Sniper Scopes

Castenea wrote:

Weird Harold wrote:Safehold already has an extensive network of good roads, where railroads in the real world started off competing against "more than one wagon has gone this way" level of road building.

Harold, you are more right than wrong where N. America is concerned, however, railroads started in England where there was an extensive road network between major cities already with some dating back to Roman times. Safehold has roads better than what was common anywhere on earth prior to about 1900 though.

As far as I know, with the exception of the Roman roads throughout Europe just about the entire world had roads no better than Macadam when Railroads started out-competing canals. I get the impression that Safehold's main roads are autobahn/US freeway class as far as load bearing capability.

Harold, you are more right than wrong where N. America is concerned, however, railroads started in England where there was an extensive road network between major cities already with some dating back to Roman times. Safehold has roads better than what was common anywhere on earth prior to about 1900 though.[/quote]

As far as I know, with the exception of the Roman roads throughout Europe just about the entire world had roads no better than Macadam when Railroads started out-competing canals. I get the impression that Safehold's main roads are autobahn/US freeway class as far as load bearing capability.[/quote]

WH: Several paragraphs on the roads indicate cobblestone and other primitive type layouts. After all they are at the wagon, carriage, and farm cart stage. Several characters have mentioned bumpy rides.
Then, if a 98lb woman in high-heels weighs as much as an elephant on the heel point, how much weight does a draft-dragon place on the road when only two feet touch the ground?

I would suspect that given the quality of roads, at least on the mainland, that self propelled transport will be forthcoming. It might be steam, but after the proscrptions are overthown, I wouldn't be surprised to see desiel for ships, rail and trucks. On land I think rail probably comes first.

The capacity for mass production of steel is there already, but will need to be expanded to the mainland. There is text ev in LAMA that Howsmyn is already helping facilitate the process.

Don

TN4994 wrote:I forget which SciFi writer wrote of citywide conveyors),

The Roads must Roll, Robert Anson Heinlein, 1940

Keith_w wrote:

TN4994 wrote:I forget which SciFi writer wrote of citywide conveyors),

The Roads must Roll, Robert Anson Heinlein, 1940

[Librarian hat]
Yes, Heinlein's rolling roads are probably the best known. H.G. Wells was apparently the first to write about the concept, in A Story of the Days to Come, 1897. The movie Metropolis, 1927, depicted both moving sidewalks and escalators. Isaac Asimov included them in the first of the Robot novels, The Caves of Steel, 1953. Arthur C. Clarke had a very advanced version in Against the Fall of Night, 1953 (later completely rewritten as The City and the Stars, 1956) in which the moving walks act like a moving fluid with differential rates, rather than the separate strips described by other authors. A number of others have also used the idea of moving walkways since then, including the Jetson's cartoon.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.
[/Librarian hat]

SWM wrote:

Keith_w wrote:The Roads must Roll, Robert Anson Heinlein, 1940

[Librarian hat]
Yes, Heinlein's rolling roads are probably the best known. H.G. Wells was apparently the first to write about the concept, in A Story of the Days to Come, 1897. The movie Metropolis, 1927, depicted both moving sidewalks and escalators. Isaac Asimov included them in the first of the Robot novels, The Caves of Steel, 1953. Arthur C. Clarke had a very advanced version in Against the Fall of Night, 1953 (later completely rewritten as The City and the Stars, 1956) in which the moving walks act like a moving fluid with differential rates, rather than the separate strips described by other authors. A number of others have also used the idea of moving walkways since then, including the Jetson's cartoon.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.
[/Librarian hat]

Didn't Er Burroughs mention moving sidewalks in the John Carter Series?

TN4994 wrote:

SWM wrote:[Librarian hat]
Yes, Heinlein's rolling roads are probably the best known. H.G. Wells was apparently the first to write about the concept, in A Story of the Days to Come, 1897. The movie Metropolis, 1927, depicted both moving sidewalks and escalators. Isaac Asimov included them in the first of the Robot novels, The Caves of Steel, 1953. Arthur C. Clarke had a very advanced version in Against the Fall of Night, 1953 (later completely rewritten as The City and the Stars, 1956) in which the moving walks act like a moving fluid with differential rates, rather than the separate strips described by other authors. A number of others have also used the idea of moving walkways since then, including the Jetson's cartoon.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.
[/Librarian hat]

Didn't Er Burroughs mention moving sidewalks in the John Carter Series?

I think you're right. I can't remember which book, but I do seem to recall John Carter coming across a moving road somewhere on Barsoom.

Moving sidewalks are literally a classic idea used by some of the best-known golden age SF authors.

Too bad we won't see them on Safehold!

Never say never.
It just encourages others.

Keith_w wrote:

AirTech wrote:Bicycle's are more efficient (and faster too). Bicycles have military applications as well as a cyclist can carry more weight, faster than a cavalryman, on good roads, for a lower cost (off road the horse has a small advantage but needs food). It does require good quality steel tube to make it happen but Charis should be on the edge of this now.
A cyclist can deliver a round couple of hundred kilos whilst riding a bike on good roads and move the same amount on rough tracks whilst walking the bike. The NVA demonstrated this a few million times during the Vietnam War and other armies have used them repeatedly as an alternative to motorized transport (the US Army is not one of them - the lack of good (or any)roads scuppered the attempt). Safehold, by the textev, indicates the roads are present so bicycles are definitely an option. (Anywhere you can take a wagon train you can take a bicycle, particularly after the wagon has just gone through).
A Tour de Charis could be on the horizon.

Solid tire bicycles are already in use at the foundry. A desire for pneumatic tires has been expressed by Mr. Howseman. BTW, is that an attempt to rehabilitate the Houseman name that has been so sullied in the Honorverse?

This idea is so bland, that I can't imagine it's not been discussed before. If someone can direct me to that forum/topic, I'd appreciate it.

In the mean time...


I suspect that the example of the Swiss, Swedish and even G.B. bicycle soldiers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_bicycle,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_army_bicycle,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_military_bicycle &
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Cyclist_Corps.
...that Charis will eventually have the same Bicycle Corps.

What I'm not so certain of is, has it already been hinted at in the books? I THOUGHT that yes, it's been hinted at, but I can't find the reference. Am I imagining things?





.

AFAIK Yes