Entry posted by dseagull
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Tonight has seen a productive session on the layout, after a frustrating evening with the soldering iron on Sunday. Soldering is one of those things I cannot seem to get to grips with (that's blown any pretensions of being a Finescale modeller!) and after some soul-searching, I have decided to go with the Peco pre-wired fishplates, at least initially. If I somehow develop the ability to connect a piece of wire to a piece of track using hot metal in the future, I will change it.
These though have made life a lot easier for me - tonight I have put all bar three of the feeds in place (modelling time was slightly shortened by a non-sleeping baby this evening!), so tomorrow, all things being equal, could see the first trains trundle across the layout.
Talking of the layout, it looks a little different from the last plan...
I'm not sure what, but something didn't quite sit right with me about the last variant, so tonight, using the trusty map pins and some boxes rescued from the recycling bag, I went back to mocking up. You can see the gradient has already been put in place, the Woodland Scenics polystyrene profile is, in my opinion superb - it is nicely flexible but strong, and is cut very accurately. It cost less than £6 - and the box contained 6 2' sections. For that price, it is worth the 'time cost' alone to use it!
So - what's new. Well, from the Alfriston direction, trains still coast down the gradient but now run into what was previously the runaround loop and is now the platform - the Frubes box represents the station building for now. As before, the loco can cross over the level crossing to run around if required. Goods workings, however, are propelled back into the siding, which has seen a separate siding for coal pens reinstated. The white card (the folded innards of a Mini Rolls packet!) represents a loading platform, on which will sit a Goods Store, as preliminary research has revealed nothing in the local area which could possibly justify a large Goods Shed. The siding running behind the platform will serve either cattle pens (certainly more than plausible as a distinctly agricultural area), or perhaps an Engine Shed with the platform side wall being used to hold up a canopy (as at Hailsham, where the engine shed went in 1885 but one wall lasted until 1968!), or possibly even both (again, at Hailsham Station the cattle pens were on the approach to the engine shed.
As before, shortly after the station building is a level crossing, crossing over the lane. By far the biggest change though is the viewing side - it is now switched, giving more space at the 'front' of the layout to play with scenically, although in keeping with the 'rural idyll' master plan, think Greenery rather than industry!
I hope I have explained my reasons for yet another change well enough, and thanks for continuing to stick with me throughout the process. You never know, this time next week you might see some trains!
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