Minor change. Corkerdale will become Corkerton. There seemed to be to many dales for a layout not set in Yorkshire!

The design at 1:5 is taking shape as you can see in the photo. I have a preliminary shed design (drawn in red because it is above turn 2) which should allow my best mate, Martin, to come up with a control design for the turntable. I have always felt that turntables are the least reliable part of a layout but as my revised design really needs a turntable I must provide one.

The factory at the back of RJ will be a visual homage to Standard Telephones and Cables, New Southgate where I served my engineering apprenticeship but the industrial sidings are my own addition. STC did have a private siding which ran the length of the site but to the best of my memory it was a single road and there was no private loco, not in my day anyway.

The pedestrian access to RJ station is to be at high level with a footbridge traversing the yard. This time an homage to New Barnet station where I was born. That is I was born in New Barnet but not on the station and according to my sister Rosalie's account of that affair it is just as well that I was not!! In order to get the street levels correct I have had to work out the incline for the road which first provides access to the factory and then rises behind the station to justify the high level access. 1 in 14 hits the spot and based on a simple sketch appears ok. Vehicular access will be down a slope, of similar gradient and ending at the left hand end of the yard where the coal merchant will be, however that design is paused while I work on the shed design.

The low relief buildings on the slope will be terraces of houses which I think will work as each house can be dropped to accommodate the slope. I will put the front doors to the left such that the weather step is a modest height. On the level road I will put shops and business premises.