Steam train

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

It's not that terribly difficult, both World Wars featured armed
Trains. It's usually not very helpful, though.

The biggest weakness of an armed train is that it's just as rail-bound as an unarmed one, so an enemy willing to strike the rails can immobilize or destroy it without having to fight it. Though that's more useful if the attackers don't mind destroying the train.

Originally Posted by Dexion

Of course I thinking to put some trunks or rocks on the rails, but it easy to clean the way with lots of peoples to do the job and some watchers with guns.

If you've stopped the train to clear or repair the tracks ahead you may be on guard, but you're also stopped. Keeping the train from running away is the only really distinctive problem of trying to capture a train.

Basically, all you need to waylay a train is the standard bandit barricade: block the road and set up all your shooters to cover where the target will have to stop.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Basically, all you need to waylay a train is the standard bandit barricade: block the road and set up all your shooters to cover where the target will have to stop.

Why stop the train? Let it crash and take care of some of those defenders for you. Just mine the tracks, or perhaps the obligatory trestle bridge. You can always pick out the gold bars from the wreckage later.

GMs are going to need some fragile MacGuffins if they want to avoid complete mayhem.

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Just mine the tracks, or perhaps the obligatory trestle bridge.
...snip...
GMs are going to need some fragile MacGuffins if they want to avoid complete mayhem.

As a GM, I'd make accessing sufficient blasting explosives a mission in itself.

As a former railway signaler, my first thought is in regards to the implications of the damaged rail line and/or bridge. The train may be looted etc, but what was once a transportation route is now a dead end. And that's going to **** off a lot of folks.

My two pence worth of firewood.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Sticking tractor (tank, in modern times) treads on an armoured train should be feasible, but wasn't (AFAICT) done historically, and unless they're very strangely designed treads, wouldn't work too well on train tracks. You either go on the rails, or you carry them with you.

There's something of a sweet spot in vehicle length for treads. Too short and the vehicle will tend to waddle and slither rather than going straight. Too long and it will be very difficult to turn. A locomotive is way off on the "too long" end of that spectrum.

You could make a caterpillar train, but you couldn't make a good one by simply putting caterpillar treads on an existing train.

[The Colonel]

The other option is to wait for GURPS Girl Genius to come out and use that train...

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Why stop the train? Let it crash and take care of some of those defenders for you. Just mine the tracks, or perhaps the obligatory trestle bridge. You can always pick out the gold bars from the wreckage later.

GMs are going to need some fragile MacGuffins if they want to avoid complete mayhem.

The OP specified capturing a train intact, but certainly if you drop that requirement orchestrating a wreck is a good way to do it. And you probably don't even need explosives, you should be able to simply sabotage the tracks such that they'll fail and cause derailment.

Lots of reasons you might not want to though. As Luke Bunyip notes, that's a pretty serious piece of destruction, though if you didn't destroy a bridge in the process the track damage chould be a fairly fast fix. Point is, you might draw more heat for mass murder and major destruction of property and infrastructure than just for some armed robbery. Or you're trying to kidnap a passenger and they're no good to you dead.

Or in weird RPG stunts maybe you really are trying to steal the train itself. Usually that doesn't make a lot of sense, because anywhere you can take it is somewhere its owners can readily follow. Maybe if you're planning to use it to sneak past a checkpoint, or to ram a terminal...

[safisher]

Armored steam traction engines were used in the Boer War. Look up the Fowler armored road train.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

The OP specified capturing a train intact

True; I've wandered a bit afield.

that's a pretty serious piece of destruction

More destructive than the same process, but leaving the train out of the explosion, certainly. But destroying the track in a way so that the train safely comes to a halt (in a convenient place for the concealed snipers to shoot everyone) is still breaking the transport route and mass murder. I doubt the US Marshals and cavalry are going to give the PCs a pass because they "only" destroyed the tracks and killed everyone, but spared the train (and that specifically so they could steal it, too).

I'd agree, the bridge would be a much harder repair. But how much difference is that going to make to the PC's fate?

Maybe if you're planning to use it to sneak past a checkpoint, or to ram a terminal...

Oh, good, more mayhem on the PC's ledger in the "save the train" case :)

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

More destructive than the same process, but leaving the train out of the explosion, certainly. But destroying the track in a way so that the train safely comes to a halt (in a convenient place for the concealed snipers to shoot everyone) is still breaking the transport route and mass murder. I doubt the US Marshals and cavalry are going to give the PCs a pass because they "only" destroyed the tracks and killed everyone, but spared the train (and that specifically so they could steal it, too).

I'd agree, the bridge would be a much harder repair. But how much difference is that going to make to the PC's fate?

First, why would you shoot everyone? That's not how competent armed robbery works. You have them immobilized and you've got shooters so that they can't get mobile. You only need to actually shoot anyone if the train has defenders who fight back despite the disastrous disadvantage they're put at. You certainly don't need to shoot anyone who isn't fighting back, like passengers and probably the train's non-guard crew.

Second, why would you destroy the track? Blocking it will do. And if you do 'destroy' it to the extent of pulling one rail out of place (more than enough), that's a fast repair, it doesn't break the transport route for long at all.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Oh, good, more mayhem on the PC's ledger in the "save the train" case :)

Different subject there. That was a suggestion as to why the PCs might actually be wanting to capture the train, again as the OP specifies, rather than just rob it and then release it.

[Varyon]

Back during the American Civil War, some Union raiders stole a Confederate train, with the intent of basically tearing up the tracks and cutting telegram lines as they went along, preventing reinforcements from reaching Chattanooga once Union infantry attacked it. They managed to do some damage to the railway in the process, but not enough (largely because recent rainfall resulted in them being unable to burn bridges), and the attack on Chattanooga ultimately failed. Information on Wikipedia here.