Acquired a Combat Models WWI US Naval 14" gun kit - massive vacuform.
Basic sides, gun, and decent plans. White metal railwheels and springs.
Great references for both the whole assembly and the various sub-assemblies - photos and drawings.
The Navy documented both the design and operations in great detail.

Evergreen and Plastruct will be needed in large quantities but the major frame and trucks are actually very simple. Just large.
I think there are about 1000 rivets as well - typical WWI construction
Any ideas how to do strips of rivets without doing each individually?
I hope to be able to post photos along the way - but it will be several months in the making.

Archer makes decal strip rivets in various scales, Micro Mark carries decal stip rivets in HO (1/87) and O scale (1/48). You didn't mention the scale of the kit. I've used the Archer decals before, an a scratchbuilt 1/16 scale B-17 fuselage section, and under a coat of paint, the decal film all but disappears.
Keep us posted on your build. Sounds interesting!
VR, Russ

As Russ said: Keep posting
and remember: We want to see LOTS of images

It's 1/35th scale - the gun is longer than a 1/350 USS Texas
It is interesting to see how the US approached 12" and larger rail artillery design.
There is no "balancing" hydraulics at all. The 14"/50 caliber gun was the standard US battleship "rifle" and was weight balanced. The huge mass of the breech end of the gun balanced the barrel.
90% of the gun mount in the Naval Mk I gun was taken from their battleship mount including the mechanism to prevent the weight from binding the trunions.
Luckily there is a surviving one just across the river in DC at the Naval Yard and I'm going to get some detailed shots of the breech.
To get an idea of how large the gun is, go to
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_14-50_mk11.php that shows a 14" being salvaged from the USS California and compare it to the workman
The Breech/Cradle assembly had a massive cube at the breech end that anchored the recoil/recuperators that was about a 4' cube.
I'll post some photos once I get the gun basically built.

We will be waiting for updates

Piles and piles of rivets!

Archer sells rivets as 3D resin decals you just cut them into strips and apply like decals except you place then BEFORE painting.

They offer them in various sizes and styles. Also in an alternating zig-zag patterned rivets for special applications as well as louvers and treadplate.

https://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsMain.html

https://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsGscale.html

Would love to see photos of the unstated vac-form kit as well!

If space is an issue, one can still scratchbuild a N-scale one



H.P.

Hi I have built a 172 scale model of this railgun if interested I can post pics of it.

Sorry to have been MIA - The level of work has meant the need to take breaks
Just about have the barrel/breech/jacket completed
Should have some photos soon.
Kit came with just the barrel - I'm on my third try to get the jacket looking right.
The breech has become a kit on its on to look right

Purchased the Trumpeter K5 to get the individual truck parts to next build the 4 three-axle trucks.

The build has been complicated because the references don't all agree. Drawings don't all agree on dimensions and design.
The information in the Army's 1921 publication "Railway Artillery: A Report on the Characteristics, Scope of Utility, Etc., of Railway Artillery" and engineering drawings for the 14" gun don't completely match photos from 1918 of the actual units being reconstructed in France or the Naval documents about the 14"/50 Caliber gun. Some are different by 3 feet.
I decided to use the drawings in the Army's book and size them to use as patterns.
Also, my trip to the Navy Yard to actually photograph one of the surviving guns has been derailed by the current pandemic.
Thanks for the interest

Basically the gun is finished
US Navy 14"/50 mk. 4
Some differences between the drawings in Miller's "Railway Artillery: A Report on the Characteristics, Scope of Utility, Etc., of Railway Artillery, Volume I" and various photos and drawings of these mounted in the various battleships.
There are no photos of the actual gun by itself with all of the parts together.