This week I have been modifying the Amanda Terrace end of the model. Having made the shell of the fishermen's cottages it had become apparent that the road level was too high. So I have removed the road (which is an integral part of the baseboard) and reduced its height by 20mm. The gradient is now gentler and looks much more realistic. This will help if the tramway is laid up the road. Reducing the height of the road has made the rocky sea front slopes gentler. I am reminded of my 'A' level geography teachers often repeated fact that slopes are seldom steeper than 30 degrees in nature!

This is a complex piece of landscape. I want to be true to the original but imagine the trackbed in a convincing way along the sea front. The track will pass where the boats are pulled up on a slate built wall.

A last call for anyone who would like a set of Ffestiniog carriages etched by Worsley Works in 5.5mm scale. Myself and another 5.5mm member have commissioned the etch. If you want a set, contact Allen Doherty at Worsley Works today. This is a rare opportunity due to the need to produce a minimum of two sheets to make the work viable.

Today I have finally got round to fitting the couplings and roof to carriage 15. The bogies have had to be butchered to get them to negotiate the curve at the top of the loop, but this isn't noticeable when viewed. Modifications to avoid this can be incorporated when I build the next version of this carriage. The roof needs spray painting and the whole carriage will then receive light weathering to suggest a quite run down appearance. I'm tempted to have a go at one of the bug boxes sitting in the kit box! But I shouldn't get too distracted, the cottages come next….

This weekend the etch for the double ended Fairlie arrived from Malcolm Savage. Previously available as a ready to run chassis from the Mike Chinery my only option is to build it myself. It is in fact very similar to the England chassis built last winter. The piston rods are a two piece lamination with a bend at the end where they connect with the crosshead. I am going to use a High Level models 40:1 gear box as I did with Welsh Pony so some modification to frame spacer at the rear of the bogie will be needed. The main difference is the fact that it uses 14mm carriage wheels with cast inserts to represent the distinctive Fairlie wheel pattern. Having previously sung the praises of using Markit wheels with the centre locking nuts, great care is going to be needed to get these wheels to work as well. I am going to build one motorised bogie, with the second having pick ups only, as I am sure this will provide ample power for the type of trains I am going to run.

What is particularly nice about the etch is the inclusion of details for the loco body, tank filler handles and best of all Fairlie pattern spectacle plates. The latter was going to be a real fiddle scratch building. So depending upon whether the carriage etches arrives, the Fairlie could be the next project once the fisherman's cottages are finished.

The fluorescent lighting has been replaced with five daylight bulbs. The low voltage one gives a very good light but is much more expensive than the old style bulbs that can still be picked up on the web for a couple of quid.

What a difference the daylight bulbs make, these snaps show the difference. the greens and reds suddenly start to look right and the sky becomes much more vibrant. 

I haven't had time to fiddle with aperture to get really good pictures, but these shots are hinting at what is possible when the colour balance is right. The loco green looks much more as I envisaged it. The next job is to complete the front pelmet. Rather than leaving it till last I am going to get it painted and the sign writing applied. There seem to be a number of very good websites offering vinyl lettering at a reasonable price. The model is currently sitting in a corner of the living room so making it look tidy is important ! I am hoping to persuade my wife to make the front curtain, this will really set it off properly…..

The weekend was spent experimenting with lighting. Not the most exciting job, but I have come to the conclusion that the fluorescent tube must go. It is giving too pink a light. I am going to replace it with a row of five 100W daylight bulbs. You can see the light is to warm when yo compare the colour of the render on the real building and the model. In daylight the model colouring is almost spot on. 

It has also become clear that the gradient of the road needs to be reduced  slightly so that it matches the front elevation of the houses above. The road is part of the main structure of the baseboard so some careful surgery will be required. Reducing the gradient will also make it more possible to include tramway style track up the road. This would have been a more likely route if the railway had gone round the rocky headline towards Black Rock Sands. By including it I will keep my options open if I eventually model the headland below St Cyngars church.