3rd and Final Phase of Landscaping and Further Lock Chamber Construction.

The 3rd and final phase of landscaping is almost complete in the village and canal lock area. I just need to add a small fillet along the front edge adjacent to the railway track, but I need to wait for the glue to set on the rest before doing that. I will also need to do some final shaping once I have added the fillets and they have set.

The whole village and lock area.

The church area.

I have also made and fitted the lower lock entrance walls, underneath the bridge.

As seen from the canal wharf.

The lower lock entrance on the towpath side, as seen from the lock.

The lower lock entrance on the opposite side to the towpath.

Keith.

Early Stages of Canal Lock Construction

I have made a start on constructing the canal lock. It will take some time to complete but I am in no hurry.

The lock walls are from Langley Miniatures and are made from resin. The lock gates, paddles, bollards, etc. are also from Langley Miniatures and are white metal.

I haven’t given myself a lot to fix the wall to, but when I start to create the water effect this will hold them in place.

Keith.

2nd Phase of Landscaping

2nd phase of landscaping started today. The canal bridge, Hadarford Lodge and The Boat Inn area.

Keith.

Landscaping 3

Further progress this afternoon with the landscaping at the farm end of the layout. This now completes this piece of landscaping apart from filling in the gaps, awaiting sculpting plaster to be able to do this.

I also repaired the sinkhole that appeared over the tunnel portal during shaping due to the foam being very thin at that point.

Keith.

More Landscaping

Before setting food shopping at 9.00am this morning I managed to add some further landscaping either side of the road between the farm and station.

Needs finishing off now I am back home.

Keith.

Tunnel Portal and Road to Farm.

Tunnel portal in place but not yet fixed, the foam landscaping is now fixed in place.

The wood base for the road down from the farm to the station fixed in place.

Keith.

First Stage of Landscaping

The beginning of landscaping. This large piece of insulation was the smaller piece of two which were taped to the insulation sheets, for strengthening reasons, we had delivered to insulate the room.

I will be using part of the other piece soon.

This piece needs more work but I ran out of time yesterday, having spent the morning doing some much needed work on the boat, which, due to complications, took longer that it should have.

Keith.

Wider Canal Bridge

This morning I took a saw to the two canal bridges to make them into one.

Wide enough now to have a road over it. I will need to apply a new road surface but that will happen when I fit all the roads.

The new canal bridge in its location on the layout.

Keith.

Canal Bridge

Back in February last year I purchased on eBay a Hornby canal bridge. Upon receiving it I discovered that it is very narrow and the road is only wide enough for one vehicle. Definitely meant to be a farmers access bridge and not suitable for the road from the station to the village. Ever since then I have been pondering over how widen it. A few days ago I came up with the solution, to purchase a 2nd bridge, and to cut them lengthwise then join them together to form one wider bridge.

I purchased a 2nd bridge on eBay which arrived today.

The two bridges side-by-side awaiting the saw!

Keith.

Level Crossing

Spent quite a bit of time today modifying the Dapol level crossing kit to fit the 009 track.

The difficulty was to get the crossing lower than the rail top, but I managed to do it after much sawing and filing.

Keith.

Planning the Final Positions of the Buildings Before Landscaping Can Start.

Today, whilst awaiting the wire I need to finish wiring the layout, I had a good tidy and clean up.

This then enabled me to position the buildings on the layout to get their locations sorted ready to start creating the landscape.

The farm over the tunnel and the engine shed and maintenance area.

The station area and lock-side cottages.

The canal Wharf, Hadarford Lodge, and The Boat Inn.

The canal lock, lock keepers cottage and stores, village shops, village hall, vicarage and church.

Lengthways views.

Keith.

Hadarford House Summerhouse.

Another eBay purchase arrived this morning, a summerhouse which will go in the garden of Hadarford House.

I have nearly finished wiring up the layout, but I have run out of wire to complete the fiddleyard, but some has been ordered.

Keith.

Recycled Drop Leaf Table

I have constructed this fold away work bench attached to the wall of the railway room from one leaf of an unused drop leaf table.

It is folded away against the wall.

Set up as a work bench.

With armchair in place ready to be used.

Keith.

Final Wiring Up of the Remaining Point Motors.

Wiring of the 10 point motors to the switch box.

The switch box wired to a terminal block under the control panel, for ease of wiring up and should it be necessary to replace the switch box.

Busy connecting up the point motors.

The 4 under board point motors at one end of the fiddleyard all wired up and working. The 4 at the other end of the fiddleyard are wired up the same.

Wiring from all 10 point motors to the switch box terminal block.

Also the 2 point motors mounted on top of the baseboard are wired up and working.

This completes wiring up all the point motors for the whole layout.

Keith.

Final Point Motors Fitted.

Despite the heat today I managed to fit the final 10 point motors in the fiddleyard.

I have had to mount the rearmost of the fiddleyard point motors on the surface due to the supporting beams under the baseboard not allowing the fitting of this particular one underneath.

These are the four point motor fitted underneath the baseboard. I have repeated the same for the other five point motors at the other end of the fiddleyard.

Keith.

Wiring Up the Layout

Having wired up the 4 point motors on the layout yesterday, I have started to do further wiring up today.

I have decided to operate the building lights, street lamps, platform lamps, traffic lights and bellisa beacons directly from the boat’s 12v, so I ran the supply from the wall socket to near the switch panel (the screw block can just be seen bottom right corner of the first photo) so it is ready for when I install and need to connect the various lights.

I have now wired up the 3 isolating sections, 2 on the engine shed siding and one on the canal wharf siding.

I have stapled a copy of the switch layout under the baseboard to make life easier whilst working underneath fixed baseboards.

A close-up of the underside of the switch panel. Quite a lot more wiring to be done, but all in good time.

Wiring to 2 of the point motors, at the engine shed end of the station, and the isolating sections.

Keith.

Layout Point Motors Wired Up and Working.

Today I wired up the 4 point motors which are on the layout.

They even work!

Keith.

1st Four Point Motors Fitted.

Today I fitted the 4 point motors underneath the main layout points.

Keith.