Runaway Rosie
"Where's Thomas?" Gordon boomed as soon as Rosie came to a stop, looking at her suspiciously. "He's normally here to collect my passengers."
"Thomas had an accident last night so he has to take trucks today," Rosie explained brightly. "So you get to see me instead!" she added with a wide smile. Gordon grunted indignantly and looked away.
Rosie didn't mind though: she was just happy to be doing something new for a change. She normally only took trucks this early in the morning, and then she never got time to appreciate the world around her, too busy keeping the trucks under control while making she sure wasn't late.
The two engines sat in silence as the passengers crossed the platform. Rosie smiled cheerfully at Gordon while they waited, but the big blue engine avoided eye contact as though looking at her might contaminate him. After a few minutes, Rosie began to feel uncomfortable, but wasn't sure what to say or do. The situation was unlikely to clear up soon, as a passenger in a wheelchair was having difficulty getting out of Gordon's coaches.
"Hopefully the 3PM train goes quicker than this," Rosie said with a light hearted laugh. Gordon turned and looked at her with pure contempt.
"Are you still going to be collecting my passengers then?" He asked. Rosie nodded, her smile dipping slightly, and Gordon let out a burst of steam as he rolled his eyes. "Wonderful, just wonderful. Well, if you are collecting my passengers from the 3PM train, make sure you are actually on time."
"What do you mean?"
"Thomas is normally here well before I arrive: today, I had to wait, the indignity of it all. I used to pull the Express, you know? I don't want for anybody. Besides, the Main Line is set to a much stricter timetable than your little back alley branch line; I don't have time to wait while you talk to the cows or roll through the flowers or whatever it is you do. We are actually important."
"Excuse me, but I –," Rosie began, but a guards whistle cut across her thoughts. The disabled passenger had been helped from Gordon's coaches, and now he was ready to go. With another blast of steam, Gordon sounded his whistle and set off without another word. However, Rosie caught the glimpse of a wink as the tender engine rolled away, and the last of her joy faded away.
It was a slow and sad journey back to Ffarquhar, the exact opposite of her excitement this morning. Rosie moved mournfully between stations, barely managing her usual cheery smile at the passengers boarding and disembarking. She was too lost in thought, Gordon's words refusing to leave her.
I am important, aren't I? Yet the more Rosie thought about it, the more she felt like Gordon had a point. She had been working on Thomas' branch line for several years now, but despite all this time, she didn't have any special jobs. Thomas and Daisy were passengers, Toby and Flora dealt with the quarry line, Percy ran the harbour and Mavis was in charge of the quarry. Rosie simply ran about here and there, one day taking stone trucks when Mavis was busy, the next taking the milk van while Thomas dealt with the extension. She had to wait for a punishment or an accident until she got her own specific task, but that only lasted until her friend was fixed or redeemed.
Maybe Gordon's right, maybe I'm not that important? Rosie asked herself, and by the time she reached Ffarquhar, she couldn't even manage half a smile.
"What's wrong with you?" Rosie turned, having not realised that Daisy was waiting at Ffarquhar. The railcar had a look in her eye, as though Rosie's unhappiness might bring forth a bit of gossip for her feast on.
However, Rosie wasn't up to chatting. "I'm just not feeling very happy today," she replied crestfallenly, and Daisy's own smile sunk.
"Oh… you're not going to talk to me about it, are you?"
"Oh, um… no, I guess not?"
"Good," Daisy replied simply. "Whatever it is, I am sure you will feel better later."
"I'm sure," Rosie replied, though she doubted it. Once her passengers had all left, the pink engine left the station and rolled across the yards, moving over multiple points until she made it to the coaches shed.
"You two stay here for now, I will be back to pick you up for the 3PM train."
"You don't look very happy," Clarabel said as Rosie rolled past. "You normally have such a bright smile on your face. Is that about what Gordon said?" Reluctantly, Rosie nodded, and the coach pulled a face.
"Gordon? Ignore that big blue brute!" Annie called out. "He is always causing trouble; you can never take anything those big engines say seriously. Once, Henry tried to upset us by saying Thomas was never going to come back from his trip to York. We were both shaken up so badly by that, but we realised afterwards that the tender engines only want to amuse themselves."
"But you must have known Thomas was going to come back, so Henry's words couldn't hurt you. What Gordon said was true: I'm so unimportant that I don't even have my own job. I just do whatever everything else is too busy to do." At this, neither coach had anything to say – like Rosie, they both knew it was true.
Rosie's next job was shunting – every other engine was busy with other jobs, so she was being dumped with organising their trains. Thankfully, it was a busy, methodical job, and Rosie was able to distract herself as she moved trucks into different sidings. Because of the extension work, a lot of different types of trucks had been mixed up in various trains, so her job was separating the flatbeds, low loaders and wooden trucks and putting them with their own kind, ready to be taken back to the harbours, main line and the quarry.
This is a great way to vent, Rosie thought as she biffed a trio of trucks into a longer line, ready to be coupled together. The trucks grumbled and muttered under their breathes at being abused, but Rosie felt great, knowing for a second that at least she was more important than some workers on the branch line.
She let that thought sink in for a moment, and then she was suddenly weighed down by guilt. What a horrible thing to think. Trucks are important, how could I even think something like that? They are probably more important than me – at least they have a job.
"I'm sorry!" She called out, and the trucks looked at her quizzically.
"Was that aimed at me?" A cheeky voice called, and Rosie lit up instantly as Thomas pulled up alongside, a row of empty trucks rattling behind him. Thomas, thank goodness! She thought, smiling brightly at her fellow tank engine. Nothing made her happier than seeing her best and closest friend: he always knew what to say, thanks to his years and years of experience, and he was the right engine to cheer her up.
"No silly, you've done nothing wrong," Rosie replied, blushing as Thomas smiled back at her. "I was talking to the trucks – you see, when I took Annie and Clarabel out this morning, Gordon was there, and he –"
"Look who it is!" Thomas' angry huff made Rosie trail off, his attention clearly diverted elsewhere. She looked past Thomas and watched as Titan came roaring into the yard, a much longer line of trucks rattling behind: flatbeds piled high with track, trucks loaded with bricks and bags of cement, large steel girders, and right behind him were Jack and Alfie, their laughter sounding across the yard.
"He's going too fast; what if someone was on the tracks, he might cause an accident," Thomas grumbled. "And why is he bringing more track? I thought I had delivered enough yesterday. Was it not good enough, what I brought?" Rosie wasn't quite sure what to say in response, but she did feel crestfallen, realising that Thomas was too distracted to pay attention to her problems. The two sat in silence as Titan and his train disappeared from the yard, a distant whistle signalling he was heading straight for Ulfstead and the extension.
"He must already be planning to take my job; next minute he will be the one taking Annie and Clarabel, not you!" Thomas fumed.
"About that, do you want to hear what happened to me –"
"Oh Rosie, thank goodness you're here!" Resisting the urge to blow off steam, Rosie looked to her left this time as Flora came to a screeching halt, wincing as her trucks banged behind her. "The yard manager said you would be here – I need you to take these trucks down to the harbour."
"Now? Why can't you?" Rosie said, feeling bad for getting exasperated but not sure how else to feel.
"I would but they need me to take fuel back to the quarry urgently. Mavis has run out and there is already a backlog. You can come and do the shunting later, can't you?" Stifling back a sigh, Rosie nodded. "Thank you Rosie, you're the best!"
"Before you go," Thomas said as Flora was uncoupled and switched tracks, "weren't you going to tell me something?"
"Never mind," Rosie replied, forcing a smile as she rolled onto the right track. "It's not like it was important."
"Woah Rosie, do you want to slow down a bit? We can't let these trucks get control of us."
"Sorry!" Rosie cursed herself for letting her anger distract her, and she tried her best to slow down. She was stunned to realise she had already sailed past Elsbridge, and Toryreck was not far down the line. Unfortunately, her irritation had been growing all day, and having this job pawned off onto her only confirmed her worries: she was the spare, hanging around to do whatever no one else could do. She couldn't go to Anopha Quarry to help, she didn't have her own coaches or seats inside of her, she hadn't been running the harbour for several decades like Percy.
And maybe Thomas is right to be weary of Titan, she thought. If there is already not enough work for me, what am I going to do now that there's a bigger, stronger engine on the line?
Unfortunately for Rosie, she was letting herself get too distracted. Unbeknownst to her or her crew, the stone trucks had managed to chatter briefly with the empty trucks back at the yard: they had told them about Rosie and how she had been bumping them all day. Now that she was roaring down the line, the trucks were ready to get revenge for their brethren.
It happened quickly.
Just past Toryreck was a junction, the tracks splitting off as they headed towards either Knapford Station or Harbour. Rosie rattled through the station, not realising just how fast she was going. The signal was red; up ahead, she could see Daisy making her way back from the station. Rosie knew she had to stop, and she began to slow down as the points came closer…
"NOW!" The shout was sudden and unexpected. Rosie cried out as she felt the trucks ram into her, hitting her with such force that the bang echoed. She was suddenly rolling forwards; Rosie looked behind and saw her crew chasing after her, but she was already gathering speed. She zipped past the signal, the track to harbour came and went, and Rosie knew what was happening straight away: she was a runaway.
"GO BACK DAISY, I CAN'T STOP!" Rosie screamed. The trucks were laughing behind her, their high pitched squeals sign they were enjoying her torment. Rosie tried to push back against them, but the train was already out of control and with her crew knocked from her footplate, she was unstoppable.
Daisy's eyes widened as Rosie got closer, and her driver quickly put her into reverse: the railcar roared backwards, quickly going at top speeds, but Rosie was hot on her tail. The countryside blurred past as the two engines sped back to the station; the only thing Rosie could clearly see was Daisy's driver calling for help.
"Slow down, you're going to cause an accident!" Daisy snapped.
"I can't!" Rosie wailed, and the trucks laughed harder. Knowing fighting back against the weight of the stone trucks was pointless, Rosie gave herself over to the speed, and merely braced herself for whatever would happen next.
Knapford Station quickly came into view. Whistles and shouts were quickly deafened by the roar of Rosie and her laughing trucks. She could see signals going red, workers clearing the platform; Murdoch was coming to a halt on the main line, and Rosie breathed a sigh of relief he had got here before she did. As she hurtled past the platform, the stationmaster feebly chased after her.
"DON'T WORRY, WE'RE GOING TO STOP YOU!" He yelled, but Rosie had trouble believing it. She looked fearfully at Daisy, but suddenly she swerved and was leaving her behind: the railcar fearfully watched her as she came to a halt in a siding, but Rosie didn't have the luxury of stopping, endless track rolling out before her.
I'm on the main line, Rosie thought fearfully, and a hundred different outcomes ran through her mind at once; so many engines worked this line, meaning there were countless trains she could crash into. Horrific images of shattered trucks and twisted coaches filled her mind, and Rosie whimpered as the trucks continued to cackle.
The world around her went dark, and for a moment Rosie was petrified, wondering if she had managed to crash without noticing. But there was suddenly an eerie echo, a ghostly shadow of the trucks laughter, and Rosie realised she was really in the tunnel heading towards Tidmouth Station. Oh my god, what's going to happen if I reach there?
The darkness ended quickly, sunlight blinding her as she burst out of the tunnel. Buildings lined the tracks, the ocean was spread out in the distance; Rosie had never been here before, and normally would savour all the enw and exciting sights. Yet she was on edge, speeding down an unknown track, no idea of when she would next see an engine.
It came sooner than expected: a deep, booming whistle sounded behind her, and Rosie looked to her left as Murdoch pulled up alongside: she could hear his wheels pounding the track and saw he was red in the face, and realised in a burst of relief that he was her to save her.
"Don't worry Rosie, I'm going to stop you," the big tender engine puffed, and he began to draw in front of her, thick smoke churning from his funnel. Rosie wanted to feel relieved, her ordeal nearly over, but as Murdoch pulled in front, the duo rounded a bend, and Tidmouth Station appeared before them. It was so big and imposing, and Rosie wondered how many engines were there, how many passengers might be crowding the platform.
What will they all think of me if I hit something? I'll be remembered as Rosie, the unimportant engine who caused a horrible accident by filling in, as always.
But then a whistle sounded, and Rosie watched as Murdoch crossed at the points ahead of her. The track was quickly switched and she was now racing towards him; without any time to process it, she shut her eyes and let herself ram into him. A jolt spread through her and she felt it go down her train, but there was no collision, only a heavy weight against pressing against her front buffers.
"PUSH, ROSIE, PUSH!" Rosie realised Murdoch was putting resistance against the momentum of her trucks, trying to slow them down enough for him to brake and stop the train. With a great deal of effort, Rosie pushed back against her trucks: they shouted and banged against her buffers, urging the runaway to continue, but she put all her weight and strength into slowing them down.
You can do this Rosie, you can stop them!
They sailed into the station, the whine of an emergency siren sounding all around them. The engines at the other platforms called out their support, and while she was too stressed to recognise anyone, Rosie realised that things were no longer blurred: they were slowing down! As she continued to fight the trucks, she passed a group of workmen standing poised on the platform, who all began running as soon as she approached. Knowing what they were trying to do, Rosie put every ounce of steam into slowing herself down, groaning and straining against the weight of all the trucks.
Something thudded into her cab. Rosie felt her brakes come on, and she winced as her wheels squealed against the tracks. Then she felt Murdoch's weight leave her buffers, and she opened her eyes, watching as he came to a stop a few moments after she did.
And she smiled.
"It's always nice to see you Rosie, but I must say, I am never too fond of unexpected arrivals like this."
Tidmouth had been thrown into chaos by her unplanned visit. After Daisy's driver had called Knapford, they had alerted Tidmouth to their plan for Murdoch to slow her down. In case it went wrong, the entire station had been evacuated beginning only five minutes before Rosie raced around the bend. Passengers now swarmed the ticket office complaining about being delayed, and Rosie was on the receiving end of many angry looks as disgruntled travellers returned to their trains.
But the pink engine was just happy to be alive. Her wheels and side rods hurt, she was out of steam, tired, sore and shaken, but relieved. After being thanked endlessly by her, Murdoch had taken the stone trucks back to Knapford as he went to retrieve his abandoned train, leaving Rosie alone with Gordon and James seething to one side, while a more sympathetic Bear smiled at her from the other.
And now the Fat Controller. Rosie had thought he would be annoyed with her, but he had an uneasy smile as he looked down at her, clearly relieved things had not been worse.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to let this happen. The trucks just took control, and then –"
"Think nothing of it, Rosie, I do not blame you," her owner said, sighing but smiling as he said it. "Things could have been a lot worse had Murdoch not been there to stop you – I would rather not think about what might've been, it is simply too ghastly to imagine. Don't you agree?"
"Yes sir, definitely sir."
"Good," he replied, taking out a handkerchief and wiping her brow. "Ah look, here comes BoCo!" Rosie looked ahead as a green diesel she had only seen in passing a few times approached, smiling widely at her. "He is heading to Crovan's Gate and offered to shunt you back to Knapford on the way. I hope you are alright with that?" Rosie went to respond, but an angry grunt interrupted her before she could. She and The Fat Controller looked around, and Gordon stared defiantly back.
"Sir, I am already half an hour late with my train, and BoCo wasn't scheduled to go until after I had left! Surely a Main Line passenger train is more important than –"
"I am sorry Gordon, but right now, Rosie is more important than you. You can just wait your turn." Gordon looked as though the Fat Controller had just kicked him, but the railway boss had already turned away, donning his hat once again as BoCo was coupled to Rosie. "On your way now Rosie, and try not to have any more accidents – I have big plans for you, and I don't want them being changed."
"Yes sir!" Rosie replied, and she managed to whistle in farewell. She wasn't sure what he meant by big changes, but Rosie was simply happy to be noticed; if the Fat Controller thought she was important, than that had to mean something.
She met Gordon's eyes as BoCo shunted her from the station: the blue engine was watching her beadily, his face disgruntled and envious. Rosie stared back with a huge smile on her face and winked.
Next time, she imagined Gordon would be more than happy to wait for her.