Modeling a Military Connection

On my next layout I would like to include an interchange with a military base.What locomotives,freight cars,freight,etc, should I use and who makes them(I model in HO).





thanks

Do you wish to model
- a base with a deployable combat unit?
- an ammo port, such as MOT Sunny Point, NC and MOT Concord, NC?
- a depot?
- an Army ammunition plant?
- a naval weapons station?
etc., etc.

Answer these questions and half the job is done.

Quite right! All are military related, but each would have very different rolling stock and motive power!

RailVet wrote:Do you wish to model
- a base with a deployable combat unit?
- an ammo port, such as MOT Sunny Point, NC and MOT Concord, NC?
- a depot?
- an Army ammunition plant?
- a naval weapons station?
etc., etc.

Answer these questions and half the job is done.

I would like to model an Army ammunition plant, also to add, I model in the present.

If I'm not mistaken, COFC would be the means of transporting ammunition by rail to posts in CONUS for use by the home-based or visiting units or overseas to units operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, the RoK or the Germany-based V Corps, the 1st AD (Old Ironsides) and the 1st ID(M)-the Big Red One.

If you were to model a connection to a post hosting a manuever unit, such as Fort Carson, CO- the 4th ID(M) and the 3rd ACR, Fort Hood, TX- the 1st Cavalry Division and the III Corps, Fort Drum, NY- the 10th Mountain Division (Lt. Inf.), you would have a lot of flatcars with a variety of armored vehicles, such as the M-1A1/A2 Abrams, M-2/3 Bradley IFV/CFV, the M-109A6 Paladin SPG and soft-skin vehicles such as the Humvee, M-119 105mm howitzer, M-198 155mm howitzer, 5-ton trucks, and the other, newer trucks the Army has been buying from Stewart-Stevenson. They might add more variety to your layout than COFC trains originating from the post would. Let us know what you do, and post pictures, if possible. Carry on.

Would the Walthers Backshop Kit make a decent building to use for an ammuntion plant?I`m just trying to think of a good building that you can spot railcars in.

Ammunition plants have two types of traffic - internal and external. The internal traffic is movement of materials between different manufacturing buildings and storage facilities, and is done with Army boxcars and flatcars. External traffic is done with Containers, which normally run in unit trains.

Ammunition destined for US destinations normally move by truck. Ammunition destined for foreign shores are moved via unit COFC trains. There are very few unit ammunition trains, except it time of war.

Smaller ammunition plants use track mobiles to move cars around, medium size plants with have 80 Ton Center cabs, and large plants with have red GPs.

While unit / division designations are borderline off-topic, it should be pointed out that 1 ID will be moved to Fort Riley, KS and 1 AD will be moved to Fort Bliss, TX in the next few years.

Legio X wrote:If I'm not mistaken, COFC would be the means of transporting ammunition by rail to posts in CONUS for use by the home-based or visiting units or overseas to units operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, the RoK or the Germany-based V Corps, the 1st AD (Old Ironsides) and the 1st ID(M)-the Big Red One.

Army Forts are more interesting to model, but a lot more work (and more expensive) to do them authentically. Roco and Trident models of US Army equipment are getting harder to find. Boley makes very toyish vehicles, but they don't look very realistic.

Army Forts usually have a pair of GP10 locomotives, although GP40s (Fort Hood, Carson and Leonard Wood) and GG2000s (Fort Lewis, Sierra AD and Fort Irwin) are starting to show up in the Army system.

Legio X wrote: If you were to model a connection to a post hosting a maneuver unit ... you would have a lot of flatcars with a variety of armored vehicles...

Okay after reading the posts here and doing a little searching on the internet my plan for this scene will go like this:

A lead will curve off the main (CP Rail)and form a pitch fork design into the plant (backshop building).There will be another track outside the plant(2 if I have room) to store emtpy cars.The front part,and just the front part,beginning at the entrance to the yard will be fenced in to show that it is part of a larger complex.I will purchase a Walthers GP9M,in US Army colors and a couple of undecorated 50ft boxcars from Athearn to paint...maybe I can find a few on ebay.

That leads to this question.....what colors are US Army boxcars painted?

A lot of new housing, as well as other infrastructure, is going to be built at Fort Bliss for the 1st Armored Division. Perhaps in-bound trains of building materials will become a common sight, so that means boxcars and flatcars.

New Army boxcars are painted red and yellow; I have several photos on my website, Military Rails Online: http://military.railfan.net

USAX 29352: http://military.railfan.net/cars/usax29352.JPG
USAX 29453: http://military.railfan.net/cars/usax29453.JPG

Older boxcars are in OD Green, Silver or Oxide Red:

USAX 28822: http://military.railfan.net/cars/usax28822.JPG

US Army boxcars are only used for inner-plant service, so you will not see them outside a military installation unless they are new from the vendor or being transferred. Of course, on a model railroad, you can do whatever you want.

The Army quit shipping general cargo via rail in the 1980s. Building supplies and other raw materials are hauled in by truck, and arrangements are handled by the contractor, not the Army.

In the third pic of the three there was an odd door arrangement on that car.It went small door,big door.Is this spiecal to Army cars and who invented it (company or the Army)?

While the door configuration is somewhat unusual, many civilian boxcars have cars with that type of door arrangement. The MOPAC comes to mind.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/mp/mp260811ajs.jpg

Trackmobile wrote:In the third pic of the three there was an odd door arrangement on that car.It went small door,big door.Is this spiecal to Army cars and who invented it (company or the Army)?

How about the Walthers "Dayton Machine Shop" building to use as an Army Ammunition?
I have started work on a project similar to what is being discussed here, only my entire layout will be military themed,verses just modeling a connection.I will try to post pics when completed.