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The Bridge at Remagen - N Gauge Rhine Crossing in 1944.


Al.
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Also managed to get the track laid across the bridge. The layout is starting to come together. Once the western back tower is finished I can get that positioned and track laid across it I'll finally have a running layout...

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I've spend several evenings last week pulling my air out trying sculpt the rock face on the front of the Erpeler Ley. I'm sort off half way there right now. Bottom section is looking right, but the upper section still needs more work.

 

Anyway, to avoid further premature bolding I decided to turn my attention back to rolling stock today.

 

Several years ago, I picked up a BR52 with broken valve gear. Rather then replace the gear, I decided to add an armoured skirt to it as a part armoured loco. To accompany it, I planned to add a couple of armoured wagons. This is the first one. An improvised Panzerjager - a captured Russian T34 mounted on a wagon chassis. I still need to add the fake coupling on the front then it'll be ready for painting.

 

For the second wagon, I'm thinking of something like a 3 axled van with a whirlwind AAA turret fitted on top. Of course, this style of loco and wagons would more likely have been seen on the Eastern Front rather then in the Rhineland. 

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On a bit of a roll today with the rolling stock.

 

This latest one is a flatcat with Henschel Hs126 Reconnaissance Aircraft. Its a bit larger than I anticipated and overwhelms the rest of the train when in formation. I've get a Storch on the way, which is a slightly smaller aircraft. Once here I'll trial that one and if also too big, drop the wagon from the train.

 

 

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The vehicles for the bridge defense detachment arrived yesterday, so this morning the job was to assemble them and carry out a few modifications.

 

First job on the Opel Blitz's was to remove moulded tailgate and canvas flap so the inside of the truck is visible. Then I added seating benches, and open tailgate.

 

I had a spare body laying, so decided to make a trailer for one of the trucks using wheels from one of the 88mmflak guns. Should look pretty good once I get it loaded with barbed wire and stuff.

 

Also turned my hand to making a field kitchen to go behind the Krupp. I'm not happy with the wheels as they look a bit course and I'm looking for replacement. The kitchen unit also needs a bit more detail to finish. But again, I'm pretty happy with the result.

 

Photos below show them in position outside the Erpeler Ley Tunnel.

 

Next job is to get the lot painted.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This little box of tricks arrived today - Azatrax HexDetex train detector. This is the 8 sensor module which I'll be using to detect trains in the hidden sidings underneath the Erpeler Ley. That is once I've got my head around how to wire the thing...... :scratchhead:

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More scenic work today on the anti-aircraft battery on top of the Erpeler Ley. The five 88mm gun dugout are painted and ready got gluing into the scenery. I've also made three log-cabin barracks buildings. These still need finishing, but are looking pretty good so far. The photo below is how it'll all look once put together with vehicles and roadway.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

More endless scenery. Started covering the mountain with modroc. Barely got started when I ran out of material, so online to order another 100m metres. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to get the rock face looking right. The Erpeler Ley is volcanic basalt rock so normal methods of producing rock face don't really work.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've been wasting more time on the scenery this weekend. Most of its been spent on building the Fraya Radar Station. It's a lovely kit made by Brengun. All the parts are resin or etched brass, and some are very small, so its a complete pain to build. However, its all together now and positioned on the layout. I should have it painted next week.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A combination of months of being bombed by the Allieds. A failed attempt to demolish the bridge by the Germans followed by 10 days of continues artillery barrage, air attack and several V2 strikes. All eventually took it toll on the bridge and a major beam joint finally failed cursing the collapse.

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I always found it strange that the Remagen bridge was not rebuilt after the war.

It might be that the line had been cut, damaged or destroyed in so many places that abandonment was the only option, especially if there was an alternative route.

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The bridge´s service life was a fairly short one - only 27 years. It was built between 1916 and 1918 to improve the supply lines to the western front in France. Although there had been plans in the early 1950 to rebuild the bridge, the plan was given up, following the electrification of both mainlines down the Rhine Valley. There was no need for a line which more or less only served military purposes.

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When I went to Germany in 1975 I followed the Rhine south from Cologne, the towers were visible from the autobahn. At that time they appeared to be in good condition. This was not long after the film 'The Bridge at Remagen' (1970) had been released. In the film they used an old bridge in what is now the Czech Republic.

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