Trains

An approaching armoured train is already a frightening sight, but an angry armoured train even more so.

Long ago, there was a great diversity of trains for all purposes. Nowadays, they are exclusively found in the shape of armoured trains. They allow other machines to travel faster than by any other known means, or transport supplies in a safe and swift way over great distances. The lighter variants are used for transportation inside the territories, while the toughest ones operate in the no-man's-land.

Equipment

Heavily armed and armoured, prudent raiders know not to mess with them. The average armoured train features at least one main weapon per offensive wagon, and optionally several secondary ones. The main weapons are large-caliber, hard-hitting cannons mounted on rotatable turrets. The secondary armament consists of additional firepower in the form of artillery, smaller-caliber, or anti-aircraft weapons.

All the weapons are completely autonomous, controlled by the train's AI. Said AI, while simplistic and even primitive compared to the higher developed vehicles, is only concerned with two things: getting its freight from A to B and killing anything that would prevent this. It wouldn't beat a tank at crossword puzzles, but is lethally efficient at the things it was designed to do.

Defences

Sometimes, vehicles are either too brave or too foolish for their own good. Derailing a train by destroying the tracks seems like the obvious way to get their precious cargo - and the derailing part does work most of the time. However, while their freight and some equipment might get shaken from the rough interruption, the desired effect - disabling the train - isn't achieved as easily as expected. The attackers are in for a nasty surprise.
For exactly this scenario, trains have mechanisms that allow them to move without tracks. They can only move very slowly that way, but it's usually enough to put themselves back onto the undamaged parts of the track. If necessary, everything that tries to harm it in the meantime will have the incoming fire reciprocated tenfold.

A less immediate solution to damaged tracks is specially outfitted track maintenance cars that the trains can take along and use to perform repairs or complete replacements on the rail infrastructure.

Taking It Out

Only the most powerful cannons are capable of getting through a train's armour, but that alone is only a small part of the effort needed to kill it. To supply the train's weapons with ammunition, the individual wagons are outfitted with ammo stowages. Hitting these stowages is the only reliable way to take out a wagon. The AI core is located in the railcar, which is the most heavily armoured part of the train; thus, targeting it is not viable in most cases.

by Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-639-4252-19A / Zwirner

Conscience

Trains are barely sentient - they don't have personalities or intelligence, and are only capable of basic communication. They can feel simple emotions and experience pain, and recognize other trains as their kin, but don't show free will or learning ability.

Rarity

In some regions, they are frequently used, while in others, there are none at all.

Train Services

The owners of trains often make them available for travellers and merchants. Free teams that can afford it make use of this to get to far away places in relative safety. These services are advertised in the surrounding area to attract potential customers.

Track Network

The typical routes consist of long stretches of tracks, with few - if any - stations in between. Some railroad lines and stations have shared owners, who work together to keep them maintained.

Passenger Cars

Other than the freight wagons and purely offensive wagons, trains can also feature passenger wagons. These tend to be indistinguishable from the other types, but possess thinner armour and dummy weapons to reduce weight and make space for travellers.