Flatcar loads!
- Thread starter 747flier
- Start date
There are good resources on the internet, if you can find them. I did find a few photos of ALACAN Hwy construction, including a nice shot of almost the exact D6 With LeTourneau blade that I made. Other items was a "heavy dump truck" which didn't look too heavy at all. It was a very low sided bed on a two instead of three axel Duce chassis. So attempting to cobble up a version of those. One photo of vehicles on flatcars in downtown Skagway also showed the loading ramp, which was installed on a curve so as to allow loading of each car independently. A very eclectic set of vehicles!
Something I hadn't realized was the US Army Railroad battalions completely took over running and operation of the railroad during the war. I had known that a lot of Narrow Gauge equipment had been shipped North, but not that it became totally an Army RR.
I did make a couple of examples of a late 30's early 40's MACK truck, flatbed and one with a BOX back, these will be in Civilian colors, whatever might be appropriate (Yea for B&W photos of the period). Currently they reside in OD.
Something I hadn't realized was the US Army Railroad battalions completely took over running and operation of the railroad during the war. I had known that a lot of Narrow Gauge equipment had been shipped North, but not that it became totally an Army RR.
I did make a couple of examples of a late 30's early 40's MACK truck, flatbed and one with a BOX back, these will be in Civilian colors, whatever might be appropriate (Yea for B&W photos of the period). Currently they reside in OD.
An interesting vehicle, I have seen many photos of versions serving Imperial Troops. I think I remember seeing one in the ANZAC Day Parade in Sydney once upon a time. Interesting the wartime photo shows US markings but appears to be containing Imperial troops.
For 3D modeling such a vehicle (for my primitive software) is fairly straightforward as it's mostly geometric shapes and few irregular compound curves. The large tires are interesting, being a different approach than the 10 wheel configuration of the "Duce n half". I would guess the occupants didn't put up with much "Bull".
For 3D modeling such a vehicle (for my primitive software) is fairly straightforward as it's mostly geometric shapes and few irregular compound curves. The large tires are interesting, being a different approach than the 10 wheel configuration of the "Duce n half". I would guess the occupants didn't put up with much "Bull".
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
They were designed as a heavy gun tractor in 1938 to haul a 5.5" artillery piece plus up to a 10 man support crew, kit and ammunition. they were still in service in the 1960's.
Here's a slightly more interesting one for you, and out your range of interest I think.
Alvis Stalwart Amphibious Vehicle
or Stolly as we called it.
6 wheel drive, 4 wheel steer, 12 speed gearbox (6 forward, 6 reverse)
One of the more unusual snow and dirt pushing items I saw when researching ALCAN construction was a partly snow covered M4 tank chassis with the turret replaced with a shallow dome and a blade! I did design and print a Duce n Half with canvas canopy, an ubiquitous version! For use as a flatcar weight, pretty easy to put some weight under the canopy. I certainly have a lot more vehicles than needed for the number of flatcars I have, but good to have them around loading docks etc. For that I need to make some more era appropriate civilian vehicles though at the time I don't think there were many cars as such. I did print a couple of era Mack Trucks.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and speculate the photo in post #30 might be "wrongly captioned." Looks more to me like the Seabees trying to build a road on Guadalcanal than in Alaska. Two reasons: The foliage looks more like the south pacific than high-summer in Alaska...at least to me.
But the bigger reason by far is that quite a few of the crew, and not just the dozer operator are sans not only jackets, but even t-shirts.
I've always understood that Alaska's state bird is actually the mosquito, which makes all these guys real-risk takers, at least to me.
[Please pass the OFF. No, not the squirt bottle...the gallon jug.]
But the bigger reason by far is that quite a few of the crew, and not just the dozer operator are sans not only jackets, but even t-shirts.
I've always understood that Alaska's state bird is actually the mosquito, which makes all these guys real-risk takers, at least to me.
[Please pass the OFF. No, not the squirt bottle...the gallon jug.]
Back in my geologist days over 50 years ago I worked in the ALCAN Highway country in Yukon (no the) and Northern BC. The photo obviously does not show us a lot of the surround, but this does look a lot like a typical small stream crossing in the region. Generally the mainly black spruce forest isn't overly tall so not shading the area. The ARMY was fairly diligent about mosquito control, liberal with the DDT in the pre Rachel Carson era. During the Alaska Pipeline construction I did run various dozers and if no one around would take my shirt off. Skeeter destiny vary a lot by season and location, I have been places where they are truly bad. At my home in interior Alaska, it would be very seldom when i would use any bug dope when outside. So varies a lot from place to place.
It could be somewhere else, but the area does look like this.
It could be somewhere else, but the area does look like this.
I always wondered about the fuelers who would come up on the 747 flight deck with the papers for us to sign (like 35,000 gallons) and the smell would almost knock you over. Wondered what reception they get at home.
Most of the vehicles won't be actual flatcar loads as I just don't have that many flatcars. But there will be many to sprinkle about loading docks and whatnot. I rather like the Dodge command cars as in the photo above and the variations such as the ambulance. I do note that they have two of then per flatcar with the interesting chocks. I had wondered about how the cars were marked since the Army was running the railroad, these have the WP&Y lettering, but wonder about the other boxcars and whatnot.
At least the static versions don't need to be weighted. I do think I'll make some more covered Duce n Half versions. Of course dead in the water till I get more resin!
Tom
Most of the vehicles won't be actual flatcar loads as I just don't have that many flatcars. But there will be many to sprinkle about loading docks and whatnot. I rather like the Dodge command cars as in the photo above and the variations such as the ambulance. I do note that they have two of then per flatcar with the interesting chocks. I had wondered about how the cars were marked since the Army was running the railroad, these have the WP&Y lettering, but wonder about the other boxcars and whatnot.
At least the static versions don't need to be weighted. I do think I'll make some more covered Duce n Half versions. Of course dead in the water till I get more resin!
Tom
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
I missed some of the action here but did hire a man to build a logging road for me, he had a D-8 (which were very popular for land clearing) with the cable straight blade. He built a road in a day with beautiful ditches and a nice grade. The man was 80 years old in 1982 and grew up running the early dozers. I should have watched his method for getting nice ditches with the straight blade, but this was before hydraulics (it was an old D-8)
To this picture, looks a lot like the method they used to load/unload steam tractors in the early 1920's in east central minnesota. One flat car at a time, then moved it out of the way to unload the next one. Just a rigged up ramp off the end of a short spur.
Had an Uncle who had a self operated construction (dirt) company in Louisiana.
He had an International TD14? (I think it was) huge dozer with the overhead blade control.
He managed to bury it in a pond he was digging that flooded - so deep the seat had water in it - took him a week to rescue it.
He had a Le Tourna? scraper - big thing that he pulled around with the dozer. I was about maybe 10 at the time -- It was all BIG to me!
TOM. Your models are fantastic creations!
He had an International TD14? (I think it was) huge dozer with the overhead blade control.
He managed to bury it in a pond he was digging that flooded - so deep the seat had water in it - took him a week to rescue it.
He had a Le Tourna? scraper - big thing that he pulled around with the dozer. I was about maybe 10 at the time -- It was all BIG to me!
TOM. Your models are fantastic creations!
I am sure the method they are using for loading the flatcars in the photo is the same. When I rode the WP&Y in 1969 there was no road yet to Haines Alaska and people wanting to catch the Alaska Ferry at Skagway loaded their vehicles on flatcars. However these being light vehicles, they drove them on the line of flatcars its temporary bridging between them. Maybe there were 20 or more flatcars at the end of the train.
Yes the scrapers of the era were pulled by drawbar tractors with the scraper blade run off the dozer winch.
Cheers: Tom
Yes the scrapers of the era were pulled by drawbar tractors with the scraper blade run off the dozer winch.
Cheers: Tom
Last edited:
