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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

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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Fete Fantastic!

Well today as some of you will know was the layouts first outing since early May. I hadn't touched the layout since then and so I had no idea whether it would work or not! However, luckily it did and so I set about making the hangar. Unfortunately I ran out of time and so the back of the hangar was roofless and the front had just a simple bit of textured paper led across it. It didn't look great! However, I have noticed something - from up high the layout doesn't look particularly specia

Exhibition Invite - New Forest Model Railway Society Open Day

Right, now for some news - a NFRMS member has phoned me up (feel a bit guilty now!) and it has now been officially confirmed I will be attending their open day. New Forest Model Railway Society - Open Day Sunday November 28th, 2010 Brockenhurst Village Hall Highwood Road, SO42 7RY http://www.nfmrs.co.uk   I hope some of you are able to attend - it would be nice to meet up if anyone lives nearby, or fancies a day in the New Forest __________________________________________ I have also t
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Exbury Excellence! (Now with video)

This weekend was Exbury Gardens annual Steam in the Gardens event. The weather was kind but cold on Saturday and torrential rain today which did see a drop in turnout until the weather cleared. The model railway layouts were based in the EGR engine shed built in 2001 and extended in 2008 (if I know my Roman numerals!). A spacious area with a selection of very nice layouts. There were about 8 or 9 layouts in total ranging from Gauge 1 to my little slice of 009. A great exhibition topped off wit
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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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Diversionary tactics!

Diversionary tactics! Well after a loooong spell of nothing happening on the layout I thought I would spend this weekend doing some armchair modelling. On Saturday I popped into SMC to see what they had in store. I came out with more than I expected including an Airfix resin 'ruined workshop', some Bachmann trees and few other bits and bobs.     The workshop was a bit of an impulse buy, but thats not necessarily a bad thing - it will make a great addition to the layout on the new section ne

Distracted? Moi?!

Nah...   OK, maybe just a little bit then:     P.S. That is my first attempt using watercolours so apologies if it isn't very good!   I know Ian J. wanted to model this station, but it is only a mile down the road, and, well, just look at it! Part of me really wants to build this, but the other part says I don't have enough room and I need to finish Calshot first.   And in case you are wondering how this all came about there are a couple reasons:   Firstly, progress on Calshot has
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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

Changes are afoot!

Thanks to a few kind folk on NGRM I have a plan of action! Another hangar will be built where the current wireless station is (brick building) to act as view blocker and the WS will be therefore moved to the right of the castle. The scenic exit will be hidden not only by the new hangar but the oil pipeline (see below) for aviation fuel or some such. I wil also build the prototype engine shed which once stood at Eaglehurst (one mile east of Calshot Spit) albeit a single bay not triple bay engine
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Castle Plastering

Well, progress has been slow on Calshot due to life in general, but today I got cracking with some DAS modelling clay. First, the castle needed a good sand down before the DAS could be applied, nothing too special, just enough to get rid of the large lumps of polycell on it. The clay was then rolled out and covered over the castle. The window areas were pushed in to form a recess. Unfortunately I only had enough clay to do half of the castle, so the bottom half will have to wait until I can get
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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 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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Calshot MkII - Building a control panel + track laying shenanigans!

After a completely naff start to the day with trying to amending mistakes that I made last week (which I again made the same mistakes today!) I decided to leave the 009 point giving me grief and complete about 70% of the NG track. Just got the rest to lay tonight and then the four feeds to add before John comes tomorrow to kindly finish off all the wiring.   This photo should explain the point predicament (and this is after supposedly realigning the the point and motor!):     The realign
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Calshot MkII - 3D designs - Module one with added map

Having another go with the 3D modelling today and I've come up with a possible design for Module One: The 3 road track into the engine shed can be seen top left.   I might be able to start building this before the exhibition next weekend.   Any ideas or suggestions? I think that I might add a water tower and a coal pound just to give the loco shed some facilities for the locos!
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Calshot MkII - 009 Diesel Critter

As I'm sure some of you will be aware, I have started construction of a freelance diesel (009) for Calshot. It is based on the Knightwing kitbash that I started a while ago and never got round to finishing. The chassis is from a Dapol M7, but it looks as though i'll have to add some lead weight in both bonnets. Here's where I have got up to so far:       Hope you like it, there's still more to do on it such as the rear bonnet end and handrails as well as other little details and tidying up
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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 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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Calshot - This is the plan

In the true style of my unusual ways of going about things, here's the plan (after I've started construction!) Sorry if the frequent updates are getting a bit tedious - just let me know and I'll reduce the number to a couple a week or something.   I notice I'm still getting plenty of people viewing the blog so I must be doing something right!   Today my order arrived of 3 lengths of PECO 009 track and 3 009 points as well as my first point motor (SEEP). I also settled on a slight change in
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Calshot - Structure Modelling - The Castle (Part One)

Things have been hectic over the last couple of days as you may have read in ERs, but I'm trying to keep it all together. I find modelling is a great relief from all the stresses of life and today was no exception.   As it is such a major part of the layout I wanted to start construction of the castle now (especially as the layouts debut exhibition is on 4th September!) . Luckily, Saturday I planned ahead and bought some brick sheets and now after about 8hrs of work I have created the gatehous
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Calshot - Sand, sea and Silflor

Just a quick update for tonight, but as always I've added some photos to make it a bit more interesting.   Today I had the chance to work on the layout and I managed to get some quite visible results. Firstly I have been adding more Silflor grass tufts all around the layout. I really am fond of this product and against the hanging basket liner it looks like a much more realistic product.   I have also been adding sand to the layout in quite large quantities. This was all brought about by lo
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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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Calshot - Painting and structure modelling

After having been unable to make any progress on the layout for about a month I was getting fed up. Today I decided to take a break from revision and crack out the paints and glues.   Firstly, here is the castle gatehouse before painting took place:     Secondly, the other side after painting had been 'finished':     I decided to also paint the outer wall of the castle to try and tone down the bright white clay. Here I have gouged out some of the clay and inserted some old brickwork
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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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