Just over a fortnight remains until our club open day, and there are still any number of things we need to sort out on the layout before then.

It seems odd, bearing in mind that work will be carried out on the layout during the open day, that there is this mad rush, however a number of jobs that have been ongoing have crossed the board joins. These need to be complete before the layout is split and transported.

Last night the track work was more or less completed; we now have continuous running again. A gremlin seems to have struck the branch wiring, so some further investigation is needed here. Ballasting will take place on the main line, and hopefully some of the overhead catenery will be replaced.

Further positive movements have been made with the bridge, which looks a little better now the sides have been fixed. These will be painted next week, as well as the road way being put down and the piers etc. tidied up. Street lights etc. will also be fitted... In addition to the bridge, work has also started on the landscaping behind the road. This will be steep in places, and will be, in the main, wooded.

Other work included some progress on the industrial estate at the front of the layout; the arrival of a new footbridge for the station, which has duly been dispatched to our resident building expert for modification; the tidying up of the new carpark area and filling of gaps...this will be painted next week; and finally the first coat of paint on the backscene.

Lots to do...