Tetrominon said: Think about the functionality of such a vehicle, and the kind of situation that would have necessitated its invention. That should help.
It's not an invention. It is simply a new design. -_- And given enough money, engineers can build it in no time.
Don't think it would be practical in a real war. And I'm not talking about battle, there are many convenient methods for stopping things that needs rail without engaging it.
Also I don't know if there is any rail road that this mofo can mount. I'm talking about weight and width. If my eyes are right, its wheel has 3 widths too, must be a waste to make its own rail that is compatible, and you cant consider tight turns too, just imagine how much strain would it do to the rails, oh my god.
TLDR: im getting too technical again, sorry about that, nice image.
Bankai1331 said: It's not an invention. It is simply a new design. -_- And given enough money, engineers can build it in no time.
Mechanical engineer in training (no pun intended,) and from what I have learned thus far it is a question more of what is available technology-wise as well, while money sure has a great deal to do with the process, the more customized your design becomes the higher the price skyrockets. I wouldn't be surprised if the price tag on this would be in the hundreds of billions, not to mention the research and development costs for materials that can hold the sheer weight of the vehicle. Nonetheless I still find this to be a badass vehicle.
TLDR: Bringing Real life physics and engineering to the fictional world, but still a badass vehicle.
Illusive said: Don't think it would be practical in a real war. And I'm not talking about battle, there are many convenient methods for stopping things that needs rail without engaging it.
Also I don't know if there is any rail road that this mofo can mount. I'm talking about weight and width. If my eyes are right, its wheel has 3 widths too, must be a waste to make its own rail that is compatible, and you cant consider tight turns too, just imagine how much strain would it do to the rails, oh my god.
TLDR: im getting too technical again, sorry about that, nice image.
Indeed, however there have been a precious few examples of things that have been tried in the real world. The Schwerer Gustav and Dora were the heaviest artillery pieces built, however they required a set of parallel tracks to move. It also was a bitch to hide from aerial strikes. I seriously doubt we will see any further use of the railroad in this manner in warfare again. Railroads are more useful for transportation of material and manpower in large quantities over great distances. In wars past they have been vital for supply, today they are indirectly so moving material from the mines to the mills to the factories. However, as a result a convenient target for an enemy force.
...This could be done. Easily, the weight to mass isn't that great when you think about it, the battleships stood (out of water, in the dock) after all and by indication they'd be bigger than this thing. It's like a land cruiser, they've experimented with a few designs. Wouldn't even need rails (regardless of what's shown in the picture), turning could be achived by turning the wheels themselves to create a smoother curve. But it'd be inefficiant and nearly pointless, one cruise missle would knock the thing out. Now if you were to use a LDG (Laser Defense Grid) such as Northrop-Grumman's GAMMA then you might be going somewhere with all of this. Still wouldn't be any use though, try getting this thing to the battlefield. What'd it move at, 2mph?