Wait, This Mysterious Heavily-Armored Blue Train Caboose Belongs To The Navy?

[gmat]

From The War Zone  8 Mar 21;

Wait, This Mysterious Heavily-Armored Blue Train Caboose Belongs To The Navy?

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39654/wait-this-mysterious-heavily-armored-blue-train-caboose-belongs-to-the-navy

 

Some interesting info. 

Grant

[DanielMackay]

 

More background on rail shipments of nuclear fuel for the Naval Reactor Program: The presentation at this link is public information and provides a great overview of Naval Reactor Program activities, geography and current equipment, the M-140 and M-290 cask cars: https://www.nwtrb.gov/docs/default-source/meetings/2016/august/miles.pdf?sfvrsn=12. New fuel shipments run from a Babcock and Wilcox plant outside Lynchburg, VA to shipyards on both coasts. Spent fuel shipments run from shipyards on both coasts to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) facility outside Pocatello. These new cabooses will replace a series of DODX-numbered extended vision cabooses. 

 

The upgraded extended vision cabooses currently in use for escort services are also depicted (but missing roof details for the special communications equipment that really sets them apart). And there is a late slide that references the next-generation cabooses being built in Oregon to escort future shipments.

 

This Vigor caboose article borrows from the above presentation. There are additional cars (such as the new component box cars (these would ship to the coasts from the Babcock and Wilcox plant outside Lynchburg, VA. 

 

This is the new facility where these loads are destined at Idaho National Engineering Laboratory: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2017/08/planned-fuel-handling-facility-site-vitally-important-navy/

 

Numerous additional photos of the M-140 and M-290 cars are available online. 

 

This company in the UK has produced a garage kit - rather rough around the edges, but a good effort (just ordered a kit for a look): http://www.nscalekits.co.uk/DoDXNuclearFlaskVan.html

 

Looks like there have been some efforts to 3D print in HO scale, but I don't see any offerings in N.