Ep.4 - Petit Census Series Pilot
Welcome to Petit Census Series, my name is Dewit Petit, you may remember me from such shows as "A Kitchen on Fire" and "Jurassic Rodeo". As always I am very happy to have you here, hopefully as excited as I am, to start this journey together. Now. We might not all get together until the end, but I am positive we will have a good time and be joined by new ones on the way.
Right. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?
DAY ONE
We depart Delfoni Settlers Bay harbor on a river steamboat. Fortunately the weather is fair and not too warm. We packed only the journalist equipment, so cameras and film, notepads, pens, and a few microphones. We will use resources in situ to minimize our footprint - the sponsors will provide the means to pay for these services, and they will also get publicity in the process. It's a win-win.
The morning of the great first day is always the most nerve-wrecking. I ran through our checklist at least 10 times, even though we don't really need much more than ourselves, so, should we forget anything it's not a big deal. But perharps I should introduce our crew:
- Emeline Elm. She is my long time friend, a terrific travel agent, and we worked on such shows as "Jurassic Rodeo" and "Apex Ring". It's an understatement to say I am grateful she is on this trips with us.
- Verti Swivel is an experienced Wilderness Ranger. Before he started to work with me he was stationed at Rodigate, overlooking the train traffic coming from the open wild. He knows quite a bit about the monsoon and the patches of rain forest, and the creatures that lurk in there. Those are not the same as in "Jurassic Rodeo", let me tell you that.
- Lionel Hammel. Fellow journalist and camera operator. We often switch roles as needed, but I definetely could not do it without him.
And off we go!
DEPARTURE: Delfoni Settlers Bay Port, early morning
TRIP: Rodi River Delta Rielly Distributary upstream, during the day. Lots of mosquitos.
ARRIVAL: Codnor, evening
Codnor is barely even a town. When we arrive, one of the first things we find out is that the pier we dock at has just been assembled - for us.
They go on to tell us about the harbor and railroad projects as if everyone in the village was an engineer. Come to think of it, they probably are... They offer us dinner at the tavern and we have us a small but warm party on the first night.
DAY TWO
The following morning we interview the project leader at the tavern and he explains to us the basics of the project:
TOPIC: Quicke-Delfoni Rail Mainline connection
The construction of a small harbor will serve as a stop and also as a platform for the construction of the railway bridge. The mainline will run south to Dagondale and the other bridge project. Estimated completion date: 1925.
DAY THREE
DEPARTURE: Codnor, morning
TRIP: Rodi River Delta Rielly Distributary upstream, during the day
ARRIVAL: Dagon, early evening
One day and many mosquito bites later we arrive at South Dagondale. From there we are picked up by coach and delivered to the Inn. After a little R&R we explore South Dagondale and North Kendalmut
This south-facing image shows South Dagondale port and railyard. The rail line travels south and uphill through a tunnel to North Kendalmut.
Another south-facing image. This one shows the rail network coming together before North Kendalmut. Far left is the sawmill line and the rail yard tunnel. On the right it's the mainline. This section is currently industrial-only as it ends up in a yard, with a stub leading to the Dagondale bridge construction yard.
A growing North Kendalmut at dusk, right before we settle down back in the Inn. This image is facing north. The new mainline elevated station is operating and trains have started regular shedule from Kendalmut to Rodigate and off to the rest of Soridea.
DAY FOUR
TOPIC: Mainline bridges and line hookup and stations
North and South Dagondale have the important task of building the second rail bridge to link up the vital mainline to Delfoni. To achieve this they need to build harbors and prepare the river bed. We want strong, long-lasting bridges, right?
South Dagondale has also the task of linking the mainline to North Kendalmut. There are several additional lines growing out of the need for more industry that need to be linked up to the mainline. However, the common argument against this project we hear about is that many people don't like the idea of mixing industrial with passenger lines. We think these people are not looking at the big, long-term picture: there will be dedicated lines in the future. But right now, priorities are other. So, people, hold on!
DEPARTURE: North Kendalmut, late afternoon
TRIP: direct train journey during early evening
ARRIVAL: Rodigate, evening
Once we switch to the rail line as a means of travel, the ride gets incredibly more comfortable and faster, and there are no mosquitos. However, we kind of miss the sense of adventure the river steamboat provides, by cruising upriver in those wild unexplored areas. I can imagine skyscrapers and freeways taking the place of the swamp...
"Excuse me? Waitress? There must be a mistake! I ordered a main hub rail station, but all I got is this..."
DAY FIVE
Yeah, we weren't impressed with Rodigate's train station. The Inudstrial yard is much more curated, however:
Cleraly, up until now, focus has been put into the construction and freight business, rather than comfortable and reliable passenger transportation. Currently, if you're looking to travel from Delfoni to Quicke or Estar, you're better off on a ship than to venture on the precarious rail line, unless you hop on one of those big noisy freight trains that scare away even the most stubborn of creatures. We are starting to feel the need for reliable passenger rail, though, with the growth of Delfoni and the rest of the nation.
A quick stay in Rodigate.
Before we can have our next interview, we decide to visit all the places included in the project, so we push on to Wick.
DAY SIX
DEPARTURE: Rodigate, morning
TRIP: ferry to Apelby, then train to Wick, during most of the day
ARRIVAL: Wick, early evening
And back to Rodigate the following morning, same route.
off we go!
Apelby. Image facing west.
Wick. Image facing norh.
DAY SEVEN
TOPIC: train hubs and the Rodi Bridge project
Once back in Rodigate we interview the project director Nil Lawrence.
"The focus of this project is the Quicke-Delfoni mainline. A sub-project includes the Geite Line that will connect Delfoni with Estar via the Geite mountain range and also link Delfoni to future farmlands. This sub-project also includes a major bridge to cross the Rodi river. This major bridge will not only serve the Geite Line but provide access to the west side for regular passenger and freight traffic."
He goes on to explain the project in more detail. But we thought we'd compress some of it for the sake of this series:
"In order for this whole project to work Rodigate needs to be upgraded to a major train hub. We also designated Wick as mainly an industrial train hub. We liased with entrepreneur Rodni Gulli to cooperate on construction and development of Wick's railyard, with all the needed facilities to support long-range travel.[...]
Regarding this:
(image facing south)
"We initially envisioned the major bridge as a one-off work to connect Rodigate to the opposite shore. Later on, additional commisions and requests saw us update our view and we had to abandon this old project in favor of the new one, a bigger, wider, smoother bridge, landing in Apelby."
At the end of this first week we have mixed feelings already. On one hand we are disappointed and disillusioned about our current colonial situation in Delfoni. We were promised a flourishing metropolis in a safe area but we are far away from being a metropolis, and also not quite in the safe department. There is still an urgency for fences and rangers. On the other hand, though, we have clearly seen how hard the council is working to realize those initial promises. It might not have been an easy task to colonize this place, but it doesn't seem to be impossible to create a metropolis in a tropical river delta. The journey ahead of us has only just begun...
So this is it for the first entry. Join us next time, and if you are into the social media frenzy, then feel free to like, comment, and subscribe.
-
4
-
1
3 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account