The layout is now (more or less) finished.  Some more scenic detailing, minor software improvements, and another 80-odd goods wagons are in the pipeline, but these updates will probably be delayed until model railway exhibitions resume again down here in Australia, hopefully sometime in 2021 .

After considering several possibilities for the next layout, I have settled on pre-1914 Penzance.  At this time the station had only 2 platforms, but still had its small loco depot with turntable and the single-track timber viaduct running along the beach. 

The size will be 6' x 2' and the scale 1:480, the same as Dauntsey Lock.  It will be set up for automated exhibition running, both passenger and goods.  Chyandour Cliff will have working road traffic, mostly horse-drawn at this period.

The scenic detailing is nearly finished, just waiting for a few more odds and ends to arrive (people, better signals, etc.).

The layout now has 130 or so goods wagons, about 2/3rds of the final number.

The first batch of goods wagons is nearly ready.  Like the passenger stock, these are paper sides stuck onto a 3D printed body.  Some cleanup is still required, but they look quite reasonable at any normal viewing  distance.  As usual, the closeups (below the fold) are cruel.

All the locos and passenger stock have now been built, including mail and milk vehicles.  The video shows a parade of all the different types, about two-thirds of the total number built.  A few minor cleanups are still required and, as usual, the close-ups are cruel.

Everything is 3D printed then hand painted, with paper sides on the coaches.  The milk tankers use decals for the lettering and ladders.

Here are some CAD drawings of the lock mechanism.  All the parts are 3D printed, designed around three small servos and the requirements of the linear motor track.  The elevator legs have been stretched in this image, since the elevator and track should obviously be hidden within the lock chamber.  The picture below the fold shows the actual parts as built. 

Since my model-making for the last few years has been tightly focused on linear motor propulsion instead of conventional model rail, the website has undergone a bit of a cleanup and re-organization to reflect this emphasis.

Several new pages have been added describing how I currently use linear motors in real, complete model railway layouts.  The old linear motor pages covering my early experiences and experiments have been left unchanged.

Now that the scenery is nearly done, it is time to get the moving bits moving again, starting with the canal.  Other than some more scenic detailing, this is probably the canal's final form.

Trees and hedges have now been added.  I was going to do the fences, but as they are quite fragile I will leave them until the final detailing phase at the end.