|
Stunning, as usual. Guys like you give me an inferiority complex :).
Question: What digital camera do you use? The images are perfect.
Later,
G
In lugnet.build.military, Shaun Sullivan writes:
> Hi all,
>
> I finally completed my rendition of a German train from WWII. All told, it's
> over 12.5 feet long (over 3.8 meters - I believe this makes the double
> entendre in the subject heading perfectly valid :D), and comprises 11 cars:
>
> BR52 Steam Locomotive
> Tender
> K5 Leopold Railway Gun
> Freight Car
> Flatbed Car with Sd.Kfz 250 Halftrack
> Barracks Car
> Flatbed Car with 88mm Antiaircraft Gun
> Officer's Car
> HQ/Radio Car
> Freight Car
> Guards' Van (Caboose)
>
> Of these, the engine, tender, flatbed w/ halftrack, flatbed w/ 88mm, and
> railway gun are all models of actual German equipment. The remaining cars
> would technically fall under the category of "plausible", as I didn't have any
> basis outside of my imagination for their design and inclusino in the train.
> However, given that the railway gun itself required a significant contingent of
> personnel to transport and fire, I envisioned the entire train as being a
> somewhat self-supporting community, which goes a long way in explaining the
> assortment of cars represented. It's small by train standards, but conveys the
> hodgepodge nature common in many wartime assemblies.
>
> N.B.: I hereby disclaim any knowledge of Guards' Vans, and whether my version
> might have been an appropriate addition to a European 1930s/40s train, but I
> couldn't very well go without it, now, could I? ;)
>
> I've taken pictures of the cars that were heretofore undisclosed. They can be
> seen at my Brickshelf Gallery:
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=7086
>
> I'm pleased with a number of little features and elements in the train. Not to
> play "Where's Waldo" or anything, but some of the items you can find include:
>
> An Enigma Machine
> An interrupted card game
> 2 Pictures (front, profile, and handprints) of the Fuhrer (sp?)
> Extra Chains and Cargo Netting
> A "red and white" flag on the side of a car
> Sheet Metal plates welded over windows to convert a car to wartime use
> A tired rifle
> A room full of war booty
> A refrigerator/freezer unit, as well as a stove and oven
>
> I've also included composite pictures which show the entire length of the train
> in detail. These, specifically, are here (Warning: the last image listed here
> is quite large, around 3 MB; the other two are around 400K, IIRC):
>
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=73638
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=73639
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=73640
>
> These were assembled by cutting, pasting, cropping, lathering, rinsing, and
> repeating many times over. Examined with any pair of DMV-certified eyes, it's
> not too difficult to recognize where the seams are, and it is interesting to
> take in the effect of seeing both ends of a given car at once. However, I like
> to think that the pictures do a good job of showing the detail and scope of the
> entire train ... keep in mind, these scroll for about 8 screens horizontally.
>
> The entire train can actually navigate any LEGO track layout, including 180
> bends, crosses, and switches. Well, now that I think about it, the train won't
> exactly work on a full circle, but that's only because it's much longer than
> the circumference of a LEGO track circle :). Due to the extreme weight of some
> of the train cars, a number of the magnetic couplings are assisted with small
> technic rubber bands.
>
> The only restriction on the train I've uncovered thus far is that the K5
> railway gun needs to be either near the end of the train (3rd from the end
> works, for example), or have at least one (possibly more) train motors *behind*
> it. If neither of these two precautions are taken, the railway gun will
> capsize on tight 180 degree turns as the forces on either end (pulling on the
> front, weight on the back) actually work to overturn the trucks. The methods
> listed here both seem to alleviate this problem, however.
>
> The one piece of information I *don't* have is exactly how many train motors it
> takes to pull this ... I currently have two, which *might* be enough (??), but
> I haven't gotten around to purchasing a power regulator yet. All claims to the
> train's functionality are based on "Ye Olde Push-Pull" methodology.
>
> Further information about the engine and tender is provided in this post (note
> that the links don't work anymore, though all of the same pictures are in the
> same directory provided above):
>
> http://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=10457
>
> The (pneumatically powered!) railway gun was described at length here:
>
> http://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=10987
>
> And the AA car was quickly noted in this post:
>
> http://news.lugnet.com/build/?n=8950
>
> All told, this train took me over 7 months to build from beginning to end. I'm
> sure I'll continue to modify, add to, and adapt various parts of it, but for
> the time being I am more than happy to sit back and call it "done" !!!
>
> If you're still with me here, thanks for reading through, it was certainly
> above and beyond the call of duty. Comments are welcome ... LMKWYT!
>
> Thanks,
> -s
|
|
Message has 2 Replies: | | Re: WWII German Train (LONG)
|
| (...) Thanks for the compliments, Gary. The camera is my brother-in-law's Canon Powershot S10 Zoom, which has a 2 MegaPixel image capability. It's discontinued now, but may still available if you look around. The pictures are taken in natural (...) (23 years ago, 1-Oct-01, to lugnet.build.military, lugnet.trains)
| | | Re: WWII German Train (LONG)
|
| (...) I was searching for the right phrase to describe my feelings upon viewing your pics - but Gary Thomas nailed it best. I was planning on doing an outstanding Star Wars model, and then I saw Gareth Bowler's B-Wing. I can't improve on perfection. (...) (23 years ago, 1-Oct-01, to lugnet.build.military, lugnet.trains)
|
Message is in Reply To:
| | WWII German Train (LONG)
|
| Hi all, I finally completed my rendition of a German train from WWII. All told, it's over 12.5 feet long (over 3.8 meters - I believe this makes the double entendre in the subject heading perfectly valid :D), and comprises 11 cars: BR52 Steam (...) (23 years ago, 1-Oct-01, to lugnet.build.military, lugnet.trains) !!
|
12 Messages in This Thread:
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|