Sticking with my plan

Finally the track for my small OO9 Christmas layout has been laid. The day after Christmas! Still, I was thankful for the few spare hours on Boxing Day to glue the final sections of track in place that had been teasing me over the course of the past two weeks. I was supposed to have this layout ready for Christmas. But in sticking with my plan, I now have a 12 month head start on completing this layout in ready in time for Christmas 2024.

The track was glued into position using some extra strength Tarzan's Grip wood glue, I simply ran two thin beads along the outline of my track plan I had drawn onto the plywood layout top.

The set track curve and two small turnouts were clicked together to form one piece, and the the glue was spread evenly with an old flat artists paint brush, not left as you can see in the accompanying picture.

Over the Christmas holiday period I worked on one section at a time. The first curved section to be glued into place included the two turnouts, and I pressed these down firmly to ensure they were embedded in the glue and sitting flush and level on the layout surface.

While waiting for it to dry, I tore a sheet of baking paper to lay across the section...

...and weighed it down using my trusty Michael Portillo Great British Railway Journeys hardcover books. [Insert free, not-paid-for Michael Portillo plug here. You're welcome and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!]

The books kept the section in place while the glue dried overnight, and once the section was dry and firm, I could repeat the process with the opposite end curve.

Once both of the end curves were anchored firmly in place, I could then join the two curves using some PECO OO-9 flextrack, and follow the wiggly outline of my track plan to create a gentle, winding transition from one end of the layout to the other.

The gently winding flextrack section between each curve will add a lot of visual interest.

The outer passing loop curve shows the difference between the PECO flextrack (outside) and set track.

So with another Christmas in Australia now come and gone, my thoughts now turn to having this layout ready for next year. With a few busy weekends infront of me, I'm not sure exactly when I will be able to wire up the layout and get a train trundling around Bryn Nadolig. Especially given that I am frantically trying to complete the final Philden Model Railway book before I commence full-time study in January. Whether I do or not will determine whether the book's release will be in February, or August 2024.

Too late for Christmas 2023... but I now have a 12 month head start on having this layout ready for next year!

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Till next time...