“Please be advised that due to major engineering works, no trains will be running for the foreseeable future”

What!!

Well, its not strictly true: trains can still run in the undergarage.

But no trains can run outside, because the reversing loop has been detached:

This is because the next phase of the Auerbach and District Light Railway is under construction.

Last week I cut out, strengthened and treated a set of baseboard modules:

Then on Sunday, Peter and Tom arrived to lend their invaluable help and advice. First we laid out the baseboards I had built to check they fitted in the space available:

We also checked that the slope would be as intended. Initially we were using a drop of 3mm per meter, but a check on the overall results showed us that we should have been using a drop of 30mm per meter!

Here you can see Peter using a laser to check that the new drop is correct.

(you should be able to just see the laser light on the brick)

Then is was time to transform the loose piles of bricks into a proper viaduct pillar.

This will be used to support the end of the first curved template. A second narrower pillar is needed 90cm further on, but that is work for another day.

It was our first attempt at brickwork, and even if I say so myself, it looks pretty solid, and should do the job very well.