https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39654/wait-this-mysterious-heavily-armored-blue-train-caboose-belongs-to-the-navy
Dave
USAF (Retired)
Clickable link.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I say no one...unless it's in brass...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
tstageI say no one...unless it's in brass...
I am with Tom, I do not think anyone will mass produce this model.
For what it is worth, that caboose IS NOT "heavily" armoured as the poorly written article stated. If it is armoured at all, it would be resistance to light arms fire at best. Any sort of real armour would require much heavier trucks and wheels to support the additional weight.
It is most likely a rolling office and room for a small security force. I would expect any train hauling materials that could be weaponized into a dirty bomb would be escorted by Apache helicopters. That is what is done with extremely sensitive truck shipments. There will be a "stealth" SUV nearby with security, and a helicopter escort over the horizon. If you brake-check that truck, expect the worst day of your life in 60 seconds.
Armoured trains were used in WW2 by the German, Polish, and Soviet armies. These purpose-built combat ready trains had only a fraction of the armour protection that all but the earliest WW2 tracked armoured fighting vehicles had.
My armoured Polish artillery train pressed into German service after capture:
Soviet WW2 armoured artillery train. The locomotive is in the middle of the train. Note the Hi-Rail version of the BA-10 armored car.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
SeeYou190For what it is worth, that caboose IS NOT "heavily" armoured as the poorly written article stated. If it is armoured at all, it would be resistance to light arms fire at best. Any sort of real armour would require much heavier trucks and wheels to support the additional weight.
I don't know if I would term it lightly armored. It's pretty heavy for a caboose, although weight alone is not a dependable guide, because Kevlar and other lightweight materials are now often used for such purposes. It's probably resistant to anything up through .50 cal. The security personnel are also heavily armed. While there are back-ups readily available, those on the train would be expected to hold off and defeat most threats.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
It looks like a subject for a comparatively easy scratch built. Cheers, the Bear.
Yeah, the lack of windows makes it look pretty easy compared to some subjects.
And plenty of room for the sound decoder that plays machine gun effects when the evil dispatcher plays the surprise train attack scenario card during an ops session.
mlehmanAnd plenty of room for the sound decoder that plays machine gun effects when the evil dispatcher plays the surprise train attack scenario card during an ops session.
Most likely a 3D print thing
Shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
That has to be the easiest scratch build of all time. A couple of rectangular pieces of styrene and you are 90+% done
I agree, a scratch build doesn't look hard. Although I would want to use four pieces of styrene, two sides, two ends. The lack of real windows makes things easiler.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
To new for my era.......
Sheldon
Ditto. There was exactly ONE nuclear vessel in operation in my era, and I don't think they had fully thought out transport of spent fuel yet. The first nuclear power plant in the US was only just beginning construction - Shippingport Atomic Power Station outside of Pittsburgh.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Not seeing one of these in my future. It doesn't appeal to me at all.
Mike.
My You Tube
rrinker Ditto. There was exactly ONE nuclear vessel in operation in my era, and I don't think they had fully thought out transport of spent fuel yet. The first nuclear power plant in the US was only just beginning construction - Shippingport Atomic Power Station outside of Pittsburgh. --Randy
Oh, how soon we forget.
Yes, there is the one that just shut down.
But there was the other one that barely got started when it met with the accident. I don't know if they got that fuel off site or if it was too twisted up with the rest of the mechanism. But I do believe that it all has been removed.
maxmanBut there was the other one that barely got started when it met with the accident.
Are you talking about the nuclear power plant near Tampa where they found a crack in the containment vessel and shut the plant down permanently shortly after it entered service?
If so, there was no accident, damage, or danger. The plant was shut down because if there was an accident it might have led to a leak.
3 mile Island near Harrisburg almost blew up but the containment safety features worked. The Niagara plant also had a contamination incident. Only two bad ones were Chernobel that had no containment building and Fukushima that was hit by the tsunami
I've seen nuclear vessels transported by rail a bunch on the webcams. Usually it is a green DOD caboose, not that oversized monstrosity. They probably had some left over budget money at the end of the year and it was "spend it or we won't get as much next year."
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
maxman rrinker Ditto. There was exactly ONE nuclear vessel in operation in my era, and I don't think they had fully thought out transport of spent fuel yet. The first nuclear power plant in the US was only just beginning construction - Shippingport Atomic Power Station outside of Pittsburgh. --Randy Oh, how soon we forget. Yes, there is the one that just shut down. But there was the other one that barely got started when it met with the accident. I don't know if they got that fuel off site or if it was too twisted up with the rest of the mechanism. But I do believe that it all has been removed.
Forget what? In 1956 there were no operational nuclear power plants in the US, Shippingport was under construction and the reactor wasn't 'hot' yet, and there was one operation nuclear ship - the submarine USS Nautilus, which was undergoing trials. USS Enterprise hadn't been laid down yet.
I've spent most of my adult life living and/or regualrly driving past Limerick Generating Station, several times living in palces where the front of the phone book had a page on what to do if you ever heard the warning sirens go off. OK, good to know, and promptly forgotten about.
According to that web site ont he caboose, new fue just might actually travel through my area, but I've never caught the DoD train. That doesn't bother me either, the testing they do to those containment vessels is something else, they're not likely to split open in a derailment. Tank cars of chlorine or ammonia on the other hand....
I live 18 miles from the Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Station, never give it a minutes thought.........
maxmanBut there was the other one that barely got started when it met with the accident. I don't know if they got that fuel off site or if it was too twisted up with the rest of the mechanism. But I do believe that it all has been removed.
SeeYou190I am with Tom, I do not think anyone will mass produce this model.
I agree...it's uglier than a mud fence.
Wayne
OvermodHe means TMI unit 2, which did in fact melt down.
Yup, that would be it.