A snap on Arne Wharf of the now finished Bemo HOe unit after spending too long near those salt flats in Poole Harbour. The loco on your screen here is bigger than it is in real life.

A snap on Arne Wharf of the now finished Bemo HOe unit after spending too long near those salt flats in Poole Harbour. The loco on your screen here is bigger than it is in real life.

A snap on Arne Wharf of the now finished Bemo HOe unit after spending too long near those salt flats in Poole Harbour. The loco on your screen here is bigger than it is in real life.

A freelance rail-bus built onto a Kato ‘Shortie’ bo-bo chassis, rests next to the foreman’s rather rusty dilapidated Austin ‘Devon’, which is a customised vehicle from the inexpensive die-cast ‘Classix’ range. Back in the 1950’s, British built motor cars would rust very quickly, often with the first signs of corrosion showing within just a couple of years. The car here is only 10 years old, the ‘do it yourself’ repairs have done little to improve the look or increase the life of the car!

It's all quiet during a sunny Sunday morning on the Wharf in the summer of '59, as the curious import is captured by the shed foreman's Ziess Super Ikonta with the newly introduced Ilford Selochrome Pan (Selochrome was otho up until then) .......

The ex Zillertal 0-6-2 rests on shed at Arne Wharf.

A 'Classix' Austin A40 Devon was the bases of the foreman's heap. BMC metal was never that well protected against the wet English weather. That and the added bonus of salty air, meant that this car started rusting within 3 years of manufacture. 10 years on, and the various DIY repairs have failed to keep the dreaded rust at bay. With the new MOT coming along in the next few years, the effects of tin worm will no doubt send this little car to the scrapheap - if it lasts that long!

Inspired by US based Pete Piszczek, who has distressed several of these highly acclaimed and very cheap little motor vehicles, I thought I'd have a go too. This is the result of an hour of work with some enamels, matt varnish and some of the 'pebbles' coloured holdhold matt emulsion used on nearly everything else on this layout.

With an impending show, the first one for two years, thoughts turned to addressing the lack of loco water facilities. The wooden platform thats straddles the tracks was built some time ago with the view of placing a tank of some sort on top. A quick look at some Walthers spares revealed part of an aerial conveyor/walkway. This was cut down in length and some plasticard 'tongue and groove' placed over the facing open aperture. The various water pipes are from old sprue with joints made up from strips of self adhesive lable. The flexible filler pipe, which has collapsed just like the real thing when not in use, is simply paper masking tape painted matt black. The rest of the structure is coloured in my usual way of misting various primers and washes of diluted matt emulsion.

One of a couple of shots grabbed with available light due to lack of time under the existing light in the spare room. 10 secs at f22. 100 iso! Proper lighting is of course better, however the joys of digital allow all sorts of things we'd have never chanced before with film.

One of a couple of shots grabbed with available light due to lack of time under the existing light in the spare room. 10 secs at f22. 100 iso! Proper lighting is of course better, however the joys of digital allow all sorts of things we'd have never chanced before with film.

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf

Arne Wharf