Having spent most of my working life planning and managing development projects I have been conditioned to set and work towards milestones. Hobby activities are no exception. I started Project 16 - Misterton Rebuild at the beginning of 2016 and set myself the goal to complete the layout within a year. By complete I mean an operational and fully scenic layout. There is usually ongoing little additions and changes that occur afterwards. Most of the track work is operational and about half the layout landscaped so I can safely say that I am on target.
If I had to choose the most significant advances in the past 6 months it would be Track Work and West Field. Track work because I opted to design and 3D print my own sleepers with integrated chairs for the straight track (turnouts are Peco by the way). Consequently track laying was a major task that took some considerable time but it looks authentic and running trains is smooth and trouble free. The other significant advance was the creation of West Field simply because it has made such a big visual statement on the layout and is completely new whereas some scenic elements, especially most buildings, have been reused from the previous layout.
Major works to carry out in the next six months are to build a cattle dock and finish its siding; create East Field, Clark's Lane and reinstate Railway Cottage; create Crewkerne Tunnel Portal and embankments and I'm toying with the idea of scratch building Crewkerne's 7.5 ton yard crane.
The scene on the model railway shown above was staged from a photograph of a passenger train at Crewkerne Station. Sky and steam effect have been added. You'll have to take my word that the likeness to the prototype is remarkable.
The model station building was made in the late 1970s. (About 40 years old now!)
To Part 28.
To Part 1.
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