BRANCH LINE BLUES

Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Set during Series 5

The Kirk Ronan branch line is one of the oldest railway lines on the Island of Sodor. It used to be run by the Sodor and Mainland Railway before it was amalgamated to become part of the North Western Railway. Recently, services for the branch line had now been permanently handed over to three of the five Midland engines brought over to assist during a motive power shortage.

Lauren, the line's passenger engine, had worked there for several years, and she was assigned to work with Audrey, Hilary and Mark, the old coaches of the former Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway. Before the Midi quintet's ultimate split, Lauren used to run the branch line with Nicole the Midi Spinner.

"Right on the dot," smiled Hilary as the quintet came to a gentle stop at Rolf's Castle. "Good show, Lauren."

"Thanks," the big tank engine smiled. She and her three coaches watched as the passengers got out to do some sightseeing. Though Lauren was proud of herself, she couldn't help but sigh. "It feels strange not having Nicole here."

"You're right there, Lauren," said Audrey. "I mean, I know we haven't been on this branch line as long as you, but… we just got used to her presence."

"The Rolling Hills will look after her," Mark assured. "Charles is his father's son, and Amanda also got railway experience from her father."

Indeed, Amanda Hatt's father was none other than Jabez Croarie, Mavis' manager. But all the same, the group did miss having Nicole around.

Julie, the smallest and youngest of the Midis, used to work at the coal mines near Crosby alongside Katie, who recently moved to the Rolling Hills Railway along with Nicole. Now, Julie worked at Kirk Ronan harbor, arranging trucks where they were needed.

"Okay, is this train going to market?" she was asking the dock manager.

"That's correct," he smiled. "You got that shunted efficiently."

"Thank you," Julie replied; she gave a wistful sigh. "I wish Katie were still on the island too. Even while the coal mine was declining, she was able to think of some way to make me laugh."

"I know it will be hard to move on," said her driver. "But you've got a new responsibility now. Keep up the good work."

Julie knew her driver had a point. At that moment, she heard a whistle, and saw a red tender engine with six driving wheels entering the harbor.

"Ah, Johnson!" remarked Julie. "Your next train's due out on track one in twelve minutes. That's the one with fruit and vegetables out for market at Vicarstown."

"Right, thanks for the directions, Julie. I'll just get turned around and then I'll be off."

The goods for the branch line were handled by Johnson. His duties involved bringing trucks from Kirk Ronan to Kellsthorpe Road before taking them along the main line, and then he would bring a different rake of trucks back down to the harbor again.

"Moved to a branch line, of all things!" the red goods engine grumbled as he pulled his train up the line. "There was nothing wrong with me pulling smaller trains on the main line, and now look where I've ended up!"

As Johnson pulled into Kellsthorpe Road, he saw that his signal was red, so he had to stop to let Bear pass by with The Limited. Several minutes later, the blue Hymek diesel came rumbling past.

"Good afternoon, Johnson!" Bear greeted as he passed by, tooting his horn. But Johnson didn't reply back; he just glared crossly as the diesel rumbled off into the distance. As soon as the signal changed to show all clear, Johnson set off once more for Vicarstown.

"What's bitten him?" Bear said to himself, slightly hurt.

Although Lauren and Julie had adjusted to their new roles, Johnson had not. A few months had passed since Gordon's accident at the newly-refurbished Kirk Ronan station, and it was now the new year. The January weather made everything look cold and barren.

"You'll never guess the latest from Bear," said Lauren, smirking. "He said that when Arry and Bert returned to the ironworks, they found their claw gone."

"That's probably for the best," said Julie. "I can't imagine a repeat with what almost happened with Donald."

"Ugh," shuddered Lauren. "I don't blame either of the twins for having nightmares. Still," she said confidently, "at least those two ironworks engines are completely harmless now."

Johnson grunted and rolled his eyes. "I could've passed that message on if I was still on the main line…"

"Oh, what's gotten into you, John?" remarked Lauren. "Or would you feel better if we call you Johnny instead?"

"My name is Johnson," the goods engine huffed. "Not John. Not Johnny. Johnson."

Julie and Lauren giggled. "No kidding, eh?" the bigger tank engine smirked. "So, what are your jobs for the day, Johnny-son?"

The goods engine growled. "Same as always! It's so boring down here."

"Oh, come on," said Julie. "This was a great promotion for us, Johnson. I love shunting at the harbor."

"And it's always thrilling to see passengers take in the sights of Rolf's Castle," added Lauren.

"You're welcome to them," huffed Johnson. "I miss the thrill of making long trips along the main line, with trucks rattling behind me and on their best behavior. I would do anything to go on the main line again."

"And then you'd complain that you're being overworked," Lauren teased. "Much like James, actually."

"Perhaps the two of you could swap duties for the week," suggested Julie. "Just to see what it's like to be in each others' wheels."

"You two may as well be twins yourselves," Lauren chuckled. "It's as if you were the same engine with different numbers."

"Hmph!" Johnson was glad when his crew came to take him out of the sheds, away from the tank engines' teasing.

Johnson was still unhappy as he pulled his first goods train for the day. This time, however, there was sadness in his expression.

"Why couldn't Sir Topham Hatt just buy us all at once?" he asked himself. "There was no reason Katie and Nicole had to leave. Katie is a great shunter and would've been of good assistance to Diesel, and Nicole would take to the Norramby line like a duck to water. Er… no pun intended if Duck heard that."

"Sir Topham Hatt was trying to keep you all safe by renewing your leases here," his driver reminded him. "Remember how unrelenting your old manager was?"

Johnson sighed. "I guess so…" The goods engine closed his eyes, remembering. Their manager kept increasing the price of him and his friends so Sir Topham Hatt couldn't purchase them all. And his grandchildren and Mr. Percival's kids all banded together to try and raise enough money to save them. However, Amanda's phone call managed to save them for good; by purchasing both Nicole and Katie, and Sir Topham Hatt was able to buy the remaining three for a reduced price.

"If only things were different," Johnson said to himself.

Later, Johnson made his stop at Kellsthorpe Road, and waited for a path to Vicarstown.

"There should be enough time for us to grab a bite," said his driver.

"So long as you're not the one holding up a line for the station cafe," the stoker remarked. "I hope you've decided upon what you're having this time!"

Johnson didn't hear his crew's bickering. Instead, his attention was focused on what the station staff were discussing.

"I think Sir Topham Hatt could have kept on the other two Midis a bit longer," sighed one. "There's more work than engines to go around."

"Heh, you're telling me," said his friend. "There's that shipment of artwork which needs to get down from Vicarstown all the way to Tidmouth. With Bear and James shifted back and forth on the Norramby branch and the main line, it's impossible to find help. Not to mention that Emily isn't even close to being restored."

"How much is that artwork worth, anyhow?"

"I've heard it's worth at least three million pounds, give or take a few thousand."

"Cor! Imagine what one could do with that money!"

Johnson didn't pay attention to the rest of the conversation; he was now beaming at the prospect of taking valuable artwork all the way down to Tidmouth!

If only I could find some way to get Sir Topham Hatt to let me take it… he thought to himself. At last, his crew returned with their food, and once the signal changed green, Johnson carried on his way. Little did he know that he wasn't the sole eavesdropper…

When he made the return trip from Vicarstown to Kellsthorpe Road, Johnson was surprised to see Sir Topham Hatt flicking through some papers.

"Dear, oh dear," the controller groaned. "So many jobs to give out… Perhaps Nicole and Katie should have stayed until I figured out a permanent solution to the Norramby problem."

"Er, excuse me, sir," said Johnson, as casually as he could. "But did you say you needed an engine to take a train of valuable artwork to Tidmouth?"

Sir Topham Hatt was stunned. "Er… y-yes, Johnson. H-how did you know about this?"

"I overheard a couple of porters bringing up the topic on my way to Vicarstown."

The controller balked at the comment. "That wasn't supposed to be an open discussion! Did anyone else hear that?"

"No, sir," Johnson admitted. "Not from what I saw, anyway."

Sir Topham Hatt sighed, reminding himself to lecture the two porters later. "Well, in any case, you're right, and I hadn't assigned anyone to the train yet." He shook his head. "Considering you are the only one who knows about this, I suppose you have to take it, Johnson."

Johnson was very pleased when he heard this. "Oh, thank you, sir!" he said. "I promise not to let you down."

"I'm glad to hear this," chuckled Sir Topham Hatt.

Later that evening, Johnson was coupled up to the train. He was bursting with excitement to be heading down the main line. However, he knew just how important this train was to the railway.

"Okay, Johnson," smiled the driver. "Go carefully now."

"Right away, driver."

"Wait, wait!" cried the stoker. "I… left my coat in the station."

The driver facepalmed himself. "Really?! Do you remember what chair you left it on?"

"Er… no…"

"Ugh…" sighed the driver. "Keep your brakes on, Johnson. We'll be right back."

Unfortunately for Johnson, this would prove to be a mistake on his crew's part. Little did they realize that a trio of shady looking characters were lurking within Vicarstown station.

"Ooh, look what we have here," said a female voice.

"Oh yeah," a male voice added. "I can already feel the money flowing into my pocket!" Another male voice giggled in agreement.

The trio slunk over to Johnson, who was thinking about what he'd say to his stoker for her incompetence.

"As always, I am stuck with the crazy ones," he grunted. "Be it Julie's cheekiness, Lauren's rebelliousness, Katie's– Ah, there you are, Olivia. Thanks to you, we are going to be late with our delivery!"

"Olivia? I don't know anyone named Olivia, do you, Baxter?"

"Nope. Me neither, Shelley. What about you, Ed?" The other male figure, down in the brake van, shook his head.

"What are you doing in my cab?!" snapped Johnson. "My crew are expected to be here any minute! And where's my guard?!"

"Hey, we're your crew and guard now, so shut up!" snapped Baxter. To Johnson's horror, he found himself moving out of the station and onto the main line. By then, his crew had returned, and were shocked to see their engine leaving without them!

"Johnson!" his driver shouted, running after the train. "Come back here!" He tried to make a leap for the brake van, but he was quickly outpaced as the end of the platform drew nearer.

"Piotr!" shouted the stoker. "Look; the guard's been thrown out of his van!"

The driver ran over to where the stoker was, and saw the guard lying on the tracks, groaning with pain.

"We'd better call for a doctor," he said. "And the police. Who knows where those crooks could've taken Johnson?"

Meanwhile, Johnson was racing through Crovan's Gate at a tremendous pace.

"That can't be Gordon already," yawned Rusty. "He isn't due for at least fifteen minutes!"

"That's not Gordon," cried Rheneas. "That's Johnson!"

"He must be happy to be having a run on the main line," remarked Sir Handel.

But Johnson was anything but happy.

"I don't like this at all!" he wailed. "I wanted some adventure, but not like this! Somebody, please, in the name of the Great Railway, HELP ME! H is for hurry! E is for urgent! L is for love me! And P is for please, please help!"

Down at Maron station, Bear was having a rest stop filling up on oil. He had requested to take the Midnight Goods for a while.

"If that Arry and Bert try that again, they will have to deal with me," he growled.

"Cool your fans, ol' boy," soothed the driver. "We're just going to have a quiet run tonight."

Just then, Bear and his driver could hear the distant sounds of someone screaming with fright.

"Johnson?!" he cried, racing after him. "Hold on! I'm coming!"

"Uh oh!" said Baxter, leaning out of the cab. "Er, Shelley, we may have a slight problem."

Shelley grimly looked out of Johnson's cab to see the Hymek diesel chasing after them. "Eh, it's just a buzz-box diesel. We can outrun it, no problem!"

From the brake van, and with an anxious grunt, Ed began to throw a few random items towards Bear in an attempt to slow him down.

"Ooh! Ouch!" exclaimed Bear. "Who uses an empty cardboard box as ammunition?!"

Having run out of things to throw at Bear, Ed leaned out of the brake van and frantically waved over to his comrades.

"I think Ed's trying to tell us something!" said Baxter.

"Ugh, what is it?" Shelley called. But as it turned out, they didn't need Ed's input to see that Bear was now catching up to the train.

"Well, even if he does reach the brake van, that won't do any good," said Baxter. "Ed's not daft enough to couple him on."

But Bear had no intention of coupling up to the rear of the train. Instead, he raced ahead of Johnson as fast as he could.

"Don't worry, Johnson!" the Hymek diesel called. "I've got a plan to stop those criminals!"

"Whatever it is, make it quick!" called Johnson. "They seem pretty desperate to me!"

Bear had raced ahead to the nearest signal box and tooted his horn to attract the signaller's attention.

"Switch the points!" he yelled. "There's a runaway train coming!"

The signaller nodded and did so. Bear quickly hid behind the signal box, just as Johnson rattled through.

"Whoa!" he cried. Johnson's lamps shone in the gloom, and he gasped. "Oh dear! This isn't the way to Tidmouth."

"Ah, this engine is spouting nonsense… whoa!" Shelley quickly saw the buffers at the end of a siding in Wellsworth yards. Unfortunately, Johnson was going too fast to stop in time and ran right through the buffers and hit the wall behind the yards, damaging his front.

"Ouch…" he muttered.

"We've got you now!" roared Bear, coming out of his hiding spot.

"Uh… caught who? Do you know who he was chasing, Shelley?" asked Baxter.

"No," lied Shelley. "Of course not."

"Ed?" they both asked. He gave a vigorous nod in reply; that proved to be a mistake.

"You three are under arrest for delaying trains, theft, property damage, violence and kidnapping," said a well-known voice. Bear and Johnson looked over, and could make out the shape of Barbara Regaby in the gloom of the night. The trio gulped as Barbara and several other officers forced them off to prison. Barbara gave a quick nod of approval at Bear before departing.

"Johnson," said Bear as he began pulling the goods engine back onto the rails, "are you alright?"

"Not really," Johnson said glumly. "I suppose I got more than I bargained for when I volunteered to take this train. I'm sorry I took my frustrations out on you. It wasn't about you taking over smaller jobs on the main line from me – although that somewhat played a part in it. It was more the fact that I was missing Nicole and Katie."

Bear's eyes widened. "Have you told Lauren and Julie about this?"

"Not exactly," he sighed. "They were usually partnered with one or the other. Me? I was floating around most of the time. Sure, we were all shedmates, but… I didn't think I should have been as upset because I didn't hang out with them on a daily basis."

"It's okay to miss your old workmates, Johnson," said Bear. "Even before Derek came to Sodor, I missed him a lot."

Johnson sighed. "You're right. I have been silly. I'll make sure to apologize to Lauren and Julie once I get back from the Steamworks."

And indeed, he did. The two tank engines listened with interest as Johnson explained his story.

"Johnson," said Julie, "you can be honest with us about these sorts of things."

"We miss Nicole and Katie very much," added Lauren. "It's perfectly okay to miss them. And who knows? They may visit us someday."

"I suppose so," said Johnson, smiling slightly. "It would be nice if that were to happen."

"By the way," said Julie, "what did become of those crooks? I mean, we know the artwork was delivered safely despite your accident."

"Ah, now that's a story worth recounting!" Johnson laughed. "According to Officer Regaby, those crooks were inspired by the Great Train Robbery of '63 and wanted to imitate it when they heard about some priceless artwork being shipped over to Tidmouth. It probably helped them – unfortunately for me – that one of them actually had some experience in driving engines in the past." He chuckled. "They're now locked up in prison, never to escape."

"I bet after that adventure," said Lauren, "you'd find the main line far more exciting than this simple branch line."

Johnson looked awkwardly down at his buffers. "Actually," he said, "perhaps the main line isn't as glamorous as I once thought it was. I think I'll stay on this branch with you two."

The two tank engines smiled.

"Well, life would certainly be dull without you, Johnny," giggled Julie.

"That's Johnson!"

Now, I bet you are wondering about the two porters who accidentally kicked things off, right? Well, unfortunately for them, Sir Topham Hatt laid into them hard and they were suspended from the railway without pay for at least a fortnight. I'm sure that will teach them to be more careful about what they say; don't you?

THE END

The events in this story are inspired from two events; the first, of course, was The Great Train Robbery of 1963. The second event, however, is a little more obscure – on January 25, 1961, two men hijacked Great Western Railway No. 6422 from Wolverhampton Stafford Road shed at night to evade the railway police. One of the culprits was later revealed to be an ex-fireman who was wanted for possible involvement in an unrelated robbery. He even claimed to the signalman that he was taking No. 6422 to Worcester for maintenance purposes, but later abandoned the engine at Droitwich.

Author's Comments

Another installment of Between the Lines: Set 2 is here among us, and here we take another trip down the Kirk Ronan branch line! This was a story that I'd wanted to do ever since Rachel and I finished Series 5 Redux, and I'm glad that we finally got the chance to do it. I knew right away that I wanted the story to be about Johnson the Goods Engine as I figured he would've had the hardest time adjusting to branch line life; it probably doesn't help that he works with two tank engines who tease him at every opportunity. (Perhaps he should take a few pointers from Edward and Toby?) It was also fun to give Bear a supporting role in that he saves Johnson from the thieves - whom were inspired from the hyena trio in The Lion King - when they enginenap him just for some valuable artwork. I really enjoy writing for characters outside of the Steam Team as they're practically bursting with untapped potential.

To those of you who are curious about the two events this story took inspiration from, you can check out Train of Thought's videos on the subjects at hand:

How to successfully rob a train (and get caught) - Great Train Robbery 1963

That time 2 robbers stole a train to escape the police - 6422 stolen

Upcoming stories:

- Fiery Suns

- Terence and Trevor