Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway



The Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway is a Narrow Gauge (3 Foot) Railroad System Running Between Sticktropolis, the capital of The Sticklands to it's Northernmost city, Graphite Flats.

History
The Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway was the brainchild of Horace E. McStickley the 1st. Horace incorporated the Railway on April 24, 1907, with the goal of connecting Stickville, then the Capital of The Sticklands with the growing City of South Stick City (which had recently been re-named Sticktropolis). the products of the rich farmland could be delivered more quickly and cheaply via the proposed Railroad than on the long, tiring foot route. The vision was grand but the pocketbook was poor. This fact underlay the practical arguments for a line between Sticktropolis and Stickville. Undaunted, Stickville's population reached into its wallets, and into the coffers of some investors, rolled up its sleeves, and tapped what became know as the "Sticklands Spirit." Much of the town turned out on May 1, 1907, to begin laying the Graphite Road's first tracks. Almost all able-bodied men volunteered toward this Herculean, and highly civic-minded effort. Despite enthusiastic support from Governor Horace, the Sticklands Government did little to lighten the financial burden of building a railroad. Undaunted, Sticklanders volunteered their own labor to grade and lay the railroad's tracks, in order to eliminate most of the estimated price tag. In August the first locomotive, The "Horace" was built by the railroad's shops. Six freight cars had been built in the company shops and work had begun on a passenger car. Upon reaching Horace’s Landing in 1909, the Railroad established a "portage" service From Stickville to Horace's Landing. to celebrate the completion of the first 5 miles, an excursion for the railroad's investors was run over the entire 5 mile length of the line. Initially the railroad's primary source of revenue was the portage service from Stickville to Horace's Landing, but Plans to expand the road emerged quickly in a number of directions. Southward to Sticktropolis and North to Stickburg. In july of 1911, the railroad decided to begin building The Southern Line to Sticktropolis, and built another locomotive, 2-2-4 #3, along with the 8 flatcars for construction services on The Sticktropolis Extension. Work continued through August and by September, 30 miles of track were in place, with an additional 55 miles of grade completed towards it's goal of Sticktropolis. the line was completed in 1915, and Sticktropolis became The Sticklands's Capital upon the arrival of the first S.S.&.S Train. soon after, The Stickburg Extension was completed just one year later in 1916, linking the railroad's 3 namesake cities. in 1917, The Railroad began building an Extension north to Graphite Flats, and reached the city in 1920, successfully linking the northernmost and southernmost Cities of The Sticklands by rail. On October 7, 1921, the Railroad Officers and invited guests took a trial trip from Sticktropolis to Graphite Flats onboard a special excursion. Toasts were given aboard the swaying narrow gauge cars as the train thundered along the jointed rails. Passenger and freight traffic provided profits that exceeded the expectations of many government officials and civilians alike. On Sundays and holidays the railroad operated excursions across the line. The first regular services on the railroad following the mainline's Completion were "The Ticonderogan", the roads Crack passenger train, and A daily mixed train (freight and passengers) which served the sidings and warehouses along route. The railroad was still called the Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis by some and affectionately known as the “Graphite Road” in later years. for the people of Sticktropolis, The S.S.&.S. served as the primary connection to the outside world. As the twin cities of Sticktropolis and Stickburg continued to grow, the railroad brought in the supplies necessary to keep the wheels of commerce turning. That important life-line was disrupted on August 25, 1921, when the Bridge at Graphite Heights was washed away, requiring a new bridge section be built. The new viaduct was over 800 feet long and 500 feet tall and regarded as the tallest its kind in The Sticklands when built. In 1929 the railroad was doing well enough to build newer equipment and locomotives, allowing for the retirement of the older equipment. During the great depression, while railroads in many other Stickman Countries (such as Stickia) were declining, the S.S.&.S. continued to keep The Sticklands Moving, thanks to the strong tourist and freight industry. As the railroad continued to grow, more and more additional equipment was built by the railroad at their shops. The Eastern Coastline had always been known for occasional Flooding, and a railroad right-of-way graded right alongside it was an easy target for the floods. in 1944, the railroad was forced to suspend operations as the first of what was to be many major washouts occurred along the line. Maintenance costs used up the profits at a rapid rate. during the 1940s, The Railroad struggled against continuous washouts and barely survived the WWII era. Despite the progress, a downpour destroyed the second Graphite Heights bridge in September 1947 and service was again halted. The railroad was continued to operate but badly affected by high water again in 1948 and 1951. from 1948 to 1951, it was surviving on local traffic, much associated with the graphite flats-Stickburg line and terminal switching in Sticktropolis. The last major flood occurred in 1953, when a fierce storm blew in off the eastern seaboard. Large waves pounded the tracks, damaging and even washing away various sections of track. The loose piles then washed out The Graphite Heights Trestle, upon which a stalled freight train was halted. Engine #70 was sent out of the Nearby Sticktropolis yards and pulled the train off of the structure just before it collapsed. In addition, the storm damaged the Railroad's track along the Sticktropolis Docks. Without immediate funds to repair the line, the Railroad ceased to operate for almost 5 months. it looked to be the end of the S.S.&.S. Ry, But The People of The Sticklands thought differently. they turned out by the thousands, rebuilding the railroad in less than 4 months. Regular service did not resume until 1 month later. With the railroad now operating again, all seemed wonderful, with the local papers reporting the uptick in service, the introduction of new customers, and an extension of the railroad being planned down the Pencil Pointe Peninsula to an auto proving grounds facility, owned by Graphite Motors. Construction on this extension began on May 31, 1954 at the Railroad's Sticktropolis Yards, and continued down the Pencil Pointe Peninsula. Construction transformed a lonely complex on the peninsula into a massive auto facility. The S.S.&.S. built a fleet of special flat cars for moving vehicles from Sticktropolis down the peninsula to the proving grounds where they could be tested, modified, and then sent back on trains. Service on the railroad increased until 1978, when the Sticklands Metroway was built out of Sticktropolis bound for Graphite Flats, threatening the railroad. Luckily, Horace the 1st, not about to let his railway die, enacted the "transportation act" Forcing The Metroway to build no further north than Stickburg. Traffic Smoothed out in the 1990s, and in 2003, the Sticklands Celebrated it's Centennial, and the S.S.&.S. ran fare-free excursions all day. Even the old #1, "Horace", was brought out of storage and fired up for the celebrations. 4 years later, the Railroad itself celebrated it's founding centennial, and a string of excursions ran over the entire line on a scenic tour. in 1909, the railroad celebrated the Centennial of it's First Train, and The Horace, along with several of the remaining original Cars, ran the entirety of the original 5 mile route and back. in 2015, the Sticklands celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Completion of the Sticktropolis Extension, and The Horace ran under it's own power from Stickville to Sticktropolis, which hadn't been done since it pulled the first train into the city in 1915. The Horace made a similar trip to Stickburg the following year to celebrate the Stickburg extension. other than these special events, the railroad has continued to make a steady profit. in 2022, the crooked empire of Axelheim declared war upon The Sticklands, and the Railroad's importance and vulnerable location made it a primary Target. several attacks were made, but damage was quickly repaired, and The Railroad began running trains at night to avoid detection. when Axelheim lost interest The Sticklands, Regular Operations Resumed. The most recent Developments for the Graphite Road were the New Alliance with The Codrasan Empire. Surplus Equipment from Codrasanian Railroads such as the SPKC, Doriden & Western and San Francisco & Cascade were pressed into service. Train Traffic and profits boosted to unforeseen levels, thanks to a dimensional portal at Graphite Flats. The Railroad also reactivated the Dormant Pencil Pointe Branch, and rebuilt the Auto Plant as an Army Base. The second major development was the induction of the S.S.&.S. into the "Fictitious Four", a group of Class 1 Roads still operating steam. The third was the completion of the "new" overseas Railway, a massive Railway Bridge spanning thousands of miles from Sticktropolis to San Francisco, where the Fluke Pacific Railroad Connects with it. As we head into the 21st Century, the Narrow Gauge Trains of the S.S.&.S. Continue to Traverse the same routes they did over a century ago.

Major Stations (south to north)
Sticktropolis (Railroad's Headquarters and Connection with the Overseas Extension with Fluke Pacific Railroad)

Graphite Heights (Longest Trestle on the railroad)

Horace's Landing (small historic marker and flag stop)

Stickville (3 Track Yard and Original Depot still in use as part of Stickville Historical Village)

Stickburg (Connection With The Sticklands Central's High Speed Line)

Graphite Flats (Connection to the Doriden & Western's Doriden Sub & Southern Pacific Kansas City's Shreveport, Vicksport, Lufkin, & Beaumont Subs VIA Portal)

Branch Lines
Pencil Pointe Army Base Branch

Sticktropolis Dockside Spurs

Locomotives (in Numerical order)
Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 0-4-0 #1 "Horace"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-4-4 #3

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-4-0 #77

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-2 #70

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-4-2 #83

Leased Power
Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-4-4-2 #188 (On Lease from the Codrasan Empire (D&W RR))

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-0 #85 (On Lease from the Codrasan Empire(D&W RY))

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-2 #473 (on lease from The Codrasan Empire (SPKC RY))

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-2 #484 (on lease from The Codrasan Empire (SPKC RY))

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-6-0 #22 (On lease from the Codrasan Empire (SPKC RY))

Rolling Stock
Boxcars Numbered 100-350

Flatcars Numbered 950-982

Tank Cars (S.S.&.S.) Numbered 313-320 (Cordelia's Trans-oil) Numbered 320-330

Ore cars Numbered 400-410

Baggage Cars Numbered 1000-1005

Passenger Cars Numbers 1010-1030

Miscellaneous Equipment
Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway X-17 "The Picnic Rig"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway Private Coach "Sisdailia"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway Dual Gauge Idler "I1"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Wreck Crane "Big Emma"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-wheeled Cars (Circa 1907-1909) Numbers 1-15

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Track Speeder "TS15".

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway "RB 1" Railbus (Ex SPKC)

Stickburg Stickville & Stictropolis Railway "RB 2" Railbus (Ex San Francisco & Cascade)