Ballast trucks
Emily is getting the hang of things around Duck's branchline, " The Little Western", with the help from Donald, Douglas, Oliver, and Toad. When she first started to work there, she was rough with the trucks there bossing them about. Then the trucks caused an accident with her and since then, she leaned how to really work on the branchline like a true Great Western engine.
That evening, the Fat Controller came to the "Little Western" sheds. " A really good job." he said. " Now then Donald and Oliver, you two will be very busy tomarrow, so Douglas I want you to take Emily to the Arlesdale Railway and teach her everything to know there while you take some trucks there to fill them with ballast." "Yes sir." Douglas responed. Emily was surprised and delighted. She was gonna see what the small railway looks like for the very first time. She had never been the railway before, but heard stories of them from Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Toad, and her driver and fireman when it was her day off. Her crew would read the Railway Series to her and one of them would be about " The Small Railway Engines." She was interested to see as the scottish twins would put it " verra wee engines."
So the next mourning, Donald and Oliver started to do their busy jobs for the day, Douglas took some empty trucks. So did Emily as the two engines were on their way to the Arlesdale Railway. When they got there, Emily was amazed. She could see the small railway engines doing their jobs. " They are amazing." she said excitedly to Douglas. " Aye agree with you." he repiled kindly to her. " They look very busy though, but you might have a chance to talk to some of them." Soon Douglas was the first one to load his trucks while Emily went to see the small engines. Bert was resting, when Emily came to him. " Hello there I'm Emily." she greeted happily." " Why hello there Emily I'm Bert." he greeted back. But Emily was confused. " Bert?" she asked. " But you look different then what I've seen from the books." Bert chuckled " Will those books come out after I got my overhaul, so yeah can say that." Emily understood. Soon Bert was finish resting and then he went back to work. " Good bye Emily." Bert greeted a good bye. " It was nice talking with you." "Same with you." she greeted back and with that Bert left to do his job.
Soon for the rest of the mourning, Emily had a talk with the other small engines. They were happy with here and soon after they all became friends with here. Then after Douglas was finish filling his trucks, he left. Now it was Emily's turn to fill her trucks. So she positioned each of her trucks under the small railway tracks above. This is where the small railway engines place special kind of trucks on the top of the standard gauge tracks down below. The small railway trucks have a kind of chute under them. So the workmen can open up the chute to release the ballast from the small trucks to the big trucks were they can be filled up. However there was a problem with one of the trucks. Appearently chute from one of the trucks wasn't work properly. It would open up at the wrong time, so the engines have to be careful when the workmen handle with the small trucks. Emily though never was told by Douglas about this. So Emily went under the tracks above as Frank position the ballast trucks above. As he did, so it happend. The workmen release the chutes, when the broken truck's chute came open and the ballast from the small truck fell all over Emily as she was covered from funnel to footplate with ballast. She was suprise. Frank could see this and told her if she was alright. " Oh my. Emily are you alright." he said. " Yes 'cough' Frank." she responed " I'm fine 'cough." Soon later, the Small Controller came from his office to see the problem. " What happend here." he asked Emily's driver and fireman. " Well sir, we were waiting for Emily's trucks to be fill up when the unexpected happend. The ballast from one of the truck's chute came opened and fell all over Emily." The Small Controller understood. " Well it's neither Emily or Frank's fault. It was that small truck's chute. I should've told the workmen to look over the truck." he said to them. Then he went to talk to Emily. " Cheer up Emily it's not your fault. It's that damage truck that I forgot to have the workmen look over. But your in a terrible mess. Not to mention your boiler got damage by the falling ballast. So I'm afraid I'll have to call the Fat Controller to send in another engine to take over." he said to her. " Yes sir." she said to him.
Soon Douglas came to take Emily to the repair yards on Duck's branchline while Wilbert came to take Emily's trucks away to their destination. Soon Douglas brought Emily to the repair yards. Then Douglas talk to her. " I'm sorry that your in a mess." he apologized to her. " Aye should've told you or the small engines to tell you about the small damage truck." " That's alright Douglas. I should've known better to carefully position myself when the truck release it's ballast." she said to him and with that Douglas left her to the repair yards while he went to continue his work, but not without whistling a good bye to her as he left.