When Locomotive Unit Two left the assembly bays of the Sector Twenty-Four foundry complex things changed a lot. Behind the train the rails did not go through channels or flat plains anymore. The western frontier went up immediately into a broken ridge line that marked the start of the Great Western Plateau. This plateau is a shelf of solid granite that is three thousand feet above the volcanic basins. It is swept by cold winds from the northern ice fields.Valen stood on the platform of the train holding the heavy iron brake wheel. The train had just cleared the yard switches. The new steel rails were low on the twelve Vanguard Carriers. They were dark. Smelled like the slow-cooling ash beds where they were made. The total weight of the train was over eleven hundred tons. This would test the engines ability to stick to the rails on the incline ahead.The grade we are going up is steeper than anything we saw in the mountain pass Marcus said from the engine cab. We are going up one foot

The machines that carry heavy minerals in Sector Thirty-Four needed to be fixed. These machines had been sitting still for a time and their wheels were stuck. Kael walked under the machine to check it. He used a lamp to see the wheels and the big steel frame. The wheels looked good. The brakes were stuck because of old mineral deposits.We cannot let these machines move until we fix the brakes Kael told Valen. The brakes are stuck. If we try to move the machines they will break. Valen said they would use oil to fix the brakes. Tor, bring the oil line from the locomotive Valen said. We will connect it to the machine. Make the brakes work again. We have to fix twenty-four machines before morning.Tors team moved in to connect the oil line. They wrapped the line around the machines frame with care. When Marcus turned on the oil it made a loud hissing sound and white steam came out. The old mineral deposits. The brakes started working again. The machines were ready to move.LOGISTICAL FLE

We left the rock-cut sanctuaries of Sector Forty-Four. Started the high-altitude part of our journey. This was the part where we had to be very careful with our freight assets. The line went out from the big concrete blast walls into a strong eastern mountain wind. This wind was carrying a lot of silt that was scratching against Locomotive Unit Two with a dry continuous hiss.The twenty-four recovered eighty-ton mineral carriers were making a lot of noise behind the engine. Their wheels were settling into a rhythm as the train began its slow ascent toward the unknown part of Sector Forty-Five.Kael was inside the corridor of the forward tool wagon checking the continuous readings from the primary axle sensors. The addition of the heavy-pattern vehicles from the Sector Forty-Four vaults had changed the balance of the fleet. This required a re-evaluation of the thermal lubrication schedules. At these altitudes the standard paraffin oil was separating into a thick waxy sediment. This sed

The weather forecast said it would be foggy at Outpost Eight.. It was. A thick fog came in during the part of the day. It was so cold that it froze away when it hit the metal parts of the train yard. This kind of fog is called frost. It covered everything in the yard with a layer of ice.The ice was a problem for Locomotive Unit Two. It had just arrived at the yard. Was frozen solid. The boiler was okay because it was insulated.. The valves and brakes were stuck. Marcus used a tool to melt the ice. He had to be careful not to apply much heat at once.Kael was helping Marcus. He told him to keep moving the tool so the metal would not get damaged. If the tool stayed in one place for long it could warp the metal. They needed to get the train moving again. Tor was going to bring down some cargo from the upper quarries.The team worked on the train for an hour. They used a mixture to lubricate the moving parts. The train was working again. Marcus tested it. Everything seemed fine.LOCOMOTI

The weather instruments at Outpost Ten showed that the air pressure was changing. This change meant that the cold air was now moving down from the top. The strong winds that were blowing across the top stopped. Now the air was still and very cold. This cold air made the water on the steel rails freeze. The ice that formed was very thin. It was a problem for the train.Marcus started getting the train ready at Mile Marker Five Hundred and Seventy-Eight. He told his workers to take the part of the train off Locomotive Unit Two. They had to take out four pins that had gotten stuck. The workers used hammers and hot oil to get the pins out. Then they put a wedge-shaped part on the front of the train. This part was made of steel and it helped the train move through the snow.The new part on the train changed how it looked and how it moved. The front of the train was now longer and heavier. The workers made sure that the part was secure and that it would not get stuck in the snow. They also