James and the Mail Train - Part 2
James was very cross, after trying to get away with not taking some mail vans which came along with Duck's fish train, he was ordered to take the Flying Kipper whilst Henry pulled the Sudric Owl. The red engine managed to keep to time, but it was hard work and the smell of fish was appalling. Of course, James hated this and the engines enjoyed teasing him about it.
"I never thought that James would do something so reckless," mused Henry.
"Well he would do anything!" chuckled Gordon, "first for the express! Then for the mail's dignity!"
"I'd sae the dignoty raisin' up since Jeames left!" said Douglas cheekily.
Both Gordon and Henry burst out laughing. James wheeshed steam.
"Shut up!" he barked, "it's not funny!"
"Well, well, well Jeames," said Douglas modestly, "nae need to get all rowed up all oover nothin'. Only having a laugh."
"Having a laugh you say? About what?"
The four engines looked to see Winston come to the coal hopper. His usual mainline slow goods was pushed back for a few hours so he could look after a few extra trains on his branch that day and was now going to take the last goods train that evening. Douglas explained about James' situation and Winston grinned.
"Ahh yes," he said, "not the first time an engine replaced another for the mail train."
Gordon and Henry mumbled in agreement, whilst Douglas looked puzzled. Ever since he came to the railway, James had always pulled the Sudric Owl. Winston's saw his confused looke and winked at him.
"Guess we haven't told you about the first time the mail train started running," he noted, "would you like to hear?"
"Didnae have anything else tae dae," Douglas replied, "might as well!"
Douglas listened closely, as Winston began his story.
*
After the LMS agreement, things changed almost instantly, the headquarters at Vicarstown was moved to Tidmouth station and the station had a massive redevelopment stage. James came to Sodor after a recommendation from Sodor's Military Force when the LMS offered one of their engines to the North Western Railway after the contract was signed, and when Thomas rescued him after he crashed into a field, the tank engine got the Ffarquhar branch line. Whilst that all happened, one of the blue engines who was on trial, went missing with his crew's bodies being found dead at Vicarstown yards.
Everything was seen as chaotic in the eyes of the Fat Director, who now the engines began to call the Fat Controller, and he felt very distressed. Even more so, when request began coming in for him to make mail train service along the mainline, stopping when needing to collect or drop off mail along the mainline.
He found it quite daunting. Quickly, the Fat Controller organised a special train for these requests and hurried to the new Tidmouth yards on a cold, frosty morning in February.
Gordon, Henry and James were all waiting there at the new depot, with the new sheds being built built behind them. The Fat Director greeted the engines sternly. "As you may know," he announced, "we've been having a busy time with the new headquarters coming to this side of the island, Thomas going to work on the Ffarquhar branch line and 87546, commonly known as Simon has been missing for a while."
The big engines all glanced at each other. "But we now need an engine to take the mail train," he continued, "so, Gordon. I'm wondering if you could take the mail services from the Tidmouth, to Vicarstown, and then back again with another mail train."
"Well... I... erm..." said Gordon hesitantly, "I don't want to sound ungrateful sir, but I've got to take that new express service, the Wild Nor' Wester! Surely, you understand that I cannot take these mail services for I'll be working hard with express services in the day too!"
The Fat Controller pondered, then nodded. "That's a good point Gordon," he agreed, "but who else can take this mail service?"
"Maybe I could--"
"Please Henry," halted the Fat Controller, with his hand up, "I need an reliable engine for this task."
Henry sighed and subsided. James, who had been kept in the yards after his accident, wanted to ask his new controller on taking the train himself. He was, when the red engine's mouth was halted by a booming, low whistle. Another blue engine, with a lighter shade than Gordon's came backing in. He was bigger than James, but roughly the same size as Henry and smaller than Gordon. And had a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement and numbers, painted on each side of his tender. 98462, otherwise known as Alfred.
"I apologise for being late sir," said Alfred quietly, who's eyes look very downcast and glancing at his buffers, "there was a faulty signal when I was entering the junction here."
The Fat Controller hummed a reply, there was a deafening silence. At last, their controller spoke. "You haven't been well behaved since you first came here Alfred," he announced, Alfred's lips went into a thin line and he tensed up, "but you have been well behaved ever since the accident on the viaduct and with being the only engine suitable here for the task, I'd like you to pull the mail services at night for the North Western Railway."
Alfred's eyes lit up. "Really sir?" he said, "oh sir! Th-thank you very much sir! I promise I won't let you down!"
The Fat Controller nodded and walked off. Alfred was smiling happily to himself, whilst Gordon and Henry grumbled to each other. James just looked disappointed and went back to work.
Alfred was excited on pulling a mail train. "They're very important," he would say in the sheds, "they help people communicate from long distances and brings them packages too."
"We know what they are you silly git," scoffed Gordon, "we're not idiots!"
"Unlike some engines who catch their brakes on fire," chuckled Henry, looking cheekily at the red engine nearby.
James rolled his eyes. "Take no notice lad," assured his driver, "we'll show them!"
James wanted to, but didn't know how.
*
Alfred was very excited, too excited and his old ways began to creep back into his smokebox. He bragged and boasted about how the Fat Controller was trusting him on such an important train. Gordon was now regretting on dismissing the Fat Controller's proposition to him and James and Henry were very jealous of the tender engine.
When the night came to take the first mail train, Alfred was beaming with pride with the new headboard put at the front of his funnel saying 'Sudric Owl'. Workmen fussed over him and the big blue, tender engine felt very puffed up in the smokebox. James, who was staying the night at Tidmouth, came backing into a siding nearby. He watched with interest.
Alfred, eventually noticed the new red engine and grinned broadly. "I see you cannot lay your eyes of me," he mused, "no one can, I look immaculate and that word will eventually be an understatement when I'll pull the Sudric Owl!"
James rolled his eyes. "I don't know what eventually means," he retorted, "but it sounds very long."
Alfred sneered back at James. "You won't be mocking me soon new guy," he said, and Alfred chuffed off. James just glanced away.
*
A few hours later, the mail train was ready at the small port. The moon had risen long before Alfred backed down onto it and the eight, new mail vans, their red paint glisten in it's bright light. Alfred was feeling excited. "I'll do it, I'll do it," he said to himself.
The guard blew his whistle, and Alfred set off into the night, with the mail vans following smoothly behind.
He began to thunder down the mainline, only stopping at places with the most mail and running carefully through other stations who had little mail to deliver or be not fragile enough to be a hassle with. The Sudric Owl was a new travelling post office service, meaning it could pick up mail or drop them off without stopping. This was done by special equipment which was put in front of the station or it's nearest signalbox, and installed on the new mail vans too. A special yellow and black sign was put a few yards away from the station so to tell men on the train to prepare for the exchange and for the engine's crew to slow their locomotive down.
Alfred rattled carefully through Crosby, with the equipment on the train successfully grabbing the mail from the ground and it being successful on catching the mail from the train in it's net. Alfred smiled proudly. "Nothing to it!" he cheered to himself, "I'll show them all what a really useful engine I am! I will and I must! I will and I must!"
The train was going so well, Alfred rushed past Maron and once the exchange happened, he sped up again. But he had become to prideful for his own good now.
A while later, Alfred was coming towards Cronk station. He didn't need to stop there, but he did need to do an exchange there. But he was so proud and puffed up, he had forgotten about Cronk.
Eventually, the yellow and black sign was seen by Alfred's driver, he went to apply the brakes, but Alfred wasn't concentrating, he was using too much steam and the brakes weren't properly working.
"Alfred!" called his driver. But Alfred didn't here him.
"ALFRED!!" The tender engine immediately came back to reality and his brakes came on hard, he rattled past the station and watched in shock as he past the equipment. Not a second later, he a clank and a thud. At last, he came to a groaning stop, he reversed back down the line to the station to find wrecked metal, a tangled net and a very cross signalman.
"You silly great engine!" scolded the signalman, "you were going too fast that the equipment broke!"
The driver wiped his head. "We'll be needing to take the mail van who hit the equipment off the train," he noted, "it's equipment is damaged from the fast collision too and will be unsafe for the men to go in it."
"We'll have to unload all of the mail from it and put it in the others," sighed a mailman from the train, "that'll take a while."
Alfred groaned and said nothing as he waited to be ordered to shunt the mail van off the train, he knew he was going to be in trouble.
*
Early next morning, James the Red Engine was shunting in the yards once again. Then he heard a familiar, booming whistle. Alfred bustled in looking tired and annoyed.
"You're late," James noted.
Alfred glared crossly back at the red engine, but said nothing.
James continued shunting, when returning back to the yards behind the new big station, he saw the Fat Controller scolded Alfred severely.
"I cannot have engines damaging special equipment and delaying important trains," he said, "I'm afraid you won't be pulling the Sudric Owl tomorrow night."
Alfred didn't say anything, he just excepted it and looked at his buffers. Then, the Fat Controller spotted James. An idea then came to his head. "James," he said, "would you like to pull our mail train?"
James looked surprised, but whistled happily. "It'll be an honour sir!" he cried.
The Fat Controller smiled. "That's good to hear," he said, "I'll have you learn how to pull the mail vans and the exchange process later today!"
He then tipped his hat, and left. James was pleased.
The next night, James ran the Sudric Owl. He did a superb job with it, slowing down at stations, stopping at junctions and racing through the night sky. He felt very splendid indeed.
*
"After that, James was to agreed to become the Sudric Owl's primary engine for the runs," finished Winston, "and was then considered next day to run a train along the mainline with Edward. Heh, we all know how that went!"
James looked away whilst the others chuckled.
"Sae, whut happun to that Alfrad bloke?" asked Donald, who he and Alice had both arrived whilst Winston was recalling the past.
"Sent back I'm afraid," said Winston grimly, "I'm sorry to say he didn't seem like he had learnt a bit, but I do feel sorry for the lad. Wonder what happened to him after."
"He was in London back in the 1950s last time I heard," said Henry.
"Paaah, who cares about him!" said Gordon crossly, the engines all stared at the big engine. He was a troublemaker!" he continued grandly, "caused trouble wherever he went, surprised he made it that far in the 50s!"
"How rude," said Alice.
"It's true my dear Alice," Gordon replied, "believe me, you never met that silly fool."
"Got to admit, Gordon is right," agreed Henry.
"Whatever the case, I hope James should know that he isn't so irreplaceable as he thinks he is," Winston finished off, looking across at James.
The red engine looked back at the midland engine. He sighed. "Anymore stories you like to share about my mail train?" he asked, a little coldly.
Winston pondered. "Well, there is that time with Thomas and Edward, isn't there?" he grinned.
James pondered, then looked at Winston approvingly.
The midland engine grinned happily and began to tell his next story. But I shan't say anymore, otherwise I'll spoil the next story!