From fb491fd187560a4abbcc71ab326d6cdc7d921dd2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: BodgeMaster <> Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2026 09:09:13 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] 'ph' Diesel Creek: revision, continue writing --- ph-diesel_creek.html | 112 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------- 1 file changed, 73 insertions(+), 39 deletions(-) diff --git a/ph-diesel_creek.html b/ph-diesel_creek.html index e68fe33..a2138a3 100644 --- a/ph-diesel_creek.html +++ b/ph-diesel_creek.html @@ -10,33 +10,36 @@ sure this is the place – everything looks so different – but if it is, we'll have plenty machines to choose from and a bunch more for parts.
- James gestures to the side, saying: + James gestures to the side: Look, over there.
He points to a group of very rusty and completely overgrown machines.
- Annie asks: How did they get inbetween + Jack says: Oh yeah, so we are in the + right place.
+ They walk towards them to take a closer look.
+ Annie asks: How did these machines get between the trees?
- Jack says: They didn't. The machines - came first, the trees grew after. This area wasn't even a forest - back then.
- They make their way over to take a closer look. + Jack says: They didn't. This wasn't + a forest then. The machines came first, the trees grew after.

- Jack says: Looks like these were already - out of order before they were abandoned.
- He turns to Annie and James: + After a short look at the machines, Jack says: + Looks like these were already out of order + before they were abandoned. + He turns to Annie and James, and explains: This is an excavator. We're looking for a big one like this, maybe a bit smaller, but not as small as that one over there – and preferably without trees growing out of it...
- He points to a mini excavator sitting askew on a tree trunk that had - grown through its floor and out the side.
+ He points to a mini excavator sitting askew on the trunk of a tree that + had grown through its floor and out the side.
James asks: Why not just use this big one? What's wrong with it?
This thing's just done for. It's - more rust than steel, missing its tracks and hydraulics for the bucket, + more rust than steel, missing its tracks and the hydraulics up there, and it looks like someone got a bit carried away trying to remove the cab.
+ They take a quick look at the other machines around them. Apart from the two excavators, there is a dump truck, a what's the name of that machine with a conveyor belt that sorts large rocks and @@ -84,36 +87,67 @@

Annie calls the others over to one of the buildings.
Look what I found...
- Michelle arrives before Jack and she laughs. He arrives a moment - later and peeks inside. There sits a cable shovel, partially covered - in rubble from the caved-in? fallen-in? - roof – rusty but surprisingly intact. -
- Jack says: That's ... uhhh ... kind of + Michelle arrives first and has a chuckle. Jack arrives a moment later + and peeks inside. There sits a cable shovel, a machine that looks like + a hybrid between a crane and an excavator, partially covered in rubble + from the caved-in? fallen-in? roof. It is + rusty on the outside but looks otherwise surprisingly intact.
+ He says: That's ... uhhh ... kind of a historical artifact.
- + James arrives as well, saying: I mean, + everything here is a historical artifact...
+ Jack responds: Fair enough, but this thing + especially so.
+ They step into the building and take a closer look. Michelle climbs onto + the back of the machine and opens an access panel.
+ Just about mint condition in here – + compared to the rest at least... Looks like might fire right up. + Anyone see a crank for this baby?
+ She pats the side of a small engine that sits on top of a much larger + engine.

- missing section + They start looking around the place, in the rotting shelves and in the + rubble on the floor. Michelle jumps down and joins them. After a while, + Jack spots some rust right behind the rear end of the machine. He moves + some leaves aside and picks up a metal rod with two bends.
+ You mean this one?
+ Michelle comes over.
+ Yup, that'll do.
+ She climbs back onto the the machine and shoves it into a protrusion on + the small engine. Then, she proceeds to crank it over. First carefully, + then more translate: energisch. After a + moment, it fires up for a brief instant... then nothing.
+ Aww. Almost but not quite.
+ She unscrews the cap from the small fuel tank on top of it and peeks + inside.
+ Well that can't work.
+ She jumps off and checks the tank for the main engine.
+ Nope. +

+ +

+ Research todo: On engines that had a pony + motor, was it common to use the same fuel across both engines or was it + sometimes a mix?
+ They scavenge some gasoline from a nearby truck by loosening the + translate: Überwurfmutter on a fuel + line and letting it drip into a glass bottle that James had found on + the ground. Michelle takes it back inside while the others continue + looking for diesel fuel.