BIG PLANS UP NORTH (1873-1874)
- Riverburg Central, Two Divisions.png (199.13 KiB) Viewed 3860 times
S.P Ferroequinus, president of the Riverburg Central Railway, Bridge, and Land Navigation Company, did not let the activities of nearby competition distract his attention for too long... The impulse to lay down trackage to some faraway coalfield, iron ore mine, or factory that could go out of business at a moment's notice in these uncertain early days could present Espee with a financial debacle that could drive his fledgling road to bankruptcy. Keeping with his original plan, he once again focused on his passenger and mail service, considering avenues for expansion that would be self-sustaining and show a solid return on investment.
Espee realized that while local service was necessary to nurture and build up his traffic base, the REAL money was in long-haul passenger service. In his view, trains took as long to fill up for local short-distance runs as they did for longer ones, and the disproportionate time spend on non-revenue-miles on the short runs wasn't good utilization of capital. Espee was also conscious of the need to haul balanced traffic loads, to ensure that his trains generated revenue in both directions, not just one (another little point that bothered him about freight railroading). He envisioned main stations 150 to 200 tiles apart, running long trains filled to capacity in both directions, as the key to a profitable passenger network. Local trains serving small towns could best serve as feeders to the long-distance trains, transferring their occupants and ensuring that those trains ran full. As long as those long-distance express trains ran reasonably quickly over the road, the higher efficiency would make up for the gradually diminishing payment schedule for longer passenger delivery times.
- Riverburg Central, Gruhead & Grenway, 26th Jul 1874.png (507.47 KiB) Viewed 3860 times
Espee saw the best opportunity to clone his initial success with Riverburg-Drondtown service with the twin municipalities of Gruhead and Grenway, located across each other on the Grenway Sound, 185 tiles north of their counterparts on the RC. Not wishing to tip his hands to potential competitors (as well as the ever-present detractors), he set up his convivial partner in the pursuit of adult beverages, I.M. Soused, as the president of the
Gruhead and Grenway Railroad Company. Once the line received the prerequisite charter and permits for construction, Mr. Soused assigned Espee his proxy votes for consideration (rumored to be several cases of Gallo White Port from California), and the G&G commenced construction to its namesake cities, under the virtual control of the Riverburg Central.
Espee hoped that the double-tracked line, first-class station facilities, the purchasing of the "latest and greatest" locomotive technology on the market (300 class 4-6-0s providing 700 HP for the passenger and mail locals), and the planting of thousands of dollars of trees at his personal expense, would soften the impact of the local citizenry when they learned that they had been, well somewhat, mislead - but sadly that was not to be the case.
"APPALLING" cried the Grenway town council.
"Scandal!" read the headlines of the Grenway Gab.
A local pundit by the name of O.T.T. Dee had this much to say:
"Espee's antics and outrageous acts are beyond comprehension to this sane, rational observer. His construction plans are way too aggressive. His stations are massive compared to the paltry dribbles of traffic expected to ride on this overbuilt line. He doesn't even use BUFFERS at the end of his tracks! Some would argue that his overall plans are not very 'realistic'. I am at a loss to explain what this well-lubricated grifter has in mind in terms of a rational business plan..."
The Gruhead and Grenway had numerous nicknames: Philbert's Folly, Espee's Scandal, and others that could not be mentioned in polite company, or at least around moderators. Yet those who understood how Espee's mind worked would have noticed the provisions for expension on the west end of the Gruhead station, and the surveying crews trekking through the back country towards the little hamlets of Molow, Trepool, Funhattan, Nansay, and New Minlow. The residents of those isolated burgs, long frustrated at the lack of access to nice cold drinks in comfy saloons, would CERTAINLY welcome the efforts of this singulary determined railroader, not to mention the bigger prize - the eventual linking of these northern outposts with the rest of the Riverburg Central system...
