Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

As they stepped out of the elevator, the industrialist duo was greeted by the hum of activity emanating from the engineering department. The sound of clanging metal and the occasional burst of laughter filled the air, a testament to the hard work and camaraderie of the team. From their vantage point, they could see rows of drafting tables, each manned by a dedicated engineer pouring over schematics and calculations.

They walked up to one of the engineers working in the area, Timothy, who is currently discussing something with other engineers.

Timothy caught a glance of the industrialist duo, and the moment he realized that they are heading over to his location, he immediately straightened up and motioned for the other engineers to take a step back.

"Good morning, Mr. Nielsen, Mr. Axelsen," Timothy greeted politely, and so did the rest of the engineers, who bowed curtly at them.

"Good morning, it seems like you are having quite a discussion here," Poul remarked.

"Well, Mr. Nielsen, we are discussing the technical details of the tunnel boring machine that we are beginning to build tomorrow."

"What kind of technical details?" Poul asked as if challenging Timothy that he knew what he was talking about.

Timothy took a deep breath before beginning his explanation. "So, the tunnel boring machine will have a diameter of 7.6 meters, which is large enough to accommodate a train track. The machine will be equipped with a cutter head that is 9 meters in diameter. This cutter head will have 57 disc cutters arranged in a specific pattern that will rotate at a speed of 5 revolutions per minute."

Poul furrowed his brow. "How will the machine be powered?"

"We will be using an electric motor to power the cutter head and the conveyor belt that will transport the excavated material," Timothy replied. "The machine will also have a hydraulic system to provide additional power and control the cutting process."

Jonathan nodded, impressed. "And what materials will the machine be made of?"

"The cutter head will be made of hardened steel, while the body of the machine will be made of a high-strength alloy," Timothy explained. "We've tested these materials extensively and believe that they will provide the durability and strength necessary for the project."

Poul and Jonathan exchanged a look, both impressed by Timothy's answer.

"See, he is the right man for the job," Jonathan said. "Good job Timothy. I hope that the tunnel boring machine will be built before the deadline."

"Of course, sir, we won't fail you."

"Good, now Poul has some questions about the whereabouts of Walter, did you see him?" Jonathan asked.

"He is in his office, Mr. Axelsen," Jonathan answered.

Jonathan glanced back to Poul who flickered his gaze at one corner where Walter's office is situated.

"There's your boy," Jonathan said. "I'll go add something with the technical discussion they are having, Poul. Do what you have to do."

"I'll leave you be," Poul nodded, turning to head towards Walter's office.

As he approached Walter's office, Poul could hear the sound of typing coming from inside. He knocked on the door before opening it and stepping inside.

"Walter, good to see you," Poul said, walking towards his desk.

Walter looked up from his typewriter upon hearing the voice of his superior.

"Mr. Nielsen!" Walter exclaimed, standing up from his feet and rushing to shake Poul's hand.

"What brings you here today sir."

"I have another design that I want you to make," Poul said, opening the briefcase he was carrying and handing him over a bunch of blueprints. It was a tool he planned to commercialize. These included machine tools such as grinders, milling machines, shapers, and lathes, as well as food processing machines such as mixers and blenders. Additionally, they had plans for power tools such as circular saws, table saws, miter saws, drill presses, and bench grinders, as well as appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers.

"What is this?" Walter scanned the blueprint one by one, studying it.

"That's a blueprint for motorized tools and appliances that works well with the alternating current motor. I figured that if we want to stay ahead of Russell, we must build something that works with our system, otherwise the people we are trying to win over won't see benefit from switching to our system," Poul explained.

"I see, well, I'll try my best, Mr. Nielsen," Walter said.

"I don't want you to try, I want you to succeed," Poul interrupted firmly. "I have high hopes for this project, Walter. Russell hasn't been doing much of a smear campaign ever since we won a legal battle against him and I have no doubts that he'll try sometime in the future."

"Of course, Mr. Nielsen, if we need this badly, I'll start working on this. Though I might ask some questions regarding this as I have no idea how these things work conceptually."

"My office is open for inquiries and I'll be expecting you soon, Walter," Poul said before looking over his desk which has a typewriter and piles of documents. "What are you working on?"

Walter glanced at his table and answered. "Ah, I am writing maintenance and repair reports of our air brakes of the New York Central Railroad, that I will be passing to you next week."

"Ah, I see," Poul nodded as he grabbed the paper and read the first few paragraphs from it.

"Upon inspection of the Axelsen & Nielsen Air Brake System on Locomotive 555, we found that the brake cylinder was leaking air. The cause of the leak was determined to be a damaged gasket within the cylinder. We removed the brake cylinder and replaced the gasket with a new one. We then reinstalled the brake cylinder and tested the air brake system. The system is now functioning properly."

After reading the report, he furrowed his brows. "Wait, how did this happen?"

Walter looked at Poul with a puzzled expression. "I'm sorry, sir, how did what happen?"

"This issue with the brake cylinder, how did it happen?" Poul repeated his question.

"Oh, it's just wear and tear, sir," Walter explained. "These air brake systems go through a lot of stress on a daily basis, especially on trains that go through hilly terrain like the New York Central Railroad. Sometimes, the gaskets wear out or get damaged and need to be replaced."

"Yeah, I know but I have designed the air brakes to be resilient and durable. I thought we had solved this issue with the previous upgrades we made," Poul said, deep in thought. "Looks like I'll have to do a surprise visit to our factory. I'll leave you be, Walter."

"Of course, sir, be careful on your way there," Walter said.