Work is continuing apace on 'SWANBOURNE' the Group's
00 (4mm Scale) permanent layout.
All the trackwork has been laid and the wiring for 'cab control' has
now been completed and fully tested. We now have a fully operational layout on which we can run or locos and stock.
We are well advanced with painting and weathering the rails, which is almost
complete and ballasting with 2mm Scale, 'N' Gauge ballast, has begun. In a slight change
to our original plan, formers for the scenery have now been made using high desity 'Blue Expanded Foam', which is much
easier to work since it can easily be sawn or filed.
Once the basic shape has been made and stuck firmly to the baseboard, the
final countours are added using an old, but sharp, serated bread knife. The whole structure is then covered with
'Mod Roc' or our own mix of sawdust and 'Siriphite' plaster and allowed to dry thoroughly before adding the usual scenic scatter
materials.
Work is also well underway on many of the main buildings,
which are a mixture of kit and scratch built with the odd 'kit bashed' example making in an appearance.
Due to the small number of club members it will unfortunately be some
months before the layout is anything like approaching completion but the end result should be reward in itself.
Work is also well advanced on John Page's small layout, which
is due to appear at its first exhibition later in 2007.
Some minor technical problems have been resolved and 'aforestation' of the
layout is getting into full swing with some fine examples of scale height Elm and Alder trees being made from materials collected
from the wild. Full details of the techniques involved can be found on our sister site: Model-Railway
Scenics, by using the links elsewhere on this site.
