I always envisaged that 'Tannery Lane' would be cobbled, with inset 'tramway-type' track. But how to do the cobbling? I gave some thought to commercially-available products - but he cobbling has to conform to both street and track formations, so a 'tailormade' inlay was the only real solution, and accept that it would be time-consuming.

I decided at the outset that the base would be my 'new best friend' - 'Depron Foam'. This is very similar to the high-density closed-cell urethane foam used for insulation. Only in much thinner sections! You often see it in use as 'fast food' boxes, but it is commercially available in large (36"x18") sheets. The thicknesses I use range from 2mm to 6mm depending on the project.

Why 'Depron'? well, it takes and holds a scribed surface. The embossing tool can be anything from a stylus to a biro pen. Personally I use a 0.5mm '3H' drop-lead pencil.. The other advantage (in this context) is that, cut to rough shape, inverted over previously-laid track and then pressed down along the rail-line, a perfect cutting template is formed...

Cut to shape it is then a case of setting out the cobbling and scribing it ... A job best done over several nights!

I decided to contain my patience and leave the painting until all the scribing was done. Whilst cobbles are not completely uniform in colour, I wanted the finish to be reasonably homogenous.

Colouring was done with 'Vallejo' acrylic paints & washes. I immediately broke the 'dark to light' rule, starting off with the base colour, 'Luftwaffe Blue'. Paint was dry-brushed diagonally across the run of the cobbles trying not to fill the mortar courses -

When dry, I then went to the lightest colour used, 'Vallejo's 'light grey wash'. This is in fact an ink, applied WITH the coursing using the flat tip of the brush almost like a knife-blade. I really only used it to 'kill' the glare of the still-visible foam -

The third layer is the darkest - a 'black wash' from the same range, which I wanted to use to highlight the coursing. However a quick test on a piece of scrap confirmed my suspicions that, unadulterated the ink would overpower everything. Therefore water was brushed-on first, and the black lifted with the still-wet brush onto the still-wet surface where, in the main it did what I wanted it to!

The major areas are now finished, but not yet laid in place. The trackwork still needs painting (a black layer adjacent to the inside of the running-rails to enforce the dark gap between track & cobbles) -

The area around the 'Tanners Arms' with its cobbled rear yard & access.

The Tannery area, with its own road access (which will lead directly into the building).

Obviously the paving areas need to be resolved - and the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed the apertures in the gutters for the storm-drains. I also need to think about fire-hydrants etc - but they'll come later.

TTFN

Ian