A History of Steam Power on Billiam's World Part One

A History of Steam Power on Billiam's World Part One

Before the arrival of the Lord, King Billiam the First, coal and gold mines were already extant. Ferrying the minerals from the mine to the station, where it would be taken by Irnerses to the local villages and early factories was already accomplished by a gravity train. The minecarts would be loaded with coal and then sent to glide down rails to the station. An Irnerse would then bring the empty cars back to the mine to be loaded with more coal. In addition to these early mine trains, the first passenger trainway was built linking Feldbrooke (Later known as Billiamton, now known as Billiam City) to Beerspoole. They used couples of Irnerses operating a wooden treadmill to carry up to four passenger carriages up to 8 miles per hour. This early adoption of public transportation between these cities was not unlike the early transportation industries of many Dresdonomian countries on Billiam's Second Home Planet.

Within the first month of Billiam's landing in Feldbrooke, he realized that his plans for world domination would require better propulsive technologies. Initially thinking simply of the "T*nks," his planet's non-profane word for "War Machine," he quickly realized that this would allow much more than simple war machines.

There already existed steam powered engines for use in large factories. But these were bulky, massive, inefficient, and not powerful enough to be put on a moving vehicle. These would not do. King Billiam set a 50,000 gold bar prize for the winner of the Beerspoole Trials. These were a series of competitions held between the now-renamed Billiamton and Beerspoole. While the Feldbrook and Beerspoole Trainway was being rebuilt and extended on either end to the Billiamton and Beerspoole Railway, engineers throughout the country were given two years to build and perfect their locomotives. The locomotives would be subjected to a variety of tests and conditions to demonstrate the power of the engine. The rules were as follows:

1: The engine, including a full complement of water and coal or coke fuel, will be weighed two hours before the trials, and the load assigned to it would be five times the weight of the engine. At the end of this, the fire may be lighted and the engine warmed up.

1a: Any trailer-carriage essential to the operation of the engine (such as a Water or Fuel store) will be counted as part of the engine weight.

2: Fresh water and coal along the mainline will be provided only to resolve an emergency such as a boiler explosion, the engine must carry enough fuel to make the trip from Billiamton to Beerspoole without refueling in the interim.

2a: Permanent damage to the engine will result in its disqualification from the Trials.

2b: Water and fuel (Coal and Coke will be provided) shall be provided at either station.

3: The engine shall bring its full load of freight from Billiamton to Beerspoole, a full distance of 56 miles, for ten trips.

3a: 40 miles of those must be pulled within 90% of full speed.

3b: The full speed of the train must not be lower than 10 miles per hour.

4: An experimental carriage will be attached to the rear of the train. The carriage holds expensive recording devices.

4a: Destruction of the experimental carriage will result in immediate disqualification from the Trials and an 80 gold bar fine.

4b: If the locomotive masses less than one fifth of the experimental carriage, it will be disqualified. This is very unlikely.

5: The locomotive must run on the standard gauge of 7 feet distance and adjust to curves of no less than a 70 meter turning radius.

Seven companies took the challenge and began to develop engines to compete in the Trials.

Company Name - Engine Name

Kerzar Boiler Co. - Transition

Rephent Conglomerate - The Chuffing Monster

Garret and Felir Energetic Solutions - Ten Irnerses

They Might Be Engineers - Combustible Head

Jojrel Mine Co - Enming Nightmare

Jog Ronsen - Literally Just a Irnerse Named Foi.

The latter of which was literally an Irnerse, as in the quadrupedal beast of burden, on a treadmill. It was disqualified as it massed less than one fifth of the experimental carriage. The other engines were remarkably well designed and worked, but in the end, the winner of the Trials was Kerzar's Transition.

As it happened, the Jojrel Mine Company wasted time and money on their Enming Nightmare, because the government purchased their mines and used engines contracted by Kerzar to speed of production.

These new engines were a dramatic step up in power, and it proved to King Billiam how quickly the Billiamites could improve their technology when given direction. The next step was to repel the Enming threat to the north. Fifty of the Kerzar-designed mining locomotives were rebuilt into war machines and deployed at the Billiama/Enminguian border.

We all know who one that war.