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A Fowler's Afoul

Written by memesandtreasure

Proofread and Corrected by the "S:TTS" Team

May 12, 2015, 7:45 PM:

Sir Richard Topham Hatt sat silent in his study, deep in contemplation; it had been an eventful day, as the entire island had been celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Railway Series. A special dining service was brought out just for the occasion, consisting of six coaches; the first was a restaurant carriage occupied by Sodor's top restaurant, the second was a buffet car, the next two were dining coaches, and the last two, brake coach included, were just normal BR Mark 1s. While he intended for it to be a one-day thing, the passengers were so delighted by the experience, they had requested him to make it permanent. Topham agreed, but his reasons as to why went farther back.

The Wild Nor' Wester once had a dining service, but as the train became faster, trips became shorter, and shops opened in and around stops to provide hungry customers with sandwiches and snacks, it became redundant. So, the restaurant car was shut up in a shed, and the service was permanently closed. However, those who experienced it had nothing but fond memories, among those being Sir Bertram Topham Hatt I and his son, Sir Charles Topham Hatt II. Their fond memories and Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III's desire to have experienced it eventually resulted in Sir Richard Topham Hatt believing a proper dining service was all the North Western Railway was missing.

Now, he had an opportunity to do so. The special dining service for the 70th anniversary of the Railway Series was a test run for what he had in mind, and while its success was enough to warrant another, the express engines wouldn't always be available, including the only one that fit its theme, which brought him to where he is now.

"Hm. If not Lizzie, then whom? Steam would bring in more visitors, so that means I need a steam engine for the job. The smaller tank engines are a definite no-go, not strong or fast enough. This is gonna be a back-and-forth service, and the larger ones definitely don't have the fuel reserves necessary, which leaves me with either Eagle or… him. Ah, I don't see why it can't be the latter. He deserves something for all his years of service after all."

With that, he was finally able to drift off to a goodnight's sleep… in his office chair.

The next morning had been a quiet one for James; apart from his usual goodbyes to Henry, Gordon, and Molly as they departed for their respective jobs, he had nothing to do for the day, no one to talk to, and nothing to take his mind off anything. He was about to take part in his recently picked-up pastime of listening to Tidmouth's resident birds when Sir Topham Hatt walked in.

"Ah, James. Just who I wanted to see today."

"Oh. Hello, sir. Is there any reason you've decided to drop by?"

"Ah, it's nothing too major. I just wanted to talk with you about the day, shoot the air, and talk about a new passenger service you're to head."

"Oh, alri-... wait, what?"

"You heard me right, James. Ever since I was little, I always believed that all that was missing from the North Western Railway was a proper dining service. You remember the Wild Nor' Wester's early days, don't you?"

"Yeah. It used to have a restaurant carriage. You know, the one brought out yesterday. It became redundant as time went on, but passengers always left the train quite satisfied. Your great grandfather and grandfather were among them, and oh boy did they go on about it, especially the steak dinner."

"Ah, yes, I remember when grandpa used to go on and on about those meals, and my father always talked about my great-grandfather's praise of them too. Both were quite saddened when the dining service was put to pasture, but they understood why."

"Yeah… so, I'm guessing 'The Golden Jubilee' was just a test run?"

"Yep, and a very successful one at that. Now, I know that this is gonna leave a bit of a wound in your pride, but I'm guessing you understand the reason why I came to you specifically to head the service?"

"Yes, sir. I know I'm not exactly Sodor's fastest or strongest, but it stopped getting to me a long time ago. I just want to keep working now, and prove I've still got it, you know?"

"I understand. So, will you take me up on the offer, or no?"

"Oh, you know my answer to that, sir."

"There's a good engine. Now, the service is called 'The Red Jubilee', based on your livery and the signature dish of the restaurant to service it. It's to run on a bi-monthly schedule, and its maiden voyage will be in the next two months. I trust you'll behave yourself until then?"

"Count on it, sir."

"Good. Now, I believe that we must both be off. See you soon, James."

"You too, sir."

Sir Topham walked towards his car a few moments later, leaving James all alone in his thoughts for just a little while longer.

Over the next two months, James worked as hard as he ever had to prove he deserved the Red Jubilee, taking up whatever job he could get his buffers on, including goods work. He never fussed over the latter to everyone's surprise, the engines of Knapford Harbor Sheds being most shocked of all. Of course, they all eventually found out why, as James bragged about it to everyone but the latter group over being chosen to head the NWR's new dining service.

Some were jealous, but others were more accepting, like Gordon, Henry, and Molly; they were proud of him for working so hard and being chosen to head the new service, and also consoled him after he told them about his fear of failing on its maiden run, to which they all said he wouldn't. Unfortunately, they'd be very, very wrong, and it would all start on one sunny morning, about a week before the Red Jubilee's first run.

July 8, 2015, 8:30 AM:

James was dazed, pondering what could go wrong on his first trip with the Red Jubilee. He was at Knapford with the Wild Nor' Wester, and next to him was Henry coupled up to the Round Robin.

"Oh, what if I break down? What if I'm late? What if I-"

"That's enough, James. As Gordon and I have been saying, you'll do fine. You've been exemplary for the past two months, and you've been such for all of your time on Sodor. Even with some of our shared hiccups along the way, and those of your own too,"

"Oi!"

"you've been able to move on and recover from them. Besides, Sir Richard chose you to head this train for a reason, even though he knows of your past, so quit worrying and have faith in yourself, alright?"

"I-I-I... suppose so."

"Good. Now, go on and give a good show with the express, alright?"

"Alright."

A few seconds later, the doors slammed shut, the guard blew his whistle, and James set off for his journey.

James' journey was going smoothly, as he kept to the timetable easily, and even made it to some of his stops a couple of minutes earlier than usual. He bragged even more than normal on this particular day, but it was only on a return trip to Wellsworth that the fate of the Red Jubilee's inaugural run was sealed.

"You see that Eddie?"

"See what?"

"Them. The people going into those restaurants to eat. Soon, I'll be pulling a restaurant myself, and they'll be able to eat on the go. Special, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"Of course, the only thing better than the food will be the smooth runs I give as I glide down the mainline."

"Oh dear. Here we go again."

James then flew into one of his long-winded speeches about why he was the best fit for the Red Jubilee. Edward was content with simply letting him air out whatever he wanted to say, only for him to realize just who pulled up next to the NWR #5 with a stopper.

"Oh no."

"Uh, James."

"I mean, look at me. Sure, I don't exactly give a damn about my paint, but come on. It's glistening underneath the sun right now."

"James."

"Plus, the coaches are to be cherry red and vanilla cream. They're meant to mimic the restaurant's signature dish of cherries jubilee, but still very fitting of me, you think?"

"JAMES."

"Point is, there's a reason why Sir Topham chose-"

"JAMES!"

"What?!"

Edward gestured to James' right. The Red Engine turned, and to his subsequent horror, he found a scowling Ruby staring holes into his soul.

"Uh-I-uh… Ruby! I didn't-"

James wouldn't be able to finish his sentence, as Ruby promptly wheeshed steam in his face, hurried the passengers out of the coaches, then stormed off in a bitter huff, leaving James alone with Edward.

"I-I-I didn't notice you… dear god, what have I done!?"

"Calm down, James, you'll be fine."

"Fine!? If Ruby takes it as an insult to her specifically, then she and the other Knapford Harbor engines are gonna kill me."

"Alright, alright, just calm down. James, you'll be fine. Ruby's well over a century old by now. I'm sure she's matured enough to think this through."

This was one of the few times Edward was wrong, and oh boy did James hold it over his head for a few months.

July 8, 2015, 8:30 PM:

Ruby was in a foul mood, and so were all but one of the other engines with her. She had finally lost all of her patience in James, which was practically non-existent at its peak, and was fed up.

"That red ruddy bastard! He's taken it too far this time. I mean, I'm more than fit enough to pull that 'Red Jubilee' or whatever. Hell, I'd even be better than him. I'm sure of it."

"Here, here!", replied the other engines, each with their own negative experience of James, except Iris, who was trying to get some shuteye.

"I say we pay him out! No one dares to diss one of our own!", shouted Weiss.

"Yeah!... but how?", replied Yang.

The engines fell into a period of silence, deeply mulling over how to get back at James, when Chloe finally came upon something.

"Alright, so here's what I got."

She then whispered her plan to the others, who all chuckled in response.

"Oh, this is gonna be so good.", Ruby chortled, the others lightly cackling in agreement.

Iris gently opened one of her eyes, having heard and witnessed everything.

"This won't end well", she drowsily thought to herself, before falling back to sleep, as the cackles of the other Knapford Harbor Shed engines echoed through the night.

July 15, 2015, 11:50 AM:

The day had finally come, and James had never felt so excited or terrified for such a thing in his entire working career. He was coupled up to six BR Mark 1s painted cherry red and vanilla cream; the first one was the actual restaurant carriage itself, the second was a buffet car, and the last four were all dining cars, including the brake coach. This service wasn't meant to go at the brisk speeds of the express but would follow the speeds of a local train; this meant passengers would have plenty of time to enjoy their scrumptious lunches and take in the countryside. Still, it would have a timetable to keep to nonetheless, which James was dutifully trying to follow, when Tim showed up.

"Oh… hello there, Tim. Lovely day we're having, huh?", James politely greeted.

"Ah, yes, quite. What a shame your passengers won't be feeling the same though."

"What are you on about?"

"Check the clock."

James did just that, and saw that it read 12:15 PM, meaning he was now running 25 minutes late with the Red Jubilee.

"Driver! Fireman! The Clock!", James frantically called out.

"What… Oh, Shit! Come on, we gotta get going!"

James and his crew did just that, pulling out of the station as smoothly and quickly as they could. When they were out of sight, Tim let loose a smug chuckle, as he had his driver set the clock 25 minutes ahead of the actual time, meaning James was about to cause a lot of confusion and delay down the mainline, as the TV series would put it. The best part? He completely forgot about the staff for the entire dining service, so not only would he be dealing with the wrath of other angry engines and Sir Topham Hatt, he'd also be stuck with handling swarms of frustrated passengers.

"That James is sure for a hell of a day, now.", he thought as he puffed contentedly away, not realizing that he and his driver had completely forgotten to reset the clock back to its original position.

James thundered down the mainline, desperate to try to make up for lost time. As he rushed down the mainline, he passed by many engines, who were all confused as to why he seemed in such a hurry, especially with a train meant to go as slow as a local. An explanation would only come once he reached his first stop at Wellsworth.

"Sorry… oh… I'm...oooooooohhhhhhhh…lost track of time.", apologized James.

"But… you're not. You're several minutes early."

"What?... but I left at 12:15."

"Well, unless you can run at the speed of sound, you couldn't have arrived at 12:15 if you left at 12:15."

James and his crew then looked at the clock of Wellsworth Station, their jaws dropping in horror as they took in what the clock read. 12:15.

"But Tim told me...this was Ruby's revenge, wasn't it?"

"Seems like it."

"I'm going to hold this over your head for a while."

"Understandable."

"You think Sir Topham Hatt's gonna be angry with me?"

"No, I'm not. At least, not yet."

James looked to his right, and standing there was an angry, but composed, Sir Richard Topham Hatt IV.

"The passengers are angry over not getting their food, and so am I. But I want to hear you out. Now, what's this about Tim?"

"Well… it all started when I was bragging to Edward about being chosen to pull the Red Jubilee."

"Yes…"

"It turns out that I was bragging to him in front of Ruby."

"And…"

"Tim tricked me into thinking I was running late, when I really wasn't. Probably as revenge for Ruby."

"Ah...why did you brag about your new position?"

"Because I was afraid of failing on my first run, and I bragged to cover up my fear."

"...Were you really that insecure?"

"Yes...sir, you know my past actions. The strike, when I assaulted Ruby and called her the c-word, and then assaulted Thomas, put his crew in the hospital, and destroyed a signal box. When I relentlessly bullied her again, and acted hostile to BoCo. All that and more. I've tried to get her to forgive me, as well as Yang, Blake, Weiss, Tim, and Chloe too, but I kept ripping open the wound. So, I gave up. I'm telling you, they operate like a railway mafia, and Tim's the don."

"James, I-"

"When you allowed me to head the Red Jubilee, I saw a way to show I'm at least trying to change. I know it wouldn't matter to Ruby, or the other Knapford Harbor engines, but I had to try. Of course, I had to ruin it for myself in the end, and here we are now, you being stuck with the wrath of a horde of angry passengers, and me, stewing in my own self pity. I understand if you want to take me off the service, that's fine. Just, make sure it's in good hands, please?"

Sir Topham Hatt stood there on the station platform, deeply mulling over what James said. The red engine was right about how he knew his past, and everyone who knew the true story of the strike figured the long-term consequences would rear their ugly heads sooner or later. To see it unfold like this. It concerned him. He knew he would have needed to act sooner or later, but it seems he wouldn't be having a say in the matter of when. Not now, anyway.

"...James, you're not being taken off of the service."

"I'm not?"

"No. Let me make myself clear; what you did back then was inexcusable, and I would be lying if I said I felt as if you didn't deserve to suffer from their consequences."

"Me too, sir."

"But, you've changed. It's been about 80 years since the strike, and almost 50 since you fell back into your old habits with BoCo and, once again, Ruby. You've not ripped open the wound since, or at least you haven't tried to. Sure, you still carry the negative traits from those days, but it seems as though time has mellowed you out. You're staying on the service, James, but you'll need to learn to control your mouth and ego before then. How does staying on the Brendam Branch with Edward for until the Red Jubilee rides the rails once again sound? That'd give you about two months."

"That...sounds good, Sir Topham. But, what of-"

"The restaurant staff are apparently driving over as we speak. I'll relay to them what you just told me, and I'll try to sort it out. As for Tim? Don't worry about it."

"Thank you, sir. You've no idea-"

"Show your thanks by giving an exceptional performance on the Jubilee's next run. For now, I shall see you later."

Then, he promptly walked over to the restaurant staff waiting in the Wellsworth Station parking lot, ready to give an explanation on the whole debacle.

"So… I guess you're gonna be seeing me for a while?", James quietly remarked to Edward.

"Yep...don't expect a vacation though, as in some ways, running a branch line is even harder than working on the mainline."

"Ohhoho, we'll see about that.", chuckled James.

"Uh, I hate to break up this moment between you two, but we need to get going.", cut in the Red Jubilee's guard.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Well, see you soon, Eddie."

"You too, Jim."

With that, James chuffed smoothly away, not forgetting the restaurant carriage's staff this time, and prepared to find his new outlook on life very soon. The rest of the trip went by very well, as the passengers all dug into meals personally compensated by Sir Topham Hatt himself. They loved everything the service had to offer, but everyone agreed that the best part was indulging themselves in the restaurant's signature dish of cherries jubilee. Overall, apart from a massive hiccup at the beginning, the Red Jubilee was as big of a success as Sir Topham Hatt could have ever hoped for, as passengers begged him to bring it out even sooner than the two-month waiting period.

As for James? Well, the passengers loved the consistently smooth run he gave them all throughout the journey and made sure to request to Sir Topham Hatt that he be kept on the service as its permanent engine. Those comments inflated his ego quite a bit, but he was able to dial it back after remembering the day's incident, and why it happened at all. From then on, James would pull the Red Jubilee with the same vigor Gordon had for the express, and gave such a smooth run each time, it made even the most stoic of engines visibly jealous.

Of course, this meant the trick the Knapford Harbor engines played on James didn't work, and it would only go even further downhill for them a day after their plan was set into motion.

July 16, 2015, 8:10 AM:

The engines of Knapford Harbor were all resting contentedly, awaiting the aftermath of their trick on James, and ready for the day's work ahead. Then, as they woke up, they spotted a very angry, but in control, Sir Topham Hatt at the front of the sheds, a scowl on his face, the likes of which the other engines had never seen before.

"Oh… uh, hello sir-"

"Do not 'hello sir' me, Tim. I know you tricked James into believing he was running late, and that you had your crew set the clock 25 minutes late to further trick him. The station had those security cameras for a reason, after all."

The engines of the Knapford Harbor Sheds audibly gulped at the same time.

"I was on that train too, you know. I had to suffer the complaints of passengers who didn't get their food and complained that the North Western was a bad railway, that I was a bad controller, even though I didn't either. My father may have let these vigilante justice meetings go on, and my grandfather too, but it's because of this mindset that the Red Jubilee was almost a massive failure. So, enough's enough. Now, I know that Tim's the one who tricked James, so he's to be shut up in the shed for two weeks, and be put on garbage train and scrap hauling duties for a further three months. His crew has also been docked two week's pay for taking part."

"But, sir, he was bullying Ruby-"

"No, HE WAS NOT, YANG! HE'S BEEN TRYING TO MOVE ON, WHILE THE REST OF YOU HAVE BEEN NURSING A GRUDGE AGAINST HIM! HAVEN'T YOU NOTICED HOW HE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO AVOID ALL OF YOU!?"

That got the engines to shut up real quickly, as Sir Topham Hatt was able to manage to recompose himself.

"Sorry, lost control of myself there. The point is, his past actions aren't excusable, and he rightfully deserved what was given to him in response from you, Yang, my great grandfather, and Tim. But this? This was completely unjustified. He only bragged in front of Ruby at the wrong time, and from what I could gather from Edward, he wasn't putting you down, or anyone else. He was just inflating his own ego, the reasons why being something he's not comfortable with me telling you…now, since Tim is the only one who seems to have taken part in this act of sabotage, the rest of you are free to go."

Finished with his business, Sir Topham Hatt walked over to his car, and was about to get in and drive back to his office, when someone spoke up.

"Wait!"

His right eyebrow cocking upward in confusion, the Fat Controller looked towards the shed once again, the engines stricken with guilt, either over not wanting to let Tim take on the punishment alone, or over a genuine guilt for their actions. Sir Topham Hatt bet that it was a mix of both.

"What. Is. It?"

"Tim…he wasn't the only one, sir." said Chloe, "The rest of us, all except Iris, we helped to plan it, too. Our crews weren't in on it, though. So, please, don't punish them too."

Sir Topham Hatt took in a deep breath, his mood only souring even further.

"Alright then. You're all to suffer the same punishment as Tim, then. And might I add that this mob mentality needs to stop. You're railway locomotives, not the mafia. You of all engines, Blake, should know the dangers of such a mentality after your time in the Knights of Steam. As for you, Iris, you may not have taken part in the trick, but you let it happen. You'll be shut up in the shed for a week, and then I'll have you be pulling garbage and scrap trains yourself for about a week. Is that reasonable?"

"Yes, sir.", she replied.

"Good. As for the rest of you, I want you to think over your actions. James is already being sent to the Brendam Branch to be taught by Edward and the others to control his mouth and ego, so I expect that if it succeeds, and he treats you professionally, you'll do the same. Do you all understand?"

The engines replied with a somber "Yes".

"Good. Now, I expect that you never pull these sorts of stunts again, no matter what. There are other resources to handle these sorts of things, after all."

When all was said and done, Sir Topham slowly walked away to return to his office and make a call to West Coast Railways to hire a few diesels, ready to plan ahead for the coming days. And to fill Iris' absence, he would call Didcot Railway Center to send Colin back to Sodor for the duration of her punishment. Before he got into the car, he looked over to the Knapford Harbor Shed engines one last time. Their saddened, guilt-stricken faces panged his heart, but he knew this whole ordeal would turn out for the better. The question was, did they?