Paladin - Have Gun, Will Travel

[Grognardsw]

At the train station Paladin reviewed the time tables and costs to reach San Fransisco. He considered for a moment a river trip up the Mississippi, which would be more pleasant but longer. With Betty in trouble, Paladin couldn’t take a slower route. With a sigh he realized he’d probably have to sell Copper, as he couldn’t afford the horse’s fare in livestock carriage.

The Waco & Northwest Railroad had the most lines along his west and north journey, so on Monday Paladin paid a visit to their office to apply for a train guard job. Any pay could help defray costs.

“I’m heading routes west and north, one way,” Paladin said. “I was interested in a train guard job.” He held back dropping Christian Cummins’ name, not wanting to bring undue attention to himself.

[jemmus]

A clerk at the Waco & Northwest Railroad office fetches a manager. A firm-mouthed moustached man in a business suit but with the air of a rancher approaches and eyes Paladin, sizing him up. He says, We're hirin for long-term positions. Six days a week, ridin round trips eight er nine hours a day. $120 a month pay. But It sounds like you're looking for a one-time one-way job. The Railroad offers $4 a day for that-- ta trustable men.

In yer case, it seems like ya'd want ta ride guard to the end of the line, which is the Fort Worth rail station. It would be around a 12-13 hours work day, and you'd be expected to stay alert and watchful the whole time. Includin during station stops. The fare from Austin to Fort Worth is $7.68. So ya'd be travelin in tha direction yer goin at better than half the regular fare. The pay would be wired ahead for collection at the railroad's Fort Worth office.

What happens is, everbody knows the rails the railroad train is goin ta run. And fer reliability fer the passengers, when it's goin cross any point along tha way, Of which there are many miles in between. Places that robbers know. And these days accordin to the papers, probably Comanches as well.

No offense intended, but this is Texas. Tha dadblained destination for every kind of illegal duelist runnin from the law, bankrupt runnin from debt collectors, hustlers, cheatin gamblers, layabout, losin ne'er-do-well, and git rich quick settler with a wagon and hoe there is in Texas. My own dad was one em, I won't say which one.[/dialogue] The stern manager who looks like a rancher in a railroad suitcoat winks. Then goes back to being deadpan rancher speaking with another deadpan friend neighbor rancher.

Mr. Paladin, we need guns, and steady people lookin behind the sights. Before we hire ya, how da ya fit in there?

To be hired or negotiate, Paladin can roll on any skill or attribute of choice. If a fail, than on Luck.

[Grognardsw]

“That’s right, a one-time one-way job,” confirmed Paladin to the clerk. “To Fort Worth.”

Paladin smiled and nodded as the clerk described Texas and its dangers.

“I have guns and a steady aim.” He slid his business card across the desk, then brought his prize rifle out from his back sling and pointed at the little plaque on the stock. “That should tell where I fit.”

“If that isn’t enough…” Paladin took out the letter of authorization from Christian Cummins on company letterhead. While the date had expired, the message of trust and authority was loud and clear. “Ask your boss.” He showed the clerk the letter. “I think Mr. Cummins would agree that W&N can bump up the pay some, cover the ticket cost or take my horse free.”

Well there’s the askin’ and RP, which along with the stack of cred would seem enough, but here are the rolls. On “Attribute or Skill of choice,“ I think it should relate somehow (so no Coordination 19). I guess Tactics 14.

Tactics 14 [1d20]=19
Luck 9 [1d20]=20

Wow those would be awesome rolls in any other game. How uncharacteristic of our roller.

Reading up on train guards (bulls as they were known), it seems the payment of train fare for guards was done but varied.

[jemmus]

In a AD&D 1e game I'm in, my last 23 rolls have been under 10. The average comes to 8.3. About the only contribution the ranger has made to the party is absorbing a lot of the HP damage.

The manager replies, Those are some pretty impressive credentials. But if you've work for Mr. Cummins, you know that ya wouldn't want to be in the same room with him with books showin overpayin a train guard. But because you're skilled with a gun and might make a good guard, I'll let your house ride for no charge, on the house. Don't mention it to anyone, if ya don't mind.

So, you and three other guards will ride in the caboose with the conductor. At every station stop, ya all git out and stand on the platform with yer firearms. Just so everybody sees ya and knows that the railroad has security men ridin along. It makes people feel better, and it discourages disorderly behavior. If there is any of that on the train-- say somebody gets drunk and rowdy, or starts fightin over cards, y'all are responsible for seein that nobody gets hurt. Let the conductor handle it as much as possible, but step in if some muscle is needed. Some guards carry blackjacks or brass knuckles for help with that. Do not use your guns or a knife on a passenger, unless he's threatenin somebody's life. Once every hour, two guards will walk through the train and back with the conductor, checkin to see that everything's peaceful.

But train guard's real job is to guard against train robbers. They stop a train and usually go to the freight car, which carries the mail and the bank shipments. Then they go through the cars robbin the passengers. They're generally tough customers and real rough men. Many a conductor or engineer who was just cooperating with them has gotten his head cracked with a pistol butt-- or worse. If ya run into train robbers, using deadly force is authorized-- actually, it's encouraged. But don't do unless ya think ya can win. The number one priority is to not let any passengers get killed. That would be terrible for the Railroad's reputation. And no politician wants to be associated with anything with any kind of bad reputation with the public. And in the rail business, ya need politician friends. Ya can count on that, sure enough.

Paladin and Copper make their way to the train station and the W&NW train to Ft. Worth. A slate blackboard has the names of town painted on in white, and times written beside them with chalk.
Depart Austin 8:15
Georgetown 9:45
Belton 12:15
Waco 3:45
Hillsborough 5:00
Buchanan 6:15
Ft. Worth 7:15

Paladin buys his ticket from Austin to Fort Worth, and notes that there's a lot of small text printed on the bottom of the card. It reads: All posted arrival Times are subject to change without notice, due to unforeseen unforeseeable changes to conditions for operations. Including, but not limited to: All acts of God, including Storms, Tornados, Hail, Disease, Drought, Flood, Famine, or Tornado; Acts of War; Indian attack; impeding the progress of a rail train, in violation of Federal and State of Texas law (most often attempted or successful Train Robbery); mechanical equipment failure or human error, impediments to passage caused by wildlife or domestic livestock. All purchases are final.
Not refunds of purchase funds will be approved.

Paladin purchased his full-fare price passenger ticket and walks Copper up the plank into the livestock car, presenting his voucher to the platform crew. One man studies it and passes it to the other, who also looks at studies it, then passes it back to the other. Must be some kind a new thing from the Railroad office. Nobody ever tells us nothin. He touches fingers to brim and nods to Paladin.

Load yer horse, mister. Watch out fer walking behind the black stallion with the white star, he'll kick hard what he can't see behind him. He looks at Paladin's fast draw rig and lever action rifle and winks. Train guards report to the back, mister. The caboose. He jerks his thumb back, and the train station livestock handler nods. Paladins see three men gathered on the platform before the caboose. A big man and tall man, who is recognizable as bouncer on the door from last night at the Gay Lady. He has a carbine over his shoulder and wears a gun belt openly on his waist in the hot June Sun. A smaller but not short man who is has a fine lever-action rifle cockily lain across his shoulder, as he tells a tale about duck hunting in Louisiana. And a third man with a rifle with its butt to the platform, who looks thin and drawn, but determined to aim and shoot.

Paladin is up.

[Grognardsw]

Paladin thanked the manager. He was glad he didn’t have to sell Copper, at least for now.

“If the freight car is the usual target for robbers, wouldn’t it be good to have a guard there? With all four in the caboose, they’d all be an easy target. One in a different location could sound an alarm for the others, and vice versa.”

Before going to the train station, Paladin visited Wells Fargo. “ Mr. Fox and Mr. Holtzclaw, I’m sorry but personal matters require attention in San Francisco. I’m here to return your advance. The investigation is in good hands with my colleagues.”

Next, Paladin stopped by the Drover Hotel and post office to check his mail and telegrams if any, given it was Monday.

Paladin then visited the Rangers office to check on the status of the investigations into the rustlers. Paladin had given the confessions and dead Duncan letter to the rangers not just from a desire for justice, but (as he had told Ranger Captain Wilson at the time*), to secure the reward money for “information leading to the arrest…”. That money could come in handy in Paladin’s trying financial times ahead.

“How are the investigations going?” Paladin asked the one-armed Captain Wilson.

After, with new holster on hip, old gun back, extra gun sold, Copper trailing, Paladin went to the train station. He counted the number of cars as he walked, noting the location of the freight car, the volume of passengers and their spread across the cars.

After securing Copper, Paladin checked in for duty at the caboose. He nodded at the three men and took stock of their apparent capabilities. “I’m Paladin,” he said, ready to shake hands if they seemed the hand-shaking type.

*

At the Rangers office… When asked about the trial, Paladin explained …

“Their relationship with other rustlers, up to that Harry Adler who is moving them, was helpful in gathering evidence. I suspect the murderer rustlers your looking for have interacted with them. My guess would be there are ties to that King Fisher fellow too. That letter I found, which you now have, should hopefully lead to some arrests.”

…Davidson replies to Paladin's questions…

…“I’ll need the location of that rancher’s house Rick stopped at, and Adler’s stations,” replied Paladin. He was building a file of evidence and leads for prosecution by the Austin marshal…

[jemmus]

The W&NW manager replied, You could do it that way if ya prefer. The most usual method of robbin a train is throw somethin big on the tracks to stop it in some isolated place. It's so common that the Federal government made obstructin tracks with an object a separate crime, aside from robbery or attempted robbery. So when the guards notice the engineer suddenly throwin on the brakes between towns, they know somethin is up.

At the Wells Fargo office, Holtzclaw accepts the cash and writes Paladin a receipt. Fox says, We appreciate your honesty, Mr. Paladin. It seems we were right to put faith in you and advance reward money for expenses. If nothing else, your friends are losing a very capable negotiator.

At the Drover, the front desk clerk says, Sir, the postman won't deliver today's mail until around 2:00 PM. Feel free to check back then. He looks at an inbox-outbox stack of trays. We don't have any telegrams waiting for pickup, sir.

One-armed Captain Wilson at the Rangers office nodded to Paladin offered his morning greetings. Well, Mr. Paladin, I'm sorry ta say the Rangers are way behind on investigatin the robberies on the Fredericksburg and Burnett highways. We got leads and trail a tracks leadin from that ole abandoned house in Blanco County where y'all gunfought the Shepherd brothers' gang. But then the Comanches suddenly flared up with raids, around several points all at once. I guess ya have heard that the detachment of Rangers guided ta the Shepherd house got all shot up runnin Comanches off not far west a Austin. They're most of em are out a action, and that makes us even more stretched thin. He stops for a moment, his brow furrowed. Then, At this point we're down ta sendin wires and riders ta county sheriffs' offices, the U.S. Marshalls, and the U.S. Army. Hopin that any a them will act fast against the Comanches and robbers, and with guts-- and good sense. The old veteran of who knows how many terrible fights gazes down at his paper-covered desk for an instant, then looks ups again. Sorry sir, I don't mean to complain. We've got several troops of Rangers out in the field, north, south and west. Trackin Indians, mostly.

As for Harvey Adler in Comal County, I believe ya may be right about him. We'll get to him in due time. Well, good luck to ya, Mr. Paladin

Paladin and Copper ride to the train station. The train to Austin's locomotive has a full head of steam already. It's consist is its tender, two coaches, a boxcar, a flatcar loaded with cedar posts, a cattle car, and a caboose. Paladin notes that this train doesn't have a sleeper car, cafe car, or sleeper-cafe car. He also notes that the boxcar has no visibility into or out of it. The cattle car walls have wooden slats with spaces between them for light and ventilation. He supposes there would be visibilty out of it, but very little into it. The coaches have windows on the sides and the caboose has windows on all four sides.

The fellow talking about duck hunting steps forward confidently and shakes Paladin's hand. He's six feet tall, handsome, and with dark hair and a mustache. He's Armed with a fast draw pistol and a shotgun. David Watson. Good to meet ya, Mr. Paladin. The man has a Louisiana accent.
The big man is clean-shaven, with brown hair balding at the forehead and crown.  He has a quiet and calm mannerism.  He's armed with a single action revolver and a lever action rifle. He shakes Paladin's hand with a strong grip. Tiny Scofield.
The third is rather short, bespectacled, and unsmiling.  He seems to be the kind of man who is suspicious of everyone and the world in general. He's with a single action pistol and a Sharps single shot rifle. Paladin knows the Sharps is standard issue for the Army. They're slow, but they're exceedingly good at long range. He doesn't shake Paladin's hand, but nods without smiling and says, Luke Brawley.

Rail workers load the boxcar with wooden boxes and crates with senders' and recipients' labels plastered onto them., and two uniformed U.S. postal workers load canvas mail bags into it. Each worn bag has its destination stenciled onto it: Georgetown, Belton, Waco, etc. One of the postmen gets in line with the passengers to board one of the coaches. He's wearing a double action revolver in an Army-issue holster threaded through civilian belt. He's got a ticket in his hand-- apparently the U.S. mail doesn't at all ride for free on the W&NW. Black porters in uniforms of various state of upkeep work the line of passengers, offering to carry and load their luggage. The one busy conductor checks tickets and directs passengers to the first or second coach. When the platform is clear and all of the doors of the coaches and cars have been secured, he blows a whistle and calls out the traditional, All aboard!, looks left and right, then left again for any hustling latecomer passengers. Then leans out of the front coach and signals the go sign to the engineer and fireman. The engine's steel wheels spin on the rails, throwing sparks, and the coaches and cars jerk as the slack between the couplings is drawn tight. The Austin - Fort Worth Local draws out of the Austin Railroad Station and railyard and soon reaches the outskirts of town.

The three other guards boarded the caboose. Copper is in the cattle car, of course. Paladin's location, and/or any preparations for the trip to Ft. Worth?

[Grognardsw]

Did Paladin leave on the train before he could go back to the Drover Hotel at 2:00 for mail?

“Howdy David, Tiny, Luke. First time for me guarding a train,” said Paladin, making small talk as he stayed in the caboose with the others. “Any of you had dealings with train robbers?”

“A Sharps - where’d you serve?” he asked Luke.

After half-an-hour, Paladin brought up location. “Do we stay here the whole trip? I was thinking of walking the train. Should one of us stay near the freight car?”

[jemmus]

Yes, the train left the station in the morning, before 2:00.

Brawley looks at Paladin warily, but replies, My dad gave me this Sharps for 18th birthday. He bought it new. It'll knock a man flat at 500 yards. David Watson grins a big ambiguous grin.

Watson replies with his handsome, confident smile, Luke's no soldier. He's more of a lady's man. Brawley looks at him puzzled for a second, then realizes he's being mocked and gives Watson a black, sulky look. Watson continues, No, never seen any robbers. They go for the big outfits like the Union Pacific, not miserly little ones like the W&WN. Of course, none of us has been on this job for very long. Who would, for this kind of pay? But there's the opportunity to travel and see the country. And for other things.... He leaves that one hanging. Brawley starts to say something, but decides against it. Tiny Scofield wears his bouncer stoneface.

I'll walk through the train with ya. Two of us do that at around halfway between each station stop. It helps if you try to look like ya got a burr under yer breeches. Keeps the ornery ones among the passengers honest. He does a comic pantomime of strutting stiff-legged and scowling down to the right and left. [/dialog] Scofield laughs and even Brawley involuntarily snickers. I know what you're thinking about the freight car. If there's any valuable cargo on this train-- which odds are there isn't much--, that's where it would be. But the problem is, ya can't see out of the freight. We leave a door open a little to let some light in for passin through it, but that doesn't provide much view of the land. You're better off watchin from the caboose's windows, or from a coach's windows or its stairs porch.

The train reaches it full cruising speed and Paladin walk from the caboose, through the cattle car, across the flatcar, through the shadowy freight car, and through the two coaches. In the coaches, Watson is far from mean-looking cuss he advised to be. He's like a rooster in a yard, strutting his stuff, flashing white-teeth smiles at the ladies and throwing his chest out to the men. He's a good actor who immediate draws attention and makes an impression. At the front coach, he stops at the window of the front door and with an intelligent gleam in his eye says to Paladin, There's the tender, and the engine in front of it. To get to the engine cabin, ya have to open this door and jump from here, across the coupling, and four feet up onto the coal. Then cross the coal lumps and jump down across another coupling and into the cabin, which isn't as hard. Or, you have to run back through the coach, out the back door, and down the boardin stairs.

Why am I tellin you this? Because a robber needs to stop a train to rob it. How do they do that? By making the engine stop pullin it. Usually they do that by throwin something big and heavy on the tracks. But that's a lot of work and trouble, and it's slow. And sometimes in the prairie stretches, there nothing big to throw on the track. There are telegraph poles, but only a dumb train robber or idiot engineer would think a toothpick like that would stop a 500-ton locomotive. So if I were a train robber, I'd go for some other way of stoppin the engine. The crew. I'd find a way to make the engineer and the fireman give up and stop the train. Just like the way you'd make a bank clerk give up and pass over the bank's cash. The weak point of the million-dollar bank or thousand-tons train is the ordinary, unsuspectful people runnin it. Naturally, fearful for their lives and ready to do anything to protect themselves. What do ya think, Mr. Paladin?

The conductor is heard calling out, First stop, Round Rock! Round Rock! Don't gather yer luggage until the train has come to a full stop! Round Rock next! Watson smiles and says, Round Rock. Little two-bit country town. But people say Sam Bass was there not too long ago. Threw a lot of cash around in the saloon, got real popular with locals. Might be true, I can't see anybody who doesn't already know everybody in Round Rock appearin for one night and throwin cash around. I read that the Union Pacific is offering a reward for Bass of $350, I believe. That's not bad few days work for a couple a smart fellas who can think ahead, and fast.

[Grognardsw]

“That it will,” replied Paladin to Luke Brawley about the Sharps. “That’s a mighty fine gift.”

Paladin smiled at David Watson’s display of train guard macho strutting.

“Sure, we can walk together,” Paladin said. He wondered what Watson’s unfinished “…and for other things…” might mean. Nothing lawful he guessed. These men could guard one day and rob the next, for all he knew.

At mention of Sam Bass, Paladin recalled that murderers’s face from the wanted posters he had studied at the rangers office. Paladin had also committed the faces of John Wesley Hardin and James Brown Miller to memory as well. He wouldn’t mind bumping into them on the train or in his travels.

“I heard about that reward too for Sam Bass. That wouldn’t be bad at all for a few days work.”

“The freight train does seem a blind spot,” Paladin agreed.

As he walked through the cars with the strutting Watson, Paladin observed the faces of passengers in case any matched the wanted posters. His own gait was normal.

“Yes, people are the weak link in most things,” concurred Paladin.

In Round Rock, Paladin watched out the window as any new passengers boarded.

[jemmus]

The train chugs on a high speed, releasing steam and big steel wheels starting to rhythmically eat up miles along steel rails. Watson winks, then says, Yeah, Mr. Paladin. You seem like a man with a sharp mind, awareness, and insight. I'll tell ya, things are crooked back in Louisiana. There'll be big hubbub and a vote about buildin a road to a town or buildin new school or somethin. Ya come back a year later, and the materials are sitting there, but nothin has happened. That's Louisiana. This is Texas. Wilder and not as smart. He winks.

The conductor calls out, Round Rock! Round Rock next! The train slows to the station, five or six passengers debark and embark. The W&NW staff on the platform view lists of cargo, place ramps, and take crates off and load others on. One offloaded one labeled and stenciled: Medicine Mercuricrome A passes a stack of bills into Watson's hand, while Watson flashes white smile. He boards the train again.

Mr. Paladin, you'll understand that Georgetown is in a dry county. No beer or whiskey sales allowed. Now I'm goin back to Louisiana to see my mom and dad and Eileen. She's my sweetheart, and expect we'll marry someday and have lot of kids when I decide to settle down. Anyway, I have connection for fine imported whiskey comin into the Port of New Orleans. If you have little money to invest, you could buy it for 50 cents a bottle, to sell in Georgetown for $5 each.

[Grognardsw]

‘I’ve yet to visit New Orleans,” said Paladin to Watson. “I’m hoping to get down there some time for the Mardi Gras celebration. I’m from Massachusetts originally, but have been out and about and live in San Fransisco now.”

“Thanks for the offer David but I’ll pass,” replied Paladin about the liquor.

[jemmus]

On the platform at Round Rock, Watson says in his rather musical Louisiana accent, We always watch this station special, 'cause somebody who somebody thinks looks like Sam Bass might bust out shootin everything up. The guards do look the passengers boarding at the train over closely, and is the standard procedure, are the last to board. In the caboose, Watson says, Tiny and Luke, y'all are up for patrolin for the enemy. Mount up. Luke says, You don't tell me what to do. Yer a Guard 1, same as me. Watson replies, I guess that's right, Luke. And I don't doubt that you'll make Guard 2 or Supervisor before I do. Cause I'll be long gone from this two-bit railroad while yer workin on that career advancement in the Waco & Northwest Railroad Company.

Tiny and Luke set off to walk the cars and coaches and the train approaches full speed. The conductor is heard calling out, Next stop, Belton! Belton! Watson says to Paladin, Belton, county seat of Bell County. Another dry one with nothin to wet the citizens' whistles. He winks. I'll be picking up an order there. Rotgut homemade moonshine. I don't drink it myself. A bad batch will blind ya or make ya a jakeleg cripple. But some people in Fort Worth have a taste for it. Austin too. By the way, that rifle of yers has a fine gunstock? Care to show me the rest of the workin hardware?

Where does Paladin position himself for the leg to Belton? Or in general, for the rest of the trip?

[Grognardsw]

“A rifle is a rifle,” replied Paladin. “It’s the bullet that kills.” Switching the topic: “Hey, that guy look like Sam Bass?”

Paladin pointed at a visible new passenger, whoever bore any minute similarity at all to the murderer.

“Oh yeah, he ain’t Bass. I should have studied the wanted poster more.”

Pivoting to Watson’s favorite topic: “You have your markets nailed down good! Smart thinking.” After the stroke: “Maybe I should take a swig. I’ve been thinking about your offer.”

On the way to Barton, given Tiny and Luke were patrolling the cars, Paladin stayed in the caboose. He looked out the windows on each side, up and down the line, as well as the rear.

In general for the rest of the trip, Paladin would alternate between car patrol and caboose. If there were any pretty ladies with an empty seat besides them, Paladin will sit down with a smile and a clever quip.

[jemmus]

Paladin and Watson in the caboose hear the locomotive's whistle blow a long blast. They lurch forward and are about thrown to the floor as the train's brakes are thrown-- hard. The horrid screeching of the friction of steel on steel is almost deafening. What the hell...? Watson says. The conductor throws the caboose's door open. Riders on the tracks ahead! he yells. Come quick! He turns and hustles back toward the coaches. Luke Brawley soon bursts into the caboose. There's robbers with rifles and shotguns on tha tracks! Five of em! Sam Bass is in the middle of em, I swear! Watson's eyes widen. How do you know it's Sam Bass, Luke? You've never seen him. Brawley grabs his Sharps leaning against a wall and moves to the rear of the caboose. He replies in his sullen, overly defensive way, I've seen the wanted posters! It's him! He's not coverin his face. He's smilin, like he wants everybody know it's him.

Tiny rushes into the caboose. Come on! There are five armed riders, three on the tracks and track bed and two others off ta either side. Looks like they mean to shoot into engine cab if the train don't stop. Watson's eyes dart rapidly to the right and left, as if he's quickly considering many things. He doesn't look so cocksure now. He looks more like he's on the border of panic. The train continues its urgent deceleration, locked immobile steel wheels throwing fountains of sparks and sliding heavily and screaming over steel rails.

Paladin is up!

[Grognardsw]

A strategic question. The train is 7 cars long, each car being 30’ or 40’?

Engine, coal car, passenger, passenger, freight, passenger, caboose?

Edit: Engine, coal car, passenger, passenger, freight, livestock, caboose,

[jemmus]

Correct, except ahead of the caboose is the livestock car, and ahead of that is the freight car. Then passenger coaches to the coal car and engine.

[Grognardsw]

So the seven are Engine, coal car, passenger, passenger, freight, livestock, caboose. Each 30’, 210’ subtotal, plus six 5’ gaps between each, for a total length of 240’?

[jemmus]

The engine and coal car aren't counted, so there are two more passenger cars. The lengths of the cars and the gaps between them sounds about right. The locomotive is around 85 ft (28 yds) long and the coal car is around 20 ft (3 yds).

[Grognardsw]

Sorry to belabor it, just need to know the distances and lay-out of the battlefield so to speak.

So Engine (85’), coal car (20), passenger (30), passenger (30), passenger (30), passenger (30), freight (30), livestock (30), caboose (30). Subtotal 315’, plus eight 5’ gaps between each, for a total length of 355’?

[jemmus]

Sorry, I see that I gave you bad information. Here's the correct info.
Engine - 85
Coal car - 20
Passenger coach -30
Passenger coach - 30
Flat car - 30
Freight car - 30
Cattle car - 30
Caboose - 20 (not 30).
255 ft.
With the six 5 ft gaps, 285 ft.