Army/Military Trains

 

Check mine out. BF

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJSlN-nVmYE

Being a former M-60A3 and M-1A1 armor crewman a flatcar with tank is on my to-build list. Putting the toy tank on the flat car will no doubt be easier than putting a real tank on a flatcar. A real Abrams tank is actually a few inches wider and considerably heavier than a flatcar. Inching a tank up onto a flatcar was always a tedious affair. I haven't seen any pre-built flatcars with tanks that are realistic. Most have machine guns mounted and the turret uncovered. In real life you remove the machine guns and pull a tarp over the top. On the M-60A3 (and all other tanks besides the Abrams) you also reverse the turret and put the barrel in a travel lock, a small bipod that flips up out of the rear deck. 

I have built up a decent military train, too.  I have a number of flat cars with both military vehicles as well as crated military items.  But what makes my train are the troop sleepers and kitchen cars that Weaver made just a few years ago.  These are those "boxcar" shaped cars that were built just for the war effort in the early '40's and they have interiors (bunk beds and benches, nothing too fancy) and excellent lighting.  The prototypes were built by several manufacturers and used specially designed trucks that no other cars ever used. A number of these cars found their way into MOW service on several railroads after WWII.

 

I also have a couple of Pullman cars labeled for "United States Army" in the train as an accommodation for top ranking officers.  My train is about 28 cars long and is rather impressive pulled by a WWII era steam engine, followed by a caboose.  I need to get the train out again, soon, because it never fails to elicit comments from visitors.

 

Incidentally, Weaver, after some years, will be announcing a rerun of the  "troop sleepers" this spring.  If you missed them a few years ago, you'll have another chance at them, soon.  There will also be a few more military cars with trucks, tanks and other equipment loaded on flat cars.

 

Paul Fischer

These are the tanks/flatcars I have. The guns are glued on the models, decided not to pull them off, pretty flimsy as is.

That's great news about the sleeper car re-release. Same with military flat car loads. I picked up a couple of Solido vehicles about a year ago (M3 Lee and and M2(?) halftrack with 75MM cannon) with the idea of making up a military train, but they're still in their boxes. I remember, too, rail loading a battalion's worth of M109A1s for a fun-filled trip to Grafenwohr. That was a hoot.

 

I did a year with a National Guard M-109 unit. I think they were worse to load just because they were less nimble than a tank. Loading onto flatcars was always the one time where you really didn't want to be the lead vehicle in the convoy!!!

Beautiful equipment. What brand are the dozers and scraper? Are they 1:48? They look larger, but it's hard to tell. Anyway, I like 'em and now I want some for my Weaver flats. Timbo

Economy version military train with $1 train-show flatcars and thrift store toys.

 

My entire layout will be based on an Army depot theme.  It's still very much in the formative stages, but I have all the U.S. Army motive power and rolling stock that I'll ever really need, and am trying now to finalize the track arrangement.  I'm trying to come up with a track arrangement that doesn't crowd the overall layout, but am not quite there yet.  The layout is up and running, but it's not ready for "prime time" photos.

This is my "war train" posting from June of last year - perhaps the most fun project I have ever done. Video and still photos.  I have the train in perhaps the most prominent display shelves in my trainroom.  I really love it.

My grandson Micah's (10)  first engine.   He picked this from an MTH catalog and along with Christmas spent a good bit of his own money.

 

"By rail or dusty trail"

 

 

 

Larry

Check back this afternoon I'll post some of my military stuff.  I have to go to the dentist right now.   OOOUUUUUCH!!!!

 

Rick

Classic postwar exploding boxcar. I picked this up at a train show for five bucks, fitted and glued the pieces so it would stay together.

 

Here is my military train.

 

Neal Jeter

 

https://vimeo.com/4361931

I have 6 Military flat cars by "Geller toy trains" Flat cars with tanks, half tracks and trucks, really look good but I need a Military Engine to pull them. I don't have the luck some of you guys do, other than a few purchases from "Forum" members I do not get may great buys. 

 

Brent

Lionlman. Very nice variety of military equipment.

Surefire,

   Funny you should start a Military train thread, I contracted a custom Special Forces Engine from one the Professional Train Surgeons here in the Pittsburgh, Pa area.  Waiting on his call back to pick up the engine and talk to him about making

some SF custom rolling stock from the Viet Nam era. 

PCRR/Dave

 

 

I do have the Pullman Troup Transport rolling stock made up already.

 

 

Those all came with the flat cars from MTH, they are 1:48. They are really neat!

Surefire,

   Wait till you see the Shark SF Engine in Camo, with the big gun, it is really something.   Might have the SF Crests put on the rolling stock also, I do want some

flat cars with the correct Jeeps and 30 Cal pull along trailers, along with the Duce in 1/2 trucks.  I have been thinking about this for a long time, and this particular custom train surgeon is very good at what he does. An 8 or 10 car military train would be a real eye catcher on the layout.  I will post some pictures when I get the SF train together.

PCRR/Dave

 

Some of mine......

 

.

Peter

BReese,

 

Just purchased a Lionel US ARMY Genset (RED in Color) to pull my Army Fleet of GELLER Cars.  Great Engine!!

 

Fredstrains 

Very nice equipment everyone.

 

Peter what is the track material near the video? Is it so that if you have a car jump the track it will not derail? It looks like it is over the arches of the bridge only but on both main lines. Thanks.

 

i just recently picked up the correct OD truck load to complete this Marx classic.  $9.95 would have been an excellent investment in 1938.

cheers...gary

A couple of you guys have expressed an interest in a "military locomotive" to pull your military flats and troop cars.  Actually during wartime, the host railroads themselves furnished the locomotives, pulling the military trains.  Within the continental limits of the United States,  the Army had only a few light engines which they primarily used for switching on military bases. 

 

It's proper to use your favorite railroad's engine, and caboose, to handle the military trains.  Virtually any main line railroad would have used their own equipment, subject the trains to their dispatch rules and generally operate the train as an "extra" movement.  In these cases the white marker lights would have been displayed at the front.

 

Overseas, since the home railroads had much different style of equipment, different couplers, different air brakes, etc. it was not uncommon for our military to ship American locomotives over to do the main line work.  Some of the engines that we built and sent over to other countries, remained long after the war because our equipment was much better than the local stuff.

 

Paul Fischer

Paul is, of course, correct on that score.  Just about any prototype road from the WWII era (and before and since) could and did handle military movements, both troops and equipment.

 

That's one of the "justifications" I use for hanging onto a number of my Southern Rwy. locomotives and cabooses, not that any justification is really needed.

 

Here's my contribution to our military's might.

 

This one is a few G scale pieces.

 

G scale pieces here also. 

 

See my next post for O scale military pieces.

 

Rick

Here are my O scale military pieces.

 

The double stacks are my favorite.

 

Rick

That's a very nice--and impressive--assortment, Rick!

Thank you, Alan.  Out of everyone I thought you would like it.  Most of the G scale equip is 1:32 scale die cast  with some 1:35 plastic models.  The G scale rail cars are 1:29.  

 

As far as the O scale equip goes there is quite a mix.  Everything from 1:43. 1:48, 1:50 and a few pieces I have no idea what scale they are but they seem to fit right in.  The rail cars for the O scale are both 2 rail and 3 rail.  One of these days,  soon I hope, I would like to get started on a layout with the military as a focal point.

 

Glad you liked it,  Rick

MTH OneGauge is 1:32, but unfortunately is one of the few large scale manufacturers who produce scale equipment for #1 gauge track.  really looking forward to the anticipated 2013 MTH OneGauge catalog.  i have two 1:32 scale freight locomotives that are sorely in need of cars.  MTH and Accucraft are the only two manufacturers producing correctly scaled cars for #1 gauge (as US standard gauge) and neither has made any substantial number of models in quite a while.  i fail to see how the need isn't perceived since runs of 1:32 scale cars consistently sell out.

I would love to get or make an Army MRS1 for my mostly New Haven collection. Those were used extensively by that RR for hurricane relief and rebuilding. Quite a few of the real thing have made it into museum use today because of thier low hours. Campo Ca museum has several to pull thier trains.

Rick,

   Very impressive collection of Military O gauge!

PCRR/Dave

Although not O gauge, I've assembled a military train in N scale. My inspiration is the Navy's NWS Earle Railroad in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Rolling stock consists primarily of box cars and flat cars with a variety of switchers providing the muscle over the years. Baldwin units served the railroad into the 80s and were subsequently replaced by stock EMD units and Baldwins rebuilt with EMD prime movers. My train is prototypical in appearance from accurate USN livery right down to correct equipment numbers. The locomotive, an Atlas VO1000, is numbered 65-00128 which was one of Earle's units. I had the privilege of riding behind it on an excursion in 1981.

  

  

 

Here's the real thing:

 

 

As the NWS Earle Railroad is popular with the local fan base, my Earle train never fails to generate interest when visitors come calling. I also have a model of one of the road's EMD SW1200s but the Baldwin's my favorite. 

 

Bob

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQU2oDJsfr8

Following up on my post regarding the NWS Earle Railroad, here's video of an excursion which was operated in June of 2000. As seen in the video, EMD units had replaced the Baldwins prior to this time.

 

 

Look and listen for the Shore Patrol escort accompanying the train along Normandy Road which parallels the right of way.

 

Bob  

Does anyone know of anyone who makes a six wheel truck or flat car with six wheel trucks like this?

 

Hmmmmm....... I'm doing something wrong. Here's the pic I'm trying to site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9...66709/in/photostream

 

Sam