Chapter 35: A Near Disaster

(Wednesday, June 27th 2012 – 8:35am; Knapford Yards)

Knapford Yards was filled with the sounds of engines leaving with their morning trains, or shunting away in some of the different sidings; some engines were coupled up to passenger trains taking people, including the increasing numbers of tourists out on trip to different parts of the island, while other engines were hauling the much slower freight trains on their way to more industrial areas, including places like Brendam Docks, Vicarstown, as well as to the various shunting and marshalling yards, factories, and construction sites that were located all around the island.

Among the engines who was up early and getting ready for his long day of work ahead was U.S.A. S160 2-8-0 No.96100, and he had been assigned to take heavy freight around the island for today. Carrie had been assigned to work on his footplate for today, and she was looking forward to getting a good day's work done with him today. Although Carrie had worked on No.96100 a few times already, those previous occasions were in the depot by Tidmouth Sheds when she had helped to light the fire and oil him up before he set off for the day, or even drop the fire and empty out the ashpan at the end of the day. This was the very first occasion where she had worked with No.96100 when he was hauling a train out on the main line, or out "on the road" as the railwaymen always liked to say when engines went out onto the main line.

To Carrie, it felt rather nice to be working on the footplate of an American steam locomotive, as it made her feel as though she was back in the United States, though the controls on the footplate of No.96100, as well as all the other S160 2-8-0 locomotives on Sodor, had been modified so as to make them more user-friendly to the British crews who worked on them. It included replacing the reversing levers with screw reversing gear, and fitting British-style water-gauge glasses on the backs of the boilers, as well as changing around some of the other controls, gauges, and such.

But right now, Carrie was standing on the footplate of No.96100 as he sat in the yards at Knapford and waited to collect the train he was going to be taking away this morning. Carrie had a mug of hot tea in her hands, and was slowly sipping away from it while she waited. It was a fine mid-summer morning, with clear skies, bright sunshine, and a very light breeze that was just enough to cause smoke drifting from locomotive chimneys to move very slowly and gently.

Just as Carrie though about what the day ahead might bring for her, a sudden voice disrupted those thoughts.

"Okay, and here's what your job is for this morning!" came the voice of the yard foreman, as he approached No.96100 from one of the offices not too far away. On hearing him approach, the driver, fireman, as well as Carrie, went over to the side of the cab, and waited to hear what their job would be for this morning.

"All right then…your task for this morning is to take a slow goods from here to Vicarstown Station along the Southern Main Line. And you're to stop at each station along the way and pick up whatever trucks that need to be collected at each place." the yard manager said.

"I see…and that means it'll be a slow trip today." the driver said, as he sighed at the thought of how long their journey would be today.

"And I guess it also means that we'll be working hard at trying to keep the fire well-stoked as we go along today." the fireman said.

"Yeah, I know these slow freights aren't too popular, but it needs to be done." said the yard manager.

"I know…where is the freight train we're meant to be taking?" the driver asked.

"It's being shunted over at the other end of the yard. And Diesel is shunting the trucks together." the yard manager said.

"Oh, dear…I don't imagine things are good over there." Carrie said, quietly.

(With Diesel)

(Insert soundtrack – Diesel's Theme Season 2)

Carrie was indeed right; at that moment, Diesel was shunting the trucks that would be needed for the first part of the train that No.96100 was to take away. He was moving the trucks roughly about as he got the train assembled.

"Ouch! Ouch!" the trucks called out, as Diesel roughly shunted them about.

"Be quiet, you silly trucks!" Diesel called out crossly, as he moved the trucks he was pushing into the next batch of trucks. As he came to a stop, the shunter uncoupled him from the line of trucks, while another shunter coupled these trucks to the others that had already been shunted. Diesel was feeling quite cross, especially as he was getting tired of shunting trucks about in the yards and around Knapford Harbour all day.

Then the sounds of a loud steam whistle interrupted his thoughts; looking up, Diesel saw S160 No.96100 roll slowly into the yard, and looking for the train he was to pick up. Then, Diesel saw someone with long blonde hair leaning out from the left-hand side of the cab. Almost at once, he saw that it was Carrie White, the girl who he remembered had stood up to him earlier on in the year over at the coal mines when he was shunting the hoppers full of freshly mined coal about that day.

Ever since that day, Diesel had been trying to find out ways he could get even with Carrie for standing up to him like that, but had never been given the chance as Carrie had always been assigned to work with other engines working on other parts of the island. But now, seeing Carrie on the footplate of an engine who was to take this train he had sorted away, he suddenly saw an opportunity to get even.

As No.96100 rolled up to the front of the train he was to take and was then coupled up, Diesel slowly rolled alongside the line of trucks he had just shunted together. He had a devious plan developing in his mind.

"You know…that engine coupling up to the front of you thinks he can easily manage trucks like you." he said to the trucks in an oily voice.

"What do you mean?" asked some of the trucks curiously.

"He thinks that your tricks will never get the better of him, and he'll always be able to manage you regardless of what sort of tricks you try on him." sneered Diesel, with a devious grin. The trucks were furious when they heard this! Even though, they had been told a lie, they were so gullible, they had easily fallen for Diesel's lie.

Almost at once, the trucks began to plot on how to pay No.96100 out for his supposed boasting, as, giving a devious smirk on his face, Diesel slowly rolled away, while snickering.

At the front of the line of trucks, the shunter coupled up No.96100 and connected the brake pipes. This was only a partially fitted freight train, meaning only a few of the wagons would be fitted with brakes that could be controlled from the locomotive pulling it; the rest would be loose-coupled, and so the driver would need to concentrate fully on getting the long train to where it was needed without anything bad taking place.

On the footplate of No.96100, Carrie was keeping watch on the main boiler pressure gauge, as well as on the two British-style water gauge glasses mounted near the top of the boiler; the water level was very near to the top of the two glasses, and the indicator arrow in the boiler pressure gauge was hovering very near to the 225psi mark, which was the boiler's maximum working pressure. Looking down to the open firehole doors, Carrie looked into the firebox, where the fire was burning brightly, with any lumps of coals that had been put on not too long before now burning away, creating an intense heat which helped to make the high-pressure steam in the boiler.

Standing up, Carrie went over to the right-hand side of the cab, which was where the driver's position was, and leaned out from the cab. Looking around, she saw the various different activity that was taking place all around the yard; trains were going by on the lines leading out from the yards, while lines of different trucks were being shunted into different train. Yet, what Carrie didn't know was that Diesel was watching her, and that he had a very devious grin on his face; clearly, he was looking forward to seeing what the trucks were going to do now they were coupled to No.96100. He could almost imagine the look of horror on Carrie's face when the trucks began playing their tricks.

"I can't wait to see what sort of disaster you get into later on…" Diesel murmured quietly, as he slowly rolled in reverse out of the siding.

It wasn't too long before everything was ready, and then No.96100 was all ready to go with his train. Once his driver and fireman had climbed back on his footplate, the signal dropped and the points were set. From the brake van at the back of the train, the guard leaned out, and blew his whistle while waving his green flag.

"Okay, here we go then!" the driver said, as he pulled on the whistle chain for a few seconds, sounding the whistle loudly, before he then slowly pulled open the regulator a little. With a loud wheeshing of steam from the two outside cylinders, No.96100 slowly rolled forwards out from the long siding, taking up the weight of the long train behind him, one truck at a time.

"Come on…let's go! Come on…let's go!" No.96100 said, as the train slowly moved out onto the main line, and then slowly picked up a bit more speed as they headed on down towards Knapford Station.

From the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie leaned out a little and looked back as the train rolled smoothly out from the siding. Feeling herself smile, she pulled her head back into the cab and turned to see what needed to be done.

(At Knapford Station)

With a loud blast from his whistle, No.96100 approached Knapford Station, where passengers were waiting on the different platforms, or were boarding a train that was standing at Platform 3 and waiting for the chance to head off. A few people, both passengers and station staff alike, looked up when they heard the whistle, and many of them waved as No.96100 rolled on through the station with his long and heavy freight train following behind.

Standing at Platform 3 was a passenger train with eight coaches in it, and coupled up at the front of it was L.B.S.C.R. K Class 2-6-0 No.337, who was painted in the L.B.S.C.R. green passenger livery (58). He was looking forward to getting this train out of Knapford and on its way to where it was going, which was Brendam Docks, as quite a few of the passengers boarding the train were on their way to catch the ferry across the Irish Sea to Dublin, which was due to leave from the docks that afternoon.

(58): The K Class 2-6-0 locomotives of the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway (L.B.S.C.R.) were a class of powerful mixed-traffic locomotives designed by Lawson Billington, and built at Brighton Works between 1913 and 1921. They were built to move heavy trains around the L.B.S.C.R. network.

Due to its nature, the L.B.S.C.R. had little need for heavy freight locomotives, but those it did have needed to be able to accelerate quickly and be able to maintain a good speed in order to maintain schedules, particularly within the suburbs of London. But as more suburban lines were electrified, this became an increasingly difficult problem. Although the problem was temporarily solved by rebuilding Billington's previous C2 Class 0-6-0 locomotives with larger boilers, but as traffic continued to grow, the reboilered C2's often had to double-head the trains.

So, to solve this problem about the need to have more powerful locomotives to deal with the increasing traffic, Billington ordered five locomotives of a brand-new design from Brighton Works which could cope with the heavy loads. The brand-new K Class 2-6-0 design were built with several new features for a class of the L.B.S.C.R.; they were the very first 2-6-0 locomotive class built for the L.B.S.C.R., and they were the first to have a Belpaire firebox. They were fitted with Robinson-style superheaters in a parallel boiler design, and their two outside cylinders were inclined, with inside Stephenson valve gear. The boilers were fed by hot water from a Weir pump, with any surplus steam being fed back to the tenders so as to preheat the water.

The two outside cylinders were 21in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke and, paired with driving wheels that were 5ft 6in in diameter and a boiler that was pressed to 170psi, gave the K Class a maximum tractive effort of 25,104lbf. The class were coupled to the largest tenders ever paired with any class from the L.B.S.C.R., with a capacity of 4 tons of coal and 3,940 gallons of water. The K Class were also fitted with steam sanding gear, as well as steam heating equipment so as to heat any coaches they were pulling

The first two examples, No.337 and No.338, emerged in September and December 1913 and were thoroughly tested afterwards. By the time the next three examples (No.339 to No.341) emerged from Brighton Works between March and September 1914, a few modifications had been made, both to the front pony truck and the smokebox layout. Due to the difficulties of obtaining materials during the First World War, the next five locomotives (No.342 to No.346) didn't appear until 1916.

For much of the war, the original 10 engines proved to be extremely useful, where they helped to haul heavy munitions and military supply trains down to the harbours at Newhaven and Littlehampton. They were capable of hauling trains of up to 1,000 tons in weight at speeds of up to 30 t0 35mph. They also proved their worth at hauling heavy troop trains. Due to their abilities, a further 10 locomotives were ordered from Brighton Works. Of these, only seven engines (No.347 to No.353) were completed and delivered between December 1920 and March 19121, with progress on the final three engines (No.354 to No.356) being continuously delayed due to the backlog of repairs at Brighton. Eventually though, the final three engines were never completed.

At times, the class were experimented with, and so a number of variants emerged during their careers; in April 1921, No.351 had its smokebox extended so as to fit a specialised draft appliance, which ended up getting removed in 1927. In March 1922, both No.341 and No.342 were fitted with an experimental variable blastpipe, with mixed results, and so the experiment was discontinued. Between May 1922 and December 1923, No.340 was fitted with a Worthington-Simpson feed-water heater and pump. In February 1923, No.341 was fitted with a specialised wet sanding gear, but this was removed in 1931 when it was found out this system caused additional wear on the tyres of the driving wheels.

For much of their careers, the K Class worked very well on the L.B.S.C.R., the Southern Railway, and later on the Southern Region of British Railways. Initially, they were restricted to running on the Central Section of the Southern, due to that section having a more generous loading gauge than many of the other lines on the Southern. However, between 1929 and 1939, the class were rebuilt so as to expand their route availability; this included reducing the height if their chimneys, flattening the dome, and reducing the height of the cab roofs.

In 1924, the K Class were compared to other classes of heavy freight locomotives that had been built before the Grouping. Although the K Class proved to be very capable and reliable machines, they were more expensive to run than other classes, such as the S15 4-6-0 Class of the London and South Western Railway (L.S.W.R.), and the N Class 2-6-0 engines of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (S.E.C.R.), and so no more examples of the K Class were built. Despite this, the K Class were considered to be the best mixed-traffic class ever built by the L.B.S.C.R., even though the class never achieved the sort of fame that other classes of that railway, and so they had very little impact on the design of locomotives of the Southern Railway.

In the time between the wars, the class worked well on both passenger and freight duties along the routes of the Southern system. However, during the Second World War, the class came into their own again, where they helped to haul heavy military freight and troop trains, especially during the run-up to the D-Day Landings in June 1944. And, just like in the First World War, the K Class really took the chance to prove themselves by the work that they did.

After the nationalisation of Britain's railways took place in January 1948, the K Class were renumbered by adding No.30000 to their numbers, and so they were numbered from No.32337 to No.32353. Between 1949 and 1953, the feedwater heating system was replaced with a cold-water injection, due to reasons of cost. They were also fitted with water treatment equipment, as well as an Automatic Warning System (A.W.S.). After the withdrawal of Marsh's H2 Atlantic Class from the Newhaven boat trains, the K Class were assigned to the prestigious duties on the boat trains to Newhaven. They were also used on secondary services, such as cross-country passenger trains, as well as on freight duties too.

The class were withdrawn from service en-bloc in November and December 1962, even though many of them were still giving reliable service on the Southern Region. It was apparently done as part of an accountancy exercise to keep in line with the Southern's withdrawal system. Many examples spent several months in storage at Hove railway station before being scrapped. At least one was briefly returned to service to run breakdown trains during the really severe winter of 1962 – 1963 in the U.K.

Sadly, not a single example of the K Class was preserved for the future. The Bluebell Railway had hoped to buy one example of the class for preservation, but sadly they couldn't afford to do so due to the fact that the limited funds available were being used to buy and setup the line. There's currently no project to build a replica or new example of the class, however I have my hopes we may one day see an example of the K Class run again sometime in the future.

Looking over to his left, No.337 saw No.96100 pass by on the line adjacent to Platform 1 with his long freight train. He watched for a few seconds of the U.S.A.T.C. S160 2-8-0 went on past with some of his trucks.

"Good luck with your train, No.96100!" No.337 said, as he gave a short blast of his whistle.

"Thanks, No.337!" No.96100 called, as he too gave a short blast of his whistle. For a few moments, No.337 watched as the freight train went on past him, down the long stretch leading up to the station, before it turned to the right and then disappeared from sight, one wagon at a time.

Now clear of Knapford Station, No.96100 could pick up a bit more speed as he moved on down the main line. Their first stop for this journey would be at Crosby Station, where they had to collect some trucks that were waiting in the yard there. There would be further stops to be made at Maron, Cronk, and at Kildane, and then they would continue on to Vicarstown Station, where they would deliver the train. And then, they would take another freight train back to Knapford later on in the day. As they rolled along the line, Carrie took a go at stoking the firebox the shovel, with the job being made somewhat easier by the fact that the firehole opening being quite large, and so it was relatively straightforward to get the lumps of coal into places like the back corners of the firebox, as well as along the firebox sides.

After placing seven heavy shovelfuls of coal into the firebox, where she made sure to place the coal to where it was needed so as to make sufficient steam, the fireman told her that would be enough coal on the fire for now and to sit down and rest for a while. Gratefully handing the shovel back to the fireman, Carrie went over to the fireman's side of the cab, which was on the left-hand side of the cab, and sat down on the seat while looking ahead through the window at the line ahead.

Looking ahead, she saw they were now on the long and straight stretch of line approaching Henry's Tunnel, and the two lines that were going through the bore of the tunnel they were about to go through were clear, and the signal just before the tunnel was down and showing a green light, meaning the way ahead was clear and they could proceed on. Feeling herself smile, Carrie knew they would be able to proceed and keep to their schedule for today.

With the driver pulling on the whistle chain, the whistle on No.96100 sounded out loudly as he plunged into the darkness of the tunnel, with the sounds of the whistle and the sounds of the train echoing within the confined darkness around them. Some seconds later, they burst out into the daylight on the other side of the tunnel, with the driver sounding the whistle in warning as they emerged from the tunnel. Feeling herself smile, Carrie knew that Crosby Station wasn't too far away down the line, and wondered how many trucks they would need to collect there.

(At Crosby Station; a short while later)

It wasn't too long before they finally arrived on the stretch of line that was just before Crosby Station, and the driver, after closing the regulator, put on the brakes, and they came to a stop on the short stretch that was adjacent to the yards. It meant they had to be uncoupled from the train, and then go over the points across two other lines in order to collect the trucks that were waiting for them in the yards.

"So, we have to be uncoupled and leave the train on the main line in order to collect the trucks in the yards?" Carrie said with some concern to the driver and fireman.

"Yes, and don't worry about a thing, Carrie. The signalman knows we have to collect more trucks from here, and so he'll make sure any other trains coming through here will be stopped or put on the other two lines." the fireman said.

"All right then…let's hope nothing happens when we have to collect more trucks." Carrie said, as the shunter behind the tender uncoupled No.96100 from the train. They had to wait for a few short minutes before they could move, as there was another train coming along from further on down the line. With the loud sound of a whistle, the approaching train soon came into view from the direction of Wellsworth, and was slowing down so as to pick up passengers who were waiting on the down platform at Crosby Station. It was the S.R. Lord Nelson Class 4-6-0 No.851 Sir Francis Drake, who just simply liked to be called Francis. He had a line of 8 coaches behind him, and was on his way from Vicarstown to Knapford with his first train of the day.

"Morning, No.96100!" Francis said, as he came to a halt alongside the platform.

"Morning, Francis! Everything going well with your train?" No.96100 said.

"Yes, indeed. Everything's been running smoothly so far, and I've made excellent time since I left Vicarstown earlier this morning." Francis said.

"Well…I'm taking this long line of trucks to Vicarstown, but I need to pick up more trucks at some of the stations along the way before I get there." No.96100 said.

"And does that include those trucks there?" Francis asked, having noticed a line of vans sitting in the yards by Crosby Station.

"Yes, but I need to wait until you've gone by with your train before I can go in and pick them up." No.96100 said.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of here shortly." Francis said, as his passengers boarded the train.

It wasn't too long before the last of the waiting passengers had gotten aboard the coaches, and then Francis was on his way again. With a short blast on his whistle, he set off down the line towards Knapford.

"See you later, No.96100! Good luck!" Francis called, as he set off again, with his coaches now full of passengers.

"Thanks…I think I might need it too!" No.96100 called back, as Francis pulled out from the station. Once the line was clear, the signalman set the points, and No.96100 was able to cross over to the down line, and then reverse slowly into the yards so as to couple up to the vans, which, just like the trucks within the front half of the train, were fitted with continuous brakes, which would make controlling the speed of the train that much easier. One of the yard workers a walkie-talkie in his hand and was communicating with the driver of No.96100 so as to guide the driver onto the front of the trucks.

"Slowly now…steady…steady…" the man said through the walkie-talkie, as the driver gently adjusted the controls in front of him and allowed No.96100 to very slowly back down onto the line of vans.

"…slowly…you're almost there…brakes on!" the man called out, and the driver shut the regulator and put the brakes on at once. With a very slight bump, the tender came into contact with the buffers of the front van. Once stopped, the shunter moved in between the tender and front van to couple them up and connect the brake pipes.

As No.96100 stood and waited, while his boiler simmered away, he heard the sounds of a whistle coming from along the line in the direction of Knapford Station. Not too long later, the engine came into view; it was No.337, which No.96100 had gone past not too long before, and was approaching the station with his coaches to pick up the passengers who were waiting for him to arrive.

With another blast of his whistle in greeting, along with a friendly "Hello" to No.96100, No.337 rolled past and came to a halt at the platform where the waiting passengers boarded his coaches. Due to the long line of trucks on the up line, the points had been switched so that No.337 had to go onto the platform on the down-line to pick up his passengers, but once he was to set off on his way again, he would be switched back to the up-line.

It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers and their luggage had been loaded on board the train, and No.337 could set off on his way again. With a blast on his whistle, he slowly rolled out from the down-platform and then over the points onto the centre line, and then over another set of points onto the up-line. Once No.337 was out of sight and heading off down the main line, the signalman switched the points, so as to allow No.96100 to slowly roll out from the siding with his new line of vans, and then cross over to the down-line. After No.96100 rolled onto the down-line and down the line away from the points a short way, the signalman switched the points and, on a signal from a man standing by the side of the line, the driver, having already adjusted the reversing gear, opened the regulator a little and allowed No.96100 to slowly reverse back onto the rest of his train.

Once he had buffered up, the shunter coupled the new trucks to the rest of the train and then connected the brake pipes. Once that was done, it was time for them to be on their way again.

"Let's get going!" No.96100 said, as he slowly set off with his train, taking the load of one truck at a time.

From the footplate, Carrie leaned out from the left-hand side of the cab and looked behind along the train as they set off. But, amidst the sounds of chuffing, wheels moving on steel rails, and the sounds of steam, Carrie heard another sound coming from back along the train; she couldn't tell what was going on, but it sounded like the trucks were whispering to each other. Having been pre-warned by some of the engines about what the trucks on Sodor were like, and just how troublesome they were, Carrie just knew they were planning to play tricks of some kind or another on No.96100, and realised the driver and fireman needed to be warned about it.

"Excuse me…" Carrie said, as she turned to face the driver and fireman.

"Yes, Carrie?" the driver said, as he looked over at her.

"I think I heard the trucks whispering among themselves just a moment ago; they might be planning to play some kind of tricks as we go on. I think we should be alert in case they try anything." Carrie said, with a slightly concerned look on her face.

"Good observations there, Carrie. We'll keep a sharp watch out for whatever they might try, and we'll also watch for any places the trucks might try their tricks." the driver said.

"And I'll keep my ears and eyes open too." Carrie said, as she turned her head to look forwards along the line as they picked up some more speed. Having been told of many incidents the troublesome trucks had caused on Sodor over the years, Carrie was determined to keep a sharp look-out for any signs of trouble and prevent the trucks from doing anything.

(A little further down the line)

After crossing over the viaduct, No.96100 made his way on towards Wellsworth Station, passing by Murdoch, who was heading back towards Knapford with a long and heavy freight train being hauled along behind him. Both engines exchanged whistles as they went on past each other, heading on towards their respective destinations.

It wasn't too long before No.96100 finally arrived on the stretch of line just before Wellsworth Station, where he would stop and have a banker, waiting in the sidings, buffer up to the back of his train before being banked up Gordon's Hill.

Coming to a stop some distance beyond the banker sidings, the driver blew the whistle loudly, twice, so as to indicate that he wanted to have two bankers on the back of the train. With two whistles coming from the sidings in acknowledgment, two engines rolled out and onto the main line. The engines were No.9406 and No.8450, two of the G.W.R. Hawksworth 0-6-0 Pannier tank engines that were on Sodor. They slowly and carefully buffered up to the back of the train, so as not to shake about the guard in his brake van. And then the drivers of the two tank engines blew their whistles to let the driver of No.96100 know they were in position and ready to set off.

While waiting for the bankers to buffer up to the back of the train, Carrie took the shovel and set to stoking the boiler and making sure they would be a good head of steam for when they set off on their way again. After placing seven shovelfuls of coal into the boiler, she handed the shovel back to the fireman and looked up at the main boiler pressure gauge; the indicator arrow had slowly climbed up, and it was now just beneath the maximum pressure of 225psi. Feeling pleased with herself, Carrie went and sat back down on the fireman's side while she waited for the off. Yet, even as she waited, she could hear the sounds from back along the train; she knew at once it was that of the trucks plotting away to play some kind of trick.

"I think you're right about the trucks, Carrie. And I think I know where they're going to try and get us; it'll no doubt be on that gentle downward stretch after we go over Gordon's Hill." the driver said, as he turned to look at Carrie.

"Well, I think we'd better stay on alert, and be ready to take action if needed." Carrie said in agreement, as the sounds of the bankers sounding their whistles were heard.

"Okay, they're ready. Let's go then!" the driver said, as he blew the whistle twice, and then after waiting several seconds, he pulled on the whistle cord again to give one very long whistle; this was the signal for him and the banker drivers to open their regulators.

Slowly, with steam whooshing, loud chuffing from the chimneys, and the sounds of wheels on the rails, the train set off on its way towards Gordon's Hill. Looking out from the cab, Carrie looked forwards along the line as they approached Wellsworth Station, with the train slowly picking up more speed as they got nearer. After passing under the road bridge, they went through Wellsworth Station along the down-line. On the down platform, Carrie saw station staff working on the platform at various jobs, while among them she could see people with cameras on the platform and on the footbridge that crossed over the line. Probably tourists who were getting pictures of the engines going about their work, Carrie thought.

After passing through Wellsworth Station, they went past the junction where the lines turned away down to Brendam Docks, and then on the long, straight stretch of main line heading towards Gordon's Hill. As they got closer and closer to the red-brick road bridge that went over the lines at the start of the curve leading to the hill, Carrie felt herself getting a little nervous; what were the trucks planning to do? Would they hold back along the hill and try prevent them from getting up and over it? More likely, they were plotting to bump into No.96100 after he got over the summit of the hill and push him down along the other side of it. Steeling herself up for what she knew was to come, Carrie braced herself as they went under the bridge and round the curve before they started up the hill.

As they climbed the lower part of the hill, No.96100 dug his eight driving wheels into the climb and hauled with all his might, as both No.9406 and No.8450 pushed as hard as they could from the back, with the exhausts from their chimneys creating quite a noise, and with the smoke and steam shooting high into the air as they went up the hill. There were a few railway enthusiasts watching from close by, and they were amazed by the noise as this long freight train made its way up the hill.

For two miles, the train, with two bankers pushing hard at the rear, and with No.96100 hauling with all his might at the front, went along slowly but steadily up the hill. At one point as they went along, there came the sounds of a whistle and chuffing from further along the line, which meant another train was coming along in the other direction. Sure enough, a column of dark-grey smoke came into view over the top of the hill as another engine came into view; it was W.D. Austerity 2-8-0 No.77451, painted in khaki green livery, and with a line of empty trucks following along behind him. Due to the fact that his train was a fully loose-coupled train, No.77451 was going along very slowly down the hill, so as to reduce the risk of a runaway. As he slowly went over the top and then made his way just as slowly down the hill, keeping his train under full control as he did, No.77451 blew his whistle in greeting to No.96100, who blew his whistle back. After both engines called out "Hello!" to each other as they went on past, they proceeded on with their respective trains.

It wasn't too long before No.96100 reached the summit of Gordon's Hill, and, with a loud blast of his whistle, he reached the top, going by the signal box that was by the side of the line. On the footplate, the driver closed the regulator a little and, as his hand reached for the brake controls, he listened out for the sounds of the bankers blowing their whistles, meaning they were dropping back from the rear of the train. He knew this would likely be the time the trucks would attempt to try their tricks, and so he had to be ready, just in case. Even though the slope on the eastern side of Gordon's Hill was nowhere near as steep as the western side, there was still potential for a disaster if a crew wasn't keeping their guard with a partially fitted freight train like this one.

After a few moments, there came the sounds of the two bankers whistling out, as they slowed down and then dropped off from the back of the train one by one, while making sure they didn't cause any jolts, so as not to cause any discomfort for the guard in his brake van. After going past the signal box, the bankers came to a halt and, after the signalman switched the points, both No.9406 and No.8450 reversed over the points and back down the hill to Wellsworth Station.

In the meantime, No.96100 descended the bank, which was descended at a rate of about 1 in 100, down towards Maron Station. The driver, fireman, and Carrie were all keeping all their senses on alert, as they knew the trucks were about to try something. The driver, in particular, was keeping his hand firmly upon the brake handle, ready to apply the brakes at once in he felt any sort of surge.

Carrie was leaning her head out a little from the side of the cab, and was also keeping an eye out for the signals ahead of them. Then, she saw the next signal in the distance ahead was showing an amber-yellow light; that meant "proceed with caution."

"Yellow signal ahead!" she called out to the driver.

"Okay!" the driver called, as he firmly shut the regulator and prepared to put on the brakes; as the sounds of the brakes began to be heard, this was the signal for the trucks.

"On! On! On!" they cried out, as they banged their buffers into each other. At once, there was a great surging motion and the train began to pick up speed, with the weight of the unfitted trucks in the train pushing hard against those trucks fitted with continuous brakes and No.96100.

(Insert soundtrack – Runaway Theme – Season 2)

"I've got to stop this train! I have to stop!" No.96100 groaned, as his driver slammed on the brakes, with the noise of his wheels skidding on the rails being heard by everyone who was nearby. Due to the brakes on the front third of the train being controlled by the driver, the brakes on those trucks went on, and at the back of the train, the guard in his brake van, having been alerted by the sudden jerk and surge, quickly went up to the brake handle and turned it round all the way until the brakes on the van's wheels screamed.

On the footplate of No.96100, the fireman grabbed the brake handle for the tender brakes and turned it round until the brakes were fully on.

Carrie, now afraid for the first time and knowing there was nothing she could do, leaned out the cab to see what was ahead of them; so far, the track ahead was clear, but the thought of that amber signal got her really concerned. She knew there may be something out on the track ahead of them as they approached Maron Station. Holding on tight, she braced herself as No.96100 tried to slow down as they went round the last bend before Maron Station.

Just as they went around the bend, she saw Maron Station in the distance, and then she saw something that made her blood run cold; there was another train sitting at the platform, and, to her horror, she was that it was on the same track as they were! Quickly, she automatically turned her attention to the driver.

"There's another train on the line ahead of us!" she called.

"I see it, Carrie! Let's hope we can stop in time!" the driver called, as he kept his hands on the brake handle, keeping it at full on. Anxiously, Carrie looked out ahead as the station came closer and closer to them.

"I must stop! I must stop!" No.96100 said with fright, as he fought to control the runaway train behind him.

"On! On! On! Faster! Faster!" the trucks called, as they pushed on against each other. But now, they were slowing down, as the combined forces of the brakes on No.96100, the brake van, as well as the brakes on the trucks in first third of the train took effect at slowing down the train down as they went along.

Looking up, Carrie then saw the next signal ahead of them was at red, which meant they needed to stop, and she hoped they could do it before they reached the station.

Standing at the down-platform at Maron Station, and collecting passengers who were waiting on the platform, B.R. Standard Class 6 Clan No.72024 Clan Scott was waiting for his passengers to board the train so that he could set off with his train, which was bound from Brendam Docks all the way over to Great Waterton in the eastern-central part of the island. As he simmered and waited for his passengers to board, he suddenly heard the sound of a desperate whistle coming from along the line behind him.

"What's going on?" Scott asked, a little concerned by the desperate whistle behind him. His driver looked back along the train.

"There's a runaway train coming, old boy!" his driver called, with alarm in his voice.

But No.96100 was slowing down now, and the effects of all the brakes were doing their work of getting the train under control.

"I'm gonna stop! I'm gonna stop!" No.96100 cried, with some relief, as he could see he WAS in fact getting slower in terms of speed.

"On! On! On! Faster!" the trucks called out, feeling the resistance of the brakes and the train slowing down. But they went right past the signal which was at danger, and the distance between the two train was now closing quickly, yet they were slowing down.

"Brace yourselves!" the driver said, as he, the fireman, and Carrie did exactly that and waited for the crash that was sure to come. Up in front, No.96100 shut his eyes and awaited the crash. But with a final groan of the brakes, wheeshing steam, and the clanking of many buffers running into each other, the train finally came to a stop, only a few meters away from the back of Scott's train.

Opening his eyes, No.96100 breathed a huge sigh of relief, and pleased that his trip hadn't ended in a major disaster.

"Are you okay there, No.96100?" Carrie asked, as she leaned her head out from the cab.

"I'm all right, Carrie! That was far too close a call for comfort!" No.96100 said, as he let off steam in some relief. Just then, the stationmaster for Maron Station stepped over to them, much to the concern of No.96100.

"You nearly ran into the back of this train!" the stationmaster said sternly to the driver. "Many people could have been hurt!"

"I'm sorry about that, but it was those trucks who played their tricks on us, causing us to run down the embankment faster than we would have wanted." said the driver.

"Hmm…wait until the Fat Controller hears about this." said the Stationmaster sternly, as he turned and walked back to the platform.

After a few minutes, Scott was on his way with his passenger train, which allowed No.96100 to move into Maron Station to pick up the trucks that were waiting for him. And it wasn't too long before he had collected the trucks that were in the sidings and had them coupled up to the front of his train.

Then, as his crew were making their preparations to leave the station, there was a whistle coming from down the line in the direction of Cronk. Looking up along the line, Carrie, and No.96100's crew saw Spencer, with two smartly polished coaches behind him, pull into the station. And out from one of the coaches stepped none other than the Fat Controller himself. He and his wife Lady Hatt were spending some time with the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, who had invited them along for a ride around the island in their private coaches.

(Insert soundtrack – The Fat Controller Theme – Season 1)

"Well then, No.96100…what's this I heard about you nearly losing control of your train a little earlier on today?" the Fat Controller asked, as he approached the U.S.A.T.C. S160 2-8-0 and looked up at him.

"Sir, it wasn't my fault…the…the trucks pushed me…and…" stuttered No.96100, as he struggled to explain what had happened.

"I overheard the trucks plotting to play tricks on us as we were approaching Gordon's Hill, sir. And we tried to stop them from doing that, but they still caught us by surprise." Carrie said, as she jumped in to defend No.96100 from what had happened.

"Hmm…I see." said the Fat Controller, as he rubbed his chin in thought. Then he heard the sounds of the trucks muttering amongst each other.

"I can't believe this engine managed to stop us!" one truck muttered.

"Yeah, Diesel said this engine would never be able to stop us!" muttered another. And it was that comment which got the Fat Controller's attention.

"And what DID Diesel say to you earlier on?!" asked the Fat Controller, as he turned his attention to the line of trucks. There was some hesitation, and then some of the trucks nervously told the Fat Controller what Diesel had said earlier on.

"I see…" said the Fat Controller, slightly ominously, as the trucks looked nervously around. He then turned his attention back to No.96100, who was obviously outraged by the fact that Diesel had told more lies again.

"This wasn't any of your fault, No.96100…you were a victim of another engine's lies." said the Fat Controller reassuringly.

"Thank you, sir." No.96100 said, with deep relief in his voice. Carrie also sighed in some relief as well.

"Okay, No.96100…I'll deal with Diesel and his comments later on. You just continue on with your job and deliver these goods to where they're needed." said the Fat Controller.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." said No.91000.

Then the Fat Controller turned his attention to the trucks. "And I want NO funny business from you lot!" he said sternly.

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" said the trucks at once.

Then, there came the sound of a guard's whistle from further down the train; it was time for No.96100 to be on his way again. On hearing it, Carrie quickly clambered back onto the footplate, and sat down on the fireman's seat.

"Time to be on our way again!" called the driver, as he blew the whistle and opened the regulator.

"I'll see you all later on, hopefully!" called the Fat Controller, as he waved and watched as the long freight train set out from the station. After watching it go on past, he turned and went over the footbridge so he could re-board the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's coaches. A few minutes later, having been given the all-clear to go, Spencer set off on his way up the line.

(Later on, Vicarstown Depot; 11:40am)

After the rest of the trip went, thankfully, uneventfully and having picked up some more trucks along the way, No.96100 finally arrived in the Vicarstown freight depot, dropped off the trucks in the reception sidings, and then proceeded to the motive power depot not too far away. He was still shaken up somewhat from the incident earlier on, as well as tired from hauling such a long and heavy train from one side of the island to the other.

On the footplate, his driver and fireman, as well as Carrie herself, were also tired from the morning's work, and were eager to get rested up before they went back to work again.

"I'll be glad to have a lie down for a bit, and a good lunch before we set off for work again this afternoon." Carrie said, as the driver slowly reversed No.96100 back onto one of the lines towards one of the sheds in the depot.

"Me too, and after that runaway earlier on…I'd say we've earned it too." agreed the driver.

"Let's just hope the cafeteria in the crew building isn't too busy today." the fireman said, as he checked on the state of the fire.

"Agreed." Carrie said, quietly.

Slowly, No.96100 reversed until he came to a stop in the shed with three other engines, each of which were 0-6-0 locomotives; one of them was No.1419, the L.N.E.R. J38 Class, while the other two engines were No.2989 and No.1974, and they were both members of the L.N.E.R. J39 Class mixed-traffic engines (59). The two L.N.E.R. J39's were brothers and were painted in L.N.E.R. lined apple green livery, and they were chatting with No.1419 while they waited for their next jobs. But then, when they saw No.96100 roll slowly towards them, and with an exhausted look on his face, it immediately concerned the three engines somewhat and they wondered what had happened.

(59): The L.N.E.R. J39 Class 0-6-0 locomotives were built for mixed-traffic work on the lines of the L.N.E.R. system between London and the north of Scotland. Designed by Nigel Gresley, the class was based on his earlier J38 Class, but with larger driving wheels, which were 5ft 2in in diameter instead of 4ft 8in in diameter. They were mostly built at Darlington Works, but Beyer Peacock also built 28 engines. In total, 289 members of the J39 Class were built over a period of 15 years between 1926 and 1941.

The class had two inside cylinders that were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and combined with a superheated pressed to 180psi, and driving wheels that were 5ft 2in in diameter, it gave the J39 Class a tractive effort of 25,665lbf, ideal for the mixed-traffic work they were to do. Many of the class that were built at Darlington had their boilers built by outside contractors, including Armstrong Whitworth and Co, and Robert Stephenson & Co.

Both the J38 and J39 Classes looked very similar to each other, but one easy way to tell them apart was the fact that the J39 Class had shallow wheel splashers along both sides of the running plates for the driving wheels, while the J38 Class had no splashers for their driving wheels.

The J39 Class were divided up into three sub-classes, depending on the type of tender they were coupled to. The J39/1 variant was coupled to tenders that carried 3,500 gallons of water, while the J39/2 variant was coupled to tenders that could carry 4,200 gallons of water, and the J39/3 variant was paired to tenders, usually ones taken from withdrawn N.E.R. and G.C.R. engines, that could carry between 3,940 and 4,125 gallons of water. This tender sub-classification system was dropped in December 1952.

The braking system for the class varied, with the first engines being fitted with Westinghouse brakes for the locomotives, tenders, and the train, with a vacuum brake for alternative braking. Other J39s were fitted with steam brakes for the locomotive and tender, and a vacuum brake for the train. But from 1935, many of the J39 Class were built with vacuum brakes only, and many of those with Westinghouse brakes were later refitted with steam braking during the 1930's. Even so, some J39s kept their Westinghouse brakes fitted until they were withdrawn.

There were other variations between the class; some were fitted with steam reversing gear, while others were fitted with screw reversers. Some were fitted with different lubrication systems, and others had their regulators fitted differently.

One problem that the class did experience during their working lives was with their axleboxes, which, due to the twisting effect of the inside coupling rods, suffered from heavy wear and tear, as well as overheating on occasion. As a result, the axleboxes needed heavy maintenance to keep them in good order. Various modifications were tried, but didn't lead to any improvements. From 1935, the axleboxes of the class were fitted with lubrication, which helped to reduce the instances of the axleboxes overheating.

During their working lives, the J39s really proved themselves to be very powerful and versatile locomotives, and worked all over the L.N.E.R. system, including in Scotland. They could often be seen hauling heavy general freight trains, as well as on heavy coal and oil trains. Even though they were intended for freight duties, they could often be seen on the front of passenger trains, particularly on summer excursions during the 1930's. They could even go at fast speeds on their passenger trains, even though they were never intended to run at high speeds. Even when Thompson's B1 4-6-0 Class took over most of their passenger duties, the J39 Class were still called on for such tasks during an occasional emergency.

After the railways were nationalised in January 1948, the J39 Class were renumbered from No.64700 to No.64988, and they carried on with their duties under the new British Railways. But withdrawals of the class began in May 1959, when the first examples, including No.64714, No.64715 and 64734, were removed from service. The rest of the class followed along over the next three years, mainly due to the higher-than-average maintenance costs, as well as due to the fact the problems of hot axleboxes were never fully solved. The last examples of the class were removed in December 1962, although one example, No.64747 survived as a stationery boiler until October 1964.

Sadly, not a single example of this class, which had the greatest number of engines in a Gresley class, has survived into preservation. However, I have my hopes that one day we'll get to see a Gresley J39 in steam again.

"Are you all right there, No.96100?" No.2989 asked, as he watched No.96100 come to a stop beside him.

"You look like you've had quite a morning." added No.1419.

"Well…I've had quite an eventful morning to be honest, No.2989." No.96100 said, as he came to a stop beside the three engines. And, as his driver and fireman, as well as Carrie, stepped off his footplate, No.96100 told the three about what had he gone through that morning on his way from Knapford. The other three engines were somewhat shocked to hear his story, even as No.96100 told them all the details.

In the meantime, the driver, fireman, and Carrie, after letting the shed staff take over No.96100, went over to the crew building to rest up and get something to eat.

Once inside the building, Carrie went to the women's changing room where she took the chance to wash her hands and face thoroughly, before she then went back downstairs to the cafeteria to get something to eat. After such a long morning of work, as well as the near disaster earlier on, she was feeling famished and eager to get some decent food into her. After entering the canteen, she grabbed a tray off to the side of the buffet line and lined up to see what was on offer.

A few minutes later, she sat down at one of the tables with the food she had chosen, which was a bowl of carrot and coriander soup, with a bread roll on the side, as well as a plate with a large pork chop covered with a thick gravy, along with mashed potatoes, boiled carrots, and peas, as well as a glass of ice-cold Coca Cola on the side. There was also a good selection of desserts on offer too, but Carrie decided to wait until after she'd eaten her soup and main course before going for the desserts.

After sitting down, Carrie tucked into her food, and really enjoyed the food she had. Looking up every now and then, she could see other engine crewmen going about inside the cafeteria, as they sat and ate at the tables, or went from the buffet line to the tables, or even leaving and making their way out through the doors if they were finished their food. Carrie did feel a tinge of loneliness, as she often would be in company with the recruits, including those she was the closest to. But today, they were off on duty on other parts of the island, and so Carrie had to sit alone today.

After finishing off what she had, she went back to the buffet line for dessert. She returned to her table with a slice of chocolate cake with whipped cream on the side, along with a cup of coffee, and sat down to enjoy her dessert. When she finished her dessert and coffee, Carrie left the cafeteria and went upstairs to the recreation room, where she intended to sit back and relax until she had to go back on duty that afternoon, which she was due to do at around 1:30pm that afternoon. There were few other people inside the room, with most just chatting quietly as they relaxed on the armchairs in the room. Going over to an armchair on the other side of the room, Carrie picked a book out from the bookcase, and settled down in the armchair to read it until she had to go back to work later on.

(Later on; that evening; 6:10pm, Tidmouth Sheds)

By the end of the day, Carrie was back at Tidmouth Sheds, having travelled back from Vicarstown on the footplate of No.96100, when he had to take another freight train back along the Southern Main Line to Knapford. They had gone quite slowly along, as much of the train had been a loose-coupled one, and, with the recent incident in mind, the crew had kept a sharp watch out for anything the trucks might try. But luckily, on the trip back, the trucks never tried anything.

By the time they got back to the yards at Knapford, Carrie was feeling very tired, and by then she was very eager to get home and get some sleep. After the trucks were uncoupled, No.96100 headed off to Tidmouth Sheds.

When they arrived on the turntable by the sheds, some of the engines were already there, including Thomas, Henry, James, Edward, Gordon, Duck and Percy. By this point, all of them had heard the news of what had happened to No.96100 earlier in the day. Also present there in the yard was none other than Diesel, and the Fat Controller was reprimanding him for what he did earlier on, while most of the other engines were glaring sternly at Diesel. Around the sheds were a number of other engine crewmen, and Ralph White was among them. And he didn't look too pleased either, as he too glared towards Diesel.

(Insert soundtrack – The Fat Controller Theme – Season 1)

"What you did earlier today was unnecessary, especially to an engine with someone like Carrie White travelling with them!" the Fat Controller said, sternly.

"But, sir…," said Diesel, as he tried to protest.

"No buts! Your tall tale nearly caused a serious accident earlier on today! And it could have caused a lot of people to get really seriously hurt! I will NOT stand for deceitful behaviour like this!" the Fat Controller said, as he glared crossly at Diesel. At the same time, all the other engines who were in the yard, including No.96100, glared rather crossly at Diesel. From where she was, Carrie also glared rather angrily at him too. She had got away from her old home town to get away from all forms of bullying she had gone through, especially from those she had known in Ewen High School. Yet, here was a personality who had tried to bully her. And she wasn't too happy about it too.

"For what you did earlier on, you're going to be working with Salty down at Brendam Docks for two weeks! And you won't be allowed to leave the docks either!" the Fat Controller said.

Diesel growled; he did not like working with an engine with a personality such as Salty. After all, he would bore the bolts off of him with all his nautical stories. But there was no use arguing with it; the Fat Controller's decision on the matter was final. And so, without any further words, Diesel rolled out of the yard and onto the main line. And the others all still glared sternly at him as he rolled away.

After Diesel had left the yards, the Fat Controller turned to face No.96100, who was still sitting on the turntable.

"The incident earlier on wasn't your fault, No.96100. Diesel's lies nearly caused the accident earlier on." the Fat Controller said kindly.

"Thank you, sir." No.96100 said, relieved he wasn't in any trouble.

"And I'm very pleased by how you managed to prevent an accident. And Carrie…you did very well today too, I hear." the Fat Controller said, as he looked towards Carrie.

"Thank you very much, sir." Carrie said, as she nodded and gave her boss a tired smile. From around the sheds, all the other engines also smiled at Carrie.

"We all heard what happened earlier on, Carrie. And we heard you did very well out there today." said Henry.

"Yes, and we heard just how brave you were too." added Edward, as all the other engines agreed.

"Thank you, everyone." Carrie said, as she looked from one engine to another with a modest smile on her face.

"Okay, Carrie…you get yourself on home and get a good night's rest. There's more work to do tomorrow." the Fat Controller said, as he turned and walked away.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Carrie said, as she too made her way over to the crew building to get showered and changed.

A few minutes later, having showered and changed into fresh clothes, Carrie made her way outside with Simon, as well as with Saoirse and Alice. They were also very tired after their day of work and, just like Carrie, they were eager to get home.

"It must have been quite frightening when the trucks bumped into the back of you, Carrie." Simon said.

"It was, Simon. And we had been expecting it, but it was still a surprise when it came." Carrie said, as she looked up at Simon.

"Well, just be glad that things turned out for the best." Alice said.

"Yeah, and I'm glad it did turn out well." Carrie said.

"I'll be glad to get into bed tonight. I'm just knackered after the events of today." Saoirse said, as she yawned while she covered her mouth.

"Me too, and I am pretty tired as well." Carrie said, as she also yawned.

Once they stepped outside the building, they all bid each other a "Good night" and "See you in the morning" and then they headed off home for the evening. Carrie turned and met up with her father, ready to head off home.

"Tired after today's events, Carrie?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah, I am. I think I'll sleep well tonight." Carrie said.

"Well, come on, let's head on home and we'll get dinner there." Ralph said.

"Okay, let's go then." Carrie said, and they set off on their way home.

And there we are, everyone! Carrie managed to avoid becoming a victim of a nasty accident! And with Diesel having been discovered to have been the one who nearly caused the accident, it'll be a while before we see him in the story again!