The Dustmaster
Road Trains for Transhuman Space
by Royce Easton Day
The End of an Era: America/Mars Announces Last of the Dustmaster Road Trains to be Taken Out of Service
Reported by Teri Chow, for Teralogos News
Port Lowell, Mars (1/14) Representatives of the Martian Commonwealth Transportation Agency announced today that the last of the venerable Dustmaster road trains will be removed from their regular run between Plymouth and Anchorage. Assistant Director Peggy Kwan is quoted as saying, "With a new spur being added to the Equatorial Railway almost every two months, and the ever increasing traffic of independent cargo haulers represented by the Truckers Guild, we no see the need to continue the expensive government support the Dustmasters required."
The Dustmaster trains, known fondly by many as the "Rustmasters" for the inevitable patina of Martian soil that coated their hulls, were a key component in the early years of the United State's expansion across the Red Planet. Built in the late 2030s almost entirely (excepting their onboard nuclear reactors) from components manufactured on Mars, the Dustmasters provided critical heavy, long-range cargo movement for the scattered American colonies for over 60 years. Capable of hauling about 400,000 Martian pounds of cargo in up to six separate trailers, the Dustmasters could transport entire startup colonies, including the colonists, to their new homes in a single journey. In addition it could tow other specialized trailers . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 9, 2005
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