Inspired by the very cool MTH Rocket Transport set, I set out to make my own train with models of the major space exploration rockets. Here is the first. Thanks much to AMCDave for pointing out that Glencoe made a 1:48 kit of the Jupiter C and Explorer I. I will be added all the major other US space exploration rockets, Vanguard, Redstone-Mercury, Mercury-Atlas, Gemini Titan, etc., but not the Saturn (to big to move by rail. Still, counting Jupiter (Juno ii-Pioneer and Thor-Agena, there are lots of them! My son is putting our 3-D printer to good use and printing me 1:48 models of Mercury, Gemini, etc. I will scratch build most of the rockets, I suppose.
I bought an extra MTH Rocket Transport set with the idea of stripped the cars of the NASA Shuttle booster rocket and attachment hardware and using them to hold my own rockets, but I can save those for the bigger Atlas and Titan stages. Jupiter C fits, barely, on a long flatcar.
I painted the Jupiter C flat white. I may have been gleaming white for all I know but I remember watching the launch and it seemed flat white, and the missiles I've seen on display seem to be flat (probably because their paint has faded and caulked after so long outside, so I painted what i remembered. Anyway, it looks good.
Here is is being pulled by that excellent MTH RK PS-3 NW-2 and calf set I like so much.
I think I will make Vanguard next - why not do them in order? But I found this really nice 2 1/2 inch tube - this will eventually be Titan for Gemini. It will be two stages and take two of the MTH 8-axle rocket transport cars.
