The Fox of France - Chapter 308: Testing

Napoleon, hearing this, grasped the handrail and ascended the steps. Halfway up, he glanced down to find Joseph standing nearby. “Joseph, why don’t you come up and take a look as well?”

Joseph instinctively wanted to decline.

“Come on up, don’t worry, this is a steam locomotive; it won’t derail,” Napoleon added.

“Trust you? Not likely!” Joseph thought to himself. Realizing the engine hadn’t even been fired up, let alone ignited, he turned to Watt. “Mr. Watt, I recall there’s considerable space up there. Shall we go and take a look together? Hmm, the ladder’s a bit steep, why don’t you lead the way?”

“Haha, Chancellor Bonaparte, worried about me falling and wanting to catch me? I might be a tad older, but climbing this ladder poses no problem,” Watt chuckled.

With that, Watt ascended first, followed by Joseph. They climbed up and entered the cockpit.

The cockpit was indeed spacious, around eight to nine square meters. On the right side, there was a control panel with several levers and a rope hanging nearby.

“Is this the cord for the electric lights?” Napoleon inquired.

“No, it’s for the steam whistle,” Watt replied. “The light cord is over there, near the entrance.”

Napoleon nodded, then turned to see a closed door on the left side of the cockpit. Beside it sat a small cart and a few shovels.

“What’s this?” Napoleon asked.

“It’s the boiler’s feed port,” Watt explained. “During operation, workers feed coal into it for combustion. This small cart facilitates bringing coal from the coal and water car behind. There…”

Watt gestured toward a nearby pipeline and valves above. “Your Excellency, this is the water pipe for adding water to the steam engine. Of course, it can only be done when the steam engine is shut down, with no pressure in the cylinder…”

Napoleon nodded and thanked Watt again. They inspected every corner of the locomotive before departing.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Napoleon and Joseph, accompanied by guards, arrived at the testing ground. The locomotive had left the factory and was now on the outdoor tracks. The morning sun illuminated the steel behemoth and the tracks, glinting off the glass and brass adornments on both.

On a hill about 300 meters from the tracks stood a grandstand. Joseph explained why it was positioned so far away:

“From here, you can oversee the entire test track, witnessing the locomotive’s performance throughout. If placed elsewhere, our view would be limited. Concerning any distance issues, a telescope can compensate.”

Everyone agreed Joseph’s reasoning was sound, except Napoleon, who privately expressed doubts to his brother. Joseph admitted his reluctance to a close inspection was indeed due to a dislike for the coal smoke.

“Hehe,” Napoleon chuckled.

However, they didn’t delve deeper into the discussion as the locomotive, named “Progress No. 1,” began emitting smoke.

Napoleon, ignoring the chance to tease his elder brother, lifted his spyglass and asked, “Joseph, Joseph, is it about to move?”

“It’s just starting the steam, no carriages attached yet. What’s the rush?” Joseph looked at his brother with a countryman’s gaze. “Moreover, unless we give the signal here, how can it move? Napoleon, didn’t you review the procedure I showed you last night?”

“I did, I remember. They’ll hoist a blue flag when they’re ready for us, and then, via phone, they’ll confirm readiness, and we’ll signal the departure with a red flag. How could I forget? I’m just excited…”

Time passed, no call, no blue flag.

“So slow,” Napoleon remarked.

“I told you, they should finish firing up and pressurizing first. But it looks like it’s about time,” Joseph said.

“It’s… ah, it’s moving! It’s moving,” Napoleon exclaimed.

“It’s just attaching the carriages,” Joseph replied.

The locomotive slowly moved backward, not forward, to where the carriages were stationed.

“Your Excellency, ‘Progress No. 1’ will be pulling nine carriages, each loaded with over fifty tons of coal. Along with the carriage weight, it’ll haul over five hundred tons,” Watt explained.

“Ah, it’s like a large seafaring vessel on land. Can it pull that weight?” Napoleon inquired.

“According to calculations, it shouldn’t be an issue,” Joseph replied.

“Ah,” Napoleon nodded.

The coupling took a while. By the time the blue flag rose and the guard stationed by the phone received confirmation, it was late morning.

“Alright, let’s start!” Napoleon shouted.

The signal was sent, and soon, a long whistle sounded from the distance, audible even from their elevated position.

“Now you see how perfectly situated our stand is? If we were below, this sound would’ve been…” Joseph explained. “I’m telling you, Napoleon, no one understands the selection of a stand’s ideal position better than I do.”

“Shush, don’t disturb,” Napoleon said, holding the spyglass. “The train’s moving!”

Indeed, after the whistle, the train began gradually moving forward.

“Why so slow? Slower than a carriage,” Napoleon commented. “But pulling this much, it’s still more efficient than a horse-drawn carriage.”

In the historical context, early steam locomotives lacked proper suspension, and their rigid wheels would cause severe jolting at slightly higher speeds, risking derailment.

However, the ‘Progress No. 1’ had addressed these issues with spring suspension, ensuring the wheels firmly adhered to the steel tracks, avoiding jumps and potential derailments. Its track, made of heavy steel, far surpassed the older iron ones in strength. Thus, if the ‘Progress No. 1’ couldn’t surpass a horse-drawn carriage, it would indeed be a joke. Napoleon felt it was slower due to its poor acceleration and deceleration abilities. But with more distance covered, its speed would undoubtedly surpass a carriage.

The train whistled again, enveloped in swirling steam, gradually accelerating. “Good, good, quite a speed, rivaling a carriage! Hauling this much weight at such a pace! Marvelous! Joseph, can it go faster?” Napoleon asked.

At this moment, the train began slowing down. The six-kilometer test track was too short to allow the train to reach its maximum speed. The highest speed achieved during this test was thirty kilometers per hour, remarkable for the era.

“Can it accommodate passengers?” Napoleon inquired. “This is incredibly useful. Joseph, when can we have that land battleship?”

“That thing?” Joseph smirked. “Let’s focus on establishing a nationwide railway network, making profits first. About the battleship, well, some railroads are strategically significant. We could term them ‘Defense Railways’ and…”

“And then allocate funds from the War Department to build them, and then you’ll use them, right?” Napoleon interjected. “Even if I agree, are you sure General Carnot would approve?”

“General Carnot?” Joseph replied. “Just tell him it’s crucial for military use and explain that during peacetime, leasing to private enterprises can generate income. I believe he’ll agree.”