Points (and a pub) of note

Progress has been slow on George’s ‘Lisburn Lane’, but a few more jobs have been ticked off recently.

Having got the track, platform and girder bridge installed to the foamboard sub-base, the formation was permanently fixed to the baseboard (as shown last month). Before it was fixed, though, I had to mark out the location of each point’s tie-rod. Slots were then drilled and cut into the plywood baseboard for the point motor actuating rods. A minor issue was encountered, although it wasn’t unexpected, owing to the late addition of an extra siding. There wasn’t much leeway in the positioning of the new point, owing to a number of strengthening braces intersecting beneath this area of the baseboard. However, I managed to squeeze in a slow-action point motor with only minor intervention from a saw and chisel. The diagonal braces on this Tim Horn-built baseboard are thinner than the main structural elements, so it proved to be an easy job and there has been no compromise in rigidity.

Next jobs? The point motors still await connecting before the track can be tested thoroughly. In the meantime, I’ve been debating replacing the small farmhouse, that was due to sit in one corner of the baseboard, with a pub I built a few years back.

The Superquick card kit was extensively upgraded with a plaster render, embossed brickwork and individual roof tiles and it’s a model I’m very proud of (see MR267). It should add a nice, bucolic touch to the scene.

Something to ponder… over a couple of pints perhaps?