I'm in the great position of having the space to lay out 8 x 4 sheets of plywood and also lay out completed baseboard components and the even greater position of being able to 'come up for air' from the day's labours and spend the odd few minutes on the layout. In the mid morning break, I lined up all the templates on the curve of platform 2 (and near the edge of the board to minimise wastage) and spot glued the centre of each one to the board. Just before lunch, I finished off the remaining templates and let them dry until tea time, when I glued down the edges using a 50/100 pva water mix, rather than the whole template as I did earlier. By this evening the templates had dried with very little buckling and ready for the board to be cut out of the sheet.

Another decision to be considered and made regards the dividing line between this board and the board which will ultimately hold the west sidings and cliff face. Originally, I had planned to divide the boards midway between the two tracks of platforms 1 and 2, but I came to wonder how the island platform between these two tracks would cover the divide. It would be impractical to have a separate platform to be laid after the baseboards are connected. A baseboard join up the centre of the platform would be silly. So, before cutting out this board, I made the late decision that the board join would be between the east face of the platform and the edge of the platform 2 track, and the join would be hidden from public view. With the 6mm width of the side member, the top sheet cut would be right up against the edge of the sleeper line.

I've done it now, no going back! (Well, that isn't true, recutting a board is not a problem).

I use this rather nice Exacta circular saw set to 9mm depth and with the 6mm sheet resting on a redundant piece of 12mm ply, the resulting cut is so neat, it needs very little cleaning up afterwards. The glued edge of the template helps to prevent splintering of the top edge.

Having cut the second board, I then lined up the first board, allowing the 12mm gap where the end members will go to ensure that everything lines up. Straightaway I saw a problem with a notch in the second board that I might have to fill in with a small fillet. I originally planned the notch to be in the first board (shown by the green line at the top right corner of the first board). I will have to wait until the third board is cut to see if the track aligns over the notch.

An ebay purchase of a Heljan Western and a couple of SR coaches arrived at lunchtime and I now have to find an excuse to run a Western out of Brighton - ok, here's the tale...it came up from Salisbury yesterday deputising for a failed West Country and, having stopped at 75A overnight is now returning to Salisbury on the morning's Plymouth train! Even putting this on the templates is exciting as it brings back so many memories of arriving for the morning's spotting just before the Plymouth was due to depart back in the early 1960s! The curve on platform 2 is exactly right! I can't wait to complete 34019 and have it lead the 11.00 Cardiff on its way! Incidentally, the Western is two minutes late departing, so an arriving Hornby 2BIL on the West Worthing is waiting at the home signal to cross over to platform 1...... ain't imagination a wonderful thing??!