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, '
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.
