I was very pleased with how many people read my first blog entry yesterday. A big thanks to those people who commented. For the member who wanted more pics I am happy to oblige.

Yesterday I described how I had started building my layout, based loosely on the preserved station at Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors. One of the first scenic areas I have completed is the embankment which carries the footpath towards the location of Darnholm.

Here are a couple of pictures of the completed the structure.

This first picture gives an overview of the embankment, complete with trees and footpath. As you can see, some of the stone scatter material wasn't stuck down well enough onto the footpath and it has started to come off revealing the grey paint underneath (see bottom of the picture). I will have to repair this at a later date.

This second picture gives a low level view of the embankment and footpath taken from the bottom of the enbankment.

More developments

Being a teacher the progress with Skaleby seems to go in "fits and starts". During term time the workload often prevents me from doing any scenic work, although I do find time to run the occasional train. But during the holidays things seem to move much quicker. The baseboards were only completed back in March. The track layout was experimented with during the Easter period before it was finally pinned down during the June half term. The "Darnholm embankment" was completed during the summer break along with the bases for the station buildings.

As this week is my half term things are moving forward once again. I have turned my attention to the "Pickering" end of the layout where trains will leave the station under a road over bridge. The bridge has been placed "in-situ" and the embankments for the associated cutting has now been started. As before I built up the area using the polysterene blocks from Skaledale buildings. These were glued down before screwed up newspaper was added on top to create a basic shape ( as seen in this picture).

I once again cut out strips of cardboard and stuck this on top of the newspaper to provide a firm base for the road. The whole structure was then covered with plaster bandage.

I also added a cardboard base to the top of the enbankment for the pub which will stand here and overlook the station. I have placed the pub in the correct position for this shot. The building is the Skaledale "Mason's Arms".

This whole area has now been left to dry. You may notice that on one side of the bridge the embankment has a "recess built in" (where the paintbrush is on an earlier shot!). This will house the signal box and a lamp hut. For those of you who know Goathland station you will realise that this is the wrong side. At the real location a water tower sits here. Sadly, space prevented me from placing the signal box in its true position on the near side of the line. Had I tried to put it there I would have had a very short platform or no goods yard, and both were important to me.

Also I do not like the ground level signal box at Goathland, nor its associated Hornby model. I have therefore used major artistic license and moved the signal box location, and changed the style of the box too. The box I will use is actually Bachmann's model of Highley signal box from the Severn Valley Railway. Ok, ok I know it is not right for the area, but like I said previously...it is my layout so I will choose what I like! Besides as Skaleby is on a fictional preserved line I could easily invent a story to suggest that the original North Eastern box has been demolished!!! Anyway I like the Bachmann model and had to use it somewhere!

I have placed the Bachmann box in its location for this shot which was taken of a Hornby West Country (Clovelly) whilst on test prior to be placed on EBay. Not sure why I bought this model. I think I had some spare cash and my local model shop was having a sale!

Anyway moving on! With the bridge cuttings drying what is next?? I still have a few half term days left and I am sure there will be a bit of modelling time to be found amongst the decorating of the baby's room! So what are my plans?

My next projects will be:

* Permenantly pinning down the track in the fiddle yard.

* Build a hidden storage siding to expand storage space in the fiddle yard.

* Paint the cuttings in brown base paint.

* Begin to add scenery to the rear of the far platform.

Oh and I still need to connect up the track to the main engine shed scene and add scenery around the single road shed too. Watch this space!