At least the inset track won't need ballasting. Hmm which is easier inset track or ballasting........? The card retainers seemed to have worked well. All looks very effective.

Don

Don - Thanks - Agreed...there's only a short stretch of ballast required on this board...thankfully.

Jack - Thanks also - I am banking on the 2FS flange as I don't want to do too much scraping with a screwdriver....

Couldn't one of those hefty 37s just cut their way through?

Don

Couldn't one of those hefty 37s just cut their way through?

I am tempted to just clean the rail tops and see if anything actually runs into it and picks any current up

Doesn't looked to have cracked as much this time Pete. I'm amazed that you have not tried to run anything yet

What are those bits of track thatw e can see in the second, third and last pictures at the far left end... are they on a different level? Have I missed something fundamental in your design?

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the comments.

The track you are referring to is the small sliding plate that will be partially hidden below the loading bay. As it slides, and is straight, I will do this in card.

Up until only recently, I had assumed that locos had entered the dries and run around (as the loop closes off my board width) but they never did...the loads were run around in the loop beneath Moorswater viaduct and then were propelled back in by the loco. In later years this had been suplemented by the English Electric 0-4-0 Sharon and then the converted County 1471 Tractor.

Herewith my dilema....when I planned the layout, I decided to compromise on omitting said loop beneath the viaduct and instead model the dries. Locos would arrive, pull foward beneath the covered loading bay and then using my sliding mini traverser run around their trains.

So my layout was built to allow a 25, 37 and even a 66 to get around the curves...and then my research revealed that they never did so

So...in order to allow the layout to function, it will start as this, and then in theory if I build a 4th board, it could include said loop beneath the viaduct to allow me to run around and propel back as per the prototype. This idea was floated during a recent family dinner...and met with a little resistance shall we say, from the other 50% stakeholder of my apartment

Sorry for the long reply...I hope that answers your query...I need another espresso now

I'm amazed that you have not tried to run anything yet

Thanks Kris...might try it tonight...look out for a 'beached 25 or 37' in Youtube...

Jon - Must admit, just running the class 25 up and down the two sidings before I coated them with muck was fun for me...but then I am easily pleased...

DD118 - Thank you. Seeing how Board 4 was received at dinner the other night...I thought best not to even raise Board 5 yet (has the incline to Liskeard) If there is any moving to be done it will probably be me, being shunted to another apartment...I had best stick with 3 for now

Hi Pete.

Looks like you've cracked the cracking (I never took my coat off....)

I'm curious to see how much material you have to remove to allow stock to run. I found I needed to make a fairly large groove for N gauge stock although 2mm will obviously be slightly less.

Tom.

Hi Pete.Looks like you've cracked the cracking (I never took my coat off....)

I see we are on the same wavelength Tom

Scraping and swearing Fettling of the trackwork will commence this weekend. I will try to get things running smoothly first again and then apply a final topcoat/skim/making good coat of clay after that...am sounding like an architect almost

Andy - Many thanks - that sounds a great tip...I have a number of those screwdrivers...but...no calipers so will have to judge by trial and error with the flanges.

Scott - Thanks also. I think it is key to getting the dries to look right.

Fettling has commenced in an effort to get trains running again...I feel a blog update coming on