Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Railway Wargaming => Topic started by: sukhe_bator on August 01, 2013, 08:30:25 AM
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I thought it high time that I posted my Armoured Train 'Comrade Blyukher' for my Back of Beyond project in full, to illustrate what you can achieve in 15mm...
The basis was the excellent Peter Pig resin model of an armoured Russian Ov loco and tender and armoured trucks.
This is an early set up from several years back showing the PP armoured flat wagon, artillery car, loco and tender, with a converted MG car and box car at the rear illustrating the kind of set up I was aiming for
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/WorkinProgressComradeBlyukher.jpg~original)
For maximum flexibility I decided to model the flat wagons with different 'loads'. This wagon is unpainted with a Red Putilov field gun and crew shielded behind an improvised sandbag emplacement.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/flatwagon.jpg~original)
'Comrade Blyukher' Ov loco and tender. The tender sides have been raised and additional 'log' fuel replaces the original modelling of coal on the resin kit. Some of the insignia is incorrect and need some reworking and I have since added suitably stirring Red banners at strategic points.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/ComradeBlyukher.jpg~original)
The standard twin 76mm artillery car sporting an unusual fir tree camo scheme spotted in an Osprey book
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/guncar.jpg~original)
The same showing how effective the camo scheme is in the appropriate setting
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/SiberianFirCamoinaction.jpg~original)
The converted MG car with 8 side and two top turreted MGs taken from a PP Austin armoured car
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/MGcar.jpg~original)
A converted RATIO OO/HO GWR box van kit with wheels cut down and sleeved axles to TT gauge, reduced subframe and roof. It makes a surprisingly effective 5' gauge long wheelbase carriage in Bolshevik livery
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/Converted4mmRATIOGWRBoxvan.jpg~original)
The scratchbuilt water tower based on ACW examples since the only photos I could find were the later octagonal brick towers for the Trans Siberian Railway. Early photos of the Trans Caspian railway show water towers on simpler stacked log platforms/staging.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/TSR003.jpg~original)
The whole train posed in a fully developed Siberian setting with scratchbuilt station, watertower, refuelling point and village in the background
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/TSR001.jpg~original)
The same with loading stage/ramp and crane and flatbed for Soviet MkV tank
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/TSR005.jpg~original)
And in the desert wastes with stunted lineside telegraph poles etc.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/DSC02435.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Comrade%20Blyukher/DSC02438.jpg~original)
The plan now is to develop an improvised second train converting the PP 'General' 4-4-0 Wild West/ACW loco and tender with added sloping armour plate sidings. The Trans-Caspian conflict which is my next project calls for a different set of lineside buildings and an improvised train made up largely of flat wagons 'armoured' with cotton bales, sandbags and planking with field guns and MGs mounted on them...
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Absolutely beautiful! I have this train and it's waiting to get my Winter War project in 15mm under way.
You have inspired me to think about getting it out and least prep it. Thanks.
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Glad to hear it - the train is an excellent model and deserves to be better publicised. There are some good camo/paint schemes out there if you look.
One thing to consider with the train is long term storage. The TT wheels are quite narrow and unless you have a snug set of compartments for storage, they tend to tip over. I opted for a magnetic strip glued to the underside of the resin model with the wheels glued onto a card strip with some metal sheet effectively creating a sabot base. This seems to work well for me. The models then sit well in a metal tin/tray when not in use without shifting around.
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That's a great little set up, especially as it's in 15mm :-* :-*
cheers
James
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Very very nice. I wish mine was up to this standard.
John
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great!
I am envious....
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My first stab at such a wholesale conversion, but my take on an improvised armoured train from the Russian Civil War period. I wanted to model something broadly similar to the early locos from the mid-late C19 with spark arrestor fitted to the funnel as for a wood burning loco and seen in early photos of the Transcaspian railway such as this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Station_of_Bahmi_on_the_Transcaspian_Railway.jpg
using the Peter Pig Wild West 4-4-0 loco and tender. http://www.peterpig.co.uk/Westernengine.jpg
Becomes this;
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/IMAG0966_zps19531e7b.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/IMAG0964_zps0ac6d462.jpg~original)
This was achieved by;
1. Extending out the running plate along the side of the loco with shaped plasticard.
2. Cropping the cowcatcher and building a new front and buffers using wire nails and plasticard
3. Adding 'toblerone' shaped sloping armour side panels to the boiler and an armoured skirt covering the running gear with 'inspection panels'
4. Adding side and rear panels to the tender with a revised buffer beam and wire nail buffers
5. Adding sliding armoured shutters to the cab sides
6. Adding scrap matches to the tender to recreate stacked wooden logs
This is the finished build with a spray undercoat of olive drab before painting and detailing. To add to the improvised feel I plan to paint the engine underneath and frame black with red wheels and coupling rods but have the superstructure and armour in olive drab.
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The finished locomotive in speculative markings of the Trans Caspian Provisional Government - No.241 'Armoured Train 'TranscCaspia'
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/a4b47f1c-34e4-438c-b805-1c0c568745af_zps643c8259.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Westernengine_zps5bf62209.jpg~original)
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Nice work - colours have really come together.
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After a lengthy break I am returning to the 15mm armoured train. This time I have been creating TT gauge track sections and points for use on the wargames table culled from broken OO flexitrack and turnouts.
The turnouts don't work but the track gauge can be cut down to make an acceptable railroad for the PP armoured trains to move up and down on. I cut the sleepers between the rails next to the chair mouldings on one side and then crop the longer side so the gauge is reduced.
By cutting the plastic ties underneath the track on the flexitrack I can approximate the TT sleeper spacings.
Using 5 min epoxy to glue one rail onto a stiff thin ply base, and then gluing the other side to match, I can recreate sections of track. A liberal application of filler around and between recreates drifts of desert sand which can be augmented with sand/gravel flock texturing followed by a liberal application of rust and sand coloured paint.
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Those are fantastic and very inspirational still trying to do similar but in 1/72.
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Golgotha,
Keep persevering - its very rewarding. I've modelled my homegrown TT track around the OO gauge set track to keep the geometry simple. I gather you can get commercially available resin versions of 1:100 scale track. I now have 2 turnouts and several sections of curved and straight set track. Given the hassle I've had with 'converting' points I may well succumb and purchase them, but the track I can recreate easily enough.
1:72nd should be a lot more straightforward. There's a wealth of talent on this forum showing you what you can do with commercially available armoured trains. Most of them have to convert 1:72nd to a somewhat larger format for 25mm. The main obstacle for me is that model railroading is relatively expensive, and paying out big bucks for a precision motorised model that you are likely to hack about for wargaming purposes rankles a bit for me. There should be a good number of 00 gauge compatible toy train sets in cheap toy shops that could be adapted as static models for wargaming. They could provide the basis for chassis for box cars etc. You could then splurge out on a more expensive but more accurate loco.
Keep an eye out for magazine part works. There also seems to be a following for static models of large trains worth hunting around for on the interweb.
Dapol also do a range of the old Airfix kits of railway wagons and locos. Also another excellent source of parts, but British types. You may have more trouble with European equivalents.
Shapeways also do 3d resin models. I have my eye on an excellent Russian Ov loco. They can scale up to 00/H0...
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Fantastic suggestions will look into doing something soon thought I would start with something simple basically a flat bed built up with sandbags and a RCW machine gun team or some such... Certainly one of my main reasons for choosing 1/72 for RCW was the availability of train related models so be sad if I then did nothing in terms of creating at least an armoured train.
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I am having some success in converting the Dapol/Airfix plastic kits to armoured train usage. I'm creating a hybrid TT gauge box van out of Dapol meat wagon and cattle wagon parts. The result looks something like the Russian box vans Cuprum posted. A suitable repaint and some cyrillic script/graffiti and I'm good to go. Both have a usable 4 wheel chassis that could be converted with low plank/log sandbag sidings. The cattle wagon has a slightly longer wheel base and stable doors and flaps that could prove useful as well as planked ends. The meat van has metal louvres at the ends. You could make up 2 short wheel base flatbeds and 2 box vans for a tad over £20 GBP
Carriages are a problem. Even if you were able to model a British pattern into a more continental looking one, at around 60' they end up being 15" long.
Russian locomotives seemed to go for a slightly smaller diameter but multi-drive wheel configuration (The Ov was an 0-8-0). I'm no expert at trains or kitbashing but personally if I had to 'morph' a British pattern of plastic loco kit to European armoured train usage I'd go for a Schools class 4-4-0 loco, or the 2-6-0 Mogul class (more European looking with more closed in cab and tender area and a shorter wheelbase). The Schools were developed in the late 1920s to early 1930s, and the Mogul in the early 1930s but with armour cladding, should still look ok. The length will be about right if not the number of driving wheels. The problem is if you go for a larger express loco kit like the streamlined Battle of Britain class or the Evening Star kits a) they are quite distinctive and b) you run the risk of the train being too long for wargaming purposes. All but the larger Dapol loco kits are around the £10 GBP mark.
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A step by step guide to a conversion of the Peter Pig Wild american 4-4-0 Wild West loco into a generic early Russian 4-6-0 loco for use on the Transcaspian railway.
Firstly after much hacking with a razor saw to the resin moulding... (approx. 2hrs work)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/07f81033-61a2-4486-9a0c-ba2c609b5460_zpsld2kgpcq.jpg~original)
The cowcatcher and domes are removed. These need not be too tidily done since they will be replaced and the entire profile of the boiler will be changed. The two sets of driving wheels have been cut out and repositioned closer together. The intervening resin blocks have been glued at the rear ready to be made up into the area to take the third driving wheel...
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1585_zpswzcpjylq.jpg~original)
A rough application of green stuff to establish the continuous profile of the boiler, enlarged piston housing and a third driving wheel are roughly sculpted. The plan is to tidy up the sculpt by sanding and smoothing with craft knives and cropping to create crisper edges of the driving wheel tyre with a scalpel... (approx. 1 hour)
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After a further hour's work. The third driving wheel is now coupled and I have started modelling the cab panelling and positioning the steam domes. The running plates will be strips of plasticard, but I have to even up the casting in order to provide supports to key it onto first. The generic loco I am basing this on is a Russian As-60 class (1892 to 1907)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Russian_steam_locomotive_classes#/media/File:As-60.jpg
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1590_zpszgnmznn2.jpg~original)
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Cab side detailing including steps to cab and sand box added
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1622_zpspw6jchdw.jpg~original)
Rough shaping of boiler front and smoke box door work in progress
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1623_zpsgf8mqqpv.jpg~original)
Looks rough and ready atm but bear in mind this is all in 15mm and the loco is only 3 inches long at present
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After a weekend further work on cab, running plate and tender
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1625_zpst7wmtxnb.jpg~original)
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After another couple of hours work, the basic form is nearly complete with chimney and smoke arrestor culled and adapted from an HO kit, PP headlamp and running plate with access steps to front and rear. Once cured the edges will be carved and sanded to a sharper profile. Atm it looks like a Mr Blobby version of a steam locomotive...
Then there's just the knotty problem of detailing the Walschaerts running gear :? :o
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1626_zps246vjkx7.jpg~original)
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That is quite an impressive effort you put into it. I wonder if one of those collectible 1/100 static resin engines wouldn´t been cheaper and easier to convert. Great work though!
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Michi,
The problem with the commercially available static models is they tend to be famous types and generally too large for wargaming purposes. There appear to be a few that could potentially be used by WWII railway wargamers out there but most of the designs are 1930s or later.
The 4-4-0 US loco Peter Pig produce was closer in scale and proportions to the general size of Russian locos of the earlier period I wanted to model. There really isn't much else in 1:100 out there for wargamers. The cast resin kit (although brittle) is workable and has nice white metal detailing and accessories. It can be converted readily by adding green stuff / miliput or applied panels of plasticard. I agree it is a lot of work and the warts-n-all photos don't sell the conversion process very well, but I'm confident it will look quite presentable when it is finally painted up.
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The problem with the commercially available static models is they tend to be famous types and generally too large for wargaming purposes. There appear to be a few that could potentially be used by WWII railway wargamers out there but most of the designs are 1930s or later.
I respect your efforts and pull my hat! I look forward to see it finished, I love railway stuff! I just thought you could have walked an easier path.
By the way, there was the Prussian P8 as a static model in 1/100. It is a 2-6-0 like your conversion too. Have a look here: http://www.nicospilt.com/index_Atlas.htm
Prussian locomotive manufacturers built many engines for Russia that looked typically Prussian, therefore it could be a good choice. The P8 was already built in large numbers before the Great War and therefore sports that period look of less modern typical continental European steam engines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_P_8
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Michi,
Thanks for the encouragement and good spot about the P8. It looks modern for its vintage design. I suppose its the smoke deflectors I usually associate with German locos of the 1930s-1940s. I'm thoroughly enjoying the conversion process and have spent another lunch hour modelling a basic representation of the walschaerts running gear on one side. I've also modelled a pair of front headlamps and just need to add a buffer beam and front buffers. I reckon I've got about 3hrs before I'll have completing the build.
I can't wait to get a spray undercoat on it to see what it looks like with a unified colour and to see if I've ironed out all the obvious blemishes.
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The completed conversion before undercoating black
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1630_zpsdytchuko.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1629_zpswjlh0akr.jpg~original)
All that remains to do is to add broken up matchsticks in the tender to show stacked firewood
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With a basic undercoat added for effect...
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1631_zpsmbouv1ux.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1632_zps9guwprqu.jpg~original)
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Definitely a labour of love that's also turned out pretty nice.
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That locomotive looks excellent. You´ve concealed its origin very well by your brilliant conversion - splendid work!
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Thanks guys
I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Once I've detailed and weathered it and added some lettering it should really look the part. I'm always slightly apprehensive about such conversions because they look so scrappy for sooo long. I find it's always tricky sculpting in 15mm. A unifying paint job really helps...
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After an hour highlighting and painting on appropriate insignia...
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1633_zpsbkxmvo2w.jpg~original)
Some detailing and tidying up around the cab still to do yet and some weathering
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Nice one.
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And with completed box van and flat wagon (w.i.p.)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1636_zpsdridufmw.jpg~original)
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Another shot of Tashkent with some modified Peter Pig 15mm wagons and some armoured wagons with some w.i.p. troops added for flavour. Green stuff sandbagging etc is being added to one to make an improvised covered wagon based on Czech armoured train examples...
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1657_zpsk3csd0ob.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1656_zps1nekbaqk.jpg~original)
And my latest project, an 0-8-0 Russian Ov with the chassis and running gear entirely sculpted from green stuff...Before
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1645_zpsl73fasi5.jpg~original)
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1650_zpsoiczzrzs.jpg~original)
And in the process of being added to a heavily modified PP Wild West loco
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1681_zpsjn56ii5y.jpg~original)
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Nice bit of sculpting Sukhe :)
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Thanks Etranger,
these 15s always look so gruesome close up, but overall I'm quite pleased with how my A class loco 'Tashkent' turned out. The plan is now to have an unarmoured Ov loco and tender and a partially armoured loco with toblerone style sloping applied armoured plates to replace my much lamented 'Transcaspia'.
I plan to crop the 2 sets of driving wheels from the pair of Peter Pig Wild West loco kits to make up a second 0-8-0 chassis which means I won't have to sculpt another 8 wheels [phew!] only the running gear. Then I'll construct another body similar to this one onto which I can apply the armour plating. Early train armour was slab sided or angled and only really good against small arms fire. It wasn't until the 30's that multi angled and curved armour appeared. Much as I love the Battlefront FOW armoured trains they are far too late in design. Besides I'm having great fun making my own!
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After a considerable gap tinkering with other aspects of the MallMiss campaign, I've finally got back to the Ov loco conversion. Progress to date on the boiler and details. I have some minor finishing off around the cab (steps to cab) and the front buffer beams, buffers and running lamps remain to be completed...
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x200/sukhe_bator/Transcaspian%20conflict/IMAG1683_zpsfnxgk1xp.jpg~original)
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Starting to come together.
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Restarting this after a lengthy interval. My modelling is dictated by the types of jobs I can do in lunch times at work (nothing smelly or noisy - so painting and sculpting are fine). After some Milliputing of Westerosi buildings I started on my 2 road engine shed for the Trans Caspian Campaign. A 200mm x 150mm shell of foamcore entirely clad in Millliput brickwork and card and corrugated plastic sheet later. I now have to work on the doors, windows and stonework detailing. Once the shell is complete I'll post a few w.i.p. shots.
During the Easter break I tinkered at home with some railway bits and pieces. I'm now finally onto the sculpting stages of my 2 Ov locos... looking good so far.
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Some w.i.p. shots of the latest additions to the Trans Caspian Railway improvised armoured train. The coach is composed of 3 009 NG quarrymen's carriages to replicate the box like wooden shell with small square windows mounted on an 00 scale wheel frame from an old Airfix kit with wheels cropped to TT gauge.
The British sentries are by Eureka, and the various sandbags and cotton bales sculpted from Milliput.
With no bridges or tunnels and a featureless landscape, the TCR could sport tall rolling stock. The OP is therefore an essential component, and will be defended by 2 MG posts.
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And finally after a break in the traditional UK Easter Bank Holiday weather... some w.i.p. shots of the TCR Engine shed. The basic shell is foamcore clad in Milliput brickwork and will have plasticard stonework string course detailing and stovepipes, with card and balsa doors and conventional modellers acetate glazed windows.
The whole thing is approx 200mm x 150mm. Seen here with some scratchbuilt track.
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Good to see this continue and I really like the train shed 8)
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I'm with Jim - the shed looks great.
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Once again the unseasonal weather provided a chance to show progress with the Trans Caspian Railway.
Replacing the wheels of a Minifgs Model T with 009 railway flanged wheels created a motorised maintenance/inspection vehicle. A modified 009 wagon chassis provides an additional flat wagon for those essential track maintenance jobs.
Inspired by the likes of shandy, I started modelling a modular track laying scenario. The octagonal log staging in the background will be for a water tower featured in an illustration in the Graphic magazine from the construction of the TCR.
And conventional flat wagons provide extra rail stock
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I'm not sure of the file sizes of these pics so a second installment of recent wip. Some general shots of the undercoated scratchbuilt TT gauge track prior to painting... The scratchbuilt points/switches proved the hardest to do. The buffer stops will have whitewashed horizontal beams, possibly with the addition of a small red flag..
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The third and final installment of wip. The beginnings of some examples of improvised armour, first on a Peter Pig tender, with scratch plasticard plating, buffer beams and buffers, with green stuff modelled steps and additional wood supplies made from matchsticks.
An improvised gun platform with armour plating and wooden beams which will also have sandbags and cotton bales. And lastly twin ended MG nests, which will also have green stuff sandbagging added and possibly corrugated tin roof structures.
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Some nice progress, that will look pretty good painted.
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Looking good Sukhe! You'll end up making motorised versions if you aren't careful...
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Thanks Etranger, but there's no chance of that. My fat fingers are just about up to this, and I know I can't cope with fiddly electrics. I have new found respect for railway modellers after this experience...
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Been doing a lot of tinkering of late, with a view to expanding my 15mm rolling stock options.
The permanent way is practically complete after a mammoth session of painting and dry-brushing.
It looks like I will be fielding 2 unarmoured Ov variants, an improvised armoured train 'TrasCaspia' and 2 Peter Pig slab-sided armoured Ovs, 1 heavily converted. I will also be attempting at a scratchbuilt Ov with a toblerone-esque armour profile.
The good news is the earlier Ovs had a simpler Joy valve gear arrangement which 'should' be easier to sculpt.
I still have to resolve the oil tankers, box vans, and multiple loads for the flat wagons. I have a couple of spare wheel sets so may attempt another armoured wagon. That's pretty much my whole summer accounted for.
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And sounds promising!
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Having some success converting the Peter Pig armoured train to the Sormovo Works Ov No.49 pictured in a photo taken at Nizhny Novgorod in 1919 featured in D Bullock's New Vanguard Armored Units of the Russian Civil War Red Army, p.5
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That's quite a beast 8)
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I took a file to the PP resin model to add the extra bevels on the boiler profile and armoured skirt, then cut channels to take obeche/balsa blocks on the top to represent the slab armour for the sander, safety valves etc. Used green stuff to model the hexagonal smokebox door and cropped the front buffers and added a Milliput buffer beam. I will be adding some tacks cropped to length to form the front buffers...
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Superb work :-*
Bravo !
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Put an undercoat on the finished Sormovo works armoured train over the weekend. Some w.i.p. shots of the end result of the rebuild.
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Brill :)
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Double Plus Good Comrade!
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And finally, The finished Sormovo works variant of the PP armoured train 'No.12 In Honour of Comrade L Trotsky'
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Also some w.i.p. of one of the 2 scratchbuilt /heavily converted Ov locos. In this case a closed cab variant with a 6 wheel tender. Still a ways to go yet, including filling in the tender rear and sculpting double water tender filler caps, as well as buffer beams and buffers, and hopefully hand rails...
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And finally, w.i.p. shots of a scratchbuilt gun car built up with scrap plasticard over an obeche and balsa wood block foundation. The ladders and buffers are from 00 scale kits, and the MGs and wheel sets courtesy of Peter Pig. Still to add are plasticard armoured doors and shutters, as well as some tidying up and filling.
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Very well done - a got a big "I really should do mine, it can turn out awesome based on what I see" moment.
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Very well done - a got a big "I really should do mine, it can turn out awesome based on what I see" moment.
You should really commit to this. The PP armoured train is a lovely model and a pleasure to work on.
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Looks great Sukhe!
Lon
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A little line up of 15mm motive power so far...
2 Peter Pig armoured trains and 3 heavily converted Peter Pig Wild West locos as Russian A and O Class locos
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Quite the locomotive depot you've got there!
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Yep, Etranger, looks like I'm gonna need a bigger Engine Shed!
Upgrading my gun and artillery cars now...
Got a copy of Steve Zaloga's Armored Trains (Osprey - New Vanguard 140) for Father's Day. I'm putting together some bits and bobs to scratchbuild more blindirovs and another loco
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BTW. I'd be interested to know what mechanisms people use for operating Armoured Trains... I was planning to use TFL 'Triumph of the Will', but they seem to have only an average die roll for movement and specify that a train has to be stationary to fire. This seems too arbitrary and I was thinking there should be mechanics for transitioning through stationary to reverse etc. Also If a plane can strafe with MG fire, why can't a moving train...? I would have thought there are also circumstances where artillery could fire as well (with suitable minuses etc. for range and accuracy.
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Are there instances a train fired artillery on the move? I planned to use mine in Flames of War, and that covers movement and firing (including MGs) pretty well.
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I've read of instances where armoured trains in the Transcaspian conflict played cat and mouse with one another, hiding behind low hills, spotting the enemy train and opening fire on it only to move to a new position and fire again. Seems to me it would be down to good forward OPs and artillery spotting. I could envisage situations where on board artillery might want to lay down covering fire in a retreat or a suppressing barrage in an attack... especially since the battles were primarily fought along the line of the railway for possession...
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At last, an entire Peter Pig armoured train off the production line...
Sormovo works train No.12 'In Honour of Comrade L Trotsky' in echelon formation with gun car equipped with twin Putilov 76.2mm gun turrets and scratchbuilt MG car top with flat wagons fore and aft. The MG car is built up from scrap wood blocks clad in plasticard and buffers retasked from Airfix 00 wagon kits. MG turrets, side MGs and cast wheel sets kindly provided by Martin at Peter Pig.
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Comrade Trotsky would be proud!
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Comrade Trotsky would be proud!
I hope so. Not sure whether to go for the whole fluttering banners look as I did for 'Comrade Blyukher'. I was very pleased with the overall look and the clunky looking silhouette. 'Comrade Blyukher' will look unusual too as I'm using 2 PP gun cars but modelling 2 cylindrical gun turrets for one of them.
I hope I can do the White equivalents equal justice. I'm planning a couple of scratchbuilt locos in whole and partial 'toblerone' armour, one a partially clad 2-6-0 Putilov Ya class circa.1900 (see pic) which I can morph from a PP Wild West loco model by sculpting a 3rd driving wheel between the front bogie wheels and the existing drivers. I have a converted 00 scale ballast wagon and a couple of scratchbuilt gun cars on the work table, and the remainder will be composed of blindirovs made from the PP armoured flat cars with field guns etc.
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These trains are superb :-*
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The latest loco off the production line, a freelance Ov variant with sloping and slab-sided armour and a 6 wheeled tender. Both are built up on a T shaped wood block and balsa foundation with plasticard and scrap plastic sidings and minor detailing in Milliput. The wheel castings are courtesy of Martin at Peter Pig. The buffers are culled from an old OO kit, the OP turret from a PP gun car and the smokestack cowl is from a plastic screw cover. Finally seen with a unifying olive green undercoat prior to painting. I'm planning for this to be a White Russian loco sporting the striped camouflage seen on Ataman Kalmykov's command train seen in Vladivostock. I have not yet decided on a name, but 'Vityaz', 'Comrade Blyukher's' nemesis seems fitting so I can stage a grudge match at some point.
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And my first Blindirov, a converted ballast wagon with improvised hard points for HMGs and ports for rifles. This was an old Hornby wagon which seemed to have a similar look to the metal wagons pictured in old photos, though it was much deeper. Once the camo is on it should look the part.
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I've been experimenting with a version of the camo scheme seen on Ataman Kalmykov's armoured train - a speculative system of wavy vertical stripes in narrow black with tan edges over an olive green ground. It is creating a fascinating optical effect...
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And just to show you I'm not proud about the materials I select for use as the foundation of my models... meet the 'lash express'. I couldn't resist the irony. The diameter of the mascara tube was exactly what I needed for the boiler. Another Ov variant that will be partiallly armoured. All but the steam domes and the chimney will be obscured by sloping armour and the driving wheels will feature Joy valve gear sculpted in green stuff partially visible behind the armour plating.
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Just completed painting my first 15mm scale entirely scratchbuilt RCW locomotive. This is a freelance model based on a variety of White Russian examples with sloping 'toblerone' armour. It is built up from a block wood and balsa foundation clad in plasticard with Milliput and scrap plastic detailing. The chimney cowl and steam dome are made from a plastic screw cover. I am particularly pleased with the front smoke box door modelling. I've painted it In speculative black and tan striped camouflage seen on Ataman Kalmykov's armoured command train 'Kalmykovets' photographed at Vladivostock in 1919-20, I've styled mine as 'Vityaz' (knight) with suitably inspirational slogan 'For Rus, Sacred, United and Indivisible'. This train famously engaged and defeated the Red Army train 'Comrade Blyukher', so I can stage a wargame grudge match in the fullness of time.
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Superb :-*
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Agree - great scratch building and painting!
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Had a 2 week intensive railway modelling session which resulted in a number of new additions to the rolling stock.
First off a scratchbuilt White Russian blindirov with a naval gun in turret. The plan is to add 2 pedestal mounted light guns in the open section with Peter Pig Russian Naval crews. The gun turret was a damaged window insert from an 00 scale diesel locomotive found in my father's scrap box. The barrel is from 2 sizes of metal tubing. I plan to model a tarp connecting the turret to the carriage as seen on some prototypes. It also means I won't have to model the gun mounting or crew.
Second, an adaptation of the Peter Pig gun car with replacement cylindrical turrets culled from an Airfix 00 tanker wagon kit. The maxim gun shields are of 2 different types. The maxim gun barrels are culled from scrap plastic rod fitted with offset scrap white metal muzzles.
Thirdly a scratchbuilt 2-level blindirov with Putliov 76.2mm gun barrels built up from metal tubing, kebab sticks and plasticard copied from the PP cast turret. The sponson is from wooden dowel. A felt tip pen provides the taller cylindrical turrets/top hatches seen in photographs of prototypes.
Additional small detailing will be provided by Milliput and green stuff.
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A birthday addition with minor detailing - 3 Siku 1:100 coaches, approx. the right size and period with some minor detailing (additional roof ventilators made from PECO track pins) and a light touch repaint to suggest side panelling.
By contrast my 2 scratchbuilt Transcaspian railway coaches gained a chassis of sorts.
Plus the 'Lash Express' go a few additional details...
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The latest pic of the converted Hornby ballast wagon converted into a blindirov command wagon in Kalmykovets striped camo. Since this was taken I've added maxim guns to the gun ports...
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2 more views of the White Russian Naval blindirov awaiting two 3pdr Hotchkiss guns ordered from Shapeways.
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Bloody hell ! That's a lot of guns now o_o
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Bloody hell ! That's a lot of guns now o_o
:D Yep. Ever since I gained confidence in scratchbuilding and read about multiple train actions in TransCaspia I've been quietly working on a whole range of rolling stock and locos.
I aim to have 2 Soviet armoured train echelons and 2 white Russian equivalents so I can stage a grudge match between 'Comrade Blyukher' and 'Vityaz' on the TranSiberian. I'm also wargaming the Malleson Mission in TransCaspia along the Transcaspian railway. That requires 2 Transcaspian provisional Govt. lesser armoured train echelons 'Transcaspia' and a n other, and 2 Tashkent Soviet equivalents.
I also have an additional 4 converted wagons (2 for infantry and 2 for cavalry) and plan a rake of 3 oil tankers and water wagons...
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The oil tankers could be useful at Baku !!!
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Found this interesting article with pics about the region...
https://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_oil_chronology.html
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Interesting ! Thanks Sukhe !
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Some excellent progress - love the effort you're putting into these.
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And the latest pics of 'Comrade Blyukher' in echelon formation sporting a scratchbuilt 2-tier gun car
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Wow ! Superb work :-* The result is awesome ! Bravo !
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Wow ! Superb work :-* The result is awesome ! Bravo !
Thanks Byblos, I'm quite chuffed with the results. I just spent a lunch hour sculpting a tarp for the naval gun blindirov out of card and milliput. The 2 Shapeways 1:96 Hotchkiss have arrived and I want to model 2 gun shields for them. They are lovely models but quite spindly, so I have to watch my fat fingers! All I need now is to order some Russian Naval gun crew from PP.
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Excellent work Sukhe! I am really enjoying the rise of your railroad empire lol
Lon
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After a considerable hiatus I'm using furlough to review my collections. First on the workbench will be to complete freelance White Russian Armoured train 'Vityaz' with blindirov equipped with a 6 inch naval gun and 2 shapeways 1:100 3 pdr deck mounted Hotchkiss awaiting Russian naval gun crew. Second, an armoured command unit from a converted 00 Hornby ballast wagon. Third, the final wagon on 'Vityaz' is a converted Peter Pig gun carriage with scratchbuilt additional rifle ports, round turrets sporting plasticard gun shields. There will be final tweaks before being painted in Kalmykovets striped camo...
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More improvised wagons on the workbench, 2 converted box cars from 00 Ratio kits to simulate the popular low-tech concrete-lined freight cars used in both the RCW and WWII. Guns and ports, hatches and stove pipe are scratch additions (awaiting chassis frames and a set of Peter Pig bogies to be cut down into 2 axle versions). The more complete wagon is an earlier attempt to convert a narrow gauge 009 box van with 00 sized chassis and wheels. The wheel diameters are a little large making it ride a little higher than I'd like but it will serve. The second image shows a rougher pair of 00 Ratio SR cattle wagons cut down and narrowed - also requiring modified wheels. They are set with a Peter Pig ACW/Wild West bogie box car for scale comparison.
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Great to see you back at it Sukhe. Excellent work as always :-* :-*
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Excellent :-*
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Trying hard to use up all the bits from the plastic kits is hard. I'm attempting to use the original wheel sets cut down to TT gauge and remounting them on cropped axles. The problem is then marrying up the cut down chassis frames with the bodywork. The standard of kitbashing would make a railway modeller weep but what the eye don't see etc. etc. By Ratio I mean of course the Dapol 00 kits that used to be Airfix back in the day. I have 3 tanker wagons waiting in the wings that are looking more promising and it is very much a learning experience. Hopefully a paint job will cover a multitude of sins. Unlike other projects it is proving a slow, painful process...
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The cattle wagons are intended to stand in for horse transport for a detachment of cavalry to debouch from at short notice. I'm using furlough time to try and finish off a variety of stalled modelling projects. The blindirovs now have buffer beams and axles and I'm kitbashing 3 tanker wagons to approximate early oil tanker designs prototyped by the Nobel Bros. that operated out of the Baku oilfields. They are very much a wargamers interpretation/approximation of the original designs but should serve as set dressing and juicy targets for artillery as seen in photos of the aftermath of the fighting at Dushak, Turkmenistan in Oct. 1918.
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The latest activity on the Trans Siberian Railway...
Fresh out of the workshops two more blindirovs roll off the production line, riding a little higher on the Dapol/Airfix axles than I'd prefer but they will serve as representations of the concrete lined freight wagons utilised on the TSR.
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Two further armoured train elements...
Using up the spare bits from the modelling scraps - an armoured wagon composed of Dapol/Airfix tanker wagon parts with scratchbuilt 76.2mm Putilov guns made from aluminium tube, plasticard and cocktail sticks. It is mounted on a wooden chassis clad in plasticard with Peter Pig half wheel castings from the armoured train kindly provided by Martin from way back when.
A scratchbuilt open freight wagon converted for use by a rifle detachment similar to those seen in use in photographs of White Russian armoured trains. A plasticard superstructure mounted on Peter Pig bogie wheels with carpet tacks as buffers. It is equipped with a central gable roofed refuge.
Posed next to the Peter Pig armoured open wagon for scale
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Excellent :-*
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A few hours of modelling later... The wagons assume an identity as components of the White Russian train 'Mstitel' (Avenger) documented as being part of Kolchak's Army of Siberia. The blindirov freight wagon is based on one photographed in Vladivostok in Jan 1919. My converted 00 goods van has the MG port on the left side but is otherwise as faithful a representation as I could manage. 'Avenger' is known by name only so I have merged a 2-tone camo scheme known to have operated in TransCaspia with speculative White markings. The part-armoured loco 'lash express' will form the motive power.
My other 'blindirov' has been added to the roster of White Russian train 'Vityaz'. It will have 2 different loads - a rifle detachment or a pair of artillery pieces. It is shown in Kalmykoviets camo awaiting weathering and detailing.
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For the sake of completeness - the blindirov freight wagon. And I really must find that missing MG gun shield or make a replacement!
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Great progress :)
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Wow ! Superb :-*
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This is a fantastic build and very inspirational - love in particular seeing pictures of the build in its stages, certainly helped me to visualise what an armoured train might really look like. Will certainly be stealing some of your ideas.
Please do post more...
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Thanks Golgotha, I will certainly do so as I work through my 15mm RCW collections in the next few weeks in an attempt to finish off projects while on furlough.
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Excellent progress, enjoyed rereading the thread
:)
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Four mighty armoured behemoths emerge from opposing rail yards...
Bolshevik armoured trains 'Comrade Blyukher' and 'In Honour of L Trotsky' and White Russian trains 'Avenger' and 'Knight'...
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The completed freelance version of White Russian train 'Vityaz' (Knight) in echelon formation, naval gun car to the fore, armoured loco with command wagon and blindirov crewed by a rifle company. The rifles can be swapped out for two field guns when needed.
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'Vityaz' acquires a personality as the crew are added. The completed naval crew with a pair of 1:96 scale Shapeways 3pdr QF Hotchkiss and the rifle company complement for the blindirov.
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Meanwhile 'Avenger' nears completion with freelance scratchbuilt gun car based loosely on Russo/Chinese designs and a Peter Pig gun car with scratchbuilt MG and OP turrets.
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Ooooooooooooooooooh :-*
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Gosh they look impressive when placed together like that - fantastic work.
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I agree - they look very impressive.
Tony
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Of the remaining 4 unarmoured locos in the works only 4-6-0 'A' class 'Tashkent' is complete. I have 2 'Ov' class 0-8-0 and a 2-6-0 'Ya' class Putilov on the workbench. Only 1 Ov has running gear which I sculpted in green stuff from scratch as a challenge. Sculpting the running gear in green stuff is satisfying but hard work. I am not a masochist but I prefer the freedom of sculpting to glue/plasticard construction etc. as I am no 'railway modeller'. I have no precision tools or dedicated work space. I'm sure if one were to see me at work they'd probably wince as my builds are more theatrical than precise models. 'Tashkent' has Walschaerts valve gear but even the somewhat simpler Joy valve gear requires a certain of degree focus I have yet to reach. I can churn out an armoured train in half the time it takes to create an unarmoured one.
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I've been taking tentative steps to look at how I might use armoured trains on the wargames table. The main issue to my mind is coping with the far greater average length of the train against the need for a mechanism to plausibly deploy the train on the table.
Movement and Firing
My preferred ruleset is 'Triumph of the Will' by TwoFatLardies. However, they restrict firing to stationary trains, but in the WWII rules 'I Aint Been Shot Mum' firing while on the move is permitted. The reason cited in IABSM seems entirely sensible. Unlike other more primitive AFVs, railways provided a far smoother motion enabling easier targeting. Acceleration/Deceleration incurs a penalty on permissible actions as does emergency braking.
In order for spotting to occur weapons should be on-table so off-table barrages are not permitted. Spotting is automatic up to 12” in flat terrain.
The movement rate for trains in TOTW is up to 5DAV per turn with 2DAV acceleration/deceleration. Given the length of trains (a carriage is on average 4", a loco plus tender 6") thus a standard echelon of flat wagon, artillery car, loco & tender, artillery car, flat wagon is around 20" in length. This means that only a high roll would enable the entire train to emerge onto the table in one turn. However, the limited deceleration might mean the train takes several turns to come to a halt and be able to fire by which time it is too close to enemy lines. This seems contrary to the tactical usage of trains.
A phased movement system seems the way forward. By declaring starting speed from the choice of STATIONARY, AHEAD SLOW (up to half movement), AHEAD FULL (half to full movement) subsequent alterations have to cycle up or down through the selection. As TOTW quotes a full speed of 25” I have opted for Full speed at 13”-24” and Half speed at 1”-12”. Markers can be used to indicate ‘Half‘ or ‘Full’ speed and whether the train is ‘Accelerating’ or ‘Decelerating’. No firing is permitted if the train elects to ‘Emergency Brake’ and a train must remain stationary for a full turn while the brakes are manually reset on each attached part of the train.
Rolling stock variation
Since I have 7 types of loco ranging from standard to fully armoured versions it seems churlish not to reflect this somehow in both performance and damage.
Others have suggested limitations on haulage based on motive power. However, motive power is less of an issue since train length on the table will place practical limitations on the number of carriages etc. way before this becomes an issue. Exposed running gear etc. on the loco will however be more prone to damage from small arms and shell-fire and should be reflected in increased chances in damage rolls.
Variation can also be employed on the different types of wagons and armament and used to create a points system. Based on the following examples a ceiling of 25-30pts per train is recommended. This can always be adjusted for different scenarios.
A proposed points system
1pt Flat wagon
2pts Open wagon
3pts Box van or carriage
4pts Loco (plus tender)
+1pt per vehicle improvised defences (sand bags, baulks of timber etc.)
+2pts per vehicle ‘blindirov’ part-armour concrete or plate metal reinforcements
+3pts per vehicle plate armoured throughout
+1pt per vehicle HMGs
+2pts per vehicle Artillery and HMGs
Thus a standard fully armoured train echelon will cost between 25 & 29*pts;
1pt for a flat wagon (x2 sacrificial wagons fore and aft)*
8pts (3pts + 3pts + 2pts) for each artillery car (x2)
7pts (4pts + 3pts) armoured loco and tender
*Further MGs stationed on the flat wagons fore and aft in improvised defences will cost an additional 4pts.
A more ad-hoc train arrangement will cost somewhat less @ 21 to 23pts;
6pts for 2 flat wagons with MGs in improvised defences (1+1+1) x2 fore and aft
5pts (2pts + 2pts + 1pt) open blindirov with MGs only
4pts unarmoured loco and tender (+2pts if partially armoured)
6pts (2pts + 2pts + 2pts) open blindirov with field guns and MGs
You get the general idea…
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Very nice work Sukhe. I can't really comment on your TotW rules idea I'm afraid. Maybe you could post them in the BoB section for more thoughts.
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Thanks Trev - will do that
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Rolling off the production line finally - my heavily converted/scratchbuilt Russian Ov. 0-8-0. Buried underneath an entirely reconfigured superstructure is the Peter Pig Wild West train mounted on a balsa chassis with walschaerts running gear entirely sculpted in green stuff. The position of markings and lining are based on museum examples. Seen here in speculative markings of the Central Asian Railway (TransCaspian) Ov. No.1875 (a loco number that holds particular significance for me). Just some minor tweaks and weathering to go before it gets a coat of varnish
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Meanwhile, despite lacking the Joy valve gear and part-armoured side skirts, 'Avenger' a.k.a. 'the lash express', an entirely scratchbuilt part-armoured Ov. 0-8-0 receives loco detailing in a similar manner to 1875, namely whistle, smokebox, buffers and headlamp.
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Russian Civil War motive power continues to develop... 2 variants of the ubiquitous Ov class 0-8-0 and an approximation of a Putilov works 'Ya' class (1896-1906) 2-6-0 emerges...
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Turn of the C20 Russian motive power emerges on the workbench, seen here given a unifying livery. There are still many hours of work necessary to complete them but this is a morale boosting photo op to galvanise me into sculpting several sets of valve gear in green stuff!
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It's a big fleet of steam engines :o
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Impressive!
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It seems a lot but it works out as 1 armoured/part armoured and 1 unarmoured loco per side for use in two separate military theatres 1) RCW in Central Asia along the Trans-Siberian Railway and 2) Turkmenistan and the Trans-Caspian Railway.
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Ok it probably is a lot thinking about it... A recent hurried group shot of the collection to date... 8 locomotives, 4 armoured, 4 not, with attendant wagons en masse. The locos are derived from just 2 Peter Pig 15mm locos and 2 are scratchbuilt. Approx half the wagons are from the PP ranges with the rest scratchbuilt or heavily converted... it looks like I need some more track!
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A very important amount of tracks ;)
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Your job is fantastic and entirely original! Many congrats!
It is amazing how many sources you may have searched to create these artworks! :-*
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Thanks DintheDin, I'm very pleased with how these are turning out!
It is amazing how many sources you may have searched to create these artworks! :-*
My chief inspirations are the Osprey Vanguards on the Red and White Armored units by David Bullock and Steven Zaloga's Armored Trains, plus the excellent Damien Wright's Churchill's Secret War with Lenin and Jamie Bisher's The White Terror; Cossack Warlords of the Trans-Siberian. There are an increasing number of photos on the web, many surprisingly by American sources from the YMCA to individual collections in libraries and universities from individuals involved in the RCW. Teague Jones and Ellis provide background on the Malleson Mission in Trans-Caspia too. All of these are backed up by the encyclopedic knowledge of Cuprum and the Studio Siberia Miniatures Forum. The international nature of this forum makes projects like this sooo much easier... :D
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I greatly thank you for your reply!
Keep up the good job! Cheers!
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Finally tackling 3 sets of Joy valve gear while another Peter Pig delivery this morning has added another Wild West loco for conversion into an 0-6-0 loco seen on the Trans-Caspian in early photos. I haven't tracked down the loco type yet.
For a taster of life in Turkestan at the turn of the century for BoB fans check out the web for photos by French photographer Paul Nadar who travelled in the region shortly after the Trans-Caspian was built in the late 1880s. Albums of his work were exhibited in Paris and copies are in the Bibliotheque Nationale the Getty and elsewhere...
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3 sets of Joy valve gear later...and only 3 more to go o_o lol
Meanwhile another PP loco gets the treatment... to be converted into a T class Russian 0-6-0 as depicted here. I strongly suspect the driving wheels are smaller than on an Ov but hey, its only an approximation. Extraneous detailing removed for reuse later, boiler profile redefined with milliput, continuous plasticard running plate added and chassis and wheels reconfigured... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Russian_steam_locomotive_classes#/media/File:Russian_loc_T_series_type_132.jpg
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It looks like the T class had a n other set of valve gear - it looks like Baker which was the main rival to Walschaerts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_valve_gear
So that's yet another type I have to study and approximate in green stuff.
Meanwhile the forming of the overall shape using balsa blocks and fine white milliput continues... this time the chassis is somewhat different from the others on both loco and tender requiring extensive detailing including springs etc.
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The Russian T class 0-6-0 nears completion. All but a few tweaks before it gets a paint job...
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Excellent job with the green stuff and conversions, very inspiring constructions!
Thank you for sharing your W.I.P.!
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Thanks DintheDin, the build has been taking longer than planned as the supposed 5 min epoxy took over 15 mins to harden. Just a few extra bits of green stuff before I can undercoat it. Then I can batch paint the lot to completion.
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The T class 0-6-0 rolls off the production line... the final locomotive in the stable. Not sure whether to continue with lining out or to keep this as a more workmanlike, less fancy freight loco...
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One more jewel for your collection! I enjoy your work!
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Thanks DintheDin, I'll stage a line up of the completed locos now the running gear are all done...
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As promised the full array of RCW motive power assembled... 3 fully armoured, 1 part armoured and 5 unarmoured locos... 6 'Ovs', a 'Ya', an 'A' and a 'T' class...
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Beauties all of them! They look the part! Congratulations for your work!
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The valve gear were the most challenging and rewarding parts of the process. Trying to fathom how the linkages moved depending on the positioning of the wheels and coupling rods to make it look feasible was hard. I'm not sure I've got them entirely sussed but I'm happy with the approximation. Then sculpting metal components in modelling putty in 3d. I had to build up layers between the wheels for the parts to sit on...
From top to bottom; 'Ya' class (Joy), 'T' class (Baker), 2 'Ovs' (Joy) and an A class (Walschaerts).
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A very worthy effort. I have quite enjoyed this build.
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Waowww Superb fleet ! Great work ! Love them !
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An impressive progress over the last few pages. Well done.