Making an Exhibition of Thakeham

What's this hinged piece of wood with dowels sticking out? An agricultural tool? Implement of Torture? No, just a support for the layout.

 

Three blocks of wood are glued under the layout with 12mm holes drilled to take the dowels, the support is opened out and slotted in place. This raises the layout about 6" above the table, to something like kitchen worktop height, a much more comfortable viewing height while still being operational from a chair.

 

I printed out a name-board and stuck it to a piece of foam-core board, which is attached to the top of the layout back-scene with some Velcro. If permanently attached it would get damaged, and the layout wouldn't fit in the car boot!

 

I've also made up a brief information panel with some photos using the foam-core display board I'd made for Landswood Park. With these simple refinements, and the angle-poise type florescent light attached as previously described, the layout is ready to be shown. I have even spent a couple of evenings test-running it to make sure it works as well as it should - well, at least it does before it leaves the house...

 

There is plenty more I could have done but a challenge like this is time-bound. In fact I completed the layout a couple of weeks ago, as we will shortly be moving house and, amongst other jobs, I have had to pack away my modelling kit. It would have been nice to add a few more details, make more concrete products, do better trees, paint or varnish the fascia ... but I have achieved what I set out to and I am happy with the result.

If you can get along to EXPO Narrow Gauge on Saturday do say hello, I believe the challenge layouts will be on Stand 5 in the main hall. If you can't, I'll post more pictures soon.