HONLEY tANK's 'N' gauge trainset

Progress has not been too bad; the baseboard, with its removable back-scene boards is more or less completed,

We chose to use Metcalf kits for bridges and retaining walls and those are all built. The high street shops are also to be Metcalf, half-relief in this case, and many of those are now built too.

The track is down and ballasted, and this week the point operation and wiring has been completed.

Here's a few progress pics:-

The baseboard built and with a sealing coat of paint or varnish all round. It's a bit larger than first thoughts - 34" x 12" x 3.5"

Prior to the painting the 'Inglenook' track layout had been tested on the table top. Remember, for the puzzle to work, siding length must be train length related. Here the test track is cellotaped in its approximate place. Since then, we decided to have a through line too.

Margaret's idea to call this layout 'Woodnook' led to the desire to include a small wood. Again to keep to the "easy modelling" theme, we purchased a "Forest-in-a-box" (sea-moss) from Greenscenes and here's her first tree; a real "shake out of the box" model!

Margaret took to the Metcalf kits and here is some of the High Street.

Entry to/from the rest of the world will be via road-over bridges, one at each end but the RH version will only be opened up if the team modelling game becomes excessive and the layout extended.

Our dining room converted to temporary workshop!

We had reached the stage of doing the electrics. I'm sorry to have to admit that Margaret forsook the chance to learn how to solder, so the wiring was my solo effort.

More next week,

Dave & Margaret