Out of Hibernation.

There's been a pause in progress on the layout since autumn, largely because I had committed to taking my 0-16.5 micro to the Wealden Railway Group show at Steyning in March 2026; at the time when I decided to do this, it seemed that getting some basic scenery done and building a loco so I could run something should be achievable by then.

I put Dead Frog Basin safely on a shelf in the garage, with a vague intention to come back to it when I'd got further along with the 0-16.5. 

Later last autumn, it had got too cold to spend time in the garage as well as things like glue not drying(!), so I moved operations to a spare room indoors, though this meant I couldn't do things like spray painting or messy scenic work. 

All went well enough for some time, but after the Christmas break, when the spare room was needed for visiting family, I couldn't pick up the pace again, for a variety of reasons. I thought I could just push through it, but while I got a bit more done, I almost got to the stage where I couldn't stand the sight of the thing.

So...what to do?

One option would be to quickly run up something else, using RTR stock etc., but there wasn't really time and I could see myself hitting the same situation again.

 

Instead, I pulled Dead Frog Basin back off the shelf in the garage. I'd discounted taking it to Steyning as it had already been to the show a few years ago, but I've done a lot to it since, not least putting it back in the APA Box it was originally designed for. Having made the decision, I'm now busy adding small details and finishing off bits I hadn't got around to doing. 

With 4 weeks to go until Steyning, I suppose I'd better formulate a programme of work, so here goes, not in any particular order:

Build a replacement fiddlestick for the left hand side of the layout, as the original had been built for the right hand side, and before I put the layout back in its box. 

Finish off the Portakabin with some basic interior detail and fix it in place. 

Add a few figures, loads for rolling stock, and other things to bring the scene to life. 

Test run with the rolling stock I intend to use at Steyning. 

Sort out a few road vehicles; there are a couple of three-wheelers (bubble car and Bond Bug) as well as a lovely 3D printed BSA Bantam, but something like a flatbed Transit or small Bedford would be nice. Nothing too big, though...there isn't a huge amount of road space and the access lanes are very narrow. 

Hmmm...time to get up and get on with it!