"The Great Undertaking" -- GPM's Leopold Rail Gun

milenio3

Active Member
Well... the Best of Luck, my friend. You are doing a superb thread, a big project, and a monster of model!!
 

Falsemuzzle

New Member
i've just picked up on this thread. and very cool indeed!
a few years ago i purchased two rail car models, the Schienen-Panzer Steyer and Panzerjagerwagen by Kartonowe ABC. now i am compelled to start one of them. :)
i look forward to your return!
 

sakrison

Banned
Almost Done!!

Good grief! Did I really start this thread and this project five years ago?

When I first built the two side trusses that support the gun, I built the trusses completely--inside and outside skins--then tried to join them. Of course, they weren't entirely straight, so I ended up with a sort of hourglass shape, subtle but enough to be a problem. I set the project aside for "a few weeks." About a month ago, I decided I had to finish it.

I carefully peeled off the outer skin of each truss, laminated all of the cross member parts to 1/16" basswood sheet (Thank heaven for scanners), joined the two trusses, then reattached the outer skin. Glory-osky! It's straight. Adding the decking and end pieces was straightforward with only a few fit issues, easily corrected. The assembly drawings are a bit sparse here but I think I got it all correct. The photos help.

I wanted the railings sturdy so I scanned and stretched the uprights and wrapped them around toothpicks. For the horizontal railings, I'll use plastic or aluminum rod painted to match the decking. The result is will be a bit larger than scale but will hold up better when I transport and exhibit the model, and it and doesn't look out of place.

The railings and the four ladders are fussy and tedious and I'm working on a couple other small projects to break the monotony.

The last assembly will be the rest of the gun barrel. That should be easy.

I plan to mount the whole thing on a 4-foot pre-stained shelf board from Home Depot. No rails or ties, for now. I'll cut two grooves in the shelf for the wheel flanges and fasten the rail carriages down with long twist ties.

My next post will be photos of the finished project...sometime before 2016.:p
 

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sakrison

Banned
I just read through the whole thread. There are a few questions from other modelers that I left unanswered. I'll go through again soon and try to answer them all. I've really learned a lot on this project and, as a writer, I'm having fun sharing it.

Most of all, thank you for your patience and for all your encouragement!
 
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