Vintage Model at Tuck Ephemera site

[altomentis]

I ran across a vintage model depicting six scenes from the Transvaal Campaign (https://eph.tuckdb.org/items/23704/pictures/82977). The website says that the images are royalty free and released under Creative Commons. The originals are out of copyright, so this link should be permissible.

[Kevin WS]

Altomentis - thank you for this. A great find, and historically very interesting as well!

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And thanks altomentis for passing along the very interesting Tuck and Sons paper diorama. The picture of the armored train drew my interest, as I once built a flat model of a similar train, but I did not know what it represented. Both my train model and that shown in your one of your photographs appear to be romanticized versions of the train(s) that brought relief to the Siege of Mafeking in 1900 during the Boer War. Below is a photograph of my model, and a strange one it is,too.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[altomentis]

Thumb Dog, I am not surprised you built this train. Thanks for the picture. Great build! I share your interest in vintage paper models and have watched your build threads with great pleasure.

Like Patricia M, I like to find and share vintage models. I have some on my Flickr account. This (https://www.flickr.com/photos/97947597@N00/albums/72157694134063122) is one album from the French publication Nouvelle Jeunesse.
My interest in paper models started with paper automata, specifically the Moving Animals by Paul Spooner. Then I found the newspaper cutouts posted by Barnacle Press and that's when my interest in vintage models grew into a serious hobby. I found approximately 70 newspaper cutouts (https://www.flickr.com/photos/97947597@N00/albums/72157644780909737) by Dan Rudolph and I work on cleaning them up and adding them to my Flickr.

Score, cut and fold,
Altomentis

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And hi, altomentis, and thanks for the kind words. And nice collections on your Flickr account. It's always good to see not only the preservation, but the sympathetic renewals of the old drawings and models. Keep doing the good work.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[Kevin WS]

Altomentis, I have started restoring the train as I would like to make it up. If you know of any other armored trains - from any period - please let me know!

In the meantime here is an interesting copy of a poster for chocolate, also showing an armored train from the period.

The poster is actually a bit weird as this is for Swiss chocolate but contains Afrikaans wording so it was definitely for the South African market.

Given the war and its outcome it is however hardly politically correct (!!) - saying as it does "Freedom!" and "Patience and Courage".

The incident shown is dated on the poster 4 days after the outbreak of the Boer War.

Logically it would have pointless to have produced these during the Boer War - remember the Afrikaans indicates it was for a South African (rather than a European) audience, - as no one then was wandering around the South African countryside amidst the strife purchasing chocolate!

And after the war, it would simply have been politically incorrect. I doubt the posters could even have been displayed!

Interesting!

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Thumb Dog - That is a great little model!

It is also pretty accurate for an armored train. I have stacks of literature and records on armored trains and I am going to check and see if I can find something close. Thank you for the image....

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And hi, Kevin WS and thanks. When I posted my photograph of the above armored train, I meant to send a copy of the uncut page. But, as President of the, "Where Did I Put That Image?" club, I couldn't find it at the time.

After some more searching, I found it right where I left it. It is known as, Imagerie D'Epinal, No 590, Les Anglais dans l'Afrique de Sud, or The English in South Africa.

I believe I first found it on one of the European museum sites, but I can't remember which one.

Good luck in your quest to track down more vintage armored train models. I imagine they are pretty rare.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[Kevin WS]

Thumb Dog - Thank you! That's splendid. Very clean as well. But still, something for me to touch up as well before making.

I see from the script that it is marked as a South African Armoured Train.

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I think these are fairly rare - one of my great interests are armored trains and rail vehicles, and while there are paper models for armored vehicles (I have stacks), the cut-outs are quick and easy - and of course have a certain charm, which more then makes up for their lack of accuracy.

This particular model though is very accurate in terms of the "coaches", but I am less convinced regarding the loco, where the cab areas look a little odd! Here are some photos and lithographs from newspapers of the time that show actually how good it is.....

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And Hi, Kevin WS. I got your PM just as I hit the Submit button for my last post. I looked for the original source of the Pellerin model, but have been unable to find it.

As you've been collecting armored train and vehicle material, you probably know of these, but I'm posting them for readers unfamiliar with the more than hundred-year-old weapons systems.

The photograph shows Hairy Mary, the rope covered locomotive seen in the Second Boer War. Reminiscent of chain mail, the flexible protection may have worked...to a point. The photo comes from:

History! by Zhukov - The Military History Emporium | A British armored train during the Second Boer... (http://georgy-konstantinovich-zhukov.tumblr.com/post/72304522881/a-british-armored-train-during-the-second-boer)

This site contains an interesting collection of photographs from the Boer Wars.



Also, over on Landships II is an armored railcar by Alexander Bondar known as the Hejaz Railway Armored Railcar.

Landships II (http://www.landships.info/landships/models.html#)

Look through the Models section for a wealth of WW I era AFVs.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[Kevin WS]

Thank you Thumb Dog.

The Hejaz has been printed on my desk for about 6 months now! Just need to move it to the top of the pile! A simple quick kit. I have reduced to 1/72, so it is now fairly small.

I also have most of the Bestpapermodels, plus a selection of the various 1/25th kits. And a number of plastic kits (1/72 or smaller scale).

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The Hairy Mary was draped in sisal rope - very effective especially if wet. Remember the firearms were not really high velocity then.

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

Just a few more images of Hairy Mary, the rope-covered locomotive of the Boer War. Note the low-mounted, horizontal metal bars designed to keep the ropes from flapping around in the slipstream and fouling the running gear. The smell of the hot, wet, tarred sisal rope must have been nearly as memorable as the sight of this beast coming down the track.

And thanks Kevin WS for the images of the "coaches" of the armored train. The photographs are very similar to the large coach in the Pellerin model, except for the roof and door.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[Kevin WS]

It was actually not a bad idea at all - easy to part etc for maintenance and oiling.

[altomentis]

Kevin, I will keep armored trains in mind when searching for models. Thanks for the great history.