point of this post, as seeing everything back in place I am still very pleased with the way things look and haven't wanted to change anything, so I am looking forward to getting back to the modelling and hopefully I will soon have some positive progress to report. In the meantime thanks to all for your continued interest. Regards Rob

I hit the like key when I saw this but decided that was insufficient for this superb photo and the modelling it represented. Just wonderful. Rob

When I said in an earlier post that the track was about finished and I would be getting back to the buildings, it turned out that I was being a trifle optimistic. I thought I had finished the track but after looking at it for a while I decided that it didn't quite do what I wanted it to do, that is, look like well worn track in its final years. This is not always easy to achieve when you start off with pristine new track but another coat of paint was tried which I think is closer to what I am hoping to achieve. I will now leave it until I do the later stages which may involve some more weathering and certainly the addition of grass and weeds. In the meantime we are off for a few relaxing days in Wales, so no work on the buildings just yet. Rob

Thanks for your kind comments, Stu is very good at spreading the word, he is largely responsible for getting me to my first local exhibition, several years ago now, and I have enjoyed that aspect of the hobby ever since! Regards Rob

Thanks Don, you can never have to much advice when starting something new. I started with the buildings on the backscene, as they are pretty basic, and have done what you suggested by adding additional bracing but I might go back and add a little more, as they are open backed so haven't got the added strength you would get from a rear wall. I have just about finished the trackwork so will shortly be back to the buildings! Rob

Thanks Stu, more useful advice and as you will see, it drew my attention to Richards post which I had missed! Anita's tacky glue sounds interesting and conveniently situated. Rob

Hi Richard, I completely missed your message as the thread had moved on to a new page. It was only Stu's reference to your comment that sent me in search for it. Thanks for your detailed response, much useful information and you confirm what I thought I would need to do. Good to have it confirmed. Rob

Hi Alan, Thanks for your comments, it all helps when you are using a material for the first time and don't know what to expect. Rob

Hi Don, one thing I have learnt is to ensure that the scalpel blade is sharp but I have also read advice that it is a good idea to paint both sides of the board to avoid warping. Have you found this is the case as it could be a problem painting the inside when the building is complete and ready to paint. This would also apply , I imagine, if you are covering the outside with modelling clay as well. It may be a good idea to add additional bracing before completing. All interesting questions that come up when you are working with a new material. Any help and advice would be appreciated. Regards Rob

Thanks Adam, a shunting puzzle is usually about moving wagons about on the visible section of the layout whereas I seem to have moved the puzzle to the fiddle yard! Only time will tell if it works. Cheers rob

All the buildings on my previous layouts have been built the same way. I have constructed a frame from 10mm strip pine and then faced the skeleton with thin ply. This has worked well and produced solid, and sometimes heavy buildings when faced with modelling clay. This time faced with difficulties getting the necessary wood, I looked for alternatives. Gordon Gravett uses foam board and I have seen some recent examples on here, so decided to have a go. As I hadn't used this before I was unsure what problems I might encounter, so I decided to have a go at the buildings which form the backscene. I am now kicking myself for not having tried this material sooner as it is so simple and easy to use. As I progress I will probably come across issues but I am very happy at the moment. The value of the card board cut outs was illustrated when I started, as I moved one of the larger buildings and put it down at the other end of the layout, out of the way, but it immediately looked good where it was and contained the overall picture I have in my minds eye. So another mock-up was made and added: Now I am sure about the foamboard I can go back a step and get the track ballasted and painted before I get carried away with constructing the buildings. Regards to all Rob