Minuteman missiles on railroad cars-

Am I remembering correctly or not...wasn't someone here on TRF asking just a week or two ago about info on the old proposal to base Minuteman missiles on rail cars?

Just in case, the attached page is something I just came across. This looks a little improbable (inaccurate?) to me for a number of reasons. Heck, it looks like a joke. (Some general went nuts with his train set?) What is going to erect that missile ?(nothing shown in the picture) Notice that the base of the missile (in the first pic) is against the end of the car, but in the last pic (where the missile is in launch position) the base of the missile has slid down the length of the rail car toward the middle. Hmmm. Where is all the support equipment installed to get that missile running? (if it's in the next car, they should have shown the "mother of all umbilicals" stretching between cars) And are those guys really going to stand 50 feet away with nothing between them and the missile but a couple rail car walls? I don't know much about railroad cars, but how many sets of bogies would it take to carry a load like a Minuteman (plus gear)?

Maybe this is why they didn't go through with the idea--

There used to be a sight at the following location by the following person:

Rusty Barton - Antelope, California
--
Visit my Minuteman ICBM History Website at
https://www.geocities.com/minuteman_missile/index.html

I just tried it, and it's gone. I had a brief email chat with him back in 2006, because I was raiding all his sites for info/pictures on ballistic missiles. His research was very thorough.

Here is an excerpt from his write up about the Mobile train idea:

From its very inception, the Minuteman program was oriented towards mass production of a simple, efficient, and highly survivable ICBM capable of destroying all types of enemy targets with consistent reliability. The Air Force hoped that such a program would reverse the unfavorable trend towards succeeding generations of progressively more costly ICBMs and provide the Strategic Air Command with a weapon system that was inexpensive to operate and maintain.
During the early development phase of Minuteman, the Strategic Air Command favored the concept of deploying at least a portion of the programmed force (from 50 to 150 ICBMs) on railroad cars. SAC submitted a requirement to the Air Staff on 12 February 1959 calling for the first mobile Minuteman unit to be operational no later than January 1963. To determine the feasibility of deploying Minuteman ICBMs on mobile launchers, SAC ordered a series of tests to be conducted, nicknamed "Operation Big Star." Beginning 20 June 1960, a modified test train, operating out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah, traveled across the western and central United States so technicians could study factors such as the ability of the nation's railroads to support mobile missile trains; problems associated with command, control, and communications; the effect of vibration on sensitive missiles and launch equipment; and human factors involved in the operation of a mobile missile system. Originally, six trial runs were projected, but only four were necessary to realize all test objectives. On 27 August 1960, the last of four Minuteman ICBM test trains arrived back at Hill AFB and the Air Force announced that the test of the Minuteman mobility concept had been completed satisfactorily.

My computer has files loaded with this kind of thing, if I can get one with better data resources, I'll try and post it.
Why not railroad cars though? This is the the country that brought you the DAVEY CROCKETT! The little 10-20ton yield- 51lb nuke mortar that fired from the 120/155mm recoilless rifle? SURE! WHY NOT!

AX'E :thrasher:

View attachment minuteman missile story.pdf

The Peacekeeper missile system was mounted on trains as well. I have a picture of one of the cars that is on display at Wright-Patterson AFB as well as an over the road truck mounted mobile launcher for something else. I didn't get a pic of the sign that went with the truck so I don't recall what exactly it was for.

Peartree said:

The Peacekeeper missile system was mounted on trains as well. I have a picture of one of the cars that is on display at Wright-Patterson AFB as well as an over the road truck mounted mobile launcher for something else. I didn't get a pic of the sign that went with the truck so I don't recall what exactly it was for.

Click to expand...

Yes, the Peacekeeper was a rail based system. It went around in 90ft long "boxcars" that opened up to fire them. The idea was to keep them moving all the ime to avoid them being pinpointed and acting a a deterent for that reason. The cars were special built so they could go around bends. There was something about them on the Military Channel just a month ago. Good photo of the rail car also. IIRC,it was "given up" because we caved into Russian demands that it was "unfair", and somhow against the treaties. It was also quite expensive to keep moving around.

https://www.talkingproud.us/Military100705A.html

Try this for starts.

AX'E said:

Why not railroad cars though? This is the the country that brought you the DAVEY CROCKETT! The little 10-20ton yield- 51lb nuke mortar that fired from the 120/155mm recoilless rifle? SURE! WHY NOT!

AX'E :thrasher:

Click to expand...

Wasn't that the system with a fallout radius 1 mile greater than the range of the rocket? Wanna get a good running start before pulling the trigger on that one!

Al

als57 said:

Wasn't that the system with a fallout radius 1 mile greater than the range of the rocket?
Al

Click to expand...

That's the one! 1000ft min shot, likely fatal dose of radiation out past 400m
:stupid:

https://www.defensetech.org/archives/002997.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W54
re-defines SHOOT/SCOOT! :lol:
AX'E

PS! Staying on topic:
I just checked my book- Nuclear Weapons of the Unites States/ an illustrated history- James Gibbons; (I got it form the Atomic Museum in N/M btw) They have a picture of the Minuteman train- it's the engine, 9 box type cars, with 8 of them holding missiles(which look just like the one i the picture Powder posted), -a tanker car, and the caboose. The article has the same info I posted earlier.

The Russian's managed to launch from a train.

ICBM Russian Missiles Launched from a silo, train and a truck. youtube clip

Lionel had a Minuteman missile car in the 1960’s. I wanted one but do not recall if I actually got one or not. I thought the one I saw looked like the actual Minuteman, the one in this link says Minuteman on the railcar but the missile was a toy-ish looking missile with fins

https://tinyurl.com/5wcr6e

As for the real thing, some info on Wikipedia, about halfway down, “Mobile Minuteman Program”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGM-30_Minuteman

With this artist’s drawing:
https://tinyurl.com/3g4mjx

- George Gassaway

In the '70s, the Airforce tested launching a minuteman from a C-5!

It was dropped out the back with a parachute, and ignited after the Galaxy was clear.

And check this out:

https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/r-2.html

A nuclear tipped air to air missile!

mach7 said:

In the '70s, the Airforce tested launching a minuteman from a C-5!

It was dropped out the back with a parachute, and ignited after the Galaxy was clear.

And check this out:

https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/r-2.html

A nuclear tipped air to air missile!

Click to expand...

The genie was a work of art We used it under a two key sytem with the States. Charcoal a formation of Soviet bombers or just roast one.
The kill radius was reckoned to be a 1000 feet and a dent it real good radius was much further.
Cheers
Fred

Yup, It was like killing ants with dynamite! But it worked.
It kept the bears at bay.

mach7 said:

A nuclear tipped air to air missile!

Click to expand...

IIRC, the Genie was not a missile (guided), it was purely a rocket (with no guidance other than the launch platform sending it "that way"). With a nuke on the front end, all you had to do was get in the general neighborhood.

Give you a warm fuzzy feeling?

Yeah ; but with a 6 mile range it made you want to get the heck out of Dodge after firing one.

Al

Found another old magzn article on this from late in 1960, this time with a lot more detail. Seems Boeing did indeed perform some serious studies on Minuteman-on-wheels.

If anyone wants to see the article you're going to have to PM me with an email address so I can send it directly. The file size limits here on TRF will not let me post the file (unless I shrink it so small it is unreadable).

Peartree said:

The Peacekeeper missile system was mounted on trains as well. I have a picture of one of the cars that is on display at Wright-Patterson AFB as well as an over the road truck mounted mobile launcher for something else. I didn't get a pic of the sign that went with the truck so I don't recall what exactly it was for.

Click to expand...

Here's some info on the rail-mounted Peacekeeper at the National Museum of the US Air Force here in Dayton.

Here's the 2 scanned images from Nuclear Weapons of the United States-An Illustrated History,I mentioned earlier.

AX'E :thrasher: