Mississippi's "Merci Train" -- Part 2

Last week I attended a presentation that discussed the work that had been and will be done on our 40 & 8 boxcar.  Since my last posting, the roof panels have been installed to help protect the boxcar from the elements.  Interpretive signage still has to be installed.

Workmen install the roof panels and put a waterproof sealant on the finished product.

Our Museum Division curators have also installed a small exhibit in the lobby of our main building about the Merci Train.  Here are pictures of the exhibit, some suitably cropped so you can see all the panels.  Please click on each picture to see a larger image.

The overall exhibit

The left portion of the vertical panel.  Notice the doll the little girl on the right is holding.  It is similar to one in the exhibit case (picture below).

Close-up of above picture so the descriptive sign is readable.

Center portion of the vertical panel

Close-up of above picture so the descriptive sign is readable.

Right portion of the vertical panel

Close-up of top part of above picture so the descriptive sign is readable.

Close-up of bottom part of above picture so the descriptive sign is readable.

A selection of gifts from the French people

There were a number of items that were included with each of the 49 boxcars.  Mississippi's items are pictured above, with some close-up pictures below.

A booklet on the French Army's efforts in WW2 and a painted drumhead

A charcoal drawing of the front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris

A little girl's doll, similar to the one in the picture above of the left portion of the vertical panel

A very nicely done piece of embroidery

Once the interpretive signage is installed, I'll post more pictures.  I hope that you are enjoying this "history lesson" and will try to see the "Merci Train" in your state, if it still exists as some have been allowed to be destroyed.  You can use this web site to see if your state's boxcar is still extant.

Mississippi Trail of Honor

Every Armed Forces Day weekend (3rd weekend in May), the local Harley Davidson Motorcycle dealer has been hosting a tribute to America's military with its "Trail of Honor."  And every year I say, "Self, we need to go to this!"  Well, finally my son and I stopped by on our way home from one of our wargaming group's games.  Since the locale of the trail is at the Interstate exit I normally take to go to my house, it is a wonder that it has taken me so long to stop by the trail.

The trail started in the Harley Davidson showroom with a large number of booths and in-door exhibits featuring participants as diverse as Indian code-talkers, Buffalo soldiers, Tuskegee airmen, veterans organizations from every service, and even a small display from my workplace (Miss. Dept. of Archives and History).  Once we finished walking around and looking at everything, we went outside and followed the trail through the warm, but shady piney woods behind the shop.  Starting with the French and Indian War and finishing up with the current war of terror, the living history displays chronicled every conflict in which America has been involved.  Of course being in Mississippi, the largest number of demonstrations were of the American Civil War with re-enactors portraying all aspects of Civil War military life from artillery positions through a field medical site to the cavalry picket line.  The Traveling Vietnam Wall was also there and served to remind everyone who came through of the price we have paid for our liberty.

My camera batteries were very low so I only took three  pictures, even though I probably could have taken 300!

One of our own wargamers, John H. from Vicksburg, dressed as an American Revolutionary War soldier.

A "slick boat" from the Navy's Special Boat Team 22, which is based at the Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi.  This boat was one of the ones actually used in the movie Act of Valor which I saw.

A trailer mounted model of the Navy's newest nuclear attack boat - the USS Mississippi.  She will be commissioned on June 2, 2012 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Pascagoula.  She is the fifth ship named Mississippi and the first submarine to carry our state's name.

I hope that you enjoyed this very brief tour of Mississippi's Trail of Honor and, if you live close enough, will consider stopping by next year for a visit.

Back of Beyond Troops Bases Enhanced

After my test game last Saturday, it was quickly apparent that although I could tell my units apart, my gaming buddies were having trouble.  So after some constructive comments from them, I spent today enhancing the bases so the different units of the same type of figure could be distinguished from each other.

I added dark green or brownish green flock, fine sand, fine talus, combinations, and additions to all the bases.  Now we'll be able to distinguish between the British, American, and Chinese troop units.  The bases aren't quite completed as I still need to fix the "flocking" and add the officer and sergeant rank insignias.

The entire group of units after basing enhancements have been added.

Front row are the missionary and his daughters (both their passive and action figures).  Front right corner contains the Marine headquarters element.  Both Marine sections are behind the missionaries.  One of the German-equipped Chinese units is behind the Marine HQ element.

Front left unit is one of the Chinese warlord units, while the Ghurkhas are to the front right.  Across behind them (from left to right) are two Chinese commanders (one in German outfit and the other the Warlord himself), then the senior British sergeant and officer, and the two British Vickers machinegun teams with their sergeant.

Finally the two British infantry sections are in front with a German-equipped Chinese unit (left rear) and a warlord Chinese unit (right rear) behind them.  On the far left are the Chinese mortar team and heavy machinegun team.

I was pleased with the way the enhancements added to the basing of the figures and helped to distinguish one national unit from another.

Patriots' Day - 19 April 1775/2012

Today we here in the United States celebrate Patriots' Day - the day of the "shot heard 'round the world!"

And for all those patriots whose blood watered the Tree of Liberty, I give my heartfelt thanks.

Mississippi's "Merci Train"

The renovation is finally complete on Mississippi's "Merci Train" 40 & 8 boxcar.  It has been completely rebuilt and painted and is now on display beside the newly refurbished Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio Railroad Depot, Capitol Green, in Jackson.

Official disclaimer -- I am an employee of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, who is the owner of the 40 & 8 boxcar.  The pictures were taken by a co-worker and by me and are posted here as a tribute to the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines who helped destroy the tyrannies that brought about WW1 and WW2.

Details behind the "Merci Train" which were gifts from France and the French citizens after WW2 -- http://www.mercitrain.org/  .  For details about the restoration project, complete with a picture of the state of the car before it was restored, please click on "Merci Boxcars by State - Mississippi" then click on "Current Status of the Mississippi Merci Boxcar" link to go to a press release from the Archives Department.

A co-worker friend of mine, Brother William, took the first series of pictures with his camera phone as they moved the car from its former location to its new location last fall.  They used a rather large crane to lift it onto a flat bed trailer and then back off at the new site, only about 100 yards away.

Removing the car from the old site.  The new site is barely visible at the left edge of the gravel lot in the background.

A rather fuzzy close-up of the decrepit state of the car.  A better "before" picture is in the "mdah" link above.

Ready to hoist away.

Loading the car on the tractor trailer rig.  You can see the new site (dark area) in the gravel in the left back ground.

Arriving at the new site by the GM&O Depot.  The track is now abandoned and only exists right there by the depot.

Getting the crane situated before the lift.

Beginning the lift.

"Lower away, handsomely!"

The lift is completed.

The car looks rather lonely at its new site.

Once in its new site, the car was completely stripped, all the way to the frame.  I kept meaning to get some pictures while the car was being refurbished but kept forgetting to bring my camera into work.  After a long number of months, the work was finished and I took the following pictures on Easter Saturday.

The completed car sits on its own little section of track outside the GM&O Depot.  My son, Sean, stands in front of it.

The east (or "back") side of the car.  The crests are those of the various French provinces.

The west (or "front") side of the car.  Here you can see the emblem of the Merci Train (lower left corner) and the "40 hommes - 8 cheveaux" placard (to right of upper door corner).

The newly refurbished Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio Railroad Depot which now houses the staff offices of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's Museum Division.

For many years I despaired that the car would just moulder away, lost to wood rot and neglect.  But this fine example of historic restoration will keep the car in good condition for many generations yet to come to see and learn about the generosity of the American people after such a devastating war abroad.

"China" Marines

After much starting and stopping and restarting, I finally completed my unit of "China" Marines for the Back of Beyond.  They are Brigade Games miniatures from their Caribbean Empires range.  I already had a few and bought the rest from my Metarie friend "Zombie" Ken.  So here they are:

The Headquarters Section - Captain Jack Kelley with his bulldog Chesty, his gunnery sergeant (left), and a two-man BAR team (right)

The 1st Section, commanded by an experienced 1st lieutenant and a veteran sergeant; consisting of four armed with Thompson sub-machineguns, two BAR gunners, and six riflemen.  You just can't fool around when you are facing the Chinese hordes!

The 2nd Section, commanded by a green 2nd lieutenant and a veteran sergeant; with the same composition as the 1st Section.

These "Devil Dogs" will see action on April 21st in the play test of the game I am running at our regional Bayou Wars convention (June).  OORAH!!  Semper Fi!!

It Was a Good Day, Today

The Margraviate of Carpania is all abuzz today.  The Markgraf threw a lavish party to celebrate the 62nd birthday of his favorite commander, Major General Seamus Campbell.  Bells were rung at noon, good food and drink were consumed freely, and fireworks were aglow at dusk.

Actually, I celebrated my birthday starting with a work session at Bill's as we continued construction on our Mayan temple for a game at Bayou Wars in June, then seeing Act of Valor with Lord Sterling and Russ-sama, followed by a fish and fried onion dinner by my wonderful wife.

Brief review of Act of Valor.  While most of the acting was rather wooden (after all, most of the actors are actual SEALs and support staff), the action was first rate.  The scenes of the slick boats supporting the first operation were truly outstanding, especially the "curtain of Gatling fire" keeping the bad guys away from the extraction point.  A very uplifting and patriotic movie.  IMDB link  Roselyn Sanchez (of Without a Trace, among other performances) was good as the CIA agent and Alex Veadov and Jason Cottle were good as the bad guys.

Col Campbell gives it two wargamer's thumbs up!

Jim