Quote:
Originally Posted by kalos72
As I skimmed through some of the older posts I found one regarding transportation and the need for trains to move large amount of materials or people. So I wondered, if I needed to move say 10 semi-trailers worth of materials 400 miles over a major interstate, what security precautions would I need?
I say move the shipments randomly, gun trucks, ultralights flying ahead as scouts mounted on the trailers using the moving truck as a launch platform and some sort of bulldozer lead truck to clear roadblocks.
A major convoy of 20+ large, heavy vehicles with major firepower and air support would be hard to stop, assuming it was a bull rush, where defenders would clear the path as the transports run full bore regardless, mad max style.
Or would running rail tracks over the interstate be better? Seems railroad cars are easier to stop then a mobile convoy...
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Depends on where you need to go and what resources are available. For example, if you have no locomotive you won't be pulling much on the railroads, and if the tracks are destroyed (or the highway bridge) you can't get through. Laying track is a major effort, as is clearing channels and dredging a river, and repairing damaged roads and bridges.
A couple factors get traded off. Security, flexibility, available resources (transport equipment, fuel, personnel, weapons, ultralights, etc), ability to get where you need to go. If you're trying to conserve fuel waterborne is the way to go - one river barge carries 1500 tons and a normal tow is 12 barges. Next most efficient is rail, with 100 tons per car and trains up to about 175 cars. Trucks have the most flexibility in route, but the lowest capacity - 25 tons, and use the most fuel. (A gallon of diesel will move one ton 59 miles by truck, 202 miles by train and 514 miles by barge).
As to what works best will differ for any given situation on the mix of the factors above. If there are obstacles in the way, even a heavily armed convoy - be it road, rail or river - can be forced to stop and overwhelmed... see Jessica Lynch, 2003.
The great thing about being GM is that you can write the story any way you want to, and explain afterwords...