Union Express

Merikan steam locomotive prototype

Despite the destruction of Machine City the new Merikan enthusiasm for technological advancement has continued unabated. The accelerated reconstruction of the Union Steam and Steelworks fabricating plant has culminated with the completion of Merika's first city-to-city rail line in centuries. This Union Line runs from Union Delphi to Tempus and links the coastal regions of the Merikan Union with a band of steel rails and spikes, a fitting metaphor for a federal state dominated by an overbearing, militaristic executive power structure.

The locomotive engine that powers the Express is a steam engine based upon the prototype steam wagon developed by Freeman Skinner in 983 PCE. The rail-based locomotive is the best Union technologists could come up with to imitate Skinner's original but their machine is nonetheless an impressive work of engineering. It can haul five passenger cars containing over a hundred passengers at speeds of just over 20 miles per hour. Head engineers on the locomotive project insist the machine can operate at faster speeds but is limited by the quality of tracks and the maintenance required to sustain peak service on these rails, many of which have been in place for nearly ten years awaiting service.

The Express's steam engine runs on coal and is operated by a team of a dozen engineers and stokers. It must be stopped for cool down and maintenance at 50-mile intervals, otherwise the boiler runs the risk of overheating or the pistons could become misaligned through excessive wear.

Unbeknownst to the general public, the Union Express remains very much an unfinished prototype. It has been thrust into general service providing free transport for citizens on a lottery basis to serve largely as a public relations exercise. The loss of Machine City cast doubt upon the Union's controversial efforts at technological innovation and the Union Express has been viewed as a way to bolster public confidence in the state and its ability to deliver on its promises of a better future through science.