One hundred and seventy-six kilometers, covered in eight hours—what did that mean?
That speed had been estimated by the Power Research Institute. After all, they had never actually tested it before. According to the design theory, it was calculated by multiplying the movement speed of the cylinder piston by the diameter of the driving wheel—roughly fifty kilometers per shichen, which converted to twenty-five kilometers per hour.
That speed was about the same as an electric bicycle's. It truly could not be considered fast. A warhorse could reach seventy-five kilometers per hour for a short time when charging, but how many horses could pull this much cargo while still running at that speed?
Moreover, large items like rebar and steam mixers could not be loaded onto horse carts at all. The standard rebar produced by the Han Tribe came in six-meter lengths. What horse cart could be six meters long? A single train car, however, could carry two lengths. These narrow-gauge train cars were twelve meters long, while a single car on a Heavy-Haul Railway could be twenty-five meters long. Unfortunately, they still could not produce the rails for a Heavy-Haul Railway.
To make a better comparison of their speeds, Luo Chong had also arranged for a convoy of horse carts transporting civilian Iron Ingots to various commanderies and counties to travel alongside them. In addition, dozens of Luo Chong's Personal Guards were riding warhorses and following the train.
The moment the train started moving, the Personal Guards spurred their warhorses ahead. In the blink of an eye, all that remained was a trail of dust rising into the air. The convoy transporting the Iron Ingots also set off. At first, it was slightly faster than the train, but once the train reached its normal traveling speed, the horse carts were