Thanks! I figured it was about time I revisited this world in all its post apocalyptic glory.
Photos from Alternate Worlds II (read FAQ first)
interestingA US flag at half mast during the collapse in 1984.
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Canadian flag at half mast at the same night, during the Canadian collapse.
NASA Astronaut Gus Grissom, the first man to step foot on the moon in 1963, as part of the Apollo 8 mission. Grissom was the commander of the first ever manned Apollo mission, and would command multiple future missions before retiring. He would die in 2010 in Apollo City, located in the Sea of Tranquility.
Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the second man to have stepped foot on the moon in the famous draw of 1963. He would go on to become the mayor of the first Soviet Lunar city state of Korolev, named after Sergei Korolev of the Soviet Space Program. Leonov would die in his home in Kremenchuk, USSR in 2019.
Starforce
Banned
Map of North America after global Soviet Victory. The United States and its allies failed their mission, after spending billions of dollars on pointless wars they would never win, this caused their image to be destroyed in the public eye. The Soviet Union would 'collapse' aswell due to the failure of their system and become a similar regime to the one in our timeline, except with a global influence to back it.
More Railroading in the Boyd-Verse
Special thanks to @Lucas for providing some of the paintings and drawings I am using here.
The Cuba State Railroad was one of the few government-owned rail lines in the pre-Lake Shore/Amtrak era of American railroading. This Lima-built 4-8-0 was sent down to Cuba in 1915, and was one of several in her class responsible for operating heavy freights across the island state's main line from Havana to Santiago until displacement by USRA Mikados and Mountains.
This Southern Pacific freight makes its way across the Trona Division to Las Vegas, NV and its junction with the D&RGW. You can tell this photo was taken in the mid-1960s by virtue of how the line has obviously not seen steam for some time, the paint scheme of the diesels, and how the electrification has not yet begun. (Special thanks to @TheMann for letting me borrow said Las Vegas Division idea).
Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Mikado #888 is seen here at Torreon, in the state of Hamilton. The Santa Fe's lucrative South American Mainline splits from the original main at Belen, NM then runs down to the Mexican border at Torreon.
Southern Pacific Ten-Wheeler #2310 was one of many locomotives sent to work at St. Luke's Cape, CA in the early days of the Second World War. When Spain was sure to invade Mexico then attempt to invade the American Southwest as well. Though American, Brazilian, and British preparations meant that it'd be the Allies seizing Gran Columbia instead.
Built by ALCO, Mogul #11 was originally sent south to the US Territory of Panama; which had been set up to further provide a buffer between the then newly-independent Mexico and Gran Columbia, which was still under Spanish colonial rule. Today, the #11 works on the Everett Shortline in Pennsylvania.
The transformation of the Rio Grande Narrow Gauge in the 1960s is truly a remarkable one. At one point, it was nearing extinction; the next, it was the main link from the urban centers of Colorado and the entire US to the natural gas fields of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. The sudden need to revitalize and modernize the narrow gauge led to the Rio Grande purchasing several Army-owned diesels at scrap prices. One of these, 4700N, is obviously new to the line in this photo by virtue of how it does not have the Rio Grande livery yet.
Even with modernization, the Rio Grande has never truly let go of their narrow-gauge Mikados. As shown with #473 in this 1983 photo, they are an integral part of the excursion trains that the DRGW runs across its narrow gauge.
This EMD product, known the HSD-1 (High-Speed Diesel) was used on Amtrak trains on the right-of-ways that were built over the course of Amtrak's original conception in 1974 and into the mid-1980s when the company was first regionalized then semi-privatized. Even today, a few of these diesel-turbines still run on Amtrak Midwest feeder lines.
The GE E70, designed by GE in 1980, was proven to be a solid design for many of the faster diesel-powered trains on the fledgling Amtrak, which at the time was still not completely electrified. These engines would continue to run for the Amtrak Group; created when Amtrak was split into several regions and partially privatized as a way to cut down on government expenses. However, many have nonetheless since been retired or demoted to feeder routes.
This electric, built by GE in the 1980s, was first used on the NdeM mainlines across Central America. However, they soon were embraced by such American railroads as the lines in the Territory of Panama, the Cuba State Railroad, the PRR, Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Rio Grande, and New York Central.
EM-1 #7600 as she appeared when eventually restored for excursions on the Chessie System in 1985. Unfortunately, the time would only last until 1999 when an overhaul was deemed too expensive and she was returned to Baltimore. EM-1 #7609 was originally slated for preservation in Wheeling, WV. But when the city rejected the idea she seemed doomed until the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, IL pitched in to save her. The 7609 has sat in splendor at the IRM in Union ever since.
The photo depicts Union Pacific Big Boy #4023 as she appeared at Cheyenne on June 23, 1983. That day was her first test run after a complete restoration which had begun shortly after the Challenger #3985 was finished in August 1977.
Nickel Plate #587 leads an excursion over the former PRR South Bend Branch out of Culver, IN to her hometown of Logansport, IN on June 3, 1996. This engine, considered by many one of the most iconic Mikados in the American railroad preservation movement, has seen excursion service on many mainlines all across the East.
Special thanks to @Lucas for providing some of the paintings and drawings I am using here.
The Cuba State Railroad was one of the few government-owned rail lines in the pre-Lake Shore/Amtrak era of American railroading. This Lima-built 4-8-0 was sent down to Cuba in 1915, and was one of several in her class responsible for operating heavy freights across the island state's main line from Havana to Santiago until displacement by USRA Mikados and Mountains.
This Southern Pacific freight makes its way across the Trona Division to Las Vegas, NV and its junction with the D&RGW. You can tell this photo was taken in the mid-1960s by virtue of how the line has obviously not seen steam for some time, the paint scheme of the diesels, and how the electrification has not yet begun. (Special thanks to @TheMann for letting me borrow said Las Vegas Division idea).
Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Mikado #888 is seen here at Torreon, in the state of Hamilton. The Santa Fe's lucrative South American Mainline splits from the original main at Belen, NM then runs down to the Mexican border at Torreon.
Southern Pacific Ten-Wheeler #2310 was one of many locomotives sent to work at St. Luke's Cape, CA in the early days of the Second World War. When Spain was sure to invade Mexico then attempt to invade the American Southwest as well. Though American, Brazilian, and British preparations meant that it'd be the Allies seizing Gran Columbia instead.
Built by ALCO, Mogul #11 was originally sent south to the US Territory of Panama; which had been set up to further provide a buffer between the then newly-independent Mexico and Gran Columbia, which was still under Spanish colonial rule. Today, the #11 works on the Everett Shortline in Pennsylvania.
The transformation of the Rio Grande Narrow Gauge in the 1960s is truly a remarkable one. At one point, it was nearing extinction; the next, it was the main link from the urban centers of Colorado and the entire US to the natural gas fields of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. The sudden need to revitalize and modernize the narrow gauge led to the Rio Grande purchasing several Army-owned diesels at scrap prices. One of these, 4700N, is obviously new to the line in this photo by virtue of how it does not have the Rio Grande livery yet.
Even with modernization, the Rio Grande has never truly let go of their narrow-gauge Mikados. As shown with #473 in this 1983 photo, they are an integral part of the excursion trains that the DRGW runs across its narrow gauge.
This EMD product, known the HSD-1 (High-Speed Diesel) was used on Amtrak trains on the right-of-ways that were built over the course of Amtrak's original conception in 1974 and into the mid-1980s when the company was first regionalized then semi-privatized. Even today, a few of these diesel-turbines still run on Amtrak Midwest feeder lines.
The GE E70, designed by GE in 1980, was proven to be a solid design for many of the faster diesel-powered trains on the fledgling Amtrak, which at the time was still not completely electrified. These engines would continue to run for the Amtrak Group; created when Amtrak was split into several regions and partially privatized as a way to cut down on government expenses. However, many have nonetheless since been retired or demoted to feeder routes.
This electric, built by GE in the 1980s, was first used on the NdeM mainlines across Central America. However, they soon were embraced by such American railroads as the lines in the Territory of Panama, the Cuba State Railroad, the PRR, Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Rio Grande, and New York Central.
EM-1 #7600 as she appeared when eventually restored for excursions on the Chessie System in 1985. Unfortunately, the time would only last until 1999 when an overhaul was deemed too expensive and she was returned to Baltimore. EM-1 #7609 was originally slated for preservation in Wheeling, WV. But when the city rejected the idea she seemed doomed until the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, IL pitched in to save her. The 7609 has sat in splendor at the IRM in Union ever since.
The photo depicts Union Pacific Big Boy #4023 as she appeared at Cheyenne on June 23, 1983. That day was her first test run after a complete restoration which had begun shortly after the Challenger #3985 was finished in August 1977.
Nickel Plate #587 leads an excursion over the former PRR South Bend Branch out of Culver, IN to her hometown of Logansport, IN on June 3, 1996. This engine, considered by many one of the most iconic Mikados in the American railroad preservation movement, has seen excursion service on many mainlines all across the East.
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I neglected to mention in my train photos that the Amtrak GE photo is of a train near San Fransisco. In the state of Jefferson that broke off from California after the latter state annexed the Baja Peninsula.
I wonder how long it is till they get rid of Term limits for being "Discriminatory against the Mortally-Challenged"
And more and more seats of power are held by centuries old politicians who are reelected ad infinitum. Huey Long being able to essentially continue being a politician for well over a century as a early example, which I would expect would only be a growing phenomena going into the late 21st and early 22nd centuries.
And then some Vampire politicians put forward the idea that humans donating to blood banks is a "Citizen's Duty"...
Its a wonder how seemingly no nation in the world of Blood Rights has adopted a firmly anti-vampire stance.
They probably gonna have a “cool down time for vampires” so you can do four year every century or so. Honestly seeing how Haste is the first vamp to become President (although Lovecraft did run in the 60’s) and vampires making up little of the us and world population that it gonna be a long time before the issue comes up.
I mean as technology advances how long until life extensions undercut vampire’s monopoly age on immortality So this is gonna be a future problem anyway before in BR and OTL.
That kinda fear mongering, vamps have been out in the open since the early to mid 50’s in BR and no one beside Cambodia under Pol Pot had ordered people to give blood. Most vampires get their blood from local blood blanks. Coke and order companies has been making blood sodas since the 60’s by now so their no need to “farm” humans. Also these are not the Buffy type lose your soul once you join the undead type vampire, they keep their emotions and original personality after becoming a blood sucker so forcing people to give up blood wouldn’t go over well even among vampires. Would you force your neighbor to give up blood when you could go down to the local store and get diet B positive and hot chips?
Pre Castro Cuba, Brazil during the 50’s-70’s, Portugal before the carnation revolution, The USA during the 50’s-60’s, South Japan until the 80’s, South Africa until the 90’s, not to mention large parts of the Middle East (mostly due what Uday did during the third gulf war and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan) and Africa to this day have horrible anti vampire laws. Hell one of the reasons why the US still support The Greater Liberian Republic is for their tolerance for vamp rights.
That is an actual concern and Haste is probably gonna have to be tested before giving speeches or during debates. Also mind control doesn’t work through tv and radios so mass brain washing isn’t a problem. Although Haste doesn’t really need it he has been a celebrity since the 60’s and 70’s and both a civil right and LGBT Icon for decades (America is far more socially tolerant in this TL with gay marriage being legal in California since the 70’s and nation wide since the late 80’s if you are willing to accept the undead are you willing gonna care what people do in their own beds?) Bush doesn’t really need mind control people to began with.
1. It doesn't matter if Haste is the first vamp to be President, a Vampire lives forever. Waiting 60 years before running for office after coming out would be nothing to a guy who was a full grown adult at the time of the American Revolution. In order for a proper "cool down time" to be implemented there would have to be actual political weight behind it, which seems unlikely because it would actually require a wave anti-immortal sentiment among normal humans that doesn't devolve into Fundamentalist bs.
2. I don't believe life-extending technologies will come about as quickly as they will OTL, as the primary market for early versions of these techniques, the Rich, would probably like to take the 100% guaranteed immortality of Vampirism rather than buy very rudimentary products that won't have the same effect as Vampirism for centuries at the very least.
3. This seems self contradictory, there's not enough Vampires around for supply of blood to become an issue yet there are enough to justify major companies to make blood-products to such a degree that they are available at a corner shop. Keep in mind that the vast majority of the human population probably doesn't like drinking blood so these products are specially made for vampires. Which also poses the question of where does all the blood for these products come from? The amount of stuff a company goes through to mass produce products OTL is HUGE (look at anything Nestle does), now that blood's in the mix supply problems will pop up sooner or later. The obvious solution would be to pay poor people for their's, but then there's the problem of blood borne diseases infecting the supply.
4. I should've been more specific. I meant a fully developed modern economy being able to look at the prospect of Vampires as a part of society and go "No thanks" while maintaining liberalism as a facet of their societies beyond some boomer "SEGREGATION FOREVER!" type shit where the legislation just gets passed a few months later anyway.
Actually I was planning on having vampires (in America the Soviet are a different story. Vampire Putin isn’t leaving office anytime soon) push for the cool down time, the reason why will be covered in the once I get to it on the writer’s forum where the Full Story is being written at. Yes I know it’s highly unlikely an ridiculous that a group of powerful vampire of elites would help pass laws limiting their powers within human governments, but so is the idea of vampire elites or the concept of vampires as an whole, or japan being spilt between a corrupt south US back republic and the North being run by a “moderate” Communist Monarchy or the hundreds more ASB thing in that world.
Vampires population isn’t large enough for them to go out farming people, but their are big enough for some few niche sodas companies owned by coke a few others which offer flavored blood they mostly sell a certain locations. Yes vamps some pay for people to give blood, but keep in mind these guys are dead. Vampires if they get some bad blood they can get sick for a week at the most and yes their are some people looking into that to help humans recover from things such as HIV and AIDS.
Well no modern first world nations have open and racist apartheid style bands on vampires sorry. Who are they gonna ally with? Who are they gonna trade with? Putin is a vampire so the Soviets are out. America isn’t gonna support that shit after the 60’s, 70’s and maybe the very 80’s at most in the case of old South Africa.
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It’s not supposed to be realistic just kinda fun and a bit silly. Honestly it’s like my second most unrealistic TL just behind my Afro Reich TL.
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