Under way at last, another portable baseboard module (no. 2) i. This allows completion of the platforms and accommodate the station proper. The module is interlocked with the 1st module to ensure that the railway tracks are kept aligned in both the horizontal and vertical planes. With the construction completed I wanted to concentrate on the SAC Bridge 116 which is an occupational access for the farmers sheep or stock.

The Eastern portal was slightly difficult as mostly there are no photographs of it.

Photos of that side indicate the terrain rises sharply away from behind uphill and around towards the Network Rail communications mast tower.

On the Western portal the ground falls away from the embankment that supports the Garsdale Station and tracks and the original turntable set up. There’s going to be a lot of good grazing ground on this layout,not to mention drystone walls.

After my second attempt to build the portals that were more satisfactory from a visual point of view I found a little fettling of the top baseboard timber was necessary to ensure a good tunnel fit. The inside of a small OO scale tunnel construction is very hard to see from perhaps a metre away, particularly if is painted in dark colours, so don’t bring your torches to check this one please.

I’m using offcuts of polystyrene floor insulation for my diorama scenery. For me this is an easy if not a little dusty at times method of keeping my module weight to a minimum. Some use hot wire to work it which would eliminate the dust, but simple hacksaw blades and a sure foam rasp gets the job done and you can always cut and add extra foam blocks if you wish to rework any area. A multi tool with a wide blade can really get one artistic as well.

But I,m getting ahead of myself here, the poly offcuts were approximately 40 x 50 x metre long with other odd sizes as well. Having roughly sketched the terrain out on the plywood base, these strips should make it easier for building up the rolling diorama up for the fields below the station.

Mud Beck Gill also was difficult, as it disappears below and behind a dry stone wall

reappearing from under the station on the West embankment at the bottom of a dry stone retaining wall. Once it is is in place a suitable culvert outlet will be made.

Getting back to the track work and the Northern end of the station platforms I have used the pencil in the centre of my longest HST carriage method for gauging the platform edges. Using the ‘Standard OO Gauge Standard Dimensions’ as a reference guide, the 11 mm from platform edge to the outer side of the inner most rail worked out accurately when checked out physically. Similarly the platform height did as well when the cork bed and sleeper/rail combination along with a 18 mm platform base and 1.5 mm platform card top left approximately a 2.0 mm platform top to under the carriage step gap.

Edit Sorry for the photo size difference . Trying to get more in didn't work out!

Phil