One of the gems of the Star League era technology, the SSL 5 series locomotives were some of the most fastest non-magnetic levitation engines produced for heavy transport. While the later Adelante trains centuries later were larger and more versatile, SSL 5's were once common sights at train terminals and rail yards. The locomotive would unfortunately be a victim of the Succession Wars as the fights over the former Hegemony worlds would see many of these lines reduced to ash, along with the heavy trains that once raced up and down them. By the mid 3000's, most had assumed they were regulated to a few preserved specimens rotting on deserted sides and tri-vid documentaries.
This would come back to haunt the Coalition on several occasions during the closing days of the war to crush the Blakist Jihad. As the juggernaut closed the noose on the Protectorate, there were reports of cannon fire from the ground to landing dropships, sending many a supply transport crashing to the ground. Rapid response units would try to discover the source of the gunfire only to find that there was nothing there. A lucky fighter spotted four massive trains zooming across the countryside at speeds approaching 120 km/h, each hauling a Light Sub-Capital Cannon amongst their cars. Though these trains would be hunted down, each was being pulled by a 5 series locomotive. Sadly, this was a sign of things to come during the campaign against Terra... especially within the more mountainous regions of the planet.
While mag-levs during the height of the Star League were faster, the 5 series allowed the engineering corps to reach areas off the beaten path that infrastructure development has not reached yet. Without beasts like the 5 series capable of racing to supply yards empty at over 230 kph and returning at almost 120 kph full loaded with 500 tons of cargo, some of the grand experiments would never have been completed. Armored enough to resist accidental damage, the Series 5's armor belt had problems when resisting some of the heavier weapons within the armories of the League members. This fact alone cost the lives of more than one 5 series crew thinking they were armored enough to race through a fire fight.
Type - SSL 5 series Locomotive
Chassis - Rail (Large)
Mass - 500 tons
Equipment Rating - E/E/E
Chassis - Tractor 153
Engine - Fusion 325.5
Cruise - 15
Flank - 23
Armor - 254 Bar 8 11.5 tons
Nose - 43
FR/FL - 42/42
RR/RL - 42/42
Rear - 43
Equipment -
Cargo - 11 tons - 1 Door