As he rested in his shed after a long day's work, Toby wished he could be happier. The steam tram had known for a while the line was losing passengers, and his usual goods train which was coupled up to Henrietta was getting shorter and shorter, and then his driver told him the bad news after having a meeting with the Manager of the railway line.
Toby's driver told him the bad news.
The railway would be shut down soon. The manager didn't know when the railway line would close down, but he had told Toby's driver with the farms, mines, and all of the other businesses and peoples contracted to send their wares via the railway turning over to lorries because they found the roads quicker and convenient than they did piling g them in trucks. And buses were becoming more frequent and they could go to places Toby's line couldn't penetrate.
But the news had shaken Toby.
What would happen to him, his Henrietta, his driver and the fireman when the line closed down for good? Railway line closure was becoming more and more common after lorries and cars and roads began spreading everywhere. And since roads could go to places that railway lines couldn't reach, even Toby, who was meant to hate lorries and buses anyway, could understand why they'd be more appealing, but Toby had heard of many railway lines which had closed down, thanks to the Beeching axe. Toby had hoped it wouldn't be turned over to his own railway branch, but it was so small and insignificant compared to large and longer branch lines and mainline services, that if it disappeared then hardly anyone would notice.
And the thought made Toby feel sad.
But what worried Toby was left worried about the most was what would happen to him; the manager had told his driver and fireman he would be looking for someone to take them on, but it was hard. Toby was an old steam tram, but while he was serviceable and he could still work hard, not many people would want an old tram; no, they wanted electrics and diesel. Toby had met his fair share of diesels, many of them were too supercilious and looked down on steam engines, one look at an old steam tram, and they were sneering at him!
So what kind of future did he have?
And what kind of future would Henrietta have? She was old, too. Would they be together after so long still, or would they be separated? As much as he hated himself for admitting it to himself, Toby had to admit the likelihood was they would be separated.
Toby didn't want to be shoved into a scrapyard. That was not something any engine in their right mind would ever want, but the thought of himself and Henrietta being stuck in a scrapyard where their wheels and other metal parts would be left to rot, their paint jobs ruined and peeling, filled him with horror. It was not the ultimate fate a steam tram of his age should go through, but it was one he had to expect. Whining about it was not going to change it if he wasn't lucky enough to be bought by another manager, but the thought of himself and Henrietta…
No, he wouldn't think about it.
The only other possibility would be if he and Henrietta found themselves sent to a museum. It wasn't ideal, and it was only just better than going to a scrapyard, but Toby and Henrietta both knew such a life would be an utter misery.
They wouldn't be scrapped and they'd be kept in good condition, he knew that. But they wouldn't be moving. They'd be locked in place. Toby's firebox would be cold forever, and they would never work again. Toby found that hard to believe, never mind the fact he couldn't even imagine never working, something he had been doing ever since he had left the workshops, oh such a long time ago. The only consolation he had was neither he nor Henrietta would ever be separated, hopefully.
But anything could happen.
The next day, he and Henrietta went about their routine, and they met a stout gentleman…
Author's Note - What happened with Toby the Tram was a nice little story, and it was well written and conceived and introduced real-world railway line closures nicely.