Disclaimer: I own neither Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends nor the Famous Five.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A beautiful railway

The next day dawned bright and sunny. The children were excited. They did not know what the Skarloey Railway was, or why it was so significant to Sodor. Henry had mentioned it as a big Sodor landmark, but that was all they knew.

'I see Tim hasn't lost his appetite,' said Anne as they once again devoured a fine breakfast. 'He's eaten half the sausages already! I was worried that head wound was worse than I thought.'

'I must check the injury at once,' said George. She cautiously lifted the bandage on the side of Timmy's head, and gave a little squeal of joy. 'It's completely healed! Look, there's no sign that he's been hurt at all! Oh, Tim, I'm so glad you're all right!'

'Well, that's brilliant!' said Julian exultantly as George unwound the bandage and thrust the material into her pocket. 'Now he'll be right as rain for the Skarloey Railway.'

'Where is the Skarloey?' asked Dick as they cleared away the breakfast things.

Julian plunged a hand into his backpack and tugged out the map of Sodor. He spread it out and the five of them, Timmy included, peered closely at it.

'There!' cried Anne, her sharp eyes spotting the starting point about three quarters down the Main Line. 'At a place called Crovan's Gate.'

'It says "Engines are mended here",' said George, peering at the key. 'Gordon did say that the Works station was where the Express stops before reaching the Other Railway. That must be it!'

'And we saw the station name from the train,' said Julian. 'I wonder why we didn't see any engines there. Maybe we weren't looking in the right place. Or maybe there simply weren't any to be seen.'

The children thought about this as they swung their rucksacks over their backs and set off, Timmy shooting off like an arrow in their wake.

'How are we going to get to Wellsworth, Ju?' asked Dick. 'I would really like to see Edward and Thomas again!'

'Well, much as I would like to see Thomas as well as Edward,' said Julian reluctantly, unfolding the map and showing it to Dick, 'I've decided that we will be heading for Edward's station on foot. There's a road that starts not far from the River Els, just here, and it leads almost directly to Wellsworth. We should be there in about half an hour at the most.'

'I hope David doesn't leave for the Skarloey Railway without us,' said Anne.

'He won't,' said George confidently. 'He seemed too nice a chap to let us down. Besides, I bet he and his family has been to the railway plenty of times, so it would do no good for them to go it alone.'

For a long time, the children said nothing as they strode through the fields, drinking in the beautiful scenery. It was so relaxing to view the countryside if you were in it rather than seeing it from the window of a train, bus or car! In no time at all, they joined the road that led to Edward's station, and from there, there was much less chance of losing themselves out of distraction.

It was as they were reaching the town of Wellsworth that they saw a bright red single-decker bus approaching them. The children weren't sure whether they expected it to be normal, but it didn't come as a big surprise as they saw that it had a face, just like the engines.

'Hello,' he called. 'I'm Bertie. You must be the children and dog Thomas told me about. You can ask him about his race with me if you like.' With that he sped on up the road.

'Whatever did he mean?' said Dick. 'A race? With Thomas? I wonder who won.'

They reached Edward's station and approached the ticket office. But before they got close, the man behind the desk said, 'You children don't have to buy tickets. You are here at Sir Topham's invitation, and don't even think of paying us or we'll set Daisy on you.'

The children were wondering if this was going to be the same for every station on Sodor, and who Daisy was, when they heard someone yell their names and they dashed as one onto the platform.

The first thing they saw was Alex, Lily and Charlie perched side by side on an enormous wicker luncheon basket, grinning broadly and waving at them. Then they saw David, Polly and Justin sitting next to each other on a bench near the main door, but all three leapt up with cries of greeting.

'We thought you'd never come!' shouted David joyously, thumping Julian and Dick on the back. 'But now that you're here, we can be ready for Edward!'

'Listen, here he comes now!' cried Justin as Edward's shrill whistle reached their ears, and the Five's excitement rose to fever pitch.

'Hello, children!' said Edward as he pulled in. 'Off to the Skarloey Railway, I see. Well, I hope you all have a marvellous time. And you will try not to cause any of the engines grief, will you?' This was mainly towards George, who could quite often let her short temper get the better of her. She could ignore people if she wanted to and, when she did, there was no knowing when she would stop. Most of the engines were beginning to think of her as a most unpredictable child!

'No, of course we won't give them a hard time,' promised Julian. 'We wouldn't dream of it.'

'What is the railway like?' asked Anne.

'Well, beautiful, for one thing,' said Edward. 'It does have quite a luscious lake. That's what Skarloey means – 'Lake in the Woods'. And it has quite a busy slate mine. Be warned! Those trucks may try and play sly tricks on those not used to them.'

'Whatever do you mean, Edward?' asked Dick. 'How can trucks play tricks on you?'

'They don't play tricks on people,' said Edward. 'But they do play tricks on us engines. We've had some rather unpleasant accidents over the years involving those pesky trucks! Fortunately, I have been on this railway for years and know all about trucks, so I can tell if they have something in mind.'

Alex, Lily and Charlie had scrambled off the hamper and looked beside themselves with impatience to be on their way. David, Polly and Justin hurried up, and all three of them managed to lift the hamper, each holding tightly to a strap fastened to the sides of the basket.

'Want a hand?' asked George. 'You might never get it on board, not with all of you holding it like that and with no one to open the train door!'

'Thank you, George,' said David. Dick flung open the door of the first compartment on the train and, with the help of Julian and Anne, they carried the hamper onto the train and set it down gently on the floor. Alex, Lily, Charlie, George and Timmy followed them on board and Alex closed the door again while Julian, Dick, Anne and George heaved their packs into the luggage rack. After about five minutes, the guard blew his whistle and, with a cheerful whistle, Edward began to move.

'A lake in the woods?' cried Dick happily. 'It's jolly lucky we remembered to put our swimming costumes on underneath our clothes before coming here!'

'We've got ours on too,' said Polly. 'One of the best things about these outings is planning ahead and making sure you have thought of everything.'

Everyone agreed, and Timmy barked appreciatively. The mongrel was sprawled on the seat next to George, eyeing the big hamper wistfully.

'It's certainly a nice day for a picnic,' said Alex, who was gazing past his big brother out of the window as Edward hauled his train along the Main Line. And indeed it was! The sky was as blue as Thomas' paintwork, the sun a disc of gold. Trees and grass glowed green from the lineside, and buttercups, daisies and daffodils seemed to wave to the children as the train sped onward. It felt as if all of nature had simply appeared just so that the children could see it for themselves! The best part was when they crossed an enormous viaduct, which offered a splendid aerial view of a road, a river and a small meadow awash with flowers.

'Oh, it's beautiful, it really is!' cried Anne blissfully.

'Indeed it is,' said Alex. 'Some tourists have said that, even if they have already seen and spoken to the engines, they tend to come back just to look at the island's natural wonder.'

'But this is nothing, Anne,' said Charlie. 'Wait till we get to the Skarloey!'

'One of Sodor's most beautiful landmarks, and ready for any amount of tourists,' said Lily.

This of course made the four children and Timmy excited all over again!

'What are the names of the engines on the railway?' asked George. 'You said that there's Skarloey, David. He's the engine the railway's named after. Is there anyone else?'

'Absolutely,' said David, stretching out lazily with his feet on the hamper. 'There's Rheneas, Skarloey's brother and closest friend. They were the first two engines on the Skarloey, and it was Rheneas who saved it from ruin by pulling a train home with a jammed valve gear.'

'Then there are Sir Handel and Peter Sam,' said Justin. 'Sir Handel used to be called Falcon, and Peter Sam Stuart, when they worked on a railway called the Mid Sodor. Peter Sam's a great chap, but Sir Handel can get jolly impatient at times.'

'Then there's Rusty,' said Polly. 'He's a diesel, and a real darling! And finally there's Duncan, who used to be as rebellious as could be, but now he's a great help.'

'And are there any attractions as well as the mine and lake?' asked Dick.

'Oh yes, there's the waterfall, for one,' said Alex. 'That's where Rheneas got his name, for it means 'Divided Waterfall'.'

'Then there's the road where Sir Handel had a race with George the Steamroller,' said Charlie.

'And the tunnel where Peter Sam lost his funnel,' said Lily.

'Good gracious!' cried Julian in alarm. 'He lost his funnel? Was the tunnel too low, or was the funnel too tall? It must have been an awful blow!'

'It's a long story,' said Polly. 'But the long and short of it is that now he has a new funnel that makes him steam better.'

'Does Sodor have any other railways?' asked Julian. 'Surely there aren't just two!'

'Oh yes it does,' said Justin. 'There's the Cudlee Fell Railway in the mountains, and the Arlesdale Miniature Railway, only just built, about ten miles from Tidmouth.'

'We'll take you there later,' said David. 'But we're here now, at the Works station. You lot get out first, we can take care of the basket.'

The children clambered awkwardly round the basket and out onto the platform, after first removing their bags from the rack. Timmy leapt out and began nosing around the platform, just to show how curious he was of this station. David and Justin yanked the hamper out through the door and onto the platform. The door slammed, Edward whistled and puffed away.

The Five gazed round. The Works station was a hive of activity. A big shed stood to one side on the station, with several engines inside and yet more waiting in the tiny yard outside. In front of the children, four steps led down to a platform right next to the main platform they were standing on. A small red saddle tank engine with six wheels was waiting in front of a train of coaches. He was grinning at the children, who could make out the name on his nameplate: 'SKARLOEY'.

'Hello there!' called the engine with a marvellous Welsh accent in his voice as the children came hurrying down the steps towards him, David and Justin dragging the basket. 'You must be Julian and Dick, and you're Anne and George, and this glorious dog is Timmy! Welcome to Sodor's very own narrow-gauge railway!'

'Narrow-gauge!' cried Dick. 'How truly smashing! We went on a narrow-gauge railway once, but that was years ago.'

'Did we?' said Anne. 'I don't remember a narrow-gauge railway at all.'

'You were just a baby, Anne,' said Julian. 'I remember it as the Talyllyn Railway in Wales. And I remember the most important engine – Talyllyn himself – for being as tough as an engine could be.'

'That's my brother,' said Skarloey happily. 'I suppose Dolgoch, Rheneas' brother, was there too.'

'Goodness!' cried Dick. 'First we hear Gordon's Flying Scotsman's brother, and now Talyllyn and Dolgoch have family on Sodor as well. But in answer to your question, Skarloey, yes, Dolgoch was there. In fact, he and Talyllyn are simply inseparable!'

'How did you know about us?' George asked Skarloey.

'Simple,' said the old engine with a smile. 'The Thin Controller – Mr Peter Sam – told us all about you, and he got the information from the Fat Controller, who told him that you, George, were the daughter of the famous Dr Kirrin. What I don't see is why he said you were his daughter, not his son.'

George simply grinned from ear to ear. This was just like with Thomas yesterday – first taking a fancy to her dog, and now assuming she was a boy!

'I suppose it was short-sightedness,' said Alex. 'This often happens with scientists. It goes with the territory, I suppose.'

'I see what you mean,' said a voice, and everyone looked round to see a tank engine with four wheels backing up alongside Skarloey. He too was painted red and spoke with a Welsh accent, so the children assumed, without even glancing at his nameplate, that he must be Rheneas.

'As a matter of fact, we heard about you even before we knew you were coming,' said Skarloey to Julian. 'A little girl used to come to the Talyllyn in her school holidays, and she told Talyllyn about four children and a dog who once came up to her home in the mountains of Wales. One of them, she said, took quite a fancy to her – a tall, strong and kind chap, she said.'

'Oh goodness!' cried Anne. 'Was her name Aily?'

'Yes it was,' said Rheneas. 'She said her friends were called Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy. She said that she had a pet lamb and dog named Fany and Dai, and she even had them with her. Her mother told Talyllyn she was rather a troublemaker.'

'She was right,' said Julian. 'Apparently, Aily skipped school and disobeyed her mother all the time. She was a great help and led us to a Bronwen Thomas, who was a prisoner in her own house.'

'Dr Kirrin did tell the Fat Controller you were an adventurous bunch,' said Skarloey. 'It seems that you always find mysteries you could solve easily, but are never afraid to ask for help.'

'I'm sorry, but we'll probably have time for a chat later,' said David. 'Come on. Let's get on the train before Skarloey leaves without us.'

'Come on, David,' said Skarloey, sounding quite offended. 'You've known all of us engines for thirteen years – and your parents longer still. When have any of us ever left without our friends?'

'Well, Peter Sam left without the refreshment lady once, remember?' said Justin.

'Yes, but that was just impatience,' said Rheneas. 'But you're right, David. You really should hurry up and not keep everyone waiting, especially with that big basket.'

That made the children run for Skarloey's coaches. The idea of letting a huge hamper of picnic food going to waste over small talk was too dreadful to think about! George and David carried the hamper between them into the front coach, where they set it on the floor once again. Five minutes passed. Then the whistle sounded, Skarloey tooted his squeaky little whistle and they set off.

The train followed a line out of the little yard, which contained three sheds, one of them double line and the other two single. A little red engine with a tall funnel was standing outside one of the sheds and whistled to Skarloey as he passed.

'That's Duncan,' said David. 'He must be awaiting repairs to something. I hope the Thin Controller's not thinking about cutting his funnel down. He threatened to do just that when Duncan got stuck in a tunnel shortly after his arrival. He tried to do "rock 'n' roll" and brought down the roof.'

'Gosh!' said Anne. 'Was he badly damaged?'

'Not really,' said Justin. 'But he was rather upset about it. "Tunnels should be tunnels and not rabbit holes," he said.'

Timmy, who was sitting proudly next to George, cocked an ear at the words 'rabbit holes' and whined with anticipation.

'Sorry, Tim, false alarm,' said David. 'I'm afraid the Skarloey Railway has no rabbits at all.'

'There must be something here that satisfies Tim,' said George firmly. 'If not, I'm heading back. I know I can't be happy if Tim isn't, and of course, Tim can't be happy if I'm not.'

'We've only just cleared the station throat, George,' said Polly. 'Don't be picky.'

'Take a look, friends,' said Alex, spreading his arms theatrically. 'Behold – the Skarloey Railway!'

The children gazed past him – and what they saw made them gasp! The grass was a pure, perfect green. Trees – pine, oak, beech – stretched to the skies in their full colours. The landscape was so abundant with flowers that the fields looked full to bursting! The sky was a pure blue than the children had ever seen, and birds tweeted from branches and bushes.

'This is even nicer than the Main Line scenery!' cried Dick. 'No wonder the Skarloey Railway is such a popular attraction!'

'Fancy living on an island with live steam and diesel engines, and some of the best scenery in the British Isles!' said Julian enviously to David. 'You must be one of the luckiest families in Europe! I wish we lived on Sodor like you.'

'And have no more of your adventures?' said Alex slyly.

'Certainly not!' said George. 'They were all so fabulous!'

'I hope we don't have any adventures on Sodor,' said Anne. 'They're nice to remember, just not nice to be in.'

'What makes you think you can't have adventures on Sodor?' said Charlie. 'We love them as much as you do.'

'Not today, though,' said Lily. 'We're just having a day out for a picnic – and nothing else.'

There was a jolt and a strange grating sound as Skarloey passed over a set of points leading to one side and passing through a station called Cros-ny-Cuirn. The reason for this was given when a small, coal black diesel engine at the head of a fleet of coal trucks appeared outside the window and tooted to Skarloey.

'Hallo, Rusty!' yelled David through the window, waving hard. 'How's the goods routine?'

'Going easily, David!' shouted back the diesel. 'Hope your friends have fun seeing our line!'

'What a nice little diesel he is,' said Anne as David sat down. 'If only all diesels are like him.'

'Yes, it's just a great shame that is not the case,' said Justin. 'There was that dreadful shunting engine who came for a trial and told lies about Duck.'

'How awful!' said George. 'What did he say Duck did?'

'He said that he called Henry Old Square Wheels, James Rusty Red Scrap Iron and Gordon a Galloping Sausage,' said Polly with a small smile.

'But the Fat Controller didn't believe the diesel at all, did he?' said George, who, being an absolutely truthful girl, saw lying as a form of cowardice.

'Of course not,' said Alex scornfully. 'He always sees his engines as innocent until proven guilty. Besides, he's always been fond of all things Great Western. Dad says he trained in Swindon, which is where one of their workshops is.'

The train began slowing down and, looking up, the children saw they'd stopped at a station called Glennock. There was a brief flurry as people got on or off the train, and then Skarloey set off again.

'Have there been any more diesels besides BoCo and Rusty?' said Julian.

'Oh yes,' said Lily. 'There's Daisy the Diesel Railcar.'

'What's a diesel railcar?' asked Anne.

'It's like a cross between a diesel engine and a railway carriage,' said Charlie. 'Daisy works on Thomas' branch line, but when she first arrived, she proved to be quite stuck-up and lazy.'

'Lazy Daisy,' said Dick absently, and everyone laughed heartily. It did feel nice to have a good laugh over small things like other people's features. Then they passed through a tunnel and could hear the sound of rushing water up ahead.

'That's the waterfall,' said David. 'I should have mentioned that it's one of the best places on the railway. What do you think?'

The Five gazed in awe at the waterfall as they rumbled over the viaduct. The water tumbled over the side of the hill in a steady rush, sending up spray and creating a quivering rainbow at its foot. Timmy stared at it as well, quite entranced. It really was a lovely sight to see!

The train stopped at a station immediately after the waterfall. Several people crammed out and oohed and ahhed at the glorious waterfall behind them. The children peered through the window, for they felt they couldn't get enough of the natural wonder!

'We can walk back and take a good, long look at the waterfall before we head back,' said Justin as Skarloey moved off again. 'The station we need is only about a mile or two from here, so it isn't at all far to walk. I'll ask Skarloey if we can do that.'

It was then that the train rounded a bend and there, spread out on the left, was a big, perfectly blue lake, sparkling in the morning sun. Small boats were rocking to and fro on its glassy surface. Hills as tall as could be loomed up in the far distance on the horizon, and the lake was surrounded by trees on all sides, which sat on squat hills as if standing guard. The children were absorbed by its majesty! Never had they seen such a magnificent lake before! How they yearned for Skarloey to stop at the next station, so that they could get out and swim in that beautifully inviting water!

After a few minutes, the train slowed down and stopped at a station called Skarloey, which the children remembered to mean 'Lake in the Woods'. Anne and Dick, who were nearest the door, were the first out. They flung open the door and tumbled out onto the platform. George, Julian and David pushed the hamper out of the coach, and the other scrambled out after them.

'Buck up, for goodness sake, everyone!' cried Dick impatiently. 'If we carry on like this, we'll be tired out by the time we get down to the lake and then we won't be able to have a swim!'

'Oh you will, no fear,' chuckled Skarloey. 'Just follow that path down the hillside and you should be on the beach in no time. I have to go now – I have to reach the top station directly. But have a lovely time – take care of that delightful dog of yours, George – and try not to drown or overindulge.'

'Is drowning possible in that lake?' said Anne, looking doubtfully at the water as Skarloey left.

'That's almost impossible,' said David, still grasping the hamper. 'Skarloey was only joking, he's like that sometimes. Now, everyone come up and grab a bit of the hamper. That way, we can all get down the path at once, and no one will be left behind. Timmy can walk beside us.'

Everyone at once grasped the hamper and carried it on their shoulders down the step path to the small and surprisingly quiet beach at its end. Timmy gambolled round them like an overexcited rabbit, never once taking his eyes off that wickerwork treasure chest.

'He's as keen as we are!' said Julian. 'Good old Timmy! What would we do without you? You're always there for us, and you make a brilliant companion!'

When they arrived on the beach, David guided them expertly to a small cove away from the crowds. There they set the basket down gently on the sands and stripped off their outer garments to reveal their swimming costumes, the Five removing their backpacks before changing.

'Right!' said David happily. 'Got your costumes ready, chaps? Smashing! Race you to the water! Ready – set – GO!'