Review current trestles: numbering, positions, lighting pole fixings etc.
Investigate trestles/leg positions for the 6 board format.
New backboard panel.
It doesn't sound much, but today was a very productive day, when lots of key issues were resolved.
Firstly, what goes where?
There are five existing trestles. 1-4 are used in the workshop, with the fiddleyard board end resting on the shelving unit. Trestle 0 comes to exhibitions as the stand-in. Trestles were positioned and numbered on the trestle and boards, for easy location.
The 2 new legs were positioned under the 2 new boards. Rather than just sit under the boards, wood blocks were glued on the legs and bolt fixing holes will be drilled next week. Some diagonal bracing might be needed after testing the bolt fixings.
The backscene was tackled next. The two existing panels were bolted in place and the new piece of MDF clamped in place (see below).
We then discussed what the criteria were for reducing the top edge along the back: The existing station board has a lower edge in the area where an operator needs good vision and the ability to nudge a vehicle, if required. The same thing will be required on the new boards, so the whole of the new board panel and the high part of the existing backscene needed to be lowered.
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| Before |
After a short trial, a reduction of 75mm was chosen. The new back panel was cut to size and the access holes to the 'hidden line' cut out.
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The higher edge of the station panel was cut down to match.
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| After |
The small end panel far left usually sits behind the bridge. There was an option to use this for both scenarios, but we decided that the arched hole for the bridge portal would need an infill piece to form a neater, square hole behind the pipework frame. We decided to make a new panel for the factory end.
There are other issues to be resolved. The current pelmet comprises copper pipe supports off the trestles up to a pelmet and a plastic gutter with LED lighting. We have yet to decide what to do over the extension. It would be much easier to keep the existing pelmet over the station boards and make an add-on lighting strip, on 1 or 2 new poles. Of course, the drapes on the front will need to be extended, but that has already been discussed with the fabricator, over breakfast.
This sketch took longer than expected to work out and draw the 4 and 6 board formats, so it is recorded here in case we forget what to do when setting the layout up somewhere!
