Stafford & Brighton went well; indeed we won a Gold award at Brighton with Newcastle by the Water.

Fredstone has now been erected again & work continues. A start has been made on the scenics with the top right hand corner & the water feature – a favourite of John’s.
Track laying has commenced on the branch with wooden sleepered Code 80 and a change to our original plan has been made to use Code 55 concrete sleepered track on all the main lines resulting in a change to our shopping list!

Work will again cease whilst Newcastle by the Water is displayed at Sutton Coldfield during April.

Sutton Coldfield was thoroughly enjoyable & work now continues, a little hampered by the some of the club members exhibiting their own layouts at (amongst others) the Bristol, Derby shows.

The water feature has now been sealed & fibre glassed to ensure it is water proof & further track laying has occurred on the branch together with a start made on the main lines in the top right hand corner. Track weathering has been completed on the branch & we now await 50 bags of ballast from Green Scene (to be collected at the Derby show) before ballasting can commence.

March

Part of the hill has been test fit & the board cut out to enable the course of the water flow to be modelled.

March

The first track was laid (and replaced later) once clearances had been checked with Mark 3 coaches.

The board was sealed (many coats of Thompsons Waterseal) & the fibre glass poured into the course of the waterway.

The track for the branch has been laid along the back of the layout & a test mock up of the branch platforms tested for clearance.

This three quarter view depicts the water feature & the main lines crossing it, together with the raised branch section.

A closer view of the branch line track awaiting ballasting