Trains

## Description

In the original Zero Hour, ***trains*** are little more than occasional environmental hazards. In Contra, however, trains are now weaponized and can pose a much bigger threat than before. Both the GLA and the Chinese faction has its own variant of the train.

## Variants

### GLA Armored Train

    The GLA Armored Train resembles an armored steam locomotive of the WWII era, but it's nothing to laugh about. The locomotive itself is unarmed but it tows a variety of heavily armed train cars with it. These include:

* **Quad Cannon Car**: Anti-air and anti-infantry carriage armed with two Quad Cannon turrets, it also has a radar module.
* **Marauder Car**: Anti-armor carriage armed with two fully upgraded Marauder tank turrets, resulting a total of four high caliber cannons.
* **Dana Car**: Long range armed carriage armed with two Dana howitzer turrets.
* **Katyusha Car**: A modified open topped cargo carriage armed with two Katyusha launchers, bombards enemies with barrage of rockets.
* **Elbrus Car**: What looks like a unsuspecting cargo car that houses a nasty surprise: it attacks by opening its roof and launching a barrage of four Scud missiles. Arguably the most devastating carriage of all.

The GLA Armored Train appears in three scenarios:

* In the GLA Boss General's challenge, an armored train patrols the train tracks surrounding the demolition base, it's armed with 2 quad cannon cars and 2 marauder cars. The train doesn't destroy units in its way, but will knock them aside and deal damage. Another train will periodically drop off reinforcements at the train station. The train consists of nothing but Elbrus cars, but these are actual cargo cars and unarmed. A few more armed carriages are located north of the train station, serving as defenses.
* A GLA train can be found in the four player skirmish map "Railed Woods", consisting of two Dana cars and two Katyusha cars. Capturing the train early on can be extremely beneficial. as the tracks it travels over brings the train close to the supply depots in the enemy's bases, allowing the train to hamper an enemy's economy early on.
* A GLA train can be found on the 4 player skirmish map "Middle Eastern Railroads". It consists of 2 Marauder cars and two Quad Cannon cars.

### Chinese Armored Train

    The Chinese armored train has a more modern design compared to that of the GLA's. It's powered by a boxy diesel locomotive. The locomotive itself is unarmed but it tows a variety of heavily armed train cars with it. These include:

* **Manticore Car**: Anti-air and anti-infantry carriage armed with two Manticore turrets. Benefits from the Chain Guns upgrade.
* **Overlord Car**: Anti-armor carriage armed with two Overlord turrets, resulting a total of four high caliber cannons. Benefits from Depleted Uranium Shells upgrade.
* **Nuke Cannon Car**: A devastating long range carriage that's armed with two Nuke Cannons. Benefits from the Reactive shells upgrade.
* **Radar Car**: A train car that serves as radar and detects stealth enemy units.

The Chinese Armored Train appears in two scenarios:

* In the Chinese Boss General's challenge, an armored train guards the Scientific Lab that, when destroyed, will reset the Particle Cannon's countdown. This train is stationary, and unlike normal trains, when the locomotive is destroyed, the entire train self-destructs. More stationary Nuke Cannon carriages can be found within Leang's various bases serving as defenses.
* Two Chinese trains can be found in the skirmish map "Railed Woods" both consist of two Overlord cars, a radar car, a Nuke Cannon car and a Manticore car, an infantry is required to capture it in order to use it. Capturing the train early on can be extremely beneficial.

### GLA Toxin Wagon

    The Toxin Wagon is an unit that currently only appears in Dr. Thrax's challenge map, it resembles a modified urban tram armed with a toxin sprayer and an acid sprayer. Making it high effective against any type of ground targets, be it armor or flesh. However, it's completely helpless against air units. It patrols the normally unguarded valley passage, which now has an added set of railroads for it to travel on. The Toxin Wagon always spawn with heroic veterancy.

### Chinese Trolley

    Despite its name, the Chinese trolley is a lot more lethal than it sounds. It's an heavily armed diesel locomotive that can absorb a lot of punishment. It's armed with a single high caliber cannon and a gattling cannon, which makes it effective against all forms of ground targets. However, it does not have any anti-air weapons. The trolley only appears in the Chinese Boss General's challenge map, it patrols the tracks that runs through her two primary bases. This trolley spawns as a veteran.

## Trivia

* The front of the Chinese locomotive sports the words "大老虎" (big tiger).
* The locomotive of the train is considered to be a structure, and can be repaired by a dozer, the carriages on the other hand are considered as units, and need special units such as propaganda units or ARVs to repair.
* The GLA locomotive have auto repair abilities, something that the Chinese locomotive lacks. The carriages on the other hand will gain auto repair once elite veterancy has been achieved.
* Destroying a bridge the train travels over doesn't affect the train, as it will simply glide over the gap. This is because trains in *Zero Hour* are only programmed to travel along a fixed path.
* Sometimes when the locomotive of the armored train in the GLA Boss challenge is destroyed the carriages will slowly come to a stop after a while, other times it completely self-destructs. It is unclear why this happens.
* The USA is the sole faction that did not have an armoured train. Possibly because the developers do not see USA's need of conventional trains with various weapons (might be due to the fact that the USA has high speed planes, which China and GLA lacked). However, it is known that freight trains are used by the US Army to transport troops in real life. However Ironside - the US boss general - has a battleship to replace the train's role although not as versatile.

## Gallery

A bird's eye view of one of Leang's bases, the trolley can be seen strolling through.A GLA locomotive passing through.Deathstrike's armored train passing through a village.The Chinese trolley passing by train yard near the outskirts of Shanghai.A GLA ramrod train in the Railed Woods skirmish map, bombarding a US Laser base with Katyusha rockets.The same train bombarding a Chinese base.The Toxin Wagen as it appears in Dr. Thrax's challenge.