After a more off than on January I've finally got my backside into gear. I realised that I was getting behind (that's if I was ever up to date?) and have set myself goals on a monthly basis. The first of these is to have the track laid and operational at the end of February.

So far all the rails are in the blocked crossing area that makes up the east end of the platform. I'm really impressed with how it has come out, and running stock through it appears I only have one tweak to make where the gauge is over on the entrance to the loop causing the wheels to bind back to back on the check and wing rails. I need to get it down on the board along with some of the surrounding track to test it more thoroughly.

An overall view:

The switches are all early type (the introduction of flexible switches by the GWR was later) using a check chair as a pivot. If these turn out to wear excessively or become unreliable I will have to uproot the switch and pin it through the track bed or perhaps substitute brass chairs. They seem like they may well be up to the job as they are. I made a little jig to prevent filing the foot of the rail when forming the taper on the running face. You may notice that all the stock rails are joggled. Although tiny on the prototype they are very distinctive so I wanted to include them. I made myself a jig to do this so the joggle is a consistent size and distanced correctly from the rail break beyond the switch toe.

Some other detail views:

Incidentally the van standing in the long siding is the LNWR dia 88 association kit.

Now I have to get on with the two connections at the east end of the yard and the very short crossing adjacent to the wagon turntable.