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About this blog

UPDATE 20TH JULY 2020:  Calshot (MkII) is no more! Sadly, I decided to abandon the project due to being stored in a dusty garage for 10 years. However it is more than likely to live on in another guise... watch this space!

 

The Ramblings of a Junior 4mm Modeller

Entries in this blog

The Mock Up - Part 2

Thanks to a member on NGRM I have a new plan:     The majority of the layout mock up   Out of focus, but it's a nice viewpoint. I really like this composition as it gives a slice of the atmosphere of Calshot.   Overall I think this plan has a lot going for it, it looks similar to the prototype and works well as a layout. The composition seems to work well. A slipway will be in the foreground in front of the hangar. There may be a pier on the extreme right where the NG siding is. Th

The Mock Up

Firstly, thanks for all your feedback - it has been most appreciated and most interesting! Here's the mock up I started last night - The hangar made out of cardboard is much bigger than I first expected! (Which is why mock ups are so vital).       Calshot MkII - A mock up trial       Aerial Photo       Inside the hangar       View from the slipway and pier       Towards the hangar and castle

What a difference a day makes!

Some strange goings on have been happening today. Things such as walking past an aisle in a shop and something flying off the shelf without anyone there. Another strange thing has been this: The egg(ish) shaped layout works out at 4ft x 3ft It may not be what you expected (or I!), but this is the start of the construction of Calshot -MkII. It's a kind of egg-shaped layout (I like to be different, and it shows!) but I'm yet to decided what will go where yet, although I do have a vague idea.

Putting your foot in it! - Poll included - All help welcome!

Now we've got a basic outline, where do you progress from here? Well you draw many sketches of variations of different plans!   Here's eight I've knocked up. But I'm not sure which, if any, to go for! (Sound familiar? ). Other thoughts include adding some beach huts which are fairly common at Calshot.   Sketch 1     Sketch 2 Sketch 3 Sketch 4 Sketch 5 Sketch 6 And these two which you have seen before: Sketch 7 Sketch 8 - This plan would involve changing the layout sh

Biro sketches

Well, I don't like blog posts without photos and I haven't made any progress so I thought I'd wait until I had something vaguely worth blogging about and that might make for some discussion or helpful comments before posting. So here we go - and it's about time I got my teeth into this project...   Sketch 1 Sketch 2   One of these sketches you've seen before, but the other one (sketch 2) you won't have. It is based on the real prototype and follows it closely looking towards the west. T
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Straining at the leash...

After numerous comments and advice on NGRM-online by members some things have been called into question (and rightly so!). The balloon loop takes up far more space than I would and there are various other suggestions made such as adding a loop at the front of the layout for the narrow gauge. I have even had a sketch drawn up for me for which I am very grateful. I have modified it slightly to show some of the additions - hope he doesn't mind, but it's much better than I could do myself: The qu

A layout plan I'm happy with!

Click on image to enlarge Well, here it is! ( I can almost hear the sighs of 'At last, I thought he'd never shut up' ) It's been a long time coming but I think I've finally worked out a design. I must have bored you rigid with the amount of plans I've been doing and my plethora of postings about planning indecision! Hopefully this design will work. On the left hand end we have a 2ft fiddle yard including a 3 road sector plate for the SG line (thick grey lines) and 3

Calshot MkII v.4 - Baseboard design - your opinion

It's about time I got my brain into gear! Today I've been thinking about baseboards, and configurations of the new layout.   I have several possible routes I could go down; 1: A 1ft x 4ft fiddle yard with a 2ft x 4ft scenic section bolted on to the front - Can get in a circle of 009 track and a bit of 00 gauge 2: A 2ft x 4ft fiddle yard (thin circular) with a 2ft x 4ft scenic section - Can get a circle of 009 track and a circle of 00 track 3: A 1ft x 2ft fiddle yard with a 3ft x 4

Calshot Mk II - 3D designs - Eaglehurst Camp

Another Friday, another night to unwind doing my favourite hobby. This time, I've spent more time than I probably should have doing a 3D plan (which I started yesterday as you may have seen in the gallery). I'm pretty pleased with it so far, and it shows as accurate as possible (with only two photos for reference) what the loco shed and stores at Eaglehurst Camp (Calshot) looked like in the 1940s. Some of it maybe completely wrong, but that's the limitation of the lack of resources.   I'm quit
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Calshot MkII v.3

I suddenly had an idea today, pretty basic, but it's given me some ideas for half of the layout. (Stop laughing at the back!) "Why not copy from the prototype?" OK, it had occurred to me before today, but suddenly it all seemed to fall in place. The top screenshot shows the location of the Calshot RAF Narrow Gauge Railway and shows its route (red line) along the spit across to Eaglehurst camp. Now let's zoom in a bit: Looking north towards the end of the spit we can see a jetty (ma
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Debate: What makes exhibition layouts interesting

I was thinking during my struggles to come up with a plan for Calshot MkII what I would want from it when I exhibit it locally - and perhaps what other people might like to see.   Here are some of my thoughts;   1) Mainline 'roundy-roundy' - That enjoyment of watching prototypically long trains go round. 2) Something unique/unusual - That 'oh, that's a bit different' thought. With Calshot, I would like to think it falls under this category. 3) Based on a well-known prototype - Again, I wou

I've been given the go ahead!

Today I am very happy! As the title suggests, I have had permission to build Calshot Mk II. This decision was reached probably due to sudden brainwave this morning - when not in use, I could store Calshot Mk II in a movable unit with castors on the bottom. The unit would be 1m long by about 0.75m tall and 0.5m wide. There would be three spaces - the top space for the fiddle yard board(s) (because in theory it will be the lightest) followed by two spaces for the scenic boards.   This means I c
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Appealing for help!

Times have been stressful lately but soon I hope to pick up work again on designing Calshot Mk II. The trouble is that I don't know where to start. I'm not even sure if I want an end to end layout or a roundy roundy one though probably the former due to space constraints.   I really feel as though I'm stuck in a rut, I just can't seem to work out anything in my head or on paper. I don't have much room (5ft x 2ft) in which to build a layout but I'd really like there to be a lot of operating in
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Calshot Article

I have done a write up for Calshot in case I decide to publish it in the model railway press. Let me know if there is anything you think could be improved, i'm sure there is! ___________________________________________________   Calshot A slice of the South Coast in the late 1950s       JAMIE WARNE wanted to create a layout with little space, less skill, and even less money, but still try and create a convincing scene of the South Coast.       Calshot was always a place I had a
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First NG loco attempt

Well after a period of inactivity I have been doing bits and bobs on the layout. Last weekend I made major modifications to a Knightwing Kit to turn from this: Into this: I ordered a N gauge motor from Japan: And a test fit proves successful: And that pretty much sums up as far as I have got at the moment. I need to add the air compressor? and maybe a few underframe details and then a lick of paint.   If you have any queries feel free to ask!
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Calshot - Recent Update & Photos

Today saw three stone walls built plus the layout was covered in Plastikote Tan spray. The overall effect is pretty good but it certainly makes the hangar doors looks very white! I think that it will need going over with a light white spray just to take the edge off it...             Comments welcome...
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Ex-communications building

Well after a good pub lunch, it was back to work on Calshot. Today saw the initial construction of the brick ex-communications building now being used as stores for the boat department. Made out of the Wills brick sheets (as with the engine shed) and a roof which is yet to be built out of corrugated iron from the same manufacturer. A drill was used to cut out holes for the windows and a Stanley knife to make it more square. It will need to have its mortar picked out using the same method as the
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Calshot - It's all coming together

Firstly, thank you to all those people who took part in the poll, it's much appreciated and I am working out what best to do.   Now, today after much deliberation saw the chisel striking the extension and a large chunk of filler being reduced to nothing in order to make way for the beach. I am pleased with how it has turned out, it has created some interesting photographic shots. I need to make the wooden groynes for the beach and it is hard trying to work out what I can use...   There is st
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009 comes to Calshot

Hello folks, Last night and this afternoon I have been working on laying the NG track. It has been glued down and infilled using polycell (you would've thought that I would stop using this medium by now!)   I'm also a bit worried about that backscene. It doesn't cover the fiddle yard entrance which means you can't take any pictures of the loco shed without seeing clutter. I'm wondering whether to move the backscene round, but then I would lose the backscene behind the Castle and lifeboat sta
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Thoughts about presentation

Hello, Progress has been slow, a bit like the pace of life in general this week, but I thought i'd talk to you about latest happenings on the F&CR... The narrow gauge trench has finally been dug out using an electric drill and chisel meaning the narrow gauge track has been cut to length. The NG bridge is also being installed and i'm hoping I can get the NG track laid down today. I don't have any fishplates for the NG track though unless I can find some in the house (as you do!).   Toda
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A new fiddle yard for Calshot

Well, I have been threatening to plan this for a while... I'm currently drawing up plans for a replacement fiddle yard for Calshot. This time it will be much shorter but wider. Oh, and i'm going to make it properly this time! Plan:     Comments are welcome!
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Calshot - A summary

Baseboards       All the boards on Calshot have been made using the open-frame format, where a ply upriser is sandwiched between planks of pine. Polystyrene is then cut to shape to form the contours of the land and cut to fit between the uprisers. This method requires slightly more thought than the more usual method of pinning track straight to a board and is much more versatile because you can cut holes in the uprisers for wiring looms and it also means hills are much easier to landscape b
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