advice on building military loads

I like to hold things on flat cars with chains.  You can get various sizes at craft stores, usually in the jewelry and bead section.  I spray mine flat black then cut to size.

I buy blackened small chain....often cheaper than the silver or gold tone stuff.

 

A small drop of epoxy will hold it.....but can be popped off if you change your mind.

Forrest,

     Instead of chain you can purchase black elastic thread at craft stores (in the jewelry dept). Sometimes it is hard to get chain tight enough to hold the tank, truck or jeep on the flatcar and I find the elastic thread easier to work with. If you do use chains place a small spring under the flatcar place the chain over the vehicle you are tying down and attach the ends of the chain on the hocks of the spring. The chain should be a few links short so that the tension of the spring pulls the chain tight enough to hold the vehicle tight. I also use double sided clear tape underneath the tracks or wheels, its made by scotch also can be purchased in craft store.

      Good luck and practice to get best results.

JohnB 

I put a big drop of Duco rather than epoxy but its the same idea.  on it and let it harden.  You can scrape it off later if you want to.  I often use chains, too, that I buy at modelexpo.com.  Some times you can find it even cheaper at garage sales: people sell old costume jewlery and the chain has weatheredcorroded a bit to a dark gray/black.  Wonderufl look and often dirt cheap.

Also, military vehicles usually have blocks of wood on all 4 sides of every tire, and high chocks at the end of treads on tracked vehicles.

This modern field manual shows what I'm talking about (scroll down to the drawings): http://www.globalsecurity.org/...my/fm/55-17/ch20.htm

thanks for the tip about the chock blocks. now i have to find something to use.  i am awful at fabricating things.

so, has anybody made chock blocks like these?  or better, has anyone come across something that could be used as chock blocks.  

Making chock blocks from scrap wood is not only easy and cheap, but very authentic as well. In a previous life as an artillery officer, we would rail load our howitzers (M109A1) from Baumholder to Grafenwohr, Germany. We made our own chock blocks with a chain saw and 10"x10" beams, cutting them into approximately 24" lengths and angled at both ends; one end to wedge against the tracks and the other to provide a surface in which to spike the chock block to the deck of the flat car.

We also used steel cables attached to each of the four shackles on the howitzer with the other end secured to the flat car to prevent side to side movement.

I use thin floral wire. I wrap it around the axles then drill small holes in the base of the flat car and twist the wire under the car. just trim off the excess and the vehicle stays put. Now for appearance I also use  chains and chock blocks

Go to OGR Run 266 Oct./Nov. 2013, page 82 to see how Frank Cozzi does it.

 

A very good upper middle of the road way to accomplish tying down vehicles of any type. 

 

Let me add that in the "Keystone Modeler" No.88 Spring 2014 pg. 22, there is an article about how a man built a depressed center flat car with a propeller load. On page 24 there starts a description of how he made his turnbuckles. A fairly easy way to make them.

Unfortunately, does not indicate where Frank got the wheel chocks. 

Well, go back and read right at the bottom of the first column and top of the second column.

read that and it didn't register.  can't imagine that styrene strip has the right shape.  must be some whittling involved.

Plastruct offers a styrene triangle with .125" sides in 10" lengths which is what I use to create wheel chocks/blocks for vehicle loads on my flat cars.

 

Larry

thanks larry

Forrest, some great ideas listed above.  I would recommend small chain holding both ends of vehicle to flat car, get some small square balsa wood stock and all you need is a hobby knife to cut angle for wheel chocks.  The tip of using a small dab of rubber cement to hold wheels to car is a winner, and it works great.  To add more detail attach some crates, Jerry cans, or other military type container to flat car adjacent to your vehicle.  Many items can be found on the bay for this purpose.  I hope this helps you.  Here is a video of my Army train with flat car loads in review.  This might give you some ideas on what to do.



Steve, Lady and Tex



Steve, Lady and Tex

If you want to be realistic you also remove any machine guns mounted on the roof. The military isn't keen on having .50 cal machine guns stolen off their vehicles while they're in transit. It's also pretty common to put a tarp over the top though that's not a hard set rule. On most modern (post WW2) tanks you also swing the turret so the cannon points backward. Finally, most armored vehicle have something called a travel lock. This is a bipod on the hull of the tank meant to lock the cannon into position. On most model vehicles this is a molded in detail but you can easily sand it off and scratch build one. 

I am probably not going to get that realistic.  . If I can manage chocks and chains I will be happy.

Sorry, but I'm going to have to suggest the exact opposite. Normally, military loads are NOT shipped with crates, and certainly not Jerry cans. They're too easy to steal. In WW2, all that went into box cars, and today they're locked into CONEX boxes.

For rail loading, you want the vehicle to be as clean and theft-potential-free as possible if you wanna do it realistically.

Thanks for your individual opinion.  I have video and photographs of flat cars with military loads during the 1940's which show in detail crates, various gas containers, 55 gas drums and more.  Maybe in today's world it might be the case with more thievery but they literally filled the flat car during WW2 to get the equipment and supplies to their destination.  In many cases armor, medical and other military divisions carried their supplies with them and nearby.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

I use wire from a picture hanging kit.  I unravel the strands until I get a thickness that approximates what I have seen.  I drape these over the tank,crisscrossed,and tied down on the flat.  I'll be dabbing a little paint to give a weathered look.

I cut the chocks fron scraps using a pen knife to get an uneven and beat up look.  My opinion being that they would be well used,thrown about and perhaps even run over by a Sherman,halftrack,or SP track.

NOW IF I COULD FIND SOME SCALE GI'S !

 

Norm

"NOW IF I COULD FIND SOME SCALE GI'S !"

 

interestingly, i have about 50-60.  couple of .50 machine gunners, some flamethrower teams and bazooka teams.  got MP's in both white and silver helmets.  marchers. various combat poses. even some airmen in flight gear.  there are some that look suspiciously like wehrmacht.  all lead and very well painted from the 50's when i was a kid.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/items...nfantry-gi-set-32513

 

http://www.tamiyausa.com/items...fantry-at-rest-32552

 

I have both of these sets. I changed the moving figures to static positions. I changed one officer to a MP as well.

"If you do use chains place a small spring under the flatcar place the chain over the vehicle you are tying down and attach the ends of the chain on the hocks of the spring."

 

where i I source these kind of springs?

Good evening

 

Here is how I did this loader, Its not 100% correct but it is better than draping a chain over the body of a vehicle. As John b said the spring under the car is great.

 

Clem k

Clem, where did you get that spring?

Forest I went to the local hardware store, all kinds of different springs.

I copied the spring idea from lionel log car.#6361 I think?

 

Clem

Forrest,

 

    For springs I would look in craft, hardware, and auto parts stores, you best ask a salesperson as they could be tucked away in a parts draw. For me I got them from my friend who lives next door and has a large collection of screws, bolts, nuts and yes springs.

 

JohnB

All of the vehicles on my military train are actually held to the flatcars with a screw in a hole drilled through the center of the flatcar.  I have wheel chocks and chains but they are only for the visual effect.  I don't have enough room on the layout to accept a twenty car train on all occasions, so the train does spend a great deal of it's time in boxes, only brought out to show.  So, because of the rougher handling, I felt that I needed to permanently and solidly mount the vehicles.

 

Paul Fischer