Friday night, and the track gang move in to start work on the modular fiddle yard for the H0/00 layout. The last few weeks have been taken up with careful measuring and positioning, to ensure the track is as straight as possible.

To make life easier, the two outer boards of the four board yard were put together, along with the end boards linking the fiddle yard with the scenic section(s). As the outer boards will contain the point work, the middle two just consisting of straight track sections, work would start here. The plan is that, in theory, you could have a really little layout just using the outer boards, with the additional straight sections used as extension pieces.

So, the first section of track was finally positioned...

The yards will have three tracks for each circuit, which should be enough as these are not going to be hugely busy layouts. Any additional storage - as is envisaged with 'Freidrichstrasser' will be on the connecting boards, or (in potential future projects) on the scenic boards themselves... Access will be via four PECO three-way points. All the track around the fiddle yard is PECO code 100, although finer track will feature in the scenic sections...

Then came the track, expertly laid by our master plate-layer...

As can be seen, the board joints are protected by copper strips, to which the track is soldered. This little section took a couple of hours of careful alignment, with more than one pair of eyes peering down the permanent way to ensure it was straight.

Not a great picture, and one that indicates that the point is a little off centre, but the track crossing the board joints is pretty much arrow straight.

This rather smart ROCO carriage sits in the first completed section of fiddleyard, now with the track soldered into place.

Once the night's activities were completed, the track was cut, and the boards returned to their new home in out storage cupboard! The storage was hard won, but the club now has a decent sized, dry, warm and secure space with internal access to the committee room. Yamanouchi Oshika can be seen neatly stacked up in the background.

Finally, some fun! The boards are currently being called Freidrichstrasser, as the first scenic section will be based on Berlin Freidrichstrasser in the 1950s to early 70s. The model itself may not necessarily be set in Berlin... However the fiddle yard boards can take other scenic sections, and this latest arrival may imply that something nice a urban US-style may be on the cards in the future... New York Highline anyone?

This Alco RS3 is a Bachmann model...now, to get that sound chip!