I once built a military base.

 The US army in action! Probably more the engineers or railway division if they still have one. 

Here is a photo of the new spur being built they even had an armed guard watching ! The 44 tonner seems to have a hopper of ballast ready. If I had triple the space I would have kept all these scenes and models but I'm grateful for what I have so i live with smashing down things after a couple of years not any more though the Steel mill is the last great project for me that's for sure! I still have lots to build, not dead yet. I have "retired" from magazine articles can't do everything age (and the grandkids) do slow you down a little bit. Anyway it's fun.  Roo.

Looks great, Roo! My new layout is being built with (at this time, at least) a U.S. Army logistics depot theme. I have all the locomotives and rolling stock (various eras) that I will ever need, with more always on the way. I would need a huge amount of space to handle it all, but really want to keep the layout itself quite simple, but with a number of switching opportunities because operational capability is a primary goal. Will also include a bit of era-appropriate passenger service and interchange capability with the Ohio Central.

You did a great job with yours, and I likely will "borrow" some ideas from you.

Thanks Allan. I started off small and worked into it.

This was the original section more like a small transport depot. Note the guardhouse on the left with it's lift up gate and the admin building. Roo.

All my Military units will be in transit to kick some despots caboose,  however I will be building a Nikey base, I love Nikes, it was the first model I built.  I have nine Nikes, that should do it. I will build the base after we move to the our new house.

BTW I did a little research at the museum at Angels Gate Park, which is a former Nike base protecting the Los Angeles harbor. That building in the background is the current home of the Angels Gate Hi Railers club.

That was nice work Roo

Roo,  That was very well done, you really nailed it appearence wise.  You must have looked a lot of pictures or spent sometime in the military....and I guess the US and Aussie bases must look the same.

Very nice as always Roo! You captured the look and feel. Maybe two stories for space? 

Excellent work!

Larry

Yes, I second that! Excellent work!

Very cool!!!!!!  I might even say "EXCELLENT".   That is one thing I am including in my layout if I ever get around to gettin' off my butt and building it.  Procrastinator here.  I already have quite a bit of military equip both in O scale and in G scale.  Tanks for the pics.

Rick

Roo,  Nice work on your US military base.  I immediately was drawn to your selection of vehicles.  I assume they are kit built 1:48 scale.  I got into 1:48 scale German/U.S. armor model building 2 years ago in order to build stock for a transition to O gauge trains.  I am planning a WWII european setting with a Harbor diorama as my first scene.  Still all on paper though!  Also noticed your are near Perth Australia.  Back in the late 80's, I spent a week in your lovely city while deployed to a US Navy base in Diego Garcia.  Your Post brought back memories of long ago and far away.  Cheers!

Jim

VERY good work.

I've spent a lot of time researching railroad facilities in WW2 and rail-loaded vehicles countless time on active duty from 98 to 2001. You nailed the look of a railhead.

The three things almost everyone screws up is modelling rolling stock paint and markings that never existed, crew served weapons still mounted on in guarded vehicles, and facilities that are too tight with too many unrelated things going on at the same time.

You did a good job with one of the most realistic representations I think I've ever seen on a layout.

Thank you all so much for the kind remarks I've been feeling a bit down lately.

I have been writing a talk for the local club on Railroads and their part in Steel Mills, it's exhausting, I should never have taken it on, I am not a public speaker. I refused help from more experienced speakers as I prefer to use my own "working class" language otherwise I get to confused I want to keep it simple.

I am just about finished now it's taken me about a month of spare time lucky I have plenty of books on the steel mill industry.  The talk is in two parts the second part includes a description of how I went about changing the layout to a Steel Mill and working out an operation plan for the space I have, this is why I haven't been doing any modelling lately. Lots of research!

Thanks again. Roo

Roo,

I'm sure the talk will be splendid ,as well as, very informative.

Sincerely,

Ron H

Ron H posted:

Roo,

I'm sure the talk will be splendid ,as well as, very informative.

Sincerely,

Ron H

With comments like that how can I fail ! Thank you very much.

What I have found is the Steel Industry played a big part in making America what it is today. I still have three weeks to go before my talk I have missed the modelling but found new things about the USA that I have found interesting, I'm glad I took it on, besides the President of the club happens to be a good friend and helps me operate the layout every Friday so I couldn't really refuse him.    Roo.

Roo posted:

Ron H posted:

Roo,

I'm sure the talk will be splendid ,as well as, very informative.

Sincerely,

Ron H

With comments like that how can I fail ! Thank you very much.

What I have found is the Steel Industry played a big part in making America what it is today. I still have three weeks to go before my talk I have missed the modelling but found new things about the USA that I have found interesting, I'm glad I took it on, besides the President of the club happens to be a good friend and helps me operate the layout every Friday so I couldn't really refuse him.    Roo.

We yanks do have some pretty neat military equipment and bases.  

I'm sure you've seen it but in case someone hasn't the WWII propaganda video "troop train" has some really neat scenes, albeit one of the Pennsy Power Director's room that is incorrectly labeled. 

https://archive.org/details/TroopTra1943

There are a few others on you tube as well but this one is kind of neat. 

Rule292 posted:

I'm sure you've seen it but in case someone hasn't the WWII propaganda video "troop train" has some really neat scenes, albeit one of the Pennsy Power Director's room that is incorrectly labeled. 

https://archive.org/details/TroopTra1943

There are a few others on you tube as well but this one is kind of neat.  

Not ONE machine gun in place, all extra gear stowed away and canvas covers on everything.

Hardly anyone ever models this right.

It's just something that's always irked me, as I rail-loaded a lot of military vehicles on active duty and have spent a lot of time researching the same in the WW2 era.

Just like the word Ordnance gets misspelled so often. There's no "I" in it. Ordinance is a law, Ordnance is the military word...

So this was between the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the steel mill?

Yes, I know, all the .50 and .30 cal. were stored safely away...but they sure looked good.  In my "pretend" world, an active, in the field, unit has move a.s.a.p. across country, with bedrolls and ammo boxes, "gerry" cans and buckets.  They're just loaded up, nailed down and off they go....some with the dust and dirt they got in the field.  No time to look pretty.

When I was working, one of my favorite military bases to visit was Ft Eustis in Virginia.  It was the home of the US Army railroad southern command and the steam loco overhaul facility was there.  Now, the building where the locomotive work was performed is a structural test lab but the track, crane, building vent and other infrastructure are still there.  A real time capsule for steam loco maintenance.  The US Army Transportation Command museum is there also, full of interesting stuff the Army has used to move soldiers over the years.

Rolland

RLaHaie posted:

When I was working, one of my favorite military bases to visit was Ft Eustis in Virginia.  It was the home of the US Army railroad southern command and the steam loco overhaul facility was there.  Now, the building where the locomotive work was performed is a structural test lab but the track, crane, building vent and other infrastructure are still there.  A real time capsule for steam loco maintenance.  The US Army Transportation Command museum is there also, full of interesting stuff the Army has used to move soldiers over the years.

I'd been there in the 90s a couple of times but never had any time to go see the museum. I finally got there a little over a year ago and it's an amazing museum, even though the Army Transportation Corps isn't HQ'd out of there anymore. Lots of great Army RR stuff to see there!

Some interesting photos thank you.

I have found some more photos of how I built the military base this was supposed to be a magazine article that never got off the ground. So here they are! Roo.

Thanks, John. Some of the photos were work in progress photos I used plaster for paving the tracks. The oil unloading platform was a very simple structure compared to the warehouse I moulded the doors out of resin for the warehouse first and only time I used resin never was a big fan of that process just me others use it all the time. The across the layout photo shows the old Sth Brooklyn area some military rolling stock was stored their till the new base was finished. Wish I looked like the photo now ! Roo.

In the Army you are never short of men! (and now women to)! 

OK, I'm finished with the military base it's been fun finding these old photos brought back some memories. I had a few laughs at my work from years gone by soon I will be back to the steel Mill but first I have to prepare a talk for some members at the local club then I'll be back in my workshop. Hooray! Roo.

I found some more photos I had forgotten about. This was the final stage of the military base with a Steel Yard next to it the trackwork ended up quite complex. That small Steel yard started me thinking about a Steel Mill and we know what happened next!  I have lots more photos of this final stage but have to go it's operation day and the boys will be here soon. I'll try to do a video today can't promise anything. Roo.

Roo that was a fantastic layout.  Right down to the details.

I just came across this amazing thread. @Roo you did a great job on the base! I am planning on including a similar base on my layout. Where did you find all of those incredible o scale military figures? Great job!

It's been a couple years since we've heard from Roo. 

well that is too bad for all of us! hope he is well

Not sure why he moved on, but last I heard, he was only posting in steel mill related social media group places like Facebook and Instagram.  His steel mill threads and layouts are impressive.

Chuck

Roo, this looks so real, good work!

Amazing detail! Maybe all these positive comments will rehash his interest in the hobby.

Not likely!  His last "visit" (per member data) was 4/2/20, and I didn't bother to check the date of his last post.

Chuck

Loved it. Such great detail on my favorite theme.