The Modern Railway Series No. 8
CLAY PIT ENGINES
Original stories by Andrew Brenner, Mark Huckerby, Davey Moore and Nick Ostler
Foreword
Dear friends,
There has been a lot more work on the Sodor clay pits, among it being the discovery of a dinosaur fossil. To help Bill and Ben, the tank engine twins, two new engines have been sent from the Mainland: Marion the steam shovel, and Timothy the oil-burning engine. But despite these arrangements, they couldn't prevent the mischievous antics Bill and Ben have been getting themselves into. These stories will tell you all about them.
The author
Marion and the pipe
One bright and sunny morning, Marion the steam shovel was repairing the embankment on the main line. "Nothing more than digging a nice, fresh hole," said Marion. The only thing Marion liked more than digging holes was telling the engines all the things she dug up from holes. Unfortunately, the other engines didn't always want to stop and listen to Marion's stories. Sometimes, Marion wants to tell another engine a story so badly, that she'd get them to stop herself, much to their displeasure.
Marion had barely finished repairing the embankment, when Edward arrived. He liked hearing Marion's stories. He asked Marion if she could continue telling him a story she never finished. Marion was delighted to see Edward. "It was a few years ago, in a very interesting area of gravel, and all of a sudden, I dug up some pirate treasure!" she told Edward. "There were rubies and emeralds and a giant diamond as big as-" but her shovel interrupted her. Marion had hit something in the embankment. "This looks like a water pipe," said Edward. "Nonsense," replied Marion. "This is a mast from a Viking longship!" Edward wasn't so sure. "I'll see you later, Marion!" said Edward as he went on his way with his trucks.
But no sooner had Edward gone, when Marion heard a burst. Then she noticed water leaking out of the pipe. Marion hastily looked around her. The workmen were still resting under a few trees. "Nothing a good trouble that mud can't fix," thought Marion as she dropped some dirt on top of the leak and covered it up with her shovel.
The next day, Marion was playing the game "Guess what's in my shovel" with Bill and Ben at the clay pits, when Edward arrived. "Marion, you did dig up a water pipe yesterday, and I think it's leaking!" he told the steam shovel. "Nonsense, Edward," replied Marion. "I told you it was… just… more pirate treasure! It's quite common on Sodor." Bill and Ben perked up at hearing this. "I thought you said it was a Viking longship?" said Edward feeling confused. Bill and Ben raised their eyebrows. Marion gave up trying to get herself out of the situation. She agreed to go with Edward and investigate the embankment.
When they got to the embankment, there were no signs of leaking water anywhere. "I told you there was nothing to worry about, Edward," said Marion. "I could've sworn I saw water there earlier," said Edward. "Never mind, Edward," replied the steam shovel. "Let's come back to the clay pits. Have I ever shown you my rock collection?" Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise. Then, water spouted from the dirt. "Look out!" the engines cried as they backed out of the way, just as the mud burst out of the embankment and blocked the line. A boulder perched on top of the rails next to Marion and Edward. "I'm sorry, Edward. You were right, this is a water pipe I found," exclaimed Marion. "What should we do?" "You need to clear the tracks, while I warn the other engines," said Edward.
Pistons pumping and shovel digging, Marion worked harder than ever. Then, she saw Gordon in the distance. And she noticed the boulder was still blocking his way. Marion pressed her shovel hard against it, trying to push it out of the way. Gordon noticed what was up ahead and he applied his brakes. It didn't seem like he could stop in time. So Marion raised her shovel high, and with a yell of "Fore!", Marion swung her shovel round, and knocked the boulder out of the way, just in time. Gordon carried on with the express unharmed. Edward saw everything. "Marion, you did it!" Marion just beamed.
As Edward and Marion left the embankment, Marion spoke up. "Edward, did I ever tell you about the time a wise blue engine dug a silly old steam shovel out of a deep hole?" Edward didn't understand what Marion was talking about, until he realized what she meant and laughed. "Thanks for your help today, Edward," continued Marion. "Next time I dig up a water pipe, I'll tell someone." And with that, the two engines went on their own ways to head back home.
No steam without coal
One day, Bill and Ben were at Brendam Docks. Bill was taking equipment to the china clay pits. And Ben was waiting for a delivery of coal. "Looks like I'm going to be the first back at the clay pits, Ben," teased Bill as he puffed out of the docks. This made Ben cross. So he puffed after Bill without waiting for the coal delivery. "I'm going to be the first back, Bill!" called Ben as he raced past his twin. The two engines raced each other all the way from the docks to the clay pits.
"I'm the best! I won!" cried Ben triumphantly as they pulled into the clay pits. "But I had to pull all this heavy equipment, while your coal trucks are all empty!" protested Bill. Marion overheard them and grew annoyed. "You were supposed to bring the coal, Ben," she scolded the tank engine. "I need coal to keep digging. You need coal to keep shunting, and so does Bill. We all need coal." "Not Timothy," replied Ben. "Yeah, he's the odd one out," put in Bill.
Timothy was in fact, the odd one out, because he is an oil-burning steam engine. He is in fact the only one on the whole island of Sodor, and that makes him very special indeed. "You need to go back and go back for the coal, Ben," said Marion. "I'm sure there's plenty left in the hopper," sneered Ben. "Yeah, there was heaps of coal in there last time I needed some," added Bill. "And what are we going to do if we run out?" questioned Marion. Ben promised he will go back to the docks to bring the coal. Eventually, that is. "She's right, you know. You shouldn't waste your coal. You'd be wishing you'd done your job if you do run out of coal," warned Timothy. But Bill and Ben didn't listen to him. They wanted to have a little fun first.
The twins competed for how strong they were. They competed for how fast they could go. Bill nearly ran right into Timothy, who was getting annoyed with them both. "Careful, Ben!" he yelled. Ben stuck out his tongue at him. "Stop messing about!" continued Timothy. "And go and get some more coal." Bill and Ben still didn't listen to him.
Later, Bill and Ben scared Timothy by blowing their whistles while he was refuelling with oil. They also teased him for being the odd one out and sped away laughing. Timothy usually feels proud to be different. But Bill and Ben's jokes can get to anyone eventually.
Soon it was time for Bill and Ben to refuel. Then there was trouble. All the coal was gone, and there wasn't even enough to keep Bill and Ben in steam. "This your fault, Ben! You were supposed to bring the coal! You shouldn't have been messing about all day!" accused Bill. "Me messing about? I'm not the one who's been messing about!" argued Ben. Bill and Ben didn't have enough steam to be able to get away from each other.
Timothy came passing by. "Come on, you two, Marion needs you to collect some clay." Bill and Ben told him that they've run out of coal. "What?" exclaimed Marion. "But, there's no steam without coal! What am I supposed to do now?" "Don't look at me," said Timothy, noticing Bill and Ben staring at him with wide eyes. But he agreed to, after seeing that they wouldn't be really useful without coal to help them steam. So he delivered the clay to Brendam Docks, and found trucks loaded with coal, ready and waiting for him.
Bill and Ben couldn't wait to get refill with coal, and argued about who should go first that evening. Marion insisted that she would go first. She also urged them to say something to Timothy. "Thanks, Timothy," they whispered. "And?" huffed Marion. "Sorry. Sorry we were silly, and that we made fun of you." And even though Bill and Ben were two of a kind, they thought that being like Timothy, the only oil-burning engine on Sodor is very special. When they run out of coal, that is!
Timothy and the rainbow truck
Bill and Ben are cheeky little engines who like playing tricks on other engines. They play tricks on Marion at the clay pits. They play tricks on Salty at the docks. But the engine they like to play tricks on most of all, is Timothy, the little oil-burning engine.
One day, Timothy was approached by the tank engine twins. "Hey, Timothy! We're looking for a lost truck," said Bill. "Yeah, a lost truck! It's very important," agreed Ben. "Then I'll help you find it," replied Timothy. But then, he got suspicious and asked them if it was one of their tricks. Bill and Ben insisted that it was no trick. Timothy believed them, and then asked them what this lost truck looked like. "It's red!" said Bill. "It's orange!" said Ben. Then they both said that it was all the colours of the rainbow. Timothy promised to find the colourful truck and bring it to them. He set off in search for the truck, quite certain he was helping his two friends.
At Brendam Docks, there were lots of trucks in many different colours. But Timothy couldn't see a truck like the one Bill and Ben had told him about. Timothy chuffed past Sodor Animal Park with its colourful parrots. He spotted the Duchess of Boxford in a multi-coloured dress as he passed her and the Duke of Boxford's summer house. He saw a group of children flying colourful kites. But he didn't see a multi-coloured rainbow truck anywhere.
Timothy travelled all the way to the shunting yard in search of the rainbow truck. Then there was trouble. "Timothy? What are you doing here?" he heard a voice. "You're meant to be working at the clay pits!" "Yes, sir… I mean no, sir," stuttered Timothy as he noticed the Fat Controller. "I wasn't looking for a special truck. Goodbye, sir!" And Timothy sped away at once.
Timothy was disappointed not to have been able to find the rainbow truck. He decided to take one last look at Brendam Docks. "Hey, Cranky! Can you help me? I'm looking for a truck," Timothy asked the tall crane. "There are a lot of trucks at Brendam Docks, Timothy," replied Cranky feeling annoyed. "I know, but I'm looking for a very special one. I thought you might be able to spot it from up there," said Timothy. "Alright then," sighed Cranky. "What does it look like?" "Well, Bill and Ben said it was all the colours of the rainbow!" said Timothy. "I've seen a lot of trucks, Timothy, but I've never even heard of one like that!" Salty came up to him and said he had heard of one before.
Salty led Timothy to a truck that was full of rubbish, and paint splatters. "Ta-da! What did I tell you? All the colours of the rainbow!" said Salty proudly. Timothy couldn't believe it. Then he realized that Bill and Ben really did play a trick on him. Then he also realized that this truck looked just like the one Bill and Ben had asked Timothy to look for. "Arr, and so that's the truck they're going to get, whether they like it, or not!" laughed Salty.
Bill and Ben were working at the clay pits, when they noticed a funny smell. They soon realized where it was coming from, as Timothy proudly presented them the multi-coloured rainbow truck. Bill and Ben protested and explained that it was a joke. "But it's all the colours of the rainbow, just like you said," replied Timothy innocently.
Bill and Ben didn't realize that the Fat Controller had heard everything. He was not very happy with them both. "So it's true," he boomed. "Salty told me you sent Timothy steaming around the island on a fool's errand!" The twins apologized to the Fat Controller. "You have caused confusion and delay. And for that, I'm putting you on waste collection duty," said the Fat Controller. Then he caught a whiff of the smell from the truck and waved his arms. "Oh! And you can start by taking this truck of dockyard waste to the dump where it belongs!" "Oh no," groaned the twins, while Marion and Timothy just laughed. It does serve Bill and Ben right, doesn't it?
No help at all
One day, Marion was filling trucks up with rocks, when the trucks moved away. She dropped the rocks she had in her shovel on the rails instead. Bill and Ben thought this was funny and tried convincing her that it was Timothy, the oil-burning engine. Timothy was right beside Marion, and she didn't believe them. "They're not exactly very helpful, those two," she told Timothy. Bill and Ben were indignant. "Sometimes they're no help at all," agreed Timothy. "Well, you're no fun at all, Timothy!" argued Ben. "That's right!" put in Bill as they raced away with the trucks.
As Bill and Ben delivered the trucks to Knapford station, they overheard the Fat Controller talking to Thomas. He mentioned how busy the docks had been getting since Salty left for the mainland and how hard it was Porter to manage the work all by himself. This gave them an idea. "Why don't you send Timothy to the docks, sir?" they asked him. "We don't really need him at the clay pits, sir. Sometimes, he's no help at all." And they ran off laughing. "Don't listen to them, sir. Timothy's a really useful engine," said Thomas. "Then sending Timothy to the docks might be a good idea after all," agreed the Fat Controller.
At Brendam Docks, Porter and Cranky were very busy indeed. Then Timothy arrived. "Oh, Timothy! Am I glad to see you," said Porter. "I hope you don't mind hard work." "Not at all!" smiled Timothy. "At least I won't have Bill and Ben playing tricks on me." Porter and Cranky were more than happy to have Timothy join their little team.
That afternoon, the Fat Controller came down to see how Timothy was getting on at the docks. "Timothy is terrific, sir!" said Cranky. "He may not be the biggest or strongest engine I've ever met, but he's a very hard worker," added Porter. "I can see it was an excellent idea to get you to help out here, Timothy," said the Fat Controller. "I must thank Bill and Ben." Timothy was surprised and asked him why he would thank them. The Fat Controller said it was their idea after all, although he didn't seem so sure now.
Unfortunately back at the clay pits, things weren't going so well. "Bill! Ben! Can someone please help me here?" called Marion. "These trucks are full, in fact, they're very full! In fact, I think they might be overflowing!" But Bill and Ben were too busy messing around, pushing a truck between each other. But then, they decided to go and get Timothy to come back and help them. "After all, he's no help at all!" they laughed between themselves. Marion was really frustrated at having to work hard by herself.
Timothy was still at Brendam Docks when Bill and Ben came to see him. "Okay, Timothy. You can come back to the clay pits, now," said Bill. "Yes, we really need you," said Ben. "Everything is in a terrible mess!" "I'd like to help you, but I can't come back now. Porter would have to work on his own," replied Timothy. Since he wouldn't return with them, Bill and Ben went off, letting him know that Timothy would be the one to blame when the clay pits end up in a bigger mess.
A couple of days later, a big ship came in from the Mainland. "Hey, look who I found!" said Cranky feeling excited. "It's Salty!" gasped Porter. "Ahoy there, mateys!" greeted the dockside diesel as he was lowered back onto the rails of Brendam Docks again. Salty was back, which meant Timothy would have to return to the clay pits. And he was a bit worried about what he would find.
Bill and Ben were in a bit of a sticky situation. When they saw the Fat Controller heading towards them, they freaked out, and tried running away. But they got blocked by surrounding trucks full of stone. "What is going on here?!" boomed the Fat Controller. "How could this place end up in such a mess?" Bill and Ben explained that they tried telling Timothy to come back with them from the docks. But the Fat Controller remembered that it was their idea to send him there in the first place. "You said he was no help at all!" Bill and Ben realized he was right. So they started blaming each other instead. "You were the one who said he was no help at all!" puffed Ben. "Did not!" cried Bill. "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "ENOUGH!" cried the Fat Controller. "It's about time you two started pulling your own weight!" Bill and Ben agreed and tried to puff off again. But they still kept bumping into the trucks blocking their lines. The Fat Controller laid his face on his hand in shame.
Just then, Timothy came back. He was surprised to see the clay pits in such a mess. The Fat Controller cleared his throat. Bill and Ben apologized to Timothy. "Not to worry!" smiled Timothy. "If we work together, we can get this cleaned up in no time!" Porter and Salty had come to help, too. And together, all the engines worked hard. In no time, the clay pits were all cleared up. The Fat Controller was proud to have his engines be really useful again.