Adventures in Electricity

Part 1

My Grandpa loved telling me the story of how my Great Great Great Grandfather helped build one of the first railroads in America, and honestly, I loved hearing it. My Dad always shook his head at me and rolled his eyes at Grandpa when I asked him to tell me the stories again, but I think he liked it too because I can see him sneaking outside my bedroom to listen in.

"It was the year 1825, your Great Great Great Grandfather Seamus Sullivan was just employed by the legendary inventor John Steven to work on his estate." Grandpa started; his voice was low and he was purposefully letting each word drag out. I pulled my covers higher, excited even though I had heard this a hundred times before. It was the day before my birthday, and when Grandpa asked me what I wanted for my bedtime story, I asked him to tell me the stories of the great rail adventure again. Mum shook her head when I decided to go to bed at nine, but I knew she wasn't mad.

"His job was to help build the rails that would become America's first ever running railway. But at that time, he had no idea of how significant his job would be. In fact, in the beginning he was laughing about the idea of steam power, of a machine that can run on tracks." Grandpa continued. I giggled, picturing a massive, metal black engine front with steam blowing out its chimney surrounded by people in tights and top hats who would be staring at it in awe. I wondered if Great Great Great Grandpa would have a heart attack if he saw the trains we have now.

"He was only one of the many employed by John Stevens, but somehow the great inventor saw something in him and paid him special attention." Grandpa continued, and I pulled my cover even higher so that my nose was hidden. I could hear Dad snorting outside my room, but Grandpa paid him no attention. "He spent most of his time on John's estate and eventually even moved in to the house to help John in every aspect of the project."

"The train's engine!" I exclaimed, thoughts of a giant machine galloping through the countryside bubbled up inside me making me excited. Grandpa patted my head and gave me his warm smile.

"Yes, he went from thinking it was a foolish mission to realizing the potential this holds." Grandpa waved his arm around, as if trying to draw something massive in the air. "He had begun to see what John saw, a great future for the Nation of America, a giant network of rails running across the country like the metaphorical bloodstream of America's body transporting men and goods across the land."

I wanted to ask him what potential meant, but he got that weird faraway look in his eyes again so I didn't. Dad called this look nost-al-gia. I didn't know why grandpa's nostrils went weird when he talked about things, but I didn't mind as long as he didn't stop telling me the story.

"He had to learn to do everything quickly." Grandpa began to throw his arms even higher and I watched, wide eyed as he picked up Thomas and flew him over my head. "It was a science that he had never seen before; the power of steam driving a giant beast that could go up to fifty miles per hour by burning coal! Do you still remember how steam engines work?"

Nodding excitedly, I shoved my cover aside and reached out to grab Thomas out of Grandpa's hand. I fiddled around with Thomas, turning it around so I could find the right parts to point at. "It has a firebox where the coals are burnt; and there is a boiler with water on top of it that gets heated to steam! Then the steam will go up through a tube and pushes the, erm..." I tried to remember the name of the thing, but I couldn't so I thought I might as well make it up. "the leg of the wheels turning them!"

Grandpa was smiling at me. "Don't forget that the steam comes out of the chimney!" He said and I nodded, feeling a bit cold now and pulling the sheets back up. "And it's called a piston, not a leg." I shrugged, not really bothered by my mistake. Grandpa then pulled out a battered old book out and I knew he was going to read from Great Great Great Grandpa's diary! That poor thing was falling apart a little bit, but I helped Grandpa fix it with tape last Christmas and Dad had typed everything up on our computer. Mum said it's so that the words will always be safe.