Sharpshell Train

Through the mud and through the gas, over the plain and through the glass, our train that roars ahead.
~ Excerpt from the "Trainspawn's Song"

Sharpshell Trains are massive, slug-like bio-organic constructs that form the backbone of the transport and logistic systems utilized by the armed forces of the Eleventh Reik.
Their importance for these systems can't be overstated, as, without their ability to swiftly transport large amounts of men and material over even the roughest of terrains, the armies of the Reik would quickly run out of troops or supplies or be stuck in some remote location far off from where they are currently needed.
In addition to their role as all-terrain mass-transporters, Shaprshell Trains also serve as mobile platforms for a great number of heavy weapons and artillery pieces, which makes them one of the most important cornerstones of the Reik's overall defensive strategy, as their significant firepower is able to block the advance of any enemy, which managed to breakthrough the Reik's frontline.
While many other vehicles would have a hard time even fulfilling one of these functions in a non-combat role Sharpshell Trains are more than capable of satisfying the ambitious requirements of the Reik's logistics officers, while under heavy fire by the forces of the Vitreous Empire.

Propulsion

Sharpshell trains move through undulating contractions of numerous reinforced muscle bundles located at their underside, which is studded with countless, length-adjustable barnacle-like thorns that grant the train an excellent road grip in nearly every type of terrain.
In addition to this primary propulsion system, most trains also possess various secondary propulsion methods, such as mucus-coated pseudopods, muscular tentacles, or even wings.

Weapons & Armament

Thanks to their modular structure, Sharpshell trains are able to be equipped with a great number of different bio-organic weapon systems, which makes it relatively easy to adjust their weapon loadout to the current situation of the battlefield.
Due to this the weapon layout and overall firepower of two trains can vary immensely, with some trains only sporting a handful of up-scaled Sharktooth Rifles, while others are positively laced with organic artillery pieces and possess enough firepower to level an enemy fortification in a single salvo.
Given that all but the largest and bulkiest weapon systems can be easily concealed beneath the train's outer shell, it is nearly impossible to estimate the firepower of a specific train until it has fired, which has resulted in numerous nasty surprises for the enemies of the Reik.

Armor and defense

Shooting at an armored snail is as interesting as shooting at a rock.
But at least the rock as the decency of not regrowing once you finished shooting it.

The name-giving "Sharpshell" of an armored snail is a true marvel of organic technology, which is composed of several layers of nacre, coral-horn, and gelatinous mucus that are able to withstand most types of siege-class artillery.
Due to being a living organism, this shell is also able to regenerate the damage it took during an engagement within a couple of hours.

Nickname

Armoured Snail, Crawling Clam

Manufacturer

Eleventh Reik

Length

60 - 400 m, depending on number of "wagons".

Speed

30-100 km/h, depending on size and terrain.

Tempramental Trains

While not considered to be sentient, Sharpshell trains are nevertheless living beings and therefore possess their individual peculiarities that subtly affect the ways in which the train operates and reacts to the commands of its conductor.
In order to prevent undesirable side effects of these quirks, Sharpshell trains are usually only assigned to a specific subset of possible roles, which fits their natural disposition.

by sarajuggernaut

Snails and Panzers

While most trains utilized by the Eleventh Reik are generally dozens if not hundreds of meters long, in recent years the Reik's officers have conducted several battlefield tests with significantly smaller and shorter trains.
Intended as transports and mobile fire support for small groups of troops the performance of these so-called Penzirs ("Little Train") has so far been rather mixed.