Sunday 1st July 2012

One problem with meeting just once a month is that progress can often seem slow on the layout.  For about a year we don't seem to have made much obvious advance in the look of the layout, although we have been busy with improvements to the running and uncoupling on the layout.

Well, this month's meeting changed that.  Since first made, the boards have been just flat slabs, so we decided the time had come to add some scenic elevation.

Front boards have been cut and fitted to give an idea of the undulations at the front edge.  In future meetings we will "back-fill" behind these to give some contours to the layout.  It is amazing what a change these boards have already made to the look of the boards.

One unexpected problem they have caused is the increased difficulty in putting bogie vehicles onto the rails now that you can't get your eyes down to rail level, but this can be solved by using a railer.

In addition, we have added some crossing points to the layout near the station area.  This has given a route for our proposed road across the board - with a suitable cut-out in the front board to match (just visible in the picture).  Again the crossings have been made with wooden coffee stirrers; what would we do without them!