Well we've been settled in the new house for a couple of months now and in the last month I've been beavering away trying to get Brafferton to a state where I won't be embarrassed by it come March and Nottingham. I'm not going to post anymore photos of the layout before Nottingham and hopefully this will make it more enjoyable for those who visit the show. The layout is now permanently erected indoors with the ability to run it and work on it in comfortable surroundings; a much better situation than at the last house.

Now, unlike Julia (Missy), I do not like fiddleyards (or staging for that matter) and unlike Valetin, I do not like soldering (nor am I half as good at it as he appears to be). Before we moved house, Edward Sissling had kindly agreed to fabricate some pointwork for the staging for Brafferton to make the one off-scene track into four loops. This will enable eight to ten trains to be held during exhibitions. "Let me have the dimensions and I'll sort them said Edward". Nice chap, eh? Anyway following the move, I failed to let him have any dimensions of any description; how thick am I?

When my thoughts returned to the staging, I had a change of heart. Yes, use the same system, but why not do it myself? I knew my soldering would be a bit rusty having hardly looked at a soldering iron in months, but how rusty shocked even myself! So I could have farmed the work out, but having found the time to do it myself, I've re-honed some somewhat blunt skills. The results are a bit shabby, but they work and only the operators will ever see them. Job done!

Oh no! Now you've all seen them. The shame, the shame!!