"We did all the tracks from Moloch Street to the Iron Face. Commissioned by Hell as they didn't want to get their hands dirty. And you may have heard there's a Young Person's Steam Train where Mrs Plenty's Carnival gave rides for a time? It's shut down now, to be sure, but not down to our workmanship. You won't find anyone that wants to take the work away from us."[1]
The Tracklayer's Union is an organization that aims to provide better lives and working conditions for London's rail workers.
"Three things. There's the surveying, the track-laying, and the station-building. First we have to decide where the track should go, then we put it there, and then build a station."[2]
The TLU is a guild of railway workers led by Furnace Ancona.[3] They perform a variety of jobs, including laying track, building stations, surveying land,[4] and even dynamiting.[5] Their projects include the Moloch Line, a now-decommissioned ride at Mrs Plenty's Carnival,[6] and more recently, the Great Hellbound Railway.[3] They allow workers of all species and nationalities to join,[7] and their work is considered top-notch.[8] They refuse to stand for disrespect, and their readiness to strike under unfair work conditions[9][10] has gained them infamy among investors.[11]
Factions
"The Tracklayer's Union have to be kept on side. Harder than it sounds, since there's at least three party factions inside the Union. Some of 'em are Revolutionaries. Some are more interested in the Treachery of Shapes."[12]
The Union is split into three major factions, each with their own respective views and goals.[13] Far from united, they are held together only by Furnace Ancona and her leadership.[14]
The Liberationists
"If you want to contribute to that particular cause, there's those in the Tracklayers' Union that would be accepting of additional donations. Items that explode, for instance."[15]
The Liberationists are aligned with the Revolutionaries that pursue the Liberation of Night - the destruction of light and law.[16] They supply dynamite and heavier explosives to their anarchist allies,[17][18] and strongly oppose the Masters. According to a tracklayer, while they do seek revolution, many of its members are not truly committed to the Liberation itself.[19]
The Prehistoricists
"You know, there are them on the team who think they're going to breed a kind of monster with railway track for tusks. Some kind of beast with railway spikes for claws. Something that would just stroll across the Neath laying down metal while it walks. They've got all kinds of ideas."[20]
The Prehistoricists aim to engineer creatures to take the place of humans in doing hard labor. For instance, they envision a beast that not only lays tracks, but also thrives on doing such work. They interpret of the Great Chain of Being as guaranteeing a creature to do any job or task, thus justifying their goals.[21]
This group was founded by Cornelius, a former leader of the TLU,[21] but has become disorganized since his disappearance.[22] Regardless, many tracklayers still value ancient bones and fossils as a key to their studies, and retain significant influence in the Union.[23][24] This group may also be interested in the Treachery of Shapes,[13] but the details are unclear.
The Emancipationists
"According to Furnace, it is a pragmatic approach that does not embrace any single ideology. And her Emancipationist settlement is going to be determined by the shared will of the participants, and it's not up to her to plan it in advance."[25]
Founded and represented by Furnace Ancona herself, the Emancipationists aim to liberate all beings from oppression while emphasizing pragmatism and inclusivity regardless of ideology.[26][27] They strive to keep morale high and workers well-fed,[28] as well as fund tracklayers' retirements.[29]
The Emancipationists' ultimate dream is to build a city in the Hinterlands ruled by the people,[30][31] free from the Masters' influence.[32] However, some tracklayers are skeptical of this goal, citing the potentially insurmountable logistics the project would require.[33]
↑ 3.03.1Submit forms in triplicate, Fallen London"I'm 'Furnace' Ancona, I run the Tracklayers' Union, and if you want to put down any rail out of London, it's me you need to be dealing with."
↑Ask about their past work, Fallen London""We did all the tracks from Moloch Street to the Iron Face," [...] a Young Person's Steam Train where Mrs Plenty's Carnival gave rides for a time? It's shut down [...] not down to our workmanship."
↑Inquire into the origins of her name, Fallen London"[...] The Tracklayers' Union welcomes all workers of all species and nationalities. Rubberies, Clay Men, folks from somewhere on the Surface [...] Makes no difference to us.""
↑Ask about their past work, Fallen London"[...] It's shut down now, to be sure, but not down to our workmanship. You won't find anyone that wants to take the work away from us.""
↑Express some surprise, Fallen London""You may put an amiable face [...] if you offer the workers candies and trinkets while denying their rights, you are not our ally. [...]"
↑An impediment, Fallen London""The Union has voted to strike," [...] "In reaction to the way the Board has treated us. Our work is unsafe and badly paid, and the directors have shown extreme self-interest.""
↑The Tracklayer's Union, Fallen London"You've heard of the Union only in brisk references from the rest of the Great Hellbound Railway board. [...] "We'd like to make you our go-between with the Union." Or, once: "We'll leave it up to you how you want to manage that viper-nest of Revolutionaries.""
↑ 13.013.1Demand a frank explanation of the risks, Fallen London""The Tracklayer's Union have to be kept on side. Harder than it sounds, since there's at least three party factions inside the Union. Some [...] are Revolutionaries. Some are more interested in the Treachery of Shapes."
↑Plans and plots, Fallen London"Furnace Ancona is missing. The Tracklayers' Union needs leadership, and without her, they're far from unified. [...]"
↑Ask him about the Liberationists (Lackey), Fallen London"[...] the Liberationist Tracklayers, they're just [...] dynamiting things and sticking it to the Masters. Their blood's up, [...] they wouldn't like the true dark, [...] don't think it's coming. But that's only most of them. There's a few that mean it, all right.""
↑ 21.021.1Ask her about the Prehistoricists (Furnace), Fallen London""They think [...] "If there's a job to be done [...] the Chain should guarantee there's some creature that wants that job and thrives in it. Seeing that most of us do not take to working in a factory [...] "The first prehistoricist was my former partner," [...] "Cornelius. [...] Gone now. The new ones spend their dinner break swapping fantasies of the track-laying mastodons they're all going to be riding, [...]"
↑Discuss the work stoppage with Furnace, Fallen London"[...] Some of my Union think the animals of the past are our future. Or possibly our replacements. They want to make giant tracklaying creatures and train em up. This kind of finding gets 'em too riled to work, [...]"
↑Ask about her goals, Fallen London"When the Railway is done, we can have our own town, somewhere out along the line, and the Masters can leave us alone.""
