Chapter 238: Deep Freeze
Winter had hit Sodor quick and hard, leaving the whole island in a deep freeze. Frost covered the rails, and icicles hung from bridges. Luckily, there wasn't any snow.
One day, James was stopped at Crovan's Gate with a passenger train, trying to get water from the tower. It had been a rough journey, and the rails seemed to be more iced over than ever.
"I can't wait for Summer to get here," James mumbled to himself. "Hope the Refreshment Lady still has some hot cocoa left."
But he wasn't quite paying attention to what he was doing, and soon found water splashing out from the tank.
"Oh! Better put a stop to that."
Acting quickly, he shut off the water and hastily got ready to depart. But trouble lay in wait.
All steam engines have something called an injector, which allows water to be transferred from the tender to the boiler. Without it, the water level in the boiler would be low to make steam properly. Before long, James noticed the water gauge dropping low.
"That's odd. Could've sworn it was full when we left."
He went to turn on the injector, but nothing happened. Even the duplicate failed.
"Bother! Can't risk going on like this, I'll have to telephone for help."
Damping down the fire, he slinked the train into a siding and told the signalman what had happened. Then, he turned his attention back to his engine, where he found an open water cap and...
"Ice! Goodness me, if I hadn't forgotten to close the tank at the station! No wonder the injector failed."
Help soon arrived in the form of a new diesel engine from the works. James was rather indignant.
"Rescued by a diesel, the horrors! He's here to laugh at me, no doubt."
But to his surprise, the driver was very friendly. He was a big, strong built man with a firm handshake.
"Names Geoff, you must be James. No worries, we'll soon have your engine sorted out."
"Oh, well, nice to meet you Geoff."
It wasn't long before they were on the way. With the fire dampened to low for heat, James welcomed the warm cab of a diesel, and he and Geoff soon became good friends.
It wasn't long before the ice was cleared and any damage done to the engine was swiftly hammered out. Geoff took the train on to Barrow, and James returned to work the next day, with a new appreciation for diesel drivers.