Purchased and reviewed by Ian Allen

After seeing an announcement on Facebook from Philip Healey Pearce that Intentio were now making parts for use in fiddle yards, I placed an order for a few packs of the Fiddle Yard Track. These are laser-cut sleepers onto which rail is slid, as well as some more robust bases into which laser cut chairs are inserted. The bases have holes in them allowing them to be screwed down.

As I was in the middle of making up a length of track from wooden sleepers and Exactoscale chairs to S7 standards, I ordered the S7 kit of parts from Intentio, to compare the two systems. From the photo, you can see that each block contains two bases and six sleepers, and a pack is designed to make a one metre length of plain track. Assembly is very straightforward: remove the parts from the block and insert the chairs into the bases. Make sure you get them the right way round, as they will cant the rail in a prototypical fashion, and then slide the rail into each laser-cut sleeper and chair.

I arranged some of the parts I have used so far, such that rail joints and fishplates are contained within one of the bases. Others have the rail joints positioned between two bases, and this would be more desirable if using this system on a portable layout at baseboard joins. The one underlying advantage of using this Intentio system for fiddle yards is the speed at which you can lay track, especially for those who model to S7 standards. Not only that, but when comparing it to using flexible track from the likes of PECO or C&L it works out a lot cheaper.

At the moment, I have only used this system with the Code 125 rail available from the S7 Stores, which I believe is the same as that by Permaway from Phoenix Paints, but if you want a quick and easy way of laying track in a fiddle yard, then I can recommend the Intentio Fiddle Yard Track system.

They are currently available for 32mm Finescale and 33mm S7 standards, priced at £2 per pack.