This afternoon I finished the 2nd shade of grey to the terrace.
I still have the chimneys to do in the same 2 shades of grey, but not today, too much strain on my eyes with it starting to get dark, I prefer natural light to artificial to work by. ☀️🌤️⛅️🌥️☁️
Keith
This afternoon I painted 2 sections of the terrace with the second shade of grey. At this stage it is easier as I don't have to decide which stones to paint, I only have to paint every unpainted stone
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| The corner that adjoins the cottage hospital |
Keith
I have painted the last cottage and the two shops
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| I got this far by lunchtime |
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| Jo took this photo of me painting |
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| The complete terrace has had its first shade of grey |
Today I started painting each individual stone of the terrace cottages. I am not counting them as I go, but there are a lot of them!! I am using two shades of grey. I have completed one shade of grey on the first three sections, four more sections to go then I can start the other shade of grey. 😊
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| I started at the end, when I realised that the two upper ones I painted first would not be seen!! |
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| Part way across the first cottage |
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| First cottage finished |
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| A further 2 sections (2 pairs of cottages) completed |
Keith
I wasn't very happy with the position of the corner leg next to my workstation, not a lot of room to get my legs in past it 🤬
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| Original leg position |
So this morning I have moved it. It still supports the baseboard, and I do have the option to fit it on the corner if needed
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| New leg position |
I have also discovered that a Torx driver bit fits Allen key bolts, so popped it in my electric screwdriver, so much easier to use on the leg bolts. 😊
I cut the roof of the right-hand cottage and part of the cottage hospital so they sit closer together
This now allows the complete terrace to almost fit on the one central baseboard, as good as it is going to get
Keith
Having meticulously and carefully cut all 8 legs for the new layout to the same length, and fitted them to the baseboards, I discovered the floor is not level! 🤬.
This morning I added packing pieces to 5 of the legs to level the layout up.
No one will notice if you don't tell. 🤫
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| Two legs needed just one packing piece |
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| One leg needed two packing pieces |
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| Two legs needed three packing pieces |
Keith
This afternoon I made a start on installing some of the electrics. I mounted the SmartSwitch under the baseboard, this will control the operation of the 4 points.
I then mounted 2 of the SmartFrogs near to 2 of the points. All will be clearly explained as to how these work as installation proceeds. 😊
Keith
Busy day today, I screwed a hook into one of the baseboard legs to hang the walkabout handset on. Phew, knackered now!!!! 🤨
It plugs into the back of the main controller on my workstation. 😊
Keith
Whilst I await delivery of electrical terminal blocks and wire for wiring the layout, I had a change around of my workstation. The 1st photo is how it was with the back against the wall, I have turned it 90° anticlockwise so the back is now against the chimney breast. It means my chair is no longer blocking access to my side of the bed, and as the baseboard is wider on the side the chair moves in between the legs more easily and when the sun is shining it lights up the workstation rather nicely, will save on electricity by not having to have my lamp on so much. Although the seat backs onto the cupboard, the chair moves easily out of the way. 😊
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| Original position |
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| New position |
Keith
Well that is all the heavy engineering started this morning and completed this afternoon.
I drilled the right-hand baseboard and legs to take the captive nuts and bolts.
All assembled in place and ready to start building the layout. 😊
Now for a rest for the rest of the afternoon. 😁
Keith
This afternoon I set about drilling the four legs and the left-hand baseboard frame, to take the Allen key bolts and captive nuts to secure the legs to the frame.
I first came across captive nuts when I made my climbing wall inside my house. They came with the climbing holds. Left-hand baseboard finished and in position, just the right-hand one to do the same.
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| Holes drilled and Allen key bolts in place on one leg |
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| The Allen key bolts screw into captive nuts |
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| This is a captive nut, the collar is threaded and the 4 prongs dig into the wood |
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| All four legs attached to the baseboard |
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| Completed baseboard and legs in position Keith |
This morning the new set of alignment dowels arrived so I glued them in. I also drilled the holes for the bolts and wingnuts joining the 3 baseboards together
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| 1st leg numbered |
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| Matching number on baseboard |
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| 8th and final leg numbered |
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| Matching number on baseboard |
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| Post Office doors 3rd coat of gloss red and 1st coat of red to the Post Office signs and post-box |
Keith
This afternoon I drilled and screwed the reinforcing pieces as I didn't want to just rely on them being glued on, belt & braces time again.
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| This one does not go against the front panel as the leg will go in the gap |
Then I set about drilling out the inter board holes for cabling to pass between baseboards
Then I drilled out all 4 alignment dowel holes
Finally gluing 2 pairs of alignment dowels into the holes
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| Female alignment dowel glued in |
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| Male alignment dowel glued in |
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| The pair of female alignment dowels |
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| The alignment dowels protrude through the reinforcing pieces but glad I added them to hold the dowels firmly |
I had a play today whilst I still had the baseboards up on the legs, and by moving the 2 left-hand points onto the left-hand baseboard I can now get longer trains in the station, up to 5 long bogie coaches plus a small baggage, royal mail, parcel, milk, horsebox. I had previously designed to have all 4 points on the central baseboard to avoid cabling across the board joints, but having looked at the kit of parts for motorizing the points the ribbon cables have plugs on each end so easy to undo if I need to and the cables supplied are long enough to do the job. I have produced a new layout plan with this change in mind.
I then cut 4 of the strengthening pieces supplied with the baseboards in half to create 8, and glued 4 to the centre baseboard, and 2 to each to the outer baseboards. As the sides of the baseboards are only 6mm wide I needed to add these strengtheners for the alignment dowels which are quite deep at 15mm, mainly designed to fit into timber usually 50mm wide, and I just feel they would put too much strain on 6mm wide plywood, 12mm will be a lot better.
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| 4 of the 8 strengthening pieces glued in place |
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| One pair of alignment dowels, I am awaiting some more in the post to complete the job |
Keith
I love it when a plan comes together, working it out on paper, or in my case with a computer program, is all well and good, but until you can actually put it into practice you are never quite sure if it will fit. As in this photo with only 400mm front to back on the central board and with the hidden track at the back, then the half-relief buildings, then pavement, road, another pavement, station building, platform and 2 tracks to fit in, I wasn't sure how much width I would have for the road, but there is plenty of room for a double-decker bus to get through as they say. 😁
I would put a double-decker bus on just to prove it but they are in the bottom stock box out of 10 and I can't be flagged to get one out 🤣
Keith
Quite a lot done this morning. I started by drilling and screwing the baseboard tops to the frames, I was hoping to avoid doing this, but me being me with belt and braces, I wasn't confident in relying on glue holding the lot together. It isn't easy drilling through the baseboard top and into the edge of 6mm wide plywood and definitely not fun, but all drilled and screwed together.
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| All 3 boards temporarily in place with some of the buildings roughly in place |
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| I added some track, this is the right-hand end |
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| The central section with half-relief buildings hiding the return line behind |
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| Left-hand end, the castle ruins will be sited on a hill over the track |
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| View of the line behind the half-relief buildings |
