Deluxe innovations has some DODX cars that are in four packs and have great detail a the tank load is included they also come with-micro train couplers. They show up on eBay once a while, if your looking that should be your best bet with great detail.
The DoDX 68' flat cars are still available. They are straightforward to build, as the decks are all one piece, paint and decal. There are a number of pictures on our site. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits N Scale Kits
The DODX flats with GHQ M1A1 kits make an impressive sight. With both the tanks and the flats being made of metal they are indeed heavy. But they really impress people when they come into sight. I like to model them as they come from the plant in Ohio. As such they have a wooden box strapped to the afterdeck. The box contains items to be added to the tank at its arrival. I need the dimensions of the box. If any one knows what they are please post them. Thanks.
Look up 1/144 scale armor, most of what I have found is M2 Bradleys, M1 Tanks, M113s, M109A6 Howitzers and MLRS by a company called Dragon, their Can-do line. There are some Wiking trucks that can stand in for LMTV trucks. Micro Machines made a fairly good M88 stand in, roughly 1/144 scale. There also is a product out there called "World Tank Museum" that has some good 1/144 stuff. The Two most common mistakes I see on Modeled military trains are; everyone wants to model the shooters and not the supporting fuelers, ammo carriers, various trucks and command posts usually seen in a Military move/unit train. The second is Military vehicles NEVER move via rail with machine guns mounted. To that end, even the Bradley's will usually remove their main guns. (admit that would look weird modeled.) Most of the other comments on here are correct, M1s and M88s are regulated to 48000 series DODX cars. There are the occasional DODX tank cars mentioned and rarely you will see DODX Cabooses on trains that require security.
Both these comments are not quite correct. . . . Regarding the boxcars, a previous comment by the OP, is. The vast majority of the Red and Yellow Boxcars can almost all be found on three bases; Fort McCoy, WI, Tooele Depot, UT and the almost all the rest are at Fort Eustis, VA. They are almost all reserved for training forces how to load and unload boxcars. They are very rarely if ever used to move military material. The vast majority of munitions move by truck across the US and the DoD is wary to move large quantities via rail to avoid another Roseville yard incident, especially now in these days of countering terrorism. http://rosevillept.com/detail/174725.html Could you imagine the wisdom of moving cars loaded with explosives, marked US ARMY across the country? Just not done. The red and yellow switchers are used primarily in, on and very close to the installation they are working. At Fort Stewart, the branch line leading from the base to the CSX main is a few miles long, At Fort Carson I have seen the Army switchers work the main all the way to Colorado Springs to drop off trains. Also the locomotives transit the US railways in consist when ever they relocate to another base or require major maintenance. For instance, at Fort McCoy a couple of years ago, they received a new GG20B which arrived via CP rails, then the old units were shipped off the property via CP.
Well I was close with the GPs... As for ammo, after working with an ammo person, the rules that are in place for the truckers, its amazing people are willing to drive those routes. Can't stop except for fuel, when you get to a base, you cannot exit the cab of the truck while ammo troops are unloading the truck, you have to shut the truck down when they unload. But hey, its ammo, I don't want bombs and bullets in the hands of the wrong people. So Maj, basically the yellow boxcars with red doors that MDC made, won't do most modelers any good, correct? Also, the DODX tank cars, only time I've seen them was in Alaska, where they go from Anchorage to Fairbanks, get loaded in Fairbanks, then unloaded at the fuel dump on Elmendorf AFB.
I have seen a red/yellow Genset being pulled as part of a UP freight consist on a mainline. I believe it was being delivered to Hill AFB. I also see, on a regular basis, red/yellow and black/yellow 80 tonners and a red/yellow Geep (GP9 chop nose, I think, but I'm not that great at loco id yet) switching a local industrial park adjacent to Tooele Army Depot (the industrial park is former TEAD property). I love this industrial park, all sorts of cars come in because there is a welding company that will patch up holes and cracks in them. There are also three rail-served industries that get tank and centerflow plastics hoppers.
Pretty close... When I drove long haul years ago...I did ONE "Ammo Run". You drive on base and drop your trailer. You back under one of their 'plain jane' trailers. Their guys 'hook you up'...you dont get out of the truck. When you leave the base...there are 3 sedans following you. 2 guys in each vehicle. They play leap frog the whole way...one in front..2 behind. Far enough apart as not to draw attention...but close enough 'just in case'. When you stop for fuel...its kinda 'James Bondish'...in the sense that yes..you get out...fuel up...you go in...pay for fuel and you can shower and grab a bite to eat. All the while one guy is shadowing you...kinda there...but not there. The others are out watching your rig. No "MIB" stuff here though. No big black SUV's with black windows. No guys in black suits wearing dark glasses. Just your average looking guys in plain looking sedans. I do know that when you stop for fuel and leave...there are 3 different cars (and I suppose different guys) escorting you. The logistic alone must be mind blowing !! When you get to the base...you dont even stop at the gate. One car in front...2 in back...and in you go with a wave through. True...you dont dare get out of the truck ! They unloaded me and I was told to park the trailer in a certain area. Their guys unhooked me..and off I went. I do have to say...they paid well. They even paid me to deadhead back accross country to pick my trailer back up !! It was all kinda kewl...but you just get to be a nervous wreck by the time its over...just sitting in that truck...driving all day...and thinking "What if....." :tb-wacky: .
No wonder my set was so cheap! baffled: Well this kind of throws a monkey wrench into my plans because now it will bug me.laugh:
For prototypical inspiration as far as structures & trackplans go, I'd recommend using Google Earth and find the yards at a post that has a mechanized force, such as Ft Benning, Carson, Riley, or Stewart. I had to cross the Carson access spur in and out of my neighborhood when I was living off post a few years ago, and can tell you that the DA locomotives are used mainly for spotting the flats in front of the loading points. Generally, they were never off post except when moving the cars up the spur, where they were generally picked up by the yard engine from Co Spgs's yard, where it'd be linked up with modern motive power, and shipped off to Ft Irwin (or actually to a USMC Depot across the desert from there) or, up until OIF III, shipment from the port in East Texas which I've suddenly forgotten the name of. The yard usually never comes any closer to post than is necessary to safely place the train on the siding. As far as roadnames, although there are still a fair percentage (25-40%, off hand) of DODX flats, the majority of the flat cars I saw hauling Abrahms, Brads, 113s, Humvees, etc., were bearing the road-markings of Trailer Train (TTTX) or one of it's alternates. I always intended to get some railfanning pics of these, but never got around to it. If you decide to make a military depot/yard for loading/offloading these trains, make sure and include a concrete road in, called a "tank trail," as asphalt roads tend to be shredded by tracked vehicles. Also, the large eyelets you see on tracks are tie down points, generally with logging chains.
Oh that’s an interesting detail, I haven’t noticed them before. How large are they and would they be noticeable on N-Scale?
A bit more mundane than armor-on-a-flat but useful nonetheless, we announced last month US Army hoppers. Description and artwork is here: http://www.bluford-shops.com/bluford_1025_018.htm Craig
There are still a number of bases that recieve their jet fuel by rail. Shaw AFB in SC and Pope Field in NC for another. They look just like ordinary tank cars but with DODX reporting marks. I believe Athearn and MDC have come out with cars painted up this way.
:ru-confused: I suddenly realized I was cross-leveling my dialects of English. For those unfamiliar with the jargon used by the mechanized portions of the Army, the term "track" is used to refer generically to any non-wheeled armored vehicle, i.e. tanks, bradleys, M113 family, etc. There are generally no tie downs on the rails. :tb-biggrin: All military vehicles designed to be railheaded have tiedown eyelets. On HMMV family, there is a pair in the center of the hood, on tracked vehicles the eyelets are normally near the four corners. In general they're approximately 6" in diameter in the hole, with 2-3" of metal around them.
I should have known that since I spent 6 months as a crew member on a M109 self-propelled 155 Howitzer, but that was 1970 and I’ve forgotten quite a lot since then. laugh:
Well if that is the case then I am glad to assist another former Redleg! I think all of us on this thread would find the following article of interest: Army Sustainment: Defense Freight Car Operations Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow As far as the MTL or MDC cars, there are some photos out there showing individual cars moving in consist as late as 2004. But I can't find any evidence of them moving in trains with combat equipment but who knows this may have happened at one time or another. Thanks to Bluford Shops I had no idea the Army Rostered some coal hoppers recently. Had never seen those before, thanks! The Marine Base listed above is USMC Logistics Base in Yermo, CA where equipment is off loaded to be trucked "over the hill" to the National Training Center (aka NTC). The "east Texas port" is the Port of Beaumont, TX where a majority of vehicles from Fort Hood and Fort Carson tend to ship out of. Take a guess at who controls the ports and most of those ships....believe it or not it is the Army!
Tie down shackles for HMMWVs are on the bumpers, the rings in the hood are for sling loading under helicopters and lifting onto and off of ships, if required.
Wow RedLeg, I haven’t heard that term in many years. I know exactly where the USMC Logistics Base in Yermo is and I think I mentioned that somewhere in the beginning of this thread. I work out near there a couple of days a month and I also know 3 people who work on base there. I actually love working out there because I get to see a lot of trains. I’ve taken lot of photos but I’m not much of a photographer. My son went to Ft Irwin last year for some special training before being shipped to Iraq. The wife and I went to visit him one Sunday at the end of his training, but could only visit for a couple of hours, so while we were waiting, we went over by the Marine base to do some rail fanning. There seems to always be something to see or at least every time I’ve been there.
You are correct sir... spent my entire A/D time with a mechanized unit, and somehow never had to pull coverage at the railhead. Sling-loading was never something contemplated, as we didn't have the heavy lift capabilities in the regiment. And Beaumont is definitely where we load RIRO (Roll In Roll Out) ships.
Picture I took over the weekend for you guys, Fort Eustis, VA. I believe this is the preponderance of USAX boxcars with small number of others spread across the country. Interestingly enough i also noticed a USAX 86' Boxcar but could not get a good piture of it. There is a picture of it on Railpics.net search "Army".
