dismantling End of the line for two layouts...
Entry posted by SouthernRegionSteam
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...but they will be replaced with something brand new!
For those that haven't seen my external blog, or posts on NGRM-online, after having had a huge clear out, I decided that now was the time to start afresh. Don't worry though, Sandy Shores is safe! This relates to the two previous layouts: Calshot (MkII), and Old AGWI Rd.
Calshot MkII was (rather obviously) the successor to the MkI version; my first "proper" model railway. Here it is in all its' glory back in 2010 (before I ruined it and the backscene with the 12 day extension build!):
Above: The last appearance of the un-extended version of Calshot MkII was at the Brockenhurst Open Day in 2010. As you can see, it looked pretty smart, even if it was in an unfinished state!
The extension (nicknamed "Operation: Mirror Image"!), back in April 2011, doubled the size of the layout. It was built in a record 12 days, and to all intents and purposes, certainly looked that way; especially with the lack of a backscene and easily visible fiddle yard. The main reason for the addition was to allow the narrow gauge to be a circular loop, so that I could always have something running whilst I shunted the standard gauge section. It certainly achieved that, but that's about it! I was never happy with it, and as a direct result, both boards were left in the dusty garage for 9 or 10 years.
Above: Calshot didn't fare too well from its dusty non-adventure! The track wasn't too bad, but I'll admit I wasn't too careful ripping it up, so all the narrow gauge stuff went in the bin (except the points, I think, although we'll see if they're worth trying to clean up). The only wood I saved was a little of the lattice frame at the back, and ply base itself. The rest was beaten up with a hammer. Structures were mainly in disrepair to begin with, although the hangar and maybe (big maybe!) the castle are salvagable with a lot of remedial work need later on.
Somewhen during that time, two further layouts were started; The Old Road (a hugely overambitious standard gauge layout based on my once-local line), and Old AGWI Rd; a layout based on Fawley Oil Refinery, near Calshot funnily enough! The Old Road didn't last long when I noticed that I'd never have the room to put it up (it filled up our entire front garden!), and in fact I still have the boxes of Code 100 flexi track in boxes virtually unused! I also kept most of the buildings (although I doubt they'll get used again, so maybe I need a rethink there, too!).
Above: Old AGWI Rd almost had its trackwork completed, with the exception of the standard gauge and fiddle yard. Here we see two of the four boards; the central triangular one (with the large shells of the power house evident), and the workshop area (complete with the aerial ropeway shed and dual gauge loco shed.
Old AGWI Rd progressed to the track laying stage, but I decided to take what I thought would be a 6 month break at most doing a diorama to test scenic techniques. We all know now that it turned into Sandy Shores; my proudest achievement in terms of railway modelling! Since then, the layout sat under a bed (so, for 5 years), and upon digging it out last week I noticed a myriad of problems with it. Long story short I decided that this was the time to boldly start afresh. And I'm glad I did, because the more I took apart, but more I noticed some serious problems! This was also true of Calshot, so both layouts were scrapped; most of the components from Old AGWI Rd were saved, but the majority of those on Calshot weren't. It took four days in total, but the time and effort spent being careful with Old AGWI Rd means that I can now reuse virtually all of the track, and most of the woodwork:
Above: All the point motors, points, and the vast majority of the track was saved on Old AGWI Rd. Note that I've also kept all the wiring (and sorted it into bundles), every single screw, every electrical connector block... basically anything I thought I could get away with salvaging! That should reduce costs on the next project.
Above: The pile of wood from Old AGWI Rd. Not everything was saved, but the vast majority was!
So, what now you may ask?
Well, of course there "has" to be a replacement for both layouts; especially now that Sandy Shores is finally nearing completion! The question is what? Well. As of yet I have no plans, other than I would like to revisit Calshot a third time; yes, really! What can I say? I'm a sucker for coastal scenes, and it's a really interesting prototype to boot. I'd also like a tiny bit (but not too much) of the oil refinery, so maybe I'll end up with a serious of modular layouts? Time will tell, but I will of course share all my thoughts, musings, and sketches as I come up with ideas. Either way, the design(s) need to be small, easily storable/portable, and unique...
...so watch this space!
Of course, if you have any comments, suggestions, or anything for that matter; do post below in the comments!
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