A train arrived on the property, hauling a DODX heavy duty flatcar carrying an M1A2 tank. Seen here passing under the bridge Close up of the vehicle and tank Arriving in LA yard, carrying two tanks
Yeah, I know the tanks should be securely tied down with chains, but I am going to build another car and have one tank on each The tanks are from GHQ pewter kits.
Alan Way COOL As I understand it this car will be your newest offering (?) Are those the new M-T Commonwealth 6-wheel trucks? Nice photos eNjoy
Thanks Don. Yes these cars are now ready and on my website. The trucks are the M/T 6-wheel Buckeye. They only come with couplers, and I wanted body mount couplers, so I just cut the coupler boxes off the trucks and glued them to the frame Saves having to buy seperate couplers! The cars also have a mounting hole for use with the truck mounted couplers, this is nearer the end of the car. But they look much better in the correct position, and I have no problems on my 12" radius curves with the body-mounts. Compare:
Hey Alan: Just for the nitpickers out there: the white stripes on the side show where the end of the front or back road wheel should be when two tanks are loaded. As for the chains, there should be three on each side, front and back, for a total of 12 chains per tank. The last touch would be some fine thread wrapped around the barrel and cemented to the rear corners for the wire tie-downs. All of the above based strictly on personal experience. On the other side, they look fantastic! Do you have any idea when N Scale Supply will be getting some, or would direct orders be better? Thanks so much for producing this!!!
Yeah, Eagle, I very carefully aligned the wheels with the stripes The center stripe is for the middle wheel when only one tank is loaded. I have two tanks, so will put one per car. N Scale Supply have some on order, but I will not be posting any until after Christmas, as we are well past the last posting day for non-UK items.
Hello Allan, Just had a chance to view your website. Nice layout and great looking pics. I really like the AW logo, any chance your AW will ever have motive power of its own (a switcher perhaps) that bears that logo?
Inkaneer: Yup, factory fresh equipment comes with the tools and so on crated up. I can't say for the factory fresh stuff (heck, I've never even been to Ohio) but I know that the Army, not the railroad, requires that the gun tubes be secured. I'm pretty sure it's to prevent the thing from accidentally traversing (don't laugh, the turret traverses by an electric motor and they do get loose occasionally). As for using thread, I've built a couple of flats so far (unfortunately the hard way) and used the 40 lpi chain (12 of 'em - ugh) and that's perhaps the most noticed feature on the car. It might not be "right" but it looks awful good. Now, for those of you who really need less free time, I'll also point out that all glass is taped or covered with cardboard and taped when military vehicles go by rail. Also, smaller weapons, like the cannon on the Bradleys (and yes, Alan, I still intend to get some of your 60' flats to cut up for this; I think they're called F60G) have the gun tube removed and stored inside the vehicle. I also have to say, as this is the first time I've seen one, that GHQ has done an outstanding job with the tank. The one I have so far is by Tires and Tracks and is pretty crude. It's a great time to be in N!
I have some photos from various websites, and some that have been sent to me, which show the equipment box beside the gun barrel. I think I will assume my tanks are "factory fresh" and add the box, it would make an interesting detail. I will experiment with the tie-down "chains" to see which I prefer. The pics I have do not show the gun tied down, how is it secured, is there a block below the barrel for it to rest on? Yes, GHQ have done a fine job with this kit. The detail is excellent. The kit instructions say that the machine guns and radio aerials are stowed inside the tank when in transit. Should there be any markings on the tanks, like a number, or anything? Cannot make any out on the pics.
Alan: If you look on the tank, there are two "eyes" on the back corners of the tank. The tie-down is made with approximately 1/4" wire rope which is run through the eyes and wrapped around the barrel. Two wires are used, and u-bolt brackets are attached to secure the ends of the wire to itself. To simplify modeling the tie-down, I cemented a piece of thread to one corner, wrapped it once around the tube (making sure to keep a little tension on it) ran it down to the other corner and super-glued it, keeping that light tension on until the glue dried. Then I used a knife to cut away the loose end, and presto...
The M60 series of tanks had a fold down locking gun barrel cradle incorporated into the rear deck for transport. The M1A1 series tanks do not have this feature. This may be related to the gun stabilization feature that makes this series of tanks so lethal. To secure the gun barrel from traversing a small cable is formed with two loops. One loop goes around the barrel and is a loose fit. The other end or the cable is threaded through the upper tie down poins on the rear deck. It is then looped back on itself and secured with U-bolt cable clamps. A similiar cable is secured to the other upper tiedown on the other side. The cable is not heavy duty as there is not a lot of weight involved. Regarding the "goodies box" I believe this is located to the right side of the gun barrel which would place it on the right side of the engine deck as one faces the front of the tank. If any one has accurate dimensions of the box please post them. Also how is the box secured to the tank? Steel strapping? Tank markings usually are applied by the unit receivng them. If you are doing 'factory fresh' models then you do not need to worry about them. there is no decal set available for this car so you will have to cut and paste one together from different sets. With two GHQ metal tanks sitting on a metal car this will be a heavy model and those six wheel Buckeye trucks are indeed necessary.
One additional thought on this. The GHQ model of the M1A1 series Tank is a well detailed model and will look great on Alan's car. Those wanting to model this car with load might want to consider making it a priority to obtain the tank kits in advance. GHQ from time to time discontinues certain models in its line. Presently the M1A1 tanks are still available to the best of my knowledge. Just something to consider.
To my knowledge, I have never seen "factory fresh" equipment coming through my area. However, the equipment I have seen go by may have started out with window glass protection, but when it's in transit, the plywood, cardboard, or whatever else was handy at the moment tends to be anywhere but over the glass ... seriously!!! If you want to show a realistic relocation of military equipment by rail, any vehicle protection will be flapping off to the side held on by one or two pieces of duct tape, if it's there at all. I have seen wind shields covered with Kraft paper that has been torn and is flapping in the wind. Military loaders at ports of embarkation have no clue of what damage wind pressure will cause on a train going 60 mph, especially when the train passes one going 60 in the opposite direction .... talk about a Hurricane damage
Hey all: Getting back to Alan's question about markings: Since these are M1A2's (note the "extra" sight on the turret roof) they're right at home with the 3rd Armored Cavalry (go team!) so some easy markings can be done. On the side skirts, about a third of the way back, is stenciled on the Troop (Company sized unit) to which the vehicle is assigned (A, B, etc up to L) and the platoon (1,2,3,4). So, for instance, the 1st platoon of A Troop will put "A1" on both sides. Hope this helps, as putting on complete bumper numbers would be, well, darn near impossible. And you know, I never would have thought to see this many posts on a relatively obscure piece of equipment.
OK boys, girls and other critters, here's a trivia question for you: Having thoroughly explored the white stripes on the side of the car, who can say what the yellow stripes are for? Is that your final answer?
Between the white and yellow stripes, is wording something like "Typ tanks rear LH wheel" On the white stripe is "M1" and on the yellow stripe is "M60"
The M60 series of tanks can be carried on the car but these are being phased out of the active army inventory. Several Army reserve units in my area have had the M1A1's for quite a while. The Marines may still have the M60 in their inventory. But the other piece of current equipment that requires this car is the M88 tank retriever which is built on a M60 track but is heavier. This too uses the yellow stripe for positioning on the car.
Well, break out the gold stars! Also don't forget that the M48/M60 chassis is still in fairly wide use, major variants being the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle and the M48 or M60 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB) or Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC, hence AVLM). So, Alan, now that the challenge is gone from DODX cars, which of my "one off" projects will you spoil next? (PS - don't stop!)
