Chapter 19: A False Alarm (II)
(Monday, March 26th 2012 – 15:00pm; Chamberlain, Maine)
It was the end of another day at Ewen High School, or at least it was about as normal a day as it could be expected to be without Carrie White being there. Things had been going along as normally as everyone there could expect, but many of them, both staff and students alike, were still concerned about where Carrie was and how she was getting on, wherever she was at. A few of them even missed her presence within the school, though they were very careful not to admit that out loud.
In the previous few weeks, as part of their investigation into Carrie's disappearance, the Chamberlain Police Department undertook a series of extensive interviews with everyone in Ewen High School, either the teachers who worked there or the students, in order to try and determine what happened to Carrie within the school, who had bullied or harassed her the most, as well as what happened with regard to Carrie on the last day everyone in the school saw her.
Every student in Carrie's class was extensively interviewed to determine the movements of various people, as well as to what people did, in the school that day and if Carrie had been bullied in any way and by whom. In particular, many of the girls in the group known as the Mortimer Snerds were also questioned, with their leader Chris Hargensen being of particular interest to those who were conducting the proceedings, seeing as in the notebook Carrie had left behind before she vanished, Chris had been mentioned countless times as being the main ringleader in the countless acts of unnecessary bullying and other questionable acts that had been committed against her.
At certain times during her interview, when presented with information about any certain incidents that happened on a certain occasion in school or out of it that Carrie had mentioned in great detail in her notebook – and which were obviously very incriminating in implicating her and many of her cronies in the bullying, Chris just kept silent when asked certain questions, or sometimes said it didn't happen that way as mentioned and that Carrie was lying about it all.
However, despite Chris' blunt, and sometime non-cooperative efforts in the proceedings, the police and other investigators still had very strong suspicions about Chris Hargensen and questioned most of the other girls in her group, as well many of the other students from Ewen High, closely about various incidents Carrie mentioned in her note book. In the process, quite a lot of the other students confirmed that virtually all these incidents did in fact happen, and almost always at the instigation of Chris Hargensen, who just seemed to have a hatred of Carrie White for no specific reason, much to the disgust of the other students and eyewitnesses.
By the time this stage of the investigation came to an end only a few days before, the police were able to confirm that though there hadn't been any incidents of Carrie being bullied by anyone on the last day that people in the school had seen her there, there had been some incidents earlier on during that particular week where she had been bullied and harassed, or even mistreated quite badly, by some of the other students within the school for no reason at all. Usually, these incidents had taken place when Chris Hargensen had initiated it, and rallied others to help her bully the vulnerable Carrie, which was something all of them now regretted doing.
As a result of this part of the investigation, Chris was suspended from school for a week as punishment, and would have to serve another week of detention when she got back, and she had to write a long essay of why bullying was wrong. And, quite predictably, Chris was completely and utterly FURIOUS at this, and particularly the fact that the "freak" as she had always called Carrie had ratted her out for what she'd done to her. And she vowed to take her revenge upon Carrie White when, or if, she was ever found and brought back home to Chamberlain.
At the same time, a number of the other girls in the Mortimer Snerds, as well a few of the other students, were also reprimanded for what they did to Carrie and, although they didn't get suspended from school for what they did, they received detention, ranging from a week to two or three days, and they each also had to write a long essay on why bullying was wrong. Among them was Tina Blake, who had also played a major part in bullying and harassing Carrie, particularly during the times when Chris Hargensen wasn't around to do it. And Tina wasn't too pleased either at the fact that Carrie had ratted her out as well.
However, Sue Snell didn't receive any detention as it was mentioned in Carrie's notebook that Sue never bullied Carrie, with Sue rarely being mentioned within it, and that she was more of an onlooker who had been of unsure of whether to take part or not. So, although she didn't get any detention or get told to do a long essay, Sue was given a minor reprimand and told that if she saw anyone being bullied, she should do something and try to stop it, to which she readily agreed. And not long afterwards, Sue left the principal's office a changed person, and determined never to bully anyone again, and for as long as she lived.
In the meantime, and behind the scenes, Principal Morton was determined that bullying should never be a problem in Ewen High School again for as long as he was in charge here. He was hoping for an anti-bullying campaign to be started as soon as possible, as well as for talks to be held where students should be warned about the dangers of bullying and the effects it can have on people, with attendance being mandatory for all students in Ewen High.
Outside the school, crowds of students were leaving the school and making their way home after their day of school, with some taking the bus, walking, or cycling home if they lived reasonably close enough to the school, or even driving if they had their licences.
Near the front doors, Sue and her boyfriend Tommy Ross were standing with Norma Watson and her boyfriend Freddy Holt and talking about what happened during the day, as well as the recent news in the Carrie White case.
"So, you guys heard that Chris has been suspended from school until the start of next week, despite what she said, as she usually does, that her father would sue the school for it and have the whole incident of it removed from her record?" Norma said.
"Yeah, we're well both aware of it, Norma. And I guess while she's not in school until next week, there's no doubt that a lot of the others here in the school will be very pleased to have some peace and not be bullied by her every moment when they're not in class." Tommy said.
"However, I am a little bit concerned by what Chris might try do to Carrie should she get the chance to get revenge on her...if she's ever found that is. After all, I'm sure you've read much of the PDF version of the notebook Carrie left behind by now, and that Chris was mentioned in it many times." Sue said.
"Yeah, I'm well aware of that now, Sue…and, eh…I'm still getting shocked by what's in that PDF every time I read a new page in it. And I've only covered about 320 pages of it by now." Freddy said.
"Yeah, it's an absolute shocker to read about what Carrie went through, especially under Margaret's rule in that old house that she called home. And I'm still getting shocked by every new page I read in it." Norma said.
"Absolutely, you two…and I can tell you all this, I've learned my lesson on why bullying is wrong, and I promise I won't do it again for as long as I shall live." Sue said.
"Well, that's good for you, Sue…but then again, I heard Principal Morton is planning to introduce an anti-bullying campaign here sometime in the near future, so let's wait and see until what happens in the next few weeks." Norma said.
"And I can tell that some of the other girls, including Heather and Jessica, have also learned their lessons, and have said to me that they won't bully anyone again." Sue said.
"Yeah, but I'm also quite interested in what the latest news in Carrie's disappearance will be when it comes out, and if it'll be good or bad." Freddy said, while also feeling a little anxious at the same time.
"I'm sure the latest news, and every bit of news afterwards, will continue to surprise us, at least until we hear the piece of news that we all know we want to hear." Tommy said, and the others all murmured in agreement with that statement.
"Yeah, I guess so, Tommy." Norma said.
"Anyway, I'd best get myself home. My mother will soon be wondering where I am. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Freddy said, as he gave Norma a quick hug before he turned and headed off on his way home.
"See you guys tomorrow, Freddy!" Sue, Tommy, and Norma said, as Freddy went on his way.
"And I better get myself home too. I'll see you tomorrow." Norma said, as she turned and went on her way home, as Tommy and Sue also headed off on their way home.
(Later that evening, 18:00pm)
At the Snell residence, Sue, her younger sister Sierra, and her parents were sitting at the table having a hot dinner. The radio, sitting on the counter close by, was turned on and giving them, and anyone else in the town listening to the channels on their own radios, details about the latest news clips of the various events going on in the world.
Then at one point, the announcer on the radio made an announcement of the latest news that had just been placed in front of him.
"And I have a latest bit of news about the disappearance of Carrie White…" he said, and upon hearing that, Sue looked from her dinner and listened to the announcement, as did her parents and younger sister.
"Apparently, there's been some information that officials taking part in the Carrie White Case have come upon the remains of a corpse that's been found somewhere near Portland, Maine…" and on hearing that, Sue gasped in a horrified shock, and her hands covered her mouth, as did her younger sister. The two parents also gasped in some shock too.
"Now, there's no way to know yet if this body IS in fact that of the missing Carrie White, but officials have made it clear that they're taking no chances yet with regard to what this investigation may turn up. They've said they'll check to see if this body is of Carrie, or if it's the body of someone else who's been missing for some time…" the announcer said, but at that moment Sue didn't hear him say what else he had to say; she was utterly shocked and horrified to hear this news, and immediately began fearing the worst.
Excusing herself from the table, she stood up and went out into the back garden, and stood in the silence there for a while as the news she'd only just heard sank into her brain. She wasn't sure how long she stood out there for, but then she heard the sound of the back door opening and the sound of footsteps coming towards her. She turned round, and saw her mother standing near to her.
"Sue, are you feeling all right?" her mother asked.
"Mother…I…you heard the news reports on the radio a few moments ago…what if the body found is that of Carrie?" Sue asked.
"Now calm down, Sue…you also heard the announcer say that it's not possible yet to know that if the body is that of Carrie's. Just give it a little bit of time, and maybe we'll find out the discovered body isn't that of Carrie's after all." her mother said, reassuringly.
"All right then…let's just hope that the announcer is wrong, and that Carrie is in fact still alive, and out there…somewhere." Sue said, as she looked up into the sky. After a few moments, she turned round and went back inside with her mother to finish their dinner.
(The next morning, Tuesday March 27th, Island of Sodor: 08:30am)
Carrie, feeling fresh and eager to get back to work again after a good night of solid sleep the previous night, arrived into the main motive depot at Tidmouth with all her friends, particularly with Simon standing at her side. All of them had just changed into their familiar dark-blue overalls into the changing areas in the main crew building, with bright orange hi-vis vests over their overalls, and were on their way to be assigned to the engines they would be working on for today. The weather this morning, though a little chilly, was bright with the sun shining in a clear blue sky, and a very light breeze blowing through the air.
"Which engine do you expect to work on today, Carrie?" Simon asked.
"I don't know, Simon, but whichever engine it is I'm assigned to today, I really don't mind as long as I'm doing work." Carrie said.
"Well, I guess that's a good way to start a day on the railway." Simon said, as he smiled at Carrie, who smiled back at him.
It wasn't too long before everyone was present, and they could all get down to the task of being assigned to their assigned locomotives for the day. Eventually, it was Carrie's turn to be assigned to an engine; and she was assigned to work on No.63760, an L.N.E.R. Thompson Class O1 2-8-0 freight engine, and their first job this morning was to take a long line of empty coal trucks from the yards at Knapford all the way to one of the coal mines located just off the main line. (31)
For Carrie, it would be nice to work on another class of engine she hadn't yet had a chance to travel on yet, though she had worked on a number of the L.N.E.R. Thompson O1's at times when she was assigned to work in the depot on preparing engines at the start of the day, or helping to dispose of engines at the end of the day.
(31): The L.N.E.R. Thompson Class O1 2-8-0's, which numbered 58 engines in total, were rebuilds of L.N.E.R. Class O4 2-8-0's that had previously been built before and during the First World War. The first example, No.6595, was rebuilt at Gorton Works in 1944, and the last example, No.63856, being outshopped in October 1949 during the early part of the British Railways era, after which the programme was halted. Random engines had been selected to be rebuilt, so they weren't numbered in a continuous sequence, as many of the original Class O4's, all in their original condition, were mixed in with the new more modern looking O1's.
The new O1's were included with the L.N.E.R.'s post-war modernisation programme, but construction of the new type was slowed due to the immediate need of the L.N.E.R. to get heavy freight locomotives already being met by the Stanier 8F (L.N.E.R. O6) and the Riddles W.D. Austerity (L.N.E.R. O7) 2-8-0 locomotives already being built in large quantities for the war effort.
The reconstruction of the engines involved fitting them with a new boiler pressed to work at 225 pounds per square inch, new cylinders with a 20in diameter with a 26in stroke and 10in piston valves - which was exactly the same as on a Thompson B1, a straight running plate which ran from just ahead of the cylinders, Walschaerts valve gear - with the drive being fitted to the third of the driving axles, and new side window cabs. The maximum axle-loading was increased, but they kept the original O4 pony truck at the front, and the original tender. Gravity sanders were installed ahead of the first and third sets of driving wheels for forward running, while another pair of sanders were fitted behind the fourth set of driving wheels for reverse running.
By the time construction was completed, the new O1's looked very much like a 2-8-0 version of Thompson's successful Class B1 4-6-0's, and had a tractive effort of 35,520 pounds, thanks to their 4ft 8in driving wheels, boilers pressed to 225psi, and two cylinders that were 20in by 26in.
After being rebuilt, the first of the new O1's were put through an extended series of trials across the L.N.E.R. network. By the end of 1946, 40 members of the class were allocated to Gorton Depot within Greater Manchester, with other examples being assigned to March, Tyne Dock, and Thornton. The engines based at Gorton mainly worked over the Woodhead Route, while those based in March worked heavy freight trains from Whitemoor to Temple Mills.
A number of the O1's were tested in the 1948 locomotive interchange trails, where the design proved to be very good, though it did suffer from the poor maintenance issues common to many locomotive classes in the post-war years. But once many of the faults found were ironed out, the class settled down into a routine of hauling freight trains across the British Railway network.
The engines lived, for the most part, unremarkable lives during their time in service; from their various bases, they generally worked heavy freights trains of all different kinds over the Eastern and North Eastern regions of British Railways, and were generally well-liked and appreciated by the crews who worked on them.
Some members of the class were based at Tyne Dock, and from there they worked heavy iron ore trains up to the steelworks at Consett, and had two Westinghouse air pumps fitted so they could operate the air operated doors on the iron ore hopper wagons of the block iron ore trains on that route. They continued to work on heavy iron ore trains on that stretch of line, until they began to be replaced by brand new B.R. Standard 9F's in the mid-50's.
Many of the O1 2-8-0's were also based in the Annesley area, though they did suffer from the poor quality of the water in that region which often caused scaling within their boilers. However, this issue was solved by modifying the tenders slightly by fitting a cylindrical container in the water tank which contained special chemical briquettes, and these helped to reduce scaling in the boilers to a great extent. The O1's that worked on the Tyne Dock to Consett line were also eventually fitted with this modification by the end of 1956.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1962, and the very last O1's were withdrawn from Staveley Shed by the end of 1965. Sadly, no examples of the class have survived into preservation.
In this fanfic, a number of different O1's will be appearing as and when necessary, and working on a wide variety of duties, including on heavy freights.
In the meantime, Simon was assigned to work on the footplate of L.N.E.R Gresley Class P1 2-8-2 No.2399, and they were assigned to take a freight train from Knapford Harbour, where a ship carrying lots of cargo had arrived the previous night, over to a depot along the Central Island Line in the middle of the Island of Sodor.
After being assigned to their engines for the day, all the recruits, as well as the regular crews, set to work at readying themselves for the day ahead. At the side of No.63760, Carrie took a few minutes to oil up the motion and valve gear before they left the Tidmouth Depot. Going along the left-hand side of the freight engine slowly and in a methodical order, she oiled up one oiling point after another, making sure that she missed nothing, knowing full-well that it was vital all the moving parts on a steam locomotive be kept well-oiled.
On the other side of No.63760, the driver was also going along and oiling up all the moving parts as well, while the fireman was standing on the footplate and shovelling fresh coal into the firebox and keeping the fire in order, while making sure there was a good head of steam in the boiler before they could set off.
It wasn't too long before everything was in order, and they were ready to depart from the yard and head off for their first job of the day. Climbing onto the footplate, Carrie took up position at the back of the cab, as the driver and fireman got ready to set off when their turn to leave came. Hearing a whistle from her left, Carrie looked out and saw P1 No.2399 leave the depot, having just been turned on the turntable, with Simon standing on the footplate.
"I'll see you later on, Carrie!" Simon called, and he waved to Carrie as they went on by.
"See you later, Simon!" Carrie called back, as she waved back and watched as No.2399 went on by, and then out from the yard and onto the main line.
Finally, it was time for No.63760 to leave the depot and head out, and the driver blew the whistle before opening the regulator a little. With steam shooting out from the pipes from the cylinders in dense clouds, No.63760 rolled slowly forwards towards the points leading out onto the main line. Leaning against the tender side, Carrie looked out ahead from the left-hand side of the cab as they headed away. Then the driver blew the whistle, as the fireman opened the firebox doors and shovelled some fresh coal into the firebox. After three shovelfuls, the fireman closed the firebox doors, and then reached down to open the dampers to allow a good flow of fresh air into the firebox to allow the fuel to combust better.
In a few minutes, No.63760 was rolling along at about 30mph on his way to the yards near Knapford Station where he was to collect the long line of empty coal trucks waiting for him. As they went along, Carrie took the chance to place more coal into the firebox when it was needed, where she made sure she placed the coal to where it was needed in order to generate steam as efficiently as possible. Then, after closing the firebox doors, Carrie also took the chance to place water into the boiler, as she knew where the injector controls for that were, and the fireman watched her to make sure she did the job correctly. She did the job correctly, and more water flowed into the boiler with the injectors hissing gently.
Keeping a close eye on the two water gauge glasses mounted on the back of the boiler, Carrie watched the water level come up a little, and then reached over to the injector controls and shut them off, cutting off the flow of water into the boiler.
Soon, they rolled into the Knapford Yards and made their way over to where the long line of empty trucks were sitting, and waiting to be taken away. The wagons were 16-ton steel mineral wagons, and the sides of each one of them were heavily weathered, rusty in spots and streaked with coal dust, showing heavy wear of the loads they had carried over the years. The brake van was also coupled to the back of the train, and the guard was looking over the individual wagons with a number of other men who worked in the yard, and making sure that everything was okay.
In a few minutes, No.63760 was coupled to the first wagon in the train, and the driver, with Carrie going along with him, went about the task of making sure each coupling between each wagon was firmly secured and in place before they could set off. In the cab, the fireman stayed and kept a close eye on the fire. As they walked along the train, Carrie watched what the driver did in checking each of the couplings and making sure everything was okay. At times during the inspection, Carrie herself tried the task of inspecting the coupling under the driver's supervision, and she did the task very well. The driver was very impressed, and felt that Carrie would make a real railway person one day.
It wasn't too long before they were able to leave the yards at last, but before they could do so, they had to wait until two express passenger trains went by the yards, one of which was going north, and the other going south. They didn't have to wait for very long, and a minute or so later, Gordon went by with the express, consisting of nine cream white and crimson coaches, trailing along behind him. Ralph was standing in the cab, working the controls and driving as his fireman was working beside him keeping the firebox stoked with coal. Carrie felt herself smile a little as she watched the train go by, with Gordon giving two sharp blasts on his whistle as he went on by, heading towards Knapford Station.
A few moments later, as the last coach in Gordon's train disappeared down the line towards Knapford, there came the sounds of another whistle were heard, and then the second express passenger train came into view, heading northbound along the Northern Main Line. At the head of the train was B.R. Standard Class 8P 4-6-2 No.71002 Duke of Norfolk, looking resplendent in his highly polished B.R. Passenger Green express livery, and with a series of loud blasts on his whistle, and white-grey exhaust roiling from his double chimney, he headed past on his way. Following along behind him were a dozen Pullman coaches, each looking very smart in their chocolate and cream paint, and full of happy and expectant passengers as they went on past. At times, Carrie could see individual passengers sitting at their tables and looking outside as the train went by.
After a minute or so, with a cloud of smoke and steam being left behind in its wake, the train finally went by and No.63760 and his crew were finally given clearance to depart the yard on their trip. With a short blast on the whistle, the driver slowly opened the regulator a little and they started moving off, with the line of trucks following behind one at a time. From the fireman's side of the cab, Carrie leaned back and listened to the wagons as they started off, and the sound was just an incredible thing to hear! The mixture of screeching, clanking, clunking, and scraping as the long line of trucks moved out from the siding and followed No.63760 out onto the main line.
"They're all coming out and following along quite nicely back here!" Carrie called to the driver and fireman.
"I was hoping they would, Carrie! And once they're all out, we'll be able to pick up some more speed!" the driver called out over the different noises. Feeling a smile crossing her face, Carrie settled down to what was now becoming a familiar routine every time she, or any of the other recruits, went out onto one of the engines. She looked at her wrist watch; it was now 09:05am, and they were on their way, bang on time.
Now with his train following nice along, No.63760 moved along smoothly towards Knapford Station, slowly building up speed to about 30mph, and making sure not to go any faster just in case they needed to slow down or stop at a moment's notice.
"Come along, come along!" he called to the trucks, as they rattled along behind.
"We don't want to! We don't want to!" the trucks protested, but it was no use; No.63760 was moving along nicely, and the trucks had no choice but to follow along as well.
They soon approached Knapford Station and soon went slowly along the line that went past Platform 2, where Carrie could see a few members of the station staff working away at readying the station for the next trains a little later in the day. Over on Platform 1, Carrie could see a number of passengers standing about and waiting for the next train, that was due to head straight for Brendam Docks at about half past nine. After whistling "hello" to the people on the platforms, No.63760 moved along the line and over the series of points and under the signal gantry towards the open main line leading into the open countryside.
"Now then, onto the coal mines!" No.63760 said, as they picked up a little more speed.
As the driver opened the regulator and the fireman took a go at the shovel, Carrie leaned against the front of the tender and watched as the Sodor countryside went by; now that spring had finally arrived, the trees lining the many fields were turning green as the leaves grew on their branches, as brightly coloured flowers, from daffodils, snow drops, poppies, and roses, grew on the ground beneath. Many of the fields they passed were full of grazing farm animals, such as sheep, cattle, and horses. Some grazed away and took no notice of the long train going by their fields, but other animals who were standing closer to the line bolted and ran further into the fields to get away from the noisy clanking train as it went by.
"Hey Carrie…do you wanna have a try at the shovel?" the fireman asked, as he offered Carrie the coal shovel.
"Sure would." Carrie said, as she took hold of the shovel and then reached down to open the firebox doors and examined the state of the fire. Using the shovel to direct the flow of air around the firebox, she was able to identify the areas where fresh coal needed to be placed. Turning round, she thrust the shovel into the coal space, pulled it out and placed the coal into the firebox exactly where it was needed. As Carrie worked to stoke the boiler, the fireman kept a close eye out ahead of him, and after a few moments they went round the bend and saw Henry's Tunnel in the distance ahead of them.
"Okay, Carrie…that's enough for the moment." the fireman said, as Carrie stopped firing. Then the fireman closed the firehole doors as tightly as he could, as the tunnel came closer and closer to them, and he and Carrie stood off into the forward corner on their side of the cab, as the driver did the same on his side.
A few seconds later, with the driver sounding the whistle loudly, they plunged into the darkness of Henry's Tunnel along the wider tunnel where the two tracks ran through it. Then after some seconds of going through the darkness, they popped out from the other side of the tunnel in a dense cloud of smoke and steam. Moving out of the corner and looking behind them again, Carrie watched as the long line of wagons followed along out of the tunnel among the swirling white grey cloud at the tunnel mouth.
"What's the idea of standing in the corner of the cab and closing the firebox doors when we're going through the tunnel?" Carrie asked, as she turned to the fireman.
"It's a safety thing, Carrie. There's a risk that when you go through a tunnel, the draught in the boiler could reverse causing what's known as a blow-back. That's where the draught going the other way through a boiler could cause the fire to blow back out through the firehole door. And it's also why you should NEVER fire a locomotive when you're going through a tunnel." said the fireman.
"Oh, I see." Carrie said, understanding the logic of doing what they just did when they passed through Henry's Tunnel.
They continued on down the main line, with the long line of trucks following along closely behind. At one point, as they went along a long straight stretch of three lines, they passed by B.R. Class 9MT-1 2-8-2 No.91050 who was heading in the opposite direction back to Knapford with a lengthy and very mixed fitted freight train. Sounding their whistles in greeting, the two engines went on by, with their trains following closely behind them.
It wasn't too long before No.63760 reached a junction a few more miles ahead of them, and they went over the points to the left and went on the last stretch of their journey towards the main coal mines of Sodor. Carrie was feeling a little nervous, as she'd never been along this line before, and wonder what they'd see when they finally arrived there.
(At the coal mines)
As they rolled forwards slowly, they entered the reception sidings close to the mines, where Carrie could see long lines of trucks sitting in the sidings. Some were 16-ton steel mineral wagons like those they had behind them, while others were wooden body wagons, and their sides were streaked with layers of dark coal dust, ranging from a light dusting to heavier layers of dust that obscured everything.
"It's best if you stayed on the footplate, Carrie. After all, there's a lot going on here, and you don't wanna get in the way of anything." the driver said, as he concentrated on moving No.63760 slowly forwards into the siding they were being sent into.
"Okay, sir." Carrie said, as she looked round; there were low rolling hills she could see in the distance that seemed to surround the whole area. She could also see various industrial-style buildings that were dotted everywhere, including different types of heavy machines, such as digger and low loaders on some of the roads near the railway lines, as well as large tall structures made of steel-reinforced concrete that towered over everything beneath that would load the freshly mined coal into the various types of trucks.
The driver fully put on the brakes, and with a low squealing sound, the slow-moving train came to a gentle stop in the siding, and less than a second later there came the sounds of many sets of buffers clanking together loudly as the many empty wagons bumped into each other.
"And there we are…we're here, safe and sound." the driver said, as he then pulled the brake lever over to the "Off" position and got ready to move off again when they were given the "all clear" to do so. Behind the tender, the shunter went between the tender and first truck, and set to work uncoupling No.63760 from the train.
"And it's a relief to know that we got here without any incidents." said the fireman, as he opened the firebox doors and set to work examining the fire.
"Indeed." Carrie said in agreement, as she reached for the tea-can sitting on the warming plate over the firehole doors, removed the enamel can from the top, and then poured herself some hot tea. Placing the tea-can back onto the warming plate, Carrie settled down and enjoyed her tea while resting her feet. As she sipped her tea, she looked round at all the activity going on around her; over on the other side of the yard, there were a long line of steel 21-ton hopper wagons under one of the enormous loading gantries being loaded with coal, and the noise of the coal falling into the wagons was very loud, with low clouds of dark dust being thrown into the air.
A little further away, she could see large triangular heaps of waste material sitting some distance away from the railway lines, as well as a number of tall chimneys and winding mechanisms around the area, showing where the mineshafts were.
Just then, the yard manager arrived by the footplate.
"Excuse me, driver, fireman…but I just need you over in the yard officer for a short while to give you details about your next task." he said.
"Okay, and how will it take?" asked the driver.
"It should only take a minute or two." said the yard manager.
"All right then." the fireman said, as he stepped off the footplate. The driver was about to leave, but then he turned to look at Carrie.
"Excuse us for a short while, Carrie. Will you be all right keeping a close eye on things here for a few minutes until we can get back?" the driver asked.
"Of course, don't worry. I'll keep watch here until you get back." Carrie said.
"Very good, we'll be back shortly." the driver said, as he stepped off the footplate and followed the fireman and the yard manager to the office.
Carrie soon finished her tea, put the enamel cup back with the tea-can, and then put on her bright orange Hi-Viz vest, before she then leaned her head back out of the side of the cab again and waited for what might happen next. She stood and watched all the activity went about within the grounds of the coal mines, and hearing all the different noises that she could hear going on all around her.
"Are you impressed by what you're seeing, Carrie?" No.63760 asked.
"I am, and I never expected to be in a place like this before." Carrie said, as she looked forward along the running plate along the right-hand side of No.63760.
"Yeah, it's one of the main coal mines on Sodor. There are a few others on the island, but this is THE main series of coal mines anywhere on the island, and the busiest." No.63760 said.
"And I can see why…there's just so much going on here." Carrie said, as she again looked out at all the different activities going on around her.
Then, from somewhere nearby within the mines, there came another sound, followed by an unfamiliar horn, at least to Carrie.
"What's that horn?" she asked, as No.63760 rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.
"That, Carrie, is the sound of one engine that not many engines on this island like very much." No.63760 said, as Carrie then heard the unfamiliar engine sounds much better. It was definitely the sounds of a diesel locomotive, and it seemed to be getting closer and closer with every passing second. And mixed in with the sounds of the engine were the sounds of trucks being shunted into a nearby siding. Then, on the nearby siding, a long line of steel hopper wagons, each about 21 tons in weight, being shunted into position came by them, and a few seconds later, the diesel engine shunting them came into view. Carrie saw that it was a B.R. Class 08 diesel shunter with six black wheels, and painted completely black all over, though it still had silver connecting rods and red painted buffer-beams.
(Insert soundtrack – Diesel Season 2 Theme)
The diesel stopped not too far away from them, and reversed backwards a little from the long line of empty hopper wagons it had just shunted into place. Carrie wasn't sure why at that moment, but there was just something about this particular engine that caused her to develop an instant dislike towards it, especially when she considered the look on its face.
"And who's that engine?" Carrie asked No.63760, with some concern and uncertainty in her voice.
"That, Carrie…" No.63760 whispered grimly, "…is Diesel, or Devious Diesel as we steam engines sometimes call him. He's one of the least popular engines on Sodor. He's oily, quite malicious, devious, and of the type who schemes and is full of ideas for revenge. He once told lies about Duck, which caused some of the other engines to believe that Duck had told lies about them to the trucks."
"Oh, deary me." whispered Carrie, horrified by the idea of what Duck had gone through when that happened.
"But it was soon found out by the Fat Controller and the other engines that Diesel had done it, and he got sent away from Sodor in disgrace. However, he came back again, only to be sent away again, and this happened a few times, until he eventually became a permanent resident on Sodor. He's just a really obnoxious type of engine by the way he tried to bully others, and as a result not many of the engines like him that much." said No.63760.
Carrie glanced over towards Diesel with some understandably apprehension, and felt somewhat uneasy inside at the idea of working with such an engine, and hoped that she never would have to. In a sense, Diesel reminded her in some ways of some of the bullies back in her hometown of Chamberlain, particularly of Chris Hargensen and what kind of personality she had.
Then as he finished up shunting the wagons, Diesel glanced over towards Carrie and No.63760, both of whom were glancing quite warily at him.
"What are you two looking at?" Diesel asked, as he glared at the two, in a somewhat cross manner.
"Nothing, I'm just warning Carrie here about you and what kind of an engine that you are." said No.63760, as he glared sternly at Diesel.
"Oh, so YOU'RE Carrie White…" Diesel said, as he glared at Carrie standing on the L.N.E.R. O1's footplate and glaring warily at him, "…yes, I've heard about you."
"Yes, and I ran away from my old home in Maine to get away from all of those who bullied me and to make a fresh start elsewhere, and I've gotten used to it by now that I certainly don't need any of that nonsense anymore from anyone." Carrie said, as she felt herself getting slightly annoyed with Diesel's personality.
"Oh, really?" Diesel asked in an oily voice, as he glared at Carrie unimpressively.
"Yes, really." Carrie said, firmly. After glaring at each other for a few more moments, Diesel, while rolling his eyes up, sounded his horn and rolled away in reverse, in order to finish off what other jobs that he had to do here at the coal mines.
No.63760 was impressed by how Carrie stood up to Diesel, and how she was able to do it without raising her voice in any way.
"Well done there, Carrie. I've never seen anyone stand up to Diesel like that before."
"Thanks, but there's just something about him that I just don't like…he just seems to remind me of the bullies from my school back home. I don't know why though." Carrie said, with some uncertainty in her voice.
"Well, I'm quite impressed with how you acted there. Not many of the crews ever bother to stand up to Diesel whenever he speaks to us like that." No.63760 said.
"Thanks very much for that, No.63760." Carrie said, with a smile slowly crossing her face.
Just then, there was a noise behind her, and Carrie looked round and saw the driver and fireman stepping back onto the footplate.
"We all ready to go?" Carrie asked.
"Certainly, Carrie. We've got to go to one of the other sidings; there's a very long line of loaded coal hopper wagons waiting there for us to take away." the driver said, as he and the fireman took up their places in the cab and got ready to set off again.
"Okay, let's go and get them then." Carrie said, as the driver blew on the whistle and opened the regulator handle. With dense clouds of condensed steam shooting out from the cylinder drain cocks, No.63760 rolled forwards out of the siding and on to collect his next train.
(A few minutes later)
It wasn't too long before they reversed into the siding, and were coupled up to a very long line of 21-ton steel hopper wagons, about 40 or so of them, that were all loaded down with many tons of freshly mined coal. The sides of the wagons were heavily weathered down with varying layers of coal dust and dirt, clear evidence of the very heavy usage these wagons had seen in transporting large amounts of coal around the Island of Sodor.
"Goodness me…that's a lot of coal back there." Carrie said, as she looked behind them at the length of the train they were to take away. "Are you sure we'll be able to get all that out of here?"
"Don't you worry at all there, Carrie. We will. We've taken loads of that length and heavier out of these mines many times before, so we'll be able to get a train like this out of here no problem at all." the driver said.
"Well…if you're so about that…" Carrie said, as she took up position in the cab and waited for them to set off. The fireman took the opportunity to get the fire stoked up, so there would be plenty of steam in the boiler to use when they set off. He placed another shovelful of coal inside, and closed the firehole doors. The minutes went by, and Carrie kept a close eye on the boiler pressure gauge as the needle got closer and closer to the maximum working pressure of 225psi. Quickly checking the two water gauge glasses, Carrie took some comfort from the fact that the water level was at the three-quarters level.
Soon, the guard, standing by his brake van at the back of the train, waved his green flag and blew his whistle loudly, indicating they were clear to depart, and quickly climbed back into his van. On hearing the fireman call out "Right away!" to him, the driver blew the whistle and opened up the regulator. Slowly, No.63760 rolled forwards and took up the strain of the train, one wagon at a time, and the heavily loaded wagons slowly moved off out of the siding in response.
"Come on! Come on!" No.63760 said with determination, as he moved forwards down the line, and took up the strain of carrying the load.
"All right, all right! All right, all right!" groaned the hopper wagons, as they followed along, shuddering, and groaning under their loads.
Moving out of the mines, they rolled onto one of the lines that would bring them back to the main line a short distance away. They were travelling along through a shallow and arrow straight cutting with two tracks running through it, and this was a line they didn't take to get to the mines a short while earlier. Looking forward along the driver's side, Carrie could see that both earthen banks, which didn't extend very high above them, to the sides of the tracks were covered with a variety of trees and bushes, some of which were sitting closer to the tracks than others. Taking a quick glance back, she saw that the long line of hopper wagons was following along smoothly.
"Do you want to have another try at the shovel, Carrie?" the fireman asked, as he offered Carrie the coal shovel.
"Sure would." Carrie said, as she took the shovel and set to work at stoking the fire again. As she stoked the fire, the driver kept a close eye on getting the long train through the cutting to the main line, as well as watching the signals at the side of the line as they went by.
As they got nearer to the junction that would take them out onto the main line, the driver saw another engine coming towards them on the other line. It was Percy, and he was bringing another load of empty trucks up to the coal mine to be filled with coal. The driver reached up and blew the whistle as the little green tank engine approached.
"Hello, Percy!" No.63760 called, as he went by with his own long coal train.
"Hello, No.63760! I can't stop! I've got work to do!" Percy called with a cheerful whistle, as he too went on by with his empty trucks rattling along behind him. From the O1's cab, Carrie watched as Percy went by up the other line to the mines, and then soon disappeared into the distance.
It wasn't too long before they reached the junction where they could go out onto the main line, and they came to a stop as the signal just before the points was a red, meaning "danger" and they couldn't go any further.
"We waiting here for another train to go by?" Carrie asked, as she looked out from the side of the cab to the main line about a dozen or so yards from where they were.
"That's right, Carrie. We just need to wait here until they go by before we can go out there ourselves." the fireman said.
"Very well." Carrie said, as she looked towards the main line. She didn't have to wait too long before the train went by them; with the sound of a loud whistle coming from the direction of Knapford, a long passenger train came into view, being hauled by L.N.E.R. Peppercorn A2 No.60538 Velocity, went by the junction at a good speed and his whistle sounding in greeting as he went on by. Carrie counted the number of coaches that were in the train, and finished when she reached twelve as the last coach went by.
Then as the sounds of the passenger train faded, there came the sounds of another whistle, but this time coming from the other direction. A few moments later, the train came into view and heading in the other direction; it was a lengthy freight train and was being hauled by G.W.R. 28XX 2-8-0 No.2835. Carrie watched as the train went by, and this was a very long freight train, consisting of many types of wagons, including box vans, open top trucks, flat bed wagons – some of which were covered with tarpaulins, different tankers, a few hopper wagons, as well as a few con-flats with containers firmly secured to them.
It wasn't too long before the brake van went by, with its tail lamp firmly secured to the back and shining a bright red light, went on past with clouds of grey-white smoke and steam swirling round and fading into the air.
Looking up to the signal by the side of the track, Carrie waited until the arm finally dropped and showed a bright green light, meaning it was clear for them to proceed. The driver blew the whistle and opened the regulator, and they slowly moved forwards out over the points and onto the main line, with the long line of heavy hopper wagons following along behind. Carrie went over to the right-hand side of the cab and looked back along the train, and watched as the wagons moved out of the line they had just been on. Soon, the brake van came into view and it meant the train was now on the main line.
"Okay, we're all on the main line now." Carrie called to the driver.
"Right-o, Carrie!" the driver said, as he opened the regulator a little more. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, No.63760 picked up a little more speed and headed on down the line back towards Knapford Station.
The trip back towards Knapford went fairly uneventfully for the most part, with the only event being that not long after they exited Henry's Tunnel, they came upon L.M.S. Duchess No.46251 City of Nottingham, looking magnificent in his polished B.R. lined maroon red livery, heading in the opposite direction to Vicarstown with a long passenger train of 14 passenger coaches. With the two engines blowing their whistles loudly in greeting to each other as they went on by, No.63760 went on by with his long and heavy coal train rattling along quietly behind.
During the trip, Carrie took another go at the shovel and stoked the boiler very well, thus creating plenty of steam for them to get back to the station, and using the injector controls to put more water in the boiler. Even though it was getting close to midday, Carrie was starting to feel a little bit tired from all the work she'd done so far today, and was looking forward to having a well-earned lunchbreak at midday.
Carrie felt herself smile when they slowed down, and she looked out the left-hand side of the cab to see they were approaching the welcome sight of Knapford Station, which meant they would be able to park this train in the nearby yards and then go for a well-earned break.
After passing through the station without a problem, they were soon diverted to go into the extensive yards with their long sidings where they would park the coal hoppers, and then go to one of the sheds for their lunchbreak, and to have No.63760 serviced before they went back to work again.
Going into one of the long sidings, No.63760 rolled slowly forwards as one of the yardmen, wearing a bright orange Hi-Viz vest and standing by the side of the line, watched as the wagons slowly went into the siding one by one. From the footplate, Carrie felt herself smile as they got nearer and nearer to the end of the siding.
Then, the driver shut the regulator and pulled on the brake handle, and, with a gentle squealing of steel brake pads on the wheels, brought the train to a stop as they got close to the end of the long siding.
"And there we are, we've arrived." said the driver, as they stopped completely. As they stopped, the driver reset the controls so they would be ready to set off as soon as they were clear to do so.
"And looks like we've gotten here a few minutes early too." said the fireman, as he looked down at his watch; it was 11:50am, and they had been scheduled to arrive at about 11:55am.
"I think it means it'll be lunchtime soon, and a very well-earned break too." Carrie said, as she removed her railway cap and wiped down her sweaty forehead.
Behind the tender, the shunter uncoupled the hopper wagons from the tender, and stepped out to indicate they were free from the train. Acknowledging the signal, the driver opened the regulator a little, and they slowly rolled forwards out of the siding, and on towards the sheds where they would park No.63760 in one of the sheds so he could be serviced, while they went off to have a quick wash before they went to have lunch in the crew building.
They rolled on towards the sheds, Carrie leaned out from the cab and looked ahead as they made their way along. Feeling herself smiling somewhat as they went along the line, Carrie wondered how things were getting on back in her hometown of Chamberlain, and what her fellow students in Ewen High School were doing right now.
(Meanwhile, back in Chamberlain. Local time; 07:05am)
At the Snell residence, Sue and her younger sister, Sierra, were both dressed, and they were now sitting at the table in the kitchen and having breakfast before they left the house for another day of school. Their parents, who were getting ready to leave too, had already finished their own breakfasts, though their father was still sipping from a mug of hot coffee as he got ready to leave for another day of work at the main hospital in Chamberlain.
Sitting on the windowsill overlooking the modest back garden, the radio was turned on, just as it had been for many a morning in the Snell residence over the years, and the announcer on the channel they were listening to was giving them the latest news bulletins of all the latest happenings from within the United States, as well as some of the latest major news reports that were coming in from around the world. Sue was very used to listening to the radio broadcasts every morning as they had breakfast, but this morning she was listening especially keenly to the radio for any reports that the announcement of the body that had been found near Portland, Maine the previous day wasn't that of Carrie White.
Since she'd heard the news report the previous evening, Sue hadn't had a good night of sleep, as she was still somewhat concerned for Carrie and where she might be. But still, she managed to get some sleep and woke up at exactly half past six, as she usually did on any school day, and set about getting ready for the day of school ahead.
"All right, Sue, Sierra…both of you better finish up your breakfasts as quickly as you can. After all, we need to be leaving here very soon. And we've all got another busy day ahead of us." their mother said, as she came into the kitchen, went over to one of the counters, and set about putting some things back into one of the cabinets.
"Okay, mother." Sierra said, as she finished her breakfast and then stood up and placed her bowl and spoon into the dishwasher. Nodding a little, Sue also finished her own breakfast and stood up from the table.
"And now, we've just received some new information about that corpse which was found very near to Portland, Maine yesterday." the radio announcer said. On hearing that, Sue quickly turned her head to the radio.
"Hold it! Hold it!" she said, as she brought up her right hand and motioned for everyone to quieten down, so she could hear the announcement. Her younger sister and both parents also kept quiet when they heard the news too, and leaned towards the radio a little to hear what might come next.
"And the investigators in the Carrie White case can all say with positive certainty that the body found near to Portland is in fact NOT that of the missing Carrie White at all. From the most recent police reports, it's been determined that the discovered body is actually that of a much older woman who went missing some years ago…" the announcer said, as he read out the report he'd been given.
But Sue didn't hear the rest of the bulletin being read out; she sighed in an intense relief when she heard the first part of it, and took in several deep breaths, as she patted her hand on her chest in relief.
"Phew, I really…I really thought that it would confirm that Carrie was dead." Sue said, as she then wiped her forehead down.
"Well Sue…just remember what I said to you last night after we heard the other broadcast when we were having dinner." her father said, as he went over to his oldest daughter and patted her on her back.
"I know, dad." Sue said, as the good news of what she heard on the radio settled into her brain.
"Anyway, get yourselves ready to leave. We need to go very soon." the mother said, as she finished getting herself ready to leave. From the table, Sierra smiled; she too was pleased to hear that the information from the broadcast the previous evening had been a false alarm.
(A little later on, at Ewen High School)
Entering through the front doors of Ewen High School, Sue was smiling a little as she went over to where her locker was. On both sides of the corridor, many of the other students were busy going through their lockers and readying themselves for another day ahead, as smaller groups of friends were chatting together at the corridor sides about the latest goings on. A typical scene, which would happen in the corridors on the morning of every school day.
Reaching her locker, Sue opened it up and set about getting her things arranged and ready for another day ahead.
"Hey, Sue." came a voice from beside her. Sue turned her head, and saw Heather and Jessica standing beside her.
"Oh, good morning, Heather, Jessica." Sue said.
"Did you hear the news this morning, Sue?" Jessica asked.
"Yes, I did. I'm feeling relieved, knowing the body found near Portland isn't that of Carrie." Sue said, as a small smile came across her face.
"Yeah, I was relieved when I heard that broadcast too…having heard the other broadcast on the radio last night." Heather said.
"I'm just wondering what Chris will think about this information though when she's heard about it...or excuse me IF she's already heard about it." Jessica said.
"No idea yet, Jessie, but I have a feeling that she won't be too happy about it." Sue said, knowing what Chris could be like.
"Yeah, that's not too surprising." Heather said, with a heavy sigh.
"Yet at the same time though, I can't help but feel sorry for that woman's family." Sue said, with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
Just then, Tommy Ross stepped up beside Sue, having arrived at the school a little time before. He was looking fresh and clean-shaven, and was dressed in fresh clean clothes that were different from the clothes he wore from the day before
"Hey, good morning, Sue." he said, as he went up to her and gave her a big hug.
"Morning back there, handsome." Sue said, as she put her arms around Tommy's shoulders and hugged him back.
"Are you feeling okay this morning?" Tommy asked. Sue looked at Tommy and gave him a small smile, knowing full-well what he meant by that.
"Yeah, I'm feeling okay." Sue said.
"So, another false alarm in the case." Tommy said, as he looked at Jessica and Heather.
"Yes, and I have a feeling that it won't be the last one we hear." Heather said.
"Yeah, and one that certainly got my heart rate going up a little bit." Sue said.
"I know, it had the same thing happen to me as well…especially when you all consider the first announcement that we all heard over the speakers earlier on this year." Jessica said, with a sigh.
"Well…let's just wait and see what comes up. And when we do hear the news that Carrie has been found, I bet we'll all be very pleased when we hear that it's the true piece of news after all." Tommy said.
"Yeah, I guess so." Heather said.
Sue soon finished getting all her books that she needed for the classes in the first part of the day in order, and she closed the door to her locker.
"And there we are." she said, as she locked the door.
"Shall we get ourselves over to our first class of the day then?" Tommy asked.
"Of course, let's get going then." Sue said, as she and Tommy put their arms round each other's backs and walked down the corridor to their first class of the day, with Jessica and Heather following along a few minutes later on.