The first thing that we cracked on with was making the hill look a little less like a pile of polystyrene. Simple DIY filler was used to smooth out the hillside.

It was also used to provide a bit of texture to a bobbly surface.

One of the things we wanted to try out was water effects. And that meant cutting a river through the viaduct. The river flows through the centre of the viaduct and around the middle pier. A rough outline of the river was drawn onto the celotex before attacking it using an electric plunge saw. Now this might sound like overkill but it made the job so much quicker and easier.

With the river cut out, the viaduct went back in place and the girder bridge for the inner loop was added. Something didn't look quite right though.

So we widened the river a little as it felt a bit narrow. Now it looks more substantial and will allow for a bit of added detail on the banks.

More filler was used to seal the river bed and add some texture. This time some paint was mixed in to try and make things easier for later.

Thanks again for looking through this and stay tuned for another update where we might actually see some track being laid!

First thing was to get the curved sections glued so they would hold their shape. Copious amounts of PVA glue was used in the grooves and the curve held it's shape perfectly.

PVA was then used to attach the curve section to the base celotex. Random garage items come in handy to hold things in place.

The same process was used for the other side.

We also purchased a sheet of polystyrene and it got its first use in creating a section to fill behind the curve. PVA to attach the blocks and then a cordless jigsaw to cut the block. It's a little bit overkill but it cuts so smoothly and quickly.

Pretty much a perfect fit. Glued down with PVA again.

The inside of the curve was bit trickier to build up. Multiple pieces of curved cuts were used and attached using a combination of glue and screw. The descent was also gently shaped into a sloped bank.

The right hand side has something a bit more elaborate going on - a nice little hill.

Multiple layers of polystyrene were used that were cut smaller each time. We made each layer a little smaller than necessary as we wanted to be able to fill the gaps without ending up with a sheer cliff face.

The inside of the curve also got some hill layers as well.

The inside curve was built up to look like the hill had been partially cut into for the track laying..

A little look up the line through the cutting.

And a look back down the hill.

Next up will be to mix up some filler and cover all the polystyrene. We'll also be trying to use the filler to create some more natural looking landscape, rather than the Minecraft hills we have at the moment.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this.

Hi everyone and thanks for taking time to read and view this update.

Another update for my brother-in-law's OO gauge railway layout, and this one focuses a bit more on the structures that we've been getting ready.

First up is the viaduct in it's finished form. The right end will be going into a hill and the left end will have a retaining wall continuing on. The viaduct is double width but the plan is to have one running track and then one track with a diorama on.

As well as the viaduct, there is a small girder bridge for the inner loop. Nothing fancy here, just a rescued base piece and some Peco girder bridge sides glued together. Some weathering will be done to make it look less plasticky.

Onto some buildings now and the first is a single track engine shed. This little fella will be at the end of a siding coming from the inner loop. This is the Metcalfe PO332 Stone Single Track Engine Shed.

Next up is a in progress shot of the Metcalfe PO238 Stone Wayside Station. This will be the station for the single platform on the inner loop. This pic gives you a little insight into the construction method of these kits.

And here is the station finished up. These Metcalfe kits really are top quality and with a little extra weathering will look awesome.

To finish up, here is what's next on the to do pile - the Mainline Station Booking Hall. This is quite a large kit, coming in at 285mm long, 155mm deep and 160mm tall. Looks to be an impressive building from the pics and the complexity. This will be the main station with two platforms.

Thanks for dropping by and see you soon.

For support, 4 legs were added around where the centre well will be. The legs were attached to the floor to provide some extra stability.

The whole frame was then covered using loft board. These boards are pre cut and slot together which meant minimal cutting and ease of construction. You can probably just make out the overhang created when we added more space to the layout.

Next up was to cover the whole board with 50mm thick Celotex. Celotex is an insulation material used in construction but it is also very good for making scenery.

The Celotex was glued to the board using copious amounts of PVA.

We removed all of the aluminium foil so that the Celotex can be cut into and shaped. The plan is to add a river in centre of the layout at the back.

With Celotex being strong but easy to cut, it is also very useful for building the gradient for the track.

To curve the material, grooves were cut 75% of the way through the width at 20mm intervals. This was done using a jigsaw, which made it really quick and kept the cuts consistent. We then used tape to hold the curve in place before we glue it at a later date.

And the purpose of the incline is to join up with the viaduct that will be across the river. The viaduct is a Metcalfe card kit, and again these kits are awesome.

And that is as far as we've got so far.

There will only be two loops of track on this layout due to the size constraints and not wanting to just chuck down a load of track. There will be a couple of areas, including a town and a main station.

Thanks for reading!

This will be the second of these sheds to go on the layout which will add some bulk to the marshalling yard. 

And the second kit is PO283, the small factory. This kit can be built as two buildings or as one large one. I built it as two as the buildings are going to be spread around the layout.

The loading dock building will be used as part of a static section of the board.

I've got one more kit to build, PO331, the single track engine shed, but I'll leave that one to show you once all the buildings are in place.

Thanks again for reading.