Second shot of templates

This photo is taken from the other end of the layout, this is the colliery end with the colliery line on the right

First attempts with templates

This photo shows the templates laid out to show the rough track plan. We have now been able to check the lengths of the run rounds and ensure we have enough room as we hoped

The gradient on board 5

This is a photo attempting to show the different gradients on board 5, the mainline is the closer line dropping away to the left

Board 5 Completed

This photo show the completed board 5

Fitting the trackbed to Board 5

In this photo Richard and Dave are screwing 1 of the track beds to board 5, there are 2 levels on the board with the main line dropping away and the shunting yard remaining flat

20ft of layout

This is 5 boards of the layout fitted together, it is 20ft in length and these make up the major scenic boards. There is one other board to at the far end which is the bridge board and has to be specially made and 4 fiddle yard boards, 2 at each end

The gradient on board 4

This shot shows the gradient of board 4, the left hand track bed remains level. The right hand will be the main line falling away from the shunting yard.

Track bed fitted to board 4

This is a shot of the completed board 4, it is one of the simpler boards to fit the track bed on, but has a slight gradient at one end

Richard working hard

This is Richard putting the final screws in the outside frame for board 5

Screwing the main frame together

This is a photo of the framing being assembled, it shows Nick and Dave holding the framing down on the table to keep it square.

Countersinking the holes

This photo is of Richard countersinking the holes. We are taking full advantage of having a good quality pillar drill, it allows us to countersink with great ease and ensures every countersink is the correct depth

Construction of board 5 starts

This is a photo of Dave drilling pilot holes into the fames ready to be screwed together. We have 8 or 9 hole drilling jigs that allow us to mark the hole positions each time without having to do any calculations. This saves a lot of time.