Mainline Snow
Winter had come to the Island of Sodor. The fat controller's engines worked harder than ever. Zachery the Big Boy was shunting his long line of trucks alongside Thomas and Percy at Knapford station. Zachery smiled as he talked with his friends. "Isn't this great weather? The cold air, blowing against one's boiler, and the grass of green gently blanketed with white snow? A peaceful setting indeed if you ask me." Thomas chuckled as he said, "It's only peaceful until an engine gets stuck into a snow drift. We branch line engines have that problem more often than the main line."
"Yes," agreed Percy, "it's the time of year where we wear snow plows." "Oh I see," said Zachery curiously, "I never wore a snow plow before. You see when there was a snow drift we would-" He was about to tell the engines how he dealt with snow but just then Gordon pulled in with the express. He overheard the engines talk about snow. "Snow and engines don't mix. Every engine knows that." Gordon never had an accident involving snow. This got him all smoked up in his firebox, and I'm sorry to say it made him very conceited.
Zachery looked at the time and said, "Well I must be off. I will see you later Thomas and Percy. Goodbye, Gordon." With that said he pulled the long line of trucks and was gone. Percy and Thomas were waiting for their signal to go green, so they continued their chat with Gordon. "Every engine does know about snow, Gordon," began Percy, "but I haven't seen you use a snowplow." "Hmph," snorted Gordon, "Mainline engines don't need snow plows. We charge at snow head on, and the snow makes way for us." Before anyone can answer he went off to get a nice drink and some more coal for the morning run.
What Gordon didn't know is that workmen would come very in early in the morning, by riding in BoCo's work train, to clear the mainline of snow. However this morning, the workmen were cutoff from the mainline. It had snowed heavily last night and all roads were closed. Duck had shunted Gordon's coaches in place and Gordon backed up to them slowly and calmly. The passengers got in, the signal was dropped, and with a mighty whistle and heave, Gordon and the Express was off.
"Come along, come along!" sang Gordon, as he was flying down the mainline. "We're coming! We're coming!" sang the coaches happily as they trickety trocked along for the ride. The passengers were enjoying a delicious breakfast with the morning tea and the ride was as smooth as ever can be. Neither the passengers nor Gordon, his driver, and his fireman knew that disaster was just around the corner. There was a huge snow drift along the line. It was spread across a distance between a station yard's signal box, and Henry's tunnel. The signalman on duty had left and ran to call for help. What made matters worse was that the points were not set to divert the train.
By the time Gordon and his crew saw the drift, it was too late. Gordon plunged into the large drift as his driver and fireman jumped clear into the snow. The passenger felt a large jerk, and some of their breakfast flew off the table and onto the floor. Some exited the coaches to find out what had happened. Gordon was trapped inside the drift and was nowhere to be seen. The signal man arrived and called the yard, and exclaimed what had happened. Henry came to pull the express and the passengers to safety, and Donald and Douglas arrived to try and help Gordon out. They charged, and charged, and charged at the snow drift. But no matter how hard they tried, they could not reach Gordon. More snow kept falling from where they kept charging.
Back at Knapford yards, the fat controller was pondering on how to get Gordon out. Percy and Thomas were at the yards as well beside him and they too were worried. "If we don't get Gordon out," Thomas said, "The line will not be cleared, and there will be delay." "But how?" asked Percy sadly, "Donald and Douglas tried but the snow plows aren't working." Zachery pulled in with today's shipment from the other Railway. He heard what had happened to Gordon and couldn't help but chuckle, "What you need," he began, "is a snow machine."
Percy looked confused, "What is a snow machine?" "It's an old machine that required steam power and was used to push snow out of the way. I used these machines back home since I couldn't have a snow plow." Zachery said, "And you're in luck. The other railway wanted this one scrapped, but it is still in working order." Thomas and Percy smiled and waited for the machine to be unloaded from Zachery's train. The two then were coupled to the machine, and together they pushed it along the line. They reached the drift where Henry was waiting alongside for them. Gordon's Driver and Fireman saw the machine and volunteered to power it. Slowly but surely the machine pushed loads of snow with a violent roar away from the rails. At last they reached Gordon. Henry pulled Gordon out from the drift and away to Knapford while Thomas and Percy finished the job.
That night no one said anything as Gordon returned to the shed. He know knows a lot about snow and is now more careful when going along the main line.