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Abandoned - Chattachoo - Story 4

Started by Abandoned, November 26, 2016, 07:13:34 AM

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Abandoned

Intro

   This story is the 4th in the series of who knows how many stories.  It tells the tale of the 2nd expedition to leave Smallville, my 1st story.  The time frame is shortly after the Smallville runaways left to build the Mountain Mission and the 1st expedition left to establish Pumpkin Hollow.  The location of this story is some distance to the southeast of Smallville in a mountainous region east of the Tennsee Valley.  Nomads called these mountains Smoky Blue because of the appearance of the ridge's forested slopes when seen from a distance.

The map is  Mountain, Small, Mild, disasters Off, Medium start     Seed #355962411

Mods used :  Better Fields, Better Schools, Buildable Storage Carts, RK's Choo Choo*, Covering, Decorative Crates, Idle Small Fisherman Dock, Irrelevant Small Barns, Ketchup Inc, Long Living Orchard, More Iron & Wood & Rock, Old Blacksmith & Hunter & Tailor, One Stop All Mining, 1:1 Aging, Plymouth House, Resize Professions Box, Settlers Tents, Slink Cotton & Cotton Tunics, Slink Stacked Houses, Specialized Stockpiles & Trading Ports, Small Well, Tiny Compilation, Vegetable Garden, Washing Mod, Wild Oats, Year Not Season.

*Note:  The Choo Choo train does not move.  That it comes and goes from this town is fictional.


So, weary traveler, let me tell you all about Chattachoo.

Abandoned

#1
Chapter 1

  My name is Brie and my husband's name is Orlander.  He is the youngest son of Smallville's trader, Lessander, who hauled a ton of stone and iron to the trading post with his wheelbarrow.  Ever since the first boatman arrived there and told the men about the railroad, he and the laborers were obsessed with the thought of big wheeled carts on tracks that could lighten their heavy loads.  They talked of it endlessly over their mugs of ale. Our desire to learn how to build and operate a railroad in order to supply Smallville with much needed stone got our group chosen as the 2nd expedition to leave Smallville.

  We heard from boatmen and nomads that these Smoky Blue Mountains were rich in stone, coal, and trees.  We would need a lot of logs to build a railroad.  How those men who cut down all the trees in Smallville valley, before it became Smallville, thought they could float the logs downriver to this location, is beyond me.  It was a difficult journey, and we traveled light, carrying only the bare essentials.  Twice we had to build a bridge to cross the river.  When we saw the train tunnel and track in the distance we knew we reached our destination.  We would need to build a bridge and tracks to connect to it.  Problem was those tree cutters took a toll on the trees here as well.

  There were 22 of us, 10 adults and 12 children.  We built a large barn but the smallest houses we could to save logs.  There was a weathered old house by the river that Cayde, the fisherman, fixed up for his family.  We immediately planted the corn and squash seeds we brought along, the apple seeds would have to wait.  Most of us had attended Smallville's outdoor survival school and all of us were well schooled in the old ways and had useful skills we learned from our parents.  Tameliana would hunt west of town where Burn and Permelise would gather wild oats and other wild foods.  Dangel would be forester, Orlander a woodcutter, and I would farm. By late autumn of year 1 we had the foundations laid for a tailor, blacksmith, and school.  Sadly 2 girls will become adults before the school is completed but there is still much that they will learn here in Chattachoo.

Abandoned

#2
Chapter 2


  As soon as the weather warmed and the snow melted the following spring, we began building the wooden track on which the train cars would travel.  We were short on logs and workers.  Dangel was cutting and planting trees from morning till night and Orlander stopped chopping firewood in order to help carry wood and iron to the construction site.  Our 2nd daughter was born so I had my hands full with farming and childcare.  We hadn't realized how difficult it would be with so many young children to care for.  We were all concerned for their safety when the trestle bridge across the river was built.  It was a dangerous thing to cross on foot.  It may have been wiser to leave its construction until the rest of the tracks had been laid but we needed to connect to the tunnel and there were some good sized trees and surface iron on that side of the river.

  Tragically, Permelise the hunter was trampled by a wild boar leaving 3 small children without their mother.  Dangel her husband, the forester, was grief-stricken.   As of yet we had no town cemetery in which to lay her to rest even though we now had plenty of stone to construct one.  Because our log supply was extremely low, Dangel continued to cut and plant despite his lose.
  Over the next 2 years building projects and track laying continued, weather and wood supply permitting.  It was hard work and slow going.  But as far as building projects were concerned we felt we had at last turned the corner.

  By spring of year 6, living quarters were built above the blacksmith and tailor, a tiny town hall and a fishing pier had been built, and a dock for seeds and livestock was under construction.  In late spring, 3 nomads came over the mountain from the south.  They pitched a camp by the old well on the other side of the tracks.  They were tired, cold, and hungry but they got right to work.  The following spring they were joined by a husband and wife, Estheron and Magdalind.

  Shortly after that, the first boatman arrived at the dock.  We had not as yet planted our apple seeds so we did not trade for pear seeds.  We did however order walnut seeds and hoped we would have enough trade goods when they arrived.  We were told by the nomads that this area was good for growing walnuts, cherries, corn, wheat, beans, and tomatoes.  They said cattle, hogs, and chickens would also thrive here.  We looked forward to more boatmen arriving. We send word to our folks in Smallville, via the boatman, that we were settled and doing well. 

Abandoned

#3
Chapter 3

  In spring of year 8, more nomads arrived, 3 came from the south over the mountains and joined the camp by the well, 4 others came on foot through the train tunnel to the east.  They said other workers would be coming, but before a train could arrive the track would have to connect to that tunnel. We would need at least one station for the type of trade goods we had, be it food, materials, textiles, or utilities.  The station would need a merchant to handle the exchange of exports for coins. The station also needed wood and coal.  The train driver would only accept coins for the goods we wanted.  Well, this was all new to us.  It would not be a simple matter to send stone to Smallville.

  Before anything else, we needed more housing and more food.  We built a gatherer's hut and a herbalist down past the nomad camp. With so many new arrivals we were concerned for our health. They willingly helped with fishing, hunting, and gathering, 2 of them became miners, bringing up coal from the tiny mine by the tracks, 5 more nomads arrived the following spring and work on the tracks resumed.

  By late summer of year 9, we finished building a station and began stocking it with stone.  Next we finished laying the track leading to the tunnel. It wasn't long before we heard the clickidy-clack of the train on the tracks and the blast of its horn as it entered that tunnel from the other side.  The whole town turned out to see this marvelous sight.  This first Chattachoo choo choo was a sight to behold, a colorful engine, a huge cart with logs, stone, and iron, a box car, and a caboose.  The train driver said he lived in that caboose.  He wanted to know how we thought he could get the train back out when he could see the track wasn't finished and there was no turnaround.  We explained our wood shortage even with a forester and garden shed.  Well, he had plenty of logs on board, if we had enough coin he would supply us with logs.  Until the track was completed to circle around the mountain to the west, the train would have to stay where it was.

  We built more housing and 2 more train stations, we exchanged iron tools, hide coats, and stone for coins and used the coins to buy logs and wool for warmer coats.  It was a long way to go in the cold to work on the railroad track. The tunnel we built shortened the distance considerably.  The latest group of nomads to arrive built houses there by the tunnel, planted an apple orchard, and dug a 2nd tiny mine. We now had steel tools. By late winter of year 10 the track was almost completed.

Abandoned

#4
Chapter 4

  In the spring of year 11, 3 more nomads arrived at the camp.  Chattachoo's population was now 61, 33 adults, 11 students, and 17 young children, our newborn son, Dayle among them.  The proud father was now the town blacksmith.  Orlander had been studying the iron couplings that connect the train wagons together. The train driver said if we build wagons with these connections, we could have them loaded with materials and when the train returned, the wagons could then be joined to the rest of the train.  If we wanted to send stone or any other goods to Smallville we would need to build tracks to the west with a tunnel through the mountains, extent the tracks to the river, build a bridge to the other side, and then continue construction north.  A trading post on that river to the west, plus a tunnel and tracks to the south of town here past the nomad camp could make Chattachoo a major railroad trading center.  Sounded like a huge undertaking to us.

  In early summer we finally managed to complete the track here so the train could circle around the mountain and head back in the direction from which it had arrived.  The material wagon was loaded to capacity but departure was delayed by an early winter with blowing and drifting snow.  A late winter warm spell provided the first opportunity for the train to leave.  Everyone watched and waved as the Chattachoo choo choo rumbled out of town.

  Work on the railroad was put on hold in favor of improving the lives of our hardworking nomads.  Additional housing and a hostel was built, a crop field, hunting lodge, and forester were built close by for their convenience.  Jacalynn, the woodcutter, really appreciated the covering built over her chopping stump.  A fishing pier and tiny quarry were build near the nomad camp where many of the nomads still preferred to lived.  At least now they had plenty of firewood to keep them warm.

  The choo choo returned in spring of year 13 bringing 11 more nomads.  Chattachoo's population grew to 95 men, women, children and .......

Abandoned

#5
Chapter 5

  And 3 head of cattle, as many as our stock of trade goods at the trading post could buy. We hoped they would multiply in our new stockyard to the west where work on the railroad track had resumed.  We also hoped another riverboat merchant would arrive soon at the newly built tiny trading post.  The train driver brought no seeds and a seed merchant has not stopped at our ports. We wanted tomato and cotton seeds.  One of the latest nomads to arrive said he could make a thick tomato sauce with the right facility and another said, with cotton, she could make a light weight tunic that would be cooler and more comfortable in summer than hide or wool.  This was a hardy resourceful group of nomads, they built a 3rd story on one of their 2 story houses and had laundry hung out on the washlines in rain, sleet, and snow.

  We had no trade goods to exchange for coins so the train left almost as soon as it arrived but it returned in winter of year 14 just when we needed it most.  Our food reserve had fallen dangerously low.  We immediately took what coins we had to the train driver to purchase corn and potatoes.  He was eager to be on his way when he learned we'd just had an outbreak of scarlet fever.

  Construction of a hospital began, linens were donated, and Garneliot volunteered his services as physician.  Vassedy the student died before the hospital opened in spring.  The first  2 patients recovered and so did the 3 that followed. We turned away 11 nomads who had followed the river from the northwest, the same direction we had arrived from. We could have used the extra laborers but we were still short of food. A riverboat soon followed bringing us tomato seeds.  We were now short of tools but that was soon remedied.  We replaced the tools in the utility train station with firewood.  We prepared a new crop field and were happy to see we finally had a calf in the stockyard. Work on the train tracks resumed.

Abandoned

#6
Chapter 6

  The tracks to the west were still not completed by year 17, but the ketchup factory was.  A second crop field was cleared and planted in early spring and in summer the first red ripe tomatoes were taken to the factory for processing.  We were disappointed the ketchup did not have a higher trade value but the boatman said there was no market for it.  He did however accept some to trade for the cotton seeds we ordered.  No one was disappointed in the taste of the ketchup, it was especially good on slices of potatoes.  We ordered potato seeds from the boatman and when the choo choo returned the following spring, we exchanged stone for coins and coins for potatoes.

  The train brought 11 nomads, they heard via the train driver that there was housing and work to be had here in Chattachoo.  Yes, there was always work to be done and since the train would remain in town until harvest time, there would be plenty of food as well.  The small cotton field produced a surprising amount of cotton so now we had cool cotton tunics to wear.  Track layers and quarry workers were happy with their new summer apparel.  Some wondered if it was worth giving up the squash that field produced.

  With the help of extra laborers, work on the railroad tracks progressed.  The track now extended well to the south, a bridge across the creek was under construction.  There was only a short distance to go on the other side to reach the mountain range where a tunnel would be built.  To the west, a materials  wagon was constructed and was already being loaded with logs, stone, and iron.  The two ends of the tracks merged  and would continue as one to the western mountain range where another tunnel would be built.

  After 20 years, our town of Chattachoo has done quite well for itself.  We learned how to build and operate a railroad, we grew tomatoes and cotton, we made ketchup and tunics, and grew to a population of 150 citizens.  We only lost 4 over the years, 1 to a wild boar, 1 to scarlet fever, 1 to a falling tree, and 1 to a mine cave in.  We welcomed a total of 47 nomads but I'm sorry to say, weary traveler, we can welcome no more at this time.  So fare thee well, I know you have a train to catch,   the Chattachoo Choo Choo is blowing its horn.  All aboard.

brads3

i enjoy reading your stories.keep it up. i also notice u seem to find outdated and dfifferent mods and u list them. that is helpful. i am always on the look out for something that i might want to add to my collection.think i counted 60 mods and some of those are a grouping of multiple mods like the tiny set,NMT,CC,etc.

Abandoned

@brads3, I am glad you are enjoying my stories.  I am enjoying trying the different mods and seeing how they go together on the same map.  I have yet to try latest CC or NMT, and several of the other bigger mods.  I'm wondering if I should use a medium size map for those bigger mods.  I have several small ones in mind first though, have plenty of ideas for the next story already.  Hopefully will get started on it in the next few days.

brads3

with CC there are several map sizes up to very large. it all depends what you plan to build and how you play it. one of the challenges with CC is the "production chains". where the base game uses wood/stone/iron as building materials,in CC there are buildings that require different materials. some use lumber,some bricks,tiles,ropes even.same with processing. to process leather into rugs,u have to tan the leather hides. that takes salt and water. you have to plan ahead. you cant just build what you want. its also very easy to overplay it. i like to build a mining and production area. as you will find this area can take a lot of ppl,so then your food count goes down fast. NMT isnt as bad. RED uses a lot of firewood in processing but the building materials are the same as the base game.
   CC and NMT give you many of the buildings you are missing. i'm sure by now u have found many things you wish u had but dont. a mill for wheat,bakery,your creamery,a butcher,preserves,etc.
    which CC do u plan to use?? i use the new frontier.should b the last 1 before the mega mod version. not sure all the bugs were worked out of the megamod before the site crashed. the mega is CC and NMT plus a whole list of various mods.

Abandoned

@brads3, not sure which CC I will use, probably the latest one, The Forge Awakens since it has all previous ones in it. It says less production chains for building.  I don't know if I want it and mega mod combined.  Sounds like to much and too much for laptop to handle.  I have most of the mods included in mega already, just haven't tried them all yet.  I will probably try NMT first before CC, maybe after the 1st of the year.  Still have lots of others to try, lots to look forward to and new ones too.