In the Dec 2008 issue of FSM, Dylan Smith of Canada wrote inquiring about 1/35 model train. The answer failed to mention that MTH/Railking produces 1 gauge railroad rolling stock in 1/32nd scale. They don’t have a large selection of products, but for those seeking to incorporate railroad rolling stock into a 1/35 diorama, you might consider this. I recently ordered 3 boxcars to work into a military diorama, and the quality is great. The attention to detail is great. The finish is a gloss but that can be taken care of by weathering processes. The RR boxcars I received are dated in the early 60’s but could feasibly be used in 70’ and 80’s vintage scenes. Many rail cars have a long life span, just like military vehicles.
MTH/Railking (www.railking1gauge.com) does not sell direct. They have an online catalog. They can provide you a dealer name who can order it for you, OR,perhaps your local hobby shop can place an order.Support your local hobby shop if you can.
Hope this helps to Dylan and any other modeler looking in the RR direction.
Happy modeling.
(I posted this in the armor section, but thought that the diorama section needed it too.)
Hey, HO is cool too. We all have our preferences and ideas. I myself am in the 1/35 scale Vietnam/post Vietnam era, so these fit well. The hard part was finding product in the 1/35 or 1/32 range. Just sharing with everybody.
I am sure you can do some great ideas in the HO range, since HO is the dominant railroad product out there. I have considered doing something in that direction, but have committed myself on this current project.
I’m looking for a 1/32-1/35 scale boxcar similar to the what the Americans fighting in Europe called a 40 ‘n’ 8 (40 Hommes/men or 8 Chaveaux/horses)…any ideas or leads? I couldn’t find anything like that in the MTH/Railking cataloge.
I noticed that the railcars we use at the Naval Shipyard where I “work” have the dates of manufacture cast into the wheels and trucks. Some of them are from the 1920s and thirties. And on another note, the compressed gas bottles, or tanks, used for welding gases and the like, are stamped every time they are inspected and recertified. I have seen some of them predating WWII! They are still in everyday use.
“…Each boxcar carried carried 40 men or 8 horses (40 hommes et 8 chevaux). The cars were stubby, only 20.5 feet long and 8.5 feet wide…”
Looks like a scratch-able model. Maybe, find some kit wheels the correct size.
Might try this one… It’s German but very close to one of the “Fourty and Eights” the French used… With the photos in SprueOne’s link and some minor modifications with sheet styrene and a little Plastruct, a passing replica could be built…