A/N: Was gonna do a different story about Winston, but since I got this idea one night to adapt one of the old episodes from the Hit era of the show... yeah. It's obviously very late from starting this at the beginning of November haha. But its been a busy month for me if you can understand. Hope you all enjoy this story!
Throughout first meeting each other, James and Winston have always had some sort of rivalry between them. Most engines knew why, with Winston being an engine whose drawings were sold to the Furness Railway which modified them to become the D5 class without the front pony-truck. Whilst James had been modified himself with his own front pony-truck. Even though this was a coincidence with them having different looks to their brothers and sisters. Both engines thought the other looked silly with it at the front. There was also the red coat they both wore.
Even though Winston had had his own red coat as part of the livery most of the transport his old loaning company had, he decided to keep it. James got his own red coat as an experiment to see what livery a mix-traffic engine should have on the NWR, though Bertram Topham Hatt decided that in the end James can keep the coat as to help him get better after his accident on his first day.
James and Winston would quarrel with each other at times and would try anything to get the other one all riled up. Even though it hadn't caused any trouble for the railway, that would soon be irrelevant with one cold, November day.
It was to be Bonfire Night on the island, where a massive bonfire would be built at Kellsthorpe or Haultraugh with fireworks being lit up for it. Their games and songs played at the fields there and many people cam across the island just to go to these events. Usually, Edward or the Scottish twins would take a special train full of equipment the very day the event would happen at night, vans full of wood and fireworks.
But this year that was going to change.
That morning, Winston had arrived at the depot in front of Tidmouth sheds. James was most surprised to see him, since he only came up here most of the time with his usual weekly goods.
"What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.
"Donald and Douglas are running my line, whilst the Fat Controller has asked for me to come here," Winston explained, "can't understand why though, it must be very important."
"Indeed it is!" said a familiar voice. Both red engines looked down to see not the Fat Controller, but his own son, Stephen Hatt.
"Ahh, hullo Mr Hatt," Winston greeted warmly, "I'm guessing you're the man to tell me what I'm doing here?"
"Yes I am," said Stephen, with a brief smile in return, "ever since it was agreed upon, Edward was to take the train for Bonfire Night across the island to it's destinations, and then Donald or Douglas would take it in turns. This year, the Fat Controller has thought that you have done spectacular work on his railway and as a reward, wants you to take the train of equipment for Bonfire Night tonight!"
Winston was astounded and pleased. "Thank you very much sir!" he said happily, "please give my gratitude to your father, next time you see him!"
"Oh don't you worry," chuckled Stephen, "you can give him your thanks when you go to Haultraugh tonight, he'll be waiting for you there."
James, who had been listening, was very cross. "I was the first ever red engine to be officially owned by the North Western!" he exclaimed crossly, "I've worked harder than hotshot over there!"
"I'm sorry James," said Stephen, "but those were my father's orders."
The red engine huffed. "Don't you worry James," Winston said cheekily, "maybe get your wheels painted red like me, then you might have a better percentage of getting the train."
He puffed off, chuckling, whilst James only seethed. He then looked at Stephen with a raise eyebrow. "So, you've now become your father's messenger boy now?" he said.
Stephen looked at James, he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He just shaked his head and walked away.
*
It was the afternoon when Winston came casually into Barrow yards. He noticed the Norramby diesel sitting crossly in a siding, waiting for his own train.
"Heh, being lazy again?" Winston teased.
"Oh bugger off you stupid oaf," snapped the Norramby diesel.
Winston just puffed away from the depot with a wry smirk. He found the vans in one of the sidings in the yards. "Are these for me Splatter?" he called to the diesel shunting nearby.
"Hmmm, oh yeah they are," Splatter replied, "just don't blow yourself up with them."
"We don't want you go out with a bang!" added Dodge nearby with a cheeky grin. The two diesels laughed in the weirdest way imaginable.
Winston just sighed. "You two are the strangest diesels I've ever met," he said.
"Why thank you," smiled Dodge.
"And we're only kidding about the pun thing," said Splatter, "we wouldn't want you die for stupid reasons cause you might have to die at a later basis!"
"What are you on about?"
"...Don't look at me, Splatter said it!" whined Dodge.
"C'mon old boy," called Winston's driver, "don't bother with talking with them, everyone around these parts no they're crazy."
"Indeed..." said Winston, he pulled off with his vans as smoothly as possible. No sooner had he disappeared. Dodge's smile fell into a frown.
"Hey wait a minute! He just called us strange!"
"Well done genius," replied Splatter.
"You haven't even noticed it yet!" cried out Dodge.
"Really?" Splodge said, "I'm smart enough to know what he said."
*
Winston puffed proudly down the line, he felt very proud of pulling the train. He managed to get to Crovan's Gate were a few fireworks would be given to the Skarloey engines, who would also have their own festival up at their lake. Winston came into the station where he would be ready to shunt his train. James soon arrived with a stopping service, he smirked broadly as Winston shunted some vans into the standard gauge sidings for the Skarloey wharf.
"Well, well, well," said the red engine musingly, "I see that you've become the oh so great shunting engine."
Winston said nothing, as he was uncoupled from his vans.
"I thought since you were a red rocket, you would've been gone by now," James continued, as he halted at the station, "but then again, you aren't me."
"What do you mean?" asked Winston, as puffed back to his vans at the platform.
"You're not suited for that train," said James firmly, "most of the time the others are early, but you're running late."
"Only by a few minutes," muttered Winston's driver.
Winston looked at the clock and no doubt, James was right, he was running a little late. "Well, I'll make up for lost time then!" fumed the midland engine, as he buffered back up to the remaining vans.
"I'd like to see you try," chuckled James. They remained silent after that, as Winston departed, he was determined to get to Kellsthorpe on time.
Winston rushed down the line, he managed to get to Kellsthorpe on time, but came a sudden stop. Quickly, the workmen unloaded the crates from the vans and Winston had to leave, but he puffed off too quickly.
He was rushing again down the mainline, his driver was getting concerned. "We aren't late anymore old boy," he called to his engine.
"If we're not early, we're late," Winston said simply, he was about to rattle past Killdane, when there was a loud clang, and the midland engine came to a rough stop right next to a signal box. "What happened?" he said in surprise.
His driver examined him. "You've got something loose," he said finally, "but I can't look at it until you've cooled down."
"Oh that's just perfect," Winston grumbled, "how will this train move now?"
"Probably by another engine," replied the driver plainly, he then went to the signal box to call for help.
James had just gotten to Crovan's Gate light engine, when he saw the station master waving a red flag on the platform. 'Oh bother,' thought James, 'what's the matter now?'
"Anything the matter?" asked James' driver.
"Indeed," said the stationmaster, "Winston has broken down at Killdane station. Do you mind taking him the rest of the way?"
"Not a bit sir," James smiled, he quickly puffed to the situation. He was looking very forward to seeing Winston indeed. The red engine found the midland engine at the signal box, sulking quietly to himself.
"Hello Winston!" James whistled brightly.
"Oh no," said Winston, "you'd better keep quiet James!"
"Why should I?" asked James musingly, "I'm enjoying."
"Didn't even noticed," replied Winston sarcastically, "just please, keep to yourself."
"Alright," said James, as he was coupled up to the brake van, "you keep quiet too in return, because unlike you, I've got sparks."
"Yeah," said Winston, but he held his tongue, as James pushed the train off again.
Now, because of the time lost, James and his crew decided to push the train along so not to run around Winston, that and the red engine didn't want to go near the midland engine. But James couldn't see straight ahead, and didn't know where to stop. Both red engines refused to talk to each other though, making it even worse for the others.
"This won't go on too well," sighed James' driver, "I can feel something will come up badly for us!"
Unfortunately, he was right.
Because of the delay, Edward's train to Tidmouth was allowed to past, leaving the track uncleared for the red engines' train. The distant signal appeared in the distance near Wellsworth. Winston sighed, knowing the reason why. He expected for James to slow down, but he didn't, James kept rolling along at the same pace, without slowing down.
"Um... James?" Winston said, unsure.
No response.
"James?!"
"I thought we agreed to keep quiet!" called back James.
"But James!" cried Winston, "the signal is red!"
James' driver poked his head out of the window and sure enough, the signal after the Wellsworth platform was red. "Stop James! Stop!"
The red engine's brakes screeched on, they were going faster than expected and the train rattled past the platform and further down the mainline. James groaned whilst Winston could only yelp as with every inch, the train became slower and slower. And at last, Winston's wheels came to a stop, with his front pony truck just centimetres from the unset points to the goods loop.
"What was that all about?" cried Winston.
"Well... I... erm... I," stammered James, he went red in the face and wheeshed steam to hide himself.
It took a while to sort everything out, James was ordered to go to the front of train, this delayed the train even more and the red engine had to make up for lost time.
He raced down the mainline, with the train now been given top priority, this left Bear's heavy goods train to wait on the middle track at Cronk. He didn't like that one bit. "Really you two?" he called, as he heard James' whistle from the distance. "I expected better from you to take a few simple vans down the line."
The red engines only blushed, as the train raced down the line. They soon reached Haultraugh, just before it got evening, a little late, but managing to get back most of the time that was lost. Much to the two engines displeasure, they found the Fat Controller on the platform. "Winston and James, explain this disruption!" he said crossly.
"I'm sorry sir," James said, "I was hurrying, so I decided to push Winston and the train instead of pulling so to save time running round him sir."
The Fat Controller was about to respond, but Winston cutted in. "It wasn't his entire fault sir," he explained, "I was hurrying to, so to prove to James I was the better... better... erm... rather embarressing to say sir but--"
"We've been having a quarrel about whose the better red engine sir," James finished sheepishly.
The Fat Controller sighed. "I expected better from you both, fighting over the same paintwork isn't what I expected from you too."
"We know sir," replied Winston, "but I think we've learned our lesson."
"I agree with him there sir," James added, "truly sorry."
"Well... thank you for owning up the pair of you," the Fat Controller said, "but don't expect to be out of the erm... flames just yet." He strode away, leaving the two red engines at the station, whilst the remaining vans were unloaded.
"Thank you for sticking up for me Winston," smiled James, "I'm sorry about all of this."
"I'm sorry I carried on the argument," admitted Winston, "we should've realised that something like this would've come out of this silly feud."
"The way the Fat Controller put it definitely made us sound ridiculous," the red engine agreed, "I know we haven't been entirely good friends... but--"
"I don't see why we can't get to talk to each other more," smiled Winston. James grinned at that.
The Fat Controller did punish them with making the two do Donald and Douglas' goods work on the mainline. But he soon forgave them and the railway went back to normal with Winston and James going back to their usual jobs, but the engines noticed the two were getting along much more better than they did.
And unfortunately, Henry and Gordon would fell victim to whenever Winston came to the sheds at Tidmouth. The two red engines would make sure to annoy the others with their constant bragging on their red coats. The engines now say they prefer the old feud now, now that just sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
