You know in job adverts when it says 'need someone who works best under pressure and to targets and deadlines' - well that is me. Amongst several other directionless projects I have been gradually building War Department stock with the eventual aim of building a layout. For anyone who might not know there were extensive 60cm narrow gauge systems in use by both sides in the First World War. In February I noticed a request for military layouts to display at a special event at the Apedale Light Railway in September 2014, (http://www.ww1-event.org/). So I volunteered a layout. Only slight problem is I don't have one yet! I did explain this to the organiser of course and promised regular updates on progress. Well here (after 3 months), is my first attempt at a progress report.

Although three months to get started might seem like a long time there have been quite a number of practical issues to settle (like what gauge it is going to be for one!), and how to work in some of my rather fanciful ideas while making it run properly. This is absolutely paramount - it must work! All too often I see layouts at exhibitions that just don't seem to work which is certainly frustrating for the viewer and must be for the operator. On top of this I must add that I have not built a layout in over thirty years and the ones I made then didn't work either!

I will go through some of more more extreme ideas when I am sure they are going to work so as not to look too foolish but to employ that rather over used modern term this layout should provide an 'experience'.

The operational issues will be explored in further posts and any comments and advice will be gratefully received. Everyone I have talked to at shows both exhibitors and suppliers have shown a great deal of interest in my plans so the journey starts here form this pile of wood;