STEP BY STEP

1

I tested the height of the platform using offcuts of foamboard in different thicknesses. Remember to factor into your measurements that the top of the foamboard is not the top of the platform, as you will add material later.

2

After deciding that 15mm (excluding the additional surface materials) was about the right height, I taped and glued a 10mm and 5mm piece together, holding them firmly down with heavy weights until the glue had set.

3

At the end of the platform there is a ramp. To make this, mark the foamboard at the top of the ramp and use a blade to cut through at an angle. I found it easier to stand the foamboard on its side for this and let the knife do the work.

4

East Ewell’s platforms have different types of edging. For the girders I used Peco edging. My platform was lower than 20mm, so I cut a groove in the board to make the platform sit flat – easier than trying to cut through the edging.

5

Cutting through the girder at an angle was easy as it is made out of very soft plastic. I lined up a vertical column with the very edge of the full height platform, just before the ramp begins, and cut it to length at the other end.

7

For the brick platform I used Metcalfe brick sheets. Use a steel rule and a blade to go through the sheet and, as with the other platform, make a cut at an angle on the piece at the end of the platform.

6

Handily, the girders come with joiners so that it’s easy to connect them together. To reinforce the join I glued it so that when I was positioning the girders on the side of the platform I didn’t have to worry about them coming apart.

8

I glued the concrete girders to the platform, leaving the knobs at the top in place as I could use them to push into the foam. At this stage, make sure that the tops of the girders are in line with the top of the platform.