My order of additional OHL masts hasn't arrived yet so I concentrated my efforts on the concrete troughing, re-installing the lineside cabinets, a couple of test runs and trying out the knob pin spacers to raise the scenic modules enough to allow me to add lighting at some point without the wiring snagging on the baseboards.  Considerable amounts of superglue were used, some of which nearly welded my fingers together.



Concrete troughs.  With a wider than average six foot, they've been laid between the tracks.  Once the ballast is redone they should look fine, it's one of those details some overlook but I feel it's something worth doing.  The spare planter boxes can also sit in the wide six foot, a feature often seen in stations which have lost trackwork.



Signalling cabinets.  The freight line signal is a dummy as it will largely be hidden by New Government Buildings, but the signal on the platform road is a DC Concepts clip fit DCC controlled 3 aspect signal.  Unfortunately I could only get the track contacts to work in this location, so the loco and first coach will pass it on most trains, but as it is visible, it is fun to have a working signal, and should look good when I set the spotlights to twilight.

You may recall I designed the layout with modular scenic boards to allow me to temporarily remove them to access the track for cleaning etc.  However, I also intend to include street and building lights over time, to compliment the "environmental" LED spotlights which can be changed to represent different lighting levels and colours.  With modern stock increasingly fitted with lighting, it made sense to me to introduce the different sky conditions using colour changing spotlights.  However, running a wire loom under boards than will slide on and off meant that the wiring would probably get broken.  I could daisy chain the lighting looms using push connectors, but the wiring loom under the scenic module would be vulnerable.  The answer?  Knob pins, the sort used by TV detectives on maps in their crime room whilst the brood over the meaning of life, death and whether there will be a second series.  I bought a box of nice wooden pins which hammer into the baseboard and raise the board by about 10mm, more than enough headroom for even my cack handed electrical jobs.

Just need to buy some lights now.  They will have to wait until the Heljan 86 invasion arrives.



A test run to test the electrical feeds.  It's formed of an 81 and the 1975 air conditioned InterCity rake.  The lead vehicle is a cut and shut of two Airfix Mk2ds to make a BFK, not my work but a chance eBay purchase.  Beautifully painted and detailed.  The two FOs are the Hornby reworked Airfix Mk2d, bought cheap off Tatbay and Hereford Models.  In 1974-5 quite a few West Coast express rakes comprised Mk2d FOs and later Mk2e-f TSOs, strange that the posh end of the train had the less reliable air conditioning than the cheap seats, so I deliberately sourced the Mk2d FOs for that reason.  The RBR is the Mainline job that for something almost as old as the venerable Airfix Mk2d isn't too bad, I've got several and am happy with them, even with slightly recessed windows.  They are not as bad as the old Lima and Triang-Hornby window ledge glazing and in my view can sit happily alongside the more recent coaching stock.  The cheap seats are two Hornby Mk2f coaches, a Mk2e which seems to have far less visible panty line than I seem to remember, and a Mk2f BSO.  The platform comfortably accommodates 8 mk1 or mk2 coaches, so I'm only about 2 or 3 coaches short of a typical West Midlands rake.  There will be a second rake of early Mk2a coaches forming the other two hourly Wednesford IC diagram for 1975, a BFK, FK, a Mk1 FO, RBR, three Mk2a TSO and a Mk2 BSO.  There will also be a Mk1 cross country rake, and when forming the daily Harwich boat train weekdays, or the Saturday Yarmouth service, the Mk1 rake will have a Gresley blue/grey buffet, otherwise a standard Mk1 RMB!

I've mixed up some fine ballast ready for tomorrow, a mix of dark oily black, brown and light grey on a 1:1:3 ratio, which gives a nice weathered appearance.