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that a person who studies trains is a ferroequinologist? That’s ferrum (Latin) iron, equus (Latin) horse and (-ology) which comes from the Greek -logia which has been adopted in English to indicate the study of a certain topic. So, the study of the iron horse, which is kind of poetic in itself. (Damn I love language…)

One of the things I enjoy about being a writer is that I get to fall down these internet rabbit holes (and some literal ones as well) in the pursuit of information that might make or break a story. I’ve had this tale in my head for some time. It came from a dream inspired by Stephen King’s The Waste Lands and by China Meiville’s Railsea – though the only thing that is really similar is the train. A steam train.

I have a penchant for post-apocalyptic fiction, so this story is that. The idea of a hulking steam engine being revived as a means of escape from some backwards remnant of humanity, in search of something better is just too good to pass up. But to write a train, you have to know a bit about them, don’t you?

And so I fell down a rabbit hole. Most steam trains that exist these days are in museums or railway heritage yards. There are, however some still running in India. This does not mean they’re left to rot. It seems maintenance is still done on many of them – especially ones in the heritage yards, where they give rides to train enthusiasts and tourists. (Naturally, there’s a forestry museum here that has a steam engine.) I mean I have creative license, I can make things work for the story however I want to – but it’s kind of fun to see how close I can make it realistic. Steam works better for the world I have in my minds eye – I can’t see diesel or electricity being all that easy to access by the characters who people this post-collapse world. I also don’t see it as a nuclear fallout kind of world either, more a slow wheezing collapse – possibly plague related or climate change related or both – where people just did whatever they could to make things work – and I imagine that there was a lot of splintering off into weird little groups and communities.

You’d have to be pretty handy, or used to manual labour to make things work where a lot of technology and trade just weren’t available, so I don’t think it’s a stretch that figuring out how a steam engine worked or needed to be maintained would be too hard. Especially not if they used similar engines for pumping water out of their mines (which was apparently a thing – Newcomen beam engine if you’re interested in looking that up) or used them in manufacturing or farming. I suppose then this could technically fall into the category of steampunk – but we shall see. I do love the idea – and steam is a relatively accessible means of power if you have the fuel to burn.

Listening to: Ologies with Alie Ward – Ferroequinology
Watching: Hometown Cha-cha-cha
Reading: the original notes on The Demon Train
Drinking: Orange Juice
Word Count: 3250
Headspace: a 1900’s railyard