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Fred Mikkelsen’s family calls Rhode Island’s Conimicut Light Station “My Dad’s Lighthouse,” or “Grandpa’s Lighthouse,” depending on which generation is making the reference. That’s because Fred Mikkelsen served for 39 months, from 1958 to 1961, as a Coast Guard Lighthouse keeper at this offshore outpost. Some of Mikkelsen’s memories can be found in the story, “A Tale of Teenage Wickies” that appeared in the June 2003 edition of Lighthouse Digest.
Mikkelsen’s lighthouse life so many years ago has not only stayed with him, but it also created his life-long love of lighthouses. However, he also had a burning desire to create a model of the Comimicut Lighthouse, replicated as it was in “his day,” when the conical lighthouse was the place he called home. So, that’s what he did.
Over the winter of 2008, he “kit-bashed” a lighthouse model of the Old Saybrook Lighthouse that used to be available from Crow River Products. Mikkelsen explained that kit-bashing is a model builder’s term for taking an existing kit and modifying it to resemble a much different item.
So, using the model building skills he had enjoyed as a teenage model railroader, he set about to create his lighthouse and the kit provided the cast fittings and styrene tower upon which to base his replica. Mikkelsen then used photographs he had taken when he was stationed there to estimate scale dimensions to HO scale (3.5 MM to 1 foot) to keep things in proportion. Last year he discovered that the United States Coast Guard might have been able to supply actual blue prints of the structure, a thought that had never previously occurred to him.
The kit he was using for the tower was one story shorter than what was needed, so an extra section made from clear pine was inserted to gain the height and an appropriate tank-type base also needed to be fabricated.
In an attempt to accurately model the features that made Conimicut unique, Mikkelsen added several details and modified other parts supplied in the kit. He replicated the 35mm IOV lamp, Fresnel lens, and fog bell. The pier was made from scale structural beams and planks, with each plank individually laid on the sleepers.
Although the kit supplied thread for the railings, it gave them a jagged appearance and would have been unsatisfactory looking. Instead, Mikkelsen chose to use fine wire bent around appropriately sized forms, and then he epoxied them to the stanchions. The “tank” base is clear pine and the stone rip rap is made from actual stones very close to the rockweed-covered Westerly red granite that protects the base of the lighthouse to this day.
The details, boats and barrels on the walk around and pier, along with an outboard kerosene tank, were all carved from wood or plastic, and the figures of the crew are from a hobby shop. The “water” is a two-part epoxy used in model railroading scenery that Mikkelsen said “gave it very realistic results.”
Mikkelsen said he drew upon his past experience, memories, and old photos, and the new and improved materials made a difference from his days as a teenage model railroad builder. However, working with a magnifying glass and small items took some getting used to again. Once he even managed to get his fingers stuck together with super glue. Because he found the project so rewarding, he never bothered to keep track of the hours spent to complete the project.
Fred Mikkelsen uses the replica when he gives “My Life as a Lighthouse Keeper” presentations for local civic groups, and it always draws an immense amount of attention. Mikkelsen says, “Granted, it is not a “true-to- scale’ model, but it is an exercise that has brought me much pleasure and enjoyment.” And we can understand why.
This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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