Make and fit brackets for the control panel.
Carve the scenery foam on exchange board #4.
Apply paper mache over foam.
Review results of new roadway plaster method.
Laurence fighting a mouse invasion at home this week, but he's promised to come next week. (Yes, we do believe him on both counts).
Geoff had been hunting for some aluminium angle to make a pair of brackets for the 'Local' control panel (Masons Yard), similar to the main panel. Having drawn a blank, a flat plate was suggested and a suitable 3mm rectangle quickly found. After a detailed discussion regarding fixings, panel and bracket positions, the plate was cut to size, cleaned up, clamped together and drilled. One key issue with the brackets is that the have to allow the panel to be fitted on both sides of the layout - one side for use in the workshop, and the other for if we ever get to exhibit all 6 boards at a show. Final positions agreed, holes were drilled in the both sides of the panel and baseboard. The plates are fixed to the panel with 2 x 6mm hex bolts with tee nuts on the inside of the panel. A single 8mm hex bolt fixes each plate to the layout, also using tee nuts. The array of drills for pilot holes, bolt clearance and tee nuts often caused confusion and two heads were definitely better than one!
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| Workshop format - the normal panel position. Slightly overlapping the fiddleyard board. |
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| Exhibition format location. Central to both scenic boards and fiddleyard. (Hidden run-through to fiddleyard in foreground). |
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| The view from underneath. |
Geoff then attacked the scenery foam glued down the previous week with a serrated knife. After hoovering up debris from this and that left over from the tie-bar ballasting, the track was cleaned ready for a full test the following week. However, a blade on another point failed to convey electricity. Geoff had used a new method of fabrication to obviate what he considered a visible wiring issue, but each of the points has required insitu modification - much to his frustration. When fixed, a successful running test was completed.
While this was underway, Stephen applied newspaper strips with diluted PVA over the scenery foam and integrated some of the usual brown water colour paint into the final PVA coat.
Finally, Stephen took an offcut of aluminium and a sandpaper block to the area of roadway plaster he'd applied the previous week. Rather than gluing chinchilla dust to a plaster base (as before), he'd made a mix of the two. He was now able to easily scrape the hardened mix to the required levels while maintaining the required surface finish. Pleased with the effect and ease of use, the areas will be extended in due course. A shaped tool may be made for use on the check rail sections. [NB The check rails are code 90 rail set inside the Peco code 100 track. This will allow a cleaning block to pass over the check rails and infill undamaged].
