Dr.Glum

First may I say that I have paid very close attention to this thread since you switched to making buildings. I have learnt useful things even though my construction methods are different, so thank you for taking the time to post this material. I found the thread after you changed the name to indicate ‘adding buildings’. Using ‘New Content’ I watch out for certain topics and I also keep an eye on the forum ‘Scenery, Structures & Transport’. May I make a small suggestion for the future? As you may wish to change the title again when you move onto other projects on the layout, why not make a one-time post in the above forum with a very specific subject title and tags, with one image to catch the attention and a brief description of your aim and (crucially) a link to your first relevant post of 21st or 30th October 2022 here in the Layouts forum? Again, thank you for your diligent postings.

Progress went very slowly as I grappled with installing lights into the canopy, one 5mm yellow for the room and three 2mm yellow in the canopy. (Bought from Express Models ten years ago.) Everything that could go wrong, did. I reached the stage of four LEDs with soldered connections shaped to fit (very tedious), but when I did a test, the resistor was faulty and tried to burn out, reducing three of the LEDs to very dim lights. I thought the 5mm one was still bright enough, but later found it wasn’t and had to replace it. While testing three replacement 2mm ones, I stupidly forgot a resistor and put 12 volts through them. Did you know they give a slight click as they burn out? They will then only give a feeble light. Hey ho! The next image shows the second attempt at wiring in the canopy. Only slightly neater than Mk1. I glued the LEDs in place and some of the wires where I needed to keep them 'flat' with Bostik All Purpose Clear (Ultra Strong), which has good 'grab', but is a to use as it strings immediately. Strong, but I found I could peel it away when I needed to remove the failed wiring. Finally I could get on with the more pleasurable task of putting the roof on. After studying the instructions several times I concluded that they were asking for two layers of thin card. I couldn’t be arsed with that – it took too long getting a nice fit at the angle in the roof. I’ll take a chance on it bowing in. I had to think long and hard about fitting my non-standard size skylight. The printed cut-out in the kit was too big, so I settled for panels each side. I left a 2mm with of the roof panel running along the bottom and top of the hole: the guttering covers the first and the peak cover will deal with the latter. The main overlays are supposed to have a thickness of thin card – mine are just paper onto the gutter. I decided it was too big an ask to cut and fit the panels to exactly fit along both long edges, so I cut overwidth and trimmed off once the glue had set. This implies my barge boards would be glued on afterwards (not as per the instructions), with their top edges blackened to match the roofing.

I wanted to start building the stone walls behind the platform, but as they are to be glued to the platform, I needed to cover the platform first. That led me to spending quite a long time fettling the edge of the platform to ensure there were no ‘tight spots’ with carriages on the track. After gluing down ‘tarmac’ I started on the edge paving. I used the flagstones from R008 Platforms. Slits were cut between the flags up to the back edge of the white lining, and snipped off strips of 6 – 7 at a time so that the PVA wouldn’t dry before I’d formed the softened paper into place. I didn’t try to wrap and glue the paper onto the underside of the protruding platform. I left the glue to harden overnight, then ran a very sharp blade along the vertical edge to trim it off. The image below shows the finished construction, with brick paper on the wall and ‘corbelling’ brick course glued on under the lip of the platform. Next I needed to build the smaller of the two rooms of the R004a station building so that I could position it and mark up where the retaining wall behind should be. I found it quite time consuming. I cheated by putting in a floor (2mm greyboard) so that there was something to help when gluing the sides and ends together. It leaves a messy detail (gap) at the foot of the doors, but I don’t think anyone will be able to see once the canopy is on. I wanted to extend with a free-standing (on columns) section of canopy, but chickened out of making the whole thing curved to match the curve of the platform. Here’s my compromise. The open area will have the glazing. I spent ages on-line trying to find columns that would suit my height and were not too expensive. I failed, but did go searching in my brass strips box and found some tubing (in 2 concentric sizes) that will let me make my own. I even found some brass laddering that is way too chunky for a ladder, but will be ideal horizontally between the tops of the columns. The last picture shows the current main modules of the ‘scenery’: the platform base with retaining walling, the rest of the walling and the underground loading bay, and the road bridge. Obviously, the last two are not down in position for the photo.

Baseboard 7 of my 4 track roundy-roundy is to have a short two platform station surrounded by ‘northern’ industrial buildings. There’s a road bridge (already built and shown in my main layout thread https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/168263-eastfield-mkiii-00-4-track-roundy-roundy-in-129-x-94/ The main thread also describes marking and cutting the curved foamboard bases and greyboard platform surfaces. Final fettling of platform edges was checked by running carriages past to check for tight spots and judge the ‘look’ of the thing. With a variety of stock, I had the edges as close as I dared. The above is the inner platform against the 30 inch radius curve of the inner track. I juggled the height of the platform and the closeness of the edge to the track, but you can’t get entirely away from the hideous gaps. The view below is the corresponding outer platform which is also has a minimum 30 inch radius as the track is brought in (out of shot, left) towards the other three. The platforms are built in situ on the foamboard base, making sure that is weighted down as items are glued on. (The plywood baseboard is ‘pretty flat’, but not 100% perfect, so I want the scenic modules, which won’t be stuck down, to follow exactly.) The platform support formers are strips of 2mm greyboard painted both sides with knot stopping liquid. The platform surface is also 2mm greyboard. I’ve glued one section down (left) and applied ‘tarmac’ paper (from a Scalescenes kit). I’ve also started the background retaining walls. A new Pritt stick came in handy. The large heavy plane has proved very useful as a flat bottomed heavy object while glue sets. It also (as in image below) been useful for very very carefully planing off slightly tall sections of the formers. I find it impossible to cut myriad strips and have them all with correct widths and edges normal (as in ‘at right-angles’) to the flat surface. For the surface layer to touch at all (most!) points you need accuracy of point something of a millimetre, but the plane offered a useful correction method. There is a short siding (out of sight behind the plane, above) which is to be a loading dock under the industrial buildings. I was keen to get on with the walling involved. Almost too keen when I’d reached the point of making a light box (to shine through an open doorway), as I had made two mistakes. I had decided on a datum height for the roadway and a standard height for the retaining walls in that vicinity. So far so good, but when I started making the inside wall of the loading bay I managed to work to the wrong one of those two numbers. My wall (which was nearly finished, lined with white painted brickwork TX05, ready for lamps, etc.) would not fit under the roadway layers. Oh blow! It was not easy dealing with that, as there were things stuck on both sides of the wall. The second mistake was the positioning of the open doorway and the walls of the enclosure behind. The photo below shows the conflict with the end of the bridge abutment when trying to position the wall. I needed to get that wall parallel to the platform. I was saved from having to move the open doorway (which would have affected the other lamps and their wiring), by finding that just a few millimetres would save the day, by carving the bridge end. See next image. Multiple layers of greyboard laminated with PVA are remarkably tough to carve, even with fresh blades. But that’s a good thing for the strength of what you build. The next photo shows the cutout exactly made for the future road layers and the light box which also had to be modified for height clearance. The lid (shown upside-down) with the LED and wiring is a snug push fit into the top of the enclosure. Trials suggested a 5KΏ resistor would give a sufficiently dim glow. We’ll see; it can always be changed. So having been delayed by my silly errors, I finally finished the wiring for this and the two swan neck lamps and could try the set up in the dark (with a temporary roof) One of the lamps is slightly pointing at the camera (they’re not glued in their holes) and both are too bright. I’ll have to get some 2KΏ resistors. They’re supposed to be yellow. And the white light from inside the doorway is swamped by them; it may need a lower resistor. I always try for the dimmest light effect that’ll do the job, so that they’re right for your eyes ten minutes after you put the room light out. (And we’re in the early 60’s on this layout.) My camera is a bit simple for this kind of photography. Now that I’ve stared at that image for a bit, I fear I might be tempted to make a proper ceiling of brick and girder jack arches. Oh blow!

Thank you to those who replied with interesting suggestions. They gave me confidence. After being frightened by the ease with which the stripped ends broke off, I went very carefully with clippers and found I could remove the insulation. The main problem was keeping a hold of the tiny wires! Things went much better once I had tinned the ends. Now I have my solution with what was to hand. I found some 3mm scale copper clad sleepers (cut in half) which just fit into the choc block. The 1KΏ resistor may be enough, but I won’t be able to know if 2KΏ would be better until I’ve tested in situ in darkness. Just the rest of the wiring harness to make and stick the choc blocks to the structure with Bostik All Purpose Clear Glue.

What a wonderful video! Makes our model track laying seem a doddle by comparison. Did not know how accuracy over long measured dimensions was established and, more importantly, fixed so that it could be recovered at the actual site of works. So I learnt a lot from this video. Thank you for posting.

I have two wall lamps that have very very fine wires in the leads. (Bought from County Scenics & Trees stand at the 2017 Warrington show.) I usually install lamps in such a way they can be replaced on failure. I have two problems. 1. While testing with temporary connection into choc blocks, the tiny leads proved extremely vulnerable and the exposed wires broke off, back to the insulation. I tried stripping the insulation back with a knife – ended up with shorter leads! How do you safely get the insulation off leads like this? (The image shows the one I’ve not touched yet) 2. How to connect them? They’re way too fine for any choc block I have. I’m considering soldering on slightly more robust wire (such as in DCC chip wiring harness), but worry they’ll just break off at the end of the joint when I start handling them. I considered soldering them to a strip of copper clad, and solder on stronger wires from there. This would make it impossible to replace without new soldering. Your experience of solving such problems would be appreciated.

I have cut out the greyboard platform surfaces and made up some temporary ‘stands’ (visible below) to raise them up to the design height (15½mm). That allowed me to check clearances with carriages. So then I find out that the headstocks on Gresleys and Hawksworths stick out a bit more than Mk1s at my platform edge height and I need a bit more clearance. Once the platform edge was established, I drew round the curved outline onto foamboard. Using an offcut of card 6mm wide, I marked an offset from that line (2mm sidewall + 2mm coping + 2mm platform overhang) all along the curve and then cut the foamboard. I had earlier made three locating ‘plates’ for the foot of the bridge abutments (visible below) and glued them to the baseboard. In the next photo I have cut holes in the base and platform surface for one abutment and am about the measure up for the other two. Right old game, that was! After some adjustments (bodging) I could put the outside platform in place with the bridge piers passing down through. And that’s what’s shown in the next photo. [BTW yes I know I could have made the abutments not so tall and stood them on the platforms. But when I built the bridge I hadn’t planned the platforms and other scenery in enough detail. Now I don’t trust my ability to accurately shorten them and have resulting gaps.]

While looking on the web for further news of that shown below, Google including this RMweb thread, so it seems worth adding. Letter written by Michael Whitehouse September 2022 LNWR Saloon 806 This lovely coach has popped up again. Dad saved it from being burnt at Wolverton when it came out of the Royal Train in 1972, we got a Community Programme to completely refurbish it and in 1988 the Prince of Wales recommissioned it. Then BR declined to allow it to run on the main line, so we sold it to the Bluebell Railway for their dining train. It seems to have been sold on and ended up parked outside an Indian restaurant in Sevenoaks! The current owner, an individual, appealed to us so, out of pity, we paid for it to be transported back to Tyseley as a rescue mission. Now something will have to be done with it. Your LNWR Society members might be interested in its plight anyhow, maybe even to the tune of a few £ quid to save it again. It is not in our collection (yet) so we can’t spend funds on it at the moment I can send some pictures if useful. Regards, Michael VINTAGE TRAINS PRESS RELEASE [Oct 2022: I cannot find this on the Vintage Trains website, nor in a Google search, so may only be an unissued draft] L&NWR Semi Royal Saloon: Interim statement London & North Western Railway Saloon No. 806, built in 1903, is the only survivor of Wolverton built Senior Special Traffic Saloons for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Train. 806 has a day saloon and two small night saloons for the use of Royal staff, family or guests and has the same body style as the rest of the L&NWR Royal Train, outshopped in that company’s renowned ‘plum and spilt milk’ livery. The interior saloons were fitted out in ‘white naval’ style and the corridors and vestibules are varnished mahogany. 806 was withdrawn from the Royal Train in 1973 and preserved and restored by Vintage Trains, then the Birmingham Railway Museum, pursuant to a Community Programme scheme to provide unemployed craftsmen with work experience so they could gain full time employment. This scheme was so successful in that over 800 people were retrained and gained new employment in industry. In 1988, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, visited Tyseley to celebrate this achievement and recommissioned 806 which had been fully restored to original condition [picture shows him unlocking 806 in the presence of his Equerry. Major Christopher Lavender, and VT Chairman Michael Whitehouse]. Sadly, British Rail then withdrew the ability to run wooden bodied vehicles on the main line and, as Vintage Trains were prevented from realising this ambition, 806 was sold to a private individual for use in the Bluebell Railway’s dining train; the next best thing. 806 was subsequently sold on to the Lavender Line and then to another private individual who used the saloon for entertainment and events outside a Sevenoaks restaurant. This year, it became necessary to move 806 from this location and the owner appealed to Vintage Trains for assistance. Due to the national importance of the saloon and previous associations, VT has funded the move by road to Tyseley as a first step to securing 806’s long term future. Plans are now being formulated for its future. 806 requires significant external bodywork repairs but is structurally sound, with its interior remaining in superb condition, a testament to the quality of the earlier 1980s restoration work undertaken by VT experts. However, funds will need to be raised to purchase 806 and restore it once again to its former glory. 806 is currently being assessed and it remains possible that the owner may yet find another buyer for 806 for as yet an undetermined use. If the necessary restoration funds can be raised, the owner has expressed interest in transferring 806 to Vintage Trains Charitable Trust at a fair value. It is possible that 806 could be restored for use at Tyseley Locomotive Works for display and private hire and it may yet be possible for the Saloon to run on the national network for special events and celebrations. It would be a superb vehicle to accompany the reproduction L&NWR 2-2-2 single wheeler ‘Bloomer’ locomotive on exhibition nationally. Further bulletins will be issued as plans develop, but if anyone is interested or able to assist this project as it evolves, please contact VT at enquiries@vintagetrains

The paper templates are down and marked with the curves for both the inside and outside platforms. The bridge is now finished. Well almost; I havn't glued the girder parapets in yet, in case I need to separate the parts (arch, roadway, RH buttress) while constructing further walling and everything that will adjoin what you see. Everything is upright; my camera distorts close objects.

I need 2 curved platforms. Last time I started such things, I made a tracing of the track on the curve (on multiple pieces of paper) and used that to cut the platform surface. It was not a success, as the paper moves while you’re pressing it on the rail heads, and generally it is too prone to creeping errors. I was just too impatient to get started. This time I did start with a tracing of the rail head, but only to get an approximate line to cut paper templates to stick down. I drew a pencil line 7mm inside the centre line of the rail head impression on my tracings and then cut that with scissors. The image below shows the pieces of A3 paper taped down. The offcut of old platform (on end) shows the profile I will build, this time with greyboard. 1mm of lip, 2mm of coping, 2mm of platform side, foamboard base inside. BR standard platform height to railhead is 3 feet – 12mm. Add 4½mm for Peco code 100 track height gives 16½mm, but I chose to make a little test piece at 15½mm as the story is that this is an old station. Next I have to determine my minimum clearance distance: platform edge to sleeper ends. I used my paper template (30 inch radius) to see if there was a minimum radius curve location: there was a few inches exactly at 30 inch radius. A Mk1 carriage would be the longest vehicle on the inner loop (as I had no intention of running HSTs along there). See next image with the height test piece. I found a minimum of 6mm from sleeper ends. I did wonder about the steps on steam locomotives, but it quickly became clear this wasn’t an issue. Job done. Or so I thought. While collecting suitable sheets of greyboard (or rather, brownboard now it’s treated with knotting fluid) I was troubled by a niggle. What about the fuel tanks and gubbins under my diesels? As soon as I opened a loco box, there was the massive length of the Deltic. I measured up again. Clearance was 9½mm from sleeper end; call that 10mm for construction tolerance. Good job I checked. I made a pen holder that I could slide along the rails making a clean line on my template paper. It was a right faff drilling out a shaped hole to present the pen point at 17mm from the face of the block of rail guide. I imitated the farmer in Shaun the Sheep when he’s angry, when I finished the tedious job and discovered I been drilling from the wrong side. Rather than start from scratch, I opened up the other side enough to just get the pen point through and used two hands: one to move it, one to ensure the pen was upright and drew a line. Nice line. Job done. Or so I thought. I put a Mk1 carriage on the track. Oh. That’s an awful gap at the carriage ends. Shame I can’t have 5ft radius curves – hah! But I had a think and decided that operationally I could cope if the Deltic was banned from that part of the line. I need Ml1s to be able to pass here, but 57ft suburbans or 63ft Gresley’s don’t look too bad at the Mk1 6mm spacing (for posed photos when it’s built). So I’ll draw a line 4mm outside the present one before or after transferring to brownboard.

I didn’t like the supplied arch parapet coping covers so I substituted those from the brick parapet B option sheet 5 in the girder bridge kit. Also, the standard buttress coping covers were not big enough for my beefed up buttresses, so I had a hunt and found a suitable image area to cut from in sheet 9 of the T026 Warehouse kit. Note the offcuts glued to the inside of the arch, for stiffness. I had a right old game with the arch cover print. After a lot of time and fettling I got my arch of thin black card and the printed overlay to fit perfectly between the buttresses. So I glued it on. Great, except I’d fitted it on the outside of the curve, as you can see in the image above. Of course the proper cover I made for the concave side didn’t fit anything like as well. Oh well, so it goes! Bus on a bridge! Yep. This is a cheat because the girder parapets are only resting there, and the road way is not attached to the arch and buttress yet. And another view. I’m very happy with the result, even if it took ages. From here on, the bridge will be integrated into the (unbuilt) station and low relief mill, etc. and I’ll post progress in my layout thread.

I have a corner board (between two lift-out sections on my layout Eastfield) where I have decided to build scenic structures, starting with a bridge over 4 tracks. (The reason for the overall design of the bridge is shown in I havn’t built either of these two kits before. My site geometry called for non-standard road width, and for the longer structure I wanted the roadway to be 2 layers of 2mm greyboard (pre-treated with knotting fluid) laminated together. The result is stiffer than 4mm ply. As a result I had to read and re-read the instructions (and keep blowing up the instruction images on screen) to understand how the components lined up or attached. Progress was slow at first. My first image was taken while making the plate girders, showing a finished girder leaning against the assembly jig. These main girders are made from one piece of card the length of the span (top of image) and the outer layer is individual panels with ribs sticking out between. The sum of the lengths is greater than the span and you can’t trim each panel without losing printed rivets. So I worked from each end, cut the middle panel into two shorter pieces to fit, and covered the join with a bit of riveting from the inner face. (A second girder is under way in the image.) Before gluing things together I had trouble finding out from the instructions where the lower side girders were supposed to attach. If (unlike me) you build as instructed there is no problem. When I cut the roadway, I made its sides uniform (which is not how the arch bridge is designed), plus the width overall of the girder bridge is greater (because the lower and upper girders sit beside the roadway. This meant my buttresses had to be thicker where they supported the girder bridge. (I was also slow to realise the buttresses on the girder bridge are taller because the parapets are taller than the arch bridge ones. Doh! I had to raise mine 6mm with laboriously cut, glued and fettled extensions.) I chose to model the jack arch option for the underside. The printouts give locations for two widths of roadway: My width is set by track clearances on the curves, so I had to compromise. The next image shows that I used the suggested spacing for two jack arches each side, and filled the middle with flat bricks. My excuse is that the bridge was originally a very narrow track and at some date was rebuilt more than twice as wide and metaled. The next image shows things coming together (and the short topped buttresses). With this I was able to check the fit on the layout. My dimensions don’t match the design, so my random stone overlays are cut from sheets of TX46 Random Stone, to get enough height for example. The last image is the roadway after I’ve added pavement (one side only, the bridge is narrow) and surface paper. The join between the bridges is two rows of cobbles (TX31). I wanted to put in drains (grids) so I went outside my house, held the camera at chest height and took a photo. I went up and down the street and took a few, because each one seemed to have a distinguishing feature (colour, weeds, etc). I collected images using PC Paint and made a composite png (to print multiples on a page). I couldn’t print them small enough using Windows Viewer, so I inserted the image into a Word doc. Format Picture allowed me to set an absolute size on the image, then print the page. I’m really enjoying working with card again, and solving problems (of my own making) on the fly. Today I realised I need street lamps – just in time, before I accidentally make it impossible to run the wires or make provision to replace a failed unit.

Before I finished laying the outer loop and its point, my thought turned to scenic treatment of the area. The length of curve on the outer tracks would support platforms long enough for at least three carriages (short locals) and I fancied a bridge as a scenic break for the curves. I have the Scalescene downloads for an arch bridge (R011) and a plate girder bridge (R012A) and in the view below I am using bits of printout to see what’s feasible. The geometry of the curves arising from the presence of the point meant that there would have been an unsightly gap between the outer loop and the down main, but the presence of a bridge pillar makes it logical. In the next image I’ve started building the structure and am checking clearances (again). The outer platform will run under the arch and the inner one under the plate bridge. (I don't really expect to run HST's on the outer loops, but it gives the max overhang.)

Uploaded a brief video to Youtube of three trains running. https://youtu.be/H_jtX0qptnQ Cheers

So I have to extend the surface (to be level and plane with the existing foamboard) and extend the load bearing frame member. First I have to remove a block (which I actually hadn’t needed to fit yet) and make holes for short wood to be glued alongside the main frame. The impact adhesive had really got a hold of it, so I did a lot of damage removing it. The next shot shows the frame extender glued in. The white areas are setting PVA spread to strengthen the damaged underside of the board surface. Strengthening pieces were later added. In the next shot you can see me struggling to make a level surface for the track. I’ve had to use filler because the surface foam board had become slightly curved downwards when I was wrestling with removing the wood underneath. It proved to be a right old game, as I had failed to get that plate of mdf on the end absolutely true. Lots of wasted hours. Next picture is the result of testing curves and track positions. It convinced me I needed to widen the end of the board, so I eased the side wall away. In the view, I am measuring up for a surface filler (long thin ‘wedge’) and wall extensions. Below the view is along the tracks from Board 8 to Board 7. (Left hand track cut to length and fettled ready, but the end not pinned yet.) The alignments are good enough for very smooth running, but cosmetically I didn’t quite get the second track from the right (Up Main) as I would wish. There is a rail joint a few inches in from the end of the board that jars (my eye, not the trains). But mostly I won’t get this view, and it’s stuck down and pinned and it’ll have to do. (Minimum radius ahead is 30 inches.)

Graham108 - you have a point. a) I didn't at the time think of it and b) at either end of the Workmate there's a cross-strut and the end of the saw connects annoyingly except over a short range, so I'd have had to move the piece and the clamp as I progressed anyway. But mainly I didn't think about that, at least, not consciously!

The board 7 is finished, apart from varnishing, wiring, cork laying and spraying the top surface. And laying track and adding edge walls. And scenery. At the moment it weighs about 13lb / 6kg. The focus has been to get the supports right. The board is now anchored and level (temporarily) in the picture below. The depth is quite shallow (58mm), but it’s not a big board and “she’ll be right!” Above: Bridging The Gap. Having established both boards in the exact right place and absolutely level, I’m measuring the gap and shape. To the nearest half millimetre is the best I can hope to build. That should be no problem for the track gaps. Earlier in the week I thought that somehow, despite calculations and care, it was going to end up about 3mm higher than the adjacent board, which was a very disturbing thought. In the event, now that the supports are stable, I find it naturally sits 3mm lower, which is an ideal situation, right in the range I was hoping for. You can always shim up, but sawing thin slices off the top of supports and moving wall brackets? Nooo thank you very much.

Spurred up by seeing trains on the curves of Board 8, I started on the woodwork of the adjacent corner Board 7. A temporary measuring jig made from foamboard showed me the corner was a right angle, which simplified matters. This board is to be of 9mm marine ply. Having cut out the top I wanted to see what it was going to look like. It sits between two doorways. The white item is a microwave bracket from B&Q (SWL 10Kg) and will be the support at the LH edge of the brickwork. After a while I bowed to the bloomin’ obvious, and took the trouble to clamp the pieces I was sawing. It was well worth it, even if the clamp has to be moved part way through the cut. It improved my ability to keep to the line and to make a vertical edge (well nearly, most of the time). The pink glove is left over from my days working on the farm and is to protect against splinters from ply edges, and from tiny slivers that even come off the surface (until it is sealed). The existing blocks have been screwed from both directions for extra strength. A boring day making a kit of parts; a lot of ply to saw. After they’re all glued in, it will need more blocks at the new joints and then they’ll need screwing up too. I’ve sorted out suitable chocblocks, wires and cabling for the track and there are enough holes for wires to reach anywhere. There will be streetlights and maybe lit buildings, but I don’t know where yet.

And here it is, nearly finished and in use, playing trains. It turns out (quite fortuitously) that there is just clearance to put the board up with the door to the house closed if I don't need to run into the house during a session. I'll have a better view of the MPD. I'll think about a drop in building to fill the gap between boards. and

[Above] I’m starting to add the side wall which are both structural and cosmetic: Scalescenes aged brown brick on 2mm greyboard. For early pieces of curved walling (not shown here yet) I glued the brick paper on before bending the wall to stick the wall in place. Error: slight bubbling occurred; dealt with by a strategic cut with a very sharp scalpel. For all subsequent pieces I found it easy enough to apply the brick paper with the greyboard in place. I use a glue stick from a stationery shop (e.g. I’m using WH Smith’s own brand) which I keep in a damp plastic bag. You get enough of a chance to reposition exactly if you’ve not pressed the whole piece on. By the time I was doing the walls on the outside of the curve it had dawned on me I could (with hands) put a bend into the greyboard before gluing on – so that most of the springiness was gone. The curve of the top surface of foamboard wasn’t perfect, so I still had to put all sorts of heavy objects against the wall while the PVA set. I also use PVA for gluing the small pieces on. If only all glue was like PVA! Can be spread out without setting, you can move the object around a bit when you’ve placed it on, it grabs very strongly when you apply pressure, and if any squeezes out it is easy to cleanly remove with a small flat screwdriver. And if all else fails, it dries clear. Brilliant. I’ll treat all the under edges with PVA to harden them against knocks. The board now weighs about 7 pounds, 3.5Kg. So I’ll close this thread and switch back to my main layout thread, as apart from capping stones on tops of walls, and mask the track so I can spray the brick paper with Daler-Rowney Perfix Colourless Fixative, there’s not much more to do until the build progresses round the room to reach this board. Link to layout: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/168263-eastfield-mkiii-scaling-back-the-ambitions/

All four tracks are glued down. Droppers soldered to rail sides and fed through. I’m about to collect the wires and solder into two pairs to go in the choc block. One pair of droppers came through in a closed cell and I had to cut a hatch in an internal wall to get at them. The rail heads are filthy but I did a live test with the Class 128 and tah-tah! All wired up correctly and it works. I couldn’t resist running a train onto the board for a photo. Now add sleepers at joints, spray track, clean and polish rails, cut side walls to fit and cover with brick paper, glue them on, etc etc.

I was inordinately worried about sticking down curved track and it having it stay in the right curve as the glue set (my lack of experience) despite doing a trial with a sharp curve of unused track on a gash piece of foambaord. So I hatched a complicated plan. I drew an outline of the points end of the board onto a piece of MDF left over from the previous layout and put together the pieces of track and securely pinned them to the board. I soldered the joints where they needed to be. In theory I'd get the geometry 'set' into the piece and then transfer it to the real board. I also could trial connection to the next board which will sometimes connect for sessions into the house. You can see in the image below, I will have to extend the RH board (the grey one) so that the tracks can line up without stupid curves. (That's less work than relocating the powered points on the RH board.) In the next image I have also been fitting up the big curve of the outer loop. It starts with a difficult 30 inch minimum radius length before running out at about 44 inch radius. Behind can be seen my test piece which proves to be very strongly glued in place. Finally, and this is the bit that makes me wonder if it was worth the bother of working on the MDF that I could pin to, I glued the points section in place and there was still resistance in that curve between the points, but the glue (PVA) overcame it. I just had to hold with fingers for about 5 minutes. The picture was taken while the whole curve of the outer loop was setting.

Time to try out what it's going to look like. (Above) I’m standing on a chair. I’m pleased. View above: from board level. I’m jumping ahead, relishing the track laying. Both leads from the Y point will just fit at 30 inch minimum radius. (Left hand one not shown) Last picture (below) from inside the layout. At the 4 track joint the rail heads are absolutely level, so that’s worked out really well.

I’ve now glued the top sheets on (PVA wood glue). Previously when I was cutting out the sheets of foamboard I was fairly casual about getting the top surface and the bottom one identical, mainly because I doubted I could. I actually cut the bottom first, laid it on top of two new joined sheet and went round with a pencil. I then tried to cut inside the line. Not so easy, but I had allowed a bit of extra on the width for later trimming. Now I have to tidy things up – I want the side walls to be as vertical as I can manage, have reasonably smooth curvature, and no gaps where they meet the top. I’m using a flexible piece of card to check in the photo below. (The camera makes the RH edge seem to be leaning.) Some places needed a bit of a trim with a scalpel blade (as above), a couple of others needed a strip of greyboard adding. In the shot below I am champfering a strip before gluing it on. Who said you can’t file cardboard? It was quicker than the sanding block; I used that afterwards to tidy edges. This evening I set up outside to spray with Halfords grey primer, but it was too breezy so now the conservatory stinks, even though I had the door open. Spraying not finished.