Chapters Lost, One Main Drive Wheel
The run was going smoothly. The K4 was putty in my hands, and I was nearing 70 mph. The young man was disappointed that he had to ride the observation car for the rest of the trip, but he knew that if I was caught giving him a ride in the cab, it could cost me my job.
We were sweeping around the famous Horseshoe Curve on the outermost of the quadruple tracked main lines. Mindful of the warning I received in Altoona this morning, I took the reverse lever in both hands and began to move it back a couple of notches at a time. As I squeezed the handhold to raise the cogs out of the teeth of the quadrant, I felt a jerking motion that threatened to pull the bar out of my hand. I figured that due to lack of lubrication, the piston valve was dragging on the cylinder wall. As long as the cogs remained seated in the teeth of the quadrant, the trouble was now serious.
Going by the little station of Gallitzin, the train was traveling over 75 mph. From here it was downhill almost all the way to the next town. The engine sensed the downgrade and continued to gain speed.
Because of the unsymmetrical loading on the drive wheels. true counterbalancing could be achieved only at a certain number of revolutions per minute. The K4 would run quite smoothly up to around 75. However, the vibration at 85 became so pronounced that unless an engineer bent his knees and stood on his toes, the action would actually give him double vision.
The roadbed had just been re-ballasted, and the track was straight as an arrow. I counted on this stretch to help me make up for lost time. Looking back, I could see the train was trailing straight and riding level. Strange as it may seem, many steam locomotives actually run faster down hill at two-thirds throttle than with a full throttle. This is due to the fact that beyond a certain number of revolutions per minute, the wide open throttle admitted more steam that the valves could exhaust. The resulting back pressure actually reduces the effective power.
I eased off to about two-thirds throttle. Going down hill, the heavy train was no longer a burden and the engine began to build up a terrific speed and I just let her roll.
There was a steel girder bridge at the bottom of the hill with a curve about 600 feet beyond. Normally, I would begin to apply the brakes about 1/2 mile from the curve. This day, I was going faster than usual and when I was a mile from the bridge, I took hold of the brake valve to start the application. At that instant, vibration caused the cog to bounce out of the teeth no the quadrant. The reverse lever became free to move and the dragging valve slammed it into the forward corner.** The engine reared up on one side and there was a loud bang. The boiler began to pitch up and down violently and the cab began to lunging from side to side. I threw the brake valve into emergency and braced myself so that I could lean out to see what had happened. The main rod had torn loose from the crosshead and was gyrating around crazily, knocking off steam pipes, air tanks, running boards, and anything else that got in its path. A piece of piping sailed through the front window of the cab and I ducked behind the backhead. In the midst of this pandemonium, I saw one possibility for survival. The lead trucks were still on the tracks and as long as they guided the engine there was hope. Glancing over to my fireman, I saw him balanced on the window of the cab with his knees riding on the armrest. It was 45 feet to the bottom of the fill and large rocks lined the banks. If he jumped at this speed it would be certain death.
"Don't jump!" I shouted. But my voice was completely lost in the chaos around me.
Steam from bursting pipes began to fill the cab. I fought my way over to the fireman's side and grabbed him by the waist. He seemed welded in that position. With a mighty jerk, I pulled him loose and we both rolled down onto the deck. The locomotive was still going over 80, and I hit my head on the engineer's seat box. Then, the world went dark.
I will be switching POV for this chapter. please don't yell at me.
The Ponyville Express was running late. Again. The engineer, a pony by the name of Casey Trotterson Regulator, or Reggie for short, was pissed. He couldn't believe that they gave him an engine that he knew needed major repairs, and he knew that he was going to be late for a seventh day in a row. About the only things that worked properly were the whistle and the Westinghorse air brakes.
He glanced over to the firepony's side, where Coal Dust was working. He was new to the high iron, having been the firepony of a switch engine until five hours ago. Reggie's previous firepony had nearly collapsed when the train had pulled into Manehattan on the first leg of the trip. Dusty, as everyone called him, had been bucking the extra board for the past few months, working with his father as a firepony for a local freight. When the call came in, his was the first name to come up. For the past few months, he had been firing under his father
Pulling into Trottington, Reggie turned to Dusty, who was taking the opportunity to sit and rest.
"Son," He said, "I know that I have a reputation for running my fireponies into the ground when I am late." Dusty looked at him quickly. He continued, "I want you to know that you have done fine for your first trip. I have reported this engine six times, and nothing has been done. After this trip, I am going to fill out a service report telling the road forepony of engines that I am going to refuse to take this engine out again."
"I don't understand," Dusty said.
"Son," Reggie replied, "The flues leak badly, the boiler is full of scale and the valve gear is out of adjustment. Even Celestia couldn't keep this leaky tea kettle hot."
Dusty felt relieved that he was not as inept as he thought.
"So, I'm ready for the main?" He asked?
"Son, you're as ready as anypony can be."
"However," Reggie continued, "I intend to be as close to on time as I can be today."
Dusty groaned. He was not looking forward to the remainder of the trip, especially the hard, steep climb to Canterlot.
Reggie looked back, saw the conductor waving his flag, and gave the double ahead signal. He wrapped his hoof around the johnson bar, advanced it a few notches, and then grabbed the throttle. The four wheels spun, and he quickly applied sand to the rails.
Reggie glanced at his watch. He was still behind schedule, and with fifty miles to go, and the last ten miles up hill on a 2% grade, it was looking like he would be over an hour late again. Dusty was doing his best to keep the boiler hot, but the pressure would not stay at 180 PSI for long. He was concerned for Dusty's well being, but he knew that the young stallion had it in him. Reggie himself had fired for Dusty's father, Coal Smoke, when he hired on. After talking with Smoke, he knew that Dusty would do just fine.
Something caught his eye ahead. It looked like a rock slide had fallen onto the track, blocking it.
"Wait a minute," He thought to himself, "Rock slides don't smoke."
As he got closer, he saw that it was an enormous machine. Quickly closing the throttle, he applied the brakes. The train slowed, but not enough. Throwing the johnson bar into the near corner, he opened the throttle as far as it would go. Four ponderous drive wheels began to spin backwards, slowing the train's forward momentum.
"Well," He thought, "There goes my schedule."
(Randy's POV)
I awoke to the hissing of steam. My head was pounding, and I was lying on the floor of the locomotive. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I realized that my fireman was no longer in my arms. In fact, there was no sign of him. His grip was gone, and the coal scoop was on the deck of the tender.
Slowly rising to my feet, I clutched at the the throttle to steady myself as a dizzy spell came over me. Waiting for my head to clear, I took stock of my surroundings. The scenery had changed. Instead of forested, green mountains with four tracks, I was on a prairie with a single track stretching off into the horizon. Looking back to see how the rest of the train fared, I was surprised to see that there was no train!
"What the hell?" I asked no one in particular.
I climbed off the locomotive and started towards the rear of the tender. As I was walking back, I noticed that every other tie was broken in two or dislodged. When I got to the rear of the tender, I saw why the train was not there. The knuckle, the part that keeps the couplers together, had been broken off because of the force caused by the application of the emergency brake.
When I walked to the front of the engine, the cause of the wreck became clear. The main drive wheel was gone. Looking closer, I saw it wedged up under the boiler. When the reverse lever let go, the valve adjusted itself for a full charge of steam. At the speed we were going, when the piston rammed against the trapped steam, something had to give. The main rod transmitted the load to the main drive wheel and the force broke it off at the journal. This action tore the main rod off at the crosshead. The wheel derailed at once, and being caged in by the connecting rods and the other two drive wheels, started bouncing up and down between the boiler and the ties. After pounding a deep hole in the bottom of the boiler, it wedged itself up into the cavity.
I heard a distant whistle. Peering into the distance, I saw a garishly decorated locomotive steaming towards me. It appeared to be slowing.
(Reggies POV)
The train stopped not 50 feet from the strange machine. It wasn't smoke, Reggie realized, but steam.
Dusty was the first to speak.
"It looks like a locomotive!"
"Don't be silly," Reggie replied, "there is no way that a train can be that big."
Jumping down from the cab, the two of them cautiously approached the large, black behemoth. Sure enough, it was a locomotive. The mysterious engine was larger than anything the two ponies had seen. Suddenly, a strange creature emerged from the clouds of steam. The creature was twice as tall as Reggie, and was walking on two legs. Its other two limbs were held loosely at its side.
It regarded the two ponies with wide eyes. Suddenly, the creature collapsed. Rushing forward Reggie felt for a pulse. It was there, but faint. Removing the creature's hat, he saw a large gash in its forehead.
Reggie shouted for Dusty to get help from the train.
Dusty rushed back to the first car. Jumping on board, he slammed the door open and asked "Is there a doctor on board? Something has been injured!"
A purple unicorn got out of her seat. "I'm not a doctor, but I can teleport the injured party to the Canterlot hospital."
"That would be helpful," Dusty admitted. "Follow me."
Dusty trotted back to the front of the train, the unicorn following him with a young green and purple dragon on her back.
"Oh my!" She exclaimed, when she saw the creature. "Spike, send a letter to the Princess telling her that I am teleporting myself and a strange creature to the palace infirmary. Tell her that he should also contact the Canterlot & Northwestern Railway and tell them that the Ponyville Express needs help, as the track is blocked."
Spike did as he was told, sending off a scroll with a flash of fire. As soon as the fire disappeared, the unicorn surrounded the creature in a purple field of magic, and with a flash, disappeared.
Dusty looked at his engineer and asked, "So now what?"
"We wait," came the reply.
Twilight materialized in a flash of purple light and quickly placed the creature on the nearest bed. Turning away from the bed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were there, along with a stallion she didn't know, but had a cutey mark with bandages and a stethoscope.
"Doctor, this creature has a large gash on its forehead, a minor concussion, and it has been in a train wreck, so it might have other injuries," she quickly explained. Turning to the Princesses, she said "The firepony said that it was walking for a few minutes, and then it fell." As an afterthought, she asked, "Have you contacted the Canterlot & Northwestern?"
"We have. They are sending a train to collect the passengers, and they are constructing a track around the wrecked train. I have dispatched your brother and a number of scientists to bring the wrecked machine to Canterlot. It will be put in a tunnel on an abandoned branch line of the C&NW under the cover of night. When the creature comes to, we will question it about the purpose of its machine. Our scientists are closely working with the railroad to determine the cause of the machine to fail, and to reverse-engineer an exact, working replica of the machine to conduct tests on," Celestia said.
Luna chimed in, "Is that wise, sister? We don't know what this thing is. We don't know if it is harmful."
"Relax, sister," Celestia replied. "Everything is in hoof"
Back to Randy's POV for this chapter.
Three days later
I awoke in a sea of pain, unable to remember what happened.
*BEEP*
I tried to move my body to provide a better sleeping condition - bad idea. I moved the slightest inch and my whole body screamed in pain. I tried to move my left arm but it seemed locked in place and any attempt to dislodge it proved painful. I tried the right arm which moved well but my hand felt heavier than usual. I attempted to move my legs. Left one first. "Ok, let's try thi--ARGH! GOD DAMNIT!!!". Ok, not such a good idea. I cautiously moved my right leg which moved fine.
*BEEP*
"Ok, what the hell is going on? I must be dreaming...yep, just a normal...pain inducing...dream.
*BEEP*
What is that damned beeping?" I asked myself.
Losing myself in my thoughts for a moment, I heard a door open. 'That doesn't sound like my front door...or any door in my flat for that matter', I thought to myself. I heard the 'click-clack' of what sounds like high-heel shoes on a hard floor getting louder and louder, sounding like it was approaching me. Getting frustrated, I decided to speak up.
"Hey! I can hear someone getting closer! What is all this? Is this some kind of joke?!", I shouted, getting a bit riled from the situation.
"I can assure you that this is no joke Mister.", a male voice came from the left.
"Ah! What the...I was expecting a woman. Why are you wearing high-heels?"
"Erm, I don't know what these 'high-heels' are but if I understand what you are thinking is correct, I don't wear shoes."
"Right...ok"
"Amazing...it really can talk. I thought she made it up..."
"What are you talking about? Of course I can talk."
"Well, we wouldn't have known that would we? I mean, the rest of the staff don't have a clue what you are!", the voice replied in a shocked tone.
"...............Who are you? Where am I? Why can't I see?" I asked in, at least, under two seconds flat.
The source of the voice walked around to where my feet where. From what I could hear, he was turning pages of paper.
"Well, my name is Doctor Stable, you are in a hospital and the reason you cannot see is due to bandaging around your head. We needed to clean up your injuries."
"........"
"Are you okay?"
"Doctor Stable?", I said, stifling a giggle. "What kind of a name is that? It's ridiculous! I mean, who in their right mind would name...wait, did you say injuries?"
"Yes, that's right. From what I've been told, you were in a very serious train wreck.
"WHAT?! ARGH!"
I moved my head ever so slightly causing a wave of pain to shoot down it. I began to cough and wheeze trying to catch my breath from the pain.
"STOP! Try not to move your limbs at all, they are in very bad shape. I'll get you some water to drink - Nurse! I need a glass of water for bed 6!"
At that point, I heard another set of 'click-clacks' on the floor approach me. "Here you are mister. Open wide.", a female voice asked.
I opened my mouth and the water was poured into my throat slowly. It tasted amazing, even though it was only water. I heard a slight jingling whilst drinking. Finishing the drink, I opted to speak.
"Thanks very much...nice wind chimes."
"Uhh...thanks.", the female voice replied before walking away.
After having my throat cleansed, I asked the question I had wanted to ask the whole time.
"Alright Doc, lay it on me. What exactly happened to me?"
The doctor sighed and dragged something across the floor - a chair I presume.
Ten minutes later
"...and that's about it.", Doctor Stitch finished.
I did nothing. I said nothing.
"Err, excuse me. Are you there?", the doctor asked.
"........Yeah....I'm here......so all that happened right?
"I'm afraid so. You've been unconscious for 3 days now. You should be glad that Miss Sparkle was on the train, otherwise you'd be...well...you wouldn't be here right now.
That hit home. 'I have to find this pony and thank her for saving my life. That's unbelieveable.', I thought to myself.
Wait...pony?!
"Wait a minute. You said that she was a pony......and you also said she teleported me here. What in the holy mother of god are you talking about?"
"Well, given what you are, I can assume that you're not from around here...or anywhere close to here in that matter. If you really want to know, we are all ponies here...and I have never seen one of your kind before..."
"......yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a load of crap. You say you're all ponies...I say this is all a massive prank. A pretty elaborate one at that - to come up with that whole 'accident' story. It's brilliant. Must be why I'm blinded - so I can't see you're all a bunch of students!", I said in a laughing voice.
"As I said before, this is no joke and it is certainly no prank." The doctor sighs heavily. "...Right, ok. The only way you'll believe me is if I take off the bandages covering your head. This was to cover up a head wound you sustained in the crash. I'm sorry but...you may not like what you see."
The way he said that made my heart stop - he was dead serious. The bandages on my head slowly unravel and my eyes adjust to the world around me. I sat up slowly to look around. My eyes focus on a white, moving object close to my left arm. My eyes adjust further...then fully. I froze in fear at what I was looking at. A white colored pony wearing a doctor's uniform. It had glasses and even a stethoscope......AND A HORN! I start giggling uncontrollably.
"Ha...hahaha...haaa...this is...ha...unicorn...", I mutter.
"Are you ok? You look a little dizzy.", the doctor asked.
"Hah! What about you? You're not even in focus.....ugh...."
*THUD*
The doctor looked at my body, which was passed out over the side the bed, before sighing.
"Urgh...another fainter..."
*groan*
I regained consciousness...again.
"Ugh...OK, this is just getting annoying now.", I said out loud. I lifted my head slightly and found that I was in a upright position, like I was sitting on a deck chair. I opened my eyes slowly and the sight before me was...well...unexpected would have been the understatement of the century.
"Where the hell am I?!", I exclaimed, quite loudly.
The world around me looked like a child's cartoon show. Everything was so bright with all different pastel colors. It looked like one of those old 'paint by numbers' pictures where every bright color possible was used.
"OK...I have to be dreaming. This just cannot be real.", I stated before using my right arm to lift a blanket that was covering me so I could look down at my body to survey the injuries that the doctor had mentioned...big mistake.
"OH MY FU--...my god, I'm a mess." I had heavy bandages across my head. "Damn...", I muttered. My chest was wrapped in bandages also which made me think that maybe some ribs were broken.
I sat back, breathing heavily, taking it all in.
"...Well, it could be worse...ahaha...DAMN THAT HURTS!!!!", I tried to joke but my laugh caused a pain in my chest.
"You're absolutely right - it could be much worse.", a voice emanated from inside the room.
"Who's there?", I asked quickly.
That click-clack noise was heard again. From around the curtain, a small horse walked towards me slowly. "Only me, Doctor Stable."
Fear struck me as it talked and I tried to shuffle away from it as much as I could, memories coming back to me about the previous encounter.
"S-s-stay back. I d-d-don't want any trouble.", I managed to splutter out through my chattering teeth.
"Whoa, it's OK. I'm not going to hurt you. Just calm down", he spoke in a soothing voice...it actually worked. I slumped back down into my seated position, not breaking eye contact with the horse, and tried to think of something smart to say.
"Huh, I didn't realized that horsies could talk-". I face-palmed.
Horsies..great going Randy.
"Oh yes. All of us 'horsies' talk. By the by, we are actually ponies, not horses.", he replied with a smile.
"Sorry, I couldn't think of the right word. This is just...all too much for me at the moment. Everything's so strange..."
Both of us stayed silent for a bit before the doctor spoke up.
"I never asked yesterday. What is your name?".
"I never said? Really? Huh, sorry about that. My name is Randy. Randy MacDougal"
"Well, it's nice to meet you Randy. I'll just put this on the chart.". The doctor scribbled my name onto the chart in his hand...or hoof...not sure.
Silence again.
"So...how long were you in the room for?", I asked.
"Well, I came by to check if you were awake. You started to regain consciousness so I hid around the corner so you wouldn't be scared when you saw me. Seems that it worked." the doctor replied.
"Scared when I saw you?...OH! Of course, I remember. You took off the bandages covering my eyes, then...I saw you and..." Realization hit me. "...I fainted, didn't I?", I nervously asked.
"Yep."
"Sorry..."
"No need to apologize. I said you may not like what you see and I think i was spot on!" he said cheerfully.
"Yeah, haha...so...I managed to look at my body...I'm a bit of a mess. Thanks for patching me up so well.", I said with honest gratitude.
"Well, the other doctors, nurses and myself could only do so much. We have never encountered a species like yourself before. We don't even know what certain parts of your body or what your bones are called."
"Ah, allow me to explain. You may want to write this down."
After a good ten minutes of using what medical knowledge I had, I had explained what the limbs on my body were called and what bones were in my body. The doctor then explained exactly what I had damaged.
"You had had a large gash in your head but there is no sign of a concussion. You also had some sprained ribs."
"Wow...that's pretty bad. Although I must admit, the pain seems to have eased a little since yesterday. More than a little in fact.", I said, inquisitively.
"Ah, now that would be because of me. I used a few healing spells on your broken bones which is making them heal at an exponential rate. You should be fully healed within 3 days."
My mouth hung agape, taking in what he had just said.
"Problem, Randy?"
"Yeah...sorry but...did you just say 'healing spells'?", I asked.
"You heard correctly. How do you think I got into this profession? When I was in school, all my time was spent learning new magic spells.", he replied happily.
"There's magic here...unbeliveable..." I noticed the top of his head, then the cogs in my head started to spin. "I just noticed something. You have a horn. Does that make you a unicorn?", I inquired.
"Indeed it does. Why do you ask?"
"Where I'm from, there is no magic...or unicorns...or talking ponies.", I said, dryly.
"Well...where are you from?", the doctor asked.
"I'm from the United States of America -Altoona, Pennsylvania, to be precise....actually...here's a question...where exactly am I?"
The doctor had a confused look on his face. He got up and walked towards the main door and poked his head out. I heard him speak.
"Nurse Redheart, could you please inform Miss Sparkle that she can come and see the creature now."
He walked back in and stood next to me.
"Sorry about that, I'm finding this all a bit strange. I've asked for one of the town's most intellectual ponies to come and speak with you. I hope that's OK."
"Err, OK sure. So, can you tell me where I am?", I asked.
"Oh, sorry, I completely ignored you then. Well, Randy, you are in Canterlot."
I thought for a second. "Hmm, can't say I've ever heard of it. What country am I in?", I asked, slightly confused.
"You are in the Kingdom of Equestria.", he stated proudly.
Not a clue. I had no clue.
"I'm pretty sure there is no country called Equestria. Sounds like a make-believe place for kids."
"Well, believe it. You are in Equestria.". The doctor looked at the clock on the wall, gasping at the time. "Whoops. I was supposed to meet a family upstairs 5 minutes ago. They need an update on their foal. Sorry Randy but I have to take care of my other patients now. I'm sorry I can't help with your questions to the greatest detail but I'm sure when Twilight gets here, she can clear everything up for you.", the doctor said.
"Twilight? Who's that?", I curiously asked.
"She's the pony I mentioned just now. She'll be along shortly I imagine. Ahh, 6 minutes! I really must go. I'll check up on you later!" he called as he dashed out of the room.
I leaned back, trying to understand what the doctor had just told me. Equestria? That's not a country. It really does sound like a cartoon setting. With the colors of this world and the odd name, this was becoming all too weird. Especially the whole magic thing.
"Hmm...why is nothing ever straightforward..."
30 minutes passed. Still contemplating what the doctor said, I heard the door open. I turned my head to see a purple pony walking towards me. This must be Twilight, I thought.
She stood at my left side and started eying my body up and down. I was doing the same to hers. She had a shining purple coat that glimmered in the sunlight which the window was feeding in. She had some hair on her head which was a dark purple with a pink streak running through the middle. Her tail had the same color scheme. She also had a horn - another unicorn. I looked into her eyes - they were beautiful. A beautiful shade of violet. We were both staring at each other until she broke the silence.
"So, you're the creature that I saved.", she said, smiling away.
"Yep, that would be me.", I replied with a smile of my own.
"Well then, introductions. My name is Twilight Sparkle and I am the faithful student of Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria.", she stated proudly.
"My name is Randy. I am from Pennsylvania."
Her horn started to glow and she levitated a feather quill and started jotting down notes on a piece of paper. The jingling sound was there again.
"Ahh, so that's what that was.", I declared.
"I'm sorry?"
"Yesterday, when the nurse gave me some water. I was still unable to see and the nurse poured some water into my mouth and I heard a jingling noise. It was her magic making that noise. I thought it was wind chimes!", I replied, chuckling towards the end.
She looked at me with confusion. "You don't know what magic sounds like? You said you are from Pennsylvania. Where is that exactly?"
"Pennsylvania, it's in America." Twilight still looked confused. "United States of America." Same expression. "North America?.....Planet Earth?", I laughed at the end.
"I have never heard of the United States of America, North America or Planet Ea--"
Twilight's pen dropped to the floor and she stared at me with her mouth wide open.
'Wow, I could fit my fist in there.', I thought.
She then stood up on her back legs and lent against the side of the bed with her front legs - all the time staring into my eyes.
"PLANET EARTH? You mean to tell me you're from another planet?!" she almost shouted at me.
I jolted back slightly from her outburst. "Err...a different planet? You mean I'm not on Earth anymore?", I asked, scared at what the answer would be.
"I can one hundred percent truthfully say that you are not on Planet Earth. You are in Equestria.", she replied.
My brain tried to process what Twilight had just said. I wasn't on Earth anymore. I was in an entirely different world.
"That explains the unicorns and the magic and the talking...", I quietly said.
"Well yes. Equestria is home to millions of ponies of all varieties.". She looks at me. I'm try my best to hold a normal face but I end up just looking lost and confused. "What's wrong?", she asks.
"There's no such thing as magic on my world. Or unicorns or talking ponies for that matter. Unicorns are depicted as mythological creatures and are spoken of in legends. Magic doesn't exist where I'm from - only illusions and tricks are classed as magic in my world. Nothing like what you do with the levitation and whatnot. Ponies on the other hand don't speak. They are wild animals and sometimes kept for pets. They aren't smart and they aren't sentient." I explained.
Twilight's expression was priceless. Looked like 'What the hell are you talking about!'. She quickly jotted this all down mumbling whilst she was doing it.
"This is incredible. I've never heard of a place were magic doesn't exist. Truly astounding!", she muttered to herself.
I noticed she was grinning a bit too much for my liking. "Uhh, Twilight? You OK?", I asked with concern.
She quickly reduced the grin to a small smile. "Oh, sorry. It's just this is an amazing discovery......OH! How silly of me! I forgot the most important question. What exactly are you?"
"I am a Homo Sapien or Human for short.". She quickly scribbled it down.
"..and how many humans are there in your world?", she asked.
"Well it fluctuates all the time but I think it's just short of about seven billion." Twilight looked genuinely shocked. "Seven billion? Wow..."
"OK, next. When were you born and how old are you?"
"I was born on the...wait a minute. What date is it today?"
"It's Wednesday, the 1st of May, 1943.", she stated.
"Ah, so our days, months and years are the same. I was born in April, 1920, which makes me 23 years old.", I said with a chuckle. Twilight replied with a giggle of her own.
After a few more questions, Twilight finally put down here quill and paper. "Thank you so much for answering my questions Randy. I'll be sure to report this to the Princess at once.", she happily stated.
"Wait, the Princess? That...er...Celerystar you mentioned?, I asked.
Twilight laughed. "Haha! Celerystar! She'll love that. It's Princess Celestia."
"That's the one. You're going to tell her about me?"
"Of course. It was her who asked me to come and see you in the first place. I'm sure you're aware of how you were brought here, correct?" I nodded.
"Well, the Princess was made aware of an unknown creature from the me and I teleported you here from the wreck of your machine and she immediately came here to look at you. She was unsure of what you were but as I was here already, she gave me the responsibility of talking with you once you had awakened. I was also supposed to get some sketches and details of your anatomy but since half of your body is in repair, I think I'll have to wait until you leave the hospital."
"Oh I see. That makes sense. Well, I have a few questions of my own if you've got time to answer them.", I asked.
"Of course. I'll be more than happy to.", she happily replied.
I nodded and tried to sit upright. Doing so, I managed to notice something of Twilight's...rear that I hadn't noticed before. It was a mark of a bright pink six pointed star with five white six pointed stars surrounding it. I asked about that first in the nicest fashion.
"Right, first question. What's with the butt tattoo?".
Butt tattoo? That's the best you could come up with?!
Twilight giggled. "Well, this is what's called a Cutie Mark. A cutie mark depicts a pony's special talent in life. It could be from anything from gardening to reading to painting. The mark normally appears during a pony's adolescence stage of life but sometimes, ponies can go for years before receiving theirs. If you're wondering, my cutie mark depicts magic as I am an expert at it."
"That's pretty awesome. OK, next question. You mentioned there were different varieties of pony. What other kinds are there?"
"There are unicorns, like myself and the doctor, who can use magic through our horns. We can learn a wide variety of spells from levitation, as you saw earlier, to teleportation."
My eyes lit up at that last statement. "Teleportation? Awesome!". I must have looked like a kid in a sweet shop.
"There are Pegasus ponies who have wings. The pegasi fly and are mainly used to control the weather in Equestria. They use magic also but you cannot see it. The magic they exert actually helps them fly and to use their special abilities to control the weather."
"They control the weather? That's amazing. Back in my world, the weather just does it's own thing. Nothing controls it."
Twilight quickly jotted that down on the paper.
"The last type of pony is the Earth pony who have no wings or horn. These ponies are normally used for hard work and labor. Their magic is used as strength to help them within these roles. Well I hope that answers that question.", she said.
"Absolutely, all of this information is very helpful.", I happily replied.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you but I'm afraid I must be off. I have to deliver this information to the Princess." Twilight got up to leave.
"Wait.", I called after her. "I'm not leaving here for another three days. Do you think you can come along again some time so we can talk more? I really enjoyed talking with you."
Twilight looked at me with huge smile. "Of course I can. I'll also bring some books from my library so you can learn about Equestria. I can come by tomorrow at about midday?"
"That sounds great. I hope to see you then.", I replied.
"Sounds good. Bye!", she said before walking out of the doors.
I lay back in my bed and rested my head on the backrest. "This is just surreal. New planet, new species, magic, flying ponies...it's just...amazing...", I talked to myself.
Mumbling to myself for the next few minutes, a white pony with pink hair and tail came into the room. She had a first aid red cross with 4 hearts surrounding it as her cutie mark - pretty apt. She came over to me.
"Hello Randy. We are just about to serve dinner. What would you like from our menu?"
She handed me a menu with her teeth (no hands...right) and I scanned through it. "Hmm, I don't think most of this food would sit well with me. My body can't digest flowers or grass or hay. Could I have a vegetable salad, if that's OK?"
"No problem at all. I'll be back shortly." she replied and walked out of the room.
Shortly was correct. Within two minutes, she came back with a plate full of lettuce, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onion and topped with sweetcorn. Noticing that I don't have cutlery, I had to resort to using my hands.
I pick up a piece of food and take a bite...and what a bite it was. The flavor was astounding with everything tasting so fresh. Finishing the meal, I fought the urge to lick the plate clean.
Shortly after dinner, it was turning dark. Looking at the clock, it read 9PM. A bit early for me but I do need to sleep at some point. Taking to the opportunity to get a rare early night, I rested my head on the pillow. Despite being in a different world with no humans here at all, I could tell that it was going to be good. I was looking forward to seeing Twilight again tomorrow.
A whistle pierced the night. Where ever I was, there were still trains. I was happy, for I could still do what I loved. I hoped. Lulled to sleep by the lonesome call of a steam locomotive, I was soon asleep.
The next few days passed quickly. I decided to keep a journal, something I had never done before. It helped take my mind off of my situation. I was writing when Twilight came for one of her visits. Putting aside my journal, I greeted her warmly. Several pieces of paper fluttered to the floor, unnoticed by me.
"Twilight! How have you been?"
"I've been busy. The princesses have been wanting daily reports on your condition, and I have been trying to find a place for you to live once you get better. Oh, You dropped something!"
Taking the paper in her magic, she read the contents of the page out loud.
"Have you ever sat by the railroad track
and watched the empties coming back?
Lumbering along with a groan and a whine,-
smoke strung out in a long gray line
belched from the panting engines’ stack
just the empties coming back.
I have – and to m..
A new voice said "That was lovely."
Quickly looking up, my face red with embarrassment, I saw an alabaster colored pony with a flowing rainbow mane enter the room.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. This is my sister Luna. It was she who spoke." She said, gesturing to a slightly smaller midnight blue pony next to her.
"Its not finished yet. I was going to finish it later, but I might as well recite the rest for you now.. I'll just do the second part."
"No, please recite the whole thing." Luna's voice contained a hint of pleading, so faint, I almost didn't hear it.
"Ok. Here goes."
"Have you ever sat by the railroad track
and watched the empties coming back?
Lumbering along with a groan and a whine,-
smoke strung out in a long gray line
belched from the panting engines’ stack
just the empties coming back.
I have – and to me the empties seem
like dreams I sometimes dream -
of a girl – or money – or maybe fame -
my dreams have all returned the same,
swinging along the homebound track
- just the empties coming back."
"It is not that good." I said when I finished.
"Not that good?!" Twilight echoed incredulously. "Randy, I have read my share of poetry, and some of them were about railroads. That is the best that I have heard so far!"
"Really?"
"I must agree with my student's opinion." Celestia said. "I have heard many poems in my lifetime, and I must say, yours brings a sense of longing to my heart."
"Well, If you liked that one, you might like this one. But firs, I must ask if Twilight told you about my religion? We spent a great deal of time talking about it."
"She has."
"Good, then the poem I am about to recite will be less confusing then."
Last night as I lay sleeping,
I died or so it seems.
Then I went to Heaven
But, it was only in my dream.
But it seems St. Peter met me
at the Pearly Gates.
He said, "I must check your record,
So stand right here and wait."
I see where you drank alcohol
And swore quite often too.
Fact is you've done many things
That a good person shouldn't do.
We can't have people like you up here,
Your life was full of sin.
Then he read the last of my record,
Grasped my hand and said, "Come in."
He took me to the Big Boss, who said,
"Take him and treat him well."
He worked for the railroad, Sir.
He's had his share of HELL!"
A chuckle came from the doorway.
A/N: ok folks, this chapter will get technical, so I suggest you keep the following website open in another tab or window.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_steam_locomotive_components
We all looked towards the sound. A pair of ponies stood just outside the door. The pony on the left, the one who had chuckled, had a brown coat and a driving wheel cutie mark. The second was appeared to be light gray at first glance, but then I realized that he was covered from head to tail in coal dust, ashes, and soot. He had a pile of coal with a shovel stuck in it for a cutie mark. Dr. Stable was glaring at the two, while a janitor behind them was sweeping up a black trail of dust off the polished, white marble floor. The two paid no attention to the murderous glare in his eye. I could tell he was pissed that he would have to stay late tonight to restore the floor to it's former glory.
Where have I seen those two before? I wondered.
"Ah, Regulator, Mr. Dust, good to see you again! Have you just finished a run?", Celestia asked.
. "Call me Reggie, your Highness. Everypony does. To answer your question, no. Seeing as we were the only two who knew anything about the locomotive that brought this creature here, The company directed us to get it running again. We just finished inspecting out the firebox, ash pan, and inspecting the flues of the thing.
Celestia clearly had no idea what he was talking about.
"Flues are the pipes that carry the hot gasses from the fire through the boiler to heat the water to make steam. The firebox is where the coal or oil is burned, and the ash pan is what it sounds- a place that the ashes from the fire collect." I whispered to her.
"I never thought that you could make parts big enough to construct a monstrosity such as that. We had to make a whole new brush just to clean the flues because ours was too small! The damn thing must be 50 feet long!" Dust supplied
"It's 83.5 feet long, actually, if you include the tender."
We all turned to look at Twilight. She blushed and said "I measured it last night when everyone was gone."
"Hold on, she's able to run!?" I exclaimed.
"No, no" Dust replied. "We just replaced the pipes that had broken in the wreck. We have no idea on how to replace the driver you lost. Plus, the boiler has a large dent where the thing had wedged itself in there. Even if it was able to run, I doubt I could keep steam up. The damn thing probably burns coal like a trainee for the Royal Guard eats during Hell Week."
"It's not that hard to keep it pegged," I say.
"It may be easy for you, but I know I would probably kill myself trying to keep up steam. What is the working pressure anyway?"
"Two hundred and five pounds. I take it from the looks on your faces that you operate at less than that."
"T-t-tw-TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE!? We consider over one forty unsafe! How in the name of all that is holy do you keep the pressure up without killing your firep-I mean fireman?"
Well, for one thing we burn anthracite. Another is that we have a mechanical stoker. Sure, if needed we can hand fire, but that is only when we need more power, or the stoker is down. The schedules we have are very tight. Our regular speed is 60 to 70 miles-per-hour. We can hit triple digits under the right conditions. I myself haven't but I know some guys on the Racetrack who have- Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"That speed is unheard of. The fastest a locomotive has ever gone was 45, and that was down a three percent grade, with only a dynamometer car behind it." Dusty said quietly. "And that was only because a safety valve was tied down. The boiler very nearly exploded. Plus, we don't have a "mechanical stoker." It's all done by hoof."
"That was the scariest ride of my life," Reggie said. "I was the firepony on that run, and I could barely keep from falling against the backhead."
"Well, if you cast a new driver, I can treat you all to mile a minute speeds. Can you do it?"
They all stared at me incredulously.
"Of course we can! The problem is that the driver didn't just come off, the axle broke. We would need to cast a whole new axle."
My face fell. "She's never going to run again, is she?"
"I'm afraid right now, that is impossible," Celestia said. I looked down, sad that such a mighty piece of machinery was as good as scrap.
"But," Reggie broke in. "We are in the process of building a new locomotive, using the existing one as a pattern. It will be an exact replica, but more fitted to our stature. Some time in the future, we might know enough to return yours to service."
Hope blossomed inside me. "So, she could be repaired."
Celestia sighed. "Yes, but not for many years. But we would like you to take the new engine on it's first run. You have the most experience with this type of locomotive."
"I'm afraid that this will be a learning experience for me, too," I admitted.
"How so?" Luna asked.
"Take a group of locomotives like mine. All were built exactly to the same dimensions, using the same construction methods. Yet every one will be different-like people-they all have diverse personalities. Some can run faster than others with the same steam pressure. Some are finicky while others are jinxed, always having bad luck with repair problems. You see, even though the new engine will be an exact copy, it will have different characteristics. I will have to learn how to handle my engine all over again."
"Is this true, Reggie?" Luna asked.
"Yep."
Dr. Stable breaks into the conversion. "As fascinating as this all is, visiting hours are now over. I'm afraid whatever else you must talk about will have to wait until tomorrow."
I was released the next day. The Princesses gave me a room in the palace to stay in until I got a job. After settling in, I immediately went to the Princess Celestia and asked where I could find my K4.
"I was going to visit where they are studying it later in the day, but we could go now," She told me. Her horn lit up. There was a flash of light so bright that I closed my eyes, and I felt the sensation of movement. When the light faded, I immediately collapsed to my knees threw up. I felt a gentle hoof on my back. Wiping my mouth, I glanced up to see the Princess looking at me, her face etched with concern.
"I am so sorry, Randy. I had no idea that this would happen," she said softly.
"It's OK. Like you said, you had no idea." I got to my feet shakily. Looking at my surroundings, I noticed that we were next to a rail line. Buildings lined the track on both sides, most of their windows boarded up or missing. The rails were old and rusty from disuse, while weeds grew up from between the ballast. "Where are we?"
"We are in the old factory district. It may not look it now, but this was once the one of largest manufacturing hubs in Equestria. Everything you can imagine was produced here, from fabric and glass to furniture and steel. Now though, it is an eyesore. As the years went on, the factories found that it was harder to ship their goods to the towns and cities that kept springing up. One by one, they all shut their doors and moved the production to other towns. I had your locomotive moved here to be studied because nopony comes around here anymore." she explained as we walked. "Oh! Here we are!" she said.
We stopped in front of a large brick structure. It was two stories, but was about the length of the Master Mechanics building of the Altoona Works. Here, the rails looked like they had been recently been used. As I looked closer, I several things that were out of place. There was a shiny lock on the twin doors that led to an inner loading area, and the grass in front of the entrance door was trampled down a bit.
"After you," she said as she opened the door, gesturing for me to go first.
Through the plains and valleys
Across the great divide
Man brought his thunder
From the other side
Burning smoke and wing of steel
Breathing fire from flaming wheels
Reaching out for a new frontier
Making sure the way was clear
Iron horse, iron horse
Keep on burning on its course
Iron horse, iron horse
Burning on and on
Keep on burning on
Over sand and water
Across the canyon too
Through the crimson sunset
Its mighty whistle blew
Burning smoke and wing of steel
Breathing fire from flaming wheels
Reaching out for a new frontier
Making sure the way was clear
Iron horse, iron horse
Keep on burning on its course
Iron horse, iron horse
Burning on and on
Keep on burning on
Iron horse, iron horse
Keep on burning on its course
Iron horse, iron horse
Keep on burning on
Keep on burning on
Keep on burning on
Keep on burning on.
The song I had written as a teen was prominent in my mind as I stood in front of my K4. The air pumps were beating out their rhythm, charging up the brakes. Steam was wisping out of the cylinder cocks, curling around the boiler. Smoke lightly trailed out of the smokestack, and the headlight was turned on. I could have been back on earth if it wasn't for the multitude of brightly colored ponies scrambling all around. It appeared she was being readied for a run. I looked down the engineer's side looking for the space where the main driver was supposed to be. Unsure, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. One, two, three. THREE DRIVERS!? I heard my name called and looked around. Reggie appeared through the cloud of steam. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, what do you think?" He asked me.
"What do I think?! I thought that she was scrap! You said that it was impossible to repair her!" I turned on Celestia. A smile was on her face.
"I decided that you should be told that because you would be impatient to get here, and would not take the time to heal properly."
"Well, what are you standing there for? Go check the repair," Reggie said.
"Yes, do go. I must speak with the head mechanic. I will be along shortly." With that, she went over to where another pony was waiting for her.
"You did as good a job as the Juniata shops would back home," I said as I walked around, checking that everything was repaired.
"We repacked the cylinders, adjusted the valve settings because they were a little off, and filled the journal boxes. We have Dusty and another firepony up in the cab, keeping the pressure up. You should be ready to go in about thirty minutes."
I couldn't say anything. I was overwhelmed with the thought that I would be behind the throttle of my engine once again. I climbed into the cab. There was Dusty with a coal scoop in hoof, and another pony.
"Hey Randy," Dusty said. "I'd like you to meet my father, Coal Smoke."
"Call me Smokey," He said, holding out his hoof, which I shook. Unlike Dusty, Smokey was pure black. His mane was a dark grey, but I could tell that it was naturally that color, not the result of coal dust. His cutie mark was a piece of coal, surrounded by flames, which contrasted nicely with his coat. "I hear that you can keep this teakettle hot without shoveling."
"That is true," I said, walking over to the backhead. Looking at the gauges, I saw that the pressure was rising nicely. Bending down, I anchored the firebox open and peered inside. The fire was burning brightly at the front, with no holes or clinkers that I could see. Near the back of the firebox, there was less coal. I could understand that, since this locomotive was larger than anything these two ponies had fired before. Satisfied, I walked over to the fireman's side and opened the valve that would let steam into the small motor that began to turn an auger at the bottom of the tender. This carried coal to the firebox, spreading it evenly over the grates. I turned to Dusty and Smokey. "There you go, guys! Now you won't have to work as hard!"
"Praise Celestia for that!" They chorused.
"Why, thank you." They both jumped. Unknown to us, the princess had ascended into the cab, with Reggie behind her. Father and son bowed to the princess.. "Please, you don't need to do that." Turning to me, she said "Randy, the chief mechanic says that the repairs are complete, and you can depart whenever you are ready."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Well, by now, most of the city has heard about you and this engine, and they are curious. We have been lucky that nopony has found this location yet, but I think it is time to officially make this public knowledge. The track is clear, and you are to take this engine to the yard of the Canterlot & Northwestern Railway. There, a group of passenger cars has been converted to use the couplers on your engine. After you have connected, you will pull the train to Canterlot's Grand Central Station. There, a group of dignitaries and citizens will board. You will be traveling to Ponyville, a small crew change point, and back. The railroad has agreed to give this train superiority over all other traffic, so you do not need to worry about other trains," Celestia explained
"Good," I said. "But what about coal and water? Plus, I don't know the track profile, so I could take a curve too fast."
"Not to worry. Reggie, Dusty, and Smokey will be accompanying you in the cab. They will be with you every step of the way," She said.
Right then, the safety valves lifted, releasing a cloud of steam. "Well, I guess it's time to go," I said. The doors slowly opened, letting light in. I stopped the stoker, and turned off my injector. Looking out the engineer's window, I looked around, confirming that everyone was clear of the locomotive. "Dusty, is everyone clear on your side?" When he gave me the affirmative, I gave a tug on the bell cord. I gave two toots on the whistle, the deep bass sound making me smile. I reached out and put the Johnson bar in the first notch. Gently, I opened the throttle a little bit.
The front of the locomotive emerged from the building, the black paint gleaming in the sun, the bell polished until it shone. Every time the light hit it, it was reflected into a million points of light. Once the entire locomotive was out of the building, I closed the throttle and applied the brakes. Once the engine had come to a complete stop, I opened the cylinder cocks. This let any water that had built up inside the cylinders to escape. Once the water level was at the bottom of the sight glass, I closed the cocks. Turning on the engineer's injector, I motioned for Reggie, who took the fireman's seat, to turn on the fireman's injector. After the sight glass was half full, I turned my injector off.
Turning, I noticed that the princess had stayed in the cab. "Princess," I asked, "Aren't you going to get off?"
"I thought that I would ride with you to the station, if I'm not in the way."
"Not at all!" I said. "Although, you will have to sit on the seat behind Reggie, where the brakeman would sit. I must warn you, it can get kind of dirty in here."
"I can always clean myself off with a spell," she said.
"Well, then I guess that settles that!" I said. The safety valves lifted again, and I released the brake. Giving the whistle a couple of toots, I opened the throttle, and we set out along the tracks, headed towards the station.
Half an hour later, we reached the main yard of the Canterlot & Northwestern. Looking to my right, I could see a brick roundhouse with ten stalls. Two of the stalls were occupied by locomotives, while a 2-6-0 Mogul was pulling off the turntable into the third stall. This engine wasn't as garish as the locomotive pulling the train that I saw when I first got to Equestria. Instead, it was a utilitarian black. The bell and whistle were covered in coal soot, its 20 inch drivers giving testament to the fact that this locomotive was not meant for fast passenger trains. The only color on it was a white stripe on the side of the running board halfway up the boiler, the white rims of the drivers, and the red window frames on the cab. This was a freight hog, pure and simple, the small drivers giving the locomotive more pulling power at the expense of speed. On the ready track, there were two more just like it.
Behind the roundhouse was the main shops. A large erecting hall, where new locomotives were built, a similarly large backshop, where locomotives were given heavy repairs, car shops, where new railroad cars were built, and a RIP track, where light repairs to cars were done. Set a little ways away, but still part of the main complex, was the coach shop, where new passenger cars were built, outfitted, and maintained. There was a small team track, where LCL freight was handled. The whole place hummed with activity.
The main yard was also a hive of activity. Small, dirty 0-6-0 switchers bustled around, breaking down incoming trains, and rearranging the cars into new, outbound trains. Switchponies scrambled around, pulling the uncoupling levers and switching tracks just before a cut of cars rolled by, while brakeponies climbed atop the cars to set the brakes in a dangerous ballet.
Up the track was Canterlot Central Station, which was as grand as Pennsylvania Station. A small coach yard was to the left of it, where passenger cars of every color were being pushed around by garishly painted 0-4-0 switchers. Set apart from all the rest was a set of black cars, their fresh paint glistening in the noon light. The name "Canterlot and Northwestern Railway " in gold leaf adorned their sides. Soon, we were at the switch that would allow us to hook up to the train. Dusty climbed down and ran back to line the track. Closing the throttle and making a light application to the brakes, I gave a short toot on the whistle, signifying that I would be stopping.
The deep bass sound echoed through the yard, momentarily causing everyone to stop what they were doing and search for the source of the sound. What they saw amazed them. The largest locomotive they had ever seen slowly coasted to a stop. It loomed several feet over their own locomotives, and had a wheel arrangement none had ever seen. On the front, a keystone shaped herald with gold edges and a red interior, with the number 1361 in gold. The pilot was a solid piece of metal, with a strange type of coupler folded upwards. On the side of the cab, the numbers 1361 were emblazoned in gold in eight inch high letters. Smaller letters that read K4s were painted below them. There was gold striping around the edges of the tender, and the word PENNSYLVANIA adorned the center in two foot high letters.
When they saw the creature in the cab, they were shocked. It didn't look like anything they had ever seen before. It looked like a Diamond Dog with hair only on its face and head. As this was sinking in, they saw their Princess seated where the engineer would be, her coat streaked with black, and her regalia was coated with dust. Her mane was tied up in a large bun, and it too was covered with coal. Then they saw the smile she had on her face, and were amazed that their Princess could enjoy such work. It had never occurred to them that she enjoyed manual labor.
"Princess," I said, "I'm afraid that I'm going to need my seat back for this part."
"Very well, Randy," she said, sliding off the seatbox and moving to stand in the gangway. Concencious of the eyes on me, I stuck my head out the cab window, watching for Dusty to give me the signal. When he gave me the sign that the track was switched, I gave three short toots on the whistle, letting everyone know that I was backing up. I pulled the Johnson bar back one notch toward me, and cracked the throttle. The locomotive started to move backwards, with Reggie calling out the distance to the first car of the train.
The Long Trains Roll
I do not own the character of Randy MacDougal. The character is from the mind of Stephen W. Meader.
Prologue
April 5, 1943
The mighty locomotive pounded the rails with a heavy, 50 car drag of coal in tow. It’s exhaust sounded like it was going at least 60 miles per hour, but in fact, it was only going 20. The locomotive was fighting the relentless pull of gravity as it wrestled the cars up the 1% grade. It’s 10 large driving wheels gripped the rails with a force of 95,100 foot pounds. The engineer allowed a small smile to grace his lips, for he was in his element in the cab of the mighty 2-10-4 Texas type locomotive. Every movement, every sound, was analyzed by his trained ear. Making a slight adjustment to the throttle, he listened with satisfaction as the beat of the exhaust turned into a pronounced bark, and he knew that he was using every bit of the 5000+ horsepower that his locomotive had to offer.
Turning his attention back to the track, he heard a slight squeak of a loose rail. He was just about to remark to his fireman
“I don’t like the sound of that one bit.”
The comment died on his lips as the rail snapped. Frantically, the engineer reached out to close the throttle, but it was too late. The locomotive hit the ties, dragging the train with it. It was dumb luck that the locomotive stayed upright and didn’t roll over. When the horrendous screeching of tortured metal and grinding of steel stopped, half of the train was on the ground. Luckily, an air hose had been ruptured between the locomotive and the first car of the train by the force of the derailment, causing the brakes to be applied automatically. If this hadn’t happened, the wreck would have been much worse. As it was, two of the four lines were blocked by the twisted metal of what once had been the train. It would take weeks, even months of hard work to get the line open.
The cause of the wreck was later determined to be lack of needed maintenance. World War II was in full swing, and the rails were stretched to their limits by the sudden increase of traffic. Maintenance crews were struggling to keep the railroad in shape. With the need for men in Europe, many of the men who worked on the track crews were being drafted.
Chapter 1
One month later
It was a beautiful morning when I was called off of the extra board to take a troop train from Pittsburgh to Norfolk. Dragging myself out of bed, I looked in the mirror and thought to myself
“Randy, you are the luckiest man alive. Not only do you work for the Pennsy, you get to be in command of one of the most powerful machines in the world.”
I got dressed, grabbed a thermos of coffee, and set out for the station where I would be taking over the train.
As the locomotive, a freshly shopped K4 4-6-2 Pacific, eased into the station, I heard a slight clanking sound. To an untrained ear, it would be lost in the sounds of hissing steam, beating air pumps, and screeching flanges. As the engineer swung down from the cab, I asked how the locomotive was performing.
The old man replied “She’s not doing bad, but that main rod is was giving us trouble. If I were you, I’d take up the wedges* on the right main rod and watch out for that reverse lever. This morning, leaving Harrisburg, the damn thing jumped the cog out of quadrant and the bar banged into the forward corner. "Good thing we weren't going fast," he added, "might have done some damage."
“Will do, and thanks for the warning. I'll keep an eye on it,” I replied.
While I was waiting for the scheduled departure time, I swung my grip into the cab. Grabbing a wrench and the long spouted oil can, I proceeded to “oil around” hitting each bearing with a squirt of oil, using the spout to get into the hard to reach places. It was difficult work, but it was necessary. If a bearing were to seize at speed, even for a millisecond, the results would be catastrophic. After that was done, I took the wrench out of my pocket and tightened up the main rod.
That done, I walked back to the platform. I noticed a young man, just out of high school by the look of him, looking at the locomotive with something close to reverence and awe. I could understand what he was thinking, for I was once like him. I could tell that the rails called to him like they did to me. There was a certain romance to them. The rushing of the wind, the hissing of steam, the rhythmic beat of the wheels, and the lonesome wailing of the steam whistle. Addressing him, I asked “How would you like to ride with us for the first leg of the trip?”
His face lit up. “Would I ever!” he cried.
After I had scaled the side of the engine, he eagerly clambered into the cab.
