Good Morning Folks!
I just happened to be driving through and saw the posts of Tanks and had to stick my nose in. My Dad was a "tanker" in WWII and saw action in New Guinea and the Phillippines and occupied Japan. Midway through his tour his was made tank commander (Sgt.) and had a few stories - most of which cannot be written here.
Anyway, the Sherman M4 was the tank he had, and they were unique to the Pacific theatre as they were "riveted and welded", etc. I've always looked for a representative kit to build and finally got one (forgot the mfg.). It had over 400 parts, although about 80 or so were for a different version. I've built a lot of kits over the years, but this was the most difficult.
BTW, the movie "Fury" had some wild fighting scenes, but the representation of the tank's interior was pretty good, and frankly the horror of war was overly honest. Anyway, here are a couple of pics.....
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
It always amazes me to think about the things that many of our fathers or grandfathers went through.
Living through the depression and then going through WWII. The things they saw and experienced -- my life has been so tame compared to my father's.
York1 John
Hi mobilman44,
That is a really well done model!
A few years ago I managed to score six Sherman HO scale tanks for a bargain price. I don't know enough about Sherman tanks to identify the specific models, but eventually I will turn them into great flatcar loads.
My father had a lot of experience with Sherman tanks after WWII. During the war he was with the RCAF but after the hostilities ended he was asked to join the Ontario Regiment which was one of the many militia regiments that had been formed during the war. He eventually rose to the rank of Commanding Officer.
The Ontarios were a tank regiment and they had several Sherman tanks in their arsenal. They also had a large practice field north of Oshawa, Ontario where they could run the tanks. In fact, the 'Area' as it was called was big enough for them to be able to conduct live fire exercises.
I could tell many stories about the tanks, a few of which were rather embarassing. Like the time that one of the tanks lost control en route from the Armories in downtown Oshawa to the airport storage area and plowed through the fence surrounding the regiment's Honourary Colonel's estate in the middle of Oshawa! The Honourary Colonel was R.S. Mclaughlin who started the Mclaughlin Buick automobile company that eventually became part of the General Motors empire.
I was fortunate enough to have been given a ride in one of the tanks when I was about 10 years old. That was a very entertaining experience, and it was also a very bumpy ride! No wonder that the tank crews wore padded helmets!
Fond memories!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
York1It always amazes me to think about the things that many of our fathers or grandfathers went through. Living through the depression and then going through WWII. The things they saw and experienced -- my life has been so tame compared to my father's.
You are absolutely right! We don't know what it's like to be separated from our families literally for years not knowing whether we will ever see them again.
We don't know what a hard day's work is. My ancestors pioneered in central Ontario. They accompished amazing things with simple hand tools and brute strength. They cleared hundreds of acres of dense bush in order to make fields that still produce food for us today. We are mortgage free thanks to the work my ancestors did to make the land valuable.
Okay, enough preaching.
May I add...... The kit I built was from a Asian company called "Dragon". It had amazing details and even the sheets of bronze "fittings". The kit was well made, but the instructions were (IMO) seriously lacking.
Many of our fathers and grandfathers went thru WWII - witnessing so much. In addition to my Dad's Pacific experience, my father in law was at Pearl Harbor (USS Argonne), my Uncle was seriously wounded 5 days after D-Day, and my Wife's Uncle was a combat engineer from D-Day thru Occupation in Berlin. Really hard to comprehend what they went through.
Good afternoon Diners. A large whisky please, Flo.
Wartime and not knowing if we will see members of our family again?
It is Storytime. Are we sitting comfortably?
It is 1940. Granddad Turner is somewhere in France, or Belgium. Grandma is at home in Leeds with her children. The oldest will soon be called up (Herbert, Emily and Rose). The two youngest, (Harry and Dennis) have been evacuated to live with a family in the country.
The war is not going well. The British Expeditionary Force, along with their French and Belgian counterparts are in retreat.
Dunkirk!
Train after train, after train, after train headed south as those at the coast headed anywhere with returning soldiers. Some headed to Leeds as the largest social housing estate, Quarry Hill Flats had just been built and mostly unoccupied; ideal for returning soldiers until the 'mess' could be sorted.
"Granddad is coming down the street," said Rose rushing into the house.
"Don't be silly," her mother replied.
"He is. He is. Come and see," Rose said grabbing hold of her mother's hand and tugging her.
Sure enough he was. Battle weary. Battle scarred. Home.
The train Granddad was on had arrived at Leeds Central Station and as the soldiers detrained they were told they were going to Quarry Hill.
"No I am not," said Granddad, "I am going home. I only live a few miles away."
(They were not his exact words. I have toned them down somewhat.)
He gave his address to the Commanding Officer and started to walk the twelve miles home.
A week later he was in a Barracks somewhere in the U.K. Late 1945 was the next time Grandma saw him.
As for Herbert. He was a Bevin Boy working in a coal mine. He hated it. He really wanted to join the Navy.
Emily and Rose became Nurses.
Harry became a Boy Soldier and was with the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers in Africa and Italy and Germany.
Dennis lived throughout the war in the country.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
WOW, glad I was sitting down for that. Thank you David for sharing!
Hi Everyone,
Well, last time my pictures didn't post correctly. So, we'll try this again.
Black Hills 2-6-6-2T by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="Black Hills Tourist RR 2-6-6-2T" width="768" height="480" />
This is Progressive RR in Elk Grove, IL, a rebuilt GP7.
Progressive RR gp7 by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="Modified GP7" width="480" height="640" />
Stored tank car, a major source of revenue for the Progressive RR.
Stored tank cars by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="stored tank car" width="480" height="640" />
Hope this works this time.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
up831 Hi Everyone, Well, last time my pictures didn't post correctly. So, we'll try this again. Black Hills 2-6-6-2T by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="Black Hills Tourist RR 2-6-6-2T" width="768" height="480" /> This is Progressive RR in Elk Grove, IL, a rebuilt GP7. Progressive RR gp7 by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="Modified GP7" width="480" height="640" /> Stored tank car, a major source of revenue for the Progressive RR. Stored tank cars by Jim S, on Flickr" alt="stored tank car" width="480" height="640" /> Hope this works this time.
Nope!
Good Sunday afternoon. It's an almost perfect day outside. Sunny, 81°, low humidity ... beautiful.
The Arkansas - Oklahoma Railroad (AOK) has 70 miles of old Rock Island track, along with some sections of leased track they use. They carry a wide variety of freight:
Hope everyone has a good rest of the day. Those of you who have to go to work tomorrow, take it easy tonight. Those of you who are retired, it doesn't matter -- you can take it easy every night.
Let's see if I can get this figured out.
Black Hills 2-6-6-2T by Jim S, on Flickr
Progressive RR gp7 by Jim S, on Flickr
Stored tank cars by Jim S, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
The World Is A Beautiful Place
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Good evening everyone.
I just found out that the guys that built my new mixer box for the A/C system botched the job.
I sent the company an email and photographs. I hope to hear back from them tomorrow with a plan... more delays... more time without a train room... this is killing me!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190I just found out that the guys that built my new mixer box for the A/C system botched the job.
I'm sorry to hear that Kevin. Unfortunately, hiring installers for anything is a real crap shoot. Fortunately you are wise enough to realize that the job was messed up. Lot's of people would never know.
I hope you can get the situation rectified asap.
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee please, Flo.
Another beautiful cool morning. We're getting spoiled. We sure aren't going to enjoy typical August weather if it comes back.
Out in the yard where my wife feeds the birds, we also have 22,000 squirrels and 5,000 raccoons. Those animals have now brought a new plague with them -- chiggers.
If you never had chiggers, count yourself lucky.
I've told my wife I will not ever feed the birds again. She can go out there and get bit.
I was surprised to find that there is a modern railroad called the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR. This shortline has 60 miles of track. It hauls freight in the state of Mississippi.
In 2017, this small railroad obtained the rights to use the name and also the "Rock" logo.
It must be pretty neat to see a modern train come by with that name and symbol on its equipment.
From what I've read, it's kind of a neat railroad. I don't know how successful they are. I wonder if MLC has seen any of this at his Southern Command Headquarters?
Have a good day, everyone.
Ah, a prototype for non-weathered locos.
hon30critterI'm sorry to hear that Kevin. Unfortunately, hiring installers for anything is a real crap shoot.
I have been in contact with the owner of the company today, and he seems very interested in fixing it correctly. I am confident this will be taken care of.
York1I was surprised to find that there is a modern railroad called the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR. This shortline has 60 miles of track. It hauls freight in the state of Mississippi. In 2017, this small railroad obtained the rights to use the name and also the "Rock" logo. It must be pretty neat to see a modern train come by with that name and symbol on its equipment.
That would have blown my mind if I had seen it in my travels. I would have suspected I had driven through a disruption in the space time continuum.
Whoops, accidental douple post.
Here, this is a picture of me when I was in High School.
1984.
Thanks Ed for getting the pictures posted. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing incorrectly and I've no idea how you did it, but I appreciate it.
Kevin, I know you waited a long time to get that AC work done. How long will you have to wait to get them to come back and do it right?
York1How long will you have to wait to get them to come back and do it right?
They are going to be back on Thursday 01/SEP/2022. I am only available on Thursdays and Fridays, and this week I have commitments on both days.
They were willing to come over sooner, which was nice.
John YORK1, that's awesome. That ROCK paint scheme looks just like the "original". I guess they bought the rights, so there it is.
Cloudy and cool here in the south ATL metro area. 75 degrees outside and the AC hasn't been on all day yet. Yesterday was about the 6th out of the last 8 days with rain, with more intermittent showers expected all week. Temps in the low 80s. May's weather in August. The greenery loves it.
The Georgia Northeastern was incorporated in 1987 after being spun off from CSX. Its a former L&N line that runs from Marrietta GA near ATL to Blue Ridge, GA, and then to the Tennessee state line, by way of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
Timber and marble products.
An excellent model railroad was built by Thomas Klimoski. It can be found in previous issues of MR. Mr. Klimoski also has his own website and blog.
- Douglas
Howdy diners. Flo, a large sweet iced tea please.
Seems I've got a lot of catching up to do. Lots of posts over the weekend to read.
Fantasy football draft went about as well as I could have hoped and was a ton of fun. Only major hiccup was the food was delivered to the wrong house. We ended up with a pretty good discount out of the deal, so that was good.
My youngest had her first soccer game of the fall season yesterday. It was part of a sort of season long tournament that culminates in a playoff and eventual statewide champion. I believe teams have to apply and be accepted to try to maintain competitive balance, but I could be wrong on that. That said, the team we played yesterday was entirely overmatched. Our girls won 8-0, with another 6 really close misses. Could have easily been much worse than that. To their credit, the other team never gave up and kept pushing right to the end. We kept their keeper busy. Our keeper had one save.
I'll try to catch up on everyone's posts later. Have a good day guys.
Mike
Douglas, that last picture has a great-looking wood bridge. Unusual.
You say that you are in southern Atlanta. My in-laws (since deceased) lived in Dunwoody in north Atlanta. I have an older brother who used to live in the Druid Hills part of Atlanta, but they moved out east of Atlanta years ago. We don't get there much anymore since my wife's parents died.
We used to use Dunwoody as a base to travel and sight-see in the area. Up to Helen, Rock City, and as far as Great Smoky Mountains NP. We really liked Atlanta except for the traffic.
Another neat thing was to ride MARTA from north Atlanta to the old Braves stadium for a game. My kids loved the train ride, and enjoyed baseball games. We never made it to the newer stadium.
Water Level RouteI'll try to catch up on everyone's posts later.
I mised three days of posts about a week ago, and never did catch up with what I missed.
York1 Douglas, that last picture has a great-looking wood bridge. Unusual. You say that you are in southern Atlanta. My in-laws (since deceased) lived in Dunwoody in north Atlanta. I have an older brother who used to live in the Druid Hills part of Atlanta, but they moved out east of Atlanta years ago. We don't get there much anymore since my wife's parents died. We used to use Dunwoody as a base to travel and sight-see in the area. Up to Helen, Rock City, and as far as Great Smoky Mountains NP. We really liked Atlanta except for the traffic. Another neat thing was to ride MARTA from north Atlanta to the old Braves stadium for a game. My kids loved the train ride, and enjoyed baseball games. We never made it to the newer stadium.
Those pedestrian/car bridges are all over rural Georgia.
We live 40 miles from downtown ATL. Less traffic down here than in the northern burbs, but not as much to do. MARTA doesn't go this far south, and I probably wouldn't ride it through the south side of ATL. We've been to a few games at the new ball park...way up on the north side burbs. Nice place.
Its really pretty rural where we live outside of our little town.
I like the area. I love the weather. People complain about the humidity, and its about 70% right now because of the cloud cover and the saturated ground, but overall summer temperature is not any hotter than the midwest and the average high in January is 53 degrees.
My Dad served n Africa in WW2. He was stationed in Casablanca. He was Army Air Corps, but didn't fly. I guess I should be glad for that.
The girlfriend is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. One time, she swore they were coming to get us because she saw a tank at a National Guard facility. The next time I passed by, I looked. It was a display piece, an old WW2 Sherman. In the 3 1/2 years I've been in Delaware, I've never actually seen anyone at that place. I think they use it for regimental barbecues.
About the only political thing that happens here is the occasional protest by the anti-development crowd.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Has anyone heard from Henry lately? I know he was still suffering from his arm-shoulder surgery. Hope he's OK.
Evening diners. Thanks for posting all the war stories. Fascinated by that war.
Kevin, that sucks about the mixer box. At least they aren't fighting making it right.
Seems like I read about the new Rock Island somewhere a while back. Such an odd geographic location for the CRI&P. Must have been a Rock Island fan that runs the shortline. Maybe a modeler too!
Water Level RouteSeems like I read about the new Rock Island somewhere a while back. Such an odd geographic location for the CRI&P. Must have been a Rock Island fan that runs the shortline. Maybe a modeler too!
From their website, the real railroad sells an Atlas HO locomotive, several boxcars, (and a lot of other products):
https://rockislandrail.com/shop/ols/products/the-rock-4310-ho-scale
If you scroll down on the following homepage, they sell all kinds of stuff with their logo. Maybe this is what it takes to make a profitable shortline:
https://rockislandrail.com/
I am up late enough for tonight... I am going to bed.
Tomorrow I will be checking in again.