The Baseboard

So at last I have something concrete - well, wood - to report. I have largely completed the baseboard for the new layout. It is made from 6mm Ply, with some 6mm MDF (the backscene) as this is tougher than Ply. Cross-supports and bracing is using 2" by 1" softwood. The main board incorporates ends, side "wings" and a lighting pelmet to frame the scene.

The photo below shows the board in place on top of the bureau and below the shelves in the alcove mentioned before. I have yet to make a slide-out shelf for it to sit on, which will allow it to slide forward and allow the fiddle-yard (not shown) to slot onto the end. The hole bottom right will house the control panel. The blue box is one of the light fittings I will fit under the pelmet. The visible parts of the board are all Ply, which I will stain to fit in with the other furniture.

The photo below shows some of the tramway-style stock I will run on the layout. From right there is a Glyn Valley tram loco, a "Toby" style wooden bodied tram loco, and a Sharp-Stewart loco with tramskirts. The latter two are Paul Windle models. At the back are a couple of Eggerbahn coaches that fit the tramway theme well.

I have been fitting all my stock with Micro-trains N-gauge buckeye couplers (like Kadee's). I still have a lot to do though! However the next task on the layout is to lay some track!