Trains&armour

Narrow escape today... I heard the siren call, but I did not succumb!

Will have to repaint it in wartime black, as otherwise it won't look right om my layout...

Look where I was today! Holt Model Railways, Bishopston, the Gower (http://www.holtmodelrailways.co.uk/index.htm) (just a very satisfied customer) And I bought something very tasty indeed: Like it? (Did buy something else as well, but as I don't want to ruin my reputation for good taste, I won't show it on here...)

Has somebody been playing with my toys? Again...

Yes yes yes!

Agree:

But no coach...

Bridport westbay station. Was there myself in 2014

Thanks! And an even more interesting photo for not being dated in WW2. It does prove that although the British Army stopped using the Sherman after the war, they didn't disappear overnight . Great excuse to model a post war goods train with some loaded warwells mixed in. Robin (gwrrob) take note!

M4 Sherman, mid production (1943) M34A1 mantlet, applique armour, one piece transmission cover, gun travel lock.

But while searching the net, I did find a useful reference WWII postwar photo showing a mixed train with goods vans and loaded warwells: Eminently modellable. Source: unknown. Google directed me to a Pinterest groep wich directed me back to google... Edit; see post 363 below and here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_03_2013/post-5613-0-08416100-1364500246.jpg Thanks to Dave F

Nor have I... Or to be precise, I did find a photo of mixed rake, just not a very useful one in modelling terms. The photo below shows a a warwell coupled to a warflat postwar, used in an Army Ammunition depot. According the the website i found it on, the warflats were used to transport ammunitions. The warflats were shunted into the ammunition shed using a warwell as a spacer to keep the steam engines out of the sheds to reduce the risk from sparks. Warflat and warwell. And no, I don't mean the one in the background. The wagon just visible in front of the warflat is a warwell. Source: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/leyland-ammunition-store-23-09-08.t33114 And mixed units of Fireflies and Cromwells would probably have been transported on a rake of warwells, as a warwell could handle both types of tank.

That reminds me. I've still got one I need to finish. Since November last year....

Like these:

We'll turn this in to a Military modelling thread yet... Very good of Oxford to release a Sherman. But a word of warning to all nitpickers out there. The kind of people that would never dream of running RTR loco xxxx on their layout, because the livery it was released in was not carried before June 19xx etc. The Shermans as illustrated by Oxford , with those markings and camouflage schemes, never set foot track on UK soil. 10th armoured division only saw service in the Middle east, being converted from 1 cavalry division in Palestine, 1941, and was disbanded in Egypt in 1944. On the other hand, The Royal Scot's Greys did serve in Italy in 1943, and were returned to the UK in 1944 for operation Overlord. But, as already stated by JSpencer, tanks were not repatriated but handed over to another unit in that theatre. You'll have to repaint and find new unit markings if you want to use the Oxford Shermans as an UK Warwell load.

Tank Park in Navarino Road, Worthing. The Regiment was billeted in the unfurnished houses in the road. See here: http://www.desertrats.org.uk/bde/4thABartefacts2.htm

Really enjoying this discussion. In principle I agree with you, units being (re)equipped with new tanks wouldn't have received their armour piecemeal. But that's not all there is to it. Some units would undoubtedly have been in need of replacements, because of wear an tear, accidents etc. Also units slated for deployment in the near future needed to be brought up to full strength. Tanks currently in the workshops would have been replaced with new ones if there was any chance that repairs couldn't be effected in time. In short, I think there is enough scope to model some short rakes of Warwells in a WWII setting. As to loads for a Warwell, an Canadian Ram tank could be used to model something slightly different. Quite a number of them were shipped to the UK. And as it's essentially a Canadian design based on the american M3, somewhat of a Sherman look -alike, it also needed a Warwell for transport. Although not used as a gun tank, they were used in exercises and some of them were converted to op/command tanks with a dummy gun and used operationally. As here: (Source, national army museum: https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1975-03-63-16-226 ) The first three are Ram op/command tanks, the others Sherman gun tanks Would add some variation to your rake of Shermans (also used as turretless APC's, but that's another story) And for something truly different looking on your Warwell, these: (Source: By Unknown - http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//49/media-49649/large.jpg This is photograph MH 4105 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25290923 ) A30 challenger, kind of a Sherman Firefly, but based on a lengthened Cromwell chassis. Quite high, so would have needed a Warwell for rail transport (if it ever was transported by rail in the UK, no photo's known to me. Perhaps too long for a Warwell?) But a M4 Composite Firefly would also look quite nice on a Warwell: Sherman Firefly IC composite, 11th Armoured Division, 23rd Armoured Regt. Scratchbuilt And some other useful suggestions for a Warwell load: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69664-a-nod-to-brent/page-1004&do=findComment&comment=2766938 Above post and onwards And one thing I agree with completely: Avoid the Airfix Sherman! Reasonable for it's day (the early sixties...), but not up to scratch in the 21st century. Millicast do a very nice range of British Shermans and other British armour.

Nice one. You could model this as well, and it would give you some leeway in how many (loaded) warwells you'll need. Because these are brand new tanks, fresh from the docks or holding area. The shipping protection is still in place, and the On Vehicle Materiel boxes (OVM) secured to the engine decks contain all necessary parts to make the tank operational. These were not fitted in the US, because of the likelihood of them getting damaged or corroded by salt water during shipping. They carry no unit markings, only WD t-numbers. Judging by the barrack like structures in the background, these are just being delivered to a British armoured unit or a commonwealth unit. Not to a US troop, because these are M4A4's, (Sherman V in the British army). A variant primarily used by the British armed forces and some other lend-lease receivers. Not used operationally by the Americans. And, depending on the number of tanks the unit in question still needed, the photo could be showing all of the tanks or just a small part of the delivery. So, it's up to you how many warwells you think you will need to portray a believable delivery. Probably part of a much larger train to start with, but being split up along the way in shorter rakes to supply specific locations. (One snag. All of the above is only valid for WWII, and in case of the M4A4 not before July 1942...) I also found this, a great shot of the way Shermans were shackled. If you look carefully, you can see that the gun tube has been secured as well: (Source National Archives: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170405142415/http:/www.ingenious.org.uk//media/4.0_SAC/webimages/1995/_723/3_GW/R_B_/14/1995_7233_GWR_B_14250_3.jpg)

Suggestions for some alternatives to the Sherman: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/115836-hattons-warwell-wagon-in-oo-and-o-gauge/page-3&do=findComment&comment=2469109 (although very much Sherman related.) And for a somewhat cheaper but still prototypical train with warflats or warwells. You'll only need to buy three warwells instead of nine. Headquarters train: http://www.railalbum.co.uk/railway-wagons/military/ww2-warflat-train-gwr-1.htm Although warwells are not shown in the diagram, an British armoured unit equipped with Shermans (and more than half of them were), would have needed warwells instead of warflats. Only thing missing now are ramp wagons. Over to you, Hatton's...

Forgot all about that, but they were indeed out of gauge in Britain.

During the war, warwells and warflats were almost exclusively used for transport of tracked armoured vehicles. Wheeled vehicles were supposed to be able to make most journeys on their own. After the war, rules became somewhat less strict, as there were enough warwells and warflat to go round. But still, you probably wouldn't have seen any ordinary lorries being transported by rail. But high value, specialist vehicles like the Bedford QLR might have been, to save on wear and tear. As to tanks, Shermans and Cromwells were phased out of army service directly after the war, although some would have been still around in 1947. Centurions would have been still relatively rare in this period, the Comet being most numerous tank in use in the late forties. Matchbox, now Revell, do a Comet in 1/76, which, with some care, can be made into a nice model:

I've got a few more older loco's I'm planning to sell. Do you think I should weather those as well? The question being, would it make them better sellers? Your opinion please...

I think the rust effect is partly because of the artificial lighting used to photograph the model. I hardly used the 'rust' powder, only on the top of the tanks and some on the smokebox. Moste of the model was weathered using 'Track dust' powder, a dark brown. Doesn't look very rusty when I look at it on my desk, but it does seem quite orange tinted in the pictures. luckily, today is a fine, sunny, day over here, so I went outside to take some pictures in natural light: Any better?

Something for the ANTB crowd to comment on. A Hornby 14xx detailed and weathered. (posted with Robin's permission) I'm planning to sell this, because I want to buy a Hatton's 48xx. I then I thought i might as well do some weathering. No great loss, if it doesn't work out... What do you lot think?

Rectanks! Rectanks were definitely spotted passing through Brent. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69664-a-nod-to-brent/