After a month of Me and Colin being spotted and dragging Hannah along side, we still hadn't hadn't been found. Which was lucky, I hadn't expected to last that long at all. Then Hannah tells me something...
"So, we just keep running or what?" Hannah asked, out of breath as we just had to speed past the mainline to not get found by a class 159.
"Well yeah, it's not like we have anywhere else to go is it?" I replied.
" Sodor? " she said seriously.
"Yeah, we'll just jump into a book!" I replied, thinking she was out of her mind.
" No-no really! " she replied "we just have to get to Barrow an-"
"Barrow!" I said, cutting her off. " we have to go to Barrow! "
"Yes! It's not far... I think."
"Not far!" I shouted " it's bloody miles away! We are not doing it! "
"Please...! Maybe not for you, or even me. But for Colin!"
At that point I froze. I had known him since our days at the docks, when we were withdrawn and right up to the point I used his scrap wagons as a battering ram to escape scrap. We had gone through alot, mostly him. Not only did I want him to have a happy ending but I wanted him to be able to tell it too.
"Fine..." I said begrudgingly.
"Great! Now where is Barrow..."
"To the west, got a compass?" I said sarcastically .
"No but why don't we ask him!"
" Who- wait Hannah! "
She saw some steam engine strolling down the line and decided to talk to it.
"Um, hello?" She asked to engine
He was big. He had ten wheels, five on each side, with the back two/ four being seperate.
She started talking to it, it even slowed down to talk at somepoint. Apparently it's name was Hurricane, I didn't believe it and still don't but he helped us so it was fine.
After Hannah and Hurricanes conversation, she reversed back to me.
"We follow this line, then at some point there's a juntion, straight on takes you to a steel works but going left takes you to a huge junction area, follow that straight on and follow the line from there!"
" Great! Where is the juntion? " I asked, for some reason expecting a small distance.
"Dunno, pretty far though."
" Gggrreeeaaaaatt... " I sighed.
We set of all having full fuel/coal respectively from the abandoned yard we were just in.
Of course, the journey took forever as one would expect. But it took longer because of some unfortunate happenings.
We reached a station and fled for the yard. We found an 08, but he kept his mouth shut about us. We planned to wait for dark, but had things happened before sunset.
The 08 was pulling a train of tankers for a diesel. We didn't know him for long, but we guessed he was cheeky as after the train was assembled and coupled he said " Don't fail with this lot of tankers ay 199? " Don't want a steamie carrying you right! "
He just groaned and began to set off. Then, about fifteen- twenty minutes later he came back down the mainline very slowly. Thick black smoke radiated from his side's and top, his engine made horrible sputtering noises and his poor white face and black had gone pale.
The station pilot exited his siding to investigate the situation with the class 46.
"Whup, what do we 'ave 'ere aye?" The 08 jokingly asked.
"Shut...up..." 199 quietly replied.
Well I'll just get you into the ya-" he cut himself off, remembering we were there waiting for dusk.
"Shut up pilot, I'll get in myself." The diesel said.
The 08 gulped. He then caught up to D199. He was nearing our siding (at the far end) and had to do something.
"Hey! You-um can't go in those sidings!" He blurted out.
" oh yeah? Why not..? "
"Because, because, because some coaches are supposed to go there soon!" He hastily replied
" oh yeah, which train? " 199 asked suspiciously.
"The 12:20 to... Somewhere..." He said.
" so that one? " the diesel said, moving his eyes to the direction of a stopping DMU. "Didn't you say coaches?"
" I-um well-oh! No... Well the thi-" the station pilot continued to stutter way after the 144 had been and gone.
The 46 must've grown tired of the pilot trying to explain how way out of it as he just started to move.
As I normally do, I'm going to have to explain something about us. Any diesel with a cab at both ends, can swap their face found to the other side, this is also true with single car DMU's, coaches and wagons.
Luckily, D199 swapped his face to the other end before he came into our sight. Which was lucky. In fact, it wasn't even him who found us, it was the workmen who came to fix him who did.
The sun was nearing the horizon and the red skies began to appear. It was then that a tattered wickam trolley rolled down the line, bringing people with various tools and bags.
"What now?" Hannah asked. She was behind us so couldn't see much.
" reverse as far back as you can go. K? " I replied.
She reluctantly did so, hitting the buffers and then coming to a stop.
I could just see what was happening past the view obstructing shed.
The workmen operated for hours on the diesel. He was getting close to being done when something terrible happened...
The workmen were happily working on him when, from what I infered, something either dislodged or got stuck in the diesels systems, causing thick, black and painful smoke to exert out of every, fan, grill and door. It got much, much worse however. He suddenly caught fire! His painful shrieks ripped through the air.
I just watched. I had seen many life ending accidents in my time on the harbour, a boiler explosion, an engine drowning and one even being hit by a boat.
Colin was like me, but Hannah lost it and began to shriek.
"What the hell!" One of the workmen shouted.
they turned around to see me, Colin and Hannah trying to reverse further.
"Its the convicts from a month ago! We found them!" Another workmen shouted.
Due to the ex-46 being in the space in front of us, we were trapped. A crane came to take the remains and us away.
Me and Colin were attached to the front crane holding wagon for the crane, Hannah was pushed at the front by a different class 60 who was pulling the crane and the former D199 was coupled to Colins back scrap wagon. I talked to Colin, and he seemed more lively than ever considering the circumstances.
When we arrived at the scrapyard, night had been and was on its way out. Barbed wire fences wrapped the graveyard with a big iron gate serving as the lid of the coffin, blocking our escape.
Hannah was brought in, but was given a list of places to go as she wasn't on the Reapers list.
Colin was taken away, but he wasn't smelted down. I was placed in a siding next to one other steam locomotive (that was alive.) He was a GWR 2251, apparently a LNWR 18 was next to him at some point. But he was scrapped years ago.
Time passed, then the 2251 was taken away by a class 14 and never came back.
two weeks had passed, I could still move but my wheels stuttered whenever I did.
Now, when it comes to this next part, I don't know if it did actually happen. Someone told me long after this event when I told her.
Apparently, the company needed much more scrap to sell, so they loaned a diesel from another scrapyard, it wasn't the reaper, I half expected that too.
It was early in the morning, i'm rudely awakened by the gates creaking open, scraping the track. I thought nothing of it, until I see a GWR Pannier trying to reverse from a class 60. The same one from the branchline in the previous story.
From what I've inferred. After it fell of the rails and the truth of two companies becoming public, they both went bankrupt. All locos were sold. The class 60 was given to a scrapyard and given modifications (a spiked claw,) to efficiently scrap locomotives.
The Pannier was unsuccessful in her escape, being torn to shreds and her boiler exploding due to her lighting it to escape. Her screams ended quickly, but others weren't so lucky.
He skipped passed me, deciding instead to take the others from the line next to me. It was my chance to escape. I subtly exited to try and find Colin.
At first I thought he was gone, but I found him just outside the smelters. Still in the same wagons too. I used him just as I did all those years ago. We were racing towards the gate my wheels feeling more lively than ever.
We crashed for through the gates at high speeds. Not long after, many other old steam locos began to fly out after us, going in many different directions. All far from the god forsaken murder yard.
The class 60 unfortunately got most of the ones that escaped after seeing me blow the gates of their hinges. Me, Colin and an LYR class 28 with a front pony and a cobweb on his boiler were the only ones to escape.
It wasn't long until we found Hannah. She decided to work at the steel works and met back with Hurricane as well as others like Frankie, Lexi, Theo and Merlin.
The other train left us to go elsewhere. I think he's on Sodor in a shed somewhere now.
Anyway, we set of for Barrow once again, not letting anything get in our way. Well we tried, we really, really did.
We got fairly close to another station when we saw a diesel carrying a long freight train. We stopped but hit the back wagon. The tanker swapped its face and called out.
"Steamie!"
Causing a ripple effect causing all tankers and diesel to switch their face round to come into our view.
"Come onto the middle line." The diesel said in an oddly soft voice.
We complied and switched to the mid track. Having to reverse quite far back to do so.
"We are trying to go to sodor?" I asked, hoping it would reply.
" what for? " the 28 asked.
"Refuge!" Hannah said.
" follow me. Though I'm not stopping so keep up. You may want to ditch the wagons as well. " it replied.
"Sorry, there's an engine in here" I replied.
It looked confused. It then spotted Colins face and understood.
"Right, this way."
We followed it forever. Past a workshop, a long forgotten railway show yard from the 60's and a canal with an annoying crane.
Then, we reached the huge juntion but we had to stop at some red signals.
"Right, yous need to go over there. "he said, glancing his eyes over to the right." Ima goin this way. Have fun! "
Just as he finished his sentance, the lights turned green from giving us the clear. Just before he went out of hearing range, he said.
"Oh! Say D5075 says hello to BoCo if you see him!"
He then went out of view, being blocked of by an old steam engine with a square boiler.
When we finally arrived at Barrow, something awful happened...
There was Gordon, Henry, Nia, Dexter and Rebecca guarding the bridge that connected Sodor to England.
We hastily stopped, not seeing the barricade of engines. I naturally asked what was going on. Not expecting the reply I received.
"It's diesel 10! " Gordon shouted
"Some red diesel convinced him to ravage the island!" Henry added.
" They're killing any humans or locomotives they find! " Nia finished.
"We'd love to let you in, but it's too dangerous!" Dexter said to us.
What I haven't mentioned much is mine and Colin's escape from scrap. We were aided by a diesel, similar to diesel 10, Daniella and the class 60.
After the success of the scrapping crane was shown by the first two mentioned diesels, the aided scrapping act of 1967 was passed. All scrapyards had to own a large diesel with a crane atop its roof. Though they didn't have to be operational, it was decided that they had to be so in 2010.
This is why the class 60 was hired. The other one was simply not operating.
Back to the story.
"We could help with that... " I said.
"Oh really tatty little engine?" Gordon said.
"Yeah! We were aided in our escape by a diesel just like the class 60!" I replied.
" Would you have anyway of communicating with it? " Henry asked.
"If it still works, but we'll need a driver to operate it and we'll have to go far." I said.
" I'll go! " Gordon said boastfully.
"No!" I shouted. " we need a small engine who knows the mainland well.
" Nia? " Dexter asked.
"She doesn't look of British design." I said suspiciously.
"No, she isn't. She's from Kenya." Dexter replied.
" Any small engine who knows the mainland? We need as many as possible! "
"Um... Me maybe..." Dexter mumbled.
" Perfect! " I shouted.
"Wait, what!" He replied, shocked.
Later on, I found out he lived on the mainland. Sure he was a diesel and wasn't as experienced in the mainland, but he would do.
"So, where we off to? " Dexter said enthusiastically.
" Umm... Haverigg. " I said unsure.
"You positive?" Dexter asked.
" Yeah, just don't know where it is from here. " I said, puzzled.
"Well, just follow me!" He said with a huge smile on his face.
I followed him through the junction and went on an elevated rail. We entered a tunnel, and arrived on a coastal line. We arrived at Haverigg not long after.
"Well your the boss now!" Dexter said.
I went down the line with a tier in my eye. The place had barely changed! Sure the small scrapped had been and gone ( I even found the tracks leading to it.) But it was the same as ever. I pulled into the siding we needed.
"Hey, could you get your driver to say the code word blackland into the radio?" I asked.
" Sure! Mark! Say what he said! " Dexter shouted to his driver.
He said the codeword and within a few seconds, a rough voice awnsered.
"Colin, Peter. Been a while, watcha need?" The diesel asked.
"Pull it closer!" I said to Dexter driver.
He did so.
"Hey! Been a while! So. me, Colin and a new one called Hannah- long story. Went to Sodor to live their. But two diesels like you ravaged the place. Could you help? " I asked.
"Sure! Be a few minutes, just at the scrapyard."
" but it's closed! " I said.
"Your not only one hiding!" He replied.
Soon, he was with all four of us.
"Well, lead me to a fictional location in a book!" He said sarcastically.
"That's exactly what Peter said!" Hannah butted in.
" You know little one, I'm not surprised. " he said, giggling.
We set off, luckily not running into locomotives. We arrived at Sodor swiftly, everyone flinching upon seeing my friend.
"Everyone, meet John, the class 31!"
" Ugh! How is HE supposed to help? " Gordon said disgusted.
"He maybe able to reason with them... Or attack them if need be." I replied.
Unfortunatly, John had to do the latter. Both diesels were restless in their pursuit for blood. John was able to derail them though. Both diesels survived. But had their claws removed permanently. Diesel could still see his, due to the complicated story behind it. They were also sentenced to a long time behind bars on the mainland.
And that's how we got to Sodor! I'm glad to say that Colin now works on the Ffarquhar line while I work at Brendham. I was originally given Colins job, but gave it to him. He needed it and I'm glad to say he made a full recovery. Hannah works on and off but is situated mainly just outside the dieselworks. I don't see her often but it's nice when I do.
That doesn't mean there aren't more stories however, there are plenty more to come. But I'll save those for later...
