A/N This is Gordon and his brother visiting and Scotsman tells about his US tour.
One day, Gordon was in Vicarstown because his brother, The Flying Scotsman was coming there for a visit. The latter had just come home from a rail-tour in the US. Gordon saw his brother coming and asked him to tell of his tour.
Scotsman said, "I've got quite a story, little brother. I almost ended up on The Big Railway In The Sky.
Gordon frowned, not at all happy, and asked his brother "And how did that happen?"
Scotsman said, "I shall tell you the story of my tour."
Scotsman said, "I belonged to someone whose name was Alan Pegler. He sent me on the tours, but went bankrupt during the second tour and I was stuck for a while. That was how I almost died."
"I could've been the only one left", Gordon sniffed disdainfully.
Scotsman replied, "The US engines made me feel small. My tours were planned to go from Boston, Massachusetts, then to the South, the West and the Midwest. I left from Liverpool with coaches on ships, too. The trip to Boston Harbor took us 10 days. Then, I was prepared for my first run on US rails. Their tracks are the same gauge as ours, at least for standard-gauge like us.", referring to himself and his brother. "The 3rd of October 1969 was my first actual tourist train, but it was rather unpleasant. People threw things at me and someone even shot at me. My crew threw my coal at them in response. On the 8th of October, crowds gathered because of me and on the 12th, we moved on to Connecticut. I was on display there for a couple days. New Jersey was the next stop and I passed a US train on the way there. My crew told me that was a turbo train. After that, I was in a suburb of New York
City. I had to be towed through the city's subway or as I call it, underground system. I believe the towing costs in that and other situations was why my tours put my then-owner in such money troubles. I was in New Jersey for four days and then went to Philadelphia. I stayed there 2 days. On the 23rd of October, I was in Baltimore and towed to Washington, D.C., the US capital. I spent 2 days there. Then, I went to Atlanta, which took many days. I went through Virgina, North and South Carolina and passed through Gainesville, another Georgia town before arriving there. I met a Georgia steam engine in Atlanta, but it was faceless. Like me, that engine was going to the Steam-o-Rama in Anniston. It departed first and I followed. People were given the opportunity to take pictures of us. That engine ran short of steam at one point. Another US engine, 4501 was also in Anniston for the steam festival. For 2 hours, people saw us lined up and then, after the festival, it was time for my lot to go to Birmingham, Alabama. Then, I went through Mississippi, Louisiana and Mineola, Texas, before arrival in Dallas, Texas. It was the 5th of November when I got to Dallas. I spent 2 days there before going south to Houston, another Texas city. I arrived on the 10th of November and spent 5 days there. Then, I went to Slayton, Texas and, along with my train, was stored in the old roundhouse. That was the 1969 tour and I spent the winter there with my coaches in the other berths. That was the good part of my US rail-tour. We had run on schedule the whole time."
Gordon said, "Why did he have to mess it up?", referring to Pegler.
Scotsman said, "Little brother, he was insistent on doing the whole tour, even with a new prime minister in our country. The new prime minister made Pegler fund the rest of the tour himself."
Gordon gave an annoyed huff, thinking Pegler should've stopped the tour and gone back home.
Scotsman said, "The original plan for 1970 was for us to go up the West Coast, but Pegler decided to go from Slayton to Green Bay, Wisconsin. After that, we were to go to the planned stops after Green Bay. Slayton to Fort Worth and then Temple, Texas, then Oklahoma. From Muskogee, Oklahoma, we went back to Texas. I derailed in Waco and had to be repaired in Claiborne after my rear bogey came off. After going back through Fort Worth, we went to Oklahoma, then Kansas. We were in Kansas City on the 21st of June. We spent a week there. On the 30th of June, I was in St. Louis, Missouri. I stayed at Union Station there until the 6th of July. My cowcatcher was refitted and painted black there. I went to Illinois, making a whistle stop in Decatur and then Chicago, where I stayed in Dearborn Station until the 18th of July. The next day, we headed for Green Bay and the National Railroad Museum. I was to stay for a month. An A4, Dwight D. Eisenhower was there. My next stop was the Canadian National Expo in Toronto. Isle of Thanet, my coach was left with the A4 and Lydia would also join them after the tour was the plan. On the 19th of August, I went to Chicago again to be stored in 40th Street Yard for the night. I went through Michigan and then we took the Saint Clair tunnel to Ontario. On the 21st of August, we reached Toronto. I was in Spadina Yard and exhibitors got rides in my cab as part of the Expo. On the 8th of September, we headed to Ottawa and I spent the 9th to the 17th at the Museum of Science and Technology. I went to Montreal and was there until the 27th, near Vertu Station. I met up with some Canadian engines in Toronto and Montreal, including a turbo train engine in the 2nd place. I spent 2 days in Kingston after that, passing through Brockville on the way to. We went back to Toronto and then to Hamilton and I was there on the 1st of October at James Street. We went to Niagara Falls the next day. I was there for the rest of October. Then, I spent the winter in Toronto. After that, we went to San Francisco for the British Week festival. In August of 1971, we headed for San Francisco. First stop was Buffalo, NY, so we crossed the International Suspension Bridge and my train was properly set up for the journey. In September, we passed through Ohio, Chicago. Pegler's 17-year-old daughter Penelope and any other cheap crew, usually hitchhikers regarding those, were taken on. Kathy, who was on the way to Berkley, became the train's cook. A man whose name was Steve was Portland bound and looked after my train after being taken on board. On the 8th of September, we were in Minnesota and on the 11th, we were in North Dakota. The 13th of September, we were in Montana. We passed through the Rockies and on the 15th of September, we were in Washington. We went through Oregon and on the 17th, we were in Klamath Falls. From there, we went to California and on the 27th, we were in Oakland. We crossed the bay to San Francisco on a ferry. I was unloaded from the ferry at Fisherman's Wharf. I was on display there in October as a tourist attraction. I was moved to Exchange Yard due to restaurant complaints. I was no longer in sight of tourists there, so Pegler's money disappeared. He had to go work, but in March 1972, he came back to San Francisco and drove me along the State Belt for tourist trains. I derailed at a set of points on the 25th.
After that, Pegler went bankrupt due to the tour and a divorce. On the 13th of August, I was moved with my train to Oakland by ferry and towed to Sharp Army Depot, in Lathrop, which is south of Stockton. I was left exposed, which affected my paintwork. He lost me from there because I was liquidated. I was property of the US government and with no true owner. I've been told back in my homeland people were afraid of Disney buying me and keeping me from returning. Someone said the company's first owner was a railfan. William McAlpine made a way for me to come back home. He was also called Bill and along with some people, had a plan to rescue me because he collected steam engines. George Hinchcliffe, my operational manager, came to California in January 1973. He told Bill on the 2nd how much money it would cost to bring me back. I was Bill's after he paid the check for that money. I was taken to Oakland Dockyards for the homeward journey. A reporter saw a crane and found me that way, but was bribed to keep me secret with whiskey, until I was out of US waters. On the 17th of January, I was loaded onto a barge and then taken to the California Star, which would take me back home. I went through the Panama Canal, making me the first steam engine to do so. I was unloaded in Liverpool, at the dock where I began my tour. After 3.5 years away, I was back home and it snowed when I was unloaded. I was taken to Darby to be restored, as I was in not good condition. Even in that rather bad condition, Bill insisted I go there under steam if I could. The nation was so happy to see me steaming along light engine on the way to Darby. I was repainted there and ready to haul rail-tours again. But first, I wanted to see you again, little brother."
Gordon said, "I join the people of our homeland. Now that I know the story, I'm just glad my brother's still alive."
Scotsman said, "I got dreadfully homesick at that depot. Just the thought of dying in a foreign land made me unhappy. However, during the good times, I loved the attention. The good parts of the tour and my homecoming. Not sure what happened to the coaches I left behind, maybe they were displayed, used for something or scrapped. Guess Bill just wanted me and didn't think about anything else."
A/N I know Scotsman, in his TRS/TTTE form's a proud engine and I tried to reflect that.