Mighty Mac's power made him a popular addition to the Mid Sodor. While the Mid Sodor never had enough goods traffic to justify a heavy goods train, the Double Fairlie easily handled the mine trains, so much so the Mine Engine often felt like he didn't have anything to do! He also proved to be useful on the Boat Trains. In fact, when Mighty Mac pulled them, he never needed to rest before the next journey.
Falcon disapproved of this: he liked Mighty Mac, but didn't like losing his beloved Bost Trains. As the years passed, tensions between the two rose higher and higher, despite the best efforts of the Manager. Stuart, who would happily do whatever job he was given, sympathised, but still loved to tease Falcon about this.
On one day in June 1924, near the end of the month, Falcon had enough, and snapped. It began that evening when Mighty Mac returned to the sheds.
"Hey, look, there's a blue bird stuck inside our sheds!" Mac teased.
Falcon was furious.
"Shut up!" snapped Falcon. "You're one to talk: you're blue yourself, don't forget!"
"Uh-uh! We're purple! That makes us kings of the railway!" boasted Mac.
"Mac, we've been through this before," groaned Mighty. "Purple doesn't make us royalty."
"Then why does our King wear purple all the time?" Mac asked.
"That was like… In the middle ages."
"Whatever! Anyway, we seem to do a better job with the Boat Trains than you and Stuart ever did," continued Mac.
"At least I'm not confused on whether I need to be arguing or working!" Falcon retorted. "All you two do is get distracted easily."
Mac was furious.
"Well I'm not the one with a brother who can't speak even a single word!" he snapped. Instead of replying, Falcon gave the Double Fairlie a hard bump.
"Hey!"
"That's what you get for insulting Albert!" Falcon snarled.
"Oh, yeah? Help me teach him a lesson, Mighty! You felt that too!"
"I won't get involved in your fights," said Mighty.
"You can't say that: you have to, we're attached to each other!" Mac pointed out.
"I'd say you deserved that: you insulted his brother after all," Mighty pointed out.
"You saying you like being caught in the crossfire?!"
"Well….it's inevitable," Mighty reasoned.
"Alright, break it up," said Duke. "While I don't condone violence, I have to agree with Falcon: what you said about Albert would never…"
"What, suit His Grace? Well guess what: His Grace isn't here."
"And how is that an excuse to behave like a child?" asked Duke. Mac didn't say anything. "Just as I thought. Come on, Falcon, we're going to Arlesburgh: this has been going on for four years. It's time we found a solution that doesn't revolve around rotation. Hopefully, the Manager can figure something out."
"Anything in particular?" asked Falcon.
"I can't guarantee for certain," said Duke, "but I'm hoping he'll be able to find a way to justify having more than two boat trains in each direction every day."
Falcon wasn't having any mediation, however.
"I'm afraid not," he said.
"I see somebody's feeling stubborn tonight," remarked Duke. "Are you afraid Mighty Mac's Boat Train will outshine yours?"
"Well, think about it: he's bigger and stronger than me!" Falcon pointed out. "Besides, isn't it getting late?"
"Yes, it is," Tim interjected. "And I need to be up early to take the Workmen. As a matter of fact, all of us need sleep right now. We can talk to the Manager when he comes over tomorrow."
The next morning, Duke wasted no time and spoke to the Manager.
"The feud between Mighty Mac and Falcon has been going on for way too long," he said. "It's time we found a permanent solution."
"I agree," said the Manager. "And I have been looking into options. Seems the best solution would be to add on another pair of boat trains, one for Mighty Mac, with the current two going to Stuart and Falcon."
"Somehow, I think the problem is Falcon feels entitled to the Boat Train: he actually refused that when I suggested it," Duke replied.
"You're most likely right, Duke," said the Manager. "In fact, the only time I can ever recall him willing to give up the Boat Train was during the Great War, and that was only because he wanted to stay ahead."
"And good old Mighty and Mac are too stubborn. At least Mac is: Mighty seems to be more reasonable."
"Say, what about those first-class Pullmans?" asked Duke. "You think you could make a Boat Train out of those?"
The Manager thought about this, and nodded.
"Tell Falcon to meet me at Arlesburgh," said the Manager.
To distinguish them from the other coaches, the Mid Sodor's Pullmans had a balcony on each end. They were also painted brown with white in the centre. The Manager would later admit he couldn't remember why he added them: after all, if the Mid Sodor had no need for gangways, they certainly didn't have any need for transferable balconies. Nonetheless, they had proven to be popular with tourists, especially those who could afford first class.
Falcon was happy. Sure, he had to share them with Stuart, but he couldn't mind. The two would be given the morning and evening Boat Trains, hauled using the Pullmans, while Mighty Mac handled a third Boat Train during the afternoon. For a while, Falcon would parade around showing off his Pullman Train. However, this all got on Mac's nerves and he began to get jealous.
"Why should Falcon get stuck with those fancy Pullmans?" he scoffed one night.
Mighty didn't have energy for that argument. Tim, however, was quick to offer an answer.
"Because unlike you, he doesn't bounce around," he said.
"Bullshit!"
"Is it really? I've seen you with coaches," said Tim.
"It's not my fault Mighty's clumsy!" snorted Mac. Mighty finally spoke up.
"Since we're both attached, that means you're clumsy too," he said.
"I've no interest in you!" snapped Mac.
"And just as well too," Falcon piped in. "Honestly, if you two were into each other, that would be disgusting. That said, since you two share a boiler, that technically makes you married."
"Falcon, you have a really sick mind," said Tim.
Mac's complaining didn't stop, and began to get on Mighty's nerves. So much so, he secretly began to wish the two of them weren't conjoined by the boiler. At last, he reached his boiling point.
"SHUT UP! FOR ONCE, JUST SHUT UP!" he snapped one night. "All day and night you complain nonstop about not pulling the Pullmans and I'm sick of it! Falcon, let us take a turn on the Pullmans tomorrow just this once!"
"No way!" snorted Falcon. "I'm not…"
"DO IT OR I'LL DERAIL YOU!"
Falcon was taken aback: Mighty Mac never made threats!
"Uh, uh…FINE! But you owe me a favour for this."
Falcon steamed out of the sheds to join Stuart at Arlesburgh, Duke followed, deciding he didn't want to get involved with Mighty Mac this time.
Mac was delighted.
"You should've done that weeks ago, Mighty!"
"Don't you make things worse," warned Mighty.
"Or what? You can't do anything to me: we share the same boiler," said Mac.
"I'll fucking explode. That's what I'll do," said Mighty.
"Oh, so you're willing to commit suicide and infanticide at the same time," snorted Mac.
"Shut up!" Jim cut in. "Some of us need to sleep!"
When they arrived, Stuart couldn't help but chuckle.
"I see somebody is having trouble sleeping," he said. "Mighty Mac scare you out of your dreams?"
"Very funny," groaned Falcon. "No, Mighty threatened to derail me if I didn't let him and Mac take the Pullmans."
"That's not like Mighty!" Stuart exclaimed in shock, as his fireman, who had just left the cab, spat out his drink.
"To be fair," said Duke, "over the a-coming weeks, Mac has been complaining about not taking the Pullmans. I suspect the stress finally got to Mighty."
Next morning, Mac proved to be rather careless with the Pullmans.
"Ooh! Be careful!" they complained.
"Relax, babies," snorted Mac. "It wasn't that hard!"
"Mac, Pullmans…"
"Are coaches just like others," interrupted Mac. "Now shut up, we got passengers to collect."
Mighty tried to keep Mac in check, but it proved impossible: the Pullmans were bounced around as they trundled to Ulfstead Road.
"Ouch! Oof! Stop bumping, stop bumping!" they complained. Mac didn't listen. As they approached Ulfstead Road, it happened: the Pullmans decided enough was enough, and slipped on their brakes. This was enough to make Mighty Mac stall on the points. Nobody knows what happened next, but somehow, the points ended up getting changed. Mighty went towards the platform, but Mac ended up on the loop. Then…CRASH!
The double fairlie and some of the Pullmans lay on their side, Mighty Mac blocking both tracks.
"You did this!" shouted Mac.
"Me?! You're the one who was being too rough!" Mighty snapped.
"Quit arguing!" shouted the stationmaster. "That won't help the current situation!"
The stationmaster called for help, and considered it a mercy none of the passengers were killed in the derailment.
When they were taken to Arlesdale Works, the Manager's words were short, but not sweet.
"You two will be stuck on goods traffic until I can trust you to stop feuding, either with the other engines or each other," he said firmly. "As for the midday Boat Train, I'll have that cancelled for the time being." And with that, he walked away, leaving Mighty Mac in disgrace.
"Falcon's gonna have a field day when he hears about this," said Mac.
"If you want to save our boat train, we better apologise. And quick," put in Mighty.
Mac didn't like the idea. In his eyes, he didn't start this feud.
(Author's Note: Based on a derailment Livingston Thompson had at Tan y Bwlch on 22 January 1912, details of which aren't really known at the time of writing.)
