M88 armoured recovery - flat car load

[nedthomas]

The M88 weighs 70 tons. Has a 1050 HP engine and gets .7 MPG. Fuel tank is 400 gals. Cost $2,000,500 per copy.

[dragonriversteel]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SSW9389

At one time it was rumored that a resin kit was going to be produced of the six-axle DODX flat cars. This was several years ago and I have heard nothing since that time. I am part of a model railroad club in Radcliff, Kentucky right next to Fort Knox. We have a number of members who are either in the military or retired from it. An HO DODX flatcar would sell in Radcliff.

We have modeled an area on our HO layout that is called Fort Gold. This has a military loading area and is well stocked with flatcars and armor.

I think the closest your going to get till the resin kits come out is, an old AHM 6 axle heavy duty flat. AHM made these cars in the 70's, they have six wheel buckeye trucks, I have two of these in my collection.

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}

[SSW9389]

At one time it was rumored that a resin kit was going to be produced of the six-axle DODX flat cars. This was several years ago and I have heard nothing since that time. I am part of a model railroad club in Radcliff, Kentucky right next to Fort Knox. We have a number of members who are either in the military or retired from it. An HO DODX flatcar would sell in Radcliff.

We have modeled an area on our HO layout that is called Fort Gold. This has a military loading area and is well stocked with flatcars and armor.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

QUOTE: It was an M88 that pulled down the statue of Hussein, in Iraq

Pretty powerful vehicle if it could pull that testiment to an out of control ego over.

[Anonymous]

Ah the M88. Love that big ugly chunk of armor. For the record, the M88A2 is still in service. It was an M88 that pulled down the statue of Hussein, in Iraq. The people in the town were swarmed all over it, tryingto knock it down. When the armored company came through, the people asked if they could pull it over. The CO cleared it on the grounds that they didn't drop it on anybody.

A little off tangent, but I thought it was a neat story.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by David Foster

QUOTE: Originally posted by oleirish

when I went in the army in 1959 they had them,We called them VTR'S and they were OD.
JIM

Okay! I give up again! What does VTR stand for and what's OD? Please?

[:p]

VTR stand for Vehicle Tracked Recovery now called Arnored Recovery Vehicle
OD stands for Olive Drab
An easy way to make the 68' DOTX flats is to use an ACCURAIL 89' flat and shorten it to 68' and you can either use 6 wheel trucks or 4 wheel trucks depending on what your load will be
Ch

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by oleirish

when I went in the army in 1959 they had them,We called them VTR'S and they were OD.
JIM

Okay! I give up again! What does VTR stand for and what's OD? Please?

[:p]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomikawaTT

My depressed-center flat car ended up with a D-7 bulldozer on it. The depressed center dropped the dozer cab low enough to clear the NYC Hudson River tunnels - the same ones that squashed the Niagara.


Chuck

??? Does that mean tha falls aren't so tall now??? Or...? They bent a loco?

Thanks again all... should we get on to Walthers or Athearn to produce a 6 axle flat?

[:p]

[nedthomas]

Do a google search under DODX FLAT CARS. Many links and photos.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Made a thorough search of walthers.com and no can find.

[tomikawaTT]

My depressed-center flat car ended up with a D-7 bulldozer on it. The depressed center dropped the dozer cab low enough to clear the NYC Hudson River tunnels - the same ones that squashed the Niagara.

In this day of improved clearances, a lot of the equipment that needed to ride on a lowered deck to clear bridges and tunnels can now perch atop standard-height flatcars with plenty of room to spare.

Chuck

[Anonymous]

Okay! [:O] I admit defeat! [B)][B)]
Next question... where do I get a DODX 6axle 140 ton flat car? Please???[%-)]

What would the army be doing with "assorted boilers, transformers and heavy equipment"? Doesn't an M88 count as heavy equipment?

If I start looking for information on those nuclear fuel cells I can see Homeland Security whisking me off to some secret facility...[X-)]

Thanks for all the help... the link is incredible[:)]

[:P]

[nedthomas]

They are built by BAS Systems in York, Pa. They also build the Bradley family, M109 155mm howitzer, M9 armored earthmover, and the M113 armored personnel carrier.
Never move on depressed center flats.

[JohnT14808]

Cheezee......I'm going to have to order more scale chain.........

[jeffrey-wimberly]

There's stuff there I didn't know, and I worked in Supply and Transport when I was in the army. They've added quite a bit.

[chutton01]

This page seems relevant - it has instructions and diagrams showing how to chain and load various military equipment to 68ft DODX flatcars:

http://www.tpub.com/content/semis/TM-55-2220-058-14/index.htm

If you go up one level, there are many other manuals, some including other transport procedures

[SSW9389]

I have a photo of a pair of M88s loaded on one of the six axle DODX flats going past Kittaning Point.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Transformers, boilers, assorted heavy equipment.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by psngrtrn

Sorry to say this, but, the Army never used depressed center flats for their railload operations. The M88 would be railheaded on either a 60' flat or 89' flat and would be anchored w/6 1" chains on each side the the recovery vehicle for a total of 12 per end of the vehichle. The vehicles are no longer blocked
Ch.....

[8D]

Okay... thought someone would tell me that...[8D]

What did they use centre depressed cars for please? (Apart from Nuclear fuel for Subs)

Wouldn't they have "back-loaded" a CDF flat with whatever was going if it was going to the correct place?
As for where/when... traffic passing through Chicago in the 1980s... USMC? Army? National Guard?

(UK didn't purchase any US built armour post 1945 that I know of - someone will correct me [:p] - we went with the Centuriaon and derivatives. The Sherman had a diabolical reputation... commonly known as "The Ronson"... because it "lights first time. Every time". My NCO's thought the Stirling SMG was a safer weapon... you could (mis)fire that by banging it hard on the door frame while exiting a vehicle... not nice.

Thanks again [:p][:p]
[:p]

[Anonymous]

Sorry to say this, but, the Army never used depressed center flats for their railload operations. The M88 would be railheaded on either a 60' flat or 89' flat and would be anchored w/6 1" chains on each side the the recovery vehicle for a total of 12 per end of the vehichle. The vehicles are no longer blocked
Ch.....

[jeffrey-wimberly]

M88 Armor Recovery Vehicle. Sold all over the world, most prevalent in the US during late 70's to present. It was also in Germany, Isreal, Don't know about England. Finland and Norway also made purchases as did other nations, Mexico, Hondurus and El Salvador among them. Who had it? Take your pick, really.

[oleirish]

when I went in the army in 1959 they had them,We called them VTR'S and they were OD.
JIM

[chutton01]

Google images has a decent prototype selection (with some models thrown in) http://images.google.com/images?q=m88+recovery&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images, but with different paint schemes you probably need to select an era (and country - lots of countries brought them, including Isreal and Germany).
I guess nowadays the M88A2 (Hercules) is usually a tan/brown color http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=8 - hmm, reading further, the M88A2 is a way upgraded M88 to handle the greater weight of the M1 Abrams.

More photos http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_recovery_m88.php

[Anonymous]

I have an M88 that just fits on the Walthers 8 axle centre depressed (DODX) - just enough space at each end to chain it down after wiggling it on).

My question is... who had M88s? ...starting when? I've found pics of all sorts of military loads but no M88s... so I have no idea what colour to paint it in place of the ghastly green they mould them in.

THANKS! [:D]