First turnout

It's taken me far too long to complete this turnout, I just lost my way a little over the last couple of months. What spurred me on to get it completed it is setting a deadline of the end of January to have it installed. The hope was also to have it installed complete with turnout operating unit...

Well, it's not installed as yet but I'm pleased that it is finished and looking OK when laid in position on the layout.

On my previous layout, Tredethy Wharf, I didn't build any turnout with Stretcher Bars. I think as it was my first time constructing P4 track I didn't what to complicate the build any more than I had to. I was just please the turnouts came out OK without them. Don't think I received any verbal comments them being missing either. Since then I've promised myself that any subsequent turnout I build will have included them. I'd researched a few different solutions and thought Masokits looked good. Though marketed by Masokits as tiebars, I believe they are stretcher bars, but what do I know....

The instructions are very easy to follow, I especially liked the comment "Luvverly 'inin't", it made me smile.

In case anyone is wondering, the grey slide chairs I've used on the turnout are GWR 2 bolt chairs available from Modelu.

So, I have just ten 1:6 turnouts left to build. I've set myself the difficult target of early July to have them all built with some installed. A bit of a tall order but it needs to be done if the September deadline is to be met.

January update - First turnout

I'd begun to construct the repair shop/turntable turnout when coming back to it there seems something was not quite right with it. Eventually when postioning the nose of the V over the template I realised it was in the wrong position relative to the sleepers.

The first attempt which Templot described as a half-diamond

When looking at the turnout in templot it seemed Ok but it was described a 1:4.5 half-diamond with 41" curves worryingly it stated that the switch blades were unknown. I'd no idea how I'd created this turnout or how it had morphed into a half-diamond. So rather than spending time trying to discover why the printed template  was different to what I was seeing in Templot I decided to redraw the turnout as a  1:5 turnout with GWR 10ft heeled which enabled me to increase the curve slightly to 42".

The replacement 1:5 turnout under construction

So, since Workington show, progress has been slow then over Christmas and the New Year it  stagnated. The hope now is this turnout will be completed and installed by the end of the month. After which I'll progress onto one of the many 1:6 turnouts either on the approach to the running shed or coal sidings..