Peter Kokh has some interesting speculation over on the Moon Society Blog about how railroads, which helped to open up the American West, could serve as a vital transportation system on the moon and Mars. The author says that rail lines could be very useful in transporting many items, including habitat modules.
“Rails…will provide a smooth low-friction ride to a prepared siding complex where they can be dropped off and docked with one another to provide an instant starter outpost,” Kokh writes. “Such new ‘town starters’ might even be called ’sidingments’ or ’sidlings’ instead of settlements. Every new train could bring another module or two including ready to plug in ‘container factories.’”
