Hi, everyone
I'm sure most of us here have come up with ideas for manga, anime, JRPGs etc before and my post is about such thing. For years, I've always been a big fan of steampunk and steam locomotives in general, but I couldn't find much in the way of anime that had that in it (I know that Steamboy and a few other series that have elements of it) but after seeing Kancolle, it gave me an idea that and the few friends I told it to thought was cool...basically I'm just asking for more opinions.
For those that know a bit of railroad history (and correct me if I get this wrong) a lot of railroads at the beginning were privatized and owned by companies that built them, this is where my idea comes in. Like in Kancolle, the girls would be armored up like War Trains from WW I and possible II, with some early diesels and possibly the early electric trains (not sold on that idea yet) being used as soldier's to battle over rail lines, stations and even citys with Yards. Unlike Kancolle, the girls wouldn't be the embodiment of ships, but more of enhanced by a spiritual bond between them and their equipment, since their armor and gear are made from old trains (I'll explain later) and not all would be fighters, there would be other types, freight, passengers, yard workers etc.
Their basic equipment set up for all is a sort of platform like a rail boogie (it’s what the wheels on a carriage is called) with the boiler carried by the girls, with pipes funneling the steam down into the platform and the controls either on the platform or somewhere on the girls rig, with a coupler around their waist like a belt (This I'm not 100% on, but I'm open to ideas), but with War Trains they would have some weapons on them with others toed behind or in front, and yes, much like Kancolle depending on the type of train would be their size.
Before I start on this next bit, I'd like you guys to just have a watch of this --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7qSGcTFgzY as it explains my next problem...
Unlike the ships in Kancolle, not a lot of armored trains weren't named like Zaamurets and any that were rarely had any photos taken off them, which makes it hard to create characters in that sense, so what I figured is that to kinda go away from it being 'exact' history like Kancolle. By this I mean, having some trains that weren't ever War Trains...be easier if I explain.
Taking this as if it was a game with a role assignment, we'll use a train I'm sure some of us have heard of 3801, now she was built here in Australia in the middle of the war and was originally painted grey --> http://eurekamodels.com.au/images/locomotives/c38/3801%20grey.jpeg and later painted green and gold --> http://www.australiansteam.com/nsw/3801.jpg .
Now, depending on which role you choose to give her, either Express or War train, would depend on her look and stats. Picking Express would have her painted in green and gold and would have her boiler around her chest with her cab on her back and she wouldn't be armed, but picking her to be a War Train would move her boiler to her arm and have a navel cannon pointing out of the light with a few other types of weapons mounted on her.
You might be thinking its a little out of place to have them like this, put it fits in more with it being alternate history and being steampunk, plus it makes up for the lack of having real armored trains to work off (though there would be some that are armored trains only) and would make for some interesting designs. Like with a Garratt locomotive --> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Class_GMAM_4122_July_2004_(7863980914).jpg Imagine that the fore and rear tenders are on her arms with the boiler sideways on their shoulders, while the girl stands sideways on her platform and if a war train could have four guns mounted on her (its just another example cause I like the idea)
With what I said before about the spiritual connection between the girls and their equipment is that a lot locomotive drivers will say that each steam locomotive has its own personality, like they were a person. That's kind of the premise of the connection, the frames that the girls use are made from old steam locomotives that have become obsolete. So when they have their frames fitted, the bond with the spirit of the old engine and gain their strength and power, allowing them to move the heavy trains.
So that's an idea for the trains, so here's a bit more for the world.
The history of the world runs the same as ours up until the early 1800's where a new type of coal, named Ignas Coal, which burns five times as hot and longer then normal coal. This allows boilers to be built smaller, which is how the older trains were replaced with the Gauge Girls.
Nearly every city and town is covered with rail tracks, which allows the girls to move about with their gear when not attached to carriages, unless they are a narrow gauge or a tram. Each place has central station run by a company branch or company's working together. The stations act as, well, stations, but they are also housing for the girls frames and the girls themselves. Each girl does have a home station where they live and the stations do have rooms for visiting girls to stay in.
I'm sure not sure on say a villain or an organization that would have it out for the trains, but maybe different company's would be fighting over stations and towns, which would be reason enough for trains armed with weapons.
And that's really everything I've come up with at the moment, tell us what you think, what works, what doesn't and what I could change etc any ideas you guys have would be appreciated.
Thanks guys |
