Ray H

Here's the results of today's labours. The inspection pit got its walls and steps and, whilst the paint was drying prior to installation, I started thinking about the LR embankment end nearest the drop in sections. I eventually did some ballasting around the inspection pit albeit that it hasn't been "glued" down yet. One of the disadvantages of having to do the far side of the rails (effectively) blind was that, as can be seen below, a lot of the cinder ballast ended up on the pit floor. I've yet to work out how to retrieve what's gone into the pit. Do I wait until the cinders at track level are glued down or do I try and recover it now. My present thinking is to try and make an extension to go on the end of my hand-held vac's hose and try that, probably tomorrow. The other task alluded to above was to continue the embankment adjacent to the drop in section where there has always been a void awaiting a decision on how I was going to create the buttresses. I used some extruded polystyrene which I cut and shaped and covered with plaster impregnated cloth. I'll give it a coat of green paint tomorrow and then sprinkle static grass over it.

A friend came round yesterday for a running session. We ran less than 6 trains in just over 2 hours and spent the rest of the time nattering. However, it did give me the opportunity to show said friend the work that I'd done on the (drop-in) viaduct's buttresses - where the number tackled so far has increased to three since the above image was taken. It was my intention this afternoon to make a start on fitting the coping stones - at least, that's what I assume they're called - on top of the buttresses and along the top of one of the viaduct walls. It didn't work out that way😗. One of the things that I've had in the back of my mind for a long while is to build a pit just in front of the loco shed. All right, it probably isn't the best time to do so once the track is laid and about 21 inches from the front of the layout, and where there's not much more than about 8 inches headroom above the baseboard. Anyway, none of those things were going to change so I made a stab at it. Firstly I put extra track pins in the outer ends of alternate sleepers to hold the track to gauge. The multi-tool was then pressed into service to, initially cut away the centre of the sleepers and then, following my efforts with a craft knife to remove the cork underlay tidily, the multi-tool was used again to cut out the plywood between the rails. That was the state of play when the above picture was taken. What said picture doesn't show is the void between the underside of the top baseboard level and the top of the bottom strengthening piece of plywood - I will remind readers that this baseboard sits above the " BR hidden sidings" and comprises 2 thicknesses of 6mm plywood separated by some 25mm square softwood framing, which is why there's a second plywood layer and the said void. The picture is quite flattering because it doesn't show the very roughly cut (and not) straight edges or, indeed, the hash I made of cutting the sleepers blind. I've since tidied up the edge of the pit that will be seen from the normal viewing angle. I've got some thin balsa sheet that I've cut down to size to act as the pit wall. The top of the balsa is level with the sleeper tops so I'll fill the void between sleeper with cinders - my first thought was to use plaster but trying to limit where it goes to just where I want it is going to be nigh on impossible, so I'll use cinder ballast held in place with PVA.

Take a look at my small O gauge (shunting) layout - Puzzel Yard. I had around 20 wagons on it and two locos. I put the list of wagon numbers into Excel and used its randomise function to (randomly!) decide which siding each wagon was to be shunted into. I generated 10 such lists which I again used randomly. It took a very long time to get the same pair of lists following each other, by which time I'd forgotten what order I moved the wagons around previously.

I like your trees. Did you make them yourself?

Is the floor layout on the same size boards as the plans you're suggesting? How will the layout be supported? Is it on the floor or will it have legs? Is it possible to walk around the outside of the layout to change points/couple/uncouple or do you plan to have to duck under the boards and operate from the inside of the "circle"? Have you thought about starting off with proprietary items like platforms that can be replaced/enhanced over time to teach/learn new skills? Like others, I like the on the floor layout. All but one point are on the same side of the layout which avoids the need to walk over, climb under, walkaround to get to other parts of the (with the possible exception of re-railing after any derailments). All I would add is a crossover between the two "circles" which would allow all sidings to be accessed by any train. Equally, wiring of the on-floor layout is so much easier. It looks as though you would just need two track connections on the left hand side of the layout. I'd suggest letting your lad loose with that (floor) layout plan and find out for himself what it allows him to do or not to do and the pair of you can then work out how to add or remove features.

And even that pesky "I'll stop everything" signal is hiding in disgrace!

I'm glad that I checked the runaway stop board on the gradient because it didn't clear the fence 😔. I had to round off the lower end to get the necessary clearance but it still does what it's intended to do. I've also made a start on the buttresses at the ends of the viaducts. The buttress on the inside of the LR's viaduct curve has been made and fitted. The buttress facing the one in the picture is a lot shorter as it rests on the plywood that is the track base on the gradient - the lower part of that buttress won't be visible from the inside of the layout. The walls on the outside edge of the viaducts have had to be lengthen slightly - the join in the printed brickwork is just visible in the above picture. I've still got to extend the embankment adjacent to the buttress - that should be fun (I think not!). That will hide the lower part of the buttress so the screw won't be seen thereafter.

The fence is in and the bottom foot or so has had the wire blackened. I'll blacken the rest over the next few days. I must remember to check that my runaway stop board will swing clear of the fence 🤨 I've also reversed the (home-made) alignment "dowels" - brass rod in brass tube! - so that the pin is affixed to the drop in section (viaduct) rather than being on the fixed part of the layout. That way I can fix the viaduct's buttresses to the fixed part of the layout where they can disguise the locating socket. The pin will be fixed to the viaduct where it isn't so obvious. I can then add some scenic effects to the buttress rather than leaving bare baseboard so that the locating pin can be accessed.

Is your layout dc or dcc?

Happy New Year Felix and thanks for the aspiration that's ended up with my compact garage layout. I wonder if in actuality the platform ramp would have ceased before the rodding exit from the box and had a walkway over the rodding. It would make maintenance easier.

At least you can save the walking to see these fence posts! I've just realised that when all the wires have been threaded through the posts, there'll be over 50 actual feet of wire to weather/blacken 😗

The whole length of the incline has now been grassed and I've started the process of creating the wire and post fence which is 14ft long and, in my estimation of about five feet between posts requires around 120 posts, each with four holes. I have forty already painted, another 40 printed but not painted and I've just started 3D printing the remainder. At least I can sit down to do it!

This is how yesterday's efforts ended up. The far end was still just painted plaster cloth. A more concentrated rummage through my stash of static grass this morning yielded a decent supply of something that was nearer the colour of the grass I'd added yesterday so I pressed on and by the end of the day progress had got this far. The far end has had its first layer of grass and awaits its second etc.. It's just possible to determine where this will need to start. I've got yet more re-ballasting to do, where the vac has uplifted what it shouldn't have done. Then it will be a case of installing the fence. I'm undecided whether to have the fence all the way up or to stop where the wall starts - the latter being my original thought. I'd like to have even a minimal stretch where trains on the LR track pass behind a view blocker in the foreground, just to break up an otherwise plain stretch of track. Something like a weeping willow would probably do the trick - I think an artificially high bush or hedge would look too contrived and even the diameter of a tree might rule one out.

Thanks, Paul. One of our club members uses Sculptamold and I've been thinking of trying it. I used plaster impregnated cloth this time because that's what I had to hand. The white ground alongside Westbury was painted green yesterday and left to dry whilst we went shopping for a new (expensive!) bed 🙄. I made a start later with the static grass on the lower part of the gradient until I'd used up all that I had (just where the new wall starts). As per recent experience, I found that I ended up sucking up quantities of ballast with the vac as I endeavoured to recover the static grass that hadn't stuck and that was having (or so I thought) already run the vac over the ballast to recover any loose stuff for re-use. Guess who spent a fair while later separating as much ballast as I could from the recovered grass? I've all but run out of the 2mm Spring grass but have some 4mm of the same colour. I also have some 2mm of a slightly darker green so I'm wondering whether to stick with the same but longer stuff of the same colour or try to meld the little bit of the 2mm I currently have left with the darker stuff of the same length which I'll then go over later with the longer stuff of the lighter colour. I intend to go over what was done yesterday with a coat of the longer stuff anyway.

It is my normal practice to abstain during the majority of the year and, often, that includes even this time of year. However, I thought "B*gger it" this year and decided I'd get plastered . . . . . . and here's the result! There's a weave of card covered with masking tape beneath the plaster bandage. I shall see how firm it - the plaster! - is in the morning before deciding whether to add a second layer of plaster impregnated cloth. I shall then give it a coat of green acrylic prior to several applications of static grass. The Light Railway track in the image needs some ballast infilling, a task that I can tackle whilst I'm waiting for the paint/plaster to dry.