Chapter One: Running Late
As Duck raced through the snowy night, one thought crossed his mind: Elizabeth was not a lorry you wanted angry.
It was hardly his fault that he was running late. He had arrived at Tidmouth with his passenger train on time, all passengers had disembarked briskly, and then Duck had raced to the sidings to collect the goods train he had to take back to Arlesburgh. Duck knew the sidings like the back of his buffers from his years as the pilot engine, and was quickly able to navigate his way to the correct siding, where the train had appeared ready to take away. However, once Duck was coupled to the front truck and had started to leave, the last part of the train, including the brake van, remained behind.
Duck was forced to stop, and it took several minutes before a shunter could be located. Once they arrived, the train was delayed further by a frozen brake pipe that had not been noticed. The Pannier tank engine waited silently but impatiently, wondering what the issue was and knowing the trouble this was likely to cause. Henry was taking the Flying Kipper tonight, a train Duck had avoided after his last incident with it all those years ago, and this train being delayed was bound to cause problems there.
The issue was finally sorted, and Duck left as quickly as the icy rails and poor visibility allowed. He passed Henry on another line and gave him a friendly whistle before tearing onto the open line, going onto his branch line and rattling into the distance.
I should have arrived about ten minutes ago, Duck thought to himself as the trucks rattled behind him. Elizabeth won't be pleased: she'll have a tight enough schedule tonight without this holding her back. He was bound for a verbal onslaught upon arrival, and Duck mentally prepared himself for that, which helped in taking his mind off the chilly wind that threatened to freeze his wheels.
Finally, half an hour behind schedule, Duck pulled into Arlesburgh Station, exhausted from the hard run but still feeling cold, the weather showing no signs of stopping. Patches of the River Arle had already frozen over, and Duck looked across at his eponymous bridge to the currently abandoned construction site for the new shunting yards and railway heading north. The station should have been a Winter Wonderland, but it seemed more like a frozen graveyard within this silent, unmoving world.
"Well well well, look who finally arrived!" Someone snapped, and Duck resisted a smirk as he glanced to his right. Elizabeth was parked right next to the station, but was on the Arlesdale Railway level, so for once she was able to properly look down at Duck. The lorry usually looked like she had just taken on several litres of lemon fuel, but she looked angrier than ever as she gazed coldly at the steam engine. Some engines would have been afraid, and while Duck had been concerned over her reaction, the hilarious way her face had puffed up only made him smile.
"Don't smirk at me!" Elizabeth purred angrily. "I have been waiting in the snow for you to arrive for nearly an hour! Try and be a bit more considerate in the future, Montague, we don't all have the wonders of being able to put on snowploughs and simply shove it all aside! The snow has picked up in the last little bit, and if there is any sort of avalanche in these bloody cliffs, I am tipping my next load onto your coaches!" Duck glanced around and saw that a thick blanket of snow already covered most of the tracks, and knew that it would be just as bad on the open roads.
"Sorry Elizabeth, but I can assure you this was not my fault," Duck explained guiltily as workers rushed through the snow and began unloading supplies from one truck. "Half of my train had not been coupled together when it should have –"
"Oh stop with the excuses Duck!" A quieter but just as grumpy voice snapped from behind Elizabeth. "Just accept the blame and be quiet!" Duck had to roll forwards a few inches in order to see Mike, and was amused to see the proud little red engine was secured to a large flatbed joined to Elizabeth, and neither of them seemed happy about it.
A few days ago, Mike had derailed after crashing into a rock hidden by the snow. The red engine had fairly dented himself up and broken his front axle, and now had to go to Crovan's Gate to get proper repairs as their workmen were off for the holiday season. Going by lorry was easiest when it came to transferring the undersized engines, and though Madge had been booked to take Mike, a scheduling conflict had led to Elizabeth doing the job, which she considered 'degrading.'
"Hauling other vehicles around is a waste of my time," the lorry had been heard to complain on multiple occasions, "If they can't get to where they want to go on their own wheels then that is hardly my issue!" Duck remembered this and smirked to himself again, earning him two sets of angry expressions.
"What are you laughing about?" Mike grumbled.
"Nothing, nothing," Duck replied, but struggled to contain his own laughter, and Elizabeth and Mike continued to glare down at him as workers moved between the truck and Elizabeth's flatbed, loading a lot of crates that needed to be delivered to Ulfstead. It was quite clear Mike was just as annoyed about having to travel with Elizabeth as the lorry was about having to haul him, and Duck could not help but be amused.
Snow continued to fall around them, and Elizabeth watched as the ground became covered with layers and layers of the frozen flakes. It was going to be a long journey to get to Crovan's Gate, and her driver began to refuel her as they waited for the workers to finish loading her up, and Elizabeth was doubtful as to how safely she would be able to reach her destination in this weather with such a heavy flatbed behind.
"Can we get a move on?" Mike snapped. "I don't want to stay on this darn flatbed all night!"
"Oh be quiet!" Elizabeth snapped. "I don't particularly want to be dragging a whiny little engine around all night either, so keep your tiny trap shut and this evening will be done before any of us even realise it!" Duck knew that this was a dangerous combination of two very stuck up, very proud and very aggressive characters, and he wondered which of them emerged victorious before the night ended.
"Alright, I believe we're ready now," Elizabeth's driver said as a tarp was pulled over her bed of crates and tied down.
"Finally," Elizabeth growled, and her driver rolled his eyes as he climbed into the cab and started her up. With a roar that echoed throughout the yard, the lorry started up, and not a moment too soon: without even waiting for the workers to get out of the way, Elizabeth moved forwards, quickly turning around in order to go in the proper direction. She bounced over the tracks, and Mike yelled out as the flatbed flew around, nearly going over the side onto Duck's branch line.
"WATCH IT!" He shouted angrily, and Duck watched in shock as Elizabeth tore out of the yard and disappeared into the night.
"Wow…," the tank engine said. "You would not see that on the Great Western Railway," he mumbled, before setting off himself to deal with the rest of the trucks, wondering once more how well Elizabeth's journey was going to go on such a grim, snowy night.
On the other side of the Sodor, the snow was falling just as heavily, and as Edward crossed the bridge towards Barrow-in-Furness, the wise engine could not help but wonder if he would end up in the sea.
Edward remembered the incident two years ago with the exploding fireworks truck, and this felt just as dangerous. The wind howled here above the open water, and the bridge seemed to shake with every gust that struck it, the frozen metal constantly moaning and groaning.
That is always reassuring, Edward thought gloomily as he chugged slowly and unsurely across the structure. He did not like being out in this type of weather much in the first place, as there were so many accidents that could occur, from sudden snow drifts to snow blindness or slipping on icy rails. Being an elderly engine, Edward always tried his best to stay safe and avoid any unnecessary accidents that could prove too costly the older he became, and being out in this weather was the last thing he wanted.
However, there were still jobs that needed to be done, and Edward knew he should enjoy the fact that Sir Topham Hatt still relied on him to do special tasks, even if he was a delicate old engine.
"Edward, a very special engine is coming to our Island," the Fat Controller had told him early this afternoon at Wellsworth. "His name is Marco, and he was one of the first engines built that is capable of tilting a few degrees on either side, which allows him to go around tight corners without slowing down. The Electric branch line is looking into purchasing a new engine like this as tilting mechanisms are becoming quite common, and Marco is one of the few diesel locomotives of this type. Marco will spend the night at Crovan's Gate, but as there is expected to be bad weather, I would like him to be guided there by someone that knows the way well."
Edward accepted the job in a second: it was always nice to get out of his branch line and trundle down the Main Line, and he was always interested in seeing changes and developments of his fellow engines, and Edward was looking forward to seeing this tilting mechanism in action.
That is, if I can actually complete this job, Edward thought as the wind and snow continued to batter him, making his entire body rattle. The end of the bridge was near and they would soon be in the shelter of the yard, but Edward could see that snow was starting to pile up on the tracks, and it would be worse on flat land without any wind to blow it away.
"We should have brought my snowplough, we may need it on the way back!" Edward shouted out to his driver. They had been strapped for time due to the late notice of the special, and the snowplough had been forgotten as they had rushed towards Vicarstown.
"I will see if we can find one at Barrow, but I cannot be too certain!" His driver shouted back, and Edward simply grimaced and hoped that the snow drifts would not be too bad. As he thought this, he noticed the wind had begun to die down and realised they were away from the stormy channel, leaving the rattling bridge behind and sailing towards Barrow Station.
Edward had not been here since he had passed through twice during his fireworks adventure with Gordon two years ago. After passing beneath a road bridge, the blue engine emerged into a small station, consisting of a central building and several platforms connected by foot bridges. A lot of sidings came out from here, leading towards a shunting yard, a turntable and a small sheds area. In the distance, Edward could see a few houses and other buildings away from the railway, but the falling snow prevented him from seeing anything further on.
"Is Marco here yet?" Edward asked as he came to a stop right outside the station, where several workers were waiting to greet them.
"Doesn't look like it, he is supposed to wait directly at the station," Edward's driver said. "We'll move you into a siding and fit you with a snowplough if they have one, and then turn you around so we are ready to go." He and the fireman quickly jumped out of the cab to discuss things with the yard manager first, leaving Edward to simply sit and wait, staring forwards as he waited for this new engine to arrive.
"Hello there, Sodor engine are you?" Edward jumped in surprise, having thought everyone had gone inside or moved away. He looked around, wondering if this was Marco, but the voice was much too feminine. Finally, as a gust of wind sent the snow spiralling away, and the blue engine saw a tank engine waiting in a siding on the other side of a platform.
"Oh, hello there, I didn't see you!" Edward said, laughing. "You must be Arianna. I am Edward, I am the main engine on one of the branch lines."
"Oooh, so your Edward," Arianna said with a thoughtful look. "That is interesting…" The tank engine had been jointly purchased by British Railways and the North Western Railway only a few months ago in order to work this shunting yard, as well as occasionally taking high-paying enthusiasts train around the local area. She had dark purple paint that almost looked black, with elegant gold lining that helped make her stick out from the snow. Edward had not met Arianna yet due to her place of residence, and was glad to finally have an opportunity to meet the engine he had only heard about.
"I am surprised you know of me," Edward said with a kindly smile.
"With so few steam engines about, you could only be one of a handful," Arianna replied. "I have spoken to a few of your tender engines, as it is such a relief to finally meet some other steam engines after all this time." Arianna paused, a certain look suddenly descending upon her face. "A few of them have mentioned you, though the comments I would not exactly say are complimentary. Are you as old and stuffy as that James says you are?" Edward was taken aback by this, especially as Arianna flashed a cheeky grin in his direction that reminded him far too much of one particular tank engine.
"I am sure James sees me that way, but that is more just his personality," he replied, and Arianna chortled.
"He can hardly talk though! He has a certain air about him, you know what I mean? He struck me as being rather… snobbish, you could say," the tank engine continued, looking up at the clouds and she thought over her words. Edward found himself rather confused by this engine, not quite sure what to think of her insulting of other engines. He wanted to bring her up on it, but the tank engine seemed to have seen his reaction and blew her whistle loudly.
"I better get back to work, some of us have to do more than guide other engines about," Adrianna called, and she winked at Edward as she reversed from her siding, pulling a short train of fuel tankers with her.
Is she actually that rude, or was she yanking my wheels? Edward thought in shock, not sure what to make of the newcomer. As he sat there waiting for his crew to reappear or Marco to arrive, the tender engine thought back to what the other engines had said of Arianna, and could remember Gordon, Henry and BoCo all replying with either disinterested grunts or remarking on her 'unique' personality.
"She's unique alright," Edward thought huffily, and watched as Arianna disappeared into the snow, though the sounds of her puffing and the clanging of trucks bashing together continued to reach him. It almost felt as though Edward had entered some other ghostly world, where he and this Arianna were the only ones left. The yard was deserted, and the snow that continued to pile up gave it a derelict feeling. Edward wanted to get back to more familiar areas, regretting his yearn for an excursion, the dark grey clouds above giving him a chill. There was a chance the weather was going to get worse, and Edward did not want to end up running late, or become trapped on this side of the Walney Channel with only a rude tank engine, a mysterious new engine and the never ending snow for company.
The first of the new characters to be introduced! Let me know what your first impressions of Adrianna now, she will be a recurring character throughout my own little Sodor world.