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So then after a number of outings with the baseboard I've decided the wires for the jigsaw plug-in track parts is just to fiddly, we need an upgrade- no wires at all! The solution I came up with is sprung loaded PCB board contacts fixed into the routed slot that was made for the wires, with copper contact tape to the underside of the jigsaw boards..... This is the underside of the jigsaw board with contact tape installed and wires to the tracks soldered on. The contact BCB board, brass dome head nails to be soldered in and ends snipped off, the mounting screws and the little springs wound from guitar strings. The PCB boards mounted in the slot and wired up. Close up, the heads of the brass nails are just above the slot and the springs allow movement down when the insert board is screwed down. It works. Now just another 14 to go....... Eoin

After the parts were machined and cut from the sheet I started to process the bits;- First the outer frames were stamp with a few rivets, unfortunately the scale spacing of the rivets does not fit the tool correctly so the previously stamped rivet gets a bit squidged when stamping the next one, but I carried on! They still look pretty Then the slots which were chain drilled .5mm in the machine, were opened up and sized for the tabbed parts. All slots done but still a bit of fettling required to fit the chassis together. It's now I remembered that because of the outside frames I have to use horn blocks to install the axles as the outer frame obstructs the access to thread the axle through if one were to use bush bearings!! I did engrave lines on the inner frames for this- a bit more cutting required. More parts to process. Just if your wondering how I opened up the .5mm slots- first I cut through the chain drilling with the piercing saw, using the saw like a file the rough edges were removed, then with a modified .5mm thick diamond coated nail file cut and ground down to a width of 2mm, which is the size of the smallest slot, I used it to clean up the slots to size. The file does loose its grit over time but I got through this work OK and next time I will give it a bit of a grind beforehand..... Soldering next I think. Eoin

Hi Peter I do repairs, is it an Gauge N GF 185 and do you know how many tooths are on that gear? I have some gears in stock- if I don't have that one we will have to try and order it!! The old type intermediate bogie GF gears all split over time- so it may need a few to be changed! I'm in Bray on Sunday at the Train & Model Fair if you want to drop out 10.30 to 1.30 or pm me to arrange if you want. Eoin

Corrugated iron mostly. I’ve a small goods shed half built and the main station will be loosely based on that at Caragh Lake, Co. Kerry. Signalling will be very minimal; based in Valentia Harbour, which in latter days appears to have had nothing but a home signal. The turntable road will be disconnected as shown, with the pit filled with old ballast and rubbish, just as some were. In the long run this could possibly be resurrected. The period will be the end of the grey/green era, and dawn of the black’n’tan era, 1955-65.

Probably!