Chapter 34: The Sodor Summer Show

(Friday, June 22nd 2012 – 2:30pm; Brendam Docks)

Okay everyone, in this new chapter, Carrie and her friends are going to experience the Sodor Summer Show, which I'm basing on the similar summer show that takes place outside of Cork City in my own native Ireland. I'm gonna be using my own personal memories and experiences of the Cork Summer Show as the basis for Carrie and her friends going to the Sodor Summer Show. And I promise you that this chapter is gonna be a good one, and that Carrie and her friends will have a very good time!

There was a lot of busy and bustling activity taking place at Brendam Docks, as different jobs were being done; ships were being loaded or unloaded of cargo, men were moving things about, either on hand trucks or with forklifts; the workshops at different points within the docks were also busy with the men inside them working away at the milling machines or with their welding torches, and the ever-present sounds of trucks or coaches being moved about by the engines who were working away at getting trains sorted out for dispatch from the docks, or getting trucks to the areas of the docks where they were needed either to have their cargoes loaded on to ships or to take whatever had been unloaded from the ships tied up to the different quaysides.

At one of the quaysides, at the stretch that went past and under where the large building with "Sodor Shipping Co" painted on the façade of it in faded white letters, James was sitting on the line that ran adjacent to the quayside and he had a long line of different trucks coupled behind him, and they were being loaded up with different items that had just arrived on a big ship and were needed for the Sodor Summer Show, which was a weekend festival that was opening the following day. Men were loading some items onto the vans by hand, but larger items were being loaded onto the other trucks, including the flatbeds, by the two cranes that were sitting on the dockside, including Cranky the Crane and the large crane that was known to everyone as Big Mickey.

On the footplate of James, Carrie leaned on the cab side, looked out, and watched all the different activity that was taking place along the train behind James' tender, with everything for the Summer Show being loaded aboard the different trucks. She was feeling excited and was really looking forward to going to the Summer Show with Simon and her friends in the morning.

The Sodor Summer Show usually took place over a weekend in late June every year, and it was a big, impressive celebration of Sodor's agriculture, with an enormous variety of exhibits on show, including farm machinery – both vintage and modern – as well as vintage cars, a big fairground with lots of rides and attractions, lots of trade stands that were set up in big marquee tents with an enormous variety of different exhibits as well as plenty of information about various companies that were based on Sodor, a stage where people would play music and song, as well as acts to keep everyone, including all the youngsters entertained, as well as displays of remote control cars, martial arts, and demonstrations.

There was also a large food village with an enormous variety of different food stands, including barbecues, a beer tent, gift stalls, and very large marquee tents where hot food would be served out and where people would sit and eat at long tables set up inside. There were even tents where they could be cookery demonstrations by professional chefs. There would also be vehicles from the emergency services on show as well, with those who worked on them giving talks on their jobs and such.

There was also a spot within the grounds that was reserved for people there would be a horse show, where people would show off what their horses could do, with a variety of things that horses would expect to do, including jumping over hedges, and other different obstacles and such.

The Summer Show was always set up in a very big field that wasn't too far away from where Knapford Station was; in fact, it was the very same field where the circus had been not too long ago. By now though, the circus had finished up on Sodor, and had been moved to a new location on the main land, and so the field was freed up for the Summer Show's use, and the last two weeks had seen some pretty hard work on getting ready for it.

But before the circus had left Sodor, Carrie and her friends had gone to it for a second time on one of the last days before it left, and they had really enjoyed just as much as they did when they went to see it for the first time. Now though, Carrie was looking forward to going to the Summer Show and seeing what it was like; she had never been to one before, though the closest thing that she had heard about was some sort of agricultural country show that normally took place in the countryside of Maine not too far from her hometown of Chamberlain during the first weekend of each July.

For now, though, Carrie's mind was concentrating on watching everything that was going on with getting the train loaded with what was needed for the Summer Show, as the workmen, as well as the two cranes, both Cranky and Big Mickey, loaded up the train with what would be needed. Taking a glance up to the sky, Carrie smiled at the bright, clear blue sky above, from which the sun shone brightly. A very gentle breeze blew in from the sea, and helped to keep Carrie cool as she waited. She had already oiled up around the motion, and was keeping a close eye on the water gauge glasses in James' cab, and so there wasn't much for her to do but wait until the driver and fireman arrived back at the cab.

"Are you all right back there, Carrie?" James asked, noticing that Carrie had been quiet for the last while.

"Oh, yes, I'm all right back here, James. I'm just keeping a close eye on things." Carrie said, replying to the bright red engine's question.

"Well, my driver and fireman should be back here quiet soon, and then we'll be able to take all these trucks over to the summer show." James said, as he too waited in anticipation for the moment when the last items would be loaded up, and then they could set off on their way.

A few minutes later, just as Carrie finished putting a fresh shovelful of coal onto the fire to keep it burning brightly, the driver and fireman arrived back from the engine-crew building that was somewhere nearby, and climbed back into James' cab.

"Hey there, Carrie." the driver said, as he stepped back aboard.

"Hello, sir." Carrie said, as she placed the shovel back into the coal space in the tender.

"Felt you might like a cold drink, Carrie. After all, it is quite a warm day." the fireman said, as he reached into a bag he had and handed Carrie an ice-cold bottle of soda.

"Thanks very much." Carrie said, as she gratefully took the bottle of soda, opened it, and took a long drink from it.

Soon, the last item of cargo had been loaded onto the train, and then the foremen made their way along the train to be sure everything had been fully secured down, as well as making sure that all the wagons had been coupled together, before the train could set off on its way to the showgrounds. It took a little time to do, but it was necessary so as to ensure the train could get to its destination safely.

As they waited to set off, James' fireman worked away at building up the fire and making sure there was enough steam pressure in the boiler before they could set off. Then, as James got ready to head off with his train, he heard the sound of a whistle as another steam locomotive rolled along towards him from somewhere ahead of him. Upon hearing this new whistle, Carrie leaned out from the cab to see which engine was coming towards them. A few moments later, they saw the engine come round the gently bend ahead of them, roll under the large building ahead of them, and then roll out and stop close to where James was standing. The engine was No.42948, who was an example of the L.M.S. Stanier Class 5 2-6-0 or Mogul Class (56), and he was painted in B.R. lined black livery with the late B.R. crest on his tender sides. His paintwork had been polished to a very high shine, and he appeared to be very eager to collect his train, if it was nearly ready for him to collect.

(56): The Stanier Class 5 2-6-0 locomotives, or the Stanier Moguls as they were often known, was built for mixed-traffic roles on the L.M.S. system. They were designed at Horwich Works and were based off a previous 2-6-0 design, which was the Hughes L.M.S. Crab 2-6-0 locomotives. The class were eventually built at Crewe between October 1933 and March 1934.

In total, 40 examples of the class were built and they were numbered from No.13245 to No.13284, though they were later renumbered from No.2945 to No.2984. The class had two outside cylinders that were 18in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke. Coupled with a boiler fitted with superheating and pressed to 225lbf, and driving wheels that were 5ft 6in in diameter, the class had a maximum tractive effort of 26,290lbf.

The class had several features that were similar to features of the 43XX Class 2-6-0's of the Great Western Railway, most notable the taper boiler design. In an effort to please Stanier, the Horwich Works designed a G.W.R.-style top-feed cover, which was fitted to No.13245, but Stanier wasn't too pleased with this, and so he promptly ordered it to be removed and replaced with a normal L.M.S. cover.

The Stanier Moguls were quite unique in terms of L.M.S. locomotive design in that they had their outside cylinders fitted horizontally, becoming the only Stanier design to have the outside cylinders fitted in this manner. This was achieved by reducing the diameter of the cylinders, but by increasing the boiler pressure as well so that a high tractive effort could be maintained, which was similar to that of the earlier Hughes Crab 2-6-0 design.

All the engines of the class were introduced onto the L.M.S. before Stanier's 4,000-gallon tenders with curved tops were introduced, and so the class were paired with the standard 3,500-gallon Fowler-type tenders, which the class were paired with throughout their lives. What made the Fowler tenders rather unique among many L.M.S. tender types was the fact they were narrower in width than the locomotives were. When the first 10 engines came into service, they had no water pick-up scoops fitted to their tenders, though this was rectified much later on.

On the first 20 examples of the class, the boiler cladding sheets followed the contour of the boiler barrel below so that there was a parallel front section with the taper concentrated to the rear. The next 20 engines had a continuous taper from the smokebox end to the firebox end, to which the first 20 engines were eventually modified to conform with. The first 30 engines built were fitted with a Midland-type bell whistle, while the last 10 to be built were fitted with a Stanier Caledonian-type hooter. The class were initially fitted with small superheaters, but were eventually fitted with 21 element superheaters.

For their whole lives, the class were painted in a simple black livery, and this was always turned out with red lining in L.M.S. days, and with red, cream, and grey lining in B.R. days from 1948 onwards. But during the war years, the class were painted in plain black livery without any lining.

By the time the 40th example of the class had been built, Stanier was already looking ahead to the future and so construction of the class was halted, with no more examples being built. Not long afterwards, Stanier introduced his highly versatile Class 5MT or Black Five 4-6-0 design onto the L.M.S. and would build it in large numbers.

The class were allocated to depots spread out all over the L.M.S., including Crewe, around Birmingham, Birkenhead, and Mold Junction, though a few did spend some years at various other depots as and when needed. As they were mixed-traffic engines, they often seen hauling everything, ranging from secondary passenger trains, to fitted freights and parcels trains, as well as slower loose-coupled freight trains. As they had smaller driving wheels than the Black Fives, they were best suited to slower and heavier freight trains. During their working lives, they worked over all parts of the L.M.S. system south of Carlisle, with them going into G.W.R. and L.N.E.R. territory on occasion.

In the post-war years and after nationalisation, the class had No.40000 added to their numbers, and the class continued on with the services they were giving on the London Midland Region of British Railways until 1963. That year, the first four examples of the class, No.42949, No.42973, No.42976 and No.42984, were withdrawn from service. The remaining 36 members of the class followed along over the next four years until 1967, when the final example, No.42954, was removed from service.

Thankfully, one example of the class has survived into preservation; this engine is No.42968; she was the penultimate example to be withdrawn from service, which took place in January 1966. It was sent down to Barry Scrapyard not too long afterwards, but was rescued from there in December 1973, at a price of £3,575, and was towed by rail to the Severn Valley Railway where it was restored to running order.

In November 1990, after a much longer-than-expected overhaul that cost around £200,000, No.42968 ran under her own steam for the first time in preservation, and entered traffic on the Severn Valley Railway in April 1991. During her career in preservation, No.42968 was paired at times with a Stanier 4,000-gallon tender, becoming the first member of the class ever to be paired with such a tender. She has also operated extensively on the main line during her career in preservation, even becoming the first steam locomotive in preservation to take a passenger train up the Lickey Incline.

Currently, No.42968 is undergoing an overhaul at the Severn Valley Railway, having been withdrawn from service in 2013. The boiler was recently returned to the frames after undergoing a hydraulic test.

"Good afternoon, James." No.42948 said, as he came to a stop close to James, with a whoosh of steam from his cylinder drain cocks.

"Hello, No.42948." James said.

"Where are you heading off to with that train?" asked No.42948.

"Off to the grounds where the Summer Show is going to be held. This train is loaded down with a lot of things that are going to be needed there." said James, as he smiled.

"Well, the train I have to collect is nothing as good as that. It's just a line of trucks with things for one of the many factories on the island." No.42948 said.

"You'll probably get a chance to take your own train like this one at some time. But I'm looking forward to getting this train to the Show Grounds." James said.

"Yes, I'm sure you are." No.42948 said.

Suddenly, there came the sounds of a guard's whistle from the brake van at the rear end of James' train. At the same time, the signalman set the points and set the signals to green, showing the way was clear for James to depart from the Docks.

"Oh, that's the time for me to be on my way!" James said, as his driver blew his whistle for a few seconds and then opened the regulator. Slowly, James moved forwards, taking up the load of his long and heavy train behind him.

"Good luck then, James!" No.42948 said, as he watched James move away with his train rattling away behind him.

From the footplate of James, Carrie leaned out from the right-hand side of the cab and watched as they made their way along the line that went through the busy docks and then out onto the line that would take them up to Wellsworth. Carrie was completely astonished by all the different levels of activity that were going on around them, as well as just how busy some of the various places were, including seeing items of cargo being loaded onto ships by the dockside cranes, trucks being shunted, and work being undertaken in the different workshops they passed.

Soon though, they were clear of the docks and heading up along the line towards the junction a little to the east of Wellsworth, where they would connect to the main line, and hence would head onwards towards Knapford Station. As the driver kept James going along at a fair speed, the fireman took first goes with the shovel, and made sure to place all the coal to where it would do the best at creating steam.

Meanwhile, Carrie was leaning out from the left-hand side of the cab, and keeping a sharp watch out ahead, particularly for any signals that might be ahead, as well as for anything else that might suddenly appear ahead of them. But so far, nothing had yet made itself known, and they went on the line, passing by buildings and stations along the line, going over the bridges, and past different business and fields that lined the route.

As they approached and then went past Lower Suddery Station, they saw Edward coming by them in the opposite direction with a line of empty trucks bound for the docks. As the two engines went past, they blew their whistles in greeting and called out "Hello!" as they went on by with their trains. Looking back, Carrie watched as Edward went through the station and down towards the docks, as James plunged into the tunnel just before Lower Suddery.

After passing by the Vicarage orchard, they soon came upon the junction not too far along the line. But the signal light just before the junction was set to red, and so they had to stop. By now, Carrie knew that there was another train coming along the line from the direction of Gordon's Hill, and so knew they had to stop to allow it to pass them by before they could proceed on their way with their train.

"I wonder who it is we're stopping for this time." she said, with what she said being more a statement than a question.

"No idea, yet. But I'm sure we'll see in a minute or so." said the driver, as he readjusted the controls, so they would be ready for when they had to set off again.

"Hang on…I think I can hear them now." James said, as the sounds of puffing slowly started to be heard from somewhere further up the line in the direction of Gordon's Hill. Then, as the sounds of chuffing got a little louder, there came the sounds of a whistle sounding loudly. A few moments later, the other train came into view; it was a long passenger train from Vicarstown to Knapford, and it was being hauled by G.W.R. King Class 4-6-0 No.6015 King Richard III, who simply liked to be known as Richard.

"Hello, James!" Richard called, as he went on past with his long passenger train.

"Hello, Richard!" James said, as he too blew his whistle while watching Richard go on past. From the footplate, Carrie leaned out and watched as the passenger train went on past them, with the sounds of the wheels on the rails being clearly heard as the coaches went past one by one.

Not too long after the last of the coaches in Richard's train went on by, with the sounds of it slowly fading away down the line, the signalman set the signal to clear and switched the points so as to allow James to proceed on his way with his own train.

"Okay, let's be on our way then!" James' driver said, as he blew the whistle and opened the regulator. With steam blowing out from the cylinder drain cocks, James set off from the spur line down to Brendam Docks and out onto the main line.

"Now we can really get going with this load!" James said, as they moved out onto the main line and slowly began to pick up some more speed.

"Let's hope we can get this train delivered to where it's needed as soon as we can!" Carrie said, as she leaned out from the footplate as she felt the train slowly begin to pick up speed.

"We'll make it on time, Carrie! And with all our trucks as well!" the fireman said, as he shovelled some more coal from the tender and into the firebox. Feeling herself smile, Carrie opened her bottle of soda and gulped down the last of its contents.

(Insert soundtrack – James Season 1 Theme – Troublesome Trucks)

Going through Wellsworth Station, James passed by the platform where Gordon was standing and picking up passengers on his afternoon train from Knapford to Vicarstown. The two engines whistled to each other as James went on past, and then on by the banker sidings where all the bankers were waiting to help their next trains up Gordon's Hill. They had whistled to James when they saw him go on past, and the red engine also whistled to them as he headed on down the line.

As they went along the line, and passing by familiar sights and landmarks, Carrie took another go on the shovel with keeping the boiler stoked and so to keep the steam pressure up. By now, she was well-used to being bent over and moving shovelfuls of coal from either bunkers or tenders into hot fireboxes. But even so, it was still a little painful at time, particularly when the firehole doors were set low on the footplate and she had to bend over more to do her job. As she finished up, she handed the shovel back to the fireman before going over to the cab side, leaned out and looked on ahead as they rolled on down the line.

It wasn't too long before they finally arrived at Knapford Station, and from there they rolled along through the station, and past crowds of waiting passengers and station staff on the platforms, and along the line towards the junction where they would turn off and head towards the big showgrounds where the Summer Show was going to be held for the weekend. As they turned off at the junction, Carrie wondered what they would be seeing as they arrived at the showgrounds; would all the marquee tents be set up? Would all the rides for the funfair be ready for all the visitors? And would most of the attractions be all set up? She would find out in a few short minutes.

As James pulled up to the sidings that were adjacent to the showgrounds, Carrie was amazed; clearly, there had been considerable progress made in getting everything ready for the Summer Show; all the different marquee tents, of all different shapes and sizes, had been set up and were being readied for the show, and all the funfair rides were also ready to go as well. There were also the various different tractors, farm and construction machinery, vintage cars, and many other different exhibits being set up and worked on. There were even a number of different and brightly coloured bouncy castles that had been set up as well. Carrie could even see the stage from where music would be played and different acts performed when the show was in full swing.

From the tracks, one of the breakdown cranes was helping out with setting up some of the exhibits and tents close to the tracks, as well as helping to unload any trucks that had arrived with things for the show.

"Wow, it looks like this is going to be quite an event! I can't wait to go to it tomorrow!" Carrie said with some genuine excitement, as she looked at all the different activities going on before her.

"I can't wait to see how many people are going to be going to this show this year!" James said excitedly, as the driver put on the brakes and brought the train to a gently stop.

Once the train had stopped, the workmen set about unloading the different wagons and getting everything to where it would be needed for the show. Soon the air was filled with the sounds of additional work, as the many workmen gathered around unloaded the train. From James' footplate, Carrie leaned out and watched as the workmen went about their jobs, and as doors on the vans were opened, and canvas coverings removed from the covered trucks.

"Well…now that we've delivered this train, shall we move onto our next jobs?" Carrie asked, as she turned to the driver.

"Indeed, we've actually got our next job. We're to take away empty trucks from here and bring them over to Knapford Harbour." the driver said.

"Okay, let's go and do it then." Carrie said, as she watched the driver readjust the controls, ready for them to set off on their way again. As soon as the shunter had uncoupled James from the line of trucks, the driver blew the whistle and they set off to collect the line of empty trucks before bringing them over to Knapford Harbour.

(Next morning; 10:05am, Knapford Station)

Carrie and Simon, along with Alice, Saoirse, Sophie, and Olivia, as well as many other people, stood waiting along Platform 2 at Knapford Station, waiting for the train that would take them on the short shuttle ride over to the showgrounds for the Summer Show. Ralph White, as well as the parents of Carrie's friends and quite a number of people Ralph knew from all the time that he had been living on Sodor were also waiting for the train. It was a bright early summer day, with very few, if any, clouds in the crystal-clear blue sky, and with a gentle breeze blowing, and the sun shone brightly, which promised a perfect day to go out with friends.

"I can't wait to see what's gonna be over there." Carrie said, as she held onto Simon's hand.

"Just wait and see, Carrie. I promise that you'll love it over there. The Summer Show is one of the best times of the summer on Sodor." Simon said.

"It is, and we've all been to it many times over the years." added Saoirse.

"There's a lot there for everyone to enjoy, and so I'm sure you'll find something there that'll interest you, Carrie." Olivia said.

"I do hope so." Carrie said. She was really looking forward to this summer show, as there had been posters advertising it mounted in notice boards and on walls for weeks now, and so she was keen to see what one was like.

Then, a few moments later, there came the sounds of a loud whistle. As everyone turned their heads to see who it was; coming into Knapford Station from the line that led down towards Wellsworth was L.N.E.R. K3 Class 2-6-0 No.1935, and he had a line of 10 coaches behind him. There was no doubt those coaches were full of people who were on their way to the Summer Show. Then, there came the sound of a fresh announcement from the station's announcer from over the station's P.A. system.

"May I have your attention please, ladies and gentlemen. The shuttle train that's going to take you over to the Summer Show is now arriving at Platform 2. Repeat, the Summer Show shuttle train is now arriving at Platform 2." and then the P.A. system went quiet.

With the sounds of his valve gear moving, steam whooshing, and puffing from his chimney, No.1935 rolled alongside the platform, and came to a gentle stop. After he stopped, the doors on the coaches were opened, and the passengers on the platform stepped aboard the coaches. Carrie, Simon, and their friends, and parents, stepped aboard the forward coach, as it was the closest coach they were standing to.

Once they got aboard the coach, they quickly realised just how crowded the train was; all the seats were taking and so they would be forced to stand for the duration of the trip to the showgrounds. Luckily, it wasn't too far to go to the showgrounds, and so they could endure standing on a train for a few short minutes.

Soon, everyone who had been standing on the platform had somehow managed to squeeze themselves aboard the train, and with everyone aboard, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. Acknowledging the signal, the driver blew the whistle, and then opened the regulator a little. With a slight jerk, they were heading out of Knapford Station and on towards the Summer Show.

(Inside the first coach)

Carrie and Simon were standing side by side at the very front of the coach, and their friends were standing very close to them, but they were standing quite close together. Their parents were standing a few feet away towards the middle of the coach.

"I'm glad it's only a very short journey from Knapford over to the showground. I don't think I could stand up for very long on a train as crowded as this one." Carrie said to Simon.

"I know how you feel, Carrie. I've heard stories about people who've had to spend a long time standing on crowded trains. I've never done it myself thankfully, but I don't imagine I'd be in a good mood after it." Simon said.

"But at least we're close to a window that can open up." Alice said, as she opened the window on the door a little. With the cool air rushing through the opening, it helped cool them down a little, and made things a little more bearable.

"That's so much better. At least with that cooling air, we won't be sweating while we're in here for the journey." Olivia said.

"Ach, aye there!" Sophie said, as she took a long sip from a bottle of ice-cold water that she had with her.

"Going to the summer show this way sure beats taking the car and trying to find a parking space for us any day!" Saoirse said.

"Indeed, and we won't have to go through all the traffic on the roads. Believe me, Carrie…you won't wanna get stuck in traffic on the roads when going to the summer show. It can be a nightmare getting there." Alice said.

"Well, let's just be glad we're going by train, and so we don't need to go through that traffic." Carrie said, as she smiled a little.

"Yeah, and I pity those who have no choice but to go through it." Simon said, as they all laughed for a moment at that comment.

(A short while later)

It wasn't too long before they arrived at the station immediately adjacent to the showgrounds, and the train came to a gentle halt along the platform. Once at a full stop, the doors were opened and the passengers stepped out from the coaches onto the platform, and from there on towards the Summer Show.

Just as they disembarked and out into the warm summer air, Carrie could smell a different assortment of smells all combined together; there was a mixture of smoke from the many barbeques and other eateries that had been set up, and coal smoke from a number of traction engines that would be present today. As well as the smells, there a cacophony of various sounds, including voices from a P.A. system that seemed to echo very slightly, excited kids eager to get inside the grounds, steam whistles, various diesel generators set up at the different marquee tents, various engine sounds from within the grounds, carnival-style music, and a myriad of other sounds that Carrie couldn't quite place her finger on.

"Wow, it looks like we're gonna have quite a good time here today." Carrie said to Simon, as they made their way towards the entrance from where they were.

"We will indeed, Carrie. And we'll show you around everything that there is to see and do at this show." Simon said.

"And there's so much here to keep us occupied for the rest of the day." Alice said.

"Yeah, and we look forward to this in the lead up to the start of the summer. It's one of the main highlights of events on the calendar of Sodor." added Saoirse.

"Well, come on, and let's get in there." Carrie said, now more eager than ever to go and enjoy her first ever Summer Show.

(A little later; inside the showgrounds)

After they paid for their tickets and got inside the showgrounds, Carrie looked around in astonishment at everything that was going on immediately before her; there was an area before her with plenty of trade stands in tents, which included such things as energy, construction, farming machinery and so forth. But a few also dealt with things such as toys, gardening, house decorating and painting, horticultural, health and fitness, arts and crafts, and so forth. There were a few tents that were more open and had displays of all different types of toys, various types of clothes, jewellery, and other different sorts of things.

Carrie was astonished by how much some of the tents had on offer, and some of what was on offer was so bewildering that she didn't know what to look for first whenever they came upon a tent with various different things that were on offer.

"Wow, look at what we have here." Carrie said, as they came upon a tent stall that had a wide selection of jewellery on offer. There were different necklaces, rings, earrings, and such items like that, and all placed onto dark stands where the jewellery could be clearly seen. And each item was very cheap, considerably more so than it would be in the shops.

"Is there anything here that catches your interest, Carrie?" Simon asked, as he watched his girlfriend look over the wide selection of cheap jewellery spread out before them.

"Well…not really. Some of them do look nice enough, but then again…I'm not too sure if I really need any of this stuff, nice though some of them are." Carrie said.

"It's entirely up to you, Carrie. I'm not gonna force you to do it." Simon said.

"Thanks, Simon." Carrie said, as she looked over the different displays of jewellery spread out before her. Then a few moments later, she looked towards Simon.

"Let's go to another tent, Simon. There's not much here that interests me too much." Carrie said.

"Okay, Carrie. Let's go then." Simon said, and they went down along the line of tent stalls.

They went along the tent stalls, looking for anything else that caught their interest, when Carrie came to a stop; she had stopped right in front of a tent that was selling a variety of different and enlarged gourmet muffins with many different and brightly coloured icing, with a variety of toppings, with coloured sprinkles, bits and pieces of chocolate, and even coloured sauces. When she saw this technicolour display of bright and mouth-watering colours, Carrie couldn't help but look over this display of cupcakes before her with a sense of awe and amazement.

"Now…this looks quite nice." Carrie said, as she looked over the many different varieties of flavoured and coloured muffins before her.

"Yeah, this is one stall I can't help but stop and take a gaze over every now and then whenever I come to the summer show, Carrie. The display of muffins here always seems to catch the eyes of almost everyone who comes by here." Simon said.

"Would you like to buy any of the muffins I have here?" the stall attendant asked.

"Oh, yes please. What varieties have you got?" Carrie asked, as the attendant then pointed out which ones were which flavour. There were vanilla flavours, chocolate, cookie and cream, orange, amongst others that were on offer. After a few moments of choosing, Carrie eventually decided to buy a box of four muffins, with two flavours, vanilla ice cream, and cookies and cream. After paying the attendant, she took the box into a bag she had with her, and then Carrie and Simon went on their way.

"I can't wait to try these out later. Maybe I'll by another box of muffins later if I get the chance." Carrie said.

"Oh, do by all means. After all, those muffins are some of the nicest that I've ever eaten." Simon said.

Moving on a few more metres, Simon and Carrie came upon an area of the grounds that was more open, and at one end of it was the stage. It looked no different than any stage Carrie had seen in her life before, with an arch over it and dark backing behind. Spread out on the flat ground in front of the stage was the seating, and there were about a dozen rows of it, and all made up many small square hay bales. Already, there was music being played by performers on the stage, and there were many people, including quite a few young kids, sitting on the hay bales, and watching the performance that was currently going on.

"The bands that play up there always usually attract a crowd, Carrie. And whenever I've gone past here on previous occasions, I've always seen the young kids dancing away, sometimes with their parents, to the music that was being played at the time." Simon said.

"Yeah, just like now." Carrie said, with a slight giggle, now that she'd seen a few kids along the hay bales dance to the music that was currently being played.

"Just like now." Simon said, as he too chuckled at the sight of the kids dancing along with the music.

A few moments later, the band on the stage concluded playing the song, and many of the audience before them clapped and cheered loudly.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your full support!" one of the musicians on the stage said through the microphone.

"And now…let's play the next piece of music!" a second musician said. As everyone watching quietened down, the musicians began playing their next piece of music.

(Insert soundtrack – The Original Thomas the Tank Engine Theme Tune)

As the musicians began playing the music, many of those in the audience before them, both kids and adults alike, began to dance along to the music. From where they were standing, both Carrie and Simon also began to move along with the tune as well. Carrie felt she was dancing well, or at least she thought so, particularly as she had never heard this particular song before, and she liked the beat of it very much.

"This is a good song to dance to." Carrie said, as she moved along with it somewhat.

"Yeah, it is too." Simon said in agreement, as he also moved along with the music.

For the next two minutes or so, the musicians kept on playing the music, with many of the young kids to be seen dancing away to it as it was played, before finally coming to a stop, upon which everyone clapped and cheered out loudly. Simon and Carrie were among those who were clapping as well.

"Now that was a good tune to listen to." Carrie said, as she and Simon headed off to another part of the grounds.

"Yeah, it's a very popular one over here." Simon said, as he placed his arm around Carrie's shoulder while they walked along.

They came upon an area which was roped off and contained a large number of vintage motor vehicles of all different kinds, and painted in all sorts of colours. Along the length of the rope, various car enthusiasts were gathered around and looking over all the different vehicles, each of which had been polished up and cleaned to a high standard for the show. Carrie could hear these people chat away with each other about which of these vintage vehicles caught their interest, as well as seeing them making notes and taking pictures.

"You know, I wasn't expecting to see anything like this here today." Carrie said, as she looked at Simon.

"Oh, there's always a display of vintage vehicles at the Summer Show, and it always changes around a bit every year as new vehicles are added or take away by their owners." Simon said.

Then, Carrie became aware of a loud buzzing sound somewhere near her; turning her head, she saw another roped-off area only a few metres away, and within it were some men with chainsaws who were carving large pieces of wood into artistic sculptures. Carrie could see there were already a number of very impressively made sculptures close to the men who were working on another one with their chainsaws.

"Let's go over here and look." Carrie said to Simon, as they made their way through the people towards this place. Going over to the chainsaw wood sculptures, the pair were astonished by how well-made each one they saw was, with many little details visible. Among the wood sculptures they saw were a barn owl, a horse's head, and a bear, each of which had been given a coat or two of varnish before being put on display.

"Now these look as though they took quite a long time to make." Simon said, as one of the men who had been working with the chainsaws on another sculpture took a much-needed break.

"Indeed, they did. And learning this particular form of arts and crafts isn't something that can be done overnight. It takes a very long time to master this trade, but once you do master it, you can make pretty much anything you like with a chainsaw and a big lump of timber." said the man.

"Have you been doing this for very long?" Carrie asked.

"Oh, I've been doing this for about 10 years now…and I'd say I'm a master at the craft by now." the man said, as he turned his attention to Carrie.

"And what are you making right now?" Carrie asked.

"I'm working on carving out a salmon…and it's the third one I've done in the last few years. I always want to make better versions of carvings I've done, and I think each one does get better, and with more details, each time I work on one." the man said, as he looked toward the next carving he was working on with a justifiable sense of pride.

After a few more moments of staying around and looking over the different carvings, both Simon and Carrie went on their way to another part of the showgrounds.

(A short while later)

It wasn't too long before Carrie and Simon came upon the food village, and there was a lot of choices there for them to get a bite to eat; there were plenty of stalls where barbecues had been set up and were already smoking away as food was being cooked over hot coals. There were also drinks stalls where all sorts of hot and cold drinks were being served, as well as there being a number of ice cream vans, candy stalls, large food vans that sold a variety of different fast foods, and other food stalls selling different things for people to enjoy.

There was even a number of large marquee tents that had seating areas inside and that were serving out hot dinners. At one marquee tent, there were cooking demonstrations being done, with people cooking certain dishes at stations that had been set up, and there were already quite a few people around the demonstration tent watching the cooks work away on their dishes.

"Well, it looks like we've got quite a variety of things to choose from to get something to eat." Carrie said, as she looked around at all the different food stalls before her.

"Yeah, and many people are usually spoilt for choice whenever they come to events like this. They can't decide what to order or even which stall to go to." Simon said.

"Well…how about we go over here first?" Carrie suggested, indicating over to a barbecue stall that was selling hotdogs and burgers, as well as chips.

"That sounds like an idea to me. Let's go over there then." Simon said, as they went on over to it. The queue wasn't very long, and they soon reached the front of the line, where one of the stall attendants was busy working away.

"Ah, hello there, can I take your order please?" he asked, as Simon and Carrie stepped up next.

"Yes, could I have a hotdog please, with fires and a can of Coca Cola?" Simon asked.

"And could I have a burger with fried onions and barbecue sauce, and with fries and a can of Coke as well please?" Carrie asked.

"Certainly, coming right up, you two." the attendant said, as he then took the payment for the order. Once that was done, he and his two assistants began to set to work at preparing the orders for Carrie and Simon. As one assistant took two cans of Coca Cola out from the fridge and placed them down before the young couple, the other two set about getting the orders ready, and in no time at all, both Simon and Carrie had the food they ordered. Their food was placed onto two small paper bags and handed to them.

"There you are, you two. Do enjoy them." the man said.

"Thank you very much." Simon and Carrie said, as they took the bags and turned away from the stall.

Going along through the crowds of people, Carrie and Simon looked for a place where they could sit down and enjoy their food; but the problem was that many of the picnic tables in the seating area set up near the food village had already been taken by other people.

"I think we mightn't be able to find a place where we can sit down and enjoy our food." Carrie said.

"Let's keep looking. We might be able to find a…" Simon said.

"Hey, Carrie! Simon! Over here!" came a voice calling for them. Turning their heads to their left, both Carrie and Simon saw Saoirse, Alice, Olivia, and Sophie sitting at a picnic table a few feet from them, and waving to them.

"Oh, girls…glad you got a table for us!" Simon said in relief, as he and Carrie made their way over to them.

"I was afraid we were gonna have to find somewhere else where we could eat!" Carrie said, as she and Simon arrived at the table and sat down with their friends.

"Hey, these tables are big enough for six to sit at." Sophie said.

"And we were reserving spaces for you both when we saw you." Alice added.

"Many thanks for that, Alice." Carrie said, as she sat down beside her.

"Well, let's dig into our food while it's still hot." Simon said, and they all agreed to that.

(A short while later)

Once the group of friends had finished their food, they left their picnic table and made their way over to where all the funfair amusements and rides were at. They could clearly hear the sounds of carnival-like music being played as they arrived at the area of the grounds where the funfair was being held. The funfair was set up right next to the railway line, and so everyone who went in to enjoy the rides could watch all the trains go by as they enjoyed themselves. At the same time, the engines who were passing by with their trains, or delivering more people to the Summer Show, could see the rides in action.

Looking around, Carrie was astonished by how many rides and attractions there were; she could see bumper cars, a Ferris wheel, carousels, fun slides, and many other different attractions as well. There were many stalls there as well, with a large variety of games for people to enjoy as well.

"Looks like we're going to have a good time here." Simon said, as he looked over all the different rides he could see before him.

"I can't wait to try out as many of them as possible. I've never been to a funfair before." Carrie said, as all her senses came under assault from all directions about what she could see and hear going on before her.

"Well, come on! Let's go and enjoy them while we have the full day to do so!" Saoirse said. And all laughing briefly, the six friends headed into the funfair.

For the next two and a half hours or so, the six friends had an absolute blast at the funfair, with them trying out as many of the rides as they could. Both Simon and Carrie went onto the bumper cars first, with them sharing a bumper car, and they really had a great time, particularly when they sped along the trackway or bumped into other cars they came across.

Among the other attractions they went to were the House of Mirrors, which Carrie had never seen before. Once they were inside it, Carrie couldn't help but laugh at the effects all the different mirrors had on each person who stepped in front of them, including herself; she saw people being bent in odd ways, being stretched thin, being shrunk down with an enormous waistline, being curved, distorted in many different curvy ways, and looking tall, and many other different ways as well, depending of course on how all the mirrors had been set.

They also went along to many of the stalls where many different carnival games would be played, and the friends tried out all sorts of games they came across at some of the stalls. Among the games they tried out were trying to pop as many balloons as they could with the fewest number of darts, trying to get as many rings around the neck of a bottle as possible, as well as to try and knock down as many cups as possible with as few balls as they could. They also went to a coconut shy that was set up in the grounds as well, where they each tried to knock down as many coconuts as they could. In the process of taking part in the games, Carrie managed to do quite well, and in fact she won a large box of chocolates when she won a game at getting as many balls through a hoop as she could.

Simon also won a prize as well, which was a large chocolate bar, after catching quite a few toy ducks in a Catch-the-Duck game.

Eventually, the group of friends reached a part of the showgrounds where rides were being given on vehicles. Among them was Trevor the Traction Engine, and he was coupled to a blue-painted trailer where people were being given rides around the grounds.

"How about we go for a ride behind Trevor?" Simon said, as he looked at Carrie.

"Yeah, I think I would like that. Let's line up for a ride." Carrie said, as she and Simon went up to the line to wait until their turn for a ride came along. She had never gone for a ride behind a traction engine before, and so she wanted to take the chance to do it.

It only took a few minutes until they saw Trevor coming along with the trailer behind him. At once, Carrie saw there were plenty of children who were riding along on the trailer, and she could see they were all very happy, smiling, and seeming to be enjoying themselves on this fine summer day. When Trevor came to a gentle stop a few feet away, the children got off the trailer, so as to allow other people to have a ride around the grounds.

Moving up, both Simon and Carrie were helped aboard the trailer, and they sat down on the seats that were placed inside it. Carrie was feeling excited to have a chance to ride behind a traction engine, although she was keeping very calm about it.

"We'll have a good time riding behind Trevor, Carrie. Edward helped save him from scrap many years ago, and he's lived at the Vicarage Orchard ever since." Simon said.

"Well, it's nice to know that he's still going strong after all these years." Carrie said, with a smile.

Then up front, Trevor's driver, whose name was Jem Cole, blew the whistle to let everyone know he was about to set off with the latest group of people who wanted to have a ride.

"Hang on tight, everyone! Here we go!" Trevor said, as Jem Cole worked on the controls and they slowly began to move forwards.

"Hand on tight, Carrie!" Simon said, as Carrie smiled at him and nodded.

(Insert soundtrack – Trevor's Theme Season 2)

For the next few minutes, Carrie and Simon, as well as the other people who were riding on the trailer, had a great time as Trevor went round the grounds, pulling the trailer behind him. They all got a really unique perspective of the grounds, being able to see things from a new angle and be able to look down upon those who were looking up as they went on by. Often, as they went by crowds of people, Trevor would sometimes blow his whistle, and those standing around would often wave, and in return those riding on the trailer would often wave back. At times, smoke drifting from Trevor's tall chimney would go over the trailer, and everyone would get the smell of coal smoke going into their nostrils.

For Carrie, the smell reminded her clearly of the work she had done on the railway and the different locomotives she had worked with over the last few months. But it was a smell she was quite used to by now.

At one point during the ride, they went along a stretch of the showgrounds that was adjacent to the railway line, and they saw Henry go on by. He had half a dozen coaches behind him and was taking part in the shuttle service from Knapford Station to the showgrounds and back again. He had already dropped off more people at the station, as well as having picked up a few people who wanted to get back to Knapford. After seeing Trevor with all the people that he was giving rides to, Henry blew his whistle in greeting to the green traction engine, and Trevor's driver blew his own whistle in reply. From the trailer, both Carrie and Simon, along with all the others, waved when they saw Henry go on past. And Henry sounded his whistle in reply as he chuffed on past with his train.

When the ride came to an end a few minutes later, everyone who had taken a ride were quite satisfied, and hoped they could go on another ride behind Trevor sometime again in the future.

As they got off the trailer at the same place where they had gotten aboard it a few minutes before, Carrie felt herself smile broadly.

"That was quite a ride!" she said, as she and Simon walked away to meet up with the girls.

"Yeah, I enjoyed that as well! It's always a joy to go for a ride behind a traction engine." Simon said.

"And I can understand why. There's something about the sounds, smells, and sights that just makes the experience that much more special." Carrie said.

"Come on, let's go and meet up with the girls and we'll continue going round the grounds to see what else is here to see." Simon said, as he put his arm around Carrie's shoulders.

"Yeah, let's do that." Carrie said, as she put her arm around Simon's waist.

(Later on in the day; early evening)

Simon and Carrie, along with the other four girls, spent much of the rest of the afternoon going around the showground where they looked around many of the exhibits and seeing what else was there to see. They saw areas with different diggers and all types of construction equipment on display, large marquee tents with exhibits and information about various things and businesses on Sodor, and listened to the music that was being played by the musicians on the stage. Passing through the food village again, they paused for a few minutes to watch one of the cooking demonstrations that was going on, and they also took the chance to get more things from some of the different food stalls to enjoy.

By 6:10pm though, they were all getting quite tired from their long day out together at the Summer Show, and were quite eager to head on home. Soon, they were standing on one of the platforms at the station for the Showgrounds, and waiting for the next train that would take them back to Knapford Station.

The group, along with quite a few other people, including their parents, as well as Ralph White, were standing on the platform, or even sitting down on the benches that were along the platform, and chatting together. Many of those who had been to the Summer Show, including those who had young kids, were also quite tired from the long day out, and were now looking forward to getting back to Knapford so they could head on home.

"I'll be glad to bed after the day we've had today. Goodness…my feet are just killing me." Simon said, as he stretched his two legs out one by one to try and get some of the pain out from the muscles.

"Yeah, me too. And I don't think I'll need any dinner this evening…especially after all what we've eaten today." Carrie said, as she yawned while bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

"One of the first things that I'm gonna do when I get home is have a long dip in a hot bath. I think I need one after all the moving about we've been doing today." Alice said.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I feel a nice hot wash after today will be nice." Carrie said, as she wiped down the sweat off her forehead.

A few moments later, there came the sound of a whistle from down the line, followed by the sounds of chuffing and the "click clack" of wheels rolling along the rails. Looking down the line to where the sounds were coming from, everyone saw the train coming slowly towards them. Leading the line of coaches, about 10 of them in all, was No.4230, who was a Great Western 42XX Class 2-8-0T tank engine. (57) His G.W.R. green paintwork, as well as all his brass parts, were polished down to a very high shine, and he looked to be in a very cheerful mood as he approached, and then went along the length of the platform. With a squealing of brakes, he came to a gentle stop, having brought his entire train into the platform. With that, the station staff opened the doors, and everyone waiting on the platform started to board the train.

(57): The G.W.R. 42XX Class 2-8-0T tank engines were designed by George Jackson Churchward, and were built between 1910 and 1923 at Swindon Works. The class was basically a modified tank engine version of Churchward's 28XX 2-8-0 heavy freight engine class. In total, 105 examples of the class were built, and were numbered from No.4200 to No.4299, and from No.5200 to No.5204. It was one of two 2-8-0T tank engine classes to be built and used in Britain.

The locomotives were fitted with two outside cylinders that were 18.5in in diameter with a 30in piston stroke which, combined with eight driving wheels that were 4ft 7.5in in diameter, and a boiler pressed to 200psi. gave the class a tractive effort of 31,450lbf. The water tanks on the class could carry up to 2,200 gallons of water, and the coal bunker could carry around 3 tons of coal, though later members of the class had their bunkers modified to carry 4 tons of coal.

Another identical class to the 42XX was also built by the G.W.R.; that class the was 5205 Class, of which 100 examples were built and numbered from No.5205 to No.5294. Some examples of the class were used to build examples of the G.W.R. 72XX Class 2-8-2T tank engines, and so several new examples, numbered from No.5255 to No.5264, were built. The 5202 Class was almost identical to the 42XX Class in almost all respects, with the same size of driving wheels, with the only difference being in the size of the cylinders. The cylinder size on the 5205 Class were larger, being 19in in diameter with a 30in piston stroke, which, combined with a boiler pressed to 200psi, gave the class a maximum tractive effort of 33,170lbf, higher than that of the 42XX Class.

Both classes were built in order to move heavily laden coal trains on the steep, winding lines in South Wales. These trains were previously handled by 0-6-2T designs of the various railway companies that ran within South Wales – including the Taff Vale Railway – as the 0-6-2T designs were powerful and ran very well on the undulating tracks. But as the coal trains got heavier, it was clear that more powerful engines were needed to move the increasingly heavy loads of coal.

Initially, Churchward had wanted to built a 2-8-2T design to move the heavy coal trains, but it was rejected when it was found out that the length of the frames required for such an engine would mean the design would be too long for most of the lines in South Wales. And so due to this limitation, a 2-8-0T design was selected for the new design instead.

Although the new design was based off the earlier 28XX 2-8-0 Class, there were some changes between the two; for instance, the 42XX Class used a different boiler design, and the flanges on the second and third driving wheelsets were made thinner so as to help the new locomotives go around corners, and the coupling rods between the third and fourth driving wheelsets used spherical joints, so as to create more side-play and thus greater flexibility for when the class was out working, as they could negotiate tighter curves on many of the lines.

During their working lives, the class saw extensive use across the G.W.R. network, where they undertook all sorts of work, including hauling heavy coal trains throughout South Wales, as well as on heavy iron ore trains, and stone trains from Banbury. Due to a shortage of coal exports when the last batch was being built in the early 1930's, some examples found themselves out of work and so were put into storage at Swindon. So, some examples of both the 42XX and 5205 Classes were rebuilt from 2-8-0T tank engines to 2-8-2T tank engines of the G.W.R. 72XX Class of Charles Collett. Converting the 42XX and 5205 engines involved bolting on a rear frame extension and adding a pair of trailing wheels to support the added weight of the new enlarged coal bunker, which could carry up to 6 tons of coal in it.

During their careers, many engines in the 42XX Class were upgraded to the standard of the 5205 Class by having curved front frames, larger diameter cylinders with the frames raised over the cylinders, as well as replacing the inside steam pipes with outside steam pipes.

All examples passed into British Railways ownership in January 1948, and they continued on with their normal duties as they had done under the G.W.R. One member of the 5205 Class, No.5226, was used for a short period for banking trains on the Lickey Incline, but was withdrawn from this duty after a time as she didn't fit in well with the regular banking duties at Bromsgrove. All the members of the 5205 Class worked from depots in Wales for their entire lives, where they undertook the same duties as the 42XX Class, including minerals, coal, and iron ore.

The first example of the 42XX Class, No.4224, was withdrawn from service in January 1959. By the end of steam on the B.R. Western Region, 18 examples were still in working order at the start of 1965. However, by August 1965, all had been withdrawn, with the final example to go being No.4268. As for the 5205 Class, No.5207 was the first example to be withdrawn, in January 1961, with the final example withdrawn being No.5235 which was removed from service in September 1965.

Thankfully, five examples of the 42XX Class have been preserved. These survivors include;

No.4247; rescued from Woodham's Yard at Barry in April 1985, and preserved at the East Somerset Railway. The oldest survivor of the class, being 107 years old as of March 2023. Currently awaiting an overhaul at the East Somerset Railway.

No.4248; rescued from Barry Scrapyard in May 1986. Conserved and put on static display in Swindon Steam Railway Museum in a dismantled state so as to show a locomotive under overhaul in Swindon Works.

No.4253; rescued from Barry Scrapyard in August 1987, and undergoing an extensive restoration to working order at the Kent and East Sussex Railway. Many new parts will be needed, as well as a new cab, new side tanks, and a new coal bunker.

No.4270; rescued from Barry Scrapyard in July 1985, and returned to working order by 2014. Withdrawn from service in January 2023 and currently in storage awaiting an overhaul at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway. Still retains the original inside steam pipes.

No.4277; rescued from Barry Scrapyard in June 1986. Currently named Hercules and in operational condition on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Still retains the original inside steam pipes.

Not only that, but three members of the 5205 Class have also survived into preservation. These three engines are;

No.5224; rescued from Woodham's Scrapyard in Barry in October 1978, and returned to working order by 2000, and spent many years working on the Great Central Railway. Currently in storage at Peak Rail and awaiting an overhaul to working order. Owned by Pete Waterman.

No.5227; one of the locomotives known as the "Barry Ten" and still in scrapyard condition and in storage at the Didcot Railway Centre. Some parts of the locomotive, including the boiler, the front pony truck wheelset, two pony truck axleboxes, four horn guides, and two eccentric sheaves, are being used in the construction of a brand new 38XX County Class 4-4-0 No.3840 County of Montgomery. The rest of No.5227 has been sold off to an individual who intends to restore her back to fully working order again, including making brand new parts to replace those that are going to be used on the brand-new No.3840.

No.5239; rescued from Barry Scrapyard in June 1973, and bought to Newton Abbot for restoration before moving to Paignton on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Carries the name of Goliath with the nameplates being fitted to both sides of the smoke box. Currently operational on the Dartmouth Steam Railway after the completion of its most recent overhaul.

As the passengers who has been waiting on the platform stepped forwards and boarded the coaches, a man stepped out from the station building with an old-fashioned megaphone in his hands. Bringing it to his lips, he made an announcement.

"This train is on its way back to Knapford for those who were at the summer show! All aboard, please! All aboard!" and then he lowered the megaphone from his mouth.

"You heard him…let's get aboard the train." Simon said, as he and Carrie stepped aboard the train.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Carrie said with a smile, as they turned and made their way to the first empty seats they saw. They sat down together beside each other, and sighed heavily as they did so. Their feet were quite tired from having been walking round all day, and they were keen to sit down and take every opportunity to get rested up.

"I'll certainly sleep well tonight." Simon said, as he stretched his feet out.

"Yeah, me too." Carrie said, as she also stretched out her feet under the table. Both of them were also thankful that this time round, the train wasn't anywhere near as packed as it had been that morning. In fact, as the last of the passengers boarded the train and sat down, there were ever some empty seats in the coach they could see.

"I'm pleased that the train isn't as full as it was this morning. I don't think I could stand even for the few minutes over to Knapford Station." Alice said. She was sitting on the opposite side from the table as Carrie, and she looked to be just as tired as many of the other people on the train were.

"Yes, I'm pleased with that, Alice. I think we should all be." Carrie said, as she yawned a bit, while covering her mouth with her hand.

It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers had boarded the train, including a few young parents with their kids, including babies asleep in their prams. With everyone aboard, the doors to the coaches were closed, and the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. Acknowledging the signal, the driver blew the whistle of No.4230 and then gently opened the regulator a little. With a loud sound of steam and whooshing, the train slowly set off from the station, and headed on down the line back to Knapford Station. Looking out the window as they set off from the station, Carrie felt herself smile; she really had a great time today, and was a little disappointed when the time had come to head on home.

"Do you think we'll be able to come back and enjoy next year's show?" she said, as she turned to Simon.

"Oh, absolutely. I've had a really good time today, and always try and come back every year. And I assure you, Carrie, that we will come back again when the Summer Show visits next year." Simon said.

"Thanks, Simon…and I'm looking forward to it too." Carrie said, with a smile, before she turned her head and looked out towards the slowly setting sun, as the train slowly rolled along the track, with the coaches gently rocking from side to side as they moved along.

And there we are, everyone! That's the end of the chapter, and we can see that Carrie, Simon, and the girls had a really great time at the summer show, and they got to see a great deal of what went on there! Please stay tuned for the next chapter to come!