Leopold - a challenge

[cbeckett]

Are you going to actually fire this monster? What an interesting project - I find it fascinating!

 

[ebay mike]

Regretfully Chris I don`t think plasticard will stand up too well against cordite and high explosives. The stresses referred to are those associated with drawbar loading and the rigours of uneven track. Have progressed a little over the past few days but now must shelve everything for at least a week as seven back-to-back late shifts between 10.5 and 12 hours have come my way. Latest pics below.

 

[PhilP]

You weren't tempted to get a 'spare' barrel at G-Rail then??
Coming on well..

Is it at a stage where you have been able to prove it will travel round your track yet?

 

[viaEstrecha]

Wow, Mike - that is a beast now!

Just for interest, the Catalan G Scale forum 'Trens.cat', on which I am a humble newbie, has a thread about making a workshop for a Leopold, albeit 1:32. The detail verges on the obsessive, which seems to be a theme with many Spanish modellers - some of their stuff is incredible!! Here's a link to it and if you really wanted to read the text, dear old Google can make a fair job of translation, but I think the piccies explain his work well enough. http://trenscat.forosactivos.net/t1437-taller-de-reparacio-krupp-k5-leopold-132. Taster photo:

 

[ebay mike]

That`s nice work Martyn. I have to admit to googling the k5 and downloading every photo I could find about building both the Dragon and Trumpeter kits. I have made some parts using pics of parts on sprues to get me through. The sprung toothed hydraulic gear used to raise the barrel caused some difficulty as although it doesn`t work I still wanted to be able to display in the firing position. In the end I bought a used toy crane on the car boot and have used bits of the extending tower as a support. I`m still on budget to complete at under £20 but there`s a way to go yet. In answer to PhilP`s question I have a partially completed 4-6-2 2-6-4 Garrett which might look at home hauling this beast. I`ve only tried finger power to test round R2 curves and R3 points so far. The real test will come when I`ve bu8lt the generator/crane module which sits on the rear wagon. Getting the clearance right but still allowing for shells to be moved on the Trollied may cause some sleepless nights.

 

[viaEstrecha]

... I have a partially completed 4-6-2 2-6-4 Garrett which might look at home hauling this beast...

Blimey! You're just showing off now

 

[CoggesRailway]

Very cool keep it coming...

 

[mike]

tis very nice!

 

[Rhinochugger]

tis very nice!

................and big !

 

[Handsomerob]

Saw this online, made me think of your project. Similar maybe?

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/whotube-2/watch-firing-the-80-cm-railway-gun-schwerer-gustav.html

 

[ebay mike]

My Orient Express has been keeping me occupied for some months now, but felt I needed a change before tedium set in. Consequently I've revisited this project. Came across a toytrain stake wagon while looking for something else and thought it would pass muster as an ammunition wagon to go between Leopold and the explosives van. Guide tracks have been manufactured and a bridging plate is almost finished to permit the loaded trolley to be pushed to a point where it will be directly under the crane which will lift it to the deck area behind the breech. Trolley is adapted from one of the finger skateboards sold in Poundland and has a long range shell of approximately the right proportions. It's actually a NATO dummy practice round but should look the business after some cosmetic work. Leopold will have a rake of 5 support vehicles - 2 coaches, H/E van, ammunition loading flat and a match truck to run under the protruding barrel.

 

[Trainman58]

No John, they just shot backwards several feet. From what technical data I have been able to find the barrel is mounted on a secondary 'tube' which appeared to contain a shock absorbing device. Not sure if spring or haudraulic. If you check out Krupp K5 on YouTube there is plenty of archive footage of the beast in anger.

There is a really interesting book written by Charles S Small (I think) about the Californian rail guns. They had to specially prepare where they were going to fire from. One time they were ordered to fire from some unprepared and compacted ground and the whole shebang "bounced" and compacted the ground up to 12"!. A very interesting book. Mine is a reprint. There was also one written by him on the Phillipine forts, WW1 trench railways as well.