IRON RAILS 2015 GB

Wayne,

I've been following your 1/72 scale homemade track discussions, and am anxious to see the instructions. I come from a long line of model railroaders (don't have the room or funds for it) so I'm confident I would be able to do a convening job of it.

Thanks for the link to the Delorean kit, Trabi 

waynec

MC

lay your own 1/72 track. it's easy. i told JIBBER i would do a tutorial so i best be about it. all you need is HO scale rails, some HO scale spikes, HO ballast, the correct size basswood strips, a basswood base and some terrain. i use cheap modeling clay. the only hard part is getting the second rail EXACTLY parallel and the correct distance.

I'm also interested in seeing this tutorial. 

a couple more examples of kits of subjects on Iron Rails:

and a 'show off' of some delicious reference material for subject projects  

Hello gents,

Have room for another entry?  I have been putting off building my railroad collection of kits for far too long.  If I read correctly, this build is going to run for one year?

I will start with a Trumpeter 1/35 BR-52.  i will add to it as time allows with a few gondolas and flatcars.  I also have the Trumpy Karl and Leopold.  I have already bought all the kits, figures and other parts that I intend to use.  All told, my train will be 13 feet long when finished.  Not sure how far I can get in a year, but it should give me a good start.

Joining a group build will finally kick my butt into gear and get moving on this project so I would be grateful if I could be added to the roster.

Caveman thats incredible, and you're very welcome. The build is for year 2015, and I don't know if I've seen anything that length and so complex. There was a guy who built up a complete German armored train but yours would dwarf that. Wayne will get you on the roster and please post picks as you proceed, these will be some very cool builds to follow.

Terry

Thanks jibber.  I don't know how far I can get in a year, but I guess we will see.  I will build a piece of supplied track just so I can gauge my kits but I intend to lay my own track, in three foot sections for storage reasons.  Like I need more work.  I had better start writing the CNC programs for my trackbed!

Please keep us in the loop how you proceed, track and all. I can't speak for everyone, but just the thought of laying your own track and building a train is fascinating. Personally i've been picking up some rail, cleats, spikes and basswood for my own track in both 1/35 and 1/72. Like you i'm not sure what i'll need but i'll be able to build in sections.

I just finishing up a M88 to end the year so in15 I'm jumping clean.

Terry  

Rail in 35 scale will be difficult to find.  The closest that I have found is 1 scale which is 1/32.   I intend to mill 3/4 inch board with impressions to accept the kit supplied ties and just add my own ballast and groundwork.  The three foot sections will have rare earth magnets set into the ends to allow them to be firmly set together.

If you know where to find steel rail in 1/35, please share this info and I will lay everything from scratch.

Caveman

Rail in 35 scale will be difficult to find.  The closest that I have found is 1 scale which is 1/32.   I intend to mill 3/4 inch board with impressions to accept the kit supplied ties and just add my own ballast and groundwork.  The three foot sections will have rare earth magnets set into the ends to allow them to be firmly set together.

If you know where to find steel rail in 1/35, please share this info and I will lay everything from scratch.

Caveman

Rail in 35 scale will be difficult to find.  The closest that I have found is 1 scale which is 1/32.   I intend to mill 3/4 inch board with impressions to accept the kit supplied ties and just add my own ballast and groundwork.  The three foot sections will have rare earth magnets set into the ends to allow them to be firmly set together.

If you know where to find steel rail in 1/35, please share this info and I will lay everything from scratch.

welcome

i like the magnet idea. i will have to explore that further. as for 1/35 track, 1/32 or 1/48 rails are good enough for me. NO ONE is going to measure them. roughly a 1/32 will be 5.9mm high, 1/35 = 5.4mm and 1/48 = 4.0mm. i'm more concerned about making european brackets for the securing the rails to the ties instead of spiking.

Wayne, Jibber,

If I have time after this build and all the others I'm in, I may add this to the Thor. I liked Jibber's idea of adding a locomotive.

Steve

I will see if anyone at the local railroad club has a scrap of O gauge rail and see what it looks like with the kit wheels sitting on it.  As for the brackets that you speak of, I guess I need to research a bit to know just what you mean.  I'm not a huge railroad guy but I would like to get that detail right.  If I could come up with a reasonable guess as to their dimensions and shape I could mass produce them easily enough.  I have access to a CNC cutting and engraving laser which sails through thin polystyrene with 3 micron accuracy.

Caveman

I will see if anyone at the local railroad club has a scrap of O gauge rail and see what it looks like with the kit wheels sitting on it.  As for the brackets that you speak of, I guess I need to research a bit to know just what you mean.  I'm not a huge railroad guy but I would like to get that detail right.  If I could come up with a reasonable guess as to their dimensions and shape I could mass produce them easily enough.  I have access to a CNC cutting and engraving laser which sails through thin polystyrene with 3 micron accuracy.

the brackets i am talking about are those you slide the rails through on the plastic kit track. i doubt hastily laid track had the "elevated" road bed but the Europeans may still have used these instead of rail spikes.

i decided to start with the gondola. i have some what and and when to paint thoughts and this will be small enough to sort them all out. plus i have a plan to use it with the gun and i have 2 others in the stash. still haven't decided on gun paint. if i go early gray i can use some of my COMART gray filters and maybe a winter wash; if i go '45 i can do a nice camo, maybe even brown and green over yellow. i have not seen any 3 color camo pics but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

One thing I like about German armor is that there are so many paint options.  Different paint schemes that were applied in the field would mean that the options for modelers are just about limitless.  A three color gondola would catch ones attention.

I too am now considering starting with a smaller part of the train to get my feet wet before tackling the BR-52.  This will be my first attempt at 35 scale in years and I don't want to mess up a larger kit until I get the feel for the scale.  Secondly, I need to build a cabinet to store all these beasts and that will take some time.  Having a place to safely store the completed sections is paramount.   My cabinet design will accommodate five 40 or 48 inch track sections.  I have a feeling my plans will grow over time and I will need the extra space.  Hmmmmm,  20 feet worth of train?  How would I get that to the show?

On that note, has anyone completed a 35 Karl or Leopold?  I'm not sure how much space to leave between the shelves.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  After all this work if I made the shelves to short, I think I would jump off a bridge.

hey CAVEMAN my bad. i was talking about a scheme for the K-5 RR GUN, not the GONDOLA which will be gray. if you are talking between cars length wise probably 2 bumpers plus a few mm. i will be careful doing the couplers so they can actually work. i'll have to redo the air hoses so they connect to but that's simple too. 

rails in front are O gauge i think and very close to the plastic ones. the basswood strips are 7mm x 7mm which looks like the correct width with enough depth to seat firmly in the clay base material and still have room for ballast.

Wayne I picked up some HO gauge rails and cleats. I checked with the tracks that Hobby Boss provided for my 1/72 BR86 and they're very close so I think I'll use them for this diorama I have planned later this year. I also received an email from a guy from the UK who sells the couplers in O Gauge that should work for our 1/35. I'm going to pick up some and take a look but I think its what we're looking for, I'll let you know when I get them.

Sounds like we're off and running….

Terry  

Choo Choo!

A three color K5 would look good.  Funny thing that I have noticed regarding the Leopold.  None of them had the Leopold marking on them.  Only the gun on display in the US.  None of the footage that I found showed the name on the side.  I guess we know where the kit makers did their research.

Happy New Year everyone!

Caveman

Choo Choo!

A three color K5 would look good.  Funny thing that I have noticed regarding the Leopold.  None of them had the Leopold marking on them.  Only the gun on display in the US.  None of the footage that I found showed the name on the side.  I guess we know where the kit makers did their research.

Happy New Year everyone!

actually i have a book that shows LEOPOLD on the side of the gun after she was captured near rome. it is believed she was still in DAK yellow since there was a time she was going to north africa. it is mere speculation on a 3 color scheme but it makes sense. in the late 30s they were pz gray and dark brown. i also have a pic, somewhat blurry, of a pz gray gun with a white wash.

same with locomotives. don't know where TRUMPETER got their scheme. the only camo pics i've seen are a really garish tiger stripe in a polish museum and a bad wreck with a swirly pattern.

That's interesting.  Never seen an active gun with the stenciling on it.  But, I'm far from an expert.  Will be nice to see it in a different paint scheme.

I am now considering building my train in an "at rest" sort of setting.  This will allow me to use up a bunch of soldiers and mechanics figures.  Also some cows that I have lying about.  A bit of stuff in the foreground will help give the kits some scale.

As embarrassing as it is......I can't seem to locate my Leopold kit in my stash.  I know I still have it, but where a box that big is hiding escapes me.  You know your stash is to big when............

Started the Trumpeter High Side Gondola today.  Going together fast.  I am thinking of placing the Tamiya field kitchen in it.  Got to feed all these people somehow.

Will post pics when I can but I'm not exactly building in any particular order so it may be a mess until I get the track bed and display case sorted out and built.

Hello Waynec,

Could I trouble you for the kit dimensions from the box top of the Leopold kit.  I'm still trying to figure out how large to build the case and until I find my kit, I'm kind of in limbo.

Thanks in advance!

Caveman

Hello Waynec,

Could I trouble you for the kit dimensions from the box top of the Leopold kit.  I'm still trying to figure out how large to build the case and until I find my kit, I'm kind of in limbo.

Thanks in advance!

tthe box says the final build is  959mm L, 128mm W, 160mm H that would be 38" x 5" x 8" for us non metric folks. these things really were quite narrow. it's one of those "who would thunk moments?" i always thought B-17s were huge until i climbed around inside one.

3 things to consider if your gun is going to be in pure travel mode: the generator/ammo handling box was transported on a separate car (LOW SIDED GONDOLA maybe),  the rear truck was actually shifted 6 feet forward. if you look on the camo drawings of the TRUMPETER kit there is a bump on the bottom of the gun carriage forward of where it connects to the rear truck, and the side rails were folded down and a frame put over the gun and barrel to throw canvas over and make it look like a row of box cars.folding the rails down on any kit would be quite a chore.

I have a couple subjects I can add to this. Let me see what I have available and I'll get back to you.

Hi,

I will join with a Trumpter Flat Bed.

Some FLaK on top, not sure yet.

Best Regards

Johan

JohanT

Hi,

I will join with a Trumpter Flat Bed.

Some FLaK on top, not sure yet.

Best Regards

Johan

got it. welcome. might i suggest an AFV given the purpose of the car.

Duke Maddog

I have a couple subjects I can add to this. Let me see what I have available and I'll get back to you.

wish hobbyboss would do some OTS german rail cars. i have a couple of interesting train wreck pics

Wayne,

I ordered the WR 360 C12 locomotive today. I need something to pull the Thor around. I was curious about using a diesel switcher to pull the mortar. Then I read somewhere that the C12 diesels were preferred because they didn't emit a plum of steam and smoke which would tip off prowling fighters. Huh 

modelcrazy

Wayne,

I ordered the WR 360 C12 locomotive today. I need something to pull the Thor around. I was curious about using a diesel switcher to pull the mortar. Then I read somewhere that the C12 diesels were preferred because they didn't emit a plum of steam and smoke which would tip off prowling fighters. Huh 

why hobbyboss and trumpeter did the C-12 instead of the more numerous C-14 is odd. the C-12 was not deployed outside of germany but that still leaves a lot of opportunity. they were used around munitions and in positioning the guns. i suspect they were also used in rail yards and along the docks. on a k-5 train they were not used for power during transit to the firing point. they were used after the gun arrived at or near its destination. haven't seen any pics but i did one in gray and brown. BR-52 is sitting on kit track, diesel is sitting on home made track.

Thanks for the info.   I should be able to finish my calculations now.  Interesting facts about trying to hid it for transport, but I think I will stick to the kit directions.  It can then stand on it's own as a kit as well.  Anyone who sees it will appreciate it if I could take it out of the case, stick the barrel up in the air and get the overall impression of the gun.

Hello folks!

I'd like to join if I may.  I bought these a while ago just because I liked them.  When I saw this build was upcoming I was really happy to see it could fit somewhere.  I first bought the Br52 because it was on sale for $19 and couldn't pass it up.  Naturally I couldn't build it without something to pull so I found some armored cars.  Not sure if its historically accurate but eh.  I hope these two companies will fit on the same track but if mods need to be done, then that's ok.

Here are the Models I'd like to participate with.

1/72 Br52 Kreigslokomotive by Hobby Boss

1/72 Light Armored Reconnaissance Car by UM Models

1/72 Heavy Infantry Armored Car (x2) by UM Models

Interesting subjects. I think kits: 256 and 257 represent two different (draisine) locomotives that didn't need to be pulled