New Product Announcement -DODX 41000 series 100-Ton Flat Car

[bkempins]

Alkem Scale Models has released a HO scale kit for the DODX 41000 series flat cars. This car is a one of the Defense Freight Railway Interchange Fleet (DFRIF) cars. With a 100-T capacity it can carry one Abrams tank, two Bradleys, or many other possible loads. It is a multimedia kit with photo etched brass, laser cut acrylic, 3D printed detail parts and full decals.

The kit comes with a complete set of heavy duty ratchet tie-down chains. The chains are also available separately as they are used on many other kinds of flat cars.

For more information please see www.alkemscalemodels.com

Thanks

Bernard Kempinski
Alkem Scale Models





Here is a shot showing the chains in use on an Intermountain OTTX flat car

[mlehman]

Those tie-downs do look marvelous.

[bkempins]

Nov 23, 2014 19:34:25 GMT -8 mlehman said:

Those tie-downs do look marvelous.

They are easy to work with too. Being photo etched they are flat, but since they are so small and finely detailed , they seem to be convincing.

It should be noted that these chains can be used on any number of other flat cars, not just of DODX cars.

Bernard Kempinski

[gmpullman]

What a coincidence! I was going to ask here if anyone has ordered from Alkem recently since I needed a few "Google" valves for my blast furnace... and here you are! I just clicked the Paypal button a few minutes ago. You have some nice products, Bernard. Thanks for this update, Ed

[atsfan]

I think a nice line of HO military vehicles nicely painted would do well

[bkempins]

Nov 24, 2014 1:14:06 GMT -8 gmpullman said:

What a coincidence! I was going to ask here if anyone has ordered from Alkem recently since I needed a few "Google" valves for my blast furnace... and here you are! I just clicked the Paypal button a few minutes ago. You have some nice products, Bernard. Thanks for this update, Ed

Great. The goggle and gate valves have been available for some time now. They have been  popular items. 

[tankcarsrule]

Good stuff Mr. K.

Regards, Bobby

[bar]

Impressive-looking, and a welcome addition to the modern freight car roster. This might be the first kit that includes 3D printed components.

[theengineshed]

Impressive photography, I initially thought those were prototype shots.

[atsfan]

The painting on the tanks is excellent
On par with the 1 to 35 scale plastic models
Not sure who did that as it is not easy

[djh4d]

My face when I read this:


Looking forward to these.

-Dave

[bkempins]

Nov 24, 2014 19:14:10 GMT -8 atsfan said:

The painting on the tanks is excellent
On par with the 1 to 35 scale plastic models
Not sure who did that as it is not easy

Thanks for the nice comments. The vehicles are 1/87th scale Herpa tanks, Bradleys and trucks. I painted and weathered them to the desert paint scheme. The desert scheme is easy as there is no camouflage pattern.

I also tried a flat car with a heavily weathered appearance. (see below) This car is empty. The deck primer is white-gray so as the red paint wears off, the primer shows through and looks like white splotches. Eventually the white primer wears off and the bare metal with rust is visible. The red paint also fades to a pale pink color as it weathers. It can be hard to capture accurately.

The chains stay with the vehicle, so the model shows them laying on the deck. The Army Tech Manuals call for a certain way to stow the chains, but most of the times the crews just stuff them in the channels. 

[riogrande]

If the pictures in the original post would have been taken from a lower angle, I probably would have thought they were real too!

Awesome! I like these better than the 6 axle flat cars for some reason. If the tie down chains are available separately, I may like to get some as I am wanting to work on loads for some of my 60' flat cars, like farm or construction equipment assuming I can find 80's era appropriate pieces.

[bkempins]

Nov 25, 2014 4:30:32 GMT -8 riogrande said:

If the pictures in the original post would have been taken from a lower angle, I probably would have thought they were real too!

Awesome! I like these better than the 6 axle flat cars for some reason. If the tie down chains are available separately, I may like to get some as I am wanting to work on loads for some of my 60' flat cars, like farm or construction equipment assuming I can find 80's era appropriate pieces.

The chains are available as a separate item. One set has 30  of chains, 10 shackles, 4 rings and as a bonus, 3 chain hoists.  The link should take you directly to the page. Heavy Duty Chains  On this page we have some photos showing this type of chain being used on several non-military flat cars and loads such as Cat dozers, primer movers,  etc. 

[scl1234]

These look good, but I'll be on the lookout for something that might've carried an M48 Patton in the early/mid-1960's.

[riogrande]

Looks great Bernard, those chains will look great on construction and farm equipment as well. What did you use to apply rust color to them?

Jim

[bkempins]

I used "Blacken-It" to give the brass a durable, dark color. Then I used rust colored (red oxide, burnt umber and black) acrylics and chalk to weather the chains. One could also prime with a rust red color and then use chalk and black wash to weather.

For an M-48 you should probably use a wood deck, heavy duty flat car, with wood blocking and wire rope tie downs. There are some pictures of this type tie down in my upcoming book called "Model Railroads Go to War." It should be released by January 1, 2015 (hopefully a bit earlier than that if luck holds) by Kalmbach Publishing.

[cp9002]

Would these cars have been mixed with the Albrae Models DODX heavy duty flatcars?

[bkempins]

Yes, the DODX cars of various classes are frequently used in the same trains. The Albrae cars are the 40000 series cars and should be reserved for heavy loads like M1 tanks and M88 tank retreivers.  The lighter vehicles like Bradley's, HEMTTs, Strykers and HMMWVs should go on the 41000, 42000. 48000 series flat cars, or OTTX or other TTX flat cars.    The only cars that can carry M1 tanks are the DODX 40000, with 2 each, and DODX 41000, with one tank per car. The DOD does not like to use 40000s for lighter loads as they are only 550 or so of them and they need them to move tanks. But they do it if necessary.

Here are some  links to RRPicturesArchive  images showing 41000 and 40000 series cars in the same train.  

www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3292582

www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1076556


We we are planning on doing the DODX 42000 series cars some time next year. 

[stevef45]

when are those albrae cars supposed to come out? Im actually more interested in the buckey trucks.

[riogrande]

Just curious since I haven't played with tie down chains before, what is a good way to secure them to the deck of a model? I assume some sort of pin into one of the stake pockets and a tiny drop of CA would work?

Cheers, Jim

[mrsocal]

I have always used CA med. into a race or tie down pocket. I use for the most part 40 licks per inch chain from Detail Assoc. and IM Come a longs. 

[riogrande]

Just CA the end of the chain to a pocket or drive pin in too? I was thinking of using a tiny rail spike to hold it in place but dunno.

[bkempins]

I use some CAA to glue the end of the chain into the channel on the DODX cars.

The Alkem Scale Models chains also come with a small photo etched part that matches the toothed channel. You can use that part to secure to the chain, and then to the channel. The part is small and hard to see once installed, so it is no big deal if you leave them off.


The other end of the Alkem Scale Models chain has a hook. That can be attached to a shackle and the shackle can be glued to the vehicle. There are shackles and pintle rings included in our chain set.
www.facebook.com/AlkemScaleModels/photos/a.143176499197663.1073741828.143170569198256/323147171200594/?l=0dadf11174
Bernard Kempinski