Down on Beaverbrook: Light and framing...

Yesterday I enjoyed making more progress on my Canadian H0 layout. In preparation, over the past few weeks since the last update I’ve had a set of 3mm MDF rectangular sheets laser cut for the layout project with lovely neat straight edges...

However although I’d managed to attach the layout edging (30mm deep) with just PVA and masking tape to hold it in place I’d procrastinated about the lighting pelmet and whether it was too deep and what if I needed to remove it etc. This has happened to me before, as I mentioned to a good friend, and I knew it just needed to be taken slowly, deliberately but a decision had to be made and I stuck to my guns and went for it. The first step was to permanently attach the LED lighting strip, which is made easier by it being self adhesive backed. Cut into strips to avoid the lid roof beams and then soldered back together with short jumper wires I fitted a soccer to the end and was delighted with the result which was much more even than the mock up. You can see the front strip is attached to some stand off blocks, these were cut during the week and glued in place along the front edge so I could fit the fascia boards with screws! Yes, it’s as simple as that, a removable fascia (for now) with just 10 screws. 

I painted the inside face of the boards with white primer, as this will improve the reflectivity and kill the slight yellow cast I was getting from using them in their raw state. Primer dries quickly so this was actually done before the lighting work so it would be dry for use straight away. 

So, to action. Marking the position of the wooden chocks I then drilled the holes in the pelmet with a 2mm bit. This was taped in position and the 2mm bit used to pilot drill into each block. Removed a second time a countersunk head was added to each hole so the screws will lie flush and can, eventually, be filled and hidden. The board was then screwed into place. The third board needed a fillet removing to fit, but otherwise the pattern was repeated for the remaining boards,

The result? A neat, smooth and effective fascia... as important, the view it has produced is as I hoped. The long thin letterbox may be a cliche but gives a feeling of distance because it limits your view, in the same way that it works on Kinross and Pont-y-Dulais. I’m looking forward to mocking up some structures before moving onto adding a cork bed for the road and railway next. More soon...