Well, the last entry on this blog series was some seven months ago, and life since then has been a real roller-coaster. Since losing Zoe's dad, we have found out that, for tax purposes - and to protect her should he have had to enter full-time care - Jim had put the house in her name. Unfortunately this was only done some three years ago (when Zoe's mum passed away) so she was not going to be fully protected vis a vis inheritance tax. She had maintained all along that she did not wish to move into the house and our personal planning had moved on other lines (hence the original intention to make 'Upton Dene' a modular layout with scenic & hidden sections, making any move into another proerty (hopefully in the dim & distant future) a point at which the railway could be more fully developed. But it was not to be. Taxation issues meant that we really had no choice but to move in. Not only would Zoe be liable to inheritance tax (which she actually didn't have to pay in the finality) but she would be liable to Capital Gains Tax on the whole value of the property if she sold it! The b*****ds will get you if they can!

Having decided to take on the property (a very nice '60's-built 4 bed detached) Zoe naturally wanted to make it 'ours'. The gas 'hot air' CH would have to go - along with all the auxilliary gas fires, and the house would have to be completely redecorated. We then found that beds 1& 2 had built-in cupboards over the stairwell, which if conbined would make a nice en-suite shower room. Bed 1 being Jims bedroom was out as a master bedroom so I suggested that (at 2.8 x 3.5m) it would make a nice railway room. Very tongue in cheek - but Zoe agreed! So the house became a building-site - all tools disappeared into it and all modelling ceased. Temporarily I thought....

By mid-September, this was the railway room. A little bare!

As usual with building projects, snags, time & cost-over-runs arose & we didn't move in until 15th November.

Us - and over 100 boxes (most of them in the railway room!) THe house was still a 'project in progress' (and still is) with light switches & plug units hanging off walls, ceilings still at the 'bare joist' stage (Oh yes, as I stripped the wallpaper in most rooms the plaster came with it!)

However, by 11 dec - all the boxes were gone & serious planning could start.

'Upton Dene' was conceived as a branchline modelled in it's entirety, running from 'Upton Dene' (loosely based on Moreton in Marsh to 'Ambridge' (based on Abingdon) passing through one intermediate station and some 'lineside industries) see the 2010 Comp entry on 'A dairy for Ambridge'. Unfortunately the dairy section, built on a curve minimum radius 3' 9" is not going to easily fit the new site! The layout was always envisaged nas having to 'climb round the walls' of the existing workshop unit that far-off move when it could all be laid out properly. Ah well, the dreams of mice & men! Mustn't complain tho' - there are people who would kill for the space I've got...

So initially the junction station will be built. To allow for a 'round the walls' approach, the 'roundy-roundy' bit will be at 1m AGL, and the branch will lap the room twice in it's ascent to the terminus. So the first element is the staging to carry the lower level -

Well, all those boxes had to be emptied somewhere!. Once emptied -

They become the 'Wundy Boxes' (one day I'll get around to building the kits in them!') Normally the kits reside in drawers etc, but

With a 3m workbench down one wall (complete with sink & H&C taps), the drawer units will hold tools etc

So here I am at the present. Oh yes - two days aftr we moved, my mum passed away - so I've lost three close relatives in 7 months, done a very stressful house-move (still stripping floors at 3am on the day we moved in) and to cap it all both Zoes' job & mine have been under threat! I went to the doc's today - I'm now off work 'til 3 Jan '12 - but I'm not allowed to handle sharp tools....

There may be more poss before Xmas - a track schematic, plan of works etc. However, stress levels are such that decision-making of any kind is somewhat difficult. In cse I dont post agin - have a great Xmas and a modellers ew Year!

BFN

Ian