Thomas & Friends: Union Iron
Chapter 3: Tales from America
It was a beautiful day on the Island of Sodor. All the engines were busy being really useful on the Fat Controller's Railway. One of them is an engine from America named Crystal. She had found her place among the engines on the Island of Sodor. That afternoon, Crystal came into Knapford Station for a bit of rest with a few other engines. Percy was there
"Do you have any stories from America?" he puffed, Crystal smiled warmly
"Of course, there's one story dear to the heart of every locomotive" said Crystal
"Really? Tell us" said Thomas, the engines gathered around and they listened
Crystal closed her eyes, smiling warmly "Every locomotive in America, steam and diesel alike, knows the tall tale...long ago when the railroads in America were still young, there was a man, a freed slave, brave and bold with a heart of gold, it is thanks to this man that engines like you and me can be really useful riding these rails, his name's John Henry"
"Now John Henry was said to be seven and half feet tall with arms that can knock a tree down" puffed Crystal, the engines all gasped, they had never heard of a man being that big and tall, or that strong for that matter "and with his wife Polly Anne at his side, he went out to find work, now the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad was being built at this time"
"Now those in charge of the railroad promised twenty acres of land to every man that worked on the railroad, but they're falling behind schedule, well, that was until John Henry arrived at the site, the rail boss was skeptical as John had never worked on the railroad, he made a bet with him that he can drive three spikes with three swings of his hammer"
"Three rail spikes with three swings of a hammer? That's impossible!" huffed James
"That's exactly what the rail boss thought" said Crystal with a warm grin,
"And then what happened?" asked Edward "did John Henry prove the rail boss wrong?"
"Oh yes indeed, he did, with three blows of his hammer he drove three spikes into the timbers" replied Crystal "and he earned himself a spot among the workmen, his hammer sang with the songs of the workmen, now Polly Anne was a steel-driver herself, sometimes when John Henry got sick, she could drive that steel with the best of those workmen"
Crystal made a light smile. Crystal was getting to one of the good parts of the story "Yet this wouldn't be story if there wasn't villain, yeah? Because those at the top introduced something absolutely diabolical, the Steam Drill" said Crystal, Gordon made an unconvinced huff at this point in Crystal's tale "and now this didn't sit too well with the workmen"
"I don't see how a Steam Drill is a villain, it will finish the railroad faster" puffed Gordon
"But Gordon, that Steam Drill would take away all the jobs of the workmen" said Emily
"That's right, Emily, he stood his ground, he challenged the Steam Drill" said Crystal
"It was this challenge that made John Henry the legend he is, the challenge was who can drive the most steel from the camp all the way to the Great Bend Tunnel which had not been finished yet" Crystal continued "the Steam Drill was belching smoke and eating coal and John Henry's hammer was driving cold steel until it seemed like John had an edge"
"The workmen all cheered as it appeared John Henry had won, that was until the Steam Drill turned it's hammer and began to go into the mountain, determined to never let any man ever beat him again, and with two hammers in his hands, John Henry began to tunnel his way through the rock, oh, you could've heard the hammers sing for miles around"
"It was a battle beyond compare, the ground shook like an earthquake, there was thunder and lightning to each hammer blow through the mountain carving out that tunnel, but just as the battle was at it's fiercest with John Henry and the Steam Drill neck n' neck with each other...Polly Anne left and she headed back to the rail camp" puffed Crystal sadly
"So Polly Anne left during the competition, why would she do that?" asked Henry
Crystal sighed sadly "Because she knew deep down she'll never see her John Henry again"
"But what happened? Did he win against the Steam Drill?" asked Thomas, Crystal grinned
"He did, John Henry drove fifteen feet of steel through the mountain compared to nine feet from the Steam Drill, and he completed the Great Bend Tunnel, but the competition cost John Henry his life, when John Henry fell, the workmen lifted him up, and buried him in the sand with his hammer in his hand" Crystal said, and reached the tall tale's end.
Crystal made a light chuckle "I've hauled a few specials and passenger trains back in America, and I have passed through the Great Bend Tunnel, every locomotive that passes through the tunnel knows where John Henry is buried, every time we pass by it, we always say: 'there lies a steel drivin' man', if it weren't for John Henry, I would not be here"
"What a story!" puffed Percy, Crystal beamed, happy to tell a tale she knows so well
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Percy, it's one of my favorite stories" said Crystal, Crystal looked up at the clock. She had a few trucks to pick up at Brendam Docks and bring to the Ironworks. Crystal smiled to herself as she chuffed happily on the rails, and made it to Brendam Docks to pick up her trucks, and haul them to the Ironworks. All in a days work.