Train Dragon

Off all the things that changed Feidao these last couple of decades, the Train Dragon changed Feidao forever. It became the ultimate spark of the industrial revolution we now experience across all the islands.

— Lin Jingyi

You can never talk about the massive changes to our society without mentioning Train Dragon. It began as a project to transport more passenger faster and with more luxury, but soon after the demands for transporting goods became too large and the government allowed the Train Dragons to get cars for goods.

History

Here is what I have learned from my tutors and father about the Train Dragon. He is really into the history and the further development of the Train Dragons. He has spent a lot of money investing in this and expect my siblings and I to understand their importance. I do not care about the inner workings, they are far too complex for me to understand. But history has always been an interest to me. I do want my father to be proud of me, despite me being a girl.

— Lin Jingyi

The first part of the history of the Train Dragon begins with the iron mines at Tiekuangdao 铁矿岛 where a young man learned his craft and built the first tram road engine which could travel about 15 li 里 per hour wit 60 men and 11 gongdun 公噸 . This first engine was called Xuanya 悬崖, named after its region with overlapping islands. This helped move men and iron around the island to the zeppeliner port which could transport the goods to the other islands.

Nickname

Fire Dragon, Huochelong (火车龙)

Motto

All islands connected through Fire Dragon 把每个飞岛用火龙连起来

Creation Date

Built in 18 AUY

Rarity

The metal Yujin 羽金 is very rare, and only the government decides what it should be used for. This makes these trains rare and very expensive.

火车龙票价

沉口到正知岛

三等坐票
二等座票
头等卧铺

。。。。。。。
。。。。。。。
。。。。。。。

14.5元
29元
33元

It was nearly 20 years after that the first designs for the Train Dragon were made, but one major problem remained, how to get the train between the islands. The solution brought itself when a new kind of metal called Yujin 羽金 were found in the ground on the island of Linshandao 林山岛. Immediately, the new government chose to move the population from this island to farm this ressource. The amount of metal that was found was enough to build the very first Train Dragon. The metal made the Train Dragon light and able to float when it got enough speed. This made it perfect for far-travels between the islands. Though in the beginning it was only to the nearby islands, since the accumulated speed could not keep the train in air for long and could only land on neighbouring islands.

These last couple of years, more trains have been produced and evolved. Speed can now reach 115 kmh which is enough to reach the more remote island from Zhengzhidao 政治岛, though not the most remote.

Ticket Pricing

Depending on the route, length of time, and the seat class, the ticket pricing varries. For a trip from Zhengzhidao 政治岛 to Chenkou 沉口 the ticket for a third-class seats is 14.5 yuan 元, the ticket price for second-class seats is 29 yuan 元, and the ticket price for first-class seats, which are sleepers, is 33 yuan 元. This pricing is still very expensive for the ordinary Feidaoren, who can easily order milk for half a month, buy 2 kilograms of fresh mutton, and buy 20 kilograms of machine-made rice for about the same amount of one third-class seat.

But the luxury of the Train Dragon makes it popular amongst those who can afford it. It has become a status symbol for many wealthy Feidaoren. Even the president has his own train dragon passenger car where enjoys a vast amount of luxury, that many will not even see in their entire life.

Inner workings

I have always been curious of how these dragons fly. This is my theory from what I have read about it. Unfortunately, no newspaper have actually explained this, and the government keeps it a secret, so I can only guess.

— Wei Chen

The Train Dragon seem to produce lots of steam, and this is the driving force that moves the Train Dragon forward. From the bars that holds the wheels together, two bars leads up to two propellars that is on the each side of the locomotive. This is what keeps it forward in air. At the end of each island that is connected to the Train Dragon, there is a ramp which gives the train the trajectory to the next island. Each car is equipped with expandable wings to keep it better afloat in air.

The metal Yujin, is so light and and has floating properties, making it already easy for the train to be in air, however due to the other weight of coal, people, cargo, bamboo on the passenger cars, furnitures, etc. the metal itself is not enough to keep it afloat, and that is why they need the expandable wings and propellars.