I am looking to find out what some of the flat cars that were used during WW2 to transport sherman tanks. I am modeling in O scale, so i may need several choice in order to find one that works. Thanks for the help. Bill
I recommend that you find a copy of the book “America’s Fighting Railroads” by Don DeNevi. This book has several pictures of military equipment loaded on flat cars. On page 74 of this book there is a picture of a sherman taking being loaded on a Nickle Plate Road flat car. Unfortunately I can not read the number on the NKP car however after scrutinizing the photo’s in this book it appears that the railroads used standard general service 40 and 50 foot flat cars to transport tanks and other military hardware. I think you could use any model flat car that represents prototypes from that era so long as the prototype’s load limit exceeds the weight of a typical Sherman Tank. From a modeling stand point I think it would be more important to accurately simulate the blocking and tie downs used to secure the tanks to the flat car decks, for this you should work from prototype photos for general ideas.
One more from the FSA
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?fsaall:17:./temp/~ammem_uQ4v::displayType=1:m856sd=fsa:m856sf=8b00717:@@@
This book might be what you are looking for.
“The Transportation Corps: Movements, Training, and Supply
Book by Chester Wardlow; Office of the Chief of Military History, 1956”
Good Luck
underworld
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