Yesterday afternoon I measured up the board and fitted the track pieces that I have at present. First I fitted the terminal wires and the switch operating wires and fed them through two holes drilled through the top ply. Note the little blue platic bit is the KATO tool for flipping off the connector, and the track gauge. I had to cut a slot in the bottom so I could fit the tool over the terminal joiner wires to move them. That gave me this stage of progress once I had fixed that length of track down with thin brad nails. First I tapped them through from underneath, then I fitted the track into place and gently tapped the nails home. Before the hammer got close to the track I used a piece of round metal (see it near the rerailer) to go between the nail head and the hammer. Never hammer close to the rail surface, deforming the track will give you a length of track that will never perform properly and prone to derailments. Then I played around trying to put in some thin ply as a fill to bring the board height up to the track height. It didn't work and today I gouged it all off again <sigh> I added a single thickness of ply between the two adapter tracks to take the PECO Flexitrack once I find it ;) I also corrected my too thin width by fixing thin ply to one side. Now the width is the regulation 308mm. It still all needs to be tidied up but it is getting there, and it is a big reminder to me to be much more carefull with my dimensioning for any future modules. Last night my son lifted my old track box from off my wardrobe where it has collected dust for many years. I found lots of bits that might be used for a layout. Thin tubes, disposable shavers, CO2 bottles etc. Not much trackwork but lots of old flexitrack sleepers so they will be cut up into singles and made into piles of sleepers for the yard scene. Some of the discarded rails will be great cut up to be stored in the yard as well as some set out on the little rail trucks that are part of the MoW vehicle set from Greenmax. Oh, and in that kit there are two frames of parts for the little diesel hauler and the 3 trollies so that should look quite nice set up within the scene. It is coming along, not very fast but at last there is some movement towards a module. That in itself is a big step for a procrastinator like me ;)

The guessing games are still on as I try to work out how to do the yard trackwork and where to place the 2 buildings that I have decided to place in the scene. I am leaning towards a divided track heading back into the rear of the box. Maybe even up a little rise with a small cliff or cutting right at the back to add some elevation to the scene. Any thoughts on that will have to wait till I find my box of PECO Flexitrack. I know I have it somewhere, just not found it yet. Probably up on the wardrobe where my train box was ;)

PS: Along the way while taking these last pictures our little Princess Cat decided she needed to investigate and approve the works...