Well, I have been waiting for this moment for quite a few weeks. Now back in France where the layout is/will be located. "is" is a bit of a misnomer because it doesn't yet exist. However the buildings, stock and materials are all here, so a start can be made.

I spent this afternoon at two Bricos in north Perpignan. The first, Brico Depot (could that be take on Home Depot, the granddaddy of DIY stores?) seemed to be a bit chaotic, so I went a few kilometers further to Tridome, a local store that even has signs in Catalan and English as well as French. Choosing the right materials is very important and I simply don't trust pine as it never seems to be stable enough. So I have selected an MDF product which the French use for base/skirting boards. This is 10cm wide, deep enough to contain Tortoise point motors. I plan to make a strong egg crate type structure with this material with plenty of corner braces. I will also prime the MDF to avoid moisture swelling. Not that there is much humidity here.

For the surface I have selected 20cm thick polystyrene sheet used for insulation. This will be bonded to the underlying frame and then framed with masonite (I think the British term is hardboard) for backdrop/additional strength. The existing buildings will be installed in spaces cut into the polystyrene sheet. The baseboard joins will be strengthened as well and alignment dowels will be used.

The whole idea is to make the base boards strong but also keep the weight down. Each module will be approximately 3 ft x 2 ft, making the visible layout nine feet long. This size will allow me to fit the modules into my car should I ever want to ship it somewhere.

Should I add the gas works to the layout this will simply be bolted onto the side of the goods yard. The wall between goods yard and gas works will mask the join.

As the building gets under way I will post some photos.