# Polish Armoured Engine test run



## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

Last night, I finished the tender of the Polish armoured train I'm building, and since this morning the weather was fine I put out a test track and ran the engine/tender commbination. 

I'm happy to say that it ran fine, after one minor adjustment, and really looked the part.

During the building I had been worried about the looks in bends, but now I feel that the extra armour I put in between cab and tender looks good. In particular the tender roof extending over the cab roof for extra protection of the crew, prototypical but out of necesssity a bit overdone, ties it together pretty good.


The story of nearly 6 weeks of building can be found here:

http://anne.messageboard.nl/29197/viewtopic.php?t=208

Pics and some lousy vids made with my photo camera can be found at the (current) end of that thread.

Your comments, tips, etc. will be more than welcome!


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks very impossing!!! Very well done! Tons of work from the look of it but well worth the efforts! Waiting patiently for the painted version to be posted!!  Thanks for sharing!


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## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks for your reaction! 

About 100 hours thus far, I estimate. 

I'll start painting after next month's regional model railroad show, since the whole train is still a work in progress I rather show it as it is, shows better how it was made.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

That is very impressive, Gungnir. Excellent work with wonderful detail. 

The videos show it performing nicely.


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

I love it! I've toyed for years of doing the same thing with this paper model as well as the smaller GPM "Smialy" armored train. Your craftsmanship is exemplary and inspiring. I'm astonished that you got the whole thing to take those tight curves. Are you planning on doing the entire train? (I hope!) 
Chris


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## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

Hi Chris, yes, I remember you mentioning the Smialy. 

Yes, the curves were a bit of a problem, especially as in real life the tender was hooked up as close as possible to the engine. I had to take some liberties to preserve the character but also to allow it to use my track. 

And yes, I am planning to do the whole train, and if possible a tankette as pay load for the lat flat car, and a Skoda draisine as a scouting unit - the PP-52 would have had several draisines to accompany it. 

Tonight I might start on the first artillery car.


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## DarkTalon (Nov 8, 2008)

I must say that's downright awesome... I'd never have enough patience to even TOUCH on building something like that..out nothing but sheet styrene no less... you sir, have my admiration!


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks great, interesting build to follow. Might inspire more to use paper kits to build into plastic, like me!


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

Gungnir, 
The whole train plus draisines! WONDERFUL! This will be a most impressive train, indeed! I can see where you made the adjustments for the clearance, but I don't think it negatively affects the appearance at all. I think I'd better get back to building some "already started trains" so that I can clear some time to do a Smialy inspired one! 
Chris


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## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

Go for it! I can happily recommend this method of using the paper kits as templates. It's like using a kit, only you make the parts yourself. 

I noticed early on that it does pay to add all those pesky rivets just to give it the right character. 

Styrene is cheap, so if you cut something wrong - which naturally happened to me too - just make another piece, and you can still recycle the "wrong" piece when you need smaller parts.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Gungir,
A friend sent me this about an armored train in SE asia. http://zureuel.blogspot.com/2008/05...ysian.html


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## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks, Jerry. It's not my period, but I have a few suitable victims in mind who would be interested.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

http://anne.messageboard.nl/29197/viewtopic.php?t=208 

Activating link. very cool work so far. cant wait to see the rest


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## pdrymalski (Sep 7, 2008)

Very impressive. This is a great example of how to build your own rolling stock! I admire your patience.


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW, very impressive!!


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

*FANTASTIC work, Gungnir! *







The detail work you did on the engine is *outstanding. *







Armored trains are a fascinating subject - if you haven't already seen it, check out Ron Ziel's book *"Steel Rails to Victory". *Has *loads of armored train photos *







- Polish, Russian, German, & even the little British tourist line the *Romney, Hythe, & Dymchurch Railway's MINIATURE *







armored train - as well a German armored train's loco that met a *spectacularly NASTY demise *







- the boiler blown 50 feet off the frame by a Russian mine!
















*Tom*


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Silly question--How did the fireman get coal into the boiler? If I'm understanding the construction properly, the coal bunker is in the rear of the tender, with what you call the "command center" in between. Can one assume a chute of some kind between the two? I would imagine that would give the "commander" something to stand on so he could see out the cupola. Water is filled from the very rear of the tender, I'm assuming? 

Fantastic job. I think I'd be more inclined to emboss the rivets from behind--you're a very patient man. 

Later, 

K


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## Gungnir (Dec 27, 2007)

I've been wondering about that myself, and I can see two options. 

One is a belt feeder under the command post, so an automatic kind of feed. 

The other is an extra guy in the coal bunker, feeding them into a chute that runs under the commandpost forward. 

Since a three man crew is listed, I tend to go with the latter. That's why I put in a second and lower trap door at the front of the commandpost, to let gravity do the work. From there coalman #2 would shovel it forward. 

The watertank is indeed at the very back of the tender.


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