Calshot's First Video

Well I decided that I should finally make a video showing Calshot just to see if it was feasible. Why would it not be feasible? This is because of my apalling trackwork! OK, so it's not that bad, but I've recently had problems with dirty point blades from paint (which will need attention soon). Hopefully when the trackwork is cleaned and the fiddle yard finished I can finally have a good running session to try it out before Calshot's second exhibition (in May 2010). And yes, I did say something about a fiddle yard. I have started to build a fiddle yard for Calshot. It's particularly small and comprises of cassettes and a turntable - but not as you know it!

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PHOTO: The cassettes are able to rotate 360 degrees and hold a complete train (rolling stock only) The locomotive pulls forward onto the turntable and can be turned if necessary. Then the cassette is moved to the back and an empty one lifted up and placed back in the guide slot for the locomotive to run onto. Wagons are then placed behind the locomotive and it is ready to leave to the scenic section.

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Calshot - Moving Forward...

Moving Forward...
Well, over the last month i've been inundated with coursework and other reasons to take my mind of modelling. But fear not, because I am still working on the layout. Here is the latest progress that has been over the last couple of days. The layout has been sprayed with a tan coloured spray to represent concrete but will need going over with a bit of white to lessen the colour a bit. A few stone walls have been built, an ex-communication building built and it is finally moving forward...

A glimpse of what I hope is to come!

A Vision!

Created this montage today to show you (and me!) what I hope to achieve over the next few months. More photos tomorrow when i've made the layout look a bit less messy!
Please note - the sand, groyne, nissen hut, simplex, crates and jeep are all edited in! They are things I hope to collect soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, your opinions are welcome!






Update: Trying out construction materials for the wooden groynes

The Extensions Continue (Sorry for lack of updates!)

Finally, an update!


I firstly apologise for not updating this site for a good few months! Hopefully, things will start to pick up again now i've updated this thread.

Since the last update, another extension has been built to the right hand side which will include Calshot castle. I have also just finished putting in a narrow gauge line in running from the loco shed into the castle. The lighting pelmet has been redone and is now much stronger, and a new fascia put on.
Let me apologise also for the layout looking messy, there are a load of jobs I need to do! Here's a taster:

Tackling Extensions

Well, a while since any progress reports, but I am pleased to announce my latest extension offerings. The baseboard was constructed from uprisers spaced 10cm apart and braced inbetween. It now needs a fascia to tidy it up a bit. The landform was produced using my tried and tested method of gluing polystyrene blocks carved appropriately onto the uprisers and support bracing. This was then completely covered in Polycell (an indoor type of plaster). This morning saw the stream bed being painted in its initial colours. 'Sand' will then be put in place on the banks of the stream and eventually this will then be covered in 'Scenic Water' and rippled as necessary. Reeds will be added as well as a quayside wall. I'm currently just about to start experimenting with my own hand made paper for that job.
Apologies for the quality of the photo - my camera has had it and the light is bad in the room it is in.

The Smaller, The Better

Well, after looking at Calshot I realised there was no way I would build another lighting pelmet nor create a new backscene. My thoughts turned to what I had built already - a loco shed. I suddenly realised that all I needed was a small extension, capable for further expansions later on. So here's what I have come up with:

Jam

Sweeping Curves?

Firstly, may I just thank all those people who are following this blogspot. I will try and update this site as frequently as possible.

So without further ado, here are some more ramblings. (Perhaps I should have called it '4mmramblings'?) So, the past week has seen the construction of the loco shed for use on the extension when it gets built. I'm hoping to make the baseboard(s) pretty soon in a curved fashion unless I changed my mind using the same open-frame technique as used on Calshot.

The above screengrab taken from HVR2 shows the possible trackplan. Note the track not on a baseboard is the original layout. As mentioned it will be on a curve, probably on two similar sized but different shaped boards yet to be decided. My plan is to have a nice sweeping feel to it. Here's a rough sketch of the board shape:

All for now,

Jam

Sketch 1

Hello All,

Although it doesn't have a trackplan - here's something I drew up earlier which I thought looked scenically interesting. I assume there to be more sidings either to the left of the bridge or on the right of it.
Please feel free to comment, and use these designs if you like them - any suggestions would be interesting to read and take note of. Have a good weekend!
Jam

Industrial Inglenook

Welcome to my latest plan - it shows an inglenook set-up lower left. This is a radical change to previous designs for the extension as it is set in an industrial setting, much like Fawley is.

The trackplan should be easy enough to see, but here it is in schematic view:

I'm not sure what space this would occupy, but fiddling around with some old track would provide the answer. Yes it is a radical change, but would it be acceptable?

Comments welcome!

Jam

Planning Indecisions in Abundance

Let's be honest, any modeller will know that indecision is always the killer for model railway planning - I have to admit, i'm the same. I'm presently in the state at which I can no longer stick to one plan. It has been only a month, and already I have gone through 12 versions of the same plan to no avail.

Put simply, i'm going nowhere fast - I know eventually I will be inspired by a plan and everything will be fine - but i'm struggling.

The problem is, i'm looking to extend my layout 'Calshot' set in SR territory based on a fictional extension to the Fawley branch - more info here: http://www.jamsmrs.webs.com but coming up with a plan that will fit inbetween the fiddle yard and layout is problematic because the two tracks entering the fiddle yard will have to be aligned with the extension - thus the extension tracks will also have to line up with the main layout meaning two tracks will need to be brought through the length of the layout of a distance of only a few cm apart.

Tomorrow should see the arrival of a copy of Micro Layout Design by Santona Publications which i'm hoping will be the spark to really set this project off.

If all else fails, I might try a design where the extension will act as a module. So, this means that the layout could be exhibited without it's fiddle yard leaving just the original layout and it's extension meaning two tracks will need to be brought together on the right side only.

I'll post when I receive the book tomorrow if not before.

Jam