Frank was taken to the works a day later. He would have to be in the works for a very long time, as his designers hadn't built an engine like his in a long time. The Small Controller had expected this, but did not realize it would take over a month to complete. With only seven engines on the busy line, he would need to get some new engines, at that would take a long time.
He started by mapping out all the miniature railways he could name that were nearby. There was Ravenglass and Eskdale, not too far from the Vicarstown Rolling Bridge. There was also the Rhyl and Lakeside lines, which was only a two or three hours from Ravenglass. Maybe an hour and a half by train. Either way, it appeared that his options were limited. He decided to get started on his journey looking for some new engines.
The journey was off to a rough start. The train he had gotten a ticket for to the Mainland was late. Very late. Finally, an engine he recognized as Gordon had backed onto the train. The stationmaster explained that the train that was originally going to pull the train had derailed and would not be able to pull the train after all. The Small Controller boarded one of the coaches and sat down. Finally. He thought. As Gordon sped off, and the Vicarstown Rolling Bridge came down, he had realized something. I left my ticket!
The ticket inspector soon came along down the coach. "Tickets! Tickets please!" he yelled. The Small Controller looked around, alarmed, and the Ticket Inspector locked eyes with him. Uh oh. The Small Controller thought. "Ah, no ticket, I see. Well, don't worry. The next platform is coming right up. We'll make you get off there." Barrow-In-Furness! He sighed, relieved. That was the station he needed to get off at.
After being thrown off the train and renting a car, the Small Controller finally reached Ravenglass. He would have loved to visit there with his family, but right now he was on business. He walked around until he found a driver, who was on break. "Excuse me." he started. "Do you know if there's any engines for sale?". The driver looked over. "I don't know. I'm just a worker here. Nothing more. But you could ask one of the people at the Museum or the Preservation Society.". The Small Controller said thanks and walked off.
When he entered the museum, he thought there would be engines everywhere. But there wasn't. There was only two or three engines inside. He asked the nearest employee if they knew of any engines for sale. They shook their head and said: "I do not know of any engines for sale. If you are looking for some engines, I suggest going near the shed. We usually buy parts from the original designers, but there is a few engines we haven't been able to repair hanging around the sheds." The Small Controller said thanks and walked off.
This is going to be a long day. He thought.