I've mentioned before that I'm not a model railway enthusiast but your attention to detail, your excellent commentary and just you passion for this layout keeps me watching every video. Happy Christmas and I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

It was a great shock when we saw you have to tear down your previous layout; but the anticipation of what is to come is far greater. Thank you for what you are showing us in your videos, I for one am looking forward to those to come. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year Richard.

When I was wiring a fiddle yard some years ago I stuck drawing pins into the underside of the boards wherever I had dropper wires, especially for the points. The dropper wires were then soldered to these, and then the main wiring was subsequently soldered onto them - this reduces the need for long dropper wires and saves cable. Also, when used under points and section gaps, it creates an image of the track above which also makes wiring and trouble shooting easier. Presumably, you will be using connectors of some sort at the baseboard joints in order to preserve the ability to separate the boards. As an aside, I rather liked the scrapyard in the old layout - it reminded me of Barry Island and Woodhams' Yard.

Again as in the past..creating a jig to automate a procedure and replicate your work over and over has made your yard very impressive both in straightness and track spacing. Your attention to detail is very inspiring. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to following your progress in 2018. Tom

This brings a tear to my eye, just re-laying a 5 lane yard was bad enough haha, Happy Christmas, regards Richard

Dear Everard Junction, thanks for your many instructional videos over the years - most informative. May I add some tips for soldering. Always apply a small amount of solder to the soldering iron tip before soldering any joint or tinning. The liquid solder will transfer the heat much more efficiently than a dry tip and can reduce the damaging effect of heat on plastics. Another tip is to have a damp soldering iron sponge or folded damp kitchen towel to clean the soldering iron tip before each joint is made. This will help in reducing unwanted dry crystaline joints that might fail over time. The soldering process should be: clean the tip, apply solder to the tip then make the joint as you have instructed. I hope this helps.

Best program I’ll watch this Christmas!! Keep up the good work

Excellent progress. Your style and presentation are spot on to keeping the viewer engaged.

I'm so happy to see track being laid again, and what a way to reuse your old track and saving money.

A brilliant how to video and your track laying tips used in the fiddle yard are equally applicable elsewhere. A great video and thanks for the share. So looking forward to seeing how the total layout pans out. Have a great one and take care.

Wow 2ft and 14 lines I need to redo mine I think if you can get 14am going to try that myself cheers for this video it was yourself that got me back into the hobby and I've spent a few pounds cheers Paul

I was dreading soldering droppers to tracks, but this way looks far easier than soldering the droppers to the outsides of the rails and they’ll be hidden as well. Up until now, I was thinking of getting ready soldered fish plates but I am definitely sold on this idea!

Wow! You have given me a super Christmas present Richard! Thanks!

Solid work! I hope that you are rewarded for the care and patience you display with years of trouble free running! Starting to feel the bug growing, and all being well 2018 will finally see me start a new layout (only 30 years since the last one).

Hi Richard, with such a densely spaced fiddle yard you may find it worth nailing a 3mm thick strip of hardboard to the edge nearest to you as a safety barrier. With such close tracks a slight fumble may cause a domino effect such that part or all of a rake of coaches decide to roll sideways onto the floor. I applied a strip so it was about 20 to 25mm high relative to the rail top, enough to stop a roll overboard but not enough to be a nuisance. Tension lock type couplings are very tenacious when they want to be. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year, I eagerly look forward to viewing your forthcoming videos. Jim.

Superb and instructive video that I will be watching again as I'm in the process of sorting my loft out so i can run a railway up there.

1979 SL Merc, eh? S'funny how often an enthusiasm for classic cars goes with one for trains. My pals and I are as likely to be at a classic car show or historic motorsport event such as Pendon or a heritage railway. Sadly sold my own SL last year for family reasons, a wonderful motor, best I ever had. Another informative video for which I doff my hat to you.

Lovely work Richard. I too am a joiner and constructed the OO Live Steam Roadshow layout that you may have seen at a show. I was working with Birch ply ! It is such a good feeling when it all comes together well, due to accurate and thorough preparation. Your on my fave list!

The new yard looks fantastic, enjoy your Christmas & new year, look forward to seeing the layout progress & long trains in action again

Your fiddle yard looks very good. This gives me some good ideas for my 3 massive sorting yards for my layout. Thank you.

By far the most interesting video about model railway construction I've ever seen. Thanks for that, and I'll certainly have a look at your other (and future) videos.

Once again a thorough description and implementation of your fiddle yard. Your attention to the methodical construction and forethought is a great example to us all. Like measure twice and cut once! Happy Christmas Richard and look forward to learning more from your skillful hands in the New Year. Cheers

What a shock to see the old layout go. Cannot wait for the new one.

Hope your going to have another Canal scene, I copied yours in a small way and very pleased the way it came together, did take some time with the layers of water. Couple of Canal boats gravel footpath with a grass embankment.Mines a small steam layout, no diesels, just an age thing!Happy new year to you, now studding your video on ballast to points , very daunting!

Fantastic to finally see track going down. You must be so happy to reach this stage. Regarding the crossover I too have prototypicalish spacing using 25mm aluminium box between the rails when laying. I found after a couple of attempts that the best way to join 2 points is to cut the stock rails only and lead the rails on the frog alone. Trim the chairs on the sleepers to accommodate an isolating fishplate and you're good to go. Merry Christmas and Happy New year

I greatly appreciate your channel! You keep my dream of someday making my own railway alive

Great to see how quickly the new layout is coming together. I’m still in the design stages but getting loads of tips and inspiration from your videos

Really looking forward to following the new layout as it progresses.

Thankyou Everard Junction for treating us your veiwers to a christmas 2017 Update.. as always intresting and informative, look forward your progress with future video updates. Merry Christmas 🎋

This the most amazing fiddle yard I have ever seen!

It’s exciting to watch this! I’m preparing to start a new layout & paying close attention so I can copy

Hi Richard. Nice to see some track being laid and that you're not wasting track that you've already bought. Good move with the soldering done beneath the track. It's something that I've done for years, and looks particularly good when on scenic sections. Regarding having shorter trains on a single fiddleyard track... one thing that you could do, is to fit DCC block detectors. You can set things up where you can have 5 blocks on a single siding, with a DMU in each of them. As block #1 becomes vacant, the DMU in block #2 will move into block one, and as block #2 becomes vacant, the unit in that block will move into block #2... and so on. So your units will all shuffle forward by one block leaving a gap at the back for the unit you're operating to go into, without having to manually shuffle. You an also use something like JMRI with a laptop (or even better a touch control monitor) to create a virtual panel making it easy to route trains. With a push of a single button on the screen, you can set macros so the points will change in sequence and create a route all the way around the layout.

Up and running now Richard. Looking forward to seeing the progress in 2018. All the best.

Fantastic amount of storage really good idea, this was one of the mistakes I made with my layout that I will address once I can start again next year. Looking forward to the next update.

Merry Christmas Richard and to all viewers. Hope you all have a wonderful time, stay safe and have fun.

Nicely done and very neat. Looks great though I might suggest s hinged dust cover for the fiddle yard area which could clip up and out of the way when running. This was pretty well needed on the large fiddle yard we had on the display layout I worked on in the past. Kept the yard from needing constant maintenance. Looking forward to your next installment and especially, the beginning of scenic work. Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and productive New Year.

Keep up the outstanding job!!! Have a Merry Christmas as well. I look forward to your next episode.

Great looking yard. I'm in the process of building a staging yard next to my layout. It is going to access the main layout using one of the main lines. Seeing how yours looks, makes me that much more excited to get mine finished. Thanks for sharing.-Ed

Again a great video, next one please, I absolutely can't wait. A none religious seasonal greeting to you and your family, I hope you all get what you deserve this coming year.

I dont think ive seen a fiddle yard so big it looks like the begins of something great.merry Christmas.

6 thumbs down?? Who are these people? This is brilliant!!!

Great job. I costed my own and it works out quite a bit cheaper using extruded foam that ply and cork. Each to their own I say, but I forgot to mention that living in Australia, buying cork is very expensive. Your buy price is the same as we pay but the freight charges of some $65 puts the cost out the window. Well for me anyways.

Great present for Christmas Eve. Looking great. Wishing everyone a happy Christmas.

I cannot wait for your next, excellent video! Looks superb already, but when it's finally finished! Wow!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Many thxs for the video .... fantastic as usual! Cheers!

Thank you for the much anticipated update on the layout Richard, even with only the fiddle yard in place, I can see this is going to be another awesome layout. Somebody all ready mentioned track envy lol, but even so, I like to see how it's built to such a fine standard with attention to details. I've watched all your how to videos on the previous build and taken advice from other modellers to create my layout. Its no competition for your great work, but I'm very happy to learn and take tips. Really looking forward to pt4!!! Have a great Christmas and New Year.

Hi Graham, I got to view this video on my PC, I'll see what happens on my iPad4 later. the layout is coming on great, looking forward to seeing more progress. Regards Gary

Another fantastic update on your layout Richard. As always your attention to detail is a credit to you. Really enjoying this new layout it’s better than what’s on TV even on sky and I’ve got the lot lol 😆 Wishing you and all your family a happy Christmas 🎄 and New Year Stevie 😊

mmm great start Richard, your making a great fiddle yard there looking good mate looking forward to your next video in the new year thanks for all the tips etc much appreciated. hope you have a great xmas and a prosperous new year.many thanksSyd

Looking good Sir! your attention to detail is stunning, I wondered what track you intend to use on the scenic section, and code 75 will look great. As a precision engineer of 50 years, I can tell you are a craftsman who cares about getting things right, a great attitude to have, Have a great Christmas!, cheers, Dave

Great video. Good tip on how to straighten pre-used flexiitrack...not one I have heard before even after 50+ years modelling!!! A great Christmas to you and yours. Cheers, Bob

Fine work Richard! Maybe you can paint the backscenes for your fiddleyard skyblue to make it look even more nice. Further suggestion is to add a small border in front of the edge.

when you glue a road base using PVA glue with cork underlay it in fact increases noise transmission. If you want to decrease noise use a soft set glue on the ballast with a cellulose underlay and use a silicon type flex adhesive like selleys 3-1 to glue down the underlay.

Merci Richard, all the best for the new year

Tip: If you use Evo stik PVA non-waterproof glue (in the green bottle) to stick Peco track down. When you want to lift or move the track you only need to apply a little warm water. Wait a few minutes and the old glue will have returned to a liquid state. You can then even wash the track carefully in a shower to remove most of the balllast and other scenic bits.

Your the MAN!!!....alot of info, all important...Keep up the good work.

Another well put together show Richard. Best wishes from Up North

Smashing fiddle yard. Have had a few ideas for my next layout. Thanks this has been inspirational. Cheers matt

Well Richard it is Christmas Day right now in Melbourne Australia. Thanks once again for yet another thoroughly enjoyable video. I have been waiting in anticipation for this one and now the next video can't come quick enough. Have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year, Nick

Happy NewYear Richard - thanks for sharing your skills with us.

A belated Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! As always, impeccable workmanship and a beautiful looking fiddle yard!

Looking awesome! Thank you for explaining what you're doing.

One mammoth task! I had to go for a nap in between! Your dedication is astounding! It looks so well planned. :)

Loved the latest update and looking forward to the next update. Have a good Christmas 👍👍👍👍

Coming along great, Cant wait to see the track laid in the scenic section, would be awesome to see a line up of your trains in the fiddle yard too 😎👍

Merry Christmas Richard

This has made my Christmas Eve!! ;) Great stuff Richard as always, can’t wait for the layout to take shape in the coming months! Have a great Christmas! All the best.

the fiddle yard looks great, Have a Happy Holidays and New Year's to you and your family.....

Great and inspirational work here but I would suggest soldering the wires at right angles (to the way you have done them) and then you will only need one hole to feed the wires.

Hi Richard A sizeable fiddle yard for sure, can't wait to see some trains on there. Good choice using code 75 as all points and cross overs are electrofrogs and it looks better, something I wish I'd realised before buying all the code 100 that I did. Fleischman joiners are spring loaded and make an excellent connection, Jim on Hoover motion uses these to great effect and didn't require quite so many droppers which you make look easy but are a pain to do for so many tracks. Happy Christmas looking forward to seeing your layout progress in 2018. Cheers Paul

Well worth all your effort Richard, it looks so good. Merry Christmas

All looks great and very neat... and by bringing the track closer together it gives a much more prototypical look, even though it's not in the scenic area! We get told off in the rail industry for calling all running lines 'fast and 'slow lines' - the Western were and still are, very particular in that they have 'Mains' and 'Reliefs' instead, which are laid out in pairs (i.e. Up and Down main as a pair then up and down relief) with a 10 foot spacing rather than a 6' spacing between pairs. This might help you get the GW mainline 'look' when laying the track as model railway set track has otherwise non prototypical geometry.

Great start! Looking forward to seeing some long rakes on the finished layout. Merry Christmas.

Brilliant Richard another great video can't wait to see the transfer to the lower areas and how it progresses Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Regards Alan.

Hi Richard, WOW, that is a lot of work for a 1st step, but I can see it has paid off. To start as true as possible like you did, will just make it easier down the line. I can already envision how nice it's going to look. Merry Christmas & HNY, I am looking forward to Everard Junction 2018! Nicely done mate!!!

Cant seem to stop checking for new videos even though i have the bell ticked. You got me hooked

Another step completed with your usual aplomb. Nice work Richard. I'm pleased to see the cork rolls because I've bought several myself. It looks like it worked OK for you so I'm more confident using it. Goodness knows when I'll ever get back to the layout though particularly as at the moment Christmas is making its usual demands on my time. All the best........David

I`ve been watching your fine videos since getting into N gauge model RR (July 2017) and have found it a great inspiration. Merry Christmas and keep up the fine work.

Brilliant video as always Richard and as per usual very well presented and very informative, enjoyed watching all three videos now on your latest upgraded Everard Junction, always good when I get informed of a new video of your layout, well done have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year, all the best Geoff

Great videos! Super resource for learning and interesting to watch. I don't know what your plan is for the layout but how about having a Dmu service area on the main layout with a small one or two lane shed and wash with a loop line or two to leave units at on the station approach or on the approach to the fiddle yard at the city scene end. Run one of the loop lines to the station and you have a layout feature which doubles as a dmu fiddle yard where you could store your units on the layout and they won't trip over the longer kit in the fidde yard. Think the south end of Sheffield Station or Bristol Barton Hill for inspiration. I don't want to turn your comments section into a "why don't you do this" forum but it could be a practical way to free up lanes in the main fiddle yard.

Lots of great tips there, spirit level and a piece of ply for spacers. Great video, merry Christmas to you and your family........John.

Fantastic to see track down on layout mk2. Your efforts make my slow progress on a much less ambitious layout pale into insignificance!... But all your videos inspire me to keep at it, and if not fully follow your example, then to at least adapt it to my needs/skills. Merry Xmas!

wow that's some storage yard...great work..

Great vid I aspire to such perfection, one thing though I would add a board along the front about 3 inches high just so trains on the front road can’t topple off the front, I had it happen to me reaching over to the back of my yard

Great too have you back love the videos as always so keep them coming and looking forward too the next

Awesome fiddle yard there Richard! Amazing how you were able to squeeze so many lines in a two foot wide yard. Looks fantastic! Take care of those paws now and Merry Christmas. Cheers, Dan

Excellent looks amazing was a bit worried for that piece of flexi when you was striking it on the back of your workbench but not a bad idea seems to work okay. Keep up the excellent work and can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you.

Merry Christmas Richard. Those baseboards only 2ft wide at the fiddle yard?....a massive amount of track for storing! I have a decent sized off scene fiddle yard, but yours is gigantic! lol. Dave

thank you for an excellent video. i always look forwards to your next uploads. i was so shocked when you decided to scrap your old layout. but understood entirely. been there done that myself. so can not wait to see this one develop

Merry Christmas and happy new year.

"Merry Christmas" From 2021 - Excellent work & many thanks for documenting.

Excellent up date Richard, Merry Christmas and happy New year.

Quality as usual, layout envy and you’ve only done the fiddle yard.

Very large fiddle yard which will you the ability to store a considerable number of trains. Cheers

Very good Richard, 4 running lines will be very impressive . Have a great Christmas Andy

Nice progress, that's a lot of track. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year. Looking forward to what 2018 brings to your layout.

This is beautiful. I do like the idea of where you have put the points. I love it. Merry Christmas to you and your family Richard from me and my family. Looking forward to the next installment. :)

A lot less undulating than your old fiddle yard! ;-) Nice to see the progress and just in time for Christmas too. Happy Christmas to you and yours. Cheers.

Makes so much sense to have curved points, although of course longer consists means the need to buy even more coaches and wagons and station platforms need to be able to take the longer trains, in theory anyway ;-)

Great video as always. Great timing for me too as I’m about to start track laying! Merry Christmas!