I realise that it is over a month since my last post. I have been travelling a lot, but despite that, some progress has been made.

Once the internal baseboards were complete, I started to implement what would be needed outside to be able to start track laying.

Here we see where the railway will exit from the undergarage:

Eventually the track will snake around the garden, behind the fir trees, through the fence, over the pond and round the cherry tree. But this will take a little while to implement (!).

The first stage is a permanent extension of that ledge to bring me out into the garden a bit. Here you see it on its side, having been varnished against the elements (I am already using pre-treated timber designed for outside use, but belt and braces never hurt anyone).

So that I can always have something to run on a continuous circuit (because I love just watching the trains go by) I have designed a “portable” loop section that can be located wherever current engineering works have reached (be it just outside the undergarage window, or halfway to the pond)

To start off with, the loop will be located at the end of the small extension above.

Here you see the loop having been built and varnished (this is the underside):

And for those who like spot the difference competitions, here it is again:

The difference is that each corner now has an adjustable leg, so that wherever it is located, I can bring it to the correct level compared with the ongoing engineering works.

“Portable” is a relative term, of course, and I will need a little help getting it into place. More photos when that has been achieved.