KNP

Well after all that design work time for a quick bevy at The Station PH before it closes..... For clarity the hairdressers wasn't named after anybody connected with the RMWeb rather a former work colleague who would never get his hair cut because he said he could never find one - in Oxford! So as I already this built this I changed the nameboard to his name and put this picture on the office noticeboard marked for his attention, caused much amusement especially when I had a couple of people asked me where in Oxford was it.....?

Well the next instalment of the planning for the development of the field behind the station. Had a complete re-think as it was just not looking or feeling right - came to the conclusion I was trying to cram to much in. So went back to basics and said - what was the area like before the railway turned up, buildings and roads demolished in order to get the station to link up with the harbour. Once I had that in mind I omitted the large house - never would have been built there in the first place if I'm honest, turned the cottages around so now looking at the front with an old lane in the front and a cut off road when the railway came along. Much smaller industrial area to link with existing building and a footpath to the station for access to the houses at the rear. Shaping up better, now for the mock up buildings to check visuals, plus the current industrial building (which is on a removable base) will move approx 10mm back to give access around the rear of the station fencing. Still away to go but the balance is better....

Lovely layout and photographs

Beautiful layout and well photographed.

Many thanks for this, I have no excuse now but to visit Pets R Us to buy a bag of pigeons to go in the loft...... The two could combine into a Bigger Muddle?

Hope they where pigeons in the West Country as I have one already in the back yard of the pub? Agree about the chimney so the boiler house, if it goes in, will be the other side of the site. There's also a chicken run in the back garden of next doors butcher shop.........

Now laid the latest plan on the layout and it's not just working. The terraced houses look OK and the industry better laid out but the large house is not right - garden far to small for a building of that size. I like the idea of this large house as it's going to quite complicated to build so what I'm mulling over now is to make the industry half the size, bring the existing building more into it and turn the house 90 degrees so the garden can be bigger and ends by the terraces. Work on it tomorrow when we are having the meters changed to smart ones........

OK then, I'll just have to rely on Chris Tarrant to pass by then on one of his adventures. Shame, because I could have painted on of my figures in one his bright outfits, I will put the lid back on the orange and light blue paints then.

Better get a move on with the building works then before one gets in place!!!!!! Don't want to get on the front page of the Little Muddle Gazette. No dog license because he came out of a plastic bag for the picture and now gone back with his mates, anyway who's to say he wasn't a stray that strayed into the picture??? The wheelbarrow was 'borrowed' from the goods yard so it's there problem now as it's back insitu, I'll pass on your comments to the Yard Manager.

Well the pigeons will be in hut like structures, think I used the wrong word there to describe. In my mind the cottages where meant to have been there first so I hadn't envisaged them for the workers. Still early days in the planning, what I normally do is park an idea for a while until it grows on me, or I have other ideas, then we build. I get your point about next to a factory, or cottage industry, or whatever it is. My next thing was to decide what was manufactured their so I could model the buildings accordingly, at the moment they are just shapes on a plan that I can see in my minds eye giving me the skyline I was looking for. No problems with questions just gives me more food for thought. Regards

Worked up a revised plan. The terraced houses will now be thatch with walls timber framing with brick inserts, a larger and more ornate Victorian house linked by a gate to the adjoining factory complex of building. Using this gate I can now make this house the factories owners property so give it a reason to be there. The gardens to the houses now have a coal store and privy outbuilding plus more sheds, chicken runs and pigeons lofts. Getting there so before launching into a build I will make some card mock ups to see if gives me the effect I'm after.

So am I, that's why I have become heavily involved in the design and construction work.

I think it is still in print but, if memory serves, it must be all of 30 years old now but still very relevant today. Better patent the cutting idea before it appears everywhere..... We are never to old to stop learning.

No just isolated!

Thanks, I'll pass the comment to bgman.

Very nice building. Funny what plumbers hemp can be used for it's how I did the hay field behind the PW hut, some clumps cut into short lengths and then glued standing up (the hemp not me!!!) Copied from one of my favourite books that forms the basis of a lot of the scenic work here - Landscape Modelling by Barry Norman and I continue to refer to it. Never dates. Thanks

Agreed, and I know it sounds daft, but this how I've achieved the design for what became Little Muddle. Everything planned in advanced, everything designed and drawn up before I start building and even when built if it doesn't look right...it goes. Hence the use of mock ups because they really do work and can save a lot of time and annoyance. Before the advent of digital cameras I have been known to look through toilet tubes to narrow down the field of vision. Correct

Following on from the aerial photos I was able to produce a semi scale plan to work on. Little tip if you wish to do something like this on your layout, when taking picture/s lay a ruler somewhere visible. After you print the picture, no matter what size it comes out, the ruler will alter to the same proportion so can be cut out and used to scale off that same picture. I haven't here as I will be making a full size template of the area to work off. A few sketches drawn, a full size template made, then altered and finally laid on the layout for checking. I'm planning to make three separate modules, red line indicates where, as that will make them easier to work on plus still giving me a chance to tweak the next one if it doesn't fit or something. The next job is to make some draft buildings out of cereal boxes etc.... and see if this gives me the skyline I was after. I will say that at the moment I'm not happy with the layout (prior to all the recent posts) plus taking the pictures that Bgman (C.O.B. man) posted into consideration this has me going in a completely different route.......!!! This going to take some research so I'll be a while.....before any building work starts the labourer, wheelbarrow and unpainted dog can go home for now.

That'll be interesting as a former Building Surveyor I think I could put up quite a rear guard action - well appear to be as I will keep waffling on then one day post some pictures saying all done........it would then be down to the courts to decide if they have to be demolished..... Cob and Straw is that the name of your local pub by any chance?

All joking aside for the moment that's a very nice building. I haven't had a go at thatch or cob yet.....hmmm old grey cells whirring now and it'll be down to you if I have to ditch my current ideas!

Oh, please don't object as I will have nothing to build. I promise to use only the very best locally sourced cardboard (well e-bay as our local Hobbycraft appears to have stopped doing greyboard when we called in.....!!!) that was Saturday afternoon, went on line that evening and this morning 10 A3 sheets arrived in the post at a fraction of the cost I might add - their loss my gain. The buildings will be designed to the highest possible standards, construction materials to blend in sympathetically with the local surroundings and the ambience of the locality maintained and enhanced. I also promise to ensure everyone's thoughts and considerations are taken into account. Do know what I think I found under the work bench, better stick them back on......

On his third pass he spotted some activity in the field so went in for a closer look. My, this builder is really throwing the recourses at this development.... One labourer, a wheelbarrow and an unpainted dog! Plus the building seemed to have disappeared.....

Following on from yesterdays surprise at the land being developed behind the station I thought I better have a closer look. So I had a word with the Squadron Leader who wheeled out his old Sopwith to carryout a quick aerial recon of the area. With the joystick held firmly between his knees and finger on his Hasselblad a few shots where taken. On his second pass he took a direct down view so I could form a combined picture of the area for planning purposes. He caught a rare glimpse of the railcar in the station as well. Now to start some planning of what needs to go there......

Ah, now this is interesting. It appears the land behind Little Muddle station is up for re-development as I heard rumoured the other day whilst having a bevy in The Station PH. No doubt more houses and industry on it's way Better check into this and see what's a foot (or should it be 304.8mm now)

Agreed, but for these pictures I was testing out the camera to see what it could do. I use either the program embedded in Windows 10 (which is quite good) or I have Serif PhotoPlus X7 (when remember to fire it up....). Thanks for the comments though