Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway



The Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway is a Narrow Gauge (3 Foot) Railroad System located in The Sticklands. The Railroad's Mainline runs between Sticktropolis and Graphite Flats, two major Cities in The Sticklands.

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 it's #2, a tame 0-4-2, along with it's #3, a rather odd "2-2-4" with 8 flatcars and a pair of bunk cars 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. soon after, regular services were established 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. by 1927 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, 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 an effort to boost real estate. Construction on this extension began on May 31, 1934 at the Railroad's Sticktropolis Yards, and was completed two months later, with a daily mixed train provided by the railroad. 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 Railroads owned by the Codrasan Emperor 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 built 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. while these improvements have helped speed up the Transportation aspect of the Railway,

The Issue of Transfer
Transferring Cargo between The Narrow Gauge Cars of the SS&S and the Standard gauge cars of it's connecting railroads is one of the few "Kinks" in the railroad's operations. while it has trackage rights over the Overseas Railway, The S.S.&.S. is a Narrow gauge route sandwiched between two important Standard Gauge carriers. By Speeding up the trains, time to transport goods is lessened, leaving time for goods to be transferred to standard gauge equipment while getting the trains out on schedule. Luckily, special cars from the Codrasan Empire have been built to try and combat the problem. these cars can ride on standard gauge trucks as well as narrow gauge trucks, and the time it takes to regauge the cars, 10 minutes, is much faster than the traditional methods used.

The Scandal
The Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway recently came under fire by the Axelheim Government for allegedly killing thousands of their citizens in many coordinated wrecks. In one instance, a "Runaway" train derailed at a curve, killing most of it's Passengers, all of whom were Axelheim citizens. In another event, high winds blew the last 3 cars a refugee train off of a Trestle it was crossing, killing all of it's occupants while the crew escaped with minor injuries. A gas leak caused an explosion aboard another Refugee train, killing five axelists while sparing any Stickpeople. By far the worst Incedent occurred when 18 cars full of Axelist Refugees, all of whom were children, caught fire under "mysterious circumstances". 37 children were killed, 21 wounded. Axel Kaulbars, dictator of Axelheim, has claimed that these attacks are "an intentional Geonicide by the Sticklands Government to avenge our actions against them, but we have no proof"



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)

Secondary and Branch Lines
Graphite Valley division

Pencil Pointe Branch

Sticktropolis Dockside Spurs

Locomotives
Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 0-4-0 #1 "Horace"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 0-4-2 #2 "Graphite"

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

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-0 #50 "Brute"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-0 #51 "Champion"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 2-8-2 #70 "Mighty Mike"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-4-0 #77 "D.E. Randall"

Stickburg Stickville & Sticktropolis Railway 4-4-2 #83 "Graphite Star"

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) (Still runs with the original Southern Pacific Livery))

Rolling Stock
Boxcars Numbered 100-150

Flatcars Numbered 900-950

Tank Cars (S.S.&.S.) Numbered 300-315 (Cordelia's Trans-oil) Numbered 315-330

Ore cars (Morada Zinc RR) Numbered 400-410

Baggage Cars Numbered 1000-1001

Passenger Cars Numbers 1002-1010

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 & Sticktropolis Railway "RB 2" Railbus (Ex San Francisco & Cascade)

Accidents, Incidents, and More.
As with any Railroad, The Graphite Road had it's Accidents.

The First known Wreck on The S.S.&.S. happened in 1914, when Engineer Louis Brewster was running a Work Train During Construction of The Sticktropolis Division. The train consisted of Brewster's Engine, the #3, a pair of boxcars, a flatcar and an empty bunk car. At one point, Brewster rounded a curve and spotted a small rockslide covering the tracks ahead. Brewster whistled "Down Brakes", the signal for brakemen to apply the handbrakes. But even if those brakes had been set immediately, it would have been too late to stop. Brewster rammed the slide, derailing his engine and sending it onto the rocks. The Crewmen found Brewster there, trapped in the cab but alive. over the roar of the Waves and hissing steam, he screamed "Stop Ed Boston!" Ed Boston was the Engineer of a Passenger Train that was due to Meet Brewster at a sidetrack nearby. Brewster's words aroused the dazed crew to a sense of reality. A Flagman Ran Ahead to flag down Boston and barely made it. Boston's Engine Halted only several feet from the Wreck, averting another tragedy. Brewster and his engine were eventually hauled back onto the Tracks, and Brewster himself made it through with only a broken leg.

Shortly after the Completion of the S.S.&.S.'s Stickburg Division in 1916, Ed Boston was wheeling a southbound excursion train behind 4-4-0 #77. As he rounded a curve, He could see Flames Leaping from beneath Freyes Creek Trestle, a wooden bridge crossing a creek by the same name. Boston told his fireman to Jump before "Wiping The Clock" (Lingo for Setting the Emergency Brakes) and Jumped. But he Realized that the train could stop on the Trestle, possibly causing it to collapse and killing most of his passengers. He Staggered back up the Rocky shoreline and swung aboard the Baggage car as it went by. He then Quickly Clambered over the Tender, shut off the Brakes and Opened his Throttle, Roaring over the Burning Trestle. while one coach caught fire, nobody was injured.

Wally Vernon was Making his regular run with "The Ticonderogan" behind the Railroad's Atlantic #83. as he rounded a corner, He Saw a car stalled on the tracks ahead. Vernon hauled down on the Whistle Cord while applying the emergency brakes at the same time. The Whistle Screamed, The Automatic Brakes Squealed, and then came a massive Explosion. #83 plowed ruthlessly through the car, which burst into flames and was thrown into the water. both vernon and his fireman lived, as well as the car's occupant, who was ejected from the vehicle on impact. the only damage #83 suffered was a broken front coupler.

in 1952, Engineer Ike Sullivan was running a supply freight on the Pencil Point Branchline in the early dawn. The Cargo was mainly Fruits and Vegtables, but several carloads if fireworks for the evening festivities were also being transported. around 6:19 AM, Sullivan Approached a small grade crossing Gaurded by only a "Wig-Wag" Signal. As Sullivan Approached, he saw the Signal Activate, but noticed a pair of headlights speeding towards the Crossing. Sullivan Hauled down on the Whistle Cord, but the car did not stop. Sullivan Hit The Brakes but it was far too late. Sullivan's engine Thundered over the Grade Crossing, as did the first few cars. but Sullivan looked back to see the Auto Slam into a passing Boxcar bursting into flames. the impact tipped the car halfway off the rails before Slamming back down onto the Tracks. The Totaled Car was Wedged into the Boxcar, which was now in flames. But Sullivan did not release his brakes, but rather picked up speed and highballed to the Resort, Stopping besides the Resort's Water tower. The Fire was soon out, but the Car was unsalvageable. The Car Driver Perished in the accident, and the auto was totaled. But Sullivan was virtually unscathed by the wreck.

in 1975, Sticklands Governor and Founder Horace E. McStickley The 1st was diagnosed with an illness that would most certainly kill him f not treated within 48 hours. Horace Radioed Graphite Fats Union terminal, Telling them to send a special train with nurses, doctors and Medical Supplies to Sticktropolis Immediately. Wally Vernon and the #83 was hooked onto the special train, and Wally Vernon was Given a Clear Track all the Way to Sticktropolis. Vernon insisted on Taking the Ticonderogan's Consist along too. Vernon made Record Time, Doing almost 2 miles a minute. Both he and his fireman were soaked with sweat, and the Boiler was hotter than the Gates of Hell. The Journals were smoking as he sped along, and Vernon Prayed that they would not Jump The Tracks. Thankfully they didn't, and Vernon made a 5 Hour Run in almost 3 Hours. While the equipment was all in deplorable shape, and Vernon was about ready to pass out, they made it safely, and Horace's life was Saved. Horace funded all repairs for the Equipment and #83, as well as giving Vernon and his fireman a hefty Raise.

during the brief alliance with Axelheim, Axel Kaulbars's Special train got stuck behind a freight train, which had stopped for a Hot Journal Box. After throwing a fit, The Freight Engineer, Ed Boston, simply slowed the train to a snails pace in retaliation. Both Trains crawled into Sticktropolis several hours late.