Chapter 419 The First Run of a Steam Locomotive
The steam locomotive Bruno mentioned refers to the passenger and freight train that runs between the city of Idar and the Merlin District.
With the official launch of the steam locomotive, the railway laying task led by the Idar Railway Administration has already been put on track.
However, the plan that was initially formulated was different...
The first railway to be laid was not the main artery connecting Fortress Mann and the Valens Plains that runs through the north and south of the Principality of Idar, but the short intercity railway connecting the city of Idar and the Merlin District.
after all……
The city of Idar is the center of the Principality of Idar, with a large population and prosperous business.
The Merlin District is the largest seaport in the Principality of Idar, with countless merchant ships and cargo ships passing through every day.
If there could be a railway connecting the two, then the speed of personnel deployment and cargo transportation would be directly raised to a higher level.
The distance between Idar City and Merlin District is only 80 kilometers, so... after mobilizing countless Idar people, it only took more than a month, and an entire railway connecting the two places was fully opened.
Idar Central Station is still just getting started, but that doesn’t matter!
It would not take much manpower and time to temporarily build a simple freight station outside the city of Idar.
As for the special train...
The freight section at the back is operating normally, and a separate carriage is reserved at the front for the Padilla Mission. This...should be considered a special train, right? ...
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day when the Padilla delegation went to Idar City.
Under the personal leadership of Merlin Governor Shabi, the convoy carrying a group of people quickly passed through several busy streets and arrived at the temporary station located in the southwest of the Merlin Special District.
Sitting in the carriage, looking at the streets and houses gradually moving away from him, a hint of doubt could not help but well up in the heart of the Great Elder Sherman Goodberg.
What is this special train?
When the Idar people mentioned the special train to him, they did not actually reveal much information about the steam locomotive, only saying that it was a new means of transportation that would soon be running across the land of the Principality of Idar.
but……
Looking at the luxurious carriage he was in...
All right,
Although this thing is indeed much more luxurious than the [Convertible 360° Panoramic Sightseeing Two-wheeled Donkey Cart] of the Padiliya City-State, it is far less shocking than the Principality of Idar itself.
after all……
During these days, he had fully witnessed the wealth and prosperity of the Principality of Idar. After seeing so many of those densely packed houses, his horizons had also broadened a lot.
Although the carriage is indeed extremely exquisite and detailed, it is a little disappointing compared to the evaluation given to it by the Idar people - "a groundbreaking new means of transportation."
only……
After walking for about ten minutes, the convoy stopped in front of a factory on the outskirts of the Merlin Special District.
"here it is……"
The great elder Sherman Goodberg slowly got out of the car, looked around, and was a little confused for a moment.
"This is the temporary station we built for the special train. You will take the train to Idar City here." The Idar official at the side replied politely.
"Wasn't the carriage just now a special train?"
"Of course not."
Hearing this, the Great Elder felt as if his cheeks were slightly blushing, and he nodded quickly to hide his deep embarrassment.
Yes, the impression that the Idar people gave him was that they were very secretive, with unpredictable strength hidden under their modest appearance. And the special train mentioned by the Idar people could not be just a carriage with luxurious decorations.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel ashamed of his previous wild thoughts.
At the signal of the great elder Sherman Goodberg, the Padiliya delegation followed closely the leading Idar soldier and walked into the temporary station that had just been built with full of doubts.
The exterior of the entire station looks very simple, even dilapidated. Let’s put it this way, the whole building looks like an oversized rye baguette lying on the ground.
Even if you travel all over the Merlin Special District, you probably won't be able to find any building as shabby as the temporary station.
It’s no wonder that the Great Elder was suspicious.
Although he still didn't know what a special train was, it sounded like a high-end, classy thing, and it couldn't be associated with the building in front of him at all.
If the Idar people had not treated the delegation he led with courtesy in recent days, and if the city-state of Padilla had not had anything that the Idar people might take seriously, the Great Elder would even have thought that this was a trap set by the Idar people.
There were many Idar soldiers and police officers on duty at the station, and it seemed that there were also merchants coming and going and constantly bringing their goods here.
And when the members of the Padilla Mission finally passed through the long security corridor and the temporary waiting hall...
A strange-looking iron lump suddenly appeared in front of everyone! This thing must be made of iron! If it were used to make weapons or armor... these iron blocks could probably be used to forge hundreds of sets of armor and swords, right?
above,
These were all the thoughts that appeared in the mind of the Great Elder Sherman Goodberg at the first moment.
The elder didn't know why the Idar people built such a big iron lump, but he knew clearly...
In the city-state of Padilha where he lived, the soldiers who fought for the city-state could not even get a suitable iron weapon or a set of suitable armor. After encountering mutants, many people could only fight them with the fire sticks in their hands.
Today,
The most sophisticated weapons and equipment in the entire Padiliya city-state were the return gifts given to the Padiliya city-state by the Idar people when they just arrived at the Lost Land - five sets of sophisticated Idar standard armor and standard weapons!
This is not because there is no iron ore in the Padilha city-state. On the contrary, there are plenty of iron ore that can be mined in the Padilha city-state, and they are all extremely high-quality and rich iron ore!
But……
The limitations of the Padilla city-state in iron smelting technology became the biggest obstacle for them to make iron tools.
In this era, due to the inadequacy of iron smelting technology, even the soldiers of the Norman Empire could only use short swords as weapons.
Naturally, there is no need to think about small city-states like Padilla, which is located on the other side of the ocean.
And here,
The Principality of Idar was so extravagant that it used a large amount of iron ore to build this... uh... well, even the knowledgeable Sherman Goodberg had no idea what this thing in front of him was.
Standing on the platform and looking to one side, there are dozens of black iron boxes connected behind the iron lump, and it is hundreds of meters long from beginning to end!
This also made the Great Elder secretly smack his lips in amazement.
The Idar people are really good at making things!
Why not do something with so much iron? Why do you have to make a big lump of iron? Just then, the words of the railway official rang in the ears of the elder:
"This is the special train we prepared for you. It is also the first steam locomotive in the Principality of Idar - the 'Traveler'."
"Steam...wait, what is this?!"
The words of the Idar people startled the great elder.
Of course he heard what the Idar people said, but...
If you want to connect this thing in front of you with a moving car, it undoubtedly requires great courage and amazing imagination.
Looking back, when he looked at the huge monster in front of him again, the Great Elder felt that... the worldview and values he had cultivated over the years were collapsing and shattering at an extremely terrifying speed.
Or rather...
From the moment he met the Idar people, the Great Elder Sherman Goodberg's worldview and cognition began to shake, and until this moment... it has completely collapsed!
What the hell is going on!
He couldn't understand it! However... because the words of the Idar people had been verified time and time again, the Great Elder also knew that the Idar people would not joke about such things.
And this means... what the Idar people said was not nonsense, this big guy in front of them... might actually be able to move!
Thinking of this, he forced himself to abandon his preconceived notions and instead looked carefully at the huge creature in front of him with admiration.
Don't mention it...
Although the front of a steam locomotive looks like a pitch-black lump of iron at first glance, if you look closely, you can actually appreciate a different kind of beauty.
The official version of the steam locomotive was obviously much more beautiful than the sample Bruno saw at the time, but... this so-called "beauty" can only be said to be relative.
Bruno is a pragmatist, so...his requirements for steam locomotives are very simple. As long as it is usable, durable and easy to maintain, that is enough!
Therefore, the craftsmen responsible for producing steam locomotives did not add too many useless decorations, but retained a simple style.
The entire front of the car exudes a strong industrial style, and the angular front looks particularly tough. Although the shape of the front of the car has nothing to do with words like "exquisite and delicate", the seemingly extremely rough outline and lines seem to have infinite power, bringing a different kind of beauty to everyone present.
Unlike common carriages, the wheels under the body of the carriage are connected by roots. Although it is unclear why this is the case, the rails under the body of the carriage suddenly gave the Great Elder inspiration.
After obtaining permission from Idar officials, Sherman Goodberg, the nearly fifty-year-old elder, jumped nimbly from the platform and jumped onto the rails in front of the steam locomotive.
The steel rails stretched straight into the distance. Between the two parallel rails, horizontal sleepers were laid on the gravel road slag...
He looked at the wheels of the steam locomotive, and then at the rails under his feet...
Then……
The Great Elder felt like he had an epiphany!
The wheels of the steam locomotive fit perfectly in the rails. If countless horses were used to pull these iron lumps, they might be able to move quickly! I believe that the Principality of Idar does have such strength! However, if this is the case... then wouldn't the vehicles on the rails be as light as possible?
After his sudden epiphany, the Great Elder fell into confusion again.
Let me tell you one thing.
If Bruno knew what the Great Elder was thinking at this moment, he would definitely be amazed by the Great Elder's jumping thinking.
Scenes like the horse-drawn train are not just clips in movies, nor are they just ridiculous farces in modern times.
In fact, the “horse-drawn train” phenomenon was once very popular and extremely common all over the world!
New York, London, Izmir, Amsterdam...
The British call it "urban animal-powered rail public transportation system."
Under normal circumstances, the power that horses can unleash on rails is extremely amazing. Only two horses are needed to pull a double-decker carriage with a total of no less than fifty people.
Bruno even considered introducing horse-drawn trains into Idar and establishing a public transportation system for the city.
and……
This plan even received the approval of many government officials.
But to be honest, it is obviously not realistic to rely on horses for such long-distance inter-city passenger and freight transportation, so... Bruno naturally has to rely on steam engines to achieve it.
However, as the No.1 of the Padililla delegation, the Great Elder could naturally distinguish the more important of the two things, "visiting the city of Idar" and "horse-drawn train".
So, while thanking the Idar people for their tolerance, he followed the reception staff of the Railway Administration and walked into the special train carriage he was riding in.
When the members of the delegation stepped into the carriage, they all widened their eyes, because... they felt... that they seemed to be back in the luxury hotel on Warner Street on the Idar seafront.
Although the outside looks like an industrial style, the decoration inside the car is not bad at all, with sofas, seats, bar counters, desks...
Fortunately, the members of the delegation had already broadened their horizons in the past few days, so after being slightly surprised, they became accustomed to it.
There is no way. The strength of the Principality of Idar is there. Even if they do something fancy, the envoys present probably won't find it strange.
As for the appearance of the steam locomotive...
That’s because people don’t care at all, and the indescribable industrial style becomes more and more pleasing to the eye the more you look at it.
only……
As a sharp whistle sounded from outside the carriage, the envoys present began to feel a little uneasy.
“Woo—woo—”
The next second after the whistle sounded, the entire carriage suddenly began to shake violently.
At this moment, even the great elder Sherman Goodberg, who felt that he had understood the so-called principles of steam locomotives, became nervous.
"What...what happened? Did the horses driving the carriage in front get out of control?"
"Horse? Dear Mr. Sherman Goldberg, the steam locomotive you are riding is not driven by horses."
Hearing this,
The accompanying Idar official explained with a smile.
Although the Idar official who answered the question was smiling, he felt that the old elder seemed to be a little bit mentally unstable. He had already said that this was a brand new means of transportation, so why did he keep focusing on the horses? Horses are so pitiful, why should they be used to pull the cart? "What? No horses?"
All right,
At this moment, the worldview that the Great Elder had pieced together with great difficulty collapsed again.
It turns out that the previous plot about a small horse pulling a big cart was all made up by my own imagination?! Thanks to the book friend "Mo Mengxuan" for the reward!
(End of this chapter)
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