A Coal, Sir, If You Please
Update 31
1878-1879
Coal.
Industry was revolutionizing the modern world, and coal was fueling the machines of the new era. From steam locomotives to factories, everybody was depending on black gold to keep the fires burning.
Eastman T. Finch witnessed this first hand during his days in San Francisco. Coal ships hauling their cargo here and there, were a constant site on the bay. It became apparent to Finch that there was a lot of money to be made – not just in the mining, but in the distribution of coal.
It was no easy task getting those black rocks from the mountain mines to factories, ships, and homes. But then again, empires weren’t easily built either. When coal was first discovered years earlier in the hills near New SorGun, Finch knew it would make a lot of folks rich.
(click for full size)
Once Finch was able to pull Anthony Myers onboard, he knew he had a chance at creating his own financial empire. Not only would he have to battle the San Francisco bankers for the loans, but Mother Nature would prove a worthy foe as well.
Hills had to be leveled and gaps needed to be crossed.
All in all, it was over 13 miles of track, weaving up into the hills of New SorGun.
Foxton was the final destination. The tiny town was limping along as best it could, but the logistics of getting the coal from the mines to market proved difficult without a rail connection. But that was all about to change. As the rail line snaked through town, the first passenger station was hastily erected.
The rail line drove deep into the hills, right into the center of the mining operations. New shafts were dug, and new installations were built to take advantage of the new lifeline. In the first year of the little line’s operation, coal production from the Foxton mine grew tenfold.
The sleepy town sprung to life. The Finch & Myers rail line was shipping coal out and bringing new residents in. Like many coal towns before it, Foxton was off to the races.
The dawn of a new decade was fast approaching. As the summer of1879 gave way to cooler nights and orange hues, A sense of optimism filled the air around New SorGun.
As Finch and Myers sat in town admiring the autumn evening, the hustle and bustle of New SorGun could be heard all around them. Coaling ships were berthed along the piers loading their precious cargo, as seagulls squawked overhead.
“Eastman…” said Myers, “Good Lord, what have we started?”
“A foundation, my friend” Finch replied. Raising his glass, he continued, “Here’s to what rises from it.”
“Cheers, my friend” said Myers, giving a small chuckle.
Replies to last Teaser:
Hellken, Vlasky, agunter999, MTT9, Schulmanator, dubaidude, APSMS, Forthwall, RepublicMaster, jason leo, NMUSpidey, and sHnozZa:
Thank you all so much for the great comments
ggamgus: Extremely amazing, the railroad plan is literally BLASTING its way through. 
Yep, Mr. Nobel's invention was an amazing contribution to humanity.
Fox: Love that picture, it looks amazing! Great explosion.. you can almost picture yourself in the era. I missed a few updates.. but they looked great. It's good to see the railway being built now.
Thanks! I was pretty happy with how that turned out - I think I spent more time finding an appropriate explosion picture on google than creating the scene in SC4 
Benedict: Congratulations, you've held on to the top spot on BTT this week.
Wow! That is great news again
Bluthlucidity: Excellent work on the teaser! You always end your entries with a cliffhanger, and I'm always looking forward to the next entry. I'm curious, how far ahead do you play before you update the journal? Do you keep them in tandem or are you years ahead of what you're showing us? And in the long long term (assuming New SorGun makes it that far) how much planning do you do? Oh and have you tried out SC2K13 yet?
Thanks for the kind comment. As far as playing ahead - once I finish an entry, I post it almost immediately. I usually write a rough draft of how I want the entry to flow, then I mostly play catch up in the game to get the pictures I want. The whole process takes about two weeks, sometimes more depending on my free time. Long term, I have some rough ideas that i've jotted down, but it's pretty much just one entry to the next. At this point, I don't think I'll ever be able to actually get ahead, but that is just as well, since the unknown factor keeps me interested in continuing the story. And regarding SC13 - nope, I probably won't check it out until they make some major fixes/changes. I wish that weren't the case, but from what researched, it just isn't a game I'm interested in playing...yet.
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