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David J Buchholz
Crew Chief
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Posted - 04/10/2018 : 1:47:43 PM
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Ah, the ever so rare French mud. I have not found it yet in Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Likely a small fortune to get some shipped over.
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BigLars
Engineer
Premium Member
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 Posted - 04/10/2018 : 2:13:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by David J Buchholz
Ah, the ever so rare French mud. I have not found it yet in Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Likely a small fortune to get some shipped over.
It’s harder than one thinks.
Once I find the color I’m headed to Home Depot for sanded tile grout.
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Country: USA
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Philip
Fireman
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Posted - 04/10/2018 : 5:15:57 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by John Coates
Puttees.
Always wondered what those were named!
thanks!
Philip
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Country: USA
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brucet
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 04/10/2018 : 8:48:21 PM
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There are many brands of 'air dry' clay on the market other than just DAS.
Try Googling 'air dry clay' to find what is available in your region.
bruce
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Country: Australia
| Posts: 497 |
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BigLars
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 04/10/2018 : 9:50:29 PM
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I know this sounds crazy but I really am researching the color of mud in France. I have done my share of traveling and mud is not the same color around the world.
Before I add ground cover and mud to the layout, figures, vehicles and details. I want to get a color I am happy with. I am having the same delema with picking a green for the equipment. I would hate to repaint everything because I rushed.
So for now I really am collecting equipment, details and testing a bunch of new methods, but not painting much or adding scenery.
I will give another example. I like to add a green mold color to the north side of buildings. But until I figure out where the building will sit on the layout and if it is north, it is pointless to add the detail.
Stay with me there is a plan.
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Country: USA
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BigLars
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 04/10/2018 : 10:02:28 PM
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I found a map to try to explain the main industry of the railroad, shells and food.
Every Artillery battery marked on the map would have 4 guns. The guns had different rates of fire up to 4 rounds a minute sustained fire. There would be multiple sizes of shells based on the size of the cannon.
Look at the number of gun positions on the map times 4 times 2-4 rounds a minute and that is a lot of material to move. This excludes, food / water for the men / horses plus other material to maintain the trenches. These were far busier railroads than we normally model.
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Edited by - BigLars on 06/26/2018 6:48:12 PM |
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John Coates
New Hire
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Posted - 04/11/2018 : 06:47:02 AM
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Larry
I don't know if this of interest to you http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vimy-ridge/
Note the weather in area at the time quoted in the article, there was snow on the ground also it was stated the ground was frozen solid.
Also the area is earth on chalk, similar to the area I live in. The chalk would have been thrown up from shell blasts and the traffic across it so would have been churned into a light colour brown, almost a milk chocolate colour. We get the same affect where the farmers plough the fields.
John
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Country: United Kingdom
| Posts: 31 |
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Frank Palmer
Fireman
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Posted - 04/11/2018 : 09:06:49 AM
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Very interesting.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 6070 |
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brucet
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 04/11/2018 : 5:53:48 PM
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Interesting article John. It gives an insight to what really happened. Although every country seems to rewrite history their own way. I could give you an almost carbon copy of the same history written by Australians. (Australia had a population of less than 5 million at the time. Over 60000 lost their lives in France).
The thing is that the stalemate, according to most historians, was broken when Australian commander John Monash took command of the Australian troops and parted ways with the British command. At that time the Canadians and others joined the Australians and together they started to fighting 'dirty'. The British didn't like it. Nor did the Germans. It was a terrible waste of lives. But it took the courage of the 'colonials' to break the stalemate. Australians have a high regard for their fellow Canadian soldiers. Not so much for the British command.
Either way the whole sad story makes a wonderful backdrop for modeling the railways.
bruce
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Country: Australia
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BigLars
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 04/11/2018 : 6:24:54 PM
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Great article John. Thanks for the insight into the mud color. I had been told a very dark brown but I had also see a very light color in the pictures which must be the chalk.
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Country: USA
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Frank Palmer
Fireman
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Posted - 04/11/2018 : 6:38:42 PM
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I was in the Air Force and stationed in Chambley, France in 1965-66. One of my roommates used to complain that this was the only place on Earth that had white mud. It wasn’t really white it was a light gray color. But that was NE France and not near Vimy Ridge.
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Country: USA
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John Coates
New Hire
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Posted - 04/12/2018 : 3:41:09 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by brucet
Interesting article John. It gives an insight to what really happened. Although every country seems to rewrite history their own way. I could give you an almost carbon copy of the same history written by Australians. (Australia had a population of less than 5 million at the time. Over 60000 lost their lives in France).
The thing is that the stalemate, according to most historians, was broken when Australian commander John Monash took command of the Australian troops and parted ways with the British command. At that time the Canadians and others joined the Australians and together they started to fighting 'dirty'. The British didn't like it. Nor did the Germans. It was a terrible waste of lives. But it took the courage of the 'colonials' to break the stalemate. Australians have a high regard for their fellow Canadian soldiers. Not so much for the British command.
Either way the whole sad story makes a wonderful backdrop for modeling the railways.
bruce
True Brucet, we could not have beaten the Germans in both world wars without the help of the Commonwealth troops and the Americans. A lot of Aussies lots their lives with the failed attack on the Turkish in Gallipoli. I don't if you know but Anzac is remembered in Australia and Turkey.
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Country: United Kingdom
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brucet
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 04/12/2018 : 8:01:54 PM
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John my Grandfather was in the second wave of troops onto the beach in Gallipoli. And survived! Then he survived the Western Front. Served alongside Canadians and had a lot of time for them. Not so the British. In fact he struck a British officer and spent time admiring the walls of a cell!! We simply can't imagine how those guys survived. Both physically and mentally. The troops building the railroads were easy targets. We always think of those at the front doing the bulk of the fighting. But those like the railroadmen deserve equal admiration. Building a layout to honour them is something very special
bruce
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Country: Australia
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BigLars
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 04/12/2018 : 8:55:13 PM
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Frank, John and Bruce, thanks so much for the stories.
It was not an easy job. The RR corps were not armed or trained in battle. They were in fact just imported railway men.
I do think they had a strange sense of humor.
As the Canadians worked most of the British RR operations you will eventually see troops and vehicles collecting supplies from a number of countries. Well as long as I can find figures. I have great pictures I will share when I get to the right time in construction.
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Edited by - BigLars on 04/12/2018 10:04:50 PM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11871 |
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John Coates
New Hire
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Posted - 04/13/2018 : 09:02:41 AM
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If you want to see how stupid British Command was like I suggest you watch the Blackadder Goes Forth series, I know it is fiction but it is close to the mark. British Officer corp came from the landed gentry, Public School and Oxbridge University. These were privilege people with no grip on the problems of life. They stayed well out of harms way and planned strategy as in the Wellingtons day of the Battle of Waterloo. In other words they had no concept of modern warfare.
A close example is our present Foreign Sectary who comes from the same background, stupid!
One other thing, they were armed with a Lee Enfield 303 Rifle which was kept in the cab, not a lot of use against a marauding German fighter plane with machine guns. Although this did bring down the Red Baron, shot by Canadian Troops with a bullet up the bum as he flew over their lines.
Your Grandfather was very lucky to survive his experiences Bruce, like mine and he even fought in the Boer War.
Larry if you want the correct colour used by the army at the time look at the tank at Bovingdon, colour pictures are available on line
John
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Country: United Kingdom
| Posts: 31 |
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