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The United Queendoms of Belantica.
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Railways in Belantica
Railways in BelanticaBelantica has a long-standing history and affiliation with railways. A wide variety of different agencies and companies provides rail transportation for areas large and small, accros thousands of kilometers of track
History
The first true railroad in Belantica opened in 1842 between the two towns of * and * in the state of Montessett by Bertram Kojak and Siegfried Heidl, and subsequently named the * & * Railroad. This line covered a distance of 7.6 km and trains travelled 12 MPH steadily, which was seen as "blistering fast: by locals, who were not used to travelling at such speeds
Early 20th Century
TBD
The Imperial War
Belantica's rail network was pushed to the limits during the Imperial War, and like other rail networks in nations involved in the war, Belantica's railways were naturally a target by enemy forces, which led to large amounts of track, viaducts, and stations being either rendered damaged or destroyed. During this period, the government established the Wartime Railway Agency (WRA) to oversee operations, repairs, and transportation of military personnel and equipment on rail. Due to the constraints in place by the War Production Act, the railways were not able to design or build new types of locomotives or rolling stock, as resources were shifted towards the design and production of military hardware. Trains were also used to evacuate cities during air raids, and subway tunnels and stations provided decent protection from bombings.
Post-War Reconstruction
With the rail network being heavily damaged during the course of the Imperial War, it was a priority among the Belantic government to rebuild the network in order to bring back vital connections. Some parts of the network were so badly damaged, that the right-of-way had to be completely rebuilt. In order to facilitate the railways into large resconstruction efforts was to match the railways 50% for every mile of new or repaired track they laid, and up to 80% for viaducts and urban rail infrastructure. Many companies at the time used this opportunity to commence wide-scale realignments to improve the overall efficiency and speed speed of the lines. The WRA was dissolved once peace had returned for good, which would allow the railways to resume their own R&D and equipment acquisitions. It was also during this period that railways had begun experimenting with diesel technology, and produced some early models meant for mixed traffic and "railbuses" for rural passenger services. While this is the start of the dieselization of Belantic railways, many companies in the north and in the capital region chose to continue with electrification. While the early 1950's was still a viable time for the railway industry, the onset of cheaper cars, trucking, and the Motorways Act of 1957 saw the industry declining, as railways could not compete with competitive freight rates or be as flexible as trucks could, and passenger services lost out to private cars, and government support for railways dropped as fund were redirected towards new highway construction.
The Western Isles
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Nationalization of Key Routes
TBD
Belentic National Railways and Conrail
Semi-Privatization of BNR to BR Group
While the signals were functioning as instead, the poor choice in the use of singular coloured-lamps on the signal boxes meant the drive of #3821, J. Goldfield, or his fireman R. Ulrich,could not accurately distinguish the signals at the speed they were travelling at. #3821's crew did not see a signal in the "stop" position, and by the time #3821 raw the rear of the commuter train, the emergency brakes were applied but it was already too late. At 8:39 AM, the two trains collided at Haldy Avenue.
According to one survivor's account, "the express was coming in at quite a clip, screeching down the dark tunnel, making desperate whistles calls of impeding doom. Those on the island and some on the train, either made a run for the stairs, or jumped down into the other pit to dodge. Seconds later, a deafining series of booms and rumbles that felt like miniature earthquakes shook everything around it. Some people just coming in the station had no idea what just occurred, but panic set in moments later."
In total, 278 people lost their lives, including both crew of #3821, and 536 people suffered injuries over a large range of severity, with 75 dying afterwards due to complications from this accident. #3821 was totally destroyed along with 4 coaches, with 3 coaches being heavily damaged, and 2 coaches, along with the Pannier, sustained only minor or no damage. A total of 2,000 firefighters, 800 police officers, 650 construction workers, 500 railway trackmen, 200 salvagers, 100 ironworkers, 80 dogs, and 50 doctors and nurses. The wreck caused roughly X in damages, and has gone down as the worst rail disaster in Albany City history.
Almost immediately, the mayor's office order the the city's Public Investigation Comission (PIC) to investigate the incident, and quickly came to the conclusion poor visibility, overspeed,and poor signals caused the driver of #3821 to misread the signal coming into Haldy. After the PIC's finding, there was much outrage and pleas from the public for action for be taken so that such an accident may never happen again. In January 1911, many of the city's boroughs banned steam traction with an 18-month grace period to allow for the railways to adapt, with a city-wide ban of steam traction within underground tunnels. In addition, the city also passed an ordinance that railways must either use 3-colored or "modern lighted postion" signaling within city boundaries.
Environmental Initiatives
The best early example of environmental considerations did not stem from such concerns, but as a result of the 1910 North Albany Tunnel Crash. Albany City enacted a ban on steam traction in 1911 within most boroughs and all tunnels within the city limits. Henceforth, many of the regional and commuter routes became electrified during the 1910s, and also helped prompt the construction of the city's first underground subway lines to replace elevated sections of track in the urban core. Throughout much of the first half of the 20th century, many mountain railways electrified due to being an overall more cost-effective method than double heading steam locomotives, or investing in larger steam locomotive designs. In addition, the northern regions, mostly centered around the Suton-Albany City metro area and Nuranto, saw rapid expansion and electrificatrion along the suburban, commuter, and regional systems. With the onset of diesel technology in the 1940s and 1950s, there was a period where the process was halted in favor of being able to replace steam with cheaper and readily available diesel units and fuel, during a time when it was more financially feasible to continue running steam or switch over to diesel instead of widescale electrification projects.
Beginning in the 1980s, there was more pressure being mounted on the Belantic government by the population to further reduce pollution, and such entities like the nationalized BNR and the public-private partnership of Conrail.
Branding
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