Basboard One (post 1)

My initial intention was to construct Baseboard Two, the board with most turnouts on, first. Then thinking that the most critical element will be lining up the four tracks that run into the Running Shed I thought I'd start with Baseboard One. I've been taking my time laying and relating the Templot plan on the board. By doing so I realised the turntable was very close to the back edge. So, I slightly adjusted the track plan by moving the turntable half an inch towards the front of the layout. In doing so should slightly improve the visual look by giving more space for buffers on the turntable run off roads. Below is the current state of play.

Baseboard top cut to shape, hole cut to take the turntable and all holes cut for the inspection pits. Section cut out at top left is for the raised track bed for the coal sidings behind the coaling tower. I'm hoping to have the top mounted on its subbase by the end of the weekend, fingers crossed.

Progress is slow and I'm currently about two weeks behind a schedule I've set myself. The plan is to take Baseboard One to SolRail (Scalefour Cumbria) as a work in progress demonstration. By then, there should be some track and buildings in place on the board.

Test build of first Trestle

To fit Rospeath Lane into my current car I've calculated the trestles need to be less than 3" (75mm) thick when folded flat. On paper it looked achievable, but before this project progresses too far, I thought it wise to test the theory.

Jake the peg trestle

Using a three leg design allows the single leg to be interleaved within the two main legs. It needs a chain or rope attached to stop the legs splaying out. I'm also considering whether the trestles need some levelling devices adding to the legs.

So far so good

Steel or Nickel Silver rail?

This project has stalled a little since my last post, mainly due to time sent posting items on eBay in order to raise much needed funds. There was also the hosting of March's Scalefour Cumbrian Area Group meeting. During the meeting, I received some very helpful ideas about problems I was foreseeing with Rospeath Lane. 

The main decision I was facing was what rail to use. This dilemma had been created after getting Tredethy Wharf out of storage. Much of the steel rail had deposits of rust. At our previous house, the layout had been within the house in a central heating room. Since our move to Cumbria, my hobby room is now a Log Cabin in the garden. During the reorganisation, the log cabin (after it was used for furniture storage) I noticed that some items felt a little damp. Finding rust on the rail should not have been a surprise but is a big concern for Tredethy Wharf's future. I'd been planning on using steel rail for Rospeath Lane especially as I've a good amount of steel rail in stock. On checking this stock of rail some had also gained patches of rust while being storage. This was not good I thought...

So what to do? Would running a dehumidifier in the cabin stop the rust, or should I use Nickel Silver rail instead? During the meeting it was mentioned that high-Ni Nickel Silver rail has an appearance more like steel than standard Nickel silver. I was not aware of high-Ni Nickel Silver rail before but it does sound to be the solution, so an order has been placed. In the meantime, I do have some standard Nickel Silver rail in stock which I might use for the coal sidings at the back of the layout. I'll make that decision when the high-Ni Nickel Silver rail arrives.