One of the features of the layout which has been there in all versions is the raised area hiding the curve back to the fiddle yard. Originally it was because I would need a very tight curve at that end and as I'm not a fan of "trainset" curves, I thought it would be good to hide it under a "town square" as in real life many towns are lumpy. Think Birmingham New Street or Walsall where the station entrance is higher (although in the case of Walsall the Rugeley annexe is at street level), and the idea of a station opening out onto a town square took hold - it also gave me an extra two square feet of scenic area, so a win win all round.

Although the new plan has done away with the main line station I've kept the raised section as it neatly tricks you into thinking the train is approaching the main station, which conveniently is the other side of the shed wall, the only clue being the station entrance buildings on one side of the square. The addition of the scenic mantlepiece behind the tracks which are now more centrally located, also means I have been able to thin out some of the buildings in the square which has allowed me to build a small bus station in front of the station. Forget that old model railway cliche of "the bus on the bridge", 

go XXL and do a bus station on a tunnel. Buses on bridges are for wimps.

Old Town Hall Square is now purely bus, taxi and station access. The idea is the old town hall, which also doubled up as the courthouse, was originally, before the war, the centre of a massive traffic blackspot, with two narrow parallel roads, Station Street and Queen Street, with the area now the bus station being the old market place. After the war, the building of the Euneda Highway inner relief road enabled the Council to replan the area, and in particular provide space for the new Courthouse and some extra retail, whilst a new "out of town" bus station was planned for the old market which was moved to the Swan Centre. It anticipated the closure of some rail lines and needing to provide good interchange for the rail replacement buses.



Take no notice of the patchwork paving in the outer stand, I'm waiting on a new delivery of paving modules to finish it. Each stand can take two buses, depending on length, and there's a layover next to the Old Town Hall. Bus shelters are my own design based on the David Mellor Abacus design, and 3d printed.  Note the 3d printed stainless steel BR totem makes a return, and Jan the bus driver is lighting up a Harry Wragg, whilst Dirk, his conductor, has a moan about the impending switch to One Man buses which will see the D9 they've abandoned withdrawn.

Jan and Dirk? They're model Dutch bus crew figures from Artitec, the Dutch scenic modelling company!

The War Memorial (military, not the civilian one in the park) is now on a bed of traditional cobbles in front of the Old Town Hall. The Wednesford in Bloom Ninjas have been at it again. Once I have finished the paving I will weather the colours down a bit.



The new court, and the taxi rank in front of the station. Some dozy Doris in a 2CV has pulled up in the Taxi Rank instead of using the short stay car park to the right of the new Courthouse.  Note the green GPO telephone cabinets, a cheap 3d printed set from Tatbay.  I'll be adding more landscaping around the BR totem, and when the new paving arrives, bollards.

Station entrance, again awaiting new pavement sections. The two single story sections are 1960s Pola/Jouef models of the Mod-X style stations BR designed for the electrification scheme, to which I added the slightly higher section, designed to match the dimensions of the grid design of the kits, and then 3d printed, along with the station sign and the slightly arty roof.

once the weather calms down I can finish off the remaining technical work such as ballasting and electrical feeds.