The Final Bend

We've decided on a strategy of getting the trackbed and the scenic base of Bron Hebog finished first rather than doing each board in turn.

Hopefully this means we can guarantee we'll have a full run to show off at the exhibitions we're attending in the autumn.

It seems a long way away but once you take into account summer holidays and Himself's regular trips to volunteer on the FR it suddenly seems a lot sooner!

As a result Himself has been pressing on with the back right hand board where the track curves around into what will become the fiddle yard.

The first of today's pictures shows the plywood base of the fiddle yard being glued into place - that old iron chair coming in handy again.....

Quite what we'll do with the fiddle yard is still up for discussion. The track will enter at each end at different levels and so the question is whether to have two completely separate yards or to have a linking track - in the style of the Nantmor 'ski jump' - to connect them and enable continuous run operation?

This is not prototypical, of course, but it is quite practical when one considers that Himself and the Artistic Director are, quite frankly, a pair of old women and like nothing better than to spend a considerable amount of exhibition time gossipping with the punters. Consequently there can be long periods where there is nothing moving on the layout until I give them a metaphorical, and sometimes even a literal, jab in the ribs.

Our next picture shows all the chicken wire in place. This is a new batch and Himself tells me it is not as good as the old stuff because the wire is only twisted together as opposed to being soldered on the stuff he was using previously.

Once the wire was all in place Mod Roc was spread across. I guess you know how this works by now...

The flat square area in the foreground is where the farm house model will sit.

You may also notice, on the far right hand edge of the board, a small dip which is our representation of where the unused PB&SSR trackbed heads off, at a fearsome gradient, in a cutting towards Rhyd Ddu.

The next stage will be to brush on a coat of plaster followed by our 'interesting' shade of brown emulsion.

Incy Wincy Spider

So, that's the house part of number 24 finished with the addition of the downpipes from the guttering.

The other part of the building, of course, is the double garage which is built onto the front of the property at a right angle and that's what I'm going to move onto building next.

Chimney Pot & Porch

I'm ticking off the remaining jobs on the new house one by one.

The chimney has been added now. The trickiest bit is getting the angles cut correctly so it stands perpendicular on the sloping roof and to ensure the chimney pot is not squinty.

And then round at the front I've made up the entrance porch. This is supposed to represent a sliding patio door arrangement. The blank space below will be sunk into the ground and will have steps leading up to it.

The angled markings in pencil are the results of me working out the dimensions for the double garage which is being made as a separate structure although they will be attached when in place on the layout.

Super Barn Portrait

I've just realised that I forgot to post a picture of the fleet of resin Super Barns I've been building over the last few months, so let's put that right.

This is one of the three which were delivered to the client a few weeks back. I do hope he's happy with them.

On With The Roof

It's been a while since I've posted anything about progress with the latest Oberon Wood house.

The roof is on now and the dormers have been finished off.

The major item missing from the front is the porch, and the garage of course.

At the rear now you get the full effect of the recessed gallery window on the first floor which is a very distinctive feature of this house and another further down the street.

Unfortunately most of this detail will be hidden from the view of most people watching the layout at exhibitions. Only the operators will regularly see the houses from this angle.

Still on the list of small, but time-consuming jobs to finish it off are the ridge tiles and the guttering.

Looking Down The Track

A little more of the trackbed has been fixed in place over the weekend.

Here's a view of the latest progress seen from the viewpoint of Bron Hebog crossing as we look down the road towards the farm.

The flat area on the left is for farm house with the lorry park on the right.

This is one of the parts of the layout where we're having to cheat a little to fit everything into a nice, exhibition-friendly rectangle.

We have had to bring the crossing much closer to the farm house to squeeze it in and so the track can swing around to the left into the fiddle yard.

This view from above shows how the scenic break will run at an angle and also note that the first of the wooden supports for the chicken wire are in place - drilled aerospace-style for lightness. (It's one of Himself's little jokes....)

Onwards And Upwards

The top right hand corner has progressed in the last couple of days.

The upper section of track bed is now in place, teetering on its stilts. It climbs just as the real railway does all around the S bend.

The roadway has been added and the base for the continuation of the river bed has been cut out and placed in position but its height has not been set yet.

A flat area has also been set aside for Cwm Cloch farmhouse.

If you look closely in to top right of the shot at the edge you can just make out a cutaway which is where the abandoned PBSSR trackbed came in on the original proposed steep route into Beddgelert.

Stepping back to take this shot from the front of the layout gives a good impression of the depth of scene we're creating as well as the gain in height from the station.

I can't wait to see the first Garratt snaking its way all around the layout.