Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Staying on the rails

My previous post (Von Gow's Express) prompted many comments, including several enthusing over the use of trains in wargames.  And quite rightly!  One which concerned me was from Pete who suggested that the use of trains in 20mm scale games was "unlikely".  Not being one to shirk a challenge I dug through the blog archive and reproduce photos below of trains taking part in 20mm Megablitz games.  Pete, I hope you are suitably inspired!
38th Army's train at the Kharkov game in June 2012.
The same train getting it's comeuppance from 23 Panzer Division.
The same armoured wagon at Kursk (2004).  This started off life as a Hornby 'steel' wagon.  I made a roof from thick plastic card and added a pair of 1/87 scale BT-7 turrets.  The observation cupola between the turrets was built from bits in the spares box.
Though built for a Soviet train, wagon '431' gets around.  Here it is masquerading as a Polish train at Mokra (1939) in late 2010.
A rather fuzzy RAF recce photo of a 'rail gun' put together for 'Operation Blockbuster' in 2009.  This is actually a 1/144 scale 'Karl' SP mortar with a long barrel added from plastic tube.
at

13 comments:

  1. Paul16 October 2012 at 11:16

    Stop tempting me damn you!(Said Paul looking for spare Panzer IV turrets)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim Gow16 October 2012 at 11:21

    Paul
    I'm tempting myself! Must build another train....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Broeders16 October 2012 at 16:10

    I've got a 6mm ww2 Russian armoured train which in nearly finished and will form a scenario around it (maybe Leningrad based). It's got a range of goodies on it including T34 turrets, anti-aircraft batteries and Katyusha rockets!
    Our WW1 armies include a French railway gun which basically kills anything it drops a shell onto (but accuracy is not its strong suit).

    Oh and Jono will be using the railway as part of our American Civil War conflicts next year. Wargaming trains are like buses. You don't see one for ages then three turn up at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tim Gow16 October 2012 at 16:21

    Phil Broeders
    You talk the talk my friend, but we need photos!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com16 October 2012 at 17:43

    Nice trains! I love trains.

    Wasn't there some talk of you building a 54mm FLW armoured train? Battery powered?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous16 October 2012 at 17:52

    Thanks- I'm suitably impressed- am thinking now of the old Dapol range, I'm pretty sure I can work something up from that...

    Great pictures as usual.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tim Gow16 October 2012 at 18:01

    spprojectblog
    Glad you like them Pete. All my rolling stock is Hornby - bought in sales.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tim Gow16 October 2012 at 18:03

    Ross Mac
    Good - trains add a certain tone to a battlefield. The FLW (narrow gauge) train is under way - I need to knock up some crew figures for it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Chris Kemp16 October 2012 at 18:59

    Trebian has a rather nice RCW Peter Pig choo-choo http://wargaming4grownups.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Armoured%20Train

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tim Gow16 October 2012 at 22:06

    Chris Kemp
    Indeed - I have seen the said device in action!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Peter Douglas16 October 2012 at 22:18

    Did some one say train - or squirrell?

    PD

    ReplyDelete
  12. Martin Rapier17 October 2012 at 09:23

    "Our WW1 armies include a French railway gun which basically kills anything it drops a shell"

    The rail gun pictured from 'Operation Blockbuster' was firing across the Rhine in support of German troops defending the Hochwald. It more had a nuisance value, but was one more thing to depress the Allies as they slogged forward through the mud, mines and torrential rain.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Geordie an Exiled FoG17 October 2012 at 22:43

    The Soviet armoured train is to die for

    The bloody big tun gun is frightening beast and should shift any bunker generals mindset ;)

    ReplyDelete