Mar13, 2016: Truck? Train? Hybrid?

[xoxoxoBruce]

When you have a lot of big and/or heavy shit to move, the railroad is the best bet for efficiency bang for the buck.
The drawbacks are railroad tracks don't go everywhere so getting your stuff to the tracks, then to the destination.

Your next option is by truck. You'll need more of them for a big shipment, and they need roads. In fact years ago
there weren't trucks to carry very heavy loads and roads, especially good ones, were fewer and farther between.
And of course there was soft, swampy, sandy, wet, areas.
Now paved roads go most everywhere people are, but the bridges and overhead clearance might be sketchy.

Into the gap jumps big steam tractors with wagons


Trying to combine the economics of trains, with the flexibility of truck, and throw in rough terrain capability,
the road train was born. The monster multi trailer rigs they use in Australia and South America today bear little
in common but the principle and the name.
The early ones were pretty slow, but they could move large loads over most any terrain.

Now who wants to move lots of heavy stuff over rough terrain? The Army of course, that's a fact, Jack.



So in 1900 when the Brits were getting Boered, John Fowler built the army some road trains with armor.
They had the capability of moving tonnage over rough ground, and protection for the cargo and crew from at least
small caliber rounds. Although Lord Kitchener had around 45 steam road trains at his disposal, using them required
planning and time to get a head of steam up.
No quick trip to the whorehouse unless everyone goes.