A simple conversion gone complicated

Last year I bought dozens of used and cheap LGB-wagons on online auctions in Norway. They were starting to pile up in my hobby room, so I decided to start converting them so they eventually would look like something that could belong to and be hauled behind my large scale Heeresfeldbahn and War Department Light Railway (WDLR) locomotives.

I decided to start with an already grey low board wagon with nice German markings and lettering on it (which I wanted to keep). It would probably just need a blackwash to be ready for service:

I immediately noticed that this car had several unsightly holes in it's floor:

Off course I could just cover them by making another false floor like I've done on similar wagons, but then they would still be visible if the loads or floor was removed. -So I decided to fill them with Miliput:

When turning this wagon around it was just like turning to the dark side of the moon. I've only seen one side of it on the online auction, but when I turned it and saw the backside, it was literally a 'backside' (!) I dont know what the previous owner had done to this wagon, but along the 'backside' both the buffer beams were cut off, and so was the bars on the side holding the planks together and the shunter's steps were missing. I got it really cheap though and I guess you get what you pay for:

This was not going to be the very simple conversion as I thought as this was going to need a little more than a simple blackwash. Firstly I needed to make new buffer beams for both ends. I found a free STL-file for a similar chassis on Thingiverse which I converted and 3D-printed 2 new buffer beams:

-And 2 more steps:

Then I decided to trim off the bars on the intact side, to match the cut-offs on the 'backside'. I have so many identical wagons of this type so it will simply just add some slight variation among them:

Then I painted the floor, weathered the chassis, reassembled the whole ting and finally gave it that coat of blackwash:

I think it's ready for service now:

I guess the next pull from the 'pile of project wagons' will need less remodelling than this one.

First running session in 2026

Heine invited us over to join the first running session in 2026 in his garden at the same time we got the first snow. It was not vey much snow at the time but very cold and windy (which made it even colder). - A 'Siberian Cold Front'. I was really eager to try out my recent military 'winter train loads' under the conditions I made them for in the first place, so it was just to dress warmly for the cold weather and take my German Heeresfeldbahn loaded for winter warfare for another outing.

It was 'blue' temperature + wind = wind chill. This made the temperature actually closer to -15°C🌡❄️ 

To clear the track Heine used multiple locomotives with regular snow plow, rotary snow plow and his anti-icing tank car:

Despite all these efforts it was really challenging conditions to run trains on a day like this. After clearing the snow from the tracks and de-icing them, the tracks just turned icey again almost immediately. It was primarily not the snow, but the low temperatures causing  trouble this day with ice piling up inside the tracks turning rock hard. Not all trains made it to the tracks this day. For my military train it's 'Räder Muss Rollen für den Sieg' - no matter the weather:

Soon my German military Heeresfeldbahn also discovered seriously challenges running under these conditions, and the short rake became too heavy to pull. I eventually needed to uncouple some wagons to be able to keep the train running. The Aerosan transport got highest priority:

Lovely train. Too bad it didn't make it today:

Neither did this:

This very strange combination with double traction and a de-icing tank car between the locomotives actually managed:

Heine also took one of his WIP 3d-printed cars out for a run. Due to being 3D-printed it's very light and doesn't take to much to pull through the snow and ice:

With weather like this the presence of the brazier was most welcome. Usually the snow and ice melts below it, but not this day:

And it could be used to BBQ some hotdogs:

You know it's cold outside when even the coffee freezes over:

There were not so many trains running this day as there usually are on days out at Heine's. Despite the very cold weather and challenging running conditions we all agreed that it was another great day out:

Thank you Heine for inviting us over for this seasonal 'kick off' and your warm hospitality.

Blog PostScript 

It's typically, but after this very cold day out it started to snow again. A lot! Like in many other European countries I belive. 

So now it was just to unload a couple of my wagons again so I could finally takes photos of them under the right conditions:

Heine was even out at night trying out his rotary snow plow. I guess there will be no delays at that line during the morning traffic:

It's awesome with all this snow. -Not only for running trains outside, but it's also interesting conditions for outside wargaming. I think I'll need to prepare a wargame or two in the snow. Please follow for updates. 

Making New Military Train Loads for Winter Warfare

In our Garden Railway society we usually runs trains during the winter season as well. Winters in Norway are usually snowy and it's very intriguing to run trains in the snow. During winter the rails get Icey and very slippery so my locomotives can't haul so long or heavy train rakes in the inclines during the winter. Therefore I usually runs a little shorter trains than I do the rest of the year. When running fewer wagons I like to make them to a 'winter theme' or with winter purposed loads:

•  This is the 'winter train' I made for the winter 2023
• Here are some wagons and loads I made for last winter
• On this link there are some photos of the train in action and some updates. 

This winter I wanted to make some new winter related car loads to add to my existing wagons (as adding more wagons won't help on those icey inclines).

I wanted my new car loads to look so 'winterish' that it would be a loaded with items that could only be used during winter. - like a sleight or something, but I already have a sleight. When searching for suitable prototypes I found some Soviet ones from WW2 that would look good. Since my German Heeresfeldbahn is the same type as were used on the Eastern Front, I guess it could carry captured Soviet equipment back from the front for evaluation, or to be sendt back to the Reich to show off. When studying this prototype further, I found that when captured, these had been used by German forces and their Finnish Axis for transports, communications, patrolling and reconnaissance. The Finnish forces even used them for raidings and in combat roles. So these had actually been used by both sides on the Eastern Front during WW2, and would work as a plausible 'winter car loads' in my German train since Heeresfeldbahns also supported Finnish forces. Due to maneuverability and economics I guess vehicles like these were transported to and from the front and not driving there themselves, and therefore plausible train loads. Even for a narrow gauge train. Since my 'summer' trains are sometimes loaded with motorcycles suggesting transporting some reconnaissance unit, these Aerosans would replace the motorcycles for a winter reconnaissance unit.

The Prototype

Although being an older invention, it was the WW2 that led to a further development of Russian military Aerosledes, or Aerosans. An Aerosan is a propeller driven military vehicle that was operationally used in the snowbound parts of Northern Europe under conditions wheeled vehicles were restricted due to snow. To keep them light the Aerosans were often constructed of aviation plywood, had large skis instead of wheels and were powered by a truck- or 'obsolete' aircraft engine. The crew compartment was also often of typical aviation design with a 2 man crew sitting in tandem, with a driver and a machine gunner.

The Model

Not only because of the print size restrictions in my 3D-printer to 15x15x15 cm, but that I also should be able to fit then on my narrow gauge open LGB-wagons, I chose 2 smaller Russian Aerosans; The RF-8 and NKL-26 (which had an armored front plate to protect the driver). I found a couple of free printable STL-files for them in 1:100 scale at Thingiverse (link 1 and Link 2) which I resized before 3D-printing them. I opted to make them to 1:19 scale, but I had to make them slightly smaller to make them fit the wagons. Perhaps they're closer to 1:20th scale:

 

The Aerosans were printed in 3 parts each to make them fit my 3D-printer:

Then they were assembled...

...and coated with car body spray filler...

...then primed with regular car primer...

...and given a couple of coats of matt white:

I usually use spray paints to save time, but this time the painting prosess was very time-consuming and slow. I don't have a spray both and usually do my spraying outside. That was impossible for about 2 months due to constant rain. At the end I got impatient and improvised some spraying facilities in our dark and cold garage just to regain some progress on this slow project again. Details are painted with cheap acrylics and could be done at my workbench inside however:

When painting them I decided to go for just plain white winter camouflage without any insignias, as spectators can find the (Finnish) svastikas offending. -Which also can cause trouble posting photos of these models online. Besides, without any insignias they can double as recently captured Russian Aerosans going from the front, or captured Aerosans going back to the front in Axis service.

Since there is still no snow outside to use as a photographic background (as originally planned), I asked ChatGPT to place my Aerosans in the snow just to get an idea:

Fitting the loads to the wagons

Many of LGB's different goods wagons (which I uses some of in my Heeresfeldbahn train) have standarised sizes and share the same base measures. This means it's possible to make fake floors for some of those wagons to easily remove or change loads between them:

The Aerosans are typically 'winter loads' and I wanted to be able to remove them and use the wagons for other loads the rest of the year, so I made false floors or decks for them.

At this point it had finally stopped raining and we got some cold days again. Still no snow though. Perhaps this is the most 'winterish' weather we get in this part of the country this winter, so I took them out for a couple of photos during a running session in Heine's garden between Christmas and New Years eve:

More seasonal cargo

I already have a couple of soldiers sitting in one of my winter themed open wagons, and I think they're the crew for my reindeer pulled sleigh:

Last winter we had snow 

To make it easier for them to follow the sleigh I decided to 3D-print some skis for them:

While making a new 'Christmas tree-load' for my small Yule-Pizza...

...I decided to resize it and make a large scale 'Weinachtbaum' for a Christmas in the trenches as well. The 3D-file is actually meant for tabletop gaming, but works as seasonal loads as too:

This project revealed how much bad weather can slow down a project if spray painting is involved. To prevent similar situations in the future I've established a more propper facilities and a spray both at our model railway club house.

This photo also reveals another WIP for an upcoming project 

Despite preparing my train loads for warfare in the snow, it looks like 'Murphy's Law of Combat' are striking again...

Of the very same reasons I had to do my spray paints in our garage and the warmest December ever, there were no prospects for a white Christmas and I wonder whenever it will be possible to take photos of this rake in the snow?

Please become one of this blog followers, if you are not already, and find out.

Blog PostScript 

Despite not being 'super scale models' with photo-etch etc. they made it to a casual get-together for scale modellers in the city where I live yesterday. This was the first get-together for modellers in Moss and people brought mostly IPMS-quality scale models.