Has there been any articles written about modeling military equipment being moved by rails back in WWII?
Much of the equipment for the military was moved by rail in WWII. Many of the military bases that were around at that time still have the old railroad tracks around or you can tell where they would have been.
I’ve always thought about how that must have looked back then. All the activity, the men and material being moved around.
Are there any companies who have produced WWII related train cars or related items? I’m guessing that besides the old stuff produced by Lionel for O, that HO would probably be the best scale for this. Is there anything in N Scale like this?
There are a number of articles in the model RR press about troop cars, essentially boxcars converted to carry people. I also think that there are several Resin of plastic kits on the market in HO. Also Roco Shermans look good on Bowser FM flatcars.
I believe there is a release in N of troop cars and kitchens. I am waiting patiently for one rtr in HO. With that said, MR recently had a article on “MAIN” trains.
The US railroads moved during the war probably the heaviest and longest trains across the country and we probably will never see that kind of railroading in this centry. I believe there was a saying: “Add more engines until the drawbar breaks and then get a new drawbar, we will get the troops there on time.”
GHQ had an M-4 Sherman tank and a half-track out a few years ago. (IIRC, not presently in production, but can still be found at hobby shops.) GHQ also has some 10mm wargame figures, including some for the US Civil War.
A smaller manufacturer also had resin kits for a few WWII era vehicles, including Sherman tanks in a few variations, some jeeps and trucks, and even some German armor.
Micro-Trains just released some Pullman troop sleepers and kitchen cars.
I keep hoping for howitzers and uniformed service personnel, dressed for travel, and in poses one might see at a train station.
I forgot to add, I got this cool DVD off of Amazon called “War Train.” I believe that it is also avalable as 3 VHS tapes. Lots of interesting equipment. The coverage runs from the Civil War to Viet Nam, but the majority of the material is WWII. I highly recommend this video for inspiration.
This may not be what you are looking for, but in this thread we have tried to gather as much info as possible on just this.
Of course if you were to modell a British line then you can use all the stuff, both US and British
Bachmann does a “WD” (War Department, the old name for the Ministry Of Defence or MOD) 2-8-0 steamer in various liveries - these ran on British rails during the war and some went to mainland Europe after D-Day. Not sure how much use this is, but they’re superb runners and look the part too!
There is a hatful of HO/OO scale military equipment–check the Walthers catalog, they have a whole section on military equipment, mostly WWII vintage but some more modern. They also sell military structures–hangars, pillboxes, barracks, etcetera. Engines aren’t much of a problem either–finding steam engines or early diesels from the WWII era is not hard at all. Bachmann makes its wonderful 44-ton diesel switcher in an Army paint scheme, which was introduced during WWII. There are even HO scale airplane models, though one could use 1/72 scale (or maybe 1/144 for a background scene or N scale modeling) in a pinch.
Most hobby shops catering to military modelers have plenty of approximately HO scale military figures, which can be had for cheap.
One detail to keep in mind when modeling WWII–railroads on the coasts of the United States used hoods over their headlamps to prevent spotting from the air by enemy aircraft (not that it happened, but they were still used.) This hood was often a cone of metal with a small opening at the end–the headlight would illuminate directly in front of the train (and was visible from directly ahead) but not very visible from the air.
There are also models of WWII era troop trains out there–I think www.mrrwarehouse.com has some.
The period I model (mid-forties to early fifties) carried a lot of military equipment for the Pacific war and the Korean conflict, so I’m considering having a few flatcars of Shermans, DUKW’s and Walker Bulldogs for shipment to Bay Area naval bases.
Has there been any articles written about modeling military equipment being moved by rails back in WWII?
Much of the equipment for the military was moved by rail in WWII. Many of the military bases that were around at that time still have the old railroad tracks around or you can tell where they would have been.
I’ve always thought about how that must have looked back then. All the activity, the men and material being moved around.
Are there any companies who have produced WWII related train cars or related items? I’m guessing that besides the old stuff produced by Lionel for O, that HO would probably be the best scale for this. Is there anything in N Scale like this?
There are a number of articles in the model RR press about troop cars, essentially boxcars converted to carry people. I also think that there are several Resin of plastic kits on the market in HO. Also Roco Shermans look good on Bowser FM flatcars.
I believe there is a release in N of troop cars and kitchens. I am waiting patiently for one rtr in HO. With that said, MR recently had a article on “MAIN” trains.
The US railroads moved during the war probably the heaviest and longest trains across the country and we probably will never see that kind of railroading in this centry. I believe there was a saying: “Add more engines until the drawbar breaks and then get a new drawbar, we will get the troops there on time.”
GHQ had an M-4 Sherman tank and a half-track out a few years ago. (IIRC, not presently in production, but can still be found at hobby shops.) GHQ also has some 10mm wargame figures, including some for the US Civil War.
A smaller manufacturer also had resin kits for a few WWII era vehicles, including Sherman tanks in a few variations, some jeeps and trucks, and even some German armor.
Micro-Trains just released some Pullman troop sleepers and kitchen cars.
I keep hoping for howitzers and uniformed service personnel, dressed for travel, and in poses one might see at a train station.
I forgot to add, I got this cool DVD off of Amazon called “War Train.” I believe that it is also avalable as 3 VHS tapes. Lots of interesting equipment. The coverage runs from the Civil War to Viet Nam, but the majority of the material is WWII. I highly recommend this video for inspiration.
This may not be what you are looking for, but in this thread we have tried to gather as much info as possible on just this.
Of course if you were to modell a British line then you can use all the stuff, both US and British
Bachmann does a “WD” (War Department, the old name for the Ministry Of Defence or MOD) 2-8-0 steamer in various liveries - these ran on British rails during the war and some went to mainland Europe after D-Day. Not sure how much use this is, but they’re superb runners and look the part too!
There is a hatful of HO/OO scale military equipment–check the Walthers catalog, they have a whole section on military equipment, mostly WWII vintage but some more modern. They also sell military structures–hangars, pillboxes, barracks, etcetera. Engines aren’t much of a problem either–finding steam engines or early diesels from the WWII era is not hard at all. Bachmann makes its wonderful 44-ton diesel switcher in an Army paint scheme, which was introduced during WWII. There are even HO scale airplane models, though one could use 1/72 scale (or maybe 1/144 for a background scene or N scale modeling) in a pinch.
Most hobby shops catering to military modelers have plenty of approximately HO scale military figures, which can be had for cheap.
One detail to keep in mind when modeling WWII–railroads on the coasts of the United States used hoods over their headlamps to prevent spotting from the air by enemy aircraft (not that it happened, but they were still used.) This hood was often a cone of metal with a small opening at the end–the headlight would illuminate directly in front of the train (and was visible from directly ahead) but not very visible from the air.
There are also models of WWII era troop trains out there–I think www.mrrwarehouse.com has some.
The period I model (mid-forties to early fifties) carried a lot of military equipment for the Pacific war and the Korean conflict, so I’m considering having a few flatcars of Shermans, DUKW’s and Walker Bulldogs for shipment to Bay Area naval bases.