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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

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 - 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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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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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

A WWII theme

After having taken delivery of some stuff for the layout I opened the parcel which, amongst other things, contained two WWII narrow gauge bogie rolling stock opens. These were promptly constructed and now await painting. Inside the box were 2 more packs of corrugated iron (the shop had run out of corrugated asbestos so I decided to go for the wriggly tin instead as it is a close match). This allowed me to spend this afternoon building the hangar. This hangar has caused me a lot of grief so far -
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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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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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V.2 Operation Mirror Image

Despite my status update earlier, I'm still planning an extension, not just a fiddle yard. Here's my latest plan after a thought struck me earlier. It occurred to me that my abnormally-shaped plan for my extension would be hell to transport! So, I took the original layout and mirrored it and came up with this:     This design allows me to stack the two boards on top of one another. I'd have to create a squared off section for the original board to make it easier to connect the two boa
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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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One week left (and I'm pushing my luck!)

Click for larger image. Click for larger image. Click for larger image. And here's my first bit of maths in the holidays   Which made the bottom level of the castle. Most of the quay walls have been fitted into place with decorators caulk used for the seabed and any gaps. Paving has been added from scribed DAS clay. The first waves have been roughly started. The castle will have a layer of DAS modelling clay wrapped around it and scribed(!). Can you see the recurring the
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A series of completely unflattering photos

As per the blog title really. There are certain jobs that I haven't done yet that have been annoying me and needed to be done. The main one:     The layouts looks a mess here and thats (mainly) because the pelmet has been sawn off and the backscene taken off but also because of the poor light. There is a good reason for this major cutback - don't worry I haven't yet gone mad! The idea behind the layouts size was meant to be that I could fit it in a car for when I pass my driving test an
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And it's a Merry Christmas from me! (plus some photos)

Festive greetings to you all! Merry Christmas A lone van weathered by the salty atmosphere of the seaside waits on the quayside.     An unidentified narrow gauge locomotive emerges from the shade of the pipe bridge.     The same locomotive is pictured here without a driver who has obviously gone for a quick cuppa.       A break in the stormy clouds sees the 4-6-0 emerge from behind the hangar.     A works train heads west towards Eaglehurst Camp for track repairs haule
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15 days left and it's a race against time!

Blimey, where does the time go? I've got two weeks to finish Calshot. Scary eh! Luckily yesterday and today I was able to get a lot of work done on the layout so I'll take you for a little tour...                         Next on the list? Well, I've got to make two holders for the controllers, finish the rest of the 'DAS-ing', Affix the SG infill, affix the stone walls, scribe the rest of the gatehouse, build the castle, build the fascia/lighting pelmet... the list goe
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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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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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Phase Three - An idea

I've had an idea:     The Nissen hut I would envisage as being something like this one: http://www.ingr.co.uk/images/gardrum%20news.jpg   This plan would also solve the problem of the sea join which is an added bonus. I would model the lifeboat station as no longer functional, however, I could add a slipway in front of it and making it operational. Just a question of taste I suppose.   By the way, the infilling is pretty much complete and the castle taking shape. Comments welcome as us
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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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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

Textured paper - Wooden hangar doors

Stubby47 said he is going to base his boat repair shed using doors similar to the hangar on Calshot. This made me think - 'Maybe I could put some more effort into them'. I had always thought they could be improved, and now was the chance to do so.   The texture was made from a stock image and then 'stained' to the right colour. It was then brightened in Paint.net and printed off at the correct size. If anyone wants the image send me a PM and i'll see what I can do.  
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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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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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Some new photos...

Going back to college has been hard after such a long break, but I've been back two weeks already. Unfortunately, coursework and college life in general means I have had no spare time nor energy to even think about the layout. I am pleased with how it is at the moment, but there are some flaws in the layout. The scenic exit is appalling and the hangar has fallen apart for some reason. Running is still not great which is a real nuisance as I can never get a layout to run well. I need more NG stoc
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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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A scenario in 4ft

Today I took an hour off my busy revision schedule to continue planning the new layout. This is the latest (!) idea. There are bits I like, and bit's I don't.   I like the left hand end of the plan, but I'm not sure about the station as by the time I've marked out 47cm, there isn't a lot of station that can fit there! The station by the way is based on Lymington Pier as it was. I particularly liked the buffer stops that ended abruptly at the quay edge!     The second sketch shows the ba
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