September 19th, 1963

It's nearly been two weeks since Toad and I talked about his escape.

He seemed happy to talk about it all for a few days, but after a while he asked if I could stop asking. I nearly asked why, but I promised I would.

Driver thinks he's still reeling from what happened to Jinty. And so do I. I wonder if Toad came off as well after Boxy found them. Or if Boxy's the reason they came off at all? I only saw him and that other diesel shunt Jinty off to the works, I never saw how he derailed. Did they have a chase? And if so, why?

I want to know all of these things.

By the way, I've noticed something else, and I'm a little worried about it.

There aren't as many passenger trains leaving the station as there were before. Amy says that buses provide a better service, something about how they offer a faster and smoother ride than us engines.

I also got to do some shunting at the harbour yesterday afternoon, and it wasn't as busy as it was when Jinty was here. Andy could've handled the work by himself, there was so little.

Jeremy stopped by and helped to arrange Riddle's train, he told us that the lorries are taking over most of the work there for us.

I can't believe that.

Roads are always bumpy and busy. Driver complains about it a lot. Primary routes will be packed for hours at a time, and he says there's He says there's hardly enough space to go anywhere on the side streets because they're bustling with automobiles and people too.

All the same, the stopping services are being cancelled until further notice. Fireman says it's all a lot of rhetoric drivel, and he gets rather irritable whenever it comes up. Now that I mention it, he gets like that whenever he starts work and sees how full the platform is.

He's kept on saying 'Damn you, Doctor Beeching.' for the last few days. Or has it been weeks? I can't quite recall.

Now, I don't really know who this Doctor is, or what he has to do with our branchline, but I don't think we should be too worried about him. If he's a doctor, then he works with people, and Manager's goes to the Doctors' when he isn't feeling well.

So then, what does he have to do with the Railway? He just sounds like a character to me, but Driver and Fireman don't like him much at all.

I suppose I'll find out soon.