Topic: Admiralty Train Ferry Number 3 (Read 118349 times)

ballastanksian · « **Reply #50 on:** February 10, 2016, 11:09:08 pm »

Could the lady be a nurse returning to Blighty on leave? I wonder if there is a suitable preiser figure wearing a fur coat? That would add a conversation starter to your father's model (as if being a shallow hulled ship full of railway lines and trains isn't enough to start the conflabbery:O)

raflaunches · « **Reply #51 on:** February 11, 2016, 12:09:24 pm »

It's odd but we think the photo is of the ferry being completed!? Not sure what she is doing on the aft flying bridge, I'll see if I can upload the picture tomorrow.

raflaunches · « **Reply #52 on:** February 21, 2016, 06:24:03 pm »

We've found four photos with the mysterious lady suggesting that they were taken within 1 hour as each picture shows more and more wagons being loaded. You can even see the wagon numbers match in each photo giving proof that they were taken very quickly from different locations on the ship.
Dad is having 'fun' planking the stern and now sections with 1/16" plywood strips, twice!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #53 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:12:02 pm »

Cor, some of those planks have been put through the ringer! Lovely work and very well executed given those curves just mentioned. I think you need a the mystery lady aboard

raflaunches · « **Reply #54 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:17:14 pm »

Let's just say he was stuck to the hull on more than one occasion! There was blood at one point!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #55 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:40:05 pm »

Oh dear:O( Still, your father is a veteran modeller and will just wipe off the 'claret' and continue fighting with strip and glue.

raflaunches · « **Reply #56 on:** February 26, 2016, 11:14:47 am »

Latest update from the nutter back home!

A hull with bits stuck on!!!

The hull initial sheeting is complete, the bits of wood stuck on the deck are locations of the internals of the side superstructure. Dad intends to extend the hull plating up and create the sides and then create all the internal boxes that can be seen in the photos that make up galleys, companion-ways and ammo hoists, etc.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #57 on:** February 26, 2016, 09:41:59 pm »

That is becoming a beautiful build. It was a good sized vessel gauging it against your father and thinking of how big Pre- Dreadnoughts and cruisers were.

Pass on my compliments to your father for his excellent work so far Nick.

raflaunches · « **Reply #58 on:** March 07, 2016, 08:58:32 am »

Thanks Ian, I already have, but don't want his head getting too big!

A bit of a delayed update as these are the pictures from last weekend and I'm uploading these as I wait for Photostream to upload yesterdays batch.

The superstructure internal sides are being made first to allow access behind them, you should be able to see that some of the recess areas are fully open whilst others have structures inside them with access all around. Some of them are ammo hoists for the 4 inch guns kept on the upper decks.

I did ask him if he wanted some 1/72 scale resin watertight doors for these areas but as he pointed out a piece of ply cut to shape would suffice due to seeing them in the darkened areas would be a waste of materials.

raflaunches · « **Reply #59 on:** March 07, 2016, 04:04:45 pm »

more pictures...

ballastanksian · « **Reply #60 on:** March 07, 2016, 08:18:21 pm »

Lovely wood work Steve/Nick

I have seen smaller marshalling yards on model railway layouts!

What mark of 4inch gun did they carry?

Edmund · « **Reply #61 on:** March 07, 2016, 08:52:01 pm »

Coming along very nicely indeed! Can I ask were the rails inset or raised above the deck? Great to see some trains aboard!

raflaunches · « **Reply #62 on:** March 08, 2016, 01:45:21 pm »

Hi Edmund

They are inset, it's been a few years since I last 'played' with trains and we were surprised at the different types of track available. We're going to try some variations before committing with glue!

Hi Ian

Yes, we were shocked at the area taken up by the railway tracks, it's 4ft long by 9 inches so a huge area to fill, going to have three variations of load, normal stock, train ambulance, and my favourite, a mix of trucks and tanks.
Not sure what variant the 4 inch guns are, all pictures of them show them covered over with canvas just leaving the barrel exposed.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #63 on:** March 08, 2016, 08:15:02 pm »

Hm, I would go with that idea as it will save lots of work and be accurate. perhaps they were covered as ordered by a very tidy consious captain:O)

Yarpie · « **Reply #64 on:** March 10, 2016, 07:21:56 pm »

Nick,

herewith a description of the guns carried by the WWI Train Ferries:

"................Port For’d and Stab’d Aft guns

Vickers 3” 12pdr 12 cwt QF HA Mk Vlll

Stab’d for’d and Port Aft guns

Vickers 3” 12 Pdr 12 cwt QF Pl*

Though all four guns were the same, the difference was in the mounts, the Mk Vlll being for anti-aircraft work and the Pl* for surface work, the difference being in the angle of elevation, the Mk Vlll mount weighing 2.10 tons had an angle of elevation from -10° to +90°and the Pl* mount, weighting 1.233 tons, from -10° to + 30°.

The guns were first designed by Armstrongs in 1893 and put into service in 1894. They went through many modifications and were still in use during the WW2 on minor war vessels, minesweepers and trawlers.

Gun Weight:   0.6 tons
Gun Length:   123.6 ins
Bore Length:   120.0 ins
Rate of Fire:   15 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity:   2235 ft/sec
Range @ 40° elevation:   11,750 yards with 12.9 lb High Explosive shell
AA Range @ 70° elevation:   19,000 feet
Elevation:   Manually operated by wheel
Train:   Manually operated by gun layer's body weight against a    training bar in the case of the Mk.Vlll but the * against the PI    mount, may indicate it was trained by wheel.

I don't think they were ever used in anger, and were only on board until the armistice when the three ships became Merchant Ships practically overnight!"

The above detailed description comes from an ex Merchant Seaman who has studied these vessels for many years and has a profound knowledge of them. He also plied the Harwich to Zeebrugge Ferry route from where he retrieved his library of information.

I was very fortunate to meet his acquaintance via my own build blog of Train Ferry No3, and it was just by chance that he looked-in.

He (Tony) has granted permission for me to publish this information on your web page and is available to give advice should you need it.

He also enclosed two images of the UNCOVERED guns, which I will attempt to upload later.

Isn't it a massive coincidence that TWO builds are concurrent of TF3, and both in 1:72 scale as well. Our build was originally going to be HMS DAFFODIL in 1944, but the WWI version was less fragile looking at the loading ramp area ...............

Kind regards,

Sandy. (Yarpie).

ballastanksian · « **Reply #65 on:** March 10, 2016, 11:10:19 pm »

Coincidence is a funny beast. It would be interesting to see images of your build Sandy.

Yarpie · « **Reply #66 on:** March 14, 2016, 07:17:50 pm »

Quote from: ballastanksian on March 10, 2016, 11:10:19 pm

Coincidence is a funny beast. It would be interesting to see images of your build Sandy.

Thanks for that Ian.

I would post images but feel that images of other vessels on somebody else's thread (particularly of the same project) are a little presumptuous.

I would prefer to wait until invited by the thread originator.

"Ballast tanks Ian"; is that a Royal Naval term for "double bottoms", or does it signify other ballasting??

Just curious as I spent much time as DB party on three Aircraft Carriers.

Sandy.

Yarpie · « **Reply #67 on:** March 14, 2016, 07:22:40 pm »

Attempt (without safety net) at uploading two images of "undressed" guns carried aboard the three Train Ferries.

Sandy.

raflaunches · « **Reply #68 on:** March 14, 2016, 08:47:14 pm »

Hi to you both

I'll try to post again, my internet decided to go AWOL! So I'm relying on old fashioned methods of Internet.

Sandy, you would be more than welcome to post your work on this thread, the more the better

Thanks for the pictures of the guns, and the information about them too, I didn't realise that they were two different mounts fitted diagonally across the ferry. I'm waiting for the Internet to speed up so I can upload last week's update.

raflaunches · « **Reply #69 on:** March 17, 2016, 01:38:35 pm »

Internets back! Pictures from last weekend.

radiojoe · « **Reply #70 on:** March 17, 2016, 02:46:00 pm »

I think your internet's upside down

only joking

a most interesting build that I'm quietly following.

Netleyned · « **Reply #71 on:** March 17, 2016, 02:51:38 pm »

Must be the Oz version

Had to switch off the auto rotate on my phone to view them .
Coming along very nicely Nick.

Ned

raflaunches · « **Reply #72 on:** March 17, 2016, 02:57:48 pm »

Technology eh!

Dad phoned me the other day to tell me that he had completed the forecastle area. I'll have to teach him to photograph his work and send them to me. He might be able to take them the right way up!

dougal99 · « **Reply #73 on:** March 17, 2016, 05:38:25 pm »

Is he using an Ipad? Apple photos will always be the right way up on an Apple device but other systems will show them as they were actually taken. A lot of Ipad users hold it upside down but don't know. It's a known design 'feature'.

Clear? It's a bit difficult to explain.

Bob K · « **Reply #74 on:** March 17, 2016, 06:33:40 pm »

When he started constructing the hull it was purposely built upside down. That is why some of the latest detail views still reflect this orientation.

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Author Topic: Admiralty Train Ferry Number 3 (Read 118349 times)