Chapter 237: Two In One

Early February 1913 — Callahan Express Dispatch Office, White Plains

Patrick and Sean Williams had finished what Ricky had ordered weeks earlier: the surveys, negotiations, property arrangements, and railway interchange agreements. The route plan lay across the dispatch table alongside signed contracts and construction schedules.

"We’re ready to begin," Patrick reported. "The first connection will be a private freight siding on a leased industrial parcel near the Byram River in Port Chester. The New Haven Railroad will handle the mainline traffic under our interchange agreement. We only need to finish our track, loading area, and inspection."

Sean pointed to the construction schedule. "Williams Industrial and Railway Works has already produced the first batch of rails, fishplates, bolts, and switch fittings. Sleepers and tools are ready for delivery. Two track crews can start immediately."

"Then why are we still sitting here?" Ricky asked.

Patrick grinned. "We were waiting for you to approve the final deployment."

"Approved. Put the men to work." Ricky smiled.

Michael Williams, owner and CEO of Williams Industrial and Railway Works, joined them with the production ledger. "I’ve reserved workshop capacity for the next batch, but I’m not manufacturing anything else until Patrick and Sean confirm the quantities. The railway gets what it needs without leaving our repair work short of materials."

"Good," Ricky said. "I want speed, not a yard full of steel we can’t use. Finish the first connection, prove it works, and then move to the next site."

The brothers gathered the papers. After weeks of planning, the railway expansion was finally moving from agreements to construction.

By mid February, construction crews were already laying track on the industrial parcel near the Byram River. One team leveled the ground and positioned timber sleepers; another aligned the rails and fastened them with fittings produced at Williams Industrial and Railway Works. A third prepared the loading area and drainage.

Michael inspected the incoming materials while Patrick supervised the track crew. Sean checked each delivery against the construction ledger.

"Keep the drainage clear," Patrick instructed the foreman. "We won’t save time by laying track that shifts after the first heavy rain."

Michael examined the next shipment. "The materials are arriving on schedule. If the crew maintains this pace, we’ll finish the siding and loading track within days."

"Provided the inspection goes well," Sean reminded him. "We won’t put freight over it until the railway’s representative approves the connection."

Ricky arrived before the week was out and walked the completed section with the three men. The siding connected the industrial parcel to the established railway system; it was not a new mainline toward New Haven, but a practical freight link built under negotiated access rights.

"The inspection is scheduled for tomorrow," Patrick said. "Once approved, we can begin limited freight movements."

Ricky glanced at Michael. "Can the works supply the next phase without delaying repairs?"

"Yes," Michael answered. "Provided we release materials in batches and keep the production schedule tied to the actual construction. I can increase output, but I won’t sacrifice maintenance work to meet an arbitrary deadline."

"That’s why you’re running the works," Ricky said. "Keep the production side efficient, and let the railway team tell you what it needs."

The inspection was completed, and the connection was cleared for the freight movements covered by the agreement. The first wagons were positioned for loading.

Callahan Express now had a working railway connection—and a real operating cost against which to measure its value.

By Late February, the workshop was busy fulfilling maintenance orders alongside its railway production. Michael reviewed the next batch of fittings with his foremen, making sure the expansion did not interrupt the repairs that kept the existing businesses operating.

Ricky visited the research room, where Dr. Mercer was continuing his rubber experiments. Samples, test notes, and simple apparatus occupied the benches.

"The better compounds are showing some promise," Mercer explained, "but consistency, heat resistance, and wear remain problems. We may find a useful application for seals or small components before we develop anything suitable for tires or heavy industrial belts."

"Keep testing," Ricky said. "Record the failures as carefully as the successes. But don’t expand the budget until you have something worth testing commercially."

Michael closed the production ledger. "That keeps the responsibilities clear. My works will handle metal fabrication, repairs, and railway components. Mercer’s research continues at its own scale. Neither operation will consume the capital the other needs."

Ricky agreed. He knew the future importance of synthetic rubber, but knowledge alone could not supply the missing processes, materials, and skilled workforce. For now, steady experiments and dependable manufacturing were worth more than extravagant promises.

Marek Kowalski spread merchant reports across his desk. The Allied Distributors Association had begun pressuring suppliers who worked with the Independent Commerce and Industry Association, threatening to make their access to established suppliers and freight arrangements more difficult.

"They’re trying to isolate our members before our alternatives become dependable," Marek said.

"Then make the alternatives dependable," Ricky replied. "Don’t force merchants to stay with us. Give them better prices, reliable deliveries, and the freedom to choose."

The Port Chester connection offered an advantage to merchants whose freight could use it, but Marek warned against overselling its reach. The network was still small, and the next facilities would depend on traffic and cost.

"We’re preparing the next arrangements around Greenwich, then Stamford," Patrick explained during the review. "The sites have been identified, and the necessary negotiations are advanced. We’ll build the facilities that the freight figures justify, while continuing to use the New Haven Railroad’s existing mainline for through traffic."

Michael added, "I’ll schedule production around those stages. No speculative stockpiles, and no shortages for the businesses already relying on us."

"Proceed that way," Ricky said. "The association should offer merchants more choices, not replace one form of dependence with another."

The ICIA continued negotiating bulk purchases and supplier terms. Williams Express offered freight services where its routes made commercial sense, while Williams Trading prepared its planned branches in Elmsford and Sleepy Hollow. Established distributors were beginning to notice the competition, but Ricky intended to answer them with service rather than coercion.

Inkshard Publishing and Inkwell Studios had developed beyond Ricky’s original experiment. Day-to-day management belonged to three former secretaries Evelyn had trained nearly two years ago before leaving for Pound Ridge. Margaret Whitaker managed editorial planning, Helen Barrett handled printing contracts and production costs, and Ruth Calloway oversaw distribution and licensing. Evelyn reviewed their reports and brought major decisions to Ricky.

Margaret presented sales figures for Dragon Ball, Saga of Tanya the Evil, and Release That Witch. "The first wave has established a readership. We recommend staggered releases for Attack on Titan, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and One-Punch Man, with reprints determined by actual demand."

Helen added, "We’ve secured paper for the planned schedule, but we shouldn’t commit to every possible reprint. I’ll require printer’s proofs before approving large runs."

Ricky examined the samples. "Good. If the detail doesn’t survive the printing process, fix it before thousands of copies are produced."

Edward Miller, one of the illustrators, pointed out problems with crowded action panels and fine line work. The artists would adjust their pages to suit the paper and presses available, while Helen coordinated proofing with the printers.

Ruth then reported that the Witcher comic adaptation was progressing through its page sequence and lettering. Newspaper installment inquiries had arrived, but no agreements had been made.

"Keep those negotiations separate from our existing release schedule," Margaret said.

"Agreed," Ruth replied.

Ricky approved the plan: controlled print runs, better proofing, protected paper supplies, and expansion guided by sales rather than enthusiasm. Evelyn’s former secretaries had become capable executives who could run the operation without waiting for instructions on every decision.

By early March, the first railway movements had given Patrick and Sean usable operating figures. They were measuring loading times, freight handling costs, and delays while preparing the next facilities around Greenwich and Stamford.

"We’re not building the whole corridor ourselves," Patrick explained at the dispatch office. "The mainline already exists. Our investment is in the connections, sidings, loading areas, and freight arrangements that give our businesses more dependable access."

Sean handed Ricky the latest figures. "The Port Chester connection is working. We’ll move to the next stage only when the construction budget and freight demand justify it."

Michael had already aligned the works’ production schedule with that plan. "We’ll supply the next batches as each site is ready. The workshop can increase output, but I won’t let railway orders cripple our repair capacity."

"That’s the right balance," Ricky said. "Keep the existing connection reliable while the next one is built. No shortcuts, no speculative construction, and no unnecessary delays."

Meanwhile, George Bennett, Inkshard’s distribution superintendent, reported that the publishing company had gained more newsstand accounts in Brooklyn and upper Manhattan. Some deliveries remained expensive, so Ruth proposed using Williams Express for selected routes at standard commercial rates.

"Keep the accounts separate," Ricky approved. "If the express company offers the best service at a fair price, use it. If another carrier does better, use them instead."

The two businesses would cooperate where it made commercial sense, without hiding costs or subsidizing one another.

The spring reports lay across Ricky’s desk. The Port Chester siding was operational; the next railway facilities had defined locations and budgets. Williams Industrial and Railway Works had delivered its first production batch and was preparing the next. Dr. Mercer’s research continued within its existing allocation, while Inkshard’s directors had secured paper and organized their coming releases.

Marek reviewed the finances. "We can fund the next stage, but not every expansion at once. We need reserves for maintenance, wages, and delays."

"Then that’s what we’ll preserve," Ricky replied. "Finish the railway facilities the numbers support. Keep the works productive. Maintain the rubber research without letting it drain the companies. And let publishing grow at a pace its sales can sustain."

Evelyn closed the latest report. "I’ll send the decisions to the directors."

Ricky looked at the railway map beside the illustrated pages from Inkshard. A few months earlier, the railway had been surveys and negotiations. Now a working freight connection stood near the Byram River, with the next stages tied to specific sites, costs, and responsibilities. The publishing house, meanwhile, was turning unfamiliar stories into a growing commercial enterprise.

Both depended on the same principle: ambition had to be supported by systems that worked.

There would always be more opportunities than Ricky could fund and more ideas than his staff could pursue at once. He did not need to build everything immediately. He needed to build each part well enough that the next had something solid to stand on.