Author's Note: The Inspiration for the Title of this chapter goes to Victor Tanzig for his Youtube Series, Stories of Sodor Season 1 episode Passengers. Thank you that is all.
Passengers
After work was done for the day Thomas and the London Midland and Scottish Railway Locomotives of the Kalos Railway fleet met up at the sheds. Their crews were giving them a good examination and cleaning out their fireboxes and smokeboxes before it was time to go.
Thomas: Another day done and it was a simple set of jobs today.
Greg: So what did you think of our freight cars Thomas?
Thomas: I'll be honest. They behaved surprisingly well. Your cars could easily give the coaches on Sodor a run for their money in terms of manners and smooth riding.
Greg: You have a point but I prefer cars to coaches mostly because I'm more the engine you call when you need dirty jobs done.
Princess Aurora: We get it Greg and we also get that you're usually the first to volunteer for the early morning goods train. That may be suitable for you but I am a Princess and Princess and goods trains do not mix.
Duchess Corrinne: That makes two of us. Three if you count Claire the Jubilee. Still as long as we're talking about Passenger Trains I can recall a time we had a few issues with our passenger traffic and King Elgar and I had to step up our game to earn back our traffic and restore the Kalos Railway's Image. That was during the Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union's most secretive branches the CIA and the KGB.
Thomas: Could you please tell me about that story and what the heck the CIA and KGB stand for because I'm completely lost on that?
Sophia: Of course we can tell you the story. Get ready for it. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. As for the CIA and KGB, I'm not surprised you didn't know about them considering you and the rest of the Sudarian Fleet have been so sheltered.
And this was the Story that Sophia and the other engines told Thomas.
The year was 1979, it was the height of the Kalos Railway and it was also the height of the Cold War between the American CIA and the Communist Russian KGB which meant that the Kalos Railway Fleet and staff had to be at the top of their game because they knew that they sided with the Americans in secret but in public they had to accommodate Eastern European staff and American staff and they knew they could be KGB or CIA agents respectively and that in turn meant that the Kalos Railway had to strengthen the tracks and bridges. Fortunately the Kalos Railway could afford to do that as the railway had a good public image due to the Great Western Engines teaching the Kalos Staff about the importance of having such a good public images and the Southern Railway Engines teaching the Kalos Railway Staff about the importance of having good passenger service and being right on time.
Blane was being oiled up for his goods train when Princess Aurora arrived clean and shiny as usual. She took a look at Blaine before something foul in the air caught her nose.
Princess Aurora: By Sir William Stanier Blaine, what have you and Greg been covered in this time? You smell like cow dung. Find yourself a wash down before my nose burns off.
Blaine took some offense to that before he spoke.
Blaine: For your information Princess Aurora I was delivering fertilizer and it may smell bad but it's important.
Princess Aurora: Whatever I've got an express to take and I must look my best. Not that you'd know about the importance of having a good public image. Considering that you and Greg are usually covered in all kinds of filth from all the goods trains you both take.
Before Blaine could respond Princess Aurora left for the station where she knew her coaches would be waiting for her.
When Princess Aurora arrived at the station she found that Hassan had just arrived with her coaches. The coaches were all shining with lovely new paint. Hassan was being very careful not to bump them and the coaches in turn followed Hassan smoothly into the station.
Hassan: Here you go Aurora. Sorry if I'm late. I had a little bit of trouble with my system earlier.
Right on cue a cloud of steam billowed from Hassan surrounding him.
Princess Aurora: Hassan I'm no mechanic but I suggest you go to the shops and get that looked at. You're fogging up the station and getting the coaches and passengers dirty. Not to mention my paint.
Before Hassan could respond Princess Aurora coupled up to her coaches and puffed away the minute the station guard waved their green flag and her guard blew their whistle.
Princess Aurora was enjoying herself as she was sticking to the speed limit and traveling at her usual pace. She made sure not to go too fast knowing that would make the passengers uncomfortable and the coaches cross. It was a typical start to the trip so the Stanier Princess Royal wasn't expecting any real trouble but unfortunately for her this trip was going to be anything but usual.
The coaches were behaving well and things were going smoothly so far. However what nobody knew was that one of the couplings was getting weaker and it looked like it was ready to snap at any minute but it would be quite a while before anybody noticed what happened.
Meanwhile at Bourges further up the line. Noah, Greg and Malcolm were waiting for Princess Aurora to pass before Greg and Noah could leave with their respective trains. Malcolm was working with Noah to learn about suburban operations and passenger trains as he had been trained to handle trucks.
Noah: Well any minute Princess Aurora's gonna be here with the non stop service. It runs from Paris to Bordeaux daily. This time it's Aurora's turn to take the train.
Malcolm: I'll be sure to remember that.
Greg: Yep and don't let the Express Passengers tease you. I may not be the right guy to teach a thing or two about stuff like that but I do know a thing or two about being nice to the shunting engines.
Just then they heard Aurora's Whistle.
Aaron Belmonte the Kalos Controller and Father of William Belmonte who happened to be at the station spoke up.
Aaron Belmonte: Here she comes.
Princess Aurora rushed through the station while sticking to the speed limit. But something didn't seem normal.
Greg: I may be known for specializing in goods work but I'm pretty sure Aurora did not have a brake coach.
Malcolm: Okay I'm just learning about passenger trains but I'm pretty sure that Aurora probably didn't take one. I mean last I checked not all passenger trains needed one. Right?
Aaron Belmonte: That would violate railroad regulations. All express trains are required to have a break coach so…
Noah: (Interrupting) Uh I think I may have found the brake coach.
Aaron: Belmonte: Oh Princess Aurora.
Right on cue slowly rolling into the station were the last two coaches of Princess Aurora's Train. The guard braked them to a stop next to the platform. The passengers were furious.
Guard: The coupling must have broken.
Aaron: Indeed. We must get the passengers back to their train. Oh dear this will be difficult. By the time Princess Aurora realizes what's happened she may already be at Bordeaux.
Noah: I'd certainly go but I've got passengers to take.
Aaron: Yes don't delay any more passengers Noah, Go on ahead.
Greg: I've got a goods train to deliver as well and given this mishap you may have to rely on Blaine, myself, and the 8Fs more than ever to help stay afloat.
Aaron: I may have to. What about you Malcolm? Think you can do the job?
Malcolm: I think I can handle it. Find me a turntable and hitch me up to the coaches.
So Malcolm was coupled to the coaches and hurried along the line to find Princess Aurora. The passengers were getting anxious and so were the coaches.
Coaches: We're already late. We mustn't be dreadfully late.
Malcolm: I'm doing the best I can. Don't forget I'm only a tank engine.
Malcolm arrived at Chateauroux but found that Princess Aurora wasn't there.
Malcolm: Bother we must keep going.
Malcolm continued to rush through with Princess Aurora's coaches.
Fortunately Princess Aurora stopped at Poitiers wondering what had happened.
Princess Aurora's Driver: How did we not notice this? Maybe a coupling snapped. Either way we'll have to go back and find the last two coaches.
The passengers were angry.
Passengers: We're already late!
Poor Princess Aurora felt very stupid at the moment.
Princess Aurora's Driver: Come on girl. Let's go find our stranded passengers.
Before Aurora could start the station guard waved a red flag and in the distance Malcolm was puffing up with Aurora's coaches.
Princess Aurora's Driver: Check that out. Malcolm's actually puffed all this way to give us back our coaches.
The passengers were pleased to see Malcolm as he pushed the coaches gently into place. Soon they were coupled up and Malcolm was uncoupled and Aurora raced out of the station determined to make up for lost time.
In the present day Thomas was surprised as the tale finished.
Thomas: I can't believe that a coupling snapped near the tail of your train Princess Aurora.
Princess Aurora: Believe me I was worried about that. But on the flip side Malcolm actually proved himself so in a way our branchline traffic improved.
Greg: But our passenger services kinda took a hit after Claire's fiasco with the bootlaces during her run with the express.
Claire: That wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know the coaches had a hole in them and one hadn't been looked at properly? At least I didn't bump them enough to make said hole in the break pipes.
Sophia: The point is Greg, Blaine and I had to step up our game on the goods trains to help the Kalos Railway stay afloat during that fiasco.
Blaine: True but even so there was a time where I wasn't sure we would be able to pick up the slack.
Thomas: What do you mean?
Gervase: We'll tell you that another day. Right now we might want to get some sleep. We're going to need it for tomorrow's events.
The engines agreed as they all got some sleep for the next day's work.