1971
Bill and Ben are twins who work at the Sodor China Clay works. They usually take trucks full of China clay to the small fishing key side at the end of Edward's branch line, where they would sometimes shunt trucks of China clay or fishing vans where BoCo or Edward would take away. But when they are not playing tricks, they're hard at work. But the Sodor China Clay Company was rapidly expanding, and the work at pits was becoming more and more extreme. This was making the twins a little agitated.
One chilly morning in February, BoCo came into the clay pits to collect his trucks, usually Bill and Ben would take the trucks to the key side but were so busy that Edward and the big diesel had to collect the trucks at the pits, but BoCo wasn't use to this new arrangement and found it quite difficult for him to get down the line with his co-bo wheel configuration. When he got to the pits, he wasn't best please with what Bill and Ben were doing. Both twins were on two sidings with a train of wagons full of China clay, waiting to be sent off.
"No those trucks are mine!" cried Bill, "those are BoCo's!"
"Rubbish!" Ben snorted, "it's these trucks that BoCo need to take."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Stop bickering you two," interjected BoCo, "otherwise I won't be getting anything."
But just BoCo finished, Bill reversed roughly into the trucks behind him, a door opened, and clay spilled out. BoCo sighed and rolled his eyes. Ben just huffed. "Well done Bill," he said.
Their manager came to inspect the scene. "Bill and Ben," he said, "if you don't stop misbehaving, I'll make one of you work at the key side and the other work here."
The twins just looked down at their buffers in shame. "Yes sir," they replied.
"But sir," protested Bill, "we have been rushed off our wheels, we can't even take the trucks to Brendam because of how overworked we are here!"
"Yeah... what he said," added Ben pointlessly.
"I understand your feelings and both of you have been working hard during our expansion, what we need is another engine to help you two," he replied.
"Another engine?" gasped Ben.
"Indeed," said the manager, "I've got one on loan and he'll be helping us with taking trucks from the pits to the key sides. He's a diesel and I want you two to give him a warm welcome when he arrives tomorrow, and no tricks!"
Bill and Ben were a little startled by the news and when the manager left both engines gossiped to each other about what they had just heard. "A new diesel?" cried Bill.
"A new diesel will obviously take over our work," replied Ben, "I'm sure of it!"
"Rubbish," BoCo scoffed, "he's here on loan if you didn't hear and he's helping me and Edward with bringing the stone trucks for us, so we don't have to come down here. And probably head back to the other railway after the expansion of the clay pits stops, but if you two don't want to be 'replace', get back to work and don't cause trouble."
BoCo then hummed away, leaving both twins to pointlessly worry.
He arrived at Wellsworth station, he was a little late, but Edward understood that the big diesel had did his best to make up lost time. James the red engine was waiting in one of the sidings where he would pick up some of BoCo's trucks, his mood was unfortunately sour and had increased too with the big diesel delaying his train. "Thanks a lot, BoCo," James sneered, "if you were more late than it is, I would've missed my path."
"Sorry James," said BoCo defensively, "but it isn't my fault, I have to go up the line to the clay pits and it's difficult for me since my size."
"Pah!" snorted James, "you could've made more of an effort."
"I think he more likely did," Edward said, "otherwise he would be much later, and at the moment, you'd be more later with you sitting there sulking."
The red engine huffed, as BoCo moved over and James headed to pick them up. Whilst he was doing so, BoCo moved alongside Edward. "Good news for us," he informed the blue engine, "a new diesel is coming on loan to help with pulling the trucks to the key side, so we won't be going down the line towards the clay pits no more."
Edward sighed. "So, I've heard," he said, "driver told me a few hours ago in fact and from what he said, the diesel might not improve anything."
BoCo was puzzled. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"The diesel is a class 17," replied the blue engine.
"A class 17," murmured BoCo, "I agree with your driver there!"
"What's the matter with a class 17?" asked James, who had been eavesdropping the conversation.
"They are considered the worse design of diesel, even more than my class," answered BoCo, "their reliability is terrible, and they've slowly going out service ever since 1968."
"It's a shame really," Edward added, "it's just like you BoCo when you arrived."
"Well," said James, who had just shunted some of the clay trucks onto his train, "and they say diesels are reliable!"
BoCo rolled his eyes and the blue engine only sighed as James huffed away with his slow goods.
"I don't know what the clay pits manager was thinking" said BoCo, "the diesel is bound to cause more trouble than resolve them."
BoCo was right.
The new diesel arrived on Sodor the next day, he had made a stop at Vicarstown and was now travelling light engine towards Edward's station. But as he was on the final stretch, he came to an obstacle that he wasn't expecting.
"Oh my!" he exclaimed, "no one told me about this hill!"
"We should head back to a yard," called his driver, "you've running for quite some time now and we should cool down your engine!"
"Nonsense!" huffed the diesel, "I can manage! I can manage!"
But he didn't, and he came to a standstill halfway up Gordon's hill, with his engine spluttering and black smoke coming out of his exhausts. "Oh bother!"
BoCo was sent to the rescue, he buffered up to the diesel and took him the rest of the way. When they got there, an engineer inspected the diesel. "Your cooling system is experiencing problems!" he called to the diesel after a thorough inspection, "we can fix it here but I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for the rest of the day."
"Oh, bother again!" sighed the diesel. BoCo came up alongside the diesel.
"Seems like you're experiencing trouble already," he remarked.
"Sorry, my engine is bothersome as ever!" said the diesel, BoCo listen to his hard-British accent, it sounded familiar to Gordon's, but lighter and the diesel had a lisp.
"I can tell," stated the big diesel, "anyways, my name is BoCo."
"Ahh, BoCo! I'm guessing it's based off your co-bo wheel arrangement am I correct?" smiled the diesel.
"Indeed," BoCo said, he then stared curiously at the new diesel, "do you have a name?"
"Bless me not really!" cried the diesel, "diesels in England don't have names, only numbers!"
"Indeed, they do," sighed BoCo.
"But they do give me names," the diesel said, "some call us Paxman, but never liked the name myself since most people do call all my brothers Paxman. But my driver calls me Derek from time to time."
"Do you like being called Derek?" asked BoCo.
"Oh yes I do!" exclaimed the diesel, "it makes you feel-"
"Like you belong somewhere," BoCo finished.
"Exactly," smiled the diesel.
The diesel was shunted into the sheds after talking with BoCo. News went down the line about Derek. Douglas was telling his twin Donald at Brendom docks, the Scottish twins were helping along the line for a few days before going back to work on the mainline and both were finding the whole incident a huge joke.
"Reliable is he!" mused Donald, "och, cannae even get up Gordon's hill light engine!"
"Aye," laughed Douglas, "make sure yae tell those pesky twins, Bill and Been aboot this!"
Donald promised he would and headed to the clay pits tender first with a few empty wagons. When he got there, he found Bill resting at a water tower.
"How da yae do laddie?" called Donald as he came to a stop.
"Not good at all," grumbled Bill, "that new diesel was supposed to be here by now and he isn't!"
"Och, haven't yae even heard," smiled Donald, as he was uncoupled from his train and began to move around it so to fetch loaded wagons, "yon diesel broke down whilst heading up Gordon's hill! He's staying at Wellsworth for the night so he can be fixed!"
Bill was shocked. "The diesel broke down already?" he asked.
"Aye," replied Donald, then he had a mischievous idea. "And it's all to do with a wee toothache."
"Toothache," exclaimed Ben, who was shunting nearby, "I thought engines don't get toothache."
"And we don't even have separate teeth either," added Bill, "so how can he have toothache?"
"Aye, his class is a special kind," grinned Donald cheekily, "don't know how, but if they ever get an ache in their teeth, it's going to the works for them!"
The Scottish twin, then buffered up to his loaded clay trucks. "Good luck lads!" he called and with a blast of his whistle, set off back to the docks, leaving the China clay twins perplexed and puzzled.
"Why did Donald say good luck?" asked Bill.
"Because we'll need it," cried his twin, "a diesel with toothache sounds like the worse diesel ever!"
Bill and Ben couldn't help but think about the new diesel and his apparent toothache. It was at the end of the day that the manager came up to the twins. "A load of irrelevant stone is needed to be taken to the docks this evening," he explained, "you two will take the load to Brendam docks and spend the night there so you can bring some empties back in the morning, understood?"
"Yes sir!" replied the twins in unison.
The twins set of an hour later and arrived at the docks a while later, by then, darkness had covered the island and the moon shone brightly within the freezing air. Bill and Ben shunted the trucks into place where workmen would begin to unload and both twins scuttled away to the sheds. They were surprised to see Edward in the sheds. "Hello you two," he called.
"What are you doing here Edward?" asked Bill.
"I could ask you the same thing," chortled the blue engine, "but the sheds are full as Wellsworth with both Donald and Douglas here helping for this week and I didn't want the new diesel to feel threatened by those pair, so BoCo is staying with him. You know what Donald and Douglas are like."
"Yes, we do!" said Ben, "and know what that new diesel is like too!"
"Hmm? How so?"
"Donald says that new diesel is a special diesel because it has separate teeth like humans do and can get toothache which makes him break down!" replied Bill.
"Separate teeth? Toothache?" said Edward, a little perplexed.
"Yes!" cried Bill, "he's... he's..."
"Bothersome!" cried Ben.
"A bothersome diesel," added Bill firmly.
Edward looked from either side of him and laughed. "Who told you this?"
"...Donald."
"Oh! Donald is just pulling your wheels," chuckled Edward, "the diesel doesn't have separate teeth and get toothache. He has many mechanical faults to his class and is considered even more of a failure than BoCo's class. The poor engine is indeed bothersome, but with his engine!"
Bill and Ben felt foolish. "Do you know when the diesel is coming?" asked Ben.
"He'll be repaired by tomorrow and he's a keen worker, you have nothing to worry about," said Edward, "he's on loan anyways and when you've finished expanding the clay pits, he'll head back to the other railway and things will go back to normal."
Edward's wise words made the twins feel a little better and the next morning, Bill and Ben headed back to the clay pits with a small train of empty wagons. They worked hard all day and even made the clay pit's expansion go ahead of schedule. This made the manager incredibly pleased with them.
By the afternoon, the twins were resting in some sidings. Then they heard a toot of an unfamiliar horn.
"Oh no!" cried Bill, "it's the diesel."
And it was. The diesel came into the pits with a broad smile on his face. His blue paintwork represented the new era of British Railways and he gave the twins another honk of his horn. "Hello," he said, "My name is Derek, sorry for not coming yesterday, had troubles with my engine."
"Or teeth," mumbled Bill, and Ben giggled. Derek didn't hear them though, the manager arrived and order Derek to take the loaded trucks away to the docks. The diesel obliged and headed back up the line. Bill and Ben remained in the clay pits, shunting trucks of stone, China clay or tools to help workmen blast the cliffs so to make way for new stone open parts of the quarry. Both twins watched suspiciously as Derek came back and forth with empty wagons for the clay pits and take away loaded ones.
Eventually, when the twins decided to give up on him, he was being very friendly and was genuinely working. Both decided to play tricks on him tomorrow though. But they never get the chance.
That evening, Derek came back for his last load of the day, but he got a bit of a surprise. "That many trucks?" he exclaimed
"You okay with pulling that many trucks?" Bill asked.
"N-No!" replied Derek quickly, "I think I'll be able to manage this load, after all, don't want anyone to work later than they should!"
Derek then back down onto the trucks, he was nervous, he hadn't pulled this many trucks before, but he didn't want to let anyone down. He was coupled up to the train and started off back to the docks. "I'll see you both tomorrow!" called the diesel, "I will be staying at the docks so take care!"
The twin engines watched as Derek rumbled out of the clay pits. "I don't think he'll be able to pull that many trucks Bill," said Ben worriedly.
"I don't think so either Ben," Bill agreed. And it wasn't long before they found they were right.
Later, the manager came up to Bill and Ben with bad news. "The diesel has broken down at the drain, both of you must go and rescue him, hurry now!"
The twins then set off to the rescue. They found Derek sitting sadly on the line, he was going up the slope that exited the drain and his engine had gave way. His driver then came up to Bill and Ben's crew who were coupling the twins up to the back of the train. "Derek's engine gave away, should've seen it coming too, this train was much longer and heavier than the others."
"You think you can manage you two?" asked Bill's driver.
"Oh course sir!" peeped Ben willingly.
"We'd give it our very best!" added Bill.
Soon everything was ready, Bill and Ben peeped their whistles and with steam pumping through their cylinders and pistons, they began to push the train up the slope of the drain. It was hard at first, a train this heavy starting up a slope would've made one of the twins fail, but Bill and Ben did it together and got over the slope and pushed the diesel and his train all the way to the docks.
BoCo was there and cheered as both twins triumphantly came to a stop at the docks. "We did it, Ben!" cried Bill.
"We did Bill!" replied Ben.
BoCo rolled up alongside. "You did splendidly you two," he said, "the dock manager told us about Derek breaking down and I'm glad that both you came to his aid, I was hoping not to go down that line anytime soon!"
Bill and Ben beamed proudly and both twins shunted the trucks away so that one of the Scottish twins would take it in the morning. Once they did that, they puffed into the sheds they spent in last night. BoCo had just left with the final goods that night with a few of the clay wagons Derek brought and he took the broken-down diesel and his train back to Wellsworth.
Later, Edward came into the sheds. "Are the sheds full tonight Edward?" joked Bill.
"Derek is spending the night there and will be taken to the works tomorrow," replied Edward with a warm smile on his face. "Sir Charles Hatt has also told me to congratulate you both on bringing Derek the rest of the way."
"So... what's going to happen to us now that Derek is going to be sent to the works?" asked Ben.
"Don't worry," smiled Edward, "the expansion will go much slower, but you won't be worked off your wheels!"
"That's great!" smiled Bill, "but's what's going to happen to Derek?"
"Not sure," replied Edward, "but Sir Charles Hatt will have an idea with what to do with him once the diesel is mended."
Bill and Ben thought the diesel was friendly and talked to Edward about him and other subjects throughout the night. But what will happen to Derek wouldn't be revealed until much later, but I shouldn't say anymore, otherwise I'll spoil the next story.