Worsdell forever

Got the wood edge around the back of the last two boards last night, filled with snow this morning and now getting it covered with paper, got on to the Darlington & Stockton times now (struggling to get used to them being that way round...)

Unfortunately it was only valid last Friday and Saturday, will be driving passed a cooplands today... Will be calling at Bothams on our way through Whitby anyway and they're much better...

According to my phone this was 3 years ago today.

Looks spot on, properly swept out.

Would have been open spoke (split) when built, May have got plain spoked in later years.

The front of the layout is now fully covered. And for the next section along the back, I've acquired a copy of the Darlington & Stockton Times...

Not sure what paper they would get in Bilsdale, Evening Gazette from the Boro every night but either Darlington & Stockton Times or Malton Gazette & Herald...

More land forming. Hammers are very good at holding it down while the glue dries. Run out of Whitby Gazette so moved on the the old East Cleveland free paper that stopped printing 18 months ago. And finally last night, the bit behind the station building.

Open a wallet, that'll wake him up...

So now I know it all runs something like right I can get back to progressing with the pretty bits, more snow added! Along the front and behind the station building.

Last one I bought, May 2021, not enough to finish the layout, going to have to buy another sometime...

The first train ran the whole length of the layout from fiddleyard to fiddleyard and back this morning with no great issues, I need to install small bolts to locate the turntables but otherwise all went well.

Second fiddleyard is now wired, nothing has run on it yet but I've had the meter across it and it buzzed when it should, spun it round and plugged it in the other side and it's correctly reversed. It might not be the prettiest wiring but it works! It will be altered eventually when the fourth track is added.

And it's all up, had a shuffle round and turned the boards through 90° so I can get both fiddleyards up. Now to wire that second fiddleyard...

Just open the layout room door, is the landing light on?

And then there were three. This time I'm going to run the wires across the middle, there's no need to take them to the ends as long as the red at one side connects to the black at the other.

Got the first end of the first track down on the second fiddleyard tonight along with the short link track.

I drilled through the end vertical posts but the inner and diagonals are fabricated around the wires out of plastic strip.

The second fiddleyard is now underway.

Secret is to start training them young...

Another little job done, the stop blocks are stuck down and a bit of ballast thrown about.

A little alteration to the fiddleyard, I've added a strip of plywood between it and board one, it's sort of L shaped to provide a slot for the backscene to ho in to. Tonight I've fitted a slightly longer piece of track in the gap.

So, back to the carriages, there's now a respectable set of four. Two, a D18 3 compartment van third and a D14 8 compartment ordinary third that were finished a few years ago. Next is the D5 lavatory composite that is externally finished, needs glazing and seats, last is a D77 5 compartment van third, built many years ago and finished in late LNER condition with electric lights and middle lower steps removed, lamp tops have been added but the steps still need to be added but it has been repainted, lettered and lined. Please don't look too closely at the lining, I'm getting better at it!

Still slowly plodding along with carriages, more of that later but we've just been to get some eggs from a local farm and they're slowly refurbishing the building, they also sell potatoes and a barrow has appeared to put them on, a North Eastern platform barrow.

From 'Trade and Commerce of the NER District 1912'. In 1912 500,000 tons imported through Hartlepool although 2/3 of that was pit props or as they called it 'mining timer'. No amount for the Humber but it was valued at £2.1M. Other ports handling a lot less.