When your space rocket takes the train

[southwestforests]

I don't know whether everybody knows that or not, Soyuz rockets are hauled by train to their launch pad.

NASA HQ PHOTO Expedition 71 Soyuz Rollout (NHQ202403180006) The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Monday, March 18, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 71 NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft on March 21. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

https://flic.kr/p/2pDVRaz

 

[Sferrin]

All of them are.

 

[southwestforests]

N-1 and Buran, the second and end photos, some classic 'what could have been' rockets.

 

[Hobbes]

It's pretty common to have the launch pad on rails.
ESA did this for Ariane 1-5:



You can see the railway cars with equipment trailing behind the launch pad, and the truck pulling the launch pad.

ULA uses a similar setup, IIRC.

 

[publiusr]

Who was it that said the reason SRB segments are as wide as they are is due to Roman chariot width?

Russians have wider spaced tracks IIRC. A break of gauge concern if a Bering Strait bridge is ever built

 

[martinbayer]

Aerospace in general is about breaking existing molds, wretched solid boosters be damned..

 

[southwestforests]

Who was it that said the reason SRB segments are as wide as they are is due to Roman chariot width?

Russians have wider spaced tracks IIRC. A break of gauge concern if a Bering Strait bridge is ever built

I don't remember who said that but do remember that the chariots and and horses and railways track gauge thing has been shown several times to be bogus.

You do recall correctly, Russia uses 5ft gauge, 1524mm, as its national standard.
Here's a reference,

https://mediarail.wordpress.com/europe-and-its-russian-gauge-tracks/
5ft gauge, 5ft 3in gauge, and 5ft 6in gauge, are the standard, or at least common, in several other countries, Spain, Ireland, India, Australia, Brazil, Portugal.

Just for fun, here's a bit about how Ireland came to select its national railway gauge,

https://www.downrail.co.uk/about-us/irishrailways/
Those above gauges are compared to the 4ft 8.5in, 1435mm, gauge which is termed Standard Gauge.

3ft 6in gauge, 1067mm gauge, is the national standard or at least common in several countries, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia.

Also just for fun, here's a list of all the various railway track gauges which have been employed around the world,

https://www.trackopedia.com/en/encyclopedia/railway-system/track-gauges

 

[southwestforests]

ESA did this for Ariane 1-5:

Aw, that one had escaped my memory.

 

[Michel Van]

the Titan III, Atlas IV and Vulcan took also the Train to launch pad.

source
https://usmrr.blogspot.com/2021/04/florida-part-2-cape-canaveral.html

 

[Archibald]

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/attachments/angara5_11-png.722692/
I had a shock looking at that picture: as if Energiya had survived into the present day digital age.

Then I realized it was an Angara. D'OOOOOH !!!!

 

[RedLegion]

How did the Protons get to Baikonur? Was the entire first stage transported by rail, or were the engines and oxygen tanks separated and reassembled at Baikonur?

 

[Michel Van]

How did the Protons get to Baikonur? Was the entire first stage transported by rail, or were the engines and oxygen tanks separated and reassembled at Baikonur?

yes the first stage arrive as tanks and assemble at launch side
Since the engine are connected to oxidiser Tanks, it just connect them on Main tank and plumbing.