Chapter 1 – A New Era


Los Angeles Union Station – Taylor Yard, January 4, 1955

The young man stared at the massive machine before him. His hazel eyes gazing at the smooth curves of her body and mint condition Daylight livery free of any dirt, nicks, or blemishes. Oh and that face! Dazzling orange eyes framed in thick eye lashes, with thin, but perfectly manicured eyebrows, and luscious lips painted a vibrant red. Were she not 14ft tall and weighed several hundred tons, the man would have mistaken her for a human female. He lifted his hat off his head and ran a hand through his dark hair.

She was beautiful sure, but she hadn't said a word since she had arrived to the yards a few hours ago. Her sharp, sunset gaze was stuck looking straight ahead, her red lips forming a straight line with a soft, but stern frown gracing her delicate features. She was intimidating and the man hadn't felt this way since he was back in Germany shooting Nazis in the dead of winter in the middle of the night. Despite that, she was his engine now and every driver had to have a good handle on his engine.

He chewed on his lip for a bit as he contemplated what to say. "Uh… so… what's your name?"

"I am engine 20100, an EMD E9, the newest line of passenger engines." The diesel began in a monotonous tone. "I am 9th out of the nine diesels built for the Southern Pacific Railway in December of last year. My road number is 6051. My job is to pull passenger trains along the California coastline and wherever else my railway sends me while maintaining the standards set not only by SP, but by EMD as well."

Her driver stared at her with an eyebrow raised. He wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He had been warned by his co-workers that most EMD engines were like this at first, robotic and lacking any emotion. Though they were built to work and not socialize, it was still quite odd that these new diesel engines lacked any personality unlike their steam-based counterparts. He had to admit that it was a little creepy and unnatural, even if she was a talking machine with a face. "Right… but what's your name?"

The young diesel frowned and finally broke her gaze to look at her driver. He wore a pair of faded blue overalls with a white t-shirt underneath. Thick looking brown gloves covered his hands. His face was youthful but it looked like he had been through some sort of hardship. The marks on his face where hair refused to grow hinted as much. "I… I am engine number 20100, my road number is 6051." She answered.

"Yeah, you've told me as much but those are numbers. A name consists of letters, Miss. For example, my name is David."

The E9 stared at her human blankly. It was clear she didn't have the answer he requested and it worried her greatly. "I… I'm sorry sir… I don't know what that is." She had listened closely to everything the men at the La Grange Facility had told her. She knew her history, what her tasks were, and what she was but she didn't know her name. She didn't even know if she had a name. She was built to be the perfect passenger engine and she had failed at that already. The man's sudden laughter snapped her from her thoughts and she looked down in embarrassment. First day on the job and she had already soiled her manufacture's good name.

"Seems the guys down at EMD didn't teach you everything Missy, they didn't even name you properly! But that's alright, I got one for you."

The engine's expression brightened significantly. "Really? You do?!"

Her driver nodded. "Yeah… How does the name Alexis sound to you?"

She didn't need to be asked twice and bounced on her axles with joy. "Yes, I like that name!"

"Good then from now on, you'll be known as Alexis around here. Not engine 20100. All of the engines here have names. You may be a machine, but you're worthy of a name as much as any human. Besides, your passengers will find calling you by number a bit degrading." David donned his hat once more and approached his newly named E9 and gave her side panels a gentle pat. "Alright Missy, let's get you to your train."

Alexis looked on in wonder at the orange and red coaches with white lining along the windows. The gleamed brightly in the rising sunlight and she had never seen something so beautiful in her life.

"Ain't they pretty, girl?" David asked as they rolled past the train.

"They're magnificent!"

Her driver simply chuckled as she backed into the coaches, coupling up to them with ease. She released the breath she had been holding and felt herself calm down a little. Her first trip to San Francisco and her first time pulling a train, how exciting! And a little scary, she had to do well. She had to impress and make her bosses proud. She had a reputation to uphold! She watched as her passengers walked by to board her train. The amount of people showing up made her nervous. She wondered if her train was long enough to accommodate such crowd or if she could even pull it. What if she couldn't? What if she pulled too hard and broke a coupler or a brake line snapped or she ruined her traction motors? The E9 gasped as a horrible though fluttered into her mind. What if she wheel slipped?! There would be nothing more embarrassing than that!

While she was freaking out, a pair of children had approached the train to gaze a fresh E9 in all of her glory, even though she was having a mental break down. Their playful laughter and the feel of their small hands on her pilot caught her attention. She smiled softly at the teeny tiny humans before their adult female supervisor herded them away. There was something about the smiling faces of children that always warmed an engine's heart. It was some sort of internal instinct that they were all built with. Maybe it was the awe in a child's eyes at the amazement of seeing something so much bigger than them or an engine seeing a human so small. Whatever it was, it somehow made Alexis feel better.

The sudden sound of the conductor's whistle blowing made her jump slightly. She knew what that sound meant and all her doubts flooded back into her mind. This was it, the big moment she had spent an extra month preparing for. Her engine roared as her driver gently increased her throttle, she blew her air horn a few times, signaling her departure. The E9 took a few deep breaths before making her way out of the station, bound for the Golden City of San Francisco.

Though the passengers may have been enjoying the ride, the new engine pulling them along was freaking out. Everything was going by so fast once they were out in the open, the warm California wind in her face, the sound of her wheels rolling along the track. It was all so very new, and very, very scary. She made attempts to duck when she went through tunnels, only to freak herself out further when she realized she couldn't, yet somehow cleared the small opening without a scratch. The loud booming sound she made when she entered one made her jump every time. Her driver merely laughed. An engine's first run always made for good entertainment.

David patted her side gently, "Steady girl. We'll be in Salinas soon, look sharp."

The young E9 looked ahead of her to see the shape of what could very well be a town of sorts. As she grew closer, she applied her breaks until she was at a full stop, just in the right place. She waited patiently as her passengers departed or boarded, making sure to smile when they thanked her. While she waited to leave, she took the time to observe her surroundings. It was quiet, quieter than the noise of hustle and bustle back in Los Angeles. It appeared to be cleaner as well. She wondered what life was like in the suburbs. At the same time, she wondered what life would be like in San Francisco. Was it any different than LA? What were the engines like there? As the conductor's whistle blew and her bell chimed, she realized she was only a few stops away from finding out.

"Why is it red?"

"Hmm?"

"The bridge, why is it red?"

David looked about the station after he stepped out to bid their passengers farewell with the rest of the train's workers before heading off to the roundhouse. The man soon realized what she meant as he noticed an ad featuring the Golden Gate Bridge. He chuckled, "Because if it were gold, the paint would wear faster."

"Then why not call it the Red Gate Bridge?" his engine asked.

"Because this is the Golden State, not the Red State."

"Golden State?"

He simply laughed again, "I'll explain when we get to the yards."

Alexis froze and instantly became nervous. The yards… there would be other engines there. Though the LA yard was large and there were lots of other engines, she hadn't the chance to really interact with them, and they didn't seem interested in interacting with her. Would the ones at the San Francisco yard be any different? Would they ignore her too or would they be friendly? The diesels at the LaGrange plant were unfriendly at best, her E9 sisters included. Would they be there now? There was only one way to find out.

The Mission Bay Roundhouse was big and loud with the sounds of engines and workmen going about their daily life. There were steam engines and diesels of all shapes and sizes with a bit more variety than the yard in LA. And like the Los Angeles yard, it was segregated, however some dared to interact with each other and from the looks of it, it wasn't a pleasant conversation. The young diesel decided to continue onwards towards the roundhouse, she wasn't one for confrontation. Along the way she noticed three odd looking diesels. They were E-units like her, but a little longer, possibly E7s, but that wasn't the odd part. The odd part was their liveries. Rather the traditional Daylight colors, they were red and white with the words "SOUTHERN PACIFIC" in bold black font letters and framed in silver on their sides. One even had the Daylight colors on her face, but not on the rest of her. It was a bizarre look indeed.

"Hey, you're new right?"

Alexis froze once more and looked over to see that hybrid was addressing her. The engine was wearing a warm, friendly smile, something she had not yet experienced from her other "sisters." She watched as the other two smiled as well, their carmine eyes warm and welcoming.

"Yes you," the hybrid said to her again. "Get over here!"

The E9 swallowed nervously but did as she was told and went over to the trio. Stopping on the turntable, she took the time to scan the roundhouse. It was about as big as the one in LA and filled with diesels dressed up in the classic Daylight livery, however she couldn't help but notice that some looked a little different. They were longer in the front and little less curvy and boxier than the E-units. They all appeared to be male as well which made her realize that she hadn't seen any male E-units back home or in LA. It made her wonder once more. The feel on the turntable moving caused her to jump in surprise. It was odd being spun around in such a way and she briefly wished she were more like a car, it would surely save time and possibly money. She stayed quiet as she backed into the berth in-between the hybrid and one of the others.

"You're quieter than the other E9s," the hybrid continued. "Not sure if that's good or bad."

"At least she doesn't have an attitude like the others," one of the others added, "The other E7s included."

"What's your name, new girl?"

"Um… it's Alexis." She answered timidly.

"Alexis huh? Sounds kinda sassy but I like it! How'd you get a name like that?"

The E9 blushed, "M-My driver named me."

The three bizarre E7s awed in unison. "How cute." One said.

"I'm Mariah, by the way." The hybrid E7 revealed, "And these are my sisters Marilyn and Marigold. We're Golden State E7s, the only three to be painted red and white. However I'm the only one with the hybrid scheme."

"Golden State?" Alexis asked, "What's that?"

"One of SP's passenger trains," Marilyn answered. "It's a train we share with Rock Island. We take it from LA to Tucumcari and then they take it the rest of the way to Chicago."

"So you're not Daylights?"

The three diesels gasped in shock, "Nonsense!" Marigold exclaimed. "Of course we're Daylights! We're Golden State Daylights, to be exact."

"We're better than Daylights." Mariah added, "We're different and creative and gorgeous to boot."

Alexis mutter a small "Oh," but said nothing else. She hadn't been informed that there were different types of Daylights. The lapse in her knowledge made her feel uneducated, but the Golden State E7s didn't seem that offended. Her eyes looked up as she saw something on the turntable; it was one of those long-nosed, boxy diesels. There was something… alluring about his shape despite the lack of curvature. Her wide, orange eyes watched as he was turned, unaware all of her staring had caught his attention. It was only when the other diesel winked at her that she snapped back into reality. Blushing profusely, she looked away and it didn't go unnoticed by the E7s.

"Yeah, I was like that too when I saw my first PA." Mariah grinned.

"What are they?" Alexis asked sheepishly.

"They're Alco's response to us E7s. They're Alco PAs. That one in particular is Antony, one of the newer versions, a PA-2."

"He's hot, isn't he?" Marigold asked.

"All they're good for really. They're not any stronger than us. Hell, without GE they wouldn't exist! Still… they are good for a nice winding down after a long day."

"Marilyn knows all about that."

The diesel in question simply rolled her eyes at the comment. Alexis however, went back to watching the strange diesel once he couldn't meet her gaze again. She had to admit, they were kind of cute.