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Abandoned - Railway - part 2 - Holiday Hometown - Story 51

Started by Abandoned, November 20, 2019, 08:40:34 AM

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Abandoned

Chapter 18


  By spring of year 18, Holiday Hometown had a population of 157, 87 adults, 17 students, and 53 young children.  Quite a few of the adult children were still living at home, we had 55 families but only 39 homes.  We began building more but only singles were moving in.  We decided to wait a while before building more, perhaps in the meantime more couples would pair up.  A young couple did move into the new house that was built behind Grandma's bakery and later in the year had their first baby. 

  By summer we were only waiting for the cherries we ordered and for the wheat and walnuts to be harvested, and then the freight cars would be loaded with the desired goods we would send to Iron Ridge.

  Our herb supply was still low.  The spice garden by Grandma's bakery would start harvesting herbs instead of spices, and the bakery could continue making herb bread.  To compensate for the drop in spice production, a spice house was built behind the Yule Tap next to the grape house.  Grandma would be wanting mulled wine for the holidays.  It was the most wonderful time of the year.

  Grandma was happy to hear that we got carrot seeds from Charlow, the seed merchant, and when Furmann, the general goods merchant, arrived in fall he had the cherries that we ordered.   We traded for more than we needed for the freight car.   He had map scrolls with him, the latest world map.  Our town was now on the map.  He said there was now a cartographer in Riverboat Junction who updates the world map based on information furnished by the river boatmen.  We thought this was something we surely needed to plan railway routes.  We considered getting one for Iron Ridge but Furmann said last time he went that route, they traded for one themselves.  He sounded annoyed that he had to wait so long for them to gather enough trade goods.  We thought the map scroll was very expensive but we had to have one.

  We were convince that Iron Ridge would need the items in the freight cars we were taking to them.  By the time the freight cars were loaded and ready to go, it was already snowing.  The train would leave for Iron Ridge as soon as weather permitted next year.

kid1293

'The most wonderful time of the year' and another Grinch (trying to steal a log) :)

Abandoned

 :) Both right, song and Grinch.  And you wondered what I would do with that Grinch.  ;D  ;D  ;D

Abandoned

Chapter 19


  The main topic under discussion in our home over the winter was whether or not son Sharald should be allowed to drive the supply train to Iron Ridge or not.  He was a young man of 18 now and knew everything there was to know about trains.  Cleon was all for letting him go, I was not.  I agreed when Cleon said he would go with the boy on the first run.  They left for Iron Ridge in early spring.  Cleon's younger brother, Chann, oversaw the track laying that was being done to the west.  Cleon and Sharald left the freight cars in Iron Ridge and returned in early summer with news.  Everyone was well, the abandoned tunnel was cleared to the other side, and the new train was ready to go as soon as it was loaded. They were grateful for the food and general goods. Iron Ridge could provide us with resources for our material cars if needed.  Mauriel and Kareeman with their families would move here soon.  They would be home for the holidays.

  Daughter Anabell, now 15, said it was time we thought seriously about Christmas baking.  She was so much like her Grandmother, always thinking about meals and food supplies.  She checked inventories frequently and made sure the mill had grain, the snack stand had nuts to roast, and the hot chocolate stand had enough cocoa and milk.  She oversaw Grandma's bakery and spent a lot of time going over meal plans and recipes with Grandma.  Anabell reported that the plum harvest would be good again this year and suggested building a Christmas baker to make some of Grandma's best-in-the-world plum cakes.   By the time the plum harvest was complete so was the Christmas baker.

  Our baby, Lamare, was no longer a baby, he was 14 and out of school now too.  He spent most of his time with Grandpa or in the toy shop. Like Grandpa he knew everything there was to know about trees and wood.  Birch would burn fast and hot, oak burned slower and provided steady warmth, fruit wood smelled best when burned, but pine was a soft wood and easy to carve.  Lamare reported that Santa's 5th sleigh had been moved closer to the toy stores.

  Cleon and I were very proud of our 3 children.

angainor88

Ooo Grinch is sneaking up on the Christmas Baker there! I can't blame him :P

Abandoned

Quote from: angainor88 on December 09, 2019, 05:39:47 PM
Ooo Grinch is sneaking up on the Christmas Baker there! I can't blame him :P

;D ;D ;D  Me neither, if I was trying to steal Christmas I'd go for the bakery too  ;D

Abandoned

Mod added - override Uneducated  (Mod does not change education rate.  It removes uneducated production penalty for all workplaces except blacksmith and tailor.  It makes the game too easy and basically makes schools unnecessary.)


Chapter 20


  After Cleon and Sharald's trip to Iron Ridge we realized that between the 2 towns we could build trains and fill them with all trade goods except cherries.  We placed an order for cherry tree seeds with both river boatmen and began clearing a new orchard next to the carrot field.  Work on the tracks to the west continued and a tunnel through the mountain was begun before the new year. 

  After studying the world map we realized we could send trains in all directions and all engineers would eventually return home.  There would be a lot of tracks to lay. Towns in this area were few and far between, would we have enough coal to get from one town to another?  We had a lot of unanswered questions, but while the west tunnel was being dug we began laying tracks to the north and to the south.

By spring of year 20, the cherry tree seeds we ordered were delivered, and planting the orchard began immediately.  Several more houses were built also.  Work on the tracks continued through the summer and into fall.  Several young men volunteered to go through the completed tunnel to begin laying tracks on the other side. The first train with supplies would be sent through to them in spring.  We thought it would probably be a good idea to trade for more map scrolls so every train we built would have a copy. 

  When elves arrived in late winter to pick up some of Santa's sleighs we were reminded that there were only 2 week left until Christmas. 

Abandoned

Chapter 21


  The elves came to pick up 3 of the sleighs of toys to take them to secret locations in the forest where Santa could stop and switch sleighs while on his yearly rounds.  While they were hitching up the reindeer, other deer came to join them but since they were not allowed to play in any reindeer games, they were not allowed to pull the sleighs.  The elves that were not needed to drive the sleighs would stay with us to replace our workers who were leaving soon by train to lay tracks.  When asked how they knew that, the elves said Santa knows everything.  He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when your awake.  He has a magic snow globe so he sees everything, and he likes to see all the decorated Christmas trees and wreaths that have been popping up all around town. 

After the elves took the sleighs, we built a warehouse behind the railway station to store toys in until the sleighs were returned to be refilled.  The train, still parked at the railway station, was ready to go in early spring of year 21, it was loaded with coal and we replaced the apples we had used.  Son Sharald was disappointed he was not the one to take the train through the tunnel to where the workers were already laying tracks.  They would have plenty of supplies and a newly built passenger car to live in. 

  There was still a lot of working on the railroad to be done here at home.  By early autumn the railroad tracks reached the mountain in the north and digging the tunnel would begin soon.  Back at the station another train was being built to take a crew north to continue laying tracks on the other side of the tunnel.  The work train would have a passenger car for the crew and a freight car would have supplies, tools, and an extra coal cart or 2.   The workers would probably not get too far away by the end of the year and they could probably return home for the holidays.

angainor88

I got "Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is Coming to town" in Chapter 21! (The Bruce Springsteen cover of that last one is the definitive version for me)

Abandoned

 :) Both chapter 21 songs correct and no Grinch.  Good version of Santa Claus song  :)

Abandoned

Chapter 22


  Year 21 ended with a lot of snow and blowing and drifting snow.  When not hold up inside we had a lot of work to do and seemed to be always dashing through the snow to get things done.  When snowed in we had more time to plan for Christmas.  Early in the year, a 2nd spice house was built near the Christmas bakery.  Daughter Anabell suggested we start baking gingerbread cookies but Grandma said not yet.  She told Anabell that when the boys and I were young we had all the gingerbread eaten long before Christmas.  She told a secret that gingerbread makes naughty children nice.  I had a feeling I would hear about that cookie eating story for many years to come.

  It was decided that in year 22 we would begin making eggnog.   We would need more eggs and milk.  Extra workers were assigned to the animal sheds and another one was built.  A few hens and baby chicks were moved to a new chicken coop in early spring.  The nog nook was built in the center of town by the hot chocolate stand and the park.

  We did not want to run short of flour for holiday baking so a smaller oat greenhouse was built not far from the mill.  Our overall health was still 100% and we wanted it to stay that way.  We checked that we had enough herb bread and apples.  Apple surplus was low so no more apple cider would be made for the time being.  Apples and herb bread were also needed to stock the work train freight car along with potatoes and carrots.  Iron tools, warm coats, and a map scroll were added and the work train was ready to go.

  In late summer family and friends gathered to wave the workers off as the train left the station and headed north.  Work on the tracks heading south had continued and now only the tunnel was left to build.  We would need another work train to continue track laying on the other side when that tunnel was finished.

  The year ended as snowy as it had begun.  The elves brought back the first 3 sleighs empty and pick up the remaining 2 full one.  They said Santa really appreciated this help because visibility was extremely poor this year and having loaded sleighs ready to pick up was very time saving.   We still had toys in the warehouse so it was an easy task to refill the 3 sleighs.


kid1293


Abandoned


kid1293

Year 22 - Seeing worker off
To the left in the storage yard :)

Abandoned

yes, correct, Grinch is standing in the stockpile.  :)

;D There is another Grinch somewhere  ;D   :-X