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military railway rolling stock/coaches

adds-trains
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adds-trains

adds-trains

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HELLO!

 

I am looking to build some rakes of military railway stock, this includes wagons and coaches. I am very particular about my collection; each model has to be accompanied by a photo of the real life railway stock the model is representing. I am doing quite well, bellow is a list of what I currently have in model form and a picture of it in real life to prove there real.

 

The purpose of this forum post: I have exhausted my supply of buyable models with real pictures... The models listed bellow I have bought and I also have real pictures for so I know there real. What I am hopping for in this forum post is for information and real pictures of railway stock and there model counterpart that I don't own yet. I know there are plenty of Bachmann models in WD, MOD or military livery but I cant find any real photos to go with them to prove there real so I haven't bought them. If anyone knows of any real proof to accompany any model I don't own please can you share. It doesn't matter what year/era, I want a range throughout history old and new.

 

I own so far:

Dapol 4f-013-031 - gun powder box van

oxford rail 0r76boom03 - rail gun Boche Buster

oxford rail or76ww006c - flat bed with sherman tank

Bachmann 38-726 - flat bed with comet tank

bachamnn train pack 30-325 - ww1 ambulance train

cavalex kfa(1) 95234 - flat bed

Bachmann 38-740 - flat bed with covered tank

Bachmann 34-625y - Longmoor Military Railway coach

Edited by adds-trains
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tomparryharry

tomparryharry

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The 'Boche buster' is an interesting subject, but I think the idea is short by about 75%. Vans for squaddies or gunners, signals wagons, command post vehicles, cookhouse,  Stores, REME attachment, Ammunition & charges,  Generator sets, Pioneer Corps/RASC & Royal Engineers, along with the railway operators/ ROD/RTC.  I'm assuming the Forward Observation is 'off site'. 

 

If it's stationery, then you would find a WVS/NAAFI tea-van not far away. 

 

I'll bet that there will be lots of things I've forgotten.

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jcredfer

jcredfer

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Boche Buster was manoeuvred by a diesel similar to class 08, as a steam loco would have given their position away.  Long runs were behind steam locos, but with a canvas cover, painted to look like a rake of wagons, to camouflage the gun.  There is a Bachmann class 08 Basra, for the LMR as well.

 

There is an LMR Guards van available, which goes with the coach and a couple of J94 saddle Tanks by Hornby, DJ models {Kernow}, Bachmann, which also goes with the coach.  Together they make a great combination for running about, as they did carrying soldiers and civilians round the Longmoor lines.

 

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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There are several very good books about military railways, ones that cover individual U.K. railways (Longmoor, Bicester, CM&DPLR, S&M etc) and others that cover WD railways or motive power in overseas theatres of war, and the IWM photo archive contains a lot of material.

 

But, it is a subject that is very large and spread across multiple sources, so you need to put some time into it.

 

There is also the fact that most U.K. military railways didn’t look very military, in the sense that they weren’t bristling with weaponry - most were either for training purposes, or served stores or other depots, so although the motive power was either built for the military or requisitioned (a lot of locos were), most of the rolling stock was ‘ordinary’, bar a percentage of internal-user items.

 

Of course, there were ‘gun railways’ like Martin Mill in Kent, but most served an outwardly in-exciting complex of sheds and dispersed bunkers.

 

Upshot: within the U.K., an Austerity tank and lots of sheeted merchandise wagons, and vans, all from The Big Four, was boringly typical.

 

Naturally, the nearer the front, the more obviously military.

 

Things also changed over time: during WW1 and WW2, military railways in the U.K. were hard-pressed, without the time for bull and fancy liveries. The typically over-maintained look came in peace-times, notably 1950s-60s at Longmoor, although all the ones I’ve seen in service 1970s to now have been immaculate.

 

The other highly typical WW2 loco was the Yankee Tank, USATC S100, many of which were loaned to WD. The list of locos requisitioned at various times is huge: Dean Goods for overseas service in WW1; 8F in WW2; but beyond those a vast collection, including some pretty useless machines, from both main line and industrial railways.

 

Then there is narrow gauge, which is another huge topic!

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Bernard Lamb

Bernard Lamb

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On 27/08/2021 at 02:49, adds-trains said:

HELLO!

 

I am looking to build some rakes of military railway stock, this includes wagons and coaches. I am very particular about my collection; each model has to be accompanied by a photo of the real life railway stock the model is representing. I am doing quite well, bellow is a list of what I currently have in model form and a picture of it in real life to prove there real.

 

The purpose of this forum post: I have exhausted my supply of buyable models with real pictures... The models listed bellow I have bought and I also have real pictures for so I know there real. What I am hopping for in this forum post is for information and real pictures of railway stock and there model counterpart that I don't own yet. I know there are plenty of Bachmann models in WD, MOD or military livery but I cant find any real photos to go with them to prove there real so I haven't bought them. If anyone knows of any real proof to accompany any model I don't own please can you share. It doesn't matter what year/era, I want a range throughout history old and new.

 

I own so far:

Dapol 4f-013-031 - gun powder box van

oxford rail 0r76boom03 - rail gun Boche Buster

oxford rail or76ww006c - flat bed with sherman tank

Bachmann 38-726 - flat bed with comet tank

bachamnn train pack 30-325 - ww1 ambulance train

cavalex kfa(1) 95234 - flat bed

Bachmann 38-740 - flat bed with covered tank

Bachmann 34-625y - Longmoor Military Railway coach

What period are you interested in?

A large number of coaches were taken over for use in ambulance trains in the second world war and some of these are available in their more normal guise RTR.

In H0 there is a selection of USATC wagons as used leading up to D Day from various sources.

Bernard

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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This loco is an ‘easy win’ https://www.hattons.co.uk/192167/bachmann_branchline_30_130loco_class_03_mod_2144_western_waggoner_in_mod_army_green_split_from_30_130_set/stockdetail.aspx

 

Highly untypical, I think the MOD only had this single Class 03, but totally prototypical, even if it was only in the fully bulled-up livery for a relatively short period.

 

From an earlier era, another very untypical, and fairly close to prototype, loco that is easy to collect https://www.hattons.co.uk/358464/dapol_mr_017_y1_3_class_sentinel_4wvbt_molly_in_royal_engineers_livery_special_edition_for_m/stockdetail.aspx

 

A Terrier, an Adams Radial, a Triang ‘Nellie’ (the nearest prototype the LSWR S14 were palmed-off on the military during WW1) …… the list of possibilities is almost endless!

 

 

Edited by Nearholmer
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jcredfer

jcredfer

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Bulled, or otherwise would have depended upon the task the rolling stock had.  The army were quite happy to run the guts out of any machinery that was required to do continuous work, but items like the long distance railway guns were often static, as were the operators.  The army "don't like idle hands", they tend to get up to mischief, so were put to other tasks to occupy them.  If you look carefully at the wartime videos of the Railway guns, they were polished to gleaming perfection, as were their uniforms.  Supply trains were, clearly, not as clean, until the end of the WWII, when gleaming locos returned.

 

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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There was clearly desperation in some places at some dates: if you look at the initial military loco roster on the S&M during WW2 it was a laughable load of old crocks; and, I’ve seen a photo of a Yankee Tank pressed into service in Britain with buffers and coupler at one end only (not sure if it lost the other end in an ‘incident’ or they hadn’t been fitted yet).

 

Boche Buster was only fired three times, I think, so plenty of time for prep!

 

 

Edited by Nearholmer
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jcredfer

jcredfer

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40 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

There was clearly desperation in some places at some dates: if you look at the initial military loco roster on the S&M during WW2 it was a laughable load of old crocks; and, I’ve seen a photo of a Yankee Tank pressed into service in Britain with buffers and coupler at one end only (not sure if it lost the other end in an ‘incident’ or they hadn’t been fitted yet).

 

Boche Buster was only fired three times, I think, so plenty of time for prep!

 

 

 

At one time or another Boche Buster and/or Gladiator went to the Ranges near Catterick, The Railway through the Tarka Valley, by the Crediton - Barnstaple road, to shoot the Oakhampton Ranges and a place called Druids Lodge, up the A360 between Salisbury and Stonehenge, hidden in the woods there, to shoot the Plains ranges.  {the wartime tracks from Larkhill to Druids are long gone, but the run can still be seen passing within a hundred yards of the Stones.  In the woods at Druids are the old stores, the water tower and the track bed Ballast - which is the cleanest Ballast I have ever seen.

 

Shooting something that size would be kept to a minimum because of the small number of rounds which could be fired before the barrel liner needed replacement, it's a remarkably small number.

 

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adds-trains

adds-trains

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WOOO!!!

 

This is a lot of amazing information, a lot of different wagon types, hopefully there's models of them. Thats what iv been strugeling with, finding models and pictures of the real thing. on that note, I'm buying the brake van :D. I see your point, British railways didn't really have a military liveries as there had no need for a military railway, mainly training railways. 

 

 

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33C

33C

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On 06/09/2021 at 18:36, 33C said:

What about the LIMA "Leopold" big gun set in their Golden Series box serial no. 149704 G ? German WW2 livery.

Here is a coincidence. Downstairs neighbour brings me this and says "can i do anything? This was beyond help as the plastic was so brittle! Fast forward 3 days and my first, ever, diesel body ,from scratch, in plasticard. Only the cab front was just about savable, and i do mean just. What do you think? Stick to steam? He liked it.......:good:

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Vanfit

Vanfit

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Not a great pic but these Army wagons at Bramley Ordnance dept in 1987 might make an interesting scratch build. I believe they were used to transport forklift trucks around the many ammunition sheds in this long closed facility.

 

1716682171_02(1).JPG.ebc113b4edd0ad5d0d0d6b584d54b00c.JPG

 

 

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KeithMacdonald

KeithMacdonald

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On 06/09/2021 at 20:42, jcredfer said:

a place called Druids Lodge, up the A360 between Salisbury and Stonehenge, hidden in the woods there, to shoot the Plains ranges.  {the wartime tracks from Larkhill to Druids are long gone, but the run can still be seen passing within a hundred yards of the Stones.  

 

The Larkhill Military Railway, and a "station" at Stonehenge makes a great backstory for a modeller.

http://www.wiltshireatwar.org.uk/story/how-military-camps-saved-some-wiltshire-villages-from-extinction/

and

https://www.sarsen.org/2013/03/the-stonehenge-railway.html

 

The M&SWJR through Ludgershall was at times more of a Military Railway than a civilian one. Plenty of modelling opportunity with the Tidworth Branch.

 

image.png.d34d764b79c5eac97b241636ac140260.png

 

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