Windows.

When marking out the pub I did think about what windows and doors I was going to use.
I could, as on a lot of the other buildings I have made, use microstrip to form the glazing bars and frame.
The other option was to look at what ready made frames I had. I wanted long thin windows for an aged building so the redundant window frames from an old 4mm signal box were ideal and would save a lot of time. It also meant that this building would be different- something to remember.
So, a quick coat of primer and the top coat could be applied- black in this case. Painted in two halves as it is difficult to hold the whole whilst wet. They will sit to the rear of the window hole and the clear glazing will be used to stick to the walls. The doors will have to be shortened although they are the correct width.

Research.

This must rank as one of the most important 'Must Have's ' for those modelling the GWR or Western Region of British Railways.
Adrian Vaughan is also a very helpful chap- see the Cattle Dock on Teignfords Blog.
The infrastructure is described in tremendous detail together with detailed plans on just about everything to be found on the system.
I have several pages bookmarked for inclusion on Teignford.
So out with the card, break off a new blade and see what comes next.

West Byfleet tomorrow- car needs loading!

Things to Do!

With the annual West Byfleet 3MM Society meeting fast approaching it is time to decide what to spend those precious pennies on this year.
Looking at the to make shelf it seems that not a lot will be needed in the way of kits this year. However, they all need to be checked that I have all the bits I need to complete them.
I find it easier to give each kit its own box so that instructions and all the bits can be kept in one place ready for the build, or so that no pieces are lost if  i'm taking a break from it. The drawer units were from Poundland whilst the boxes to the right stored fish gill tags at one time and the black based one's airbrushes.
So a good scan of the parts list before the day which also will see Hennock being taken to West Byfleet this year.

Glue.

 Elmers Glue has been used by me for a long time. Two types are shown here-School Glue and Glue-All, but both appear to be the same thing in the way they can be used.
I think the first bottle came from The Works. It is basically a PVA type of adhesive but I have found it to be ideal for card construction.
It also seems to go a long way and never congeals inside the flexible bottle as some glues do.
Soon must look for some more and the bonus is that there is a distributor in the UK.

Signals for Teignford.

The Dapol upper quadrant GWR signals have been mentioned before.
Finding a discounted example at the recent Railex at Taunton made me decide to purchase one to see how it suited the position.
I am a little hesitant because of the mentioned failure of a number of these and don't want to drill a 14mm hole and bed in to find an early demise.
That's not to say that this will happen to this one- just an err on the side of caution.

Buildings for Teignford.

 The first building to be made for the third board is , of course, a pub.
Yet to be named, it will depict a typical hostelry in Devon.  Finished with a whitewashed exterior, it has the characteristic black painted window recesses.
The chimneys are in cut stone and are seen in position- there probably needs to be another which will be made and installed before the windows and roofs are attached. When sticking into position I use cheap plastic clamps to keep them in place and square.

Billings 1/100 HMS Warrior.

Now for something completely different.
Just released is this 1/100 scale model of the iron hulled warship HMS Warrior. The spec says that this model scales at nearly 54 inches in length. But from the publicity picture shown it does make a rather appealing model waiting to be attached to a wharf somewhere on your 3mm layout.
And the cost ? About £450.

Fiddle Yard Tested.

And this is the result of all the work.
I had hoped that the fiddleyard would take four coach trains with a tender loco but, with wishing to make it easier to operate the selectors it was not possible. 
I always stick to the size of baseboard decided upon- a moments hotheadedness can lead to years of regret- so I follow the original plan on size.
I am pleased that all the locos with pony trucks and the coach bogies all pass over the rail breaks without problem- running them at full controller speed usually shows up any unevenness- not recommended too often though!
 Wagons seem to cross OK- both being pushed as well as pulled- the former won't happen often but it is worth checking.
The L section screwed to the edges seems to keep the whole lot square so was worthwhile doing.
By the way 30,000 hits was passed the other night- thanks to all those taking the trouble to view- let me know if there is anything in particular that I could help with.

Take a Piece of Card!

With the fiddle yard sorted out it is time to decide upon the scenery that will be portrayed.
Using my tested method-I see no reason to change after all these years! The storage box with the card from the local artshop is retrieved and a new blade in the snap-off knife fitted. It is also of benefit to use a cutting mat, this will prolong the life of the blade- cardboard causes a blunt edge fairly quickly so don't use scalpals- too expensive.
The formers are cut and put in place with bracing where necessary. Thin card is then cut into strips and glued as shown in the lower picture- the reasons for this will become clearer at a later date.
I will try something different this time however. I have cut the bases for buildings and left cutouts for them to fit. This means that the whole building can be made away from the train room. If it's good enough for Bob Brown then who am I to suggest otherwise?

Teignford's Revamped Fiddle Yard.

 When showing Teignford at Westfest, the fiddle yard showed some problems were present.
So, bearing in mind that the layout will have to last for a good few years, I decided it might as well have a belt and braces approach. I also decided to cut the number of tracks down to three from four.
Using aluminium T section this time- make sure it's not the coated type- holes were drilled on either side and screwed to the boards with shakeproof washers.
The rails were also attached to some wider copperclad paxolin which should make the ends more resiliant to damage. Anyway, the wiring was reattached and an ammeter used to check that continuity was where it was needed and finally locos, coaches and wagons passed over all sections to make sure that it worked. After a few tweaks- it does!