Here we are currently up to date!

I started off laying track on the station section board but very quickly realised that I need to complete some of the scenery behind it before this section is fitted.

I always knew that parts of my layout would be difficult to reach and after deliberating over this for nearly a year at the planning stage I decided to continue as having wide boards with deep scenery sections was very important to me. I have many plans for scenic features in the future. So, the frame work has been built very strong allowing a couple of areas to be reached from above by standing on the layout!

The far corner though needs a lift out section and that is where I started. It will be raised from underneath rather than lifted from above - these two approaches to reaching difficult areas are more commonly used on European layouts including of course Miniatur Wunderland but also small household layouts that I have found in my research. The two handles on the lift out panel are temporary to aid adjustments before fitting. I have added supports for the panel including a "lip" on the adjacent station area board.

In my design the corner lift out section has no track on it so that it is a simple scenery section where I intend to cover the join with hedging etc. I am finding that this kind of section requires much thinking time. This does however allow me to work comfortably on this scenic section before putting it in place.

THE STATION

In order to plan the scenery properly behind the station I need the station building, or at least a mock-up of it.  

This is where my major change comes in to my approach with manmade structures. I have decided to 3D print most of the buildings and in future some road vehicles and rolling stock – might even attempt a loco or two.

What had stopped me going in this direction in the past was the price of my favourite software SolidWorks. However over the last year or so SolidWorks became available to “Makers”. It is not free but at about £10 per month I was keen to sign up. I would point out here that for me this makes sense as I taught SolidWorks for about 15 years in school having had the advantage of the official SolidWorks training – long before the budget cuts for schools that has left them little chance of paying for expensive staff training. However having had my training I was able to train other staff, including many at other schools and universities.

So, I have signed up and am using SolidWorks at home. Whether 3D printing or building by hand the first step is still research. I’ve made a trip to Acklington station upon which my station is based, taken loads of photographs and measurements. I have also joined the North Eastern Railway Association and purchased many of their excellent books. I am starting the station working on a plan from one of these as shown below.

I should point out that I don’t have a 3D printer yet but intend to buy one of the large format resin printers later this year. Again I’m researching these, at school we had FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) printers (that’s the one’s where you buy a roll of plastic and its melted in layers – more complicated than that really but you get what I mean?) IMHO not so good for the very fine details I will have at 1:76th scale. So SLA – Stereolithography (laser solidifies resin one layer at a time) will be my choice as SLS – Selective Laser Sintering (laser solidifies a powdered material e.g. plastic one layer at a time) is well out of my price range.

So I'll get the station plan completed along with the platforms so that I can create the basic scenery behind it. The I'll finally fix the station track board in place and then test it and paint dark brown as a base coat. In the mean time I'm going to get some 3D models ready for printing - probably about September time.

That's all for now then and with everything up to date it maybe a little while before my next entry.

Cheers!