There seem to be lots of Era III layouts and collections that include military transports. Anybody ever put together a set or layout in Era IV with U.S. vehicles and DB rolling stock and locomotive? It is fairly easy to piece together something for other NATO forces using 4MFOR pieces, but to assemble a set with U.S. vehicles seems to require 1/87 Roco plastic unpainted vehicles. I have some of the 4MFOR items, but I still need to get a BR216 or 218 and a few flat cars and stake cars. Just curious to see how it turned out and any suggestions. Also, my recollection was that the DB would put two M113 type vehicles on a stake car with lift up sides, but that would seem to exceed the wright for a Kbs 443 unless my conversion or specs for the 443 are wrong. If each variant is approximately 12,000 kg that would limit the load to one if the 443 is only rated to 13k kg, but I am not sure I found the right specs for the stake car. Do I have the wrong version of the car or can the 443 handle closer to 26 US tons?

Edited by user 14 August 2014 13:19:47(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Coaches for USA use have been produced in the past both by Roco and Liliput. Roco have also produced at various times flatbed trucks carrying military vehicles and these are painted. To find out exactly would require going through all the old catalogues. Perhaps the simplest would be to set up a search on E-bay.

It would be safe to assume an axle loading of twenty tons and the wagon itself would not be more than about fifteen. So even with two personel carriers there would still be a good margin.
Bob M.

The German Bundeswehr was only founded in 1955 and it took some time to get up to speed. Even uniforms were lacking at the beginning. Thus hard to say if there was enough equipment to be shipped by train.

How about this instead: German Leopard 1 A1A1 on former US military flat car (Talbot 1955/97092).

If you are specifically interested in military railway operation in Germany you may be interested in the Military Railfest to be held at Long Marston next May 6th to 10th.

Link to Military railfest notice

See also this page Long Marston railway info

I received a PDF of info about the LMMR from Train of Events (where those links are hosted) but unfortunately it doesn't appear on the web pages that I can see. It is 2MB so if anyone would like to see it PM me with an email address I can send it to.