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Armoured Trains again


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So, while in the model shop this morning, I noticed this:

 

3940_1.jpg

 

Obviously I couldn't resist, considering all the ideas I've had about having some sort of armoured train on the fantasy side of the layout. Hopefully I'll be able to scavenge some bogies off an old wagon, or maybe even find a motor bogie somewhere.

 

Watch this space.

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UM makes a range of Soviet armoured train items in 1/72. Here is an in-box review of one (with a list of the others at the bottom).

http://www.internetmodeler.com/artman/publish/flarmor/Unimodel_propelled_Rail_Car_D-37_D-38_Turret.php

 

I haven't built any of the armoured train items, but UM makes reasonable kits.

 

Adrian

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Not yet sure how I'm going to motorise it. The bogies that it comes with are purely decorative, not to mention far too wide for 00 track. Obviously the armoured skirts are going to cover 90% of the wheels anyway, so it's more a problem of finding something that fits rather than something that looks pretty.

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Yep, perfectly real. Though I believe there was only one battle in WW2 where an armoured train played a part.

 

 

Anyway, I've got the kit built, going to see about at least undercoating it this afternoon.

Still trying to find a way to motorise it, and I think my best bet will be to find a motor unit from an old tender drive loco, or a smallish tank engine like a Jinty.

Anyone have any suggestions?

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The armoured trains in WW2 were quite sophisticated, Russian and Polish mainly, but if you go back to WW1 and the RCW/Russo Polish War you will find all sorts of weird and wonderful versions. There are a couple of Osprey books you could look at such as: http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Armored-Trains_9781846032424 and there is a good wargamers site called Lead Adventure with a section on them showing (usually in 1:56) examples, often scratchbuilt. http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?PHPSESSID=a322d1104b3dc97b8510f93425571732&board=46.0

 

My own RCW armoured train in H0 is based on a now well hidden Lima 0-6-0 but I've acquired a cheapish Piko Austrian 0-8-0 which I am slowly converting. The early armoured wagons were very simple, most of them, with machine guns and artillery hastily hidden behind plate steel, mainly.

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The armoured trains in WW2 were quite sophisticated, Russian and Polish mainly, but if you go back to WW1 and the RCW/Russo Polish War you will find all sorts of weird and wonderful versions. There are a couple of Osprey books you could look at such as: http://www.ospreypub...s_9781846032424 and there is a good wargamers site called Lead Adventure with a section on them showing (usually in 1:56) examples, often scratchbuilt. http://www.lead-adve...1732&board=46.0

 

My own RCW armoured train in H0 is based on a now well hidden Lima 0-6-0 but I've acquired a cheapish Piko Austrian 0-8-0 which I am slowly converting. The early armoured wagons were very simple, most of them, with machine guns and artillery hastily hidden behind plate steel, mainly.

 

I saw one in a railway museum in Warsaw a while ago. I have some photos somewhere, but presumably well known to those interested in such things. The WW1 ones appear to have been very capable machines, firing across the English Channel.

 

Paul Bartlett

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Right folks, I've painted the trackbed that comes with the kit, as I reckon what I'll do is leave the chassis and the body unattached, so I can swap it between display chassis and running chassis at will.

 

Piccies:

DSCF2093.JPG

DSCF2091.JPG

 

 

Livery ideas please!

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I'm not up to speed any more and can't find my book on armoured trains, but a lot of research has been done by the military modelling fraternity into Eastern Front armoured trains and rail vehicles of both sides, so I'd suggest a session searching suitable web sites. If you go to the new MREMAG site there's a link at the bottom to the Military Modelling magazine website. I took the mag until about 3 yrs ago and I know they've covered the subject. Off the top of my memory though, due to lack of resources and time, the Red Army wasn't big on camouflage painting anything apart from whitewash/paint in the winter. So standard dark green, often called moss green. It doesn't have an olive tint like many military greens. Cyrillic script for some sort of serial and formation numbering, red stars on the turret sides and possibly on the main hull, and (probably) slogans of various sorts, related to the political climate of the time. For example "For the Motherland" is not an early war slogan.

 

Best to chase up to date info though,

Pete

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Useful site, cheers.

 

I'm not really going for historical accuracy though. :P

I was thinking something more fantastical, some excuse for it being present on today's railway. "Network Rail obstacle clearance unit", or "British Transport Police rapid reaction unit", etc.

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Network rail yellow?

 

I would imagine that the point of an armoured train is to turn up and deploy troops in a contested area, or protect a supply train.

 

yes, they would be stopped by demolishing track, preferably a bridge or tunnel as it's harder to repair but if you're able to make a retreat the supplies aren't captured.

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WW1 Amoured train in Mesopotamia

 

In WW1 my father was in trhe Royal Engineers and saw service in what is now Iraq. He always referred to it as Meso. He acquired a camera of 116 roll film format He took a lot of photos whilst he was out there but only a few are of Railway interest. Some of these are attached below. I cannot give many dertails and cannot mow ask questions (why do we always wait until it is too late).

 

I apolgise for the quality of these but they were scanned from sepia negatives long kept in a box. My mother (bless her) saw fit to dispose of the negatives. To her they were just junk.

 

I realise that these are not strictly relevent to this thread but I thought that they might be of interest to those interested in armoured trains.

 

I believe that my dad is partially the reason for my interest in raiulways, plying me with Hornby tinplate and taking me to Newcastle Central for special visits one of which was the appearance of the Silver Jubilee train. And yes I did have the Hornby tinplate version on that hauled by a streamlined 0-4-0! Oh that I still had it.

 

ArthurK

 

post-6751-0-15257300-1344194697.jpg

 

post-6751-0-64178100-1344194700.jpg

 

post-6751-0-88318000-1344194704_thumb.jpg

 

post-6751-0-23862200-1344194775_thumb.jpg

 

post-6751-0-12985900-1344194784_thumb.jpg

 

post-6751-0-71790600-1344194787.jpg

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Useful site, cheers.

 

I'm not really going for historical accuracy though. :P

I was thinking something more fantastical, some excuse for it being present on today's railway. "Network Rail obstacle clearance unit", or "British Transport Police rapid reaction unit", etc.

 

Here goes...

 

DraisineTemplate.png

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