Level crossing and cement

A couple of new additions which also arrived yesterday. A new cement wagon to join the Rat's freight train and some level crossing gates. A gatehouse is under construction.

New DMU

More rolling stock has arrived, a Class 101 DMU to be exact. Its now running in and will fit in nicely with the 411 4-Cep and the Class 25. Not that 101s probably worked with 411s that much in Kent in the early 70s but some modelling licence goes a long way.

First 2 houses

Both sets of houses, made from Metcalfe Kits, are now built. The one on the right just needs a little paint weathering and a varnishing. Another house kit has arrived today too so will be able to build up a street in the middle of the layout to break things up a bit.

Somewhere to live

The passengers at Knell Lane need somewhere to live don't they? Luckily the first of 2 sets of terraced houses are nearly completed. I'm not sure where they will go yet but perhaps at the back of the layout between the station and the loop.

Buffers and skips

Some more refinement of the platforms today, painting the edges a suitably drab concrete grey but mixing in a bit of Tamiya "mud" to add to the grime. I've also replaced the HOe buffers with proper N gauge ones and added a couple of skips!

More station work

Some more work on platform 1 of Knell Lane station has been done, including a small platform extension behind the main station building. Plus i've sprayed it with clear varnish to give it some protection from my cold damp house. Once everything is set i'll probably try and cover up some of the edges with paint.

Knell Lane Station

With the first station building in place and a few passengers the new layout is starting to look a bit decent now. Here the 4-CEP pulls into platform 1 awaited by some commuters eager for another day in the big city.