Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

Crosby's Surge

It was a stormy night on the Island of Sodor and Mavis and BoCo were making their way to an overnight storage facility to collect more supplies to complete some important work for Centre Island Quarry. However, on this stormy night, BoCo and Mavis had to go slower as their lamps were battered by the awful conditions. Soon enough, they had to come to a complete stop as their lamps had fallen off, and it was too dangerous to carry on, but in the poor light of the night, both crews struggled to find them.
"Where are they?" wondered Mavis' driver.
"They should be around here..." said BoCo's driver, but he was baffled by where they had gone aswell. They kept on searching in the fading light and as the storm continued, Mavis and BoCo noted that in the distance was the Power Station. It glowed magnificently against the black of the hills and the dark grey of the sky, and it looked as if it was working harder than it had ever before.

"Should be warm around there!" said Mavis jokingly to keep up morale.

"Indeed..." agreed BoCo, but then as his and Mavis' crew searched for their lights, he recalled an old story that Edward had told him many years ago. BoCo now looked scared as he remembered this story and Mavis was worried.
"What's the matter, BoCo?" quizzed Mavis.
"It's the Power Station." replied BoCo. "Edward told me many years ago rumours had spread about old, rusty Engines and Diesels being taken to the Power Station and being hooked onto the Power Grid..."
"Oh my..." said a horrified Mavis. "How did Edward know about this?"
"He swears to me that one lonesome night, while he was taking Coal back to Ffarquhar he saw workmen from the Power Station taking apart an engine. He heard the engine scream. He assumed it was being scrapped, but he never knew why at the Power Station..."
"That's awful...it can't be true" said Mavis.
"But Edward doesn't lie..." said BoCo eerily. "It has to be true...and if not, why would this happen?" Then, in the distance, both of them saw the Power Station surge with power and its glow momentarily vanish. A faint scream was also heard and this spooked Mavis and BoCo beyond belief. Another scream was heard, but it was much louder this time, and they were very much spooked.

Mavis and BoCo's crew soon came back with the missing lamps and they soon reattached them, and they were soon on their way again, but none of them knew that as they set off, the points had been switched and they were now heading toward the Power Station. In the darkening hours, they continued slowly and heard the chuffing of engines in the distance. Behind some bushes, they could make out the shape of Henry and The Flying Kipper and they could faintly see the Skarloey Railway in the very far distance. This was made even surer by the sounds of Duncan's whistle, which is always recognisable. BoCo and Mavis carried on not knowing of the detour that they had been led onto, and their crew seemed oblivious to it aswell. All of them could see the Power Station lurking proud and tall in the distance with its bright glow, but once again a brief power surge occurred and a scream echoed throughout the nearby hills.
"What is that?" asked Mavis.
"Edward never lies..." said BoCo once again. "He's right...they're taking us...and getting rid of us..." he said frightened. BoCo and Mavis' crew didn't know what they were on about at all and were starting to become concerned with their behaviour.
"What's the matter with you two, tonight?" asked Mavis' driver, but before anyone could reply, they had to break suddenly as something ran across the tracks. The screech was loud and it echoed tremendously, but luckily no-one was hurt. Another power surge occurred once more in the distance as was a faint scream and that's when BoCo's driver realised what BoCo and Mavis were so scared about.
"Edward wasn't wrong..." he said grimly. "Edward wasn't wrong..."

Strange things were happening on Sodor, and as BoCo and Mavis continued toward the Power Station, the screams from earlier got louder, and it only made Edward's story seem even more true. Soon enough, they arrived beside the Power Station. It looked old, yet new at the same time, it was an odd building, and it seemed so far away from life on Sodor, yet it was just a little bit down the line. Then, they heard banging from inside the Power Station and this spooked them even more. The banging wasn't part of Edward's story, but it did just seem to fit in with everything else that had been said.
"This cannot be true..." said Mavis once again, but BoCo still seemed unsure.

"Everything Edward said is happening, he wouldn't lie..." he protested, and then the main factory door creaked open. A man was stood there, he looked like an official sort of man with a green visor and a helmet, and he soon invited BoCo and Mavis' crew inside the factory. They seemed nervous to go at first, but they soon went.
"Be careful!" called Mavis, but no-one responded. The factory door creaked once again as it closed and BoCo and Mavis were now on their own...

BoCo and Mavis' crew were now with the official looking man inside the factory as he led them to something completely unexpected.
"You are kidding me?" said BoCo's driver as he caught sight of the spectacle.
"I'm am not..." protested the official looking man. "This is Crosby..." he said proudly. Crosby was an old, rusty BR Class D2/7 Diesel. He looked somewhat regal, but he looked old and worn out now. What remained of his apparent Crimson paint had faded and rusted. He simply didn't look right, and BoCo and Mavis' crew were shocked beyond belief.
"You've got a Diesel inside a Power Station?" Mavis' driver said in amazement.
"Yes..." came the reply.
"But why?" asked BoCo's driver.
"Well..." began the official looking man. "It was many, many years ago, and Crosby came here to visit. It was completely unannounced and that's how he liked it, but one day he crashed and was severely damaged. His Manager on the Mainland didn't want him back, so he said we could keep him, and that's what we've done. We hooked up his engine to the Power Grid to help us...he's helping supply Sodor's Electricity. He is doing good!"
"But he's hooked upto the Power Grid?" said Mavis' driver. "How is this right?"
"I said it could be..." came a rasping voice, and that was Crosby's. "It was either be scrapped or make myself useful one last time...I think I made the right choice..."
"But..." interrupted the official looking man. "His time is up here. He can go on the lines once again. We've got enough money to cope without him. Please do take him. We've supplied a flatbed, its just round the corner..."
"Where is he going though?" wondered BoCo's driver.
"Home..." said Crosby simply. "My old Manager wants me back now. I'm going home!" and with that, workmen and a Crane put Crosby onto the flatbed and pushed him round the corner. When he came into view of Mavis and BoCo, they were shocked.
"Hello..." rasped Crosby. "I know this is surprising, but no engine gives up on their life..."
"Oh my..." said Mavis.
"Edward never lied..." said BoCo triumphantly, and soon enough both of them pushed Crosby along to his crossover point. He looked very happy and his crimson body began to glisten in the moonlight.
"Wonderful!" he said to himself as he awaited his return home.

As early morning rose, Mavis and BoCo finally pushed Crosby into the crossover point. He was then to be taken by James to the Mainland before finally returning home.
"I hope you enjoy your old home!" said Mavis cheerily.
"I hope the same too..." agreed BoCo. Crosby smiled, but he still had something to say.
"Thankyou for saving me..." he started. "But, this is only the beginning...There are many more engines lost on Sodor...Steam Engines and Diesels alike and were waiting to be useful once again. We don't want to die, we want to live!" BoCo and Mavis were shocked as they didn't know whether to believe him or not, but as James started to pull away with Crosby, he still wasn't finished talking just yet. "The others are yet to be found..." he said eerily. "The others are yet to be found..."