I've been working for a few weeks on the three houses which are destined to sit on this corner of the layout.
Each house, though looking similar to each other externally, will have a uniquely different interior.
All the houses will be fitted with lighting on both ground and first floors.
The first house is now complete at the bottom of the slope.
The foundations for the other two are ready on the right.
The black battery box across the road from house 3 will provide power to the three houses, as well as to a number of street lights along the roadway.
I enjoy putting little pictures and artwork on the walls:
I first select and download stock art from my Shutterstock subscription, shrinking it to fit on Lego tiles and then printing it out on my colour laser.
I have even recreated here my own epic bungee jump from 1990 as a wall photo!
Note the spot light which will illuminate the bathroom.
Two Strip lights will be fitted to the ceiling.
Note the gold ingot sitting on top of the shelving unit. Its providence is a mystery and police investigations are ongoing.
Here I have added on the sloping part of the roadway.
It is a panel made of three 16x16 plates.
There were other construction methods I considered, but this method allows me to have a smooth road surface with facility to add pavements and fences alongside.
I had to build a template version of it to get it to the optimum slope angle.
At this point I am awaiting more bricks from Poland so I can finish building the land along the roadway.
After this, I will relish the opportunity to design the mock tudor-style houses, complete with internal lighting.
A bird's eye view of the southern part of the northwest massif.
I have built the flat part of the road, which has a curve, which was a fun challenge to design.
The road will continue up a slope, alongside which will be a row of 3 terraced houses.
I did a lot of vertical craggy features all around this plateau.
There is the lower tunnel portal, lots of cliffs and crags, some sheep, a couple of trees and the aircraft warning tower, which will have a blinking red and white light.
It is going to be super when it's dark and all the various lights are on!
I will let more sheep roam on this part of the layout as there isn't a lot of grassland elsewhere.
This should be the last year of construction, though we will see how things pan out.
Here I have sealed the northwest mountain at the level above the high level tunnel.
Note the battery box which supplies lighting power to the tunnel turret, a cave above the lower level railway portal and the aircraft warning tower, which will be seen in a later photograph.
I have constructed an undulating flagstone footpath from the plateau above, winding down to the turret so that Lego people can visit it!
The crag overlooks the railway station at Rikley.
The northwest highlands are the last major rockworks to build.
In this photo there are both low and high level railway tracks which are almost entirely inside tunnels.
Above the tracks will be a large section of mountain with craggy sides, a road and a terrace of houses.
Everything is literally built from the ground up, so the houses will be built last in 2026.
One of the trickiest tasks I had was linking up the high level railway track so that it closes the loop.
I had to experiment with curves, straights and flexible track, eventually I got the loop closed.
Work proceeds on the north-east part of the layout, mainly along the high level railway line.
Construction is awkward when I have to reach over to the far flung areas, such as near the end of the stone viaduct.
Recent weeks have been focused on the pub and railway station area, wiring up these buildings with lighting elements.
I buy Briksmax lighting kits devoted to particular Lego modular buildings sets, but use those components that I need to light up my own creations.
The castle corner is nearly complete, just needs the roadway finishiung, a bit of mountain and more work building up the castle museum.
In this photo, I've done an aerial view of the very corner of the railway.
The battery box supplying the castle lighting with power is right in the centre of the photo, disguised under the rocky outcrop.
Ingenious, though I say so myself.
The platform conceals 2 battery boxes which power the lighting in the station and the pub.
As of now, the pub with its lighting electronics has been completed.
The tunnel portal and adjacent higher ground next to the pub needs my attention now.
There are five twin LED strips connected in series, fed from a wire coming from an extension card sited under the staircase on the ground floor.
It was a challenge to fit all the wiring, which involved a lot of removal and refitting of bricks under platforms and in other concealed 'underground' channels.
The castle continues to take shape.
I have decided to convert the ancient castle to a modern museum.
That way, I can justify fitting it out with generous lighting, creating (hopefully) a spectacular feature of my railway when in darkness.
I still have more work to do on the castle, with more lighting to be installed.
Finally, I will add finer detail such as room interiors, people and perhaps their means of transport, such as bicycles.
