Extension: Build progress part seven

Large update alert!

So having stripped the control panel and redesigned the graphics, new vinyl was printed and stuck into place, then more holes drilled for the extra switches.

The panel is starting to look a bit of a mess inside, and is in need of an additional power supply so I decided to tidy it up while it was in bits.

The new switches are then installed and soldered.

Meanwhile, ballast has started to appear.

 

And more greenery.

And a road!

The idea is to make this additional board look like a seemless addition - like it was always part of the layout.

 Trees.

More work on the road (the barriers are cable tied together to reduce the risk of damage during transportation!)

Back to the control panel, decided that I may as well update the graphics on the controllers. Here the old ones are being peeled away.

New ones printed ready to be fixed into place. 

First bit done!

All exposed live connections were covered in heat shrink and some extra vinyl covers were produced to go over the transformers.

The finished, updated panel.

The Trax walkabout controller is in need of attention.

So I decided to modify it slightly!

It's now possible to also control the TPO and the turntable from the walkabout controller.

Back on the layout, work continues to align the track correctly. The top loop is almost perfect!

But the other tracks weren't - some warpage has occurred (again) so the tracks need to be raised in the middle.

It can't really be seen but when viewed end-on, there is a dip in the centre of the board. It happened with the others when they were produced so we know what to do to rectify.

More wiring required!

And patching in at the ends to blend in the board joins.

 Now with the board connected again to the adjoining boards, the difference in grass colour is addressed by brushing in PVA glue and adding a new layer of grass.

The boards were connected one by one and checked before powering up for the first time. The lighting is checked first.

And then the connection from the new board to the other end.

The tracks were raised prior to ballasting but still some minor work required on a couple of tracks, nothing major.

Looking down through with three of the four front boards connected together it's hard to imagine that this is an extra board that was never part of the original design! 

 The yellow LED strips fitted to the engine sheds give off a lovely glow.

Looks pretty impressive in the dark!

Just some minor adjustments left to do but time once again ran out!

The final task is to install the additional section of the upper loop and finish wiring the tracks on the fiddle yard extension, ideally no more than a couple more evenings!