I've made good progress on the layout in the last couple of months. The track is wired, fully tested and running, control panel built and signals operational. Work can now start on the scenic treatment. Meanwhile the buildings are coming on, with photos of the station building and signal box attached. I am now working on the goods shed.

Ventnor West has two exhibition bookings now, the first at the Moors Valley Railway modelling weekend and the second at the Farnham MRC show in Aldershot. It will be exhibited in conjunction with Mark Pretious's Merstone Junction layout.

And the most exciting development at the moment is the building of No. 35 Freshwater, based on a Southeastern Finecast whitemetal kit, which will be powered by the latest Acc+Ess Protocab wireless remote control equipment which is being developed to suit small 4mm scale tank locos. If all goes well, the branch will be operating wirelessly at the exhibition in October.

Meanwhile, there has been no progress on Cowes and Newport...