'ph' Diesel Creek: revision, continue writing

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.</span><br />
-  James gestures to the side, saying:
+  James gestures to the side:
   <span class="quote speech">Look, over there.</span><br />
   He points to a group of very rusty and completely overgrown machines.
   <br />
-  Annie asks: <span class="quote speech">How did they get inbetween
+  Jack says: <span class="quote speech">Oh yeah, so we <i>are</i> in the
+  right place.</span><br />
+  They walk towards them to take a closer look.<br />
+  Annie asks: <span class="quote speech">How did these machines get between
   the trees?</span><br />
-  Jack says: <span class="quote speech">They didn&apos;t. The machines
+  Jack says: <span class="quote speech">They didn&apos;t. This wasn&apos;t
-  came first, the trees grew after. This area wasn&apos;t even a forest
+  a forest then. The machines came first, the trees grew after.</span>
-  back then.</span><br />
-  They make their way over to take a closer look.
 </p>
 <p>
-  Jack says: <span class="quote speech">Looks like these were already
+  After a short look at the machines, Jack says:
-  out of order before they were abandoned.</span><br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Looks like these were already out of order
-  He turns to Annie and James:
+  before they were abandoned.</span>
+  He turns to Annie and James, and explains:
   <span class="quote speech">This is an excavator. We&apos;re looking for
   a big one like this, maybe a bit smaller, but not as small as that one
   over there &ndash; and preferably without trees growing out of
   it...</span><br />
-  He points to a mini excavator sitting askew on a tree trunk that had
+  He points to a mini excavator sitting askew on the trunk of a tree that
-  grown through its floor and out the side.<br />
+  had grown through its floor and out the side.<br />
   James asks: <span class="quote speech">Why not just use this big one?
   What&apos;s wrong with it?</span><br />
   <span class="quote speech">This thing&apos;s just done for. It&apos;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.</span><br />
+  <!-- change repetetive wording -->
   They take a quick look at the other machines around them. Apart from the
   two excavators, there is a dump truck, a <span class="comment"> what's
   the name of that machine with a conveyor belt that sorts large rocks and
@@ -84,20 +87,45 @@
 <p>
   Annie calls the others over to one of the buildings.<br />
   <span class="quote speech">Look what I found...</span><br />
-  Michelle arrives before Jack and she laughs. He arrives a moment
+  Michelle arrives first and has a chuckle. Jack arrives a moment later
-  later and peeks inside. There sits a cable shovel, partially covered
+  and peeks inside. There sits a cable shovel, a machine that looks like
-  in rubble from the <span class="comment">caved-in? fallen-in?</span>
+  a hybrid between a crane and an excavator, partially covered in rubble
-  roof &ndash; rusty but surprisingly intact.
+  from the <span class="comment">caved-in? fallen-in?</span> roof. It is
-  <br />
+  rusty on the outside but looks otherwise surprisingly intact.<br />
-  Jack says: <span class="quote speech">That&apos;s ... uhhh ... kind of
+  He says: <span class="quote speech">That&apos;s ... uhhh ... kind of
   a historical artifact.</span><br />
+  James arrives as well, saying: <span class="quote speech">I mean,
+  everything here is a historical artifact...</span><br />
+  Jack responds: <span class="quote speech">Fair enough, but this thing
+  especially so.</span><br />
+  They step into the building and take a closer look. Michelle climbs onto
+  the back of the machine and opens an access panel.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Just about mint condition in here &ndash;
+  compared to the rest at least... Looks like might fire right up.
+  Anyone see a crank for this baby?</span><br />
+  She pats the side of a small engine that sits on top of a much larger
+  engine.
+</p>
+<p>
+  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.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">You mean this one?</span><br />
+  Michelle comes over.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Yup, that&apos;ll do.</span><br />
+  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 <span class="comment">translate: energisch</span>. After a
+  moment, it fires up for a brief instant... then nothing.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Aww. Almost but not quite.</span><br />
+  She unscrews the cap from the small fuel tank on top of it and peeks
+  inside.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Well that can&apos;t work.</span><br />
+  She jumps off and checks the tank for the main engine.<br />
+  <span class="quote speech">Nope.</span>
+</p>
 <!--
-  "I mean, everything here is a historical artifact."
-  "Fair enough, but this especially so."
-
-  There is also a kinda small hydraulic excavator.
-  They decide to make both work.
-
 This is for another chapter but here is a list of things they might do:
 - strip parts off of other machines
 - modify or create parts at the Ivydale train yard
@@ -111,9 +139,15 @@
 - find a grabber attachment for the excavator
 - DIY electronics
 -->
-</p>
 <p>
-  <span class="comment">missing section</span>
+  <span class="comment">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?</span><br />
+  They scavenge some gasoline from a nearby truck by loosening the
+  <span class="comment">translate: &Uuml;berwurfmutter</span> 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.
 </p>
 <p>
   <span class="comment">