It's been a while since you've seen any updates from the BCRR. For that, we apologize. Life has been extremely busy for everyone involved, and the new changes Google has made to the Blogger interface make it pretty much impossible to draft new posts from a mobile device. Now, I know that there's an app for that, but it is possibly the WORST RATED GOOGLE APP OUT THERE. As such, I am leery of even downloading it.
Nevertheless, life has been going on as normal (more accurately, as our approximation of "normal") in the BCRR HQ. Little work has been accomplished due to the massive amounts of schedule conflicts. Crews have been building up the roadbed and doing right-of-way work, but it's slow going. Basically, we lay 261 (scale) feet of roadbed, then have to tamp and compress (put blocks and weights on it) for several hours before moving on to the next section. As I said, it's slow going, but at least it's going.
Supply and Acquisitions recently secured another stock of Loctite PL300 Foamboard Adhesive, a critical ingredient in the laying of roadbed. S&A also located a new soldering gun of the proper size and wattage for an incredible price. They did not, however, purchase one.
We have also managed to acquire some paint. Now, that may not sound very exciting, but when you think about it, and I mean REALLY think about it, it isn't. As soon as all the roadbed is lain, or laid, or whatever, we will use this Pittsburgh Paints Hatbox Brown Ultra Interior Flat Latex to cover the stark white extruded polystyrene beadboard that is our local terrain. What that boils down to, kids, is that if we should happen to have an area of ground that is missed by whatever terraforming operation is performed on it, it should appear to be dirt, instead of freakishly white styrofoam.
In seemingly unrelated news, while Chris S., V.P. of Construction, hasn't been present on the job site, he has been very busy scoring a 97% on his Fire Academy Firefighter 2 Module A exam. As such, he is academically at the top of his class. Yay.
Every silver lining has a cloud. This influx and possible overload of BCRR news comes at a price. What follows is a transcript of a press release televised earlier today by the Big Cheese himself, Chris Sipe.
"Hello, everyone, thank you for coming, please have a seat. As President and CEO of Beecher City's largest and most successful railroad, sometimes I get to sit back, relax, and simply enjoy watching all the gears turn and hearing the whistles blow. Other times, I have to step up, put on my big boy pants, and make the hard decisions. Unfortunately, this is one of those times.
"As you all know, we have been under serious financial burdens lately. Most of us have found ways to tighten the belt and cut costs, and for that I thank you, but it simply isn't enough. I'm afraid the most recent blow may have been the proverbial nail in the proverbial coffin. Replacing the refrigerator in the break room tapped us out. It's sad to say, but we can't even afford to keep Robot Management Unit K8-e plugged in anymore. I guess it's just as well. We really don't need her to tell us we're broke right now.
"Before I go on, I want each and every one of my employees to know that I care deeply for them and their families, and this decision was not at all easy. It was your hard work and sacrifice that has gotten to where we are today, and that sacrifice will not be forgotten. That being said, I'm afraid I'm left with no choice but to shut down bigger part of the BCRR and lay most of you off.
"My advisers, who will also be laid off, suggested that I announce exactly which departments will be shut down. After reviewing the lists, I've decided that it will be much faster and easier to announce which departments will continue operation. The following departments will report to work tomorrow as scheduled. If your department is not on this list, unfortunately, you will not be employed at the conclusion of this meeting. For what little consolation it is, I intend to recall certain departments as needs require and finances allow. So, without further gilding of the lily and with no more adieu, I give you the list of departments still operating tomorrow:
Track gang
"The VPs of each department will stay on staff to run their individual departments. All correspondence for the Construction Department should be directed to Chris S. Human Resource needs go to Christoph. R&D needs go to C. Dale Sipe. Public Relations is and forever shall be a one-man department, and CD Sipe will continue to manage it.
"Again, thank you for coming. That is all."
More as it develops.
