Rail Links

[Hobbes]

Hi folks, since the railroad link has been removed between St. Louis and it's east bank it can take 15 days to move a unit from St. Louis to the next region to the east in muddy conditions. I wonder if it is sometimes more realistic to keep a RR link? There is still a railtrack in St. Louis and in the region to the east - historically did they just have to move units acoss a bridge to put them back onto the rails? If so the RR link should have been kept I think rather than having to take 15 days to get back on to it.

Cheers, Chris

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Rafiki]

Those of us familiar with credible historical resources:

[CENTER][ATTACH]2308[/ATTACH][/CENTER]

know that crossing the Mississippi by ferry to/from St Louis before the building of the bridge could easily take 15 days, some times even more...

[Brochgale]

Playing as CSA I always try to plant gunboats/ironclads here to hopefully stopper up Fed Forces - on theory that such will slow Feds down - in both directions. History says that there was no bridge there but I dont want to have Feds moving as they wish either into Missouri or in opposite direction if need be.
Maybe your opponent has a blocking force on river? Just to be a pain?

[Director]

The first bridge at St Louis was the Eads Bridge (same designer who planned the 'City' class river ironclads in the ACW), built in 1874. Exotic materials such as chromium steel were needed for the unprecedented length of the bridge, so it could not have been built earlier.

The Mississippi was bridged farther north (Minneapolis in 1855, Rock Island Railroad Bridge in 1856) before the war, but lower down the riveris just too fast and strong. New Orleans got a bridge in 1935 and Memphis I think in 1949.

[Hobbes]

Thanks for the info chaps - sounds pretty spot on in that case.
Cheers, Chris

[arsan]

Indeed! Rafiki's post was very enlightening!
With backup from sources like that no further discussion is possible!
By the way... are alligators effects accounted for on the hardened attrition option?
If not i think we must ask Pocus to export another variable for them
Regards!

[Franciscus]

[Gray_Lensman]

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