As you all know there are many railways on the Island of Sodor, one that takes you across the most of the island and the biggest of the bunch, then there's the one where they take you to the hilly countryside, and then there's the one which takes you up the biggest mountain there is. But there is one that is missing. One that hasn't been mentioned in these bunch of stories that have been told to you. So I'll tell you a story about this one. But lets start with the introductions.
The Arlesdale Railway is the smallest railway on Sodor with small rails, small trucks and small engines. They run on the some of the old tracks of the Mid-Sodor Railway, they were first made to be built to take ballast from the mines that were reopened for the ballast can stop weeds from growing. But then it was proposed to have be a tourist line too. There were three diesels, the Blister twins, who mainly did odd jobs on the railway, and Frank, the maintenance diesel, but they came after the three little steam engines.
There names were Rex, Mike and Bert. Mike was the youngest of the three, you can also call him the rudest, he was nice at times, but can be put in a grumpy mood and never liked pulling passengers. Then there's Rex, he was kind and polite, but has a massive sense of humour. And lastly, there's Bert, he was the oldest of the three, quiet and does his work without fuss. He can be greatly annoyed though, with the other two bickering and teasing each other.
But there had been a problem with Bert one time ago, when he first came to the island, he was a poor steamer and it wasn't until 1973 it was fixed with Bert given an overhaul. This changed his appearance with a taller chimney and cab, but it improved his performance greatly. Rex and Mike found it hard to get use to his new shape, but eventually got use to it.
But soon enough, with Bert being overhauled made the engines be more... lazy. With Bert now being stronger than ever, Rex and Mike had started to not take as much trains, with either sitting around in the yards, dozing, or leaving some wagons behind for Bert to collect later. Bert didn't mind at first, but it was soon getting out of hand.
He decided to confront the pair after the busy day of work, they had on Bonfire night. "What was the meaning of that?" he said sharply.
Rex opened a sleepy eye. "What?" he asked.
"I was told to take the passenger train tonight! And yet when I got to the top station I was ordered to go to take your goods train from the nearby mines!"
"Oh please," Rex said, "it wasn't my fault, I was there, you weren't passengers came, you didn't."
"Why would you want to take passengers anyways?" asked Mike, "they're horrid creatures and don't get me started on the coaches!"
Rex and Bert rolled their eyes. "Then don't get started," said Rex, a sly smirk growing across his face, "otherwise you might just blow your whistle off again!"
"You—" Mike seethed.
"Stow it!" whistled Bert, "I don't have the energy for this, but... I'd like to ask you both this."
Mike and Rex's attention went to Bert. "What's the question?" the small green engine quizzed.
"If I was off for the entire day, would you be able to cope without me?" Bert asked.
Mike and Rex paused, the silence came for a few seconds, then passed with the other two engines bursting out with laughter. Bert frowned crossly as his two friends tried to contain themselves.
"Oh please Bert!" said Mike, "we've coped with you and your steaming problems! We can jolly well cope without you anyways!"
"Not with your recent attitude to your work effort," retorted Bert, "I've been having to cope with your slack, with trucks being left behind! Some rolling stock bit being moved to the right places! Even you two not steaming up properly like you use to in the mornings!"
"Letting you feel what are lives were like," Mike said.
"Well, I've seen your point now," Bert said angrily, "now I bet you two can't even work a proper day without falling to pieces!"
Mike and Rex were quick to defend each other. "Oh really?" said Mike crossly.
"I'm better suited than you," Rex added.
"Oh really? said Bert, "my driver has said that you almost knock your driver off you at high speeds!"
"Oh please," said Rex, "it's--"
"Tell you what," cut in Mike, completely ignoring the argument the others were having, "we'll get up extra early tomorrow, and do some of your jobs, how's that?"
Bert pondered, then smiled. "Alright," he agreed, "I'll be interested in seeing that, if Rex agrees to it of course."
Both engines looked to the engine between them, the small green engine groaned. "Sure," he said.
The next morning, they told their drivers and Rex and Mike got up early, with Bert staying in later in. "I could do with a good rest," he sighed, quite content.
Mike sniffed and puffed off to collect his own train. "Lazy, me? Pah! I'll show that oblivious blue oaf, just he wait!"
But his confidence turned into anger as he soon found out with Bert staying in the sheds for a bit longer than usual, Mike was to take his train which was the first passenger service of the day. Now, any engine who has met Mike knows that he hates passengers with great distain. He found them rude and sensitive to the minimalist problem.
"I regret everything I've said," muttered Mike crossly, as he backed down onto the coaches where Blister I had shunted them.
Meanwhile, Rex was to pull ballast trains for the day, taking empties to the mines and full ones back to the yards so Blister I could put them on top of the shoot, where the ballast was to be transfer to the North Western trucks lined underneath it. Rex thought it would be easy, only a few extra empty trucks were added since Bert was to help with taking some extra trucks there, but again, since he was staying in the sheds for a while Rex had agreed to take his trucks.
"It can't be that bad," Rex smirked, as he shunted the extra ballast wagons in front of his previously arranged train.
A few minutes later, Mike puffed past Rex, rather grumpily with his passenger train in tow. "Have a good day Mike!" Rex teased to small red engine who muttered something in his breath that only he could hear.
Through out the entire day, Rex took most of Bert's trucks, rushing up and down their little line, whilst Mike did some of Bert's other jobs, even when he was meant to have a lunch break he took Bert's extra passenger trains and even took extra trucks on the market day trains for tomorrow. Both were beginning to get exhausted, they hadn't had this much work in ages, Bert on the other buffer, felt cheerful, he felt much better with an extra time of napping and easy going with his trains. He didn't annoy the other two though, after all, he still had a bet to win and didn't want to provoke them into getting more motivation. He was right for using that tactic, with Rex and Mike getting worn out, they were also getting quite tired too.
Soon, evening was coming and trains were finishing up. Rex was taking his final ballast train back to the yards, a few of Bert's trucks were on it and had made it extremely heavy to Rex. "Not long now," puffed the little green engine, "one more train, then Bert can shut up about how exhausting his life is."
Rex was so tired though, that he was concentrating on what he was doing. You see, if going fast, Rex can become a rough rider, very bumpy and the driver could lose concentration with trying to stand straight up. Now Rex was so tired, that he was properly going at the right speed he was meant to go on, he sped up and began to bucketed along the line. His driver, started to bob up and down, swing left and right. "Woah Rex!" he cried, "concentrate would you!"
Rex blinked, but kept on going the same speed, the driver found it difficult to control his engine, but both weren't concentrating on where they were either. Before it was too late.
"Rex! Wake up!"
"Whhuurrr—? Uhhh—driver... the hill!!"
The driver looked up from the controls and before he realised it, Rex started to roll down the hill with the ballast wagons banging their buffers, and begin pushing the little green engine. "Rex! Control the train! Control the train!" the driver called frantically.
Rex's brakes screeched on, his wheels sparked as they rattled down the hill. They soon came to the bend at the bottom. "REX!" cried the driver.
The little green engine acted fast and with skill and calmness, Rex and his train rounded the bend with a little of Rex's side nearly coming off the rails. The train soon came to a halt, as Rex's driver walked out of his engine, shaking a little. Rex was in shock too and didn't say a word, he was fully awake now.
After a while, Bert was called to find where Rex was and found him, sitting on the line. "Well, well, well, what happened here?" he asked, Rex didn't respond, he was too embarrassed to say anything.
But his driver wasn't, he told Bert's driver the whole thing with insulting his engine constantly throughout his short story. Once he was finished, Rex's cheeks were bright red and Bert was howling with laughter, Rex's driver was put in Bert's cab and Bert took Rex and his train to the next station.
But as he got there, the stationmaster waved them down.
"What's up?" asked Bert's driver.
"It's Mike at the top station," the stationmaster informed, "he apparently dozed off whilst on the turntable and his tender has derailed, they want Bert to go and rescue him and his train."
"Why me?" quizzed Bert, "I'm looking after Rex here, can't Frank or the Blister twins go and save that damsel in distress?"
"Frank's driver has gone for today," explained the stationmaster, "and the Blister twins are suppose to stay at one of the mines tonight."
"We'll leave Rex here and go and help Mike," Bert's driver said, "it can't be bad, Rex can gather more steam so he can head back the rest of the way."
It was agreed and Bert shunted Rex and his train into a siding. Then, Bert rushed to help Mike. He arrived at the top station, tender first, Mike had been turned to face the same direction, but his tender sat uncomfortably on the ballast.
"Well, well, well," Bert began, "what do we have--"
"Belt it Bert!" snapped Mike.
"Temper, temper," retorted Bert cheekily.
Mike went redder than ever, but before he could say anything he was ordered to shut it by his own driver. Soon, the rescue operation went into motion, with workmen and a few passengers helping keep Mike's tender straight, Bert pulled Mike safely back onto the rails. The small red engine felt much better, and with quick inspection, his tender was deemed to be safe to move. But Mike's steam wasn't up yet, so it was arranged that Mike would be towed by Bert for most of the journey.
Mike, obviously, didn't take this lightly, but he had no choice as Bert shunted him between him and the little red engine's own train. "Cheer up Mike," Bert sniggered, "if the passengers find this run to be awful then you won't be blamed for at least that, the actual delay? Not so much."
The guard blew his whistle, and Bert quickly pulled out of the station. Bert was soon thundered down the line, he could go much faster than Rex without rocking his driver off the footplate. Soon, Mike's steam got up and both engines ran down the line until halfway, where Rex was still in the siding, he was sizzling nicely. His driver explained the situation, saying that Rex had enough steam to move, but cannot pull his train on his own. It quickly decided, that Bert and Mike would help Rex back. And so, Rex buffered up behind their train with the ballast trucks behind himself. The three quickly set off, they sped down the line, Mike and Rex, felt Bert's strength and were secretly impressed.
Soon enough, all three arrived at Arlesburgh, just in time for the passengers to get into Oliver's final run down the line that evening. The passengers thanked Bert and the crews, they said nothing to Mike and Rex, who just hid in their steam.
When they were all in the shed, the Small Controller, the man in charge of their railway, came walking up to them. "Mike and Rex," he said crossly, "I am ashamed of you both, I've recently heard that you both were being slack in your work and giving it to Bert! Lazy engines shouldn't be allowed to work if they are to run on this railway, I hope you two can improve on this new habit you've given yourselves."
Rex and Mike looked down at their buffers, embarrassed and ashamed. Then, the Small Controller turned to Bert. "I am pleased with your actions this evening Bert, saving Mike and helping not just him but Rex's train also. But I must request that you shan't put problematic situations onto your own buffers."
"Yes sir, sorry sir," Bert said, looking a little guilty, finding it now rather silly of him not thinking of going to the Small Controller in the first place.
"Let this be a learning experience for you all," the Small Controller declared finally, "not to be lazy, and to make more... sensible decisions instead."
He then said goodnight, and headed home for dinner. The three small engines looked at each other.
"Sorry I put you in those situations," Bert sighed, "the Small Controller was right, I wasn't thinking rationally."
"You're sorry?" Rex quizzed, "Bert, we should be apologising! If it weren't for me and Mike slacking in our work, you wouldn't of challenged us."
Mike humbled an agreement. "You were quite impressive on our final run this evening," he added, "you really make us look like weaklings!"
Bert gave out a hearty chuckle, the three small engines were now friends again.
Mike and Rex soon put a stop to their laziness and went back to doing their work properly, much to Bert's relief, and all three engines vow never to make each other be overworked for laziness ever again.
