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About this blog

Documenting my project to reconstruct, remodel and renew the 'Art of Compromise' layout, built by Chris Ford based on a Roy C Link plan, and refurbished extensively by Howard and Phil from BRM, before being inherited by me in round one of 'The Great Model Railway Giveaway'

Entries in this blog

planning

A tall tale

As part of my submission to BRM for the ‘Great Model Railway Giveaway’ contest, I knew that my first step would be to develop a story for the layout to tell.    Although Roy Link's 1978 trackplan is loosely based on Fairford in Gloucestershire, Chris Ford’s version of ‘The Art of Compromise’ suggests a Welsh location, so I wondered whether perhaps there was scope to bring in some kind of industrial theme applicable to rural Mid Wales.   As we all know, every railway needs a r
JamFjord

JamFjord in planning

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planning

A bit of background

With house move plans back to square one, and while illness continues to knock us for six in this house, I thought I’d share a bit more of the background for my plans to remodel ‘The Art Of Compromise’ over the next few months.   When Chris Ford built the layout, his approach was to set creative limitations to work within; firstly to “use the same 12 inch width, but reorganise the plan of buildings for a better fit.” Fine; I’m ok with that - I’ll be doing quite a bit of reorganising of
JamFjord

JamFjord in planning

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planning

A couple of weeks in limbo

So, as predicted in a previous post, this blog has been pretty quiet for a couple of weeks - unfortunately not entirely due to working on this layout in the background, as everyone in this family seems to have been struck down with some perpetually annoying virus over the past fortnight, in addition to which we've finally had some progress on us moving house, which sparked a panic about the amount of clearing out we need to do before that happens! So, with that in mind, now is not the ideal time
JamFjord

JamFjord in planning

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research

A last-minute field trip (and more stuff I've been reading)

Last Sunday, I found myself with a few hours to spare, so I jumped in the car and headed to Wales. I’ve been planning a more organised recce around a series of locations in Powys and the Welsh Marches, to knock off a number of the places I’ve identified as possible prototypical examples for 'The Art of Compromise'. However, Sunday’s trip was just to take a few photos, get a feel for the potential setting and judge whether I’m on the right track (no pun intended, but I’m keeping it). I took a few
JamFjord

JamFjord in research

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research

A lineage

In the last blog I said I wasn't going to write anything for a couple of weeks whilst I was deep in the planning stage and starting to acquire materials, but I couldn't resist posting this...   An exciting delivery arrived yesterday. Well, exciting to me anyway. The final piece in a puzzle; completing a picture that should help me to understand 'The Art of Compromise' as a layout, as a trackplan and as an idea.   A couple of weeks ago I’d already found myself a copy of Railwa
JamFjord

JamFjord in research

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planning

A journey begins

So it's here! Got back from Doncaster fairly late on Sunday and had chance for a short gawp at 'The Art of Compromise' before bed. Yesterday was mostly taken up with lots of measuring and photographing the layout from every possible angle, working out how it is constructed under the surface and how to start putting my plan into action.   Having the opportunity for a closer look has revealed some nice details that I hadn't spotted earlier, a young boy spotting trains from the railings n
JamFjord

JamFjord in planning

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planning

An unexpected email

Monday morning and a new email popped up, with some news that I'm still not sure I believe; my submission for the first 'Great Model Railway Giveaway' had been picked and I could have the layout if I still wanted it - and could still pick it up from BRM's Festival of British Railway Modelling in Doncaster. Yes please! Part of me still thinks it's all a hugely elaborate hoax, but I'm going to Doncaster anyway - I'm being a little facetious, perhaps, but I'm still not sure I'll truly believe I won
JamFjord

JamFjord in planning

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