Grantville Gazette.Volume XVI

by Eric Flint

  "How fast do you think it can go?" asked one of the workers in the crowd.

  "On a good, flat track and no load, probably forty miles per hour. Around here in the hills, and with the rail we've got, maybe twenty to twenty-five with a good tail wind." Most of the GRS's current freight trains averaged around ten miles per hour. "That's still twice as fast as our freight trains can do." Arlen was grinning from ear to ear.

  "So, has the railroad bought it already?" Mike tried to prick Arlen's ego a little. They'd been friends since grade school and were always trying to upstage each other. "Last I heard, they wanted to run trials with it to make sure it really worked, and see if passenger demand would support its cost."

  "They're still looking at a trial. I've painted this one as a demonstrator. I had to scrounge up just about all the silver auto paint that was left in town. Hopefully, seeing it in railroad colors will help seal the deal." Arlen had put a lot of his own time in on designing and building the Goose, but his enthusiasm still had a bit of doubt clouding it. Mike sensed the hesitation and waited for Arlen to continue. Arlen sighed and went on, "It's probably got the same problem the original Geese had. They tended to gallop from side to side at higher speeds. We've got an upgrade planned for the production model to improve the springs and weight distribution that should solve that problem if it crops up. We just need to get the first one sold. We even have a larger steam-powered version with a wooden body on the drawing board, but first, we have to sell the railroad investors on the idea that passenger business can be a paying proposition."

  Passenger service in November 1634 was very austere, expensive, and slow. The Goose showed potential to provide a quick way to overcome many of the objections that had been raised about improving passenger service. Arlen knew that the best engineered equipment still had to be sold to be successful.

  The whole crew proceeded to board the Goose while Arlen started the engine. "Mike, since you're a trainee engineer, I thought I'd let you be the one to back her out of the shop and show her to the world."

  Mike slipped into the seat that Arlen vacated for him. He turned on the music system and inserted a CD. "I thought this might be appropriate for the occasion." Strains of John Denver singing "Jenny Dreamed of Trains" filled the Goose. Slowly, Mike backed the Goose out into the rail yard and then parked it on the service track. Everybody piled out, many commenting on how beautiful the interior was and how comfortable the seats were. Mike muttered under his breath, "Not if you ever had to ride two hours on a field trip on them."

  After a while, the excitement died down and Mike nudged Arlen in the ribs to gently remind him of the passing time. "Don't forget our evening plans. You know that Dee and Mimi are waiting for us to take them to Tyler's Restaurant tonight and we both need to clean up before we meet them. What time are the reservations for?"

  The deer in the headlights look that Arlen got told him everything he ever needed to know. "Move! I'll help Martin check that everything's cleaned up with the paint sprayer. He can lock up and I'll meet you at your house."

  The shop crew hurried to clear the shop before the boys' girlfriends ended their short, yet exciting lives. Tonight was the informal rehearsal dinner for Arlen and Mimi, who were getting married on Sunday. Mike had gotten leave to be there as the best man and Deidre Hardy was going to be Mimi's maid of honor. All the workers razzed Arlen for his forgetfulness as he hurried off, but they were also proud of what they and Arlen had built. Martin was the proudest of all.

  ***

  When Arlen arrived at his parent's home, out of breath, his mother greeted him at the door. "You make sure you don't get any of that grease and paint on the bed. Last time you were late, you just tossed everything and you almost ruined the comforter!"

  "I'll be careful, Mom." Arlen responded light-headedly. "Can you call Tyler's and make sure everything is set for the dinner, please?"

  "I already did. I also called Mimi and Dee at the new apartment and told them that you and Mike were working at finishing the Goose. I called her back when you came in and they'll meet you at Tyler's in forty five minutes."

  Arlen called out, "Thanks, Mom! I've got the coveralls in the basket. I'll start the laundry before I go."

  Just as Arlen finished dressing after his shower, Mike arrived and the whole process was repeated. He and Mike checked each other's appearance, flattened Arlen's cowlick for about the fifth time, put on their best winter coats, and walked to Tyler's.

  On the way, Mike went over the plans for Sunday's upcoming nuptials. "Just remember, Arlen," Mike started his lecture, "You've got the easiest part in the whole thing. Make sure you're there by noon. Then, you stand at the front of the church, smile from ear to ear as Mimi walks down the aisle, turn around, say 'I do,' put the ring on her hand, kiss her, turn around and walk down the aisle without tripping. Got that?"

  Arlen chuckled, "I think so. Just don't forget the ring, okay?"

  "Right."

  The friendly banter on wedding plans continued. As they approached Tyler's Mike asked apprehensively, "Are we on time? Dee said she'd skin me if I got you here late."

  "Funny, Mimi told me the same thing about you! We've still got five minutes. Wouldn't it be funny if they were late this time?"

  "Not a snowballs chance. Speaking of snowballs, I think we're in for some snow. You can almost taste it in the air." Mike loved snow. He'd spent quite a bit of his winter breaks skiing at Snowshoe Mountain before the Ring of Fire and had a knack for sensing when snow conditions would be good.

  "I just hope if it does, that it doesn't spoil the service on Sunday. Mimi and I don't have a lot of family that can be here." The thoughts of just what the Ring of Fire had cost them carried Arlen and Mike into Tyler's. Once across the threshold, the aromas from the kitchen woke them from their reverie. They looked anxiously for their dates.

  Herman Bartig, the doorman, greeted them as they walked in. "Mimi and Dee are waiting in the bar area for you. They just got here five minutes ago. Don't let them tease you that they've been waiting. They sounded mischievous as they came in!"

  When they entered the bar, Mimi spotted Arlen and made a bee line for him. The un-ladylike, full-body kiss drew a round of applause from the regulars at the bar. After the wolf whistles died down and Arlen got his breath back, he asked, "Do I know you, ma'am? My fiancee is supposed to be around here somewhere and she's the really jealous type."

  "Just wait 'til Sunday night!" she said with a sly grin. "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

  "I hope I'll see nothing on Sunday night. The wait since our betrothal in June has been killing me. Cold showers only work so long!"

  Dee came up and greeted Mike with only a slightly more demure kiss. "Maybe next year, Mike?" she asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Dee and Mike had been going together since their junior year in high school and were starting to get serious. All four young people had been friends since they were in grade school and the last three years had brought them even closer together. Mimi and Dee were both starting teaching careers and Mike and Arlen had worked on trains since their volunteer days at the Cass Scenic Railway.

  The maitre-de came up at that point and interrupted to tell them that their table was ready. The table they approached was covered with a crisply ironed white tablecloth, elegant porcelain plates, stainless steel flatware, crystal glasses and a silk rose in a vase. As they sat down, a waiter arrived with a tray of appetizers. "Compliments of the management, Thuringerwald Oysters, for the bride and groom."

  Mike responded with laughter. "After the earlier demonstration, I don't think Arlen will need them, but please, give the chef our thanks!"

  The rest of the evening was a complete success. Arlen and Mimi had a chance to have an evening to relax after all the preparations of the past few weeks. When Arlen started to try to talk shop with Mike, Dee fixed him with a withering glare and the subject quickly changed. Around midnight, the celebration broke up and Mike and Arlen escorted the girls back to the new apartment, each couple paus
ing frequently to embrace and warm up.

  The snow started falling softly in large, fluffy flakes. The world seemed to narrow down to just them as the snow muffled the sounds of the evening and visibility decreased

  Arlen sighed. "Looks like I'll have to stop by in the morning and shovel."

  "I'll have something to warm you up when you're done."

  "You'll probably still be asleep. I've got some paperwork to finish if I'm going to get next week free. We've got one engine in for a major repair and I need to show Joachim and his crew how to braze and refinish the broken part. I should be done by noon. I'll stop by afterward to help get the last of my stuff moved into the new place."

  They were covered by a light white blanket by the time they finally said good night. Mike and Arlen hurried back to Arlen's parent's home because the snow was now starting to come down in earnest.

  ***

  Saturday morning dawned gray, cold and snowy. Even though it was only late November, it looked like the storm was going to dump a lot of snow. Arlen and Mike shoveled out his parents' house and the new apartment. Mimi and Dee had a big breakfast ready for them and then shoved them off to work.

  "We've got a ton of stuff to finish up today and it's looking like we'll have to fight the snow as well as time. You guys go do what you need to at the shop and we'll see you later this afternoon." Dee looked like she would brook no argument, so Arlen and Mike set out for the shops.

  After trudging through ankle deep snows for fifteen minutes, they were huffing and puffing, just like the engines they worked with. They weren't the first to arrive that morning. They were greeted by a toasty fire in the office's pot belly stove and the aroma from a large pot of coffee warming on top.

  "Everybody in?" called Arlen as he walked out to the repair bay. The steam engine sitting there had its piston rods out. The rod from the engineer's side was on the work bench due to a stress crack that had been found during routine maintenance. An instructor from the tech school was coming by to show Arlen and three of his senior down-time shop machinists how to handle the brazing and heat treating. The informal class was set to start at ten. Over the next hour, Arlen was planning to finish his reports to Hugh Lowe, the GRS president, on the Goose and develop a plan for testing the railbus.

  As Arlen was putting the finishing touches on the plan, Martin Erlanger came in the front door of the shop, shook off his coat and stamped his boots clear of snow. "Such a day, not even a wild pig would go out!"

  "Any word on how long they think this will last?" Arlen was starting to get worried that the weather could ruin the next day's wedding festivities. He knew everyone coming was already in town, but trudging through snow was not his ideal of how a wedding party should leave the church. He didn't want Mimi to be disappointed.

  "I just stopped by the radio station and what reports they could get from the west and north show a wide area of snow. They think it will probably go through tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. They also had just gotten an emergency signal from Saalfeld. There's been another industrial accident, this time at the steel works, with some serious injuries. They had to use the radio because the telegraph line was out. They think there was a snow slide or a tree down somewhere along the rail line. I hope they are able to handle the injuries at the steel works' clinic. The hospital's full and this storm has all the roads closed between here and Saalfeld."

  The phone rang. Martin answered, "Hello."

  Everyone could hear his end of the conversation and watch his body language. Immediately, they all could tell it wasn't good news. "No, the engine's not ready. You'll have to talk to Arlen about that." Martin held out the receiver. "Arlen, Mr. Lowe from the railroad. He has some questions I can't answer."

  Arlen had a bad feeling about what was coming. "Arlen Goss here. What can I do for you, Mr. Lowe?"

  "Arlen." Mr. Lowe sounded rushed. "We've had a serious accident at the Saalfeld steelworks. We need to transport two serious burn cases. I've talked to Dr. Adams at the hospital, and he has some real concerns about where best to treat these cases. They've still got a number of people they're treating for that chemical spill and they've got a heavy load of flu cases. Two of their staff members who have some burn experience are at Jena right now working with the university to set up a new trauma unit. Jena hasn't been hit with the flu yet, and this snow should slow down travel enough that it shouldn't spread there too soon. The big question is, can we get them there? Is Number Four done with its rebuild? It's the only engine with a plow that's big enough. We don't have anything else that could get through heavy snow."

  "Number Four has a cracked rod. We won't be able to get it rebuilt before Monday."

  All Arlen heard was a deep sigh on the other end as Hugh thought back to his conversation with Dr. Adams. The doctor had gotten on his soapbox about all the world's medical problems always having to come to Grantville to be cured. The current overload at the hospital made this an ideal opportunity to showcase what other facilities could do. Hugh decided to see if there was any other way to get the patients safely to Jena. "Is there any way to accelerate the work? The men that got injured were doing some experimental test castings for the railroad and I really want to help."

  Arlen saw his chance. "We just finished that railbus I was telling you about last week. It's got enough power to buck the snow and we can put a plow on it. Should take us half an hour to hook up and by the time the medics are ready and get here, we should be ready."

  "Great! I'll call the hospital and tell them to have their EMT's meet you at the shop. Just be ready to roll as soon as you can. The reports I've gotten indicate at least two serious burn cases and one fatality already. I'll also send a track crew along, in case there's any trouble on the line."

  "We'll be ready, Mr. Lowe." Arlen hung up and motioned the staff to gather round. "Martin, call the county road shop and tell them they need to bring over the old wedge plow truck so that we can use the plow. Vandy Rowland, the foreman, will know which one we need. Julius, get the Goose fueled and make sure we've got extra fuel for the motor and the stove. Stefan and Joachim, take off the arm rests on the last four sets of seats. Put boards between them and get some sleeping bags so that we can use them as beds. Mike, give Mimi a call and tell her what's happening. Also, I'll need an engineer, can you handle it?"

  "Sure, but don't you want someone with more experience than I've got running the Goose?"

  "You are the most experienced engineer we've got for it. Nobody outside the shop has even been in it and Martin and I will be along if any problems crop up." Mike's eyes went wide, but his military training kicked in and he just saluted and went to finish his tasks.

  Arlen took a deep breath and started going through a mental checklist on what else might be needed. This would be the Goose's shakedown run and there were a lot of things that could go wrong, especially with the amount of snow they had already gotten and what was still coming.

  "Spare drive chain, extra sand for traction, rerailer, bars, shovels and jacks in case of derailment, track bars and spike mauls in case of track problems, two chainsaws, extra blankets, food and water in case we're stranded and a rabbit's foot for luck." As he thought of each item, Arlen called out to the shop crew and they located and loaded the item into the freight compartment. Martin got two of the shop crew to help him top off the sandboxes on the Goose and then added four fifty-pound bags of sand in the back. By the time he'd finished his loading, the truck had arrived with the plow. Mason Sizemore came in, shaking off snow like a small bear and sputtering about proper channels for requisitioning government property.

  "Mason, please, we've got an emergency. Just help us get the plow switched over to the railbus."

  Mason looked like he wanted to say some more but then acquiesced. "The snow is breaking branches and trees that are blocking the roads. Where did you say you want the plow set?"

  Arlen pointed out towards the yard. "We've cleared a space on one of the crossings out front. If you can set the plow on the
tracks so we can just hook up and go, that would be great. It'll save us time and that's the most important thing right now."

  Mase went out at the fastest jog Arlen had ever seen him do. The sound of gears meshing told him that the truck was being positioned. Then, brakes squealing brought Arlen to the window to see what had happened. It was the ambulance from the hospital pulling in. Walter Allen and Frieda Zimmerman, both EMT's from the Fire Department got out and unloaded their gear from the back.

  "Come on in here and tell us what more you need!" Arlen called. "We're getting the plow installed now and should be ready to go in five minutes."

  "Has anyone called with an update?" Walt seemed extremely concerned. "The last radio call we got was that there was one definite fatality and two serious burn cases." While Walt was talking to Arlen, Frieda and Martin were transferring additional supplies from the ambulance into the Goose. Just then, three more figures came high stepping through the snow in the yard. The snow swirled in through the door as they entered. Lucas Chehab from the VoA radio station was followed by Mimi and Dee.

  "Walt, I've got the status update for you. Michael Koester and Fredrich Klein have got second degree burns on their arms and upper bodies. Their team leader, Gustav Arndt, received third degree burns over most of his body and died shortly after the accident. They're not sure exactly what happened. Mr. Pierce sent word that he thinks they have enough pain killers to hold the two for about two hours. You'll need to get there before then or they may lose both of them to shock."