Frank yawned as he opened his eyes. The sun had barely started to rise yet Bigg City port was already starting to liven up. He saw the futon Ferry making its early morning trip across the bay and smiled. Looking to his side he saw his brother Eddie. He was still dozing which made Frank chuckle. Frank and Eddie were railway barges, they could not move by themselves but with the help of tugboats they would transport trucks and sometimes even engines across from one side of the dock railway to the other. It was an important job and it kept them busy though due to the fact they didn't do very much they didn't mind. Then he came. Frank sighed loudly as he saw the yellow tug puffing towards them with a scowl.
"My my Eddie, he's late again" This was loud enough to wake his brother. As soon as he saw who was approaching him he caught on and chuckled.
"Always is Frank" he quipped. The tug kept his scrowel.

"Come along you two and enough of your backchat, I don't have time for it today" the tug moaned. The tug, of course, was Tophat. Over the years many tugs had pulled them until one day he had arrived. He was an uptight show off as far as they were concerned. For the last 5 years he had taken them everyday and every day for that 5 years he complained about them. They didn't take much notice of that, he wasn't the first, nor the last, to turn his nose up at such a dull job however they took great fun in teasing him.
"Oh someone woke up on the wrong side of the dock pier today, ah Eddie?"
"Seems so Frank" Eddie wasn't one for many words but Frank had his back to bulk up any conversation, or more often than not with tophat, mud slinging match.
"Give me strength," Tophat muttered. as he puffed in between them and hitched a tow line to them.

The day was normal for the most part. Tophat grumbled the whole time while they transported trucks back and forth happily. That was, however , until they reached Lucky's yard. As they came past it they both gasped. Stood in the drydock was a railway barge, however it was twice the size of Frank and Eddie combined. The most alarming thing however was what sat between his tracks… A boiler. This was a barge like they had never seen, this was a barge which didn't need a tug. Tophat chuckled.
"Well well, seems I may not need to pull you two much longer" Frank and Eddie were too scared to reply. The sight of this… beast was too much, they had never seen anything like it before, it looked so modern, his hull shiny and not brown with rust like their own. Tophat took note of this. He didn't dislike the two per say, rather found their jokes irritating and to not hear them reply was a little shocking. He decided to draw closer. The barge smiled as he saw them approach.
"Oh hello there old timers, enjoying a stroll or do you have proper work to do?" He asked, instantly all three of them took a dislike to his tone. Frank wanted to say something but to his surprise Tophat spoke up.
"There's nothing old about these barges, shabby I will give you, I suppose you will be taking over my job when you're built?" He asked. Frank and Eddie had never heard Tophat defend them before. But the barge just laughed.
"Haha! Good one mate, can't you see? Got me my own tracks, don't need anyone else, I'm bigger and Better than those two in every way" Tophat frowned.
"Yes I can see, thank you very much, '' sniffed Tophat. "But all I can say is thank goodness you can travel by yourself as no tug I know would take a barge as undignified as you" The barge was about to speak up when Tophat blasted his whistle loudly and before he could say anything Tophat sped off.
"Every good Tophat, you showed him" Said Frank once they were out of earshot but Tophat didn't have the normal twinkle in his eye he got when he won an argument.

"Well… I will not have you two be insulted, what would it look like if word got out I didn't keep you two shipshape" Frank could tell that there was more to it then that but didn't want to press him.
"What are we going to do?" Asked Eddie, speaking up for the first time since seeing the barge.
"Well… There's not much we can do… He is bigger and if he doesn't need a tug the railway will give him the contract, Captain star won't complain, it frees me up for garbage detail more often…" Both of them frowned as Tophat said that. Things didn't look good.

A few days passed and they saw the barge again. He was out for testing and they learnt through a nameplate on his side he was called Trampsteamer. He was painted with a clean black hull and a bright purple boiler and cab.
"Gastly" Tophat would mutter as they passed.
The night before Trampsteamer was to be put into service Frank and Eddie spoke to each other.
"This is the end isn't it Frank? '' Eddie asked nervously. Frank paused, unsure what to say.
"We… we don't know that…" He tried to comfort his brother but he saw it wasn't working.
"The writing is on the walls, Frank...and we are heading for the breakers yard."
"Heaven forbid, how dare you speak like that" came a soft voice. The two jumped and saw Tophat. He had snuck up alongside.
"Tophat? What are you doing here?" Asked Frank, Tophat never came to them outside work hours. He had a serious look to him.
"Look you two… we don't see each other eye to eye, however I'll be damned if they scrap you both. You may be cheeky and rusting but you're never rude like that barge. And…" He paused and Frank spoke up.
"Tophat… you may be a snobbish git at times but your a good tug" All three of them laughed.
"That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me" Tophat joked. "We have worked together long enough that that… While I admit I do not show it… I consider you two friends." Frank and Eddie smiled, but either knew what his plan was.

The next morning Trampsteamer was sitting at the railhead waiting for the goods engine to load him up.
"Mmm, seems they scraped though out of date floating rubbish barges" He said with a confident smirk when he heard a whistle. An old paddle steamer puffed up, it was O.J.
"Hello, you there, have you seen tophat?" he asked.
"Tophat? No why?" he asked, confused. O.J looked worried.
"He didn't return home to the star dock last night and it's not like him to go wandering. He normally pulls Frank and Eddie here first thing which is why I came. Did he take them?" Trampsteamer just gave a sinister smirk.
"I am sorry about your friend but those rusting hulls are likely at the breakers yard now, no need for them or your friend when I can steam along myself" he said boastfully. That's when it happened. He was so caught up in trying to prove himself he forgot he was being loaded. He puffed full steam ahead just as the goods engine pushed the last of the trucks onto his track. Lucky it had been uncoupled or it would have been dragged down under the water with them when they all fell.
"Seems you like sending things to the breakers yard then" Said O.J with a smirk as the trucks and their cargo were plunged into the water. Trampsteamer could only blush.

Once O.J had fetched a crane to clean up the mess he saw Tophat, he was yawning and not looking where he was going, banging right into the side of him.
"Oh! Watch yourself tophat, your warrior impression is bang on, where have you been?" O.J joked, no longer worried for his friend now he could see he was safe. Tophat news loudly.
"Oh O.J I am so sorry… I was up late last night and...what is this?" O.J chuckled.
"That new Railway barge, showing off he was and dumped his trucks in the sea, I heard they are sending him away in the morning…"
"Oh thank goodness for that" but in tophat. O.J narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.
"I also heard Frank and Eddie went missing… But now that the barge is gone they won't have any fear of scrap I suppose...and I suppose they will be returned from wherever some good fellow has hidden them to save them from scrap…" Tophat gasped and blushed a little. He never could fool O.J.
"Of course… and...I suppose this doesn't have to travel back to the others? I am sure whoever did such a nice thing would not want his, I mean, their reputation ruined by an act of unusual kindness…" O.J smiled again.
"Oh I am sure no one else needs to know, not even captain star, they better hurry mind, the goods engine has a load to cross the harbour waiting" And with that Tophat zipped off with a blast of his whistle. Once he was gone O.J chuckled. "Ah he's a good tug really" he whispered to himself as he finished cleaning up the mess.