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Post by greenbeanie on Nov 8, 2017 23:03:47 GMT
I keep seeing the HO scale US Army Railroad gun on Ebay and it reminds me that during the First World War the US Navy had railroad guns in use in France. It gets me to thinking that with one shot (if it hit) from long range and a Martian Tripod would be gone. Railroad guns were mobile as long as there war tracks and now that I see some games are focusing on breaking through the Mississippi Line with its walls and casement guns gets me to thinking if I should pick up some railroad artillery. I have already picked up on Ebay for $3.00 one of the 1/100th scale Wright Brothers planes for spotting. Your thoughts?
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Post by scottwashburn on Nov 9, 2017 0:09:55 GMT
I'm not sure what place a railroad gun would have on the game table except as an objective. While they could be aimed at a map coordinate to hopefully land a shell amidst a horde of attacking tripods many miles away. They'd have little hope of picking off a single tripod at close range. Still, a game with the railroad gun as an objective could be very cool.
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Post by Quendil on Nov 9, 2017 12:20:15 GMT
You could perhaps use one when attacking a martian redoubt
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Post by David N.Tanner 07011959 on Nov 9, 2017 15:56:09 GMT
I can see railway guns as off board artillery. On the table I agree with Scott, they'd be a great objective.
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Post by madmorgan on Nov 10, 2017 19:15:26 GMT
Well, I've done a number of scenarios in my OOB listings and some TO&E listing using railroad guns - particularly in Russia. I'll list them here in a moment. After almost a hour of searching, I can't find my various 1/72 Russian figure scenarios, which included the railroad gun as a main piece. I also can't find my listing on the stats of a railroad gun. I'll continue looking over the next few days and readdress this later. Sorry  |
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Post by hardlec on Nov 19, 2017 23:37:16 GMT
The good thing about railroad is that they move from train station to train station very efficiently. The problem with trains is that they never stray from their tracks (well: not far, anyway.)
Railroad guns made great long range super-guns. Tactically, they were very weak. Air power made them too vulnerable.
It AQMF terms, they will be great as off-map artillery (eye candy) and as an objective (eye candy) but tactically, I don't think they could fire when depressed enough to do direct fire.
When defending a town, Railroad guns would stay on the edge of the tracks, with most of the rails having been taken up to deny them to the martians, and provide heavy fire support until the Martians were driven off or until they broke through.
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Post by David N.Tanner 07011959 on Nov 20, 2017 3:23:34 GMT
How were armored trains imployed tatically?
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Post by David N.Tanner 07011959 on Nov 20, 2017 3:31:09 GMT
I keep seeing the HO scale US Army Railroad gun on Ebay and it reminds me that during the First World War the US Navy had railroad guns in use in France. It gets me to thinking that with one shot (if it hit) from long range and a Martian Tripod would be gone. Railroad guns were mobile as long as there war tracks and now that I see some games are focusing on breaking through the Mississippi Line with its walls and casement guns gets me to thinking if I should pick up some railroad artillery. I have already picked up on Ebay for $3.00 one of the 1/100th scale Wright Brothers planes for spotting. Your thoughts? I just read this through again and spotted the bit about the Wright Flyer. Seems to me a spotter plane should be able to add a positive modifier to the off board artillery's hit chance. If said off board artillery is something like a 12" railroad gun, it would be devastating. |
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Post by boxholder on Nov 20, 2017 12:46:55 GMT
-The armored train's most frequent role was counter-partisan patrol and defense of rail lines.
-Coastal patrol and defense were also possible.
-They were used as mobile artillery batteries that could add a surprise element to an attack, as well as escaping counter-battery fire.
-The Germans used them to try for quick seizure of rail centers during the early days of WW-2, made possible due to the dense rail net in Europe
There are more, but I need to get into the books to find the listing.
Just as an aside: What is not to love with these beasts? The trains meet the tanks. The phyiscal manifestation of a guy magnet: large, fast-moving, dangerous things that make a lot of noise.
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Post by scottwashburn on Nov 20, 2017 14:50:59 GMT
I could see armored trains becoming quite important. Once the Martians realize the importance of the railroads to the prey-creatures (as they do in my books) they will start sending out raiding parties to wreck them in the human rear areas. Repair trains will have to go out to fix the damage and they might be escorted by armored trains powerful enough to deal with a small raiding force.
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Post by boxholder on Nov 20, 2017 16:48:13 GMT
Here is a more extensive list compiled by a historian:
German Armored Trains in World War II
Dr Wolfgang Sawodny
Independent Offensive Action
Recon along the track, especially stations,tunnels, bridges,etc
Seizure of rail facilities
Invasion of enemy territory
Offensive intervention in battles
Artillery against targets from advanced positions
Pursuit and capture of retreating enemy forces
Independent Defensive Action
Blocking enemy advances
Surprise counter-attacks on advancing enemy forces
Defending against enemy armored columns
Rear-guard protection for withdrawals
Rounding up enemy retreating units
Fighting off enemy raids on rear transport lines
Coastal patrol and defense
Support assignments
Support infantry attacks and defenses through its weapons
Flank protection of forces operating along railways
Leading attacks by moving against or around terrain hindrances
Artillery battle from concealed positions
Radio coordination of mixed battle groups
Security assignments
Guarding and replacing railway facilities
Guarding supply and communications lines to the read
Guarding troop concentrations
Guarding supply depots
Guarding transport of troops and materiel during movement and unloading
Patrolling railway lines
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Post by hardlec on Nov 20, 2017 20:07:24 GMT
Armored trains can indeed be useful tactically, even with the limitation of being confined to tracks. There are a few paper models available.
Railroad guns are a different animal.
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Post by boxholder on Nov 20, 2017 22:20:40 GMT
There was indeed a 1/72 injection molded armored train kit from Armageddon Models (France). It was an absolute abomination--DO NOT PURCHASE unless you have a masochistic streak in your modeling. Ask me how I know.
I don't know if any are still in circulation nor do I know if the company is still in business.
Several beautiful kits are available in 1/35 but that is way too big for AQMF. And some neat short run resin kits==WAY expensive
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Post by scottwashburn on Nov 21, 2017 15:22:19 GMT
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Post by easyred2 on Nov 22, 2017 2:06:50 GMT
For an armored train, I used 2 of the extra MK3 "turrets" and then glued side guns to them
bought a flat car (Civil War) - it looks more to the period of 1914,,,bought on ebay for about $12
Below is an unpainted assembly. I used the deck lids of a MK1 to bridge the 2 turrets.. Range is per the tank stats, just immobile By the way the box cars in background hold infantry that deploy from "ambush" for a couple of scenarios
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