Return of the Blue Comet
Brook was repaired in no time at all, but whenever she asked the workers about her old coaches, all they said was, "management will tell you everything when the time is right."
"Why would they keep this a secret from me?" Brook asked the other engines. "I mean, they were my coaches, I'd like to know what's become of them." She gasped, "you don't think they've been turned into storage sheds, do you?"
Ace rolled his eyes and laughed, "on this railroad, never! If anything, I'm sure Robert has something special planned for them."
"Plus, the idea of turning a full train of coaches that came with their engine into storage sheds is silly if you ask me," added Andrea, "and trust me, I know silly. Maybe he's planning on bringing back the Blue Comet."
Brook sighed and looked down to the rails, "the chances of that happening are next to zero."
"What makes you say that?" Carried asked.
"Cause they said so. My old manager told my sisters and I that the days of the Blue Comet were over. Never again will a train like ours pound the high iron, nor will we draw the crowds whenever we go. The last run proved that too." A small tear dropped from her right eye, "they showed no love during that time."
"Well that was then, and this is now," said Rebecca. "And don't forget Brook, this is the Island you're on. People love us, they even protested to keep us around."
"Even if it was a misunderstanding," added Carrie. "Overheard the words wrong, as I recall."
"True, but the love is there, and who knows, Robert could be planning the revival of the Blue Comet. Just be patient Brook, and you might see the chance you never knew was there."
While the locomotives were talking, Robert was at the workshops. He had come to speak with Mr Mason, "how goes the work Bryan?"
"The last one was a real bugger Robert. Rotted floors, smashed windows, the roof looked like it was going to fall in on itself and don't get me started on the axles..."
Robert sighed and rolled his right hand around in a circle, "and?"
"And, we fixed it to perfection. Come see for yourself."
Mr Mason lead Robert into the coach, where he saw the large amount of work done to it. He was amazed, "for being the worst conditioned bunch of the trio, I have to admit, you did a great job Bryan."
Mr Mason smiled. He walked over to a window, opened it and stuck out his thumb into the air, to which there came a chrous of cheers.
"So, it's time?"
"Yes Bryan, it's most definetly time. This train has been out of service for too long, it's time for a comeback."
The following morning, Robert went to the sheds to speak with the fleet of engines, "as you all know, when Brook arrived on the railroad, she came with a set of coaches that matched her, and while we've had her run, the coaches have not been seen since their arrival."
"Have they been turned into sheds Robert?" Brook asked with worry.
Robert laughed, "of course not Brook. Your coaches are fine, in fact, they're better than fine. Mr Mason and his crew have been working hard lately to restore them to their original condition."
Rebecca and Carrie exchanged knowing looks.
"The reason being," he stated, "is that in one week's timing, you Brook will pull the very first Blue Comet train on the Freedom Railroad."
Brook gasped in surprise, "do you mean it Sir?"
"Of course I do," he beamed, "I couldn't just have you come back into steam, and not put you in charge of the train that made you famous, now could I?" Instead of responding with words, Brook let her whistle show how happy she was. The others soon joined in, resulting in the loudest noise ever heard in the yards, not that any one minded of course.
The news of the run was spread across the Island by the newspaper and radio stations, and when the grand day arrived, there were so many people, that the station ran out of tickets.
Brook was cheered loudly as she came into the station. Seeing all the happy faces made her so happy that her eyes filled up with tears, "I never thought I'd ever see anyone this happy to see me, or my train," she thought to herself. "They do care about us."
She slowed to a stop, and after wheeshing some steam, Robert stood up on a box to address the crowds.
"Welcome everyone to this grand moment; the first run of the legendary Blue Comet on our railroad." The crowds cheered again briefly before Robert continued, "the Central of New Jersey Railroad was where this train came from, but by the early years of this decade, the trains were taken out of service, and the engines, with no further use, ended up in storage to await disposal. Luckily, that never happened thanks to the McKenna Railroad Museum's own manager; Mr Willits himself. Now come up here you crazy fool!" Crowds cheered once more as Mr Willits stepped forward and stood before them all.
"Thank you Robert for the kind mention. To be honest, when I saw the three trains, I didn't want to let any of them go, but knowing full well that one could continue the legacy that the Central of New Jersey started, I felt it was only fair to give one to Robert and the Freedom Railroad."
"However," he added, "I never thought that Number 831 would be the engine Robert would choose, but I guess it just goes to show that I know next to nothing about operations." He turned to Robert, "I'll leave that to the real experts, like Robert and the grand crews of the Freedom Railroad. Also, thank you for bringing this beautiful legend back to life."
The crowds cheered once more. Once their cheering was done, Robert added one final note, "this run will also allow you all to have the first trip to the next town on our line; Morgan's Gorge! And now, in the famous words of all our conductors; ALL ABOARD!"
One by one, people climbed into the coaches, while those who had no tickets went off to find good spots along the line to watch the train. Once everyone was ready, the conductor called out, the whistle sounded and the first Blue Comet left the station.
The run went smoothly, and everywhere she went, Brook could see people waving and cheering her on. She loved every moment of it.
"Pressure's looking good Frank," Lauren said to the fireman, "you sure do know how to stoke a good fire."
Frank the fireman smirked, "well I've always had my moments," he boasted, which made Lauran roll her eyes.
The other engines whistled cheerfully to her as she passed, "go on Brook, continue the legacy you and your sisters started."
At the end of the line, Mr Ingram and the workmen waited with the Mayor and the residants. The new tracks shone brightly as the sun shone it's light onto them. You'd hardly even know that the line had only been completed the night before.
"To think, the Blue Comet train will be the first train to grace the new rails," said one worker to Mr Ingram, "it's almost as good as the Queen herself coming to visit."
"Or the Prime Minister of Canada, or the President of the United States," Mr Ingram nodded in agreement.
The mayor pulled out his pocket watch. As he looked to the time, they all heard the sounds of an engine's whistle. He smiled to Mr Ingram, "right on time, just like you said it would be. I'd say it's smooth sailing now."
But it wouldn't be. On the fourth coach, the front wheel set was making a terrible sound. It was soon followed by the back wheel set, "something's wrong, something is loose!" she shouted to Brook.
Brook heard, and asked Lauren to slow down. But as Lauren reached for the brake handle, there came a loud crack, followed by screams. Frank the fireman looked back, "oh no, the coach is leaning."
"What?" Lauren looked too, and sure enough, the coach was leaning dangerously to the right, threatening to derail the train.
They slowed down, but the coach continued to stay in it's spot. Brook groaned to herself, "I only hope that coach won't derail before we get to Morgan's Gorge," she said out loud.
As they ran onto Street running track, there came a loud bang. The coach suddenly moved to the left, almost becoming level with the other coaches. However, it wasn't all good news as not one but two wheel sets went rolling away, and stopped in front of a surprised tractor trailer.
"Hey, don't leave your garbage here!" The McKenna truck called.
"Sorry, didn't mean for that to happen!" Brook called.
They continued on until they reached the end of the line. People cheered for the train's arrival, but soon gasped over the damage to the coach. Mr Ingram went to inspect the coach's wheel sets, "I don't believe it, there are huge cracks in the wheel sets, which caused those wheels to roll off. It's a miricle the coach didn't derail."
"Indeed," sighed Lauren. "So much for a perfect grand first run."
But Brook didn't look worried, "nothing is ever perfect with this train, it has it's faults like any other train. At least nobody was hurt."
Everybody nodded in agreement with that statement.
When Robert arrived and heard the story, he apologized, but it seemed the only one annoyed about this was the McKenna truck. The passengers were grateful to have gotten out of that mess, and even stated; "this kind of thing could've to anyone, but not even a set of faulty wheels can keep us from welcoming back this legend."
"We'll have your coach fixed in no time Brook," Robert said to her. "Oh and by the way, good work today, I expect more like this from you in the near future."
"You know I'll do you proud," she said with confidence.
And indeed she has given more. After that day, Brook continued to pull the Blue Comet train from the big station to Morgan's Gorge and back with no further troubles. Unlike the Central of New Jersey railroad though, she was not restricted to just that train. She was given the chance to pull other passenger trains, and pull freight trains too. Why, just the other day, the blue engine was seen hauling the beer tankers.
As for her sisters, they are proud of their new home, and to be preserved, but they most proud of Brook, "for being the only one of us to be running, she's doing our legacy proud. Long live the Blue Comet, and Brook the Blue Engine!"
The incident towards the end of this story was based on a shocking video where in Texas, a BNSF hopper train had two wheel sets come loose, nearly tipping the one car onto it's right side. At a level crossing, the wheel sets broke free and the car became almost upright. The train never derailed, and no one was hurt.
The End!
And that concludes the 8th book of the Railroad Stories. Both Story 3 and Story 4 had different endings originally, but as I was getting closer to posting them, I changed them into what you've been reading. This includes the incident you read about in Story 4, as by sheer luck, I had spotted that video on youtube just last night, and as I was editing the story for the last time, I remembered that incident and figured I should have that during the first run. I mean sure, we would want a perfect run for a train, but not everything can be perfect, but now with this incident, the story is better than it originally was. (sighs) It brings out a huge sigh of relief as I don't have to rewrite story 4, and keep you from seeing the last installment. And that's that. Now it's onto Book 9, I have already decided which requested locomotive is next, but for you guys, I won't say which class it will be. One hint I'll leave is; the next loco is from the same railroad Mak came from. Till next time my friends, remember to keep washing your hands and look out for another one in these crazy times.