Nearly a week passed and strangely the crews didn’t come back for the rest of the track and even against Hans’s protests, the men started preparing for a run up the tracks. To their surprise just as Red fired up the engine’s boilers to max, in the distance he could see the work crews.
Hans grinned “I told you not to worry, and my friends now comes our surprise.” He handed Red and Wes their binoculars he had carried from the passenger car.
“Holy crap!” Red muttered as they surveyed the work going on “They’re laying a damned bed for the tracks.” he looked at Wes “They wouldn’t do that unless…” he looked at Hans who was standing there grinning like the cat that got the canary.
“That’s right, unless the track is permanent. The day you all left the crews started out from Boulder working in our direction. Proff and the committee that runs Boulder decided to manufacture track now that we have an engine and train to run upon them. They laid track all the way to the Cyclops, and southward past the mesa and almost to the carrier. It will then eventually swing back toward the city.” he grinned as he headed toward the stairs out of the engine’s cab.
“The hard part was making the switches, but it seems that your friend Bryce agreed to give us some plans he and his brother had drawn up for their project in Texas. We started on them as soon as we received them the day you arrived in Boulder. Proff figured that if we could start making tracks using more of our resources, we could make tracks for the Indians as well as your train.”
“But we didn’t know…” Wes muttered.
Hans laughed “Of course not. The two of you had new loves in your lives and for the first time felt safe, it’s the same way with every newcomer. You were enjoying our beautiful city, Bryce told us not to bother you…to let it be a surprise.”
“That it is.” Sarge frowned as he climbed past Hans “Saw them from the top of the train and came to tell you two.”
Wes caught Hans’s arm “Hey, so what are we supposed to do?”
Hans laughed “Sit here and wait for them to signal us. There have been nearly one thousand workers going twenty-four hours a day building rails, cutting ties, bridge building, and making a rail bed that won’t collapse if a dinosaur steps on it…well, maybe not any of the larger four legged kind, but anything smaller than a rex. I know that you know we’ve buried large squared logs down under the soil for the tracks to sit on and drove the spikes into those, your rails won’t be going anywhere even if a dinosaur stubs a toe on it.”
Red rubbed the back of his neck with a worried look “Well, that’s a nasty thought. Damn, sure gonna have to figure out some way to keep constant eyes on the track ahead for those switches you mentioned.”
They all had climbed out of the cab and as Bryce rode up. Hans told him of the problem Red had brought up. Bryce nodded thoughtfully…
“John and myself thought on that for some time. How can we hope to travel at anything greater than a snail’s pace, or risk the only train in the world derailing?”
Red nodded “Yeah, I have to have time to stop this monster if the switch is…”
Missy and Mary had been standing back a ways, but both walked into the crowd.
“Couldn’t you put someone on top of the gondola to watch the tracks ahead using binoculars?” Missy asked “I meant if there is someone driving that is new to the route.”
Mary nodded “Sure we’ve been up top and it’s all steel other than the holes to load coal and water. Maybe some sort of protective cage could be built to protect whoever is watching the tracks from flappers and the like…plus it’s cooler up there when the train is moving.”
Missy nodded “Sure, and spikes to protect them from the bigger dinos.” They both stopped and looked at the gathering of men and the blank stares coming from them.
“What?” they both replied in unison.
The guys just looked at each other as Bryce shrugged.
“Ok, will get people started on it…and add some windows,” he chuckled “The gals haven’t been up there when that black choking coal smoke blows straight back.” He started to get back on his horse, but stopped and looked at the girls “Damned fine idea ladies.” and off he rode in the direction of the work crews and their escorts.
Red elbowed Wes and chuckled “’bout time they earned their keep.” And that got Red a rather jolting poke in the ribs from Mary.
**************************************
It took nearly two more days for the crews to reach the train, and finally Red eased the engine forward. They had watched as the crews had formed a mold around the seams of the track and poured powdered magnesium into the molds and fired it. It burnt at incredibly extreme temperatures thus welding the tracks together.
Red was satisfied and pushed the throttle forward, but dared not to go faster than ten miles an hour. The newcomers were amazed at the progress, a strong bed had been laid, and the rolling hills had been cut back so the train could see what laid ahead. As they crossed the first switch that they knew headed toward the Cyclops, Red commented on how well done everything had been created in such a short time considering the obstacles of being in Pangea. The angles the switch had been laid, created a way for the train to move from one direction to the other, without having to throw anything that physically moved the tracks, but that meant the train could only go one way and in this case it was to Boulder. Once in Boulder, and switched along a wide loop, it could come back along this stretch and it would only go toward the Cyclops. Further down the line was the switch that was headed toward the carrier; but still unfinished.
Hans smiled “Ok, so you have to only travel in one direction or reverse, but we cannot chance having someone live out here to throw switches, nor one of the dinosaurs damage the mechanism.” Red just nodded in agreement and nudged the train a bit faster once they had cleared the cross section of tracks. Everyone knew that eventually something would have to be figured out. From what they had been told the only place the engine could be switched with a moving switch was in Boulder and even there they had to take the train in a three mile loop and return to the switch yard just to get the engine turned around…this would have to change. Red figured he knew enough to show the Boulder craftsmen how to create a switchable switch instead of having to go through a series of fixed switches and long loops just to turn around.
It was a beautiful day and pretty much as Hans had said had been reported, grass eaters roamed the prairies in herds and for once not a flapper to be seen.
He leaned out the rear of the cab as he shouted to Wes and Red.
“Too much open ground out here once we’re past the hills. The grass-eaters can see the two-legged predators. They either form up to protect each other, or run. The two-leggers, are fast, but limited as to how long they can run, so by the time they run to where the dinos as you call them, are…the dinos are long gone, so the meat-eaters stick close to the jungles and forests.”
“And what about that one?” Red shouted back and pointed to the left side of the train to the lone rex trotting in an intercepting course.
Hans grinned “Your man Snake has…” Before he could finish there was a hiss and a whitish-gray smoke trail that headed toward the rex. The rocket exploded in a bright yellow cloud of…”
“HOLY SHIT!” Red gagged as they passed through the cloud and the rex sprinted away from the engine.
Hans laughed “We have all the ingredients for gunpowder, but Snake showed us how to make it more powerful. We showed him our ‘Dillo dust’. Its powder is made from the grease we pull off the Dillos. We used it the few times meat-eaters came at the walls, but to put it in a rocket that Snake and Luke created…” he choked and smiled at the same time…and then came a scratchy “it works…cough…great.”
Wes pointed to the rex that had taken the full brunt of the gas and was nearly a mile away now and acting like someone had pepper-sprayed it.
“Damned thing looks like a cat chucking a hairball.”
Red frowned as he wiped tears from eyes
“Jesus, I know how it feels…man does that shit stink…and burn!”
Hans nodded “It has saved many a life my friends, it is wise to carry some at all times. We have small clay pots that have it sealed inside. Just light the fuse and throw…but rockets are much better to protect this train.”
Wes smiled “I will have to remember the smoke pot thing.”
The train turned through a wide gap in a hill and the eastern walls of Boulder could be seen in the distance and Red’s mind wandered back to the days they entered and left the city. The entrances were tall and wide enough for the train to get through, but had been extended to allow for the extra protection of the portcullis and spiked ram.
He nudged Wes and pointed to the black smoke pouring out of the stack.
“That tunnel is nearly a quarter to half of a mile long.” he eased off the throttle some “That’s gonna be one tight tunnel and all this smoke will choke us before we…”
Hans smiled and pointed toward the tunnel’s entrance to several men and two Dillos…and one very large chain.
“Just stop near that marker and Kurt’s Dillos will do the rest.”
“My train is heavy.” Red tried to protest.
Wes chuckled in reply “Remember those things were towing a quarter to a half mile of track across dirt.” Red shrugged and nodded as he pulled back on the throttle and the train slowed to a crawl and stopped dead next to the marker.
The guys killed most of the fire while the Dillos were hooked to the train’s engine and slowly was pulled into the thriving city of Boulder.
Once more the city came into view and the throng of people that had come to see the train…and those responsible for taking measurements of every part of the train to create more trains. Now that they had something to take measurements and to see how things worked, Proff wanted Boulder to have more than one engine and train cars…and a lot of spare parts to fix any broken ones. The train had barely stopped and the craftsmen and women were busy taking measurements of everything that was cool enough to measure or examine; to them this was a gold mine.
They were welcomed and after the greetings, those out of the loop, were brought up to date on things that had been happening while they had been gone. There was a lot of good news involving progress on creating and laying track.
The bad news was that Dai’s men…the ones that flew out and had saved Wes and the rest on the hill, and covered them as they made it to the train…never returned.
Dai looked out as if seeing through the walls to the distant prairies.
“We found one of the planes had landed, but it had been ripped apart on the ground. We think it had landed to pick up another pilot that parachuted and apparently both were attacked by raptors.”
“How?” Sarge asked “those planes are taller than…”
“Sergeant, you’ll have to remember many of our planes are made from wood and silk. It was war time and resources were limited. We have a few aluminum zeros, but more were older planes tossed together from spare parts for our carrier. We have to send out the lighter planes because of the distance and limited fuel.”
“We’re sorry about your men Dai.” Wes muttered respectfully “It is a tragic loss, those brave men gave their lives to save us.”
Dai nodded and then managed a slight smile “On a brighter note, a pigeon came in earlier to say the track had arrived at the carrier this morning and they are making a swing back toward us and should reach the switch in two more days.”
“Well that’s great news.” Sarge muttered as he looked at the closest tavern and licked his lips.
“I’m afraid not so much my friends.” Proff sighed “I realize that you have just returned, but I have a favor to ask.”
Wes nodded with a smile “Hey, you’re providing us with a home…ask away.”
Proff sighed again and sheepishly looked at Wes’s people that had gathered around.
“I hate to ask, but I would like you all to go with Kurt…to go back out there.” With his thin hand he pointed back toward the gate they had just come through.” and then he turned to Red.
“And you to go…” he pointed along the tracks to the west. “A few miles there’s another gate on the western side of the wall.”
Kurt gently pushed his way through the crowd.
“Proff?” he nodded toward the west “Perhaps it would be best if you asked all of the men to go with the train.”
“With the train?” Red asked.
“The day you left we sent a wagon to the Indian village closest to us…” he cocked his head slightly “…you know they have coal…oh dear, I forgot to tell you that didn’t I?” he shrugged “Anyhow, they have plenty of coal and if we empty those freight cars of yours…”
Wes nodded “We can bring back some coal.”
“Better yet,” Kurt added “We’ve loaded up the rail-wagons we have. Remember I told you that they run on the tracks we found decades ago and laid them all the way to the Indian areas? You should be able to pull that as well shouldn’t you?”
“Sure, but we have the added weight of the passenger car and…”
Kurt moved everyone away to show the guys another set of switches and two more short sets of tracks “You can leave the unneeded weight here.”
Red looked at Wes and smiled “I’ll be damned…sidings!” he chuckled “Well I did want to be an engineer…guess I’ll have to be one, one more time.” he looked at Sarge and then Mary…and then the nearby tavern.
“But first I need one of those fine prehistoric ales you told me about!”
Chapter 25.
Whatever the professor had in mind for the others, it was put on hold for the promise of plenty of coal and easy transportation. The wagons pulled along the tracks they had to the Indian towns took over a month for a round trip; with luck, the train could make it in about a week and carry three times as much. Wes reckoned that as it was uncomfortably hot, they didn’t need the coal for heat. They had enough coal on hand to run whatever they needed for the city that wasn’t covered by their single natural gas well, so he figured it was for making steel out of the many iron mines from the far end of their peninsula. Boulder was actually many towns and the main city. Towns that were located along the wide and long peninsula’s stretch. Four of the towns had foundries, two more had primitive machining plants, and six settlements had iron mines. Most had been slowed to a crawl while the workers had worked on the railroad from the future; now it was time to go back to work and they needed more coal, their gas wasn’t enough.
He had been shown the well that first day they arrived. Gas, but no oil, and the town used it mostly to run their blast furnaces and steel production. What oil they had was also from the Indian territories, so production of steel goods were slower than they should be.
Everything depended upon supplies from either the Indians or Blackwood, when they weren’t in conflict and they hadn’t spoken with anyone from Blackwood in nearly a decade as far as Wes could determine.
Boulder had most of what the early twentieth century had, but also had the added problem of being stuck in Pangea. Proff had something cooking, but he wasn’t sure exactly what…but he’d worry about that after they got the coal.
He had learned that the Indians they were going to meet had in fact been from a time when trains had begun to cross their prairies and it seemed the use of carrier pigeons had been their main way of communicating for over a century. It was the carrier pigeons that turned out to be the real surprise.
When Sarge and Wes were taken to what was dubbed the ‘post office’ or ‘roost’, it turned out that the pigeons were in fact a strange looking reptilian bird-like creature that the Incas and Indians had captured and trained to deliver messages nearly one hundred years ago.
The pigeon was the size of a large falcon and had a three foot wingspan, and as it turned out worked for the fruits and berries that were grown by most of the settlements. As deadly as they looked, the brightly colored reptilian-like birds were quite tame and e
njoyed human company.
While the guys were given a working tour of Boulder, the women and Cassy shopped for supplies for the trip to the ‘coast’ which was where the old tracks lead to the first Indian village. It was protected by high unclimbable cliffs and one well-guarded pass that the tracks came through. Wes was assured that there was no grade to speak of and Red’s engine could handle what little incline there was, it was the Neos and dinos that they had to worry about. All throughout their tour, they could hear Red moving his engine around the new rail yards preparing for the trip ahead.
Back near the yards, there were a couple of Sioux women that ran one of the shops that sold rawhide and dinosaur hides that had been tanned to fine leathers of various colors. One of the women wanted to know where Cassy got her beautiful dino hide clothes.
“Why I tanned them myself?” she replied to the astonishment of the Indian shopkeepers.
“Would you like a job here?” one quickly replied and then went into great detail how tanning raptor hides were known by only a few and none as fine as Cassy’s clothes.
Cassy tried to explain how she did it, but the women were unfamiliar with some of the plants she used and was invited to work at the tanning shop in the next building over. The owner looked at the three and smiled.
“Of course by now you know that we don’t use physical coin, or at least rarely. Everyone is put into a job that fits the needs of the community, it is the same in our lands. Your job is rated to the importance, and young miss, if you can tan raptor hides into that beautiful leather you’re wearing, your importance rate would be at least a six.”
Cassy wrinkled her nose “Six? Is that good?”
The other lady laughed “When we came here at the age of six, our parents worked labor jobs and were rated at threes.” she smiled warmly at the lass “We co-own this shop and rate a five. You miss, would rate a six if you can tan raptor hides as well as that.” She pointed to the clothes Cassy was wearing and still looked presentable after weeks out on the prairies. She refused to leave her backpack at the hotel and now Missy and Mary found out why. Cassy had told them it was all she owned. She now carefully unpacked a roll of normal looking hide.
Last Train to Pangea: Death by Dinosaur Page 18