Zipp snuck behind a building at a packed facility at the base of the mountain range the Pegasi called home, and looked round a corner at what was in front of her. Her location was a large yard and freight transfer facility which marked the end of one portion of the Zephyr Heights Railroad. Traction motors hummed and ponies shouted, moving boxes about and loading cargo onto the waiting freight train.
"Careful!" shouted one. "Be careful with the crane! These overhead wires are energised, remember?"
"Understood!" shouted another.
Zipp nodded, and produced her notepad to scribble something down. The railway here was an electrically powered railway. This was interesting to say the least. Notes, not to mention the book, indicated that this line was originally steam worked. And yet there wasn't a single steam engine in sight.
She tapped her equipment to deploy her drone to scan the rails and nearby equipment. The locomotive attached to the front of the train was indeed an electric, with two pantographs engaged with the overhead line. It had two sets of large wheels paired into groups of six, with another four wheels sat in front of each other group, paired into groups of two. The overall appearance was odd and ungainly. It looked oddly like a box on wheels. It was also painted a dark green shade, with the logo of the ZHR painted on both sides.
As it sounded its horn and moved off, Zipp's drone darted down to the track and began scanning the rails for anything interesting. Something was off, however, and the machine buzzed as it spotted the width between the track.
"Four foot Eight and a Half, eh?" Zipp said to herself. "Interesting. The book said it was three foot, but this is not. Clearly the line was reguaged at some point."
Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the smashing sound of a mug of tea hitting the floor. "Is that her?" asked a crewpony.
"Yes, it is," said another, and bowed. "Your Royal Highness Princess Zephyrina, we are graced and honoured by your prescence at our humble yard today. Is this a state visit?"
Zipp shook her head. "Zipp. Just call me Zipp. And I'm just here to monitor some stuff. Train spotting, so to speak."
The second pony removed herself from the bow. "I understand, Yo- Zipp. May I ask if you have availed yourself of sensible and affordable rainwear?"
"Not sure I'd need it today," Zipp replied, taking her goggles off. "Pretty sunny, isn't it?" She paused. "I need to get to Zephyr Heights without being detected. Could I catch a freight up to the city and ride in the caboose?"
The pony nodded. "I shall procure the finest caboose in the yard, Zipp, and attach it into the best rake of vehicles we have to ensure you have nothing but the smoothest of rides to Zephyr Heights. Bellows! Start the steeplecab and assemble the train!"
"Yes ma'am!" said the pony who had spotted Zipp, and headed off into the yard.
It was remarkable, those electric trains. Just one engine able to pull more than forty vehicles up that gradient! It really did demonstrate how far technology had come in Equestria- at least based on what Zipp was able to piece together.
The freight rolled to a stop in the freight station, and Zipp got off. Apparently it was quite common for crews to change over whilst the train was still in motion, which seemed a bit dangerous. What if somepony slipped whilst boarding the engine?
Zipp set these questions aside as she darted through the streets of Zephyr Heights. It had been a while since she had last been here, but she still knew the place like the back of her hoof. The city was buzzing with life, as usual, and the pegasi went about their normal business. Special traffic lanes were directing ponies for later today to the Colosseum, where (according to adverts) some pop star called Ruby Jubilee was performing tonight. Zipp wasn't a fan of pop. She vastly preferred rock bands like Electric Blue.
Zipp finally snuck into the palace and arrived in the throne room to find Queen Haven arriving at the same time. "No comment!" the Queen snapped at a reporter.
The reporter vacated the room as Zipp walked over. "Hi mom!"
Queen Haven's bothered expression evaporated on seeing Zipp. "Hello, Zephyri- Zipp," she said, as mother and daughter quickly embraced. "You would not believe the trouble the tabloids have been giving me. One photograph of Alphabittle and I negotiating trade deals over a pot of tea and the entire press is saying I'm preparing to remarry!" She sighed. "We really do live in a glass bubble here. But enough about that. Casual visit, or other matters?"
"Other matters," Zipp said. "Mom, our railroad was once connected to other parts of the country, and me and my friends have had an idea of reconnecting them into one big network."
Queen Haven nodded. "Well, I suppose it would be worth a try. There's only one problem. Parliament passed a law prohibiting steam or diesel engines from operating within our country's borders for reasons of air quality. Not to mention we generate all of our power from renewables anyway. Imagine the massive cost of electrifying everything from here to Bridlewood!" She glanced over to a member of household staff. "Tea, Zipp?"
"No thanks, I grabbed a drink on the way here." Zipp turned back to her mother. "Mom, I know it'd be expensive, and there's a lot of track missing, but we have to try. This is a shot to really connect us all together. Not to cast a downer on your negotiating skills, but a set of iron rails connecting us up would mean we are literally joined up."
Queen Haven nodded. "I'll try. But this shall have to be a collective effort as the line would run through all of our lands. I shall call a summit to negotiate this plan with the other leaders."
Sunny trotted about near the canyon which had nearly put an end to the cross country trip to collect the crystals all those moons ago. Based on Zipp's map, the line ran through the section on its way to Bridlewood. The only problem was Sunny couldn't figure out how it had negotiated the canyon. Had it gone through a tunnel? Around it with a series of curves? Over it with a bridge? It wasn't clear.
She continued to trot along, before suddenly spotting something. A massive steel bridge crossed from side to the other, which looked like an enormous Marecano kit. Presumably this was how the line crossed over.
"I'm still not entirely sure how we managed to miss that," Sunny said to herself, before noting its location down on the map. She then began to make her way further along the line's old path, closely noting the locations of lineside structures and other useful things.
Just then, she came across some more rails which branched off into a nearby wooded area, and what sounded like a train approaching at high speed. She dived into the bushes to avoid being hit.
But what she saw next confused her. The train that was approaching wasn't going very fast at all. It was a steam engine of some sort, and it was producing a massive racket, but it was going very slowly. Several long flat topped cars were coupled to the back, loaded with logs that had been tied together with rope.
"This is interesting," Sunny noted to herself, adding this piece of information to the list of things she had to tell Zipp. "It's now a logging railroad. But that has to be the wierdest locomotive I've ever seen!"
It didn't seem to have normal wheels, instead sitting on two trucks with large vertical cylinders thundering up and down. Once the train had passed, Sunny checked a map on a board which marked a spot in Bridlewood as 'lumber station'. She compared her map to the one from the book, and spotted something.
"This lumber station and the old Bridlewood Depot are in the same spot!" she said. "So it stands to reason that they are in fact the same structure! Now to try and get a C-Net signal out here!"
Canternet coverage was still pretty spotty in many parts of unicorn territory, but Sunny wasn't going to give up. She finally got a signal and got into contact with Hitch. "Hey, Hitch? I've got some amazing news to report!"
Hitch, who looked like he'd been down a ditch, was about to reply, when suddenly Izzy chimed into the call. "Hi Sunny! Misty and I found something really amazing! You guys should come and take a look!"
"And I've made a pretty big discovery too," Hitch replied. "And it's not that these tunnels seemingly never end. We should meet back at the Brighthouse ASAPP- As Soon as Pony Possible!"
Sunny nodded as she began her journey back to Maretime Bay. Whatever it was she had found, it would have to wait.