Mile 103
Erlangen
Station
This town is now rather small but in OTL was well known for its university and its breweries. As Erlangen could become a kind of a suburb for Nürnberg in the future, Erlangen should be part of any railbound public transport system that is being established for Nürnberg.
Mile 112
Fürth
Station
A industrial town. Mirrors, glass, furniture, needles and jewelry are being made here. Fürth is under simultaneous rule of the bishops of Bamberg, the count of Nürnberg and the elector of Brandenburg. A bit complicated, even by German standards.
The area between Fürth and Nürnberg is called Garlic Land (Knoblauchsland). Here is the battleground of Alte Veste. Here Gustaph Adolph won, with the help of new guns "Made in Grantville," a decisive victory over the imperial troops. With the help of his American allies, he was able to break Wallenstein's army, having Wallenstein himself disabled by Julie Sims in the process (See 1632 by Eric Flint). Probably some more permanent military installations will be built here, as the place remains of strategic importance.
Just before Nürnberg, we cross the tributary river Pegnitz. The bridge has to allow for the passage of occasional boats out of the town.
Mile 117
Nürnberg (Nuremberg)
Station, water and coal supply, train depot, turning Y
In Nürnberg, we will skirt around the southern part of the walled town and place the station on its southern outskirts. In view of its craftsmen's reputation for very fine and delicate work, it could be an excellent place to start industries in fine mechanics. Nuremberg also has a well known trade fair and good road connections. Having no guilds here is also fortunate for business.
From Nürnberg, one can go by road to various towns on the Donau (Danube). One of these roads could be replaced with a rail line. We could choose either Ingolstadt or Regensburg as our railhead later. Regensburg seems to be a bit more appealing, but we would need to build the station there on high ground because of frequent flooding. We should build this access as soon as resources and political situation will allow, because a rail linkup to the Donau gives us access to the biggest trade network into the Balkans, Turkey, Black Sea area and even southern Russia. If we ever come to more friendly terms with Austria this link will see a lot of traffic to Turkey and over the Brenner Pass to Venice and Italy. Until then, we will see a lot of military transports. The distance from Nürnberg to Regensburg is about 30 miles.
Bibliography
Rossberg, Ralf Roman, Geschichte der Eisenbahn, Sigloch Edition Künzelsau 1977/1984
Weisbrod, Manfred et al., Dampflokarchiv Bd.1-4, Transpress Berlin 1979
Samter, Sr. Heinrich, Reich der Erfindungen, Reprint from 1901, Gondrom Verlach Bindlach 1998
Grosser Weltatlas, Planet Medien AG Zug
Harnessing The Iron Horse:
Railroad Locomotion
In The 1632 Universe
By Iver P. Cooper
Railroading in 1632 Canon
At the first "cabinet meeting," Mike Stearns says, "We got rail tracks leading most of the way from the mine to the power plant, but as far as I know there isn't a locomotive anywhere around. We may have to haul it by truck." (1632, Chap. 8)
The principal focus of this article will be on how the USE will design its first locomotives, but first I will explain what Canon (the entire set of 1632 series novels and anthologies) tells us about railroading after the Ring of Fire (RoF).
Mike decides that Grantville's best survival strategy is to use its "modern technology, while it lasts, to build a nineteenth-century industrial base." Mike muses, "Steam engines, steam engines. The railroads are about to make a big comeback in the world." (Chap. 11)
By the time of Becky's first cablecast (Sept 10, 1631), some kind of new track had just been laid to the new foundry, "but the first steam locomotive was still being built." (Chap. 33). That was still true as of the October 8 cabinet meeting (Chap. 40).
The next reference to railroads in "canon" is in the David Weber story, "In the Navy" (Ring of Fire). There, Eddie Cantrell lobbies Mike Stearns to turn over enough miles of salvaged railroad track to armor several ironclads, prompting complaints from Quentin Underwood about undermining the economy.
Nonetheless, the up-timers did lay steel rails between Grantville and Halle. Although incomplete, the line was in use as of a September, 1633 cabinet meeting (1633, Chap. 34). The trackwork was not modern steel T-rail, but rather "dinky wooden rails with an iron cap." Quentin is equally contemptuous of the motive power; the "pathetic" cargoes are "being pulled as often as not by 'locomotives' made up of a pickup truck—or even a team of horses."
By June of 1634, when Iona left Grantville, the trains were running all the way to Halle ("Until We Meet Again," Grantville Gazette, Volume 4).
Besides the civilian railroad, there is also a railway battalion in the U.S. Army, commanded by Major Elizabeth Pitre. Its mission is to build and operate narrow gauge military railroads (TacRail). Pitre's activities are described in "Elizabeth" (Grantville Gazette, Volume 4). TacRail will not be discussed further here.
However, there are a few important references to the civilian railroad in "Elizabeth." At the beginning of the story, in summer 1633, Frank Jackson complains that the rail line to Halle had not yet been completed. Nonetheless, at that point Charlie Schwartz had already "worked on the railroad link to the coal mine and helped to build the steam locomotive." The story ends in spring 1634, when the railway battalion rides civilian flatcars to Halle.
Grantville Railroading Knowledge
Having some track is nice, but it is not enough. We have to know how to plan out a rail network, manufacture and lay track, build locomotives and other rolling stock, and operate the railroad.
Naturally, there will be some information on railroads in the public libraries. Of the documented sources (those known to exist in Mannington, or mentioned in canon), the most useful from a locomotive design standpoint are the encyclopedias (especially the "Railways" [EB11/R] and "Steam Engine" [EB11/SE] articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition) and Alexander's Iron Horses: American Locomotives 1829-1900.
* * *
There is more knowledge of railroads than just book knowledge stored in the libraries, of course. The first group to whom would-be railroad barons may turn for help are the retired railroad workers. According to the Up-timer Grid, there are ten such people in Grantville. These people have practical, first-hand experience with real railroads. They may also have souvenirs of interest. But bear in mind that a ticket taker isn't going to know how to build a firebox.
* * *
Next, there are the mineworkers. Some of them may have laid narrow gauge track to service the mines, or operated and repaired the mine cars or even locomotives. ("Elizabeth" says there were a couple of locomotives used in the Joanne mine.)
* * *
The third group are "rail fans." They may go out and watch (and perhaps photograph) real trains in operation, try to ride behind particular locomotives or on particular tracks, collect books, videos and railroad memorabilia, or build and operate model railroads.
There are at least three rail fans (Hardy, Pitre, and Szymanski) so identified on the Grid; there may be additional hobbyists. A town the size of Mannington (the model for Grantville) is likely to have five to seven model railroaders (Atlas Model Railroad Forum).
Of the rail fans, "Monty" Szymanski is of particular interest because he "helped restore locomotives for the Cass State Park Scenic Railway and had built several one-eighth scale models of steam locomotives." (Up-timer Grid)
* * *
Even up-timers who are not retired railway employees may have something to contribute. There are the steam engine buffs, of course. People who rode a scenic railroad may have home videos of the experience. Movie lovers who have videotapes of any of the many movies, including Westerns, mysteries and thrillers, which contain locomotive or other ra
ilroad footage. We know that The General (1927) is available; that is the movie which introduced Buster Keaton to the down-timers.
Motive Power
A train, running on rails, may be propelled by any of several different means. Despite Quentin Underwood's sneering, animal power is actually a pretty reasonable propulsion system, at least for moderate speeds and loads. A draft horse, with a body weight of 1,200 to 2,000 pounds, can, for as long as ten hours, exert a pull of 180 to 220 pounds. If the load is carried in a wheeled vehicle, riding on rails, the rolling resistance of the load is perhaps 1/100th to 1/250th of its weight. In other words, a 200 pound pull moves a 20,000 to 50,000 pound (ten to twenty-five ton) load, i.e., 1000% to 2500% of the body weight. (See Cooper, "Transportation Cost FAQ," www.1632.org .)
Teams as large as thirty horses were used in the American West to haul heavy loads. Even an eight horse team can move 80 to 200 tons on rails.
* * *
Clearly, steam locomotion is one of the options the USE is considering. In the early days, the greatest advantage of steam locomotion was that it had a lower operating cost. For the horse-drawn trains on the B&O railroad, the "crew" was 42 horses and 12 men, and the total operating cost was $33/day. The horses towed the train at a speed of 10 mph. In contrast, the 1832 locomotive Atlantic (0-4-0, 6.5 tons), which replaced the horses, could go 20 mph, and its operating cost was just $16/day. (Dilts, 196). (Alexander, PL4, says that it hauled 30 tons at 15 mph.)
Eventually, the locomotives became powerful to pull trains too heavy for normal draft teams. As early as 1839, a Gowan & Marx (4-4-0, 11 tons, 9 tons on drivers, driving wheels 42" diameter, cylinders 12 1/8" x 18," anthracite coal burner) hauled a train of 101 loaded four-wheeled cars, weighing a total of 423 tons, from Reading to Philadelphia at average speed of 9.82 mph. (Alexander PL10).
* * *
Why not jump directly to diesel-electric (DE) propulsion? Modern locomotives use a diesel engine to power electric motors; the latter turn the wheels. DE locomotives are more fuel efficient, and less labor intensive to operate, than steam locomotives. They can exert high tractive forces at high speeds, and they can be wired so that one DE's crew can operate several at one time.
The problem is that we lack the infrastructure to support DE's. A diesel engine requires diesel fuel, and we don't have it yet. The oil fields of Germany are small, and we probably won't have a large, reliable supply of oil until we have control of the North Atlantic and can import it from the Middle East, Africa, or the Americas. In other words, we have to win the war first.
Then there is the electrical system. We will need insulated copper wire. The best insulation is rubber or plastic and, in 1632, neither rubbers nor plastics are commercially available. In OTL, the natural rubbers and plastics were obtained from non-European sources.
Finally, there is the issue of start-up costs; DE's are perhaps five times as expensive as a steam locomotive of equal horsepower. (NOCK/RE 203)
* * *
Even if we recreate the steam locomotive technology, that doesn't mean that it will be suitable for all purposes. During World War One, Major Connor warned against use of steam locomotives to directly supply the front line, because a "steam locomotive would indicate too clearly its position by its smoke."
As one possible alternative, Connor provides data on Vulcan gasoline locomotives. Even the smallest can haul over 150 tons. It therefore is not so strange as it seemed at first blush that the USE is using "a modified pickup truck cab section" to draw Iona's train. Canon doesn't specify the modifications, but it probably has been equipped with locomotive-type wheels so it will run on the rails.
Gasoline locomotives were first developed for coal mines (WLW). If the Joanne mine locomotives (Elizabeth) passed through the Ring of Fire, they were presumably narrow gauge gasoline machines.
Fuel
Historically, fuel was the largest operating expense item for railroads, and the choice of fuel was based primarily on cost. The early American locomotives mostly consumed wood; it was not until 1870 that half the steamers in service were coal-burners (White 85). Fuel conversion was driven by both deforestation, and the opening of large new coal fields.
Early seventeenth-century Germany is experiencing a wood shortage because of the heavy use of wood as a fuel in home fireplaces and industrial furnaces, and as a raw material for carpentry.
On the other hand, because the Ring of Fire encompassed several up-time coal mines, and the up-time equipment for mining them, there is a readily exploitable coal supply in the Grantville area. There is also a lot of coal in Germany, notably west of Hannover, near Zwickau in Saxony, in Saarland, and in the famous Ruhr region.
So it is something of a no-brainer to prefer coal to wood. (What wood we have available for railroads is best employed in the wood-ties which support the rails.)
* * *
The USE is rich in coal but impoverished in petroleum. Consequently, we cannot expect to have large supplies of either gasoline or diesel fuel within a reasonable time. Our gasoline locomotives are likely to be limited to rebuilds of up-time vehicles, and used only as a stopgap. And we aren't likely to consider building a diesel locomotive at all—at least, not until we are importing oil in large quantities.
Steam Locomotion
We have completed the first stage of the engineering process: conceptual design. The principal motive power for the new railroad is going to be a coal-burning steam locomotive.
Both the Encyclopedia Americana and the modern Encyclopedia Britannica provide a basic cutaway view of a steam locomotive. These diagrams show, and label, certain major components of the boiler system (the firebox and its grate, the water circulation, the steam dome, and the superheater tubes), the engine system (the steam chest, the valve, and the cylinder-and-piston), the transmission system (the crosshead, main rods, and connecting rods), the driving and leading wheels, the valve control system (the eccentric crank and rod), the exhaust system (exhaust pipes, smoke box and smokestack), and the control system (throttle valve, throttle lever, safety valve). Other parts are recognizable to a railroader (e.g., the ashpan), but are not labeled.
In a steam locomotive, fuel is burnt in the firebox, evaporating water in the boiler. The resulting high-pressure steam is directed by the valve slide in the steam chest to either the front end or the back end of a cylinder containing a piston. If the steam enters the back end, it drives the piston forward and, at the completion of this forward stroke, the steam is allowed to escape. Steam then is redirected to the front end, moving the piston backward. Then the front end is exhausted, and the piston is ready for the next cycle.
This to-and-fro movement of the pistons is converted by the rods and cranks into rotary motion, each piston turning the driving wheels one half turn on each stroke of the cycle. Another linkage, driven by the rotation of the axle, controls the position of the valve slide.
The process may sound simple, but it is important not to underestimate the difficulties of building a practical steam locomotive. There are no steam locomotives in Grantville. That means that the design for the USE's first steam locomotive must be based on inspection of books and videos.
* * *
The next engineering design step is called "preliminary design" or "embodiment design." That is when engineers decide things like the size and weight of the locomotive, the fire grate size, the desired boiler pressure, the diameter of the cylinders, the piston stroke length, the number of wheels, the wheel diameter and so forth. These in turn determine how much the locomotive can pull, how fast.
To make those decisions, we have to determine the tractive force (pull) necessary to overcome the expected train resistance to motion.
Basic Train Resistance to Motion (Straight, Level Track)
The "basic" resistance on straight, level track is the result of rolling friction between wheel and rail, friction among all the mechanical parts driving the wheel (cylinder and piston, bearings and axle, etc.), air resistance, and o
ther factors.
The starting resistance is about 20 pounds per ton of load, but the engineer can bunch up the cars and then take advantage of slack, starting the train one car at a time.
Resistance drops once the train is moving slowly. It then climbs again as train speed increases.
EB11 provides some formidable equations, of dubious relevance, for calculating resistance. I instead quote two simple historical formulae which are likely to be known to model railroaders. The resistance, measured in pounds of force per ton of load, equals
(1) 2 + (speed (mph) / 4)(the "Engineering News" formula; Ludy, 131), or
(2) 3 + (speed (mph) / 6)(the Baldwin Locomotive Company formula; Connor, 89).
Equations (1) and (2) are useful at the speeds the USE will be operating. However, for high speed modern trains, air resistance becomes important, and this introduces a factor which is proportional to the square of the speed.
Extra Train Resistance (Grades and Curves)
In nineteenth-century America, poorly capitalized pioneer railroads economized on track building by taking the path of least resistance: going up and down, or around, hills. As a result, American locomotives had to be engineered to cope with steep grades and sharp curves. This could be true in the USE, too.
Total train resistance is the sum of the basic resistance mentioned above, and extra resistance attributable to grades and curves.
* * *
Grade (Slope). If it is going uphill, the locomotive has to overcome gravitational force as well as rolling friction. This grade resistance is roughly 20 pounds per ton of load, for every 1% of slope. (Armstrong, 20)
* * *
Curves force the train to reduce speed (so it doesn't derail), and also result in an effective increase in resistance. A curve with a turning radius of 5,729 feet (called a one degree curve) increases resistance by 0.8 pounds per ton of load. Halve the radius, and you double the resistance.