Re: Armored trains [TANKS]

["Douglas Shannon" <professor03-at-hotmail.com>]

>From: OdysseySlipways-at-aol.com
>
>Your making it too complicated trying to set up real trail rails. If you 
>want to use some sort of rails, why not take some 1/4" ply wood just wide 
>enough for scale rail and ties width as the road bed.

<snippage>

>For the most part, you won't see the train wheels as they are to be 
>protected as well.
>
>Chris,

All,

I found a model train forum and asked a question or two.
It looks like to use existing 1:6 scale model train stuff would get super 
expensive!! Like $8000 just for a locomotive!


I'm inclinde to agree with Chris that we could do this simpler and less 
expensive.
I feel that an exterior shell that looks like a locomotive, built on a R/C 
power train running either on some type of pre-fab wood or plastic mock 
track would be an interesting way to give this a try without going bankrupt.
Plus, you negate the need for steering control because the track would limit 
the vehicles lateral movement, so you open up a channel or two to go to gun 
operation.... Maybe for a flatcar mounted howitzer or recoiless rifle...


I like the idea of shuttling between bases.
An expansion of that could be to have several ammo dumps that the train 
services and make defending or destroying them an objective in a game 
scenerio.
Another idea is building/destroying tressle bridges as objectives in the 
game - hold a position for 15 or 20 minutes to allow the bridge to be built 
(allowing the train to pass) to score points - this might help artilery 
peices get a little move action too.


I picked a BasicStamp kit as part of a paintball project last year and it's 
not hard to set up a R/C steering system to follow a line drawn on the 
floor. I'm sure this could be tweaked to follow a chalk line along the 
ground.


Silvester