Having had to take a day off yesterday due to a combination of a mystery dose of the Eartha Kitts, a raging runny nose and feeling like lightly reheated death, once my stomach stopped doing an impersonation of the Battle of the Somme I was able to carry on the Final Countdown.  Today comprised giving the track a deep clean, restringing more OHLE, cleaning up a load of stray ballast and generally getting things in place so I can run some trains.  I still need to add figures over the next week or so, and work out a way of having lighting on removable boards but I'm hoping that tomorrow I will finish the technical stuff, including programming the signal at the end of the platform, and setting up the track cleaning train which I hope will help reduce the need to keep removing the scenery to get to the track.  I think I can see the end in sight!

View across to the station from New Courthouse Square.  AirSol travel agents ("We never give you a bum deal") have taken the lease on the shops under the Council Chamber.

The sky paper, and the blue-white setting on the LED lamps gives a nice summery feel, so I suspect I will be dressing the streets with summery figures, people sitting on the grass, and so on.  The summer timetable was always the more interesting anyway with holiday trains and excursions bringing rare traction to the Midlands.

It's 1966 and Wednesford, like Dudley, sees buses from pretty much all the original Corporation fleets that were absorbed into WMPTE a couple of years later.  One of Walsall's second hand AEC RT deckers prepares to head back to the town whilst one of Midland Red's superb and highly advanced D9s is also waiting for the off.  The 154 on the rear number display is slightly off route.

The blue sky paper and the asphalt texture paint have been a Godsend.  The 3d printed bus shelter is slightly over-scale, I miscalculated the dimensions.  Yet again Bachmann or Hornby, get your rear into gear and make an RTP David Mellor shelter.

A glimpse of the station over the roof of Shaw Taylor House.  Wednesford's central nick was designed as a high security facility with direct underground access to the adjacent court building, but that high security doesn't extend to blocking off the public entrance with shrubbery despite appearances.

New Government Buildings, home to the local tax and dole offices.  An Austin LD50 Black Mariah waits for the barrier to rise to gain access to Fortress Shaw Taylor.

The staff car park to New Government buildings has a nice selection of classic motors in this 1966 view.  They had probably dissolved into piles of rust by 1970.  Triumphs, made in Canley in Coventry, are clearly popular, perhaps the Civil Servant's Union had a discount scheme or assisted purchase plan.

The vista from the Swan Centre has been improved by a sky backscene and OHLE.  The precinct will be populated in the next few weeks, but as the buildings are somewhere between 1:87 and 1:96 (not a problem so long as you don't locate them next to 1:76 buildings or features that show a scale discrepancy) I will be going for German TT scale figures.

"Noddy" van newly repainted into BR Corporate Parcels yellow makes a delivery to the chippy.  Again I need to add figures and street lighting.

Walking over the footbridge from the chippy to Euneda House.  HMRI would have a right fit about the lack of clearance for the 25kV under the footbridge.  Still, should make for a lively walk.

One good thing about taking close up photos is you can see where you have made a cock up.  The backscene, for example, is a cut and shut job of Gaugemaster N scale housebacks and sky paper. However, some of the trimming is a bit carp.  I think a couple of half-depth trees from the Model Tree Company should set that right.

The prefab on the left is now finished, I decided it wouldn't be lit internally, so the occupants will be out every evening, but as the one on the right has a lounge and kitchen window fronting the railway, I need to design a 3d printed interior so I can internally light it.  Hence the unfinished roof.

I really do like these kits, really well produced and so unusual.

I've changed the bus turning circle.  When I put in the backscene I was unhappy with the junction between the layby and the backscene, and it looked like the road just vanished.  Having mulled it over, I added a strip of black painted paper to the bottom of the backscene and then added some new pavement, relocated the bus shelter (hidden by the bus) and changed the direction of the traffic.  It seems to work and has the advantage of giving the footbridge a bit more circulation space.  There's also room to park up a second bus on layover if I want, or a milkfloat delivering to Euneda House.

So, not much more basic work left to do, apart from figures, lighting and an interior for the prefab and ARP signalbox.  I may still be some time.