Tom's O gauge canal boats

[tom1992]

Hi everyone!

Here's a few photo's of my finished pair of working canal boats in O gauge complete with diorama. I hope you have as much enjoyment looking at the photos as I have had building it! Vintage canal boats are one of my passions and to go from working and taking pleasure on the real ones to building highly detailed models of them has been a good experience. For those who wish to see the build diary behind the finished model, follow the link!

http://www.partworkmodels.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6478
















Thanks for looking!

[builder76]

Just a stunning build Tom.
Boat detail a colouration/ weathering just spot on. Your water technique brings the models to life. The bank &flora/fauna just right in size, shape & perspective.
I grew up around the Grand Union Canal(Little Venice /Maida Hill tunnel, Paddington Basin) as a boy. Bombs sites and narrow/barge boats are my play history.
Thank you for giving me a wonderful (and so realistic)a trip down memory lane.

John
ps. I also enjoyed your build diary

[tom1992]

Thanks John for the kind comments. You're very welcome! glad you enjoyed the build diary!

I've also scratch built the Russel Newbury twin cylinder diesel engine which I've missed off the build diary! I'll post that on as an extra afterwards!

[royjess]

Brilliant work there, especially with the realistic water which I know is very hard to model. I'm looking forward to seeing what method you used for the water on your diary build thread. Well done

[casper]

excellent Tom, very detailed dio. like the way you got the movement in the water
brilliant
casp

[tom1992]

Thanks guys! Build diary update soon! I promise!

[Mark]

Have to agree with all the above. It's a superb rendition. The water is particularly realistic.

[tom1992]

Cheers Mark! Check out the build diary to see how it was done!

[R2D2]

Very good detailing and I agree as to the water. Very realistic! Looking in the cabins, how tiny! Not much room to live in there although I suspect they worked long hours in those days!

[tom1992]

Thanks mate! Yes, very small cabins! The boatmen (and sometimes the whole of the boatmams family from about the age of 6) would start work as soon as it was light enough to move the boats, work all day (breakfast lunch and dinner would have been saved on the job by the boatmans wife unless living alone) and worked until it got too dark to safely navigate the waterways! In later days, the whole family lived and worked in the boats, a law came in that the children were not allowed to live in the same quarters as the parents! So a compartment at the front of the boat (the dog box) had to be constructed to accomodate them. This was at the expense of hold space but a boatman with the help of his family could make a delivery much faster therefore justifying the loss of hold space!

Glad you enjoyed the photos!

[Mark]

Quite a tough life by the sounds of it.
As an aside, I heartily recommend a narrow boat holiday. Very relaxing. It's what you do when the stop the world so you can get off