Something new just released by Trumpeter on Halloween
A new “Military Scale” railroad model???
New to me anyway!
*I have no idea as to era here; WWII, post-war???
3 Likes
Good question. It sure looks more like some sort of street tram car than a railroad car. But it’s obviously not an electric car. And nothing really stands out as an engine area or drive wheels for locomotion.
German type D 311, diesel engine composed of two connected units (a and b),
designed to haul and move the heaviest railroad guns, Dora, which were aimed
by moving them along a curved track.
Used after the war, type designation changed to V 188 and then to V 288.
Scrapped in 1973
German Widipedia:
1 Like
There was also a resin and PE kit for the real aficionados …
https://jfx-shop.com/products/jfx/300-serie/314
only 825 Euros (even more in $$ …)
more than 4.5 pounds of PE …
1 Like
Seriously, thank you Robin for that clarification. That explains a lot.
While gas and diesel locomotives were in their infancy late war, clearly they DID exist. The combat advantage to a diesel locomotive would be: no smoke, no fire, to give away your position plus turn the starter key and you are ready to roll! - - Disadvantage of Steamers: to be ready quickly the engine as to be kept “hot” at all times, and even then it will still take 20-45 minutes to develop “full steam” to pull any sort of serious load.
Also Robin - - Though I am not familiar with this particular engine, I did think this actually looked more like two connected locomotives running back to back just as you said.
Even today you have a choice of how you will transmit that diesel power to the wheels. There are diesel-mechanicals, (using driveshafts, clutches and gears), diesel-electrics, (most common today), AND diesel hydraulic (fluid drive - that was again pioneered by a German company.)
The locomotive pictured here was most likely a diesel-mechanical, though I could be mistaken as F. Porsche was already using a diesel-electric drive in his Porsche Tiger (what later became the Elephant) Also a diesel-electric drive was also employed in the Maus.
1 Like
Diesel electric actually.
This diesel-hydraulic engine is from 1935:
First big diesel-mechanic engine, dated 1912:
The war intervened and it never became a success (unreliable design)
DR V 120 from 1930, diesel and compressed air, basically running steam cylinders with compressed air instead of steam …
design work started in 1924, first service in 1929, taken out of service in 1933, replaced by V 140 (see above)
And a Soviet diesel from 1923 - 1924
2 Likes
I don’t read German but the description on that DR V 140 locomotive says something about “diesel-hydraulic”.
Then that DR V 120 “air locomotive” (I see the word"pneumatic" in the German description) is something totally new to me! Never heard of such - to use a Diesel engine to drive an air compressor which then powers what is basically a standard steam locomotive drive mechanism. WOW
Nice find!
I bet that will be something new to go in Frenchy’s photo files!
German Wikipedia page translated by Google:
2 Likes
Funky cool enough for me. I don’t intend to get a 1/35 Dora, but this would make a neat focal point of a diorama.
1 Like
This looks interesting!
Interesting. Would these engines have been used post-war with the SSym flatcar to transport Leopards or US tanks?
According to this thread, the SSYM was used up through the '90s.
These diesel locomotives were taken out of service in 1969 and scrapped in 1973.
They built 4 engine pairs, three were taken over by DB (West German Railroads), two for usage and one for spare parts …
Right, could/did they pull SSym flatcars before that? Maybe with a US M48s or M60s around Germany?
They were used for freight trains so I suppose it would have been possible to use them to haul military trains.
This web-page: Die Seite der D311/V188/288 (in German)
says that they were used as pusher engines on the Spessart gradient on the line Frunkfurt - Würzburg.
Sure looks like they are pulling a freight train in this image:
Hey HeavyArty ~ I like your “train” of thought here!
Would be great if kit companies could turn their heads a bit towards other nations railway stock. What about one of these supernice Whitcomb diesel engines used by US forces all around the globe during WW2?
2 Likes
You are sooooo right!
1 Like
It is announced, not yet released.