Chapter 303: Murdoch's Windmill
Murdoch loves working in the countryside. He much prefers the peace and quiet than the hustle and bustle of the main yards. But there's one place he especially loves to go.
Deep in the countryside lies an old windmill. It had stood firm on a hill for a hundred years, producing flour for all the stations along the mainline. Dusty Dave, the miller, was a good friend of Murdoch's, and always made time to speak to him when he came to pick up deliveries.
"Morning, Dusty! I see you've got lots of flour ready for me."
"Aye, Murdoch. It's tiring work, but worth it to keep the old mill running. She's been in me family for generations, I'd hate to have to shut her down."
"Don't worry, Dusty. This windmill has stood a hundred years, and it'll stand for a hundred more!"
But Murdoch had spoken too soon. That night, a huge storm swept across the island. When the engine drivers woke up the next morning, they found the yard a mess of debris and disaster.
"Man, it looks like a tornado swept through here!"
"With the way the wind sounded last night, you'd think there was."
But Murdoch was worried about Dusty's mill.
"I hope it survived the storm."
But he soon found out that it hadn't. As he drove down the line with a heavy goods train, he saw the windmill over the hill. When he saw the state it was in, his heart sank. The windows were smashed, the walls were in disrepair, and the sails were destroyed. Dusty was there, sadly analyzing the damage.
"Dusty, what happened?"
"The storm wrecked the windmill! I'm just lucky I wasn't in there when it happened."
"Can…Can you rebuild it?"
Dusty shook his head.
"The building, yes, but the sails are too badly damaged. Unless I can find enough wood, I'll have to close down."
Murdoch wished he could help, but he didn't know how. A little while late, he was helping clear fallen trees from the line. There was one huge trunk that the cranes were taking a long time to remove.
"This is the biggest one yet!" Grunted harvey. "You could make just about anything out of this!"
This gave Murdoch an idea. Once the tree was loaded, he took it to the sawmill, where Sir Topham Hatt was waiting. Once Murdoch explained about what happened, Sir Topham Hatt was more than happy to help.
"We'll have Dusty's windmill back in operation in no time."
It took a lot of time and hard work. Murdoch was kept busy bringing lumber and other materials to the site. But at long last, the windmill was good as new.
"I can't thank ye enough, Murdoch! You really got me out of a pickle with your quick thinking."
"Of course, Dusty. Always happy to help a friend."
"As a special thank you, I'm naming the windmill after you. From here on out, this shall be known as Murdoch's Windmill!"
Murdoch couldn't be prouder.