Further good progress

Hi all,

Due to having to get the 06:05 train tomorrow morning (due to engineering works adding extra to my journey!), I left work earlier than usual today. That meant I was able to visit B+Q for some more wood (always nice). After much searching through bits of pine, I found a few bits that were basically straight and had no obvious damage or bad knots. I also picked up enough shiny hardboard for the hidden sidings project (next week's project).

I was able to complete the frame for the 2ft square board that allows the hidden sidings to be at 90 degrees to the last board and then concentrated on putting together some more of the U shaped pieces that tie the boards to trestles and allow the join between two boards to sit over a trestle, saving trestles overall. The three pieces of wood required for 10 of these were cut out (30 in all), 9 [can you believe I was one short!] angles were screwed into the bottoms and a start was made on nailing the sides up too, but was beaten by the impending start of the apprentice and the need to make 'senior management'* a cup of tea prior to the start of said programme.

By the end of the week I would like to have these U shaped pieces (I must think of a name for them) finished; then all the trestles and attachments will be done - hooray!

That then frees me to complete the 2ft board, with its 6mm ply sides and top and then to start on the hidden sidings. An outline design for these is complete, with the last consideration being how to engage each siding on the traverser so that it reliably lines up with the exit from the hidden sidings - small copper tube?? Needs some thought.

The final wiring diagrams will be sorted on the train tomorrow and my overall target is to have a functional railway, wired up with hidden sidings both ends by mid-Summer. Should be relatively easy I suspect, and then I can get on with scenics, whilst having a railway to 'play' with too!

*AKA Claire

Colin