Saalfeld Railroad Station, April 1635

"Where is the local?"

Karl looked at the station agent, who shrugged. "I don't know, Herr Alpendorf. Reinhardt telegraphed when the train left Kamsdorf, but then closed down the station and went home. He didn't say if they were having any trouble. But if the local's delayed another thirty minutes, I'll have to hold you for the southbound from Grantville. The traffic's gotten so heavy, I can't delay a train that's running. They may only be talking about war coming, but if this is just talk, I'd hate to see what our traffic will be like when war breaks out! The steel mill is working overtime and shipments are way up. We're using every engine we have. It's your decision if you want to wait. If something broke down on the local, it might not arrive at all and your wait would be pointless."

The decision was clearly Karl's, along with the consequences. As the head conductor, Karl was responsible for seeing that his train arrived on time. Management was less and less accepting of conductors whose trains were late. He needed to get his train moving as soon as possible.

Karl jogged to the engine and swung up into the cab. Nobody there seemed to share his concern about the missing local. The fireman raked the fire to spread the coals. He tossed another shovelful of coal in and then closed the firebox door. He sat down on his seat, pulled his cap down over his eyes and started to snore. The engineer didn't even turn when Karl entered the cab. He just rapped the water level to make sure it was true and then turned a valve to slowly add some water to the boiler. Karl reached over and tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. "Gunther, I want you ready to roll just as soon as I give you the highball. The local's over twenty minutes late and we have to make up time." Gunther just nodded and went back to checking the gauges. Karl couldn't remember Gunther ever saying more than five words at a time, but his trains were never late because of mechanical problems.

Karl realized waiting in the cab wouldn't get the local in any faster, but it might make the crew upset. So he swung down, out of the cab, and paced back down the platform. He had to do something. He pulled out his watch and checked the time again. It was only four minutes later than the last time he checked. He stopped and took a deep, long breath to relax. The decision was his. He had been on this run for three months now and was third in seniority on the railroad. For someone twenty-two years old, that was exceptional. He snapped the watchcase closed. He was very proud of that watch. He'd been presented the watch by Mr. Lowe himself when he made head conductor. They were very expensive, but kept very accurate time. The railroad considered them a safety investment, and only had enough for their head conductors. He slid the watch back into his vest pocket. He'd give the local another ten minutes, then they were leaving. As soon as he had made up his mind, in the distance he heard a familiar "Aahooogah." It was a Goose's horn. The local had finally arrived.

By the time Karl reached the platform on the last car, the Goose had emerged from the trees across the river. It was struggling to pull two freight cars. The extra load explained the lateness. As the Goose pulled on to the side track, the station agent signaled for it to stop alongside the last passenger car of the train. As it rolled by, Karl checked for riders. The passenger compartment was full! With a squeal of brakes and sparks, the Goose came to a stop. The station agent quickly placed a step at the rear door to help the passengers down. Immediately, all the passengers tried to get off at once and jammed up at the door. The station agent called out, "One at a time! One at a time! The train won't leave without you."

When the first passenger reached the ground, Karl called out, "All aboard for northbound passengers. We depart in two minutes." Passengers scrambled to retrieve their luggage from the Goose's baggage compartment. Karl helped them board while the harried agent passed out their bags. Karl calmly announced, "Please show me you have a ticket. Anyone for Grantville or Rudolstadt, I'll punch your tickets now. Everyone else, I'll punch them later. Grantville and Rudolstadt passengers remain in the last coach, through passengers go to the first coach." He did a double-take as he helped a pretty, red-haired young lady to board. He had seen her before, but hadn't had the nerve to talk to her. He made a silent vow this trip would be different. He was determined to get to know her better. All he knew now was that she traveled from Kamsdorf and, from her clothes, she was probably an up-timer. He turned back to the line as the next passengers stepped up. Two workmen showed him their new employee passes and asked, "Ludwigstadt bahn?" From their dress, they were heading to the end of track to start working. Karl quickly replied, "Nein, dreissig minuten, Sie gehen nach Süden," and pointed south. They nodded and stepped back to wait for the southbound train. Karl helped a last family of four to board and then picked up his signal lantern from the platform. Swinging it side to side so Gunther could see, he called out, "All aboard. Let 'er roll!"

Gunther gave a short pull on the whistle as a warning. Then a cloud of steam poured from the cylinders, as the wheels spun, briefly, for traction. As the train slowly started to roll, Karl grabbed a handrail and let the momentum pull him up. He waved to the station agent and then entered the coach. He made his way through the Grantville crowd and went to the first coach. He punched the tickets for the through passengers and hung them on the hooks above the seats to show they had paid and remind him when they needed to get off. By the time he was done, they were almost to the Ring Wall. He hurried to the car's mail room and unlocked the door. He had only a short time to sort the Grantville and Rudolstadt mail that had just arrived. With a practiced ease, he tossed the letters into the waiting sacks. The remainder of the trip to Grantville passed quickly. A whistle sounded in the distance.

The southbound train was waiting at the switch for them to clear. As soon as their last car passed, the yardman threw the switch and the southbound train whistled for departure. As the northbound rolled into the Grantville depot, Karl leaned out the door and tossed the Grantville mailbag at the feet of the waiting mail clerk, who was also the station agent's oldest son. Karl then hurried back to the last car. He opened the door and called out, "All out for Grantville!" The station agent and his youngest son already had the steps positioned to assist the passengers down by the time Karl reached the back platform.

The odor of fresh-cut lumber, mixed with the usual steam, coal smoke and oil scents, was heavy in the spring air. Karl looked up. The new passenger platform was almost completed. Soon the passengers wouldn't have to worry about getting wet when going to or from the station. The railroad was trying to accommodate the rapid growth in the number of travelers. Along with the new structures, new rails were a priority and tracks were already being relaid to shorten grades and distances and replace strap rail. Right now, the platform work was stopped. The workers were taking a break, waiting for the train to depart before resuming work overhead. The straw boss seemed perturbed by the interruption, but the workers took the opportunity to admire the young ladies that detrained. Through the crowd, the agent hurried over to Karl. "You arrived twenty-five minutes late! The northbound freight will have to wait an hour for you at Jena."

Karl took out his watch. "You're right, twenty-five minutes. We've got fifteen minutes in the schedule to load and be off. If I keep standing here chatting, we won't be able to make any of it up. If you can get the mail and packages loaded, while I board the passengers, that will save at least ten minutes." He gave Joseph a pat on the back and turned to the group of waiting passengers. "All aboard for Magdeburg and points in between!" Four minutes later, the train pulled out.

A quick glance into the mail room revealed only a lone mailbag and some luggage had been loaded at Grantville. Sorting would go quickly. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to stop at Rudolstadt. No one was ticketed for there.

As they approached Rudolstadt, Karl could see the signal arm was down. More passengers to load! They wouldn't make up any time here. He repeated the routine from Grantville and managed to make up a whole minute. With no local passengers, the last coach was temporarily empty. He headed back to the first coach to see to the needs of his passengers. The next stretch was the longest on the route. Maybe he could finally get a few free minutes to meet the young lady and chat with her. He entered the mail compartment and quickly sorted the Grantville bag. The day promised to be sunny, so he extinguished the fire in the small stove and quickly rehearsed the introduction he planned to use with the young lady. Straightening his coat and hat, he opened the door and stepped out into the passenger compartment. The object of his attention was seated alone, three seats away. Just as he reached her, the elderly grandmother across the aisle tugged at his coat sleeve. "How long until Jena?"

"Three hours, Grandmother." The reply was automatic. He turned back to the redhead but the interruption caused him to completely forget his prepared speech. Instead, all he could come up with was, "Do you travel this way often?" As soon as he said it, he wished he had just kept walking down the aisle. It sounded so trite. The smile on her face as soon as she realized he had spoken to her drove the embarrassment away immediately.

"No, this is only my second train trip. I'm on my way to Imperial Tech." She glanced around the car. "It looks like we're the only young folks on this trip. I was hoping we might have a chance to talk. I remember you from last time. You were so busy; you never said a word to me." She tried to pout, but almost giggled.

Karl's heart nearly skipped a beat. She remembered him! He stood there, lost in his thoughts for a second, before he remembered to answer. "I remember. That was my first week as head conductor for this train. I was so nervous about not making a mistake on the new job, I couldn't think of a word to say." And I'm still having trouble! Karl took a deep breath to relax and then continued. "It's been three months since I started this run and now I think I know every bump and sway in the track." Just then, the train passed a rough track section and the car gave a sharp thump. He held up a finger for emphasis. "And there should be another just . . . about . . . now!" Just like a musical conductor signaling a drummer, the car gave another thump as it reached the end of the rail section. They both laughed at the timing.

She gave him a thoughtful look and then asked, "Aren't you a little young to be a head conductor? I always thought they were old men."

Karl nodded. "Normally you would be right, but I started as a trainman before the railroad opened for business. My father was the foreman who helped build this section of the railroad and I worked on his crew. When they posted the job announcement for trainmen, I already knew the route and the engineers. Mr. Lowe decided to take a chance on a younger man and now here I am!"

"Is your father Fritz Alpendorf?" she asked with an amazed look on her face.

Karl was speechless for a moment. How did she know his father? "Why yes. How do you know his name?"

"I've met him a number of times when he came to my father's steel plant to check on the new rail production. I must say, you do bear a strong resemblance to him."

Karl started to get a tight spot in his chest. She was way above his station in life. The short hair and open attitude had left him with the impression she might be a shop clerk. The daughter of a steel mill owner? Never! Nevertheless, he had to ask, "Who exactly do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. Father says my manners are atrocious at times. I'm Lynn Pierce. I'm on my way to Imperial Tech to study mechanical engineering." She stuck out her hand. "And you are?"

Karl bowed, took her hand and kissed it, as he imagined a nobleman would. "I am Karl Alpendorf, head conductor on this train. Very pleased to meet you." They both laughed at his performance. A chuckle from across the aisle caught their attention. The old grandmother there was smiling.

"Such a nice young man. And so polite," they heard her whisper. "I wish I was still young."

Turning back to Lynn, Karl asked, "Are you really planning to study engineering? Why would you want to study in such a boring field?" Lynn's eyes went wide. Karl realized that had not been the right way to ask the question. Before he could recover, Lynn launched into an explanation that evidently had been used numerous times before.

"It's not a boring field! I've worked the past few years for my parents as a draftsman and engineer on all sorts of projects at the mill. And done a good job too! If I'm going to be able to do the more complicated work that the mill will need in the future, Father says I have to have the training that will be needed. He agreed that after two years at Tech I could take on larger projects. I helped with the design of the machines that rolled the rail we're riding on!"

The conversation was interrupted by a small boy walking up to Karl and tugging politely on his coat sleeve. Karl turned and asked, "Can I help you?" The boy, who seemed to be bouncing more than the car motion would explain, motioned for Karl to bend over so he could whisper in his ear. Karl nodded and then stood up. "We'll be right back." He escorted the child to the restroom at the end of the car. Opening the door, he said, "Here you go. Just pull the latch back when you get ready to come out." He walked back to Lynn. "Just part of my job, running the train."

Lynn looked puzzled. "I thought the engineer ran the train?"

"Oh no, he only drives the engine. The conductor runs the train. He's responsible for arriving on time, making sure everything is run safely and that the passengers are taken care of properly. A very important job!" He straightened his coat and, unconsciously, struck a pose. The youngster chose that moment to leave the restroom and announce to his mother in a loud voice, "They even have running water!" as he raced back to his seat.

Lynn's rejoinder, "But you're still pretty young!" brought Karl back to earth.

They talked for almost twenty minutes about Karl's work, Lynn's plans for school, and her ideas on new products for the mill. Karl held his own in the technical discussions, describing the engineering problems his father had encountered with construction at various points on the line. Lynn described what the mill was doing for rolling the new steel rail. As they passed over a short trestle, Karl described the headaches they had encountered with the pilings. "The land in this area is very soft and marshy. It took them almost two weeks to get the pilings down far enough to hit solid ground. They had a lot of problems with supplies and equipment sinking into the ground. We've had to keep real close watch on the track to make sure it doesn't buckle or slide. They were eventually able to find a solid ridge up ahead that rises above the soft ground. It's close to a stream and follows its course for about a mile." The train started to slow down as it reached the foot of the uphill grade.

Karl noticed the door on the stove had come open. "Excuse me. I need to attend to the stove." He walked over and checked the coals. They were dull, with lots of ash. He shook the grate and cleared the ash. Not much was left of the fire so he reached for the water pail, which hung nearby, to douse the remnants. As he tossed the water in, he felt a vibration that was unfamiliar. Suddenly, he felt more than heard a loud series of crunches through the frame of the car. A loud screech of steel on steel came from the direction of the engine. Without thinking, Karl dropped the pail, slammed the door of the stove closed and locked it. At the same time, he yelled out, "Everyone grab something and hold on!" He looked up and saw Gunther and the fireman fly past the window, heading for the soft ground alongside the track. The car reared up in the air. Lynn was thrown from her seat and a small trunk flew off the luggage rack and struck a glancing blow to her head. A wrenching crash, then the car then stopped abruptly. Karl grabbed hold of the overhead rack to keep from being thrown onto the stove. When Lynn's limp body was thrown, he grabbed her with his free arm and hung on. A sharp, grating pain in his arm meant something had broken, but his grip on the luggage rack held.

A loud, metallic snap sounded from the car behind them. Karl frantically looked toward the rear. The second car tilted almost ninety degrees in the opposite direction his car was leaning. The crash posts had held and they were safe from that direction. The cars gave one last groan, settled and stopped moving. Amazingly, he and Lynn were the only ones who had been thrown forward. Everyone else had heard his warning and held on. He called out, "Anyone else hurt? Check those around you."

A voice from the far end of the car called out, "I think I broke an ankle."

Still holding Lynn, Karl called out, "Can someone help him?"

Surprisingly, the grandmother from across the aisle got up and went back to help. She managed to walk on the sides of the seat legs with little difficulty. Karl checked Lynn's pulse. It was strong, but a nasty gash on her head was bleeding freely and already starting to purple. She moaned a little, but didn't waken. He set her down, then took out his handkerchief and pressed it firmly to the cut.

The stove was still secured to the floor by its stay bolts and the door was shut. Fire, the other major concern in train wrecks, wouldn't happen here, but Karl could smell a faint smoke odor. It must be the stove on the other car. Fighting back nausea and pain from his broken arm, Karl gathered up three fire grenades that were fastened above the stove and made his way back to the second car. Luckily, the doors were unlatched, but he still had trouble stepping across, clutching the grenades to his chest. When he finally entered, the stove was still attached, but the door had come off its hinges and coals were spread on the floor. He quickly threw all three grenades. Their glass shells broke and spread the chemical on the coals. Holding his breath, Karl grabbed two more grenades from above the stove and added them to the effort. The flames sputtered out, Karl ducked out of the door, closed it and sucked in a lungful of clean air. While the grenades were very effective in killing the flames, he had also been warned that they were equally effective in killing anyone who breathed in too much of their fumes.

Karl gingerly descended to the ground and looked around. His arm was beginning to throb. He cradled it with his right hand. He thought he knew every foot of the line, but he didn't remember a pond on this section. The passenger cars had come to rest leaning in opposite directions, but still on their wheels. They were headed downhill, with their wheels resting on opposite sides of a small ravine. The first car had struck a pile of coal, which accounted for the sudden stop. The coal had no business being piled there. Karl stepped around the pile and the reason for its existence became evident. The tender had struck a large stump and flipped over, dumping the coal in its flight. The tender was twisted around a large tree, upside down, about fifty feet further down the ravine. By some fluke, the engine had missed the stump and the large trees on both sides of the ravine and simply continued down the ravine, to settle in a large pond. It was wreathed in a cloud of steam. Karl started to head toward the engine to check on the crew but then remember seeing them bail out. They were lucky! Bailing out had kept them from being scalded to death. Karl started to turn, still wondering where they were, when a voice behind him caused him to jump. The arm reminded him forcefully that it needed attention soon.

"Do you know what happened?" Gunther yelled. "The rails gave way! When we started riding on the ties, Hans and I jumped." Suddenly, the cloud of steam seemed to register with him. His eyes went wide and he started to stammer, " O-otherwise we'd have been cooked alive!" Gunther pointed toward the engine. "My poor Annalise. What has happened to you?"

It took Karl a moment to understand who Gunther was talking about. Gunther had a name for his engine! Even more astonishing was that the shock of the accident had finally loosened his tongue and he had said more than five words at the same time! Karl grabbed Gunther with his good hand and pulled him back toward the ravine to help check further on the passengers. "Come on. They'll get her out all right. She's just in some water. Help me get this arm splinted and then we can see about getting a message out to get help." Gunther kept looking back over his shoulder as they climbed onto the nearest platform.

Karl looked around again to try and get his bearings. "Do you recognize where we are? I don't remember any pond on this section. I thought we were about ten miles from Jena."

Gunther nodded. "We are ten miles out. This pond is new."

Karl fumbled for the key to the mail room. He finally stuck out his hip for Gunther to reach into his left coat pocket for the key. "Help me get the telegraph rod and key rigged up so I can send a message for help." Gunther found the key and opened the door. He got the emergency telegraph key and the long rod to tap into the wire. Once Gunther hooked the pole end over the telegraph wire and attached the key, Karl sent the message calling for help and gave their approximate position. Both Grantville and Jena acknowledged and said help was on the way.

"Oh . . ." Karl was seeing spots before his eyes. Then nothing.

****

"Karl? Karl?" A soft patting on his cheek.

"Wh . . ." Karl opened his eyes.

Gunther stopped patting his cheek. "You're awake. Good." Then he began to give Karl a report. "Besides your broken arm, there are two broken ankles and numerous cuts and bruises."

Karl looked around. Someone had removed a pair of seat bottoms and Lynn was resting on them, with a makeshift bandage around the cut on her head. The grandmother was sitting beside her. Karl struggled to his feet, then walked over. "Do you need anything?"

Lynn looked up, but the grandmother remarked, "Young man, I do believe your estimate on our arrival time may be a little off!" Laughing at her attempt at humor she then pointed toward Lynn. "She should be fine."

Lynn's eyes opened and immediately fixed on him. A good sign, according to what doctors said. She looked over his injury and then asked, "Is it true you broke your arm saving me from landing on the hot stove?"

The question was totally unexpected. Karl was still a little woozy and had to pause and reconstruct what had happened. It had all happened so fast. He hadn't been thinking, just reacting. When he realized what might have happened if he hadn't caught Lynn, he almost fainted again. He managed to mumble, "I suppose so. I was just doing my duty." He quickly realized how unfeeling that sounded. "I mean, I'm glad you're safe. Everything happened so fast, I couldn't let someone as nice as you get hurt if there was any way I could help it." He started to blush and quickly left before Lynn could see it. He missed the smile that lit up her face.

With a sense of duty pushing him, Karl walked around the wreck assessing the damage in detail. His arm was throbbing with every step but he pushed on. Both cars appeared to be in remarkably good condition. The coupler was missing on the first car, but there was no damage to either car's frame. With a little work, they should be running again soon. The same could not be said for the rest of the train. The tender was smashed and twisted and only the wheels looked like they could be salvaged. The engine, what could still be seen, appeared to be undamaged. The problem was that it was slowly sinking into the pond. With the soft ground in the area, that was going to be a nightmare trying to raise. The large, old growth trees might cause a problem with access to the site.

Gunther and Hans approached with worried looks on their faces. "Come with us, we need to show you something."

They started back down the track, past the wreck. When they reached the start of the damage, Gunther pointed to the ties. "Do you see it?"

Karl stared but didn't understand what Gunther was pointing at. "I don't see a thing!"

"Exactly!" Gunther pointed to a long stretch of ties with wheel marks gouged in them. "There are only a few spikes on the outside edge where the rail was. They weren't pulled out by the rail; they're just gone! Someone's taken the spikes! The track crew wouldn't notice because they don't see the outside of the rail as easily on the curve when they're riding the hand car."

Hans held up a spike bar that he had found nearby. "It looks like someone used our own tools for the job!"

Karl realized that he was in over his head and needed help. Just then, a familiar 'Aaahooogah' sounded from the direction of Grantville. Help had arrived.

****

Hugh Lowe sat in his office, rereading for the fifth time a copy of the terse telegram that had notified the railroad of the wreck. No doubt by now, word was spreading like wildfire, since the telegraph message had been sent in both directions in the clear. A commotion in the outer office broke in on his thoughts. His secretary discreetly knocked on the door and then entered. "Mr. Lowe, a messenger just arrived from the radio station. He says that a government official from Magdeburg is trying to reach you and they say it's extremely urgent he speaks with you."

"Tell him I'll be right over." He looked once more at the message, still trying to decide whether it was a harbinger of more sinister problems. With a sigh, he folded it and shoved it in his pocket, and then headed for the radio station.

Brendan Murphy, from the Secretary of Transportation's office, was still holding for him when Hugh arrived. The operator showed him how to work the equipment and then stepped out to give him some privacy. Sterling immediately asked, "Was it a raid, Hugh? As soon as word of the wreck reached us, our first thoughts were another raiding party, what with all the war rumors flying about."

Hugh stuck his hand in his pocket, but left the message there. "All we know, there was a wreck. The conductor said nothing about a raid in his message. It may have been sabotage and it might not. I would greatly appreciate any help you could lend in that area. By the way, who's going to be responsible for the investigation? I sure hope it's not your office. No disrespect intended, but you guys never struck me as the CSI types."

"I was afraid you might ask that, Hugh. Right now, no one is. I've recommended that TacRail handle this and I'm waiting for the army to give its approval. They could also help with the clean up and repair. I've spoken to Colonel Pitre and she says they should be able to get there within a few hours. I'll get back to you within the hour. Magdeburg out."

Hugh took off the headset, muttering, "It sure sounds like someone's lit a fire under him! I hope he can follow through on that promise. I've got too many shipments that are going to be delayed if the mainline is tied up waiting for someone in Magdeburg to make a decision about investigating." He summoned the operator back.

Less than ten minutes later, a follow up contact came in. "Please tell Mr. Lowe that TacRail will be arriving in the morning to investigate the wreck and assist in repairing the track. Magdeburg out."

****

"Of all the damn places to have a wreck! Miserable terrain and soft ground, a winning combination!" Colonel Pitre's sarcasm was drowned out by the bellowing of the oxen hitched to a passenger car as they pulled it back onto a temporary shoo-fly track. One car was already back on the rails and workers from Vulcan Werks were checking the brakes so it could be hauled back to their shops for repairs. During a pause in the salvage work, Beth pulled Sergeant Cooper aside. "I want you to conduct an investigation. It's obvious someone removed the spikes on the track, causing the accident, since the spikes are gone." She pointed toward an obvious break in the undergrowth. "There's a trail that leads off into the woods from the tracks. It appears to be quite recent and shows signs that someone has traveled back and forth with a heavy load." Jim Cooper gathered a squad to follow the trail and see where it led. He'd been gone almost two hours and Beth was beginning to get worried.

A bellow from the oxen brought her attention back to the salvage work. The car had reached the rail and the straining oxen had managed to pull the first set of wheels onto the track. The drover had pulled them up short because some of the timbers had moved. A short pause was needed while the timbers that were guiding the rear wheels were repositioned for the final pull. For the umpteenth time in the past hour, the lack of an adequate-sized crane to work on rough ground came back to the top of Beth's Christmas wish list. As she finished checking the timber placement, she heard a commotion from the group trying to decide how to proceed with the locomotive. She stood up and walked back around the car. Coming out of the ...