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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

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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Research, Thought Processes (!) and Inspiration

Saturday, 13 February 2010 | Research, thought processes and inspiration...   Well, it's been a confusing week with decisions over the layout, so to give me some inspiration, I picked up a book to research the Calshot NG Rlwy further.   Abbreviations: NG: Narrow Gauge SG: Standard Gauge CNGR: Calshot Narrow Gauge Railway   As I flick through, my love for narrow gauge is strengthened, however, what about the standard gauge stock I own. Well, obviously I won't get rid, so I need to incor
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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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Introducing the Cassette and Slot fiddle yard...

This is my latest design for a fiddle yard. Based on many simple theories - cassettes, sector plates and turntables. As you can see, both the locomotive turntable and cassettes can rotate 360 degrees by way of a pin in a slot that runs the width of the fiddle yard. The area at the back stores two cassettes whilst the other one is being rotated. Whether someone has done it before I have no idea, but after many failed sketches I came up with what seems to be a feasible fiddle yard with little n
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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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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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Simple lintels...

Here's a quick guide on how to make lintels (with help from Jamie) The material used for the lintel was Hobbycraft's 'Fab foam'. Jam B)
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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 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 - 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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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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- The narrow gauge is completed - General matters -

Right folks, here's the latest happenings on Calshot. The rest of the narrow gauge line has been layed and infilled.   Now here is the state of play at the moment. Instead of the line going into the castle, I felt that there wasn't enough rom there so I decided to split the NG line round each side of the castle as you can see. Tomorrow I will be sanding it down and then scribing it to represent concrete slabs. Then I might try the plastikote spray (as you can see by the goods platform and han
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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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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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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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