Talk:Deeprun Tram

How many "stations" are there on the deep run tram, including the ones the tram doesn't currently stop at? --Xmuskrat 16:16, 13 Jan 2006 (EST)

The tram only has two stations, one at each end. --Powerlord 21:03, 13 Jan 2006 (EST)

The east-west issue mentioned in the article I was able to overlook; you could say the machinery of the tram is polarized strongly enough to reorient your compass, or even just chalk it up to a forgivable programming simplification of the situation. What concerns me much more is how do you cross under a fairly large body of water while progressing in a straight line from Stormwind to Ironforge? --Maldian 12:38, 26 Feb 2006 (EST)

tram

I have a theory! I think tram is actualy build for between the ironforge and gnomeregan! It is logical because gnomes and dwarves are cousins and they need a special transportation. And about the ocean part in deeprun tram: IT IS NOT THE OCEAN! Think about it; if the deeprun tram is realy between gnomeregan and ironforge, then that water part is iceflow lake!!

I don't think Iceflow would be able to hold the amount of water that is seen in the Tram.Maybe the Tram Passes Kul Tiras because of the Sunken Ship seen during the water part.Also a Ship could not make it from the sea to Iceflow because it is clearly blocked by Gnomeregan.Also the Gnomeregan to Ironforge tram theory is disproved because Gnomeregan is Easily Accessible from mount and even by foot.The tram wouldn't be needed. Hammerdin

Hammerdin, you're neglicting the obvious industrial applications for such a connection. Gnomeregan is (was) an industrial assembly nexus, while Ironforge is a metallurgy plant and foundry. They may be easily connected by road but they occupy the same mountain range, and that mountain range from all angles shows signs that it has been developed more extensively then the dimensions of the parts that we do see; towers and spires that don't map to parts that we know of, so the only conclusion can be that there are parts we don't know of. From an industrial utility view, having a rapid, automated connection between the ironworks and the assembly line makes a huge amount of sense. Not to mention that we know that the Gnomes produced submarines in their facilities as well, and unless their city extends all the way to the coastline it seems unlikely that they could have hauled their subs across Dun Morogh, through Dun Algaz, and across the Wetlands to the very sparse facilities at Menethil Harbor, which are in no way equipped to support extensive repairs to submarines. See my post below.

Piroko 13:44, 13 September 2006 (EDT)

Gnomeregan Tram Theory

(Revised)

It has been suggested both here and otherwise that the Deeprun Tram might have been originally constructed to connect Gnomeregan to Ironforge, and that the Stormwind branch is merely an extension. While this thinking is of course irrelevant to the game as it is now, it is my stalwart opinion that these theories are correct. What will follow is an objective, point by point analysis of the case in favor of a Gnomeregan-Ironforge connection.

Shared Mountain Range

Both Ironforge and Gnomeregan occupy the same mountain range in Dun Morogh. Their physical distance on the map is shorter then the overall length of the the Gnomeregan instance, so it is certainly possible that a physical connection might exist merely as a result of their proximity. Dun Morogh is a high altitude region near the timberline boundary that would be frozen much of the year even in the best of times, so having any type of physical connection makes at least some sense if only to avoid the cold. Furthermore, the moutains occupied by Ironforge and Gnomeregan show signs of further development beyond what is depicted in the instance and the city. There are spires rising from within the mountain at Dun Algaz and along the southern border of the Wetlands, with no obvious entrances. There is an airfield above Ironforge as well, with a tunnel leading into the mountains. Naturally this must be connected to the city (even if it isn't connected to the player-reachable city).

Metallurgy Needs

It is known that the Gnomes and Dwarves cooperated on a large number of engineering projects, but that the Gnomes were the principle 'industrious' force behind these machines. Ironforge has a massive forge that appears to be possibily volcanically operated. The Dwarves themselves appear to be inclined towards blacksmithing, which would not require such extensive foundry works. Gnomish technology, however, cannot be explained with blacksmithing. Complex machinery is made using cast parts, not smithed parts. Guns, Robots, Mechanostriders, Mechanotanks, Gyrocopters, Aircraft, Submarines, Siege Tanks... even items as simple as gears and bolts are typically cast, not smithed. Casting requires a furnace to produce pure, liquid metal in large quantites (since casting is a hit-or-miss trade; however faulty castings can be melted and recast); a furnace the Dwarves have. Naturally, it follows that the gnomes must be somehow obtaining this metal from the Dwarves. Howver, a pipe would not suffice for the purpose of moving metal from Ironforge to Gnomeregan; nothing short of a magic pipe using a magnetic bottle principle could carry molten metal without being choaked with slag, so they have to be using braziers, which are heavy and extremely hot, and must be moved to the worksite quickly before the metal cools.

Presence of Infrastructure

Gnomeregan already has rails of the same type used in the Deeprun Tram, expecially down the largest tunnels. Ironforge has pipes and braziers already in place along the ceiling of the great forge that could have been used to load braziers for transport.

Layout of Gnomeregan

Gnomeregan is arranged in a mostly linear fashion. Aside from a small cantina, a remote lab off the main tunnel, the Hall of Gears, and an air defense aerodrome, the instance mostly consists of two large tunnels with rails running along a trench. There is no evidence of extensive residential regions, which must exist so we can only presume that they exist elsewhere.

Role of Gnomeregan

It is known that Gnomeregan assembled siege tanks, aircraft, and submarines, and that they did so in reasonably large numbers. For Gnomeregan to have developed submarines, they would require a facility for that purpose, and barring Kul Tiras (which we have not seen in-game), the only other possibility is that those facilities are part of Gnomeregan. Since it's known that gnomes have the ability to work in deep water (evidenced by the current Deeprun Tram, regardless of what its path is), it becomes possible to assume that they had some sort of sub-surface submarine pen attached to Gnomeregan along the western coast of Khaz Modan, which would face Kul Tiras. As difficult a feat as this is to imagine, it makes more sense then them being hauled to Menethil for launching, and without seeing Kul Tiras no conclusion can be made about whether they were built there. It's also clear that Gnomeregan's entrance is too small to accomodate siege tanks, so if they were built there then they too must have been removed from the facility by some other means then is visible today.

Theory

From all this information, a theory forms. Gnomeregan DID connect to Ironforge, and in fact used trams for a variety of purposes. The tunnels we see today, with their tram rails and side walkways, may very well have been assembly lines, using tramcars to carry tanks and aircraft being assembled, with the finished vehicles being taken off to Ironforge. Cars would carry molten metal from Ironforge back to Gnomeregan to be cast into vehicles and weapons for the Alliance. Still more trams would carry assembled submarines down to hidden facilities along the Western coast, protected from Horde assault by being underwater. Elsewhere in the city, thouands of gnomes lived in a hidden section, perhaps one better suited to their short stature; the city we see now was big merely because it was the public part; the factory lines that visitors might wish to see.

Piroko 09:31, 19 September 2006 (EDT)

Nice theory, really nice. I like it. And it has a point. Mayeb this all is true. We may never know... -- Hefaistus

We may. As unlikely as it may be my hope is that Blizzard recognizes in a future release that the Gnome and Troll capitals could be used to kick-off the fight against the Burning Legion, and then be redesigned to become actual cities with new content. The problem of course is that I doubt Blizzard's level designers have as far-reaching a vision for Gnomeregan as I do myself. My hope, at least, is that there will be a Warcraft IV featuring a reconquest of Gnomeregan. Piroko 09:31, 19 September 2006 (EDT)

What I'd LIKE to see them do of course is bring Gnomeregan back in full force. I have a lot of visions of what it could look like (for some reason I always picture the residential half of Gnomeregan as sort of a gnome sized version of Little Italy, with lots of gnome sized apartments with lots of window half-balconies, and pipes, wires, and clotheslines strewn all over the place).