Armored Trains

[stratego]

Do you think that armored trains will be used again in future combats?

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

What is the point, just blow up the track.

 

[Turner]

Nope. They're too static.

 

[silver 2039]

Thye're used for transpoting troops but actual fighiting? Doubt it. Though during WW1 artillery guns were fired from trains but it's not very efficent cuz you can only use it where the track is.

 

[Esckey]

The germans did that in WW2 also. Anzio Annie was one of them I think, but either way they had this really really big gun that they used to pound Sevestpol, so big it was on 2 railroad tracks side by side

 

[stormbind]

Possibly, in France..

 

[FriendlyFire]

hmmm... Armoured trains as in old are obsolete

But a moden remote controlled Armoured fighting and radar train with hitech detection equipment possible but to costly to develope for such a "niche" / "specialist " role

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Somehow 'no' just doesn't seem obvious enough...

Only in the European theatre could such devices find any use, and even there they would be rapidly immobilized by track destruction and then annihilated due to lack of mobility.

The slower something moves in modern warfare, the shorter its life expectancy.

 

[Speedo]

the only possible use would be train based artillery, but with the mobility of current arty (ie MLRS) and air power, there's no need for a massive gun that can shoot a couple hundred miles. Even though it's pretty darn cool.

 

[PantheraTigris2]

If you think of hidden nuclear ICBM's in RR boxcars, continuously criss-crossing the country as 'armored trains', then yes, they are in use as we speak/type.

 

[Speedo]

If you think of hidden nuclear ICBM's in RR boxcars, continuously criss-crossing the country as 'armored trains', then yes, they are in use as we speak/type.

I've never heard of US rail-based missiles. Why would we need them?

I seriously doubt that Russia has the money to keep theirs running.

 

[silver 2039]

Many countries have rail based missiles including India, China, and even Russia

 

[PantheraTigris2]

I've never heard of US rail-based missiles. Why would we need them?

If you hadn't just said so, I was immediately going to point out in the next post that it was likely the case. That's exactly the intention - that no one's ever heard about them. Because if it was widely known, small towns across the country would be in uproar that NUKES (God forbid) are quietly transitioning through their towns at night. Heck, finding a truck route to reposition nuclear waste is almost impossible when the people find out, and start lobbying. But a bonafide planet killer, going through OUR town! That would spark outrage.

My dad was involved with the project when it got started back the in 70s. I forget what the name of the system is that they call it (he never talked about it that much), but I'll ask him next time I talk to him. Basically, it's mobile ICBM's, which the enemy can't track. Obviously, you can find out where the silos are - and target them. Think of these trains as the SSN 'boomers', only these are instead on land, right here in-country, not out in the ocean. But they are the same animal. Mobile, and untrackable.

And no, don't worry about 'can somebody 'get' one of these cars', and take control of it/ steal materials, etc. Even the RR companies don't know which cars are the ones. To say that this is a 'top secret' operation is a laughable understatement.

It's one of those things no one knows about - unless they are/ or know someone that was/is directly involved with it. But rest assured, they're out there. Cruising the rural railroad system, at all hours, every day. Part of a system, which hopefully will never be called into action.

I'm curious myself now... what did they call it...? It's been a number of years since the last time he mentioned it. *I* was the one, doubting and denying something like this was out there. But, he was insistent, saying he knows for certain it's still active even today. Well, I know what he did during the Cold War, so I can't deny he probably knows what he's talking about. Whatever... I really wouldn't put it past the government. This was the #1 issue for decades. What do you expect?