Thursday 18th December

Worklist:
Continue with ballasting on the yard board.
Continue with refuelling area (coal staithe & water tower)

Laurence was away for a break in Dorset, but Geoff and Stephen pressed on with what they started the previous week.

Geoff trimmed the front, plywood fascia to the previously agreed line, and also cleaned up the fascia where the road dips down. Profiling the edge on the yard as it abuts the road led to discussions on buffer options, which turned into making the buffers. Baulks of timber representing sleepers were built up, reinforced with vertical rail reinforcement and plastic sheet & bolt details. Very nice!

Stephen had researched and made a provisional coal staithe to 'size-up' the feature. The timber legs pushed down into the foam 'ground' and looked good. The water tower base was formed from plywood and capped the sloping ground line. John's original gulley grating was found in the 'bits box' and recessed into the bottom level.

With the fascia trimmed to shape, the foam 'ground' was glued in place. The curving track from the station to the head shunt and the small, sloping area of ground is just gorgeous!

The large piece of printed circuit board on the joint next to the coal staithe had always annoyed Geoff, and he decided to do something about it. A router bit in the Dremel allowed him to cut out individual sleepers and then ballast the holes.

As a final exercise, Stephen reviewed the goods shed. We call it this, but it is a rather unusual structure that was probably just a simple transfer area for 'something'. Stephen prepared a piece of faced chipboard to see if a traditional area of staging looked any better, and it was a resounding yes. The space was measured and features / construction discussed, for him to make something up. It was agreed that the back of the cladding would have to be enclosed down to the staging, which should make it a much more traditional structure.

It's Christmas and New Years day on the next two weeks, so we'll have to decide when we meet next....

Thursday 11th December

Worklist:
Platform surfacing.
Fuelling station.
Board edging.
Yard development.
Water tank adaptation.

Geoff experimented with some proprietary ash ballast, to give the platform some texture. Strictly speaking, the test was on the adhesive base for the ash. Three 'glues' were tested - 3M Sprayfix, PVA and matt varnish. A layer of matt varnish (slightly thinned) was applied to the plaster fill, to seal the surface, but the jury is out on the glue, until next week.

Stephen was keen to review the yard area, following discussions on the extent and type of roadway that might be employed. The part-finished store was positioned to define the spaces in question. Geoff & Stephen quickly determined that an extension to the adjacent slope could run-up close to the store, leaving a space for a lean-to storage area. Some foam was cut roughly to size, which has a splayed end, and fitted the bill nicely.

The discussion then took an interesting detour, when Stephen related his re-viewing photos of the original layout and recalled the water tower that stood at the end of the platform. The tower was found and positioned, and thoughts turned to a refuelling station (coal & water). Various locations were discussed - primarily, both ends of the platform and the head shunt. It was finally agreed to place the coal stage on a raised platform where the tank had originally stood (first photo below), with the tank moved closer to the end of the platform. This location was sloping ground, which could be made level, but keeping the small mound and forming a solid base on top seemed a better idea; the coal stage could be a raised timber affair with the slope extended underneath.

The features were roughly located and the clearances tested.

The two boards had differing back edges that we had known needed to be resolved. The new fuel station provided the perfect solution, by cutting away the rather dilapidated edge on the existing board and replacing with a continuous solid timber front piece.

Stephen took on the edging and Laurence was deployed on water-tower adaptation duties.

The small mound now extends right across the board joint and runs into the upstand Geoff had formed a year ago - 'just in case'!

The resulting ground line is extremely pleasing, and blends with the curve of the track perfectly.

Thursday 4th December

Worklist:
Finish off platform.
Finish off plaster cast rocks and tunnel linings.
Continue ballasting.

Laurence was on a half day and joined us at lunchtime.

Geoff sanded down the platform plaster infill. Stephen thought it looked good, as the overall finish was smooth, with a few blemishes, but Geoff thought some sort of coarser texture was required. A dusting of plaster over a paint layer will be attempted next week.

The joints of the edging stones had been filled as well, but a fine scribing with a knife should put just the right amount of definition back.

Stephen worked on the rock sections fixed the previous week, and specifically on the mass of plaster poured in between the sections. Using a narrow chisel, matching rock faces were carved into the smooth-ish infill lumps.

He then turned his new skill to the lining of the tunnel which was placed/smeared by hand, producing a much more acceptable appearance.

Both then switched to ballasting - Stephen on the mine line and siding and Geoff on the extension board. Some thought needs to be given to the large yard area as a variety of surfaces is possible, which will have completely different visual effect and require equally different technique.