A/N: Sorry for no story recently, and this one is quite short too but I took a break since my motivation went away from this and gone onto something else. But I hope you all enjoy!

1972

BoCo the Big Diesel, worked on Edward's branch line, but occasionally help on the mainline when it gets too busy for the other engines. The big diesel doesn't mind the work he is given and works hard for the Fat Controller. But when he first came to the railway he did not feel well and would often fail, but he would still try his best to work. The Fat Controller saw his potential and decided to buy him and with a heavy overhaul on his engine, BoCo managed to become a valued asset, but also wanted to prove that no faults were in him again, this made him determined.

But one week in March 1972, an inspector came to the railway to see how the operations of the North Western Railway were. He inspected each line and each engine, on how they've preformed and how their recent track record was. He soon came to the Brendam branch line, where he inspected the line and engines working on them. He soon confirmed that new beams should come and replace some old ones on the marshland bridge and also had a problem once coming up to BoCo, he looked all over him with scepticism, but carried on with inspecting him like any other engine, with BoCo, waiting nervously for his conclusion.

When he got out of the big diesel, he finished writing some notes on his notepad. BoCo, plucked up the courage to speak. "Umm... excuse me sir," he said, "may I ask what was your stare earlier? Sorry for being a little rude, but you seemed a little... put off by me."

"Well I wasn't expecting a class 28 to be here," replied the inspector, "you are in good, working condition, so don't worry. But I have one question I want to ask you do you have a brake tender?"

BoCo faulted, he never expected a question such as that. "No, I don't sir," he said, "but I think I work just as well."

The inspector stared at BoCo for a few seconds, then nodded his head his head. "Well if you say so," he said, "but it'll still be mentioned as a suggestion to Sir Charles Hatt in the document."

He tipped his bowler hat to his crew and left. BoCo grumbled about. The next day, the big diesel was sent to work on the mainline. But he couldn't help but think about what the inspector had said to him, he did have trouble with stopping his train he admitted that, but he and his driver always slow down the train earlier and carefully before it comes to their stop. So why should he have a brake tender?

It was on his mind for most of the day, until he arrived at the mainline sheds at Tidmouth. Some of the other engines were there too, cooling down for a day of hard work. But after a few minutes of chatting, Henry slowly noticed something off with BoCo.

"What's the matter BoCo?" he asked, "you're not usually like this."

BoCo looked at Henry, and then the rest of the engines who had seemed to stop talking to look at the big diesel himself. "Nothing's wrong Henry," replied BoCo, "just thinking about a few things."

"Is it about that inspector?" quizzed Bear.

BoCo looked over to the hydraulic diesel, then sighed. "Fine, the inspector examined me yesterday and says I need a brake tender. That's it!"

There was silence in the shed for a second, until James the Red Engine spoke up. "What is a brake tender?"

"A brake tender is a tender that has scrap steel within which adds the braking force for an engine who's brakes aren't properly working," explained BoCo, "I personally don't like them because they're supposed to go in front of us diesels. How are we meant to see?"

Most of the other engines didn't know what a brake tender was, so they decided to leave it at that and go to sleep whilst BoCo still fumed about the topic of it to himself.

The next day, BoCo was scheduled to take a slow goods to Vicarstown and return to Tidmouth with a fast freight train. He liked fast freights, he didn't have long stops at stations and was allowed to go fast by his driver along the mainline. "This is the life, this is the life," he chanted, he was incredibly pleased with himself. He then saw Douglas at a stop signal with another slow goods to the mainland. BoCo then felt the brake tender swirl into his mind once more. "I don't need a brake tender," he muttered to himself, "I do just fine without one."

There are many different types of signals on a railway, but there are two you would mainly see along the mainline which are called running signals. The first one being a stop signal with the red stick pointing out with a white line going down it near the end. When the signal shows red, that means the engine must stop no matter what. The other one was called a distant signal; these signals allow engines to go through, but they must go down the line with caution. Most engines would go slow with these signals and knew they were just as essential as stop signals and fast trains need them especially since they help tell the engine or crew that they need to slow down and could warn them of a stop signal and without a distant signal for fast trains could be very dangerous.

Down the mainline a sheep had wondered onto the line and began to find a distant signal quite intriguing. James the Red Engine had to go through slowly so not to harm him or the sheep and to get the sheep off the line. His crew succeeded but James was now running late and BoCo would be due to go through Wellsworth too soon for James to clear the line for the big diesel at Crosby, which was where BoCo would pass the red engine's stopping service. The signalman at Wellsworth was forced to put set a distant signal at caution but that was the same signal the sheep had found so interesting and had tampered with wires which had stuck out of it. The signal had failed and didn't warn BoCo of the train ahead.

Meanwhile, James had reached Crosby safely and was resting at the station platform. The signalman at Crosby was about to change points for BoCo's train to go on the through line, suddenly, he heard the big diesel's horn. The signalman gasped, knowing that he hadn't set BoCo on the other line, he set the nearest stop signal at danger and called the stationmaster as quickly. The mainline went along a straight section before reaching the station, so as BoCo saw James' train ahead, he immediately slammed his brakes and his buffers felt the weight of the trucks coming upon him. The stationmaster who had gotten the call, got porters and the guard to evacuate all the passengers from within the coaches or on the platform. James could only sit there with his coaches as BoCo came closer and closer. His screeching wheels slipping along the rails, he was slowing down, but not as quickly as anyone hoped.

With a tremendous bump, BoCo hit the back of James' train. The red engine shot forward and the brake coach derail, whilst BoCo came grinding halt, still on the rails, but his front buffers were now cracked from the impact he gave James' train. No one was hurt and Derek with the permanent way crew came to help clear up the mess. By then BoCo had moved back and was sitting behind James' train which still stood there. Another soon came with another train to take the passengers on from the red engine's stopping service and the Fat Controller and the inspector came to see what had happened.

They watched as the breakdown crane placed the wailing coach back onto the rails, then went to see if James was alright. Lastly, they walked up to BoCo, who was being examined for any further damages. Fortunately, it was only his buffers that were just cracked and nothing major.

"I'm sorry sir," said BoCo at last, "I really did my best to stop."

"Don't worry BoCo," the Fat Controller smiled, "we know you did your best and we're investigating the matter at this very second."

The inspector looked at the stout gentleman, then glanced up at BoCo, then down the straight section of track. "May I ask," he ventured, "what speed would you say you were going."

BoCo thought for a second. "I was going about fifty miles per hour down the line sir," he responded, "that was the speed I was mostly going along the mainline."

"I see," said the inspector, "Sir Topham Hatt, this straight section of track is how long?"

The Fat Controller stared back at the inspector. "It's roughly about a little over half a mile," he replied cautiously.

The inspector then got something out of his grey, leather coat which was in a black slab of plastic. BoCo had heard of them before, they were called calculators and were recently invented and given to inspectors on the international railway. The inspector tapped on some buttons and seemed to stare down at it. Then look back at up with his eyes twinkling in triumph over something. "I'm afraid sir," he declared to the Fat Controller, "that your diesel number two here will be needing a brake tender."

The Fat Controller raised his brow, BoCo swore he could see his hand twitching so to not make it go into a fist. "Oh indeed," the stout gentleman said, "how so may I ask?"

"Simple," replied the inspector, "it has come to my calculation that if this diesel here had a brake tender, his braking force would've increased and prevented a nasty accident. But he didn't which has caused a coach to derail, the diesel to have damaged buffers and a steam engine that could be out of action for further inspection for the rest of the day. Furthermore, if I am correct, a steam engine could've stopped before reaching the train or at least not bump the train as hard as your engine here."

The Fat Controller said nothing in return.

"It's for the best sir," said the inspector, and he walked away to check on the cleaning procees. BoCo was most distraught.

"But everyone would laugh at me sir," he cried, "they say I look like a cucumber with a tail pulling a train backwards!"

The Fat Controller tried hard to laugh at BoCo's remark. "Yesterday I would not have wanted to give you a break tender," he said, "but these events that have just occurred and even more evidence of you being compared to steam engines, I'm afraid it's inevitable that you'll be getting a brake tender."

BoCo said no more and looked down to his cracked buffers. "Don't worry," smiled the Fat Controller, "I'll do my best with this situation and I hope you understand."

He tipped his hat and walked away, leaving BoCo feeling rather depressed.