As the sun was rising the next day, busy chatter could be heard at Tidmouth sheds. Tina's crew was on the way to her, opening the doors of her berth and securing them safely. When they climbed into their engine's cab, they overheard the others talking.
"I saw them coming back to Knapford, was on shunting duty for the yard yesterday evening," Percy explained.
"Yes, but has anyone seen them afterwards?" Tina inquired, "I am supposed to take a heavy goods train to Brendam with James in an hour."
"I heard James' whistle very late last night, coming from the direction of Knapford. Maybe they stayed at the sheds there," Edward assumed.
The discussions continued all the while Tina had been prepared to depart. As she rolled onto the turntable, more crews slowly arrived to ready their engines for the day. A few minutes later, she arrived at Tidmouth station where Duck was already busily shunting the trucks for her train. Tina offered to help, but Duck politely declined as he was nearly done anyways and went on to assemble coaches for Sandy.
In the meantime, Sandy's and James' crews were on their way to Knapford sheds, laughing and cracking jokes. When they opened the shed doors, they found their locomotives touching foreheads, sleeping soundly. Quickly, they climbed into their cabs to check the brakes. Apparently Sandy's handbrake had given way over night which caused her to roll forward until she was stopped by James. Not that the two had minded that, but they had to fall asleep that way. When the crews stirred up their firebeds and built fresh coal around it, the two slowly started waking up, yawning.
James gently nuzzled Sandy, smiling at her, "Good morning, my dear. Hope you slept well despite the short night?"
Sandy purred softly, slowly opening her eyes, "Mhhh… good morning. Yes, yes, fine…" she ended with a yawn.
All too soon for their liking, their crews pulled them apart to go to Tidmouth for their respective trains and to get work orders from the Fat Controller. Once they arrived, Tina was already sitting at the front of the goods train she was to take to Brendam docks with James.
"Good morning, Tina, Sandy and James. I see you're all well rested and ready for your jobs," Sir Topham Hatt said in an unusually cheerful voice, "This heavy goods train is bound for Brendam docks. Tina, you'll take it down Edward's branch line with James as your back engine. Sandy, your coaches are ready too. You'll take a group of visitors around the island and up to Ulfstead Castle where you will meet Stephen. Duck will show you the way to Ulfstead once you are back from the island tour."
With that said, Tina and James departed with their goods train while Sandy went to Vicarstown to pick up her visitors. Once she arrived at the big station, people were gathering on platform 1 already, listening intently to what the tour guide had to say. As soon as she had been turned around and backed down onto her coaches once more, she noticed a small group of elderly men standing at the front end of the platform, one of them who was looking a lot older than the others was in a wheelchair, wearing old fashioned clothes Sandy hasn't seen for decades and a monocle. Her driver Georg got out the cab, taking off his cap, walking over to the old man and greeting him and his company politely. Only now Sandy recognized where she had previously seen this man and who he was!
Having his wheelchair pushed towards her, the old man smiled gently once he was facing her, "It has been quite some time since we last met, hasn't it?"
"Yes indeed, Sir! And I am highly honoured to meet you again. But if I may ask, what brings you that far up North?" Sandy inquired courteously.
Lowering his voice, he explained his visit, "You see, I have been diagnosed with an incurable illness a couple weeks ago. I heard you have been sent to work on an island close to Great Britain during summer, but it seems you found a place to stay, a forever home possibly. I got in contact with the museum director in Austria, asking where exactly you were as I wanted to see you one last time before…"
He couldn't finish his sentence, the words were too woeful to come across his lips. Not saying another word, he reached out for her shunting pole, trying to pull himself out of the wheelchair. The men standing behind him all jumped to help him, but he stopped them with just a small gesture of his hand. Slowly, he stood up, one hand on the shunting pole, the other on the running board.
"My dear Sandy, I've organized this tour for sort of saying good-bye to my family and those I love. I haven't told anyone but close family about my illness yet and don't want anyone to know until it's time," he explained calmly.
Tears started welling up in Sandy's eyes, but she swallowed her sadness, not wanting anyone to see her crying right there. This man, he meant so much to her, he was the son of the last kkStB director and was regularly travelling on trains she was pulling back in time when she still was in regular service between the wars. He was also the biggest donor of money when it came to her initial restoration after World War II, having paid for almost all the work that needed to be done, basically being her life saver. Now, a man of nearly 100 years of age, the strains of life were showing in his face.
The two were taken out of their bubble of recollections by the guard coming up and asking if they were ready to start their tour around the island. The old man nodded, but asked if there still was time for a quick photograph of Sandy and him. The guard agreed and made his way to the back of the train to check on the other passengers that were already boarded. Quickly, the picture was taken and the old man sat down in his wheelchair once more, giving Sandy a quick pat on her running board and a soft smile before being pushed to his coach. Once everyone was aboard the train, the guard blew his whistle for them to depart Vicarstown, followed by Sandy's echoing through the station before slowly making her way into the countryside.
Their first stop was at Crovan's Gate where the visitors got off their special train to be introduced to the narrow gauge engines. To the pity of most, there wasn't enough time to visit the whole narrow gauge line, but they had a good laugh with Skarloey and Sir Handel telling stories from the past. Soon, it was time to depart again and continue down the line to Maron where they would transition over to Edward's branch line and reach Brendam docks via Lower Suddery. Clouds started forming in the distance, but nobody paid attention to it as the forecast didn't mention any bad weather. The only ones to worry were Sandy and her crew as they knew the weather could quickly change from brightest sunshine to heavy thunderstorm within moments, especially back home in the Austrian mountains, but they were hoping for the best nonetheless.
They spent an hour at the docks, the visitors touring the harbour and taking photos. Even Bill and Ben had been delivering some trains in the meantime and were allowed to have a little chat and cracking jokes with the visitors before they returned to the clay pits. A small detour to the local lighthouse and back was made for those who were capable of walking the distance within the time scheduled. Given the nature of things, the elderly men from before stayed at the docks, talking to Sandy's crew, wanting to know all the things that had happened the last couple years and how they were doing on Sodor. Shortly after the small group returned from the lighthouse, a fresh breeze picked up, urging the visitors back into the coaches, ready to go back up to the mainline.
On their way to Wellsworth, the weather had completely changed for the opposite of the morning. Dark clouds were looming over the island and the winds kept getting stronger. The train guard was hoping they would make it to Knapford in time before the storm hit as nobody had an umbrella with them. Only minutes later after passing through Crosby, a heavy downpour began, whipping rain against the coaches and also right into Sandy's cab. Completely unprepared, the driver and fireman started to frantically search for their cab cover they used in case of bad weather, but to no avail. For a short moment they thought of stopping in Henry's tunnel, but decided against it, remembering what had happened last time a train stopped there. With the regulator fully opened to the maximum, they thundered down the line towards Knapford, whistling at every critical point as the vision was getting worse by the minute. Mere metres before the station, hail mixed with the rain, crashing down on the coaches and Sandy who frowned at the horrible weather. Finally they came to a screeching halt at platform 2, the engine crew completely soaked, the cab a mess. They secured the brakes before jumping off their engine and making their way to Sir Topham Hatt's office to inform him about their delay for the further tour due to the weather. They also quickly went to fetch some fresh clothes and some towels as well as looking in the storage in the back of Sandy's tender to see if the cab cover was there. Luckily, they found it and fixed it to the cab roof before starting to clean the insides of the cab. They secretly cursed Karl Gölsdorf for designing these open cabs.
A few long minutes that felt like they were dragging on for an eternity passed before the clouds gradually became lighter and the rain subsided to a light drizzle. In case there was more to come, Sandy's crew left the cab cover mounted on the roof. In the meantime, Cally had pulled in with a local, her crew as soaked as Sandy's was. The two engines exchanged some quick words about their day before the visitor's train was ready to continue the journey. Sandy whistled good-bye to Cally, departing towards Tidmouth and on to Haultraugh via the Little Western. The passengers enjoyed the lovely landscape and the soft waves of the sea rolling towards the shore while they travelled along the line. At Haultraugh, there was another big lighthouse to visit and a short layover to let Duck pass through with a small goods train towards Marthwaite where he was to wait up for Sandy to show her the way to Ulfstead Castle. Half an hour later, the train was en route to Marthwaite, passing through Arlesburgh on the way. The line along the river Arle ran through a beautiful landscape, almost like a painting.
Once they reached the station, Duck was coupled to the front of Sandy, "Oy, luckily the rain has stopped, the rails are rather slippery up here."
"Yes, indeed. I don't like rain very much, but what can you do…" Sandy replied, trailing off, "Anyways, let's get going! I am already curious about the castle."
The two set off towards the lake, running around it, passing by ruins of an old fort and back down towards Ffarquhar via Hackenbeck. At the small station, they both stopped to take on water and waited for Thomas to pass by with his coaches.
When he arrived, he smiled at them, "Oh you're going up to Ulfstead Castle? It's very busy up there, they are preparing…"
He couldn't finish as Duck quickly intervened, "Yes we are going to the castle, Thomas. Sandy will meet Stephen, Millie and the Duke of Norramby."
"Ah I see," he winked at Duck, "Well I hope you will like your visit to the castle, Sandy!"
With that said, Thomas departed the station, understanding he wasn't to say anything else. Sandy raised an eyebrow questioningly, but since Duck couldn't see it, she had to wait and see to get an answer. Minutes later, they arrived at the castle, people waiting on the main platform already and Stephen waiting for the visitors to arrive. Sandy's eyes widened, she had never seen a castle with a railway line running through and around it.
"Hello, hello! Welcome to Ulfstead Castle," Sir Robert Norramby chirped, stepping down from one of the open coaches pulled by Stephen, "May I introduce you to my old friend Stephen, he was one of the first steam locomotives ever built. I brought him here when I renovated the castle to open it for visitors again. He is running tours through and around it alongside my narrow gauge engine Millie."
"The Rocket…" Sandy whispered in awe, never having dreamt to meet one of the very first steam locomotives, a legend in his own right.
"Hello there, what's your name?" Stephen asked politely, putting on a heartwarming smile.
"I- uh… I'm Sandy. I am honoured to meet you, thank you for paving the way for us. If it wasn't for your success at Rain Hill, we probably wouldn't be gracing these rails," the Austrian replied.
"Ohh, that's been so many decades ago! I am happy Sir Norramby saved me and had me restored. I love my work here even though I may not be the strongest or fastest anymore, but there's always use for an engine, no matter how old they are," Stephen pointed out, "But tell me, I think I've heard about you before, where are you from? You look rather familiar."
"I'm from Austria, was built in 1908 for the Imperial Royal Train and later running on the Orient Express. And today I have the great honour of showing the son of the last kkStB director around the island. I feel like a private engine, much like back in the old days," Sandy explained.
"So that's where I have seen you! News about the Austrian Emperor's death in 1916 was spreading in Great Britain too, I have seen a photo of you pulling his funeral train with the Habsburg Crest on your buffer beam in the newspaper my driver brought with him," Stephen concluded, "But let's talk about something happier than that. I am here to show you and your visitors around the castle and there's also a special surprise waiting for you at the end of our small tour."
Stephen winked at her to which she raised an eyebrow questioningly, but only received a wide grin as an answer. Sandy was sent to be turned around at the castle yards before she was following the Rocket through the estate. Her passengers were enjoying the ride in the old open coaches while they were told about the castle's history by the Duke. He also didn't forget to mention it was thanks to Stephen that King Godred's crown was found and could be seen on display.
A few hours later, the tour around the castle was nearing its end and they were now entering the main building via the restored drawbridge. Everyone was amazed by how much space there was inside the court, there even was another turntable installed and everything was dual gauge track. Next to the main entrance there was something big covered up with dark blue cloth sitting on the rails. Sir Norramby stepped down from the coach he had been on and went to the console for a small speech and also showed the golden crown to the visitors.
"As Stephen mentioned previously, there will be a surprise at the end of our tour," the Duke gestured towards the covered box-like structure to his right, "And I am very venerated to now hand over to our guest of honour."
The son of the last kkStB director was accompanied to the console where he slowly got out of the wheelchair, "Thank you for making this such a special day for me. It really means a lot to have all my friends and family here," he then turned to Sandy, "And thank you very much for being my private engine for today, it felt just like back in 1980 when you were restored and put back into service for excursions and railway exhibitions. You always meant a lot to me personally, I don't know why, but I had to make it my personal goal to have you out and running again. And today I wanted to thank you for your loyalty and always providing an excellent travel experience for me by this little present over there," he gestured towards the hidden vehicle, prompting the men holding the ropes to pull the cloth off.
A dead silence settled across the crowd and engines. Sandy stared wide-eyed at the coach before her, not believing what she saw. The white lining was contrasting the smooth dark green, nearly black, sidewalls of the 6-axle coach, mounted in the centre was the Austro-Hungarian double headed eagle of the great Monarchy made of brass but looking like gold in the sunlight. The interior was fitted in luxurious mahogany wood with fine carvings.
"As you might know, none of your Imperial Royal Train coaches survived to this day, so I asked the head of the Technical Museum in Prague, where the old blueprints and notes of it are stored, if I would be allowed to make some copies. A few days later, I received a phone call, announcing they had made copies and were sending them to me via signed express mail. I went to work with some of Europe's leading railway coach building companies, showing them what I had in mind and this is the final result we were able to produce," once again the old man gestured over to the coach, "And now this exact replica is all yours, a special coach for a special engine."
People started to applaud and cheer, seeing how deep the impact had been on Sandy who now couldn't hold back her tears anymore. They were rolling down her cheeks while she was smiling with happiness, not finding any words for this wonderful present. Her crew had gotten out of the cab and were trying to dab away the tears from her face carefully, thanking the man for his generous present over and over since she couldn't say anything at this moment.
Sir Robert Norramby had talked to Duck in the meantime to shunt the new coach onto Sandy's train to take it with her on the remaining tour. Once everything was arranged, the man was pushed over to Sandy who now mouthed a "Thank you" in a very low voice as this was all she could get past her lips at this point, the surprise really having hit home after decades of not having seen any of the likes, not even remembering exactly what her train had looked like back in the day.
Another hour went by before they were to make their return trip to Vicarstown for the visitors to catch their connection to the mainland and back home to Austria. All the while during their return journey, Sandy's mind wandered back to her past when she was fresh out of the works and announced she would be the one to pull the Emperor's train. She still didn't know how to thank her old friend for this amazing present and time flew by so fast she didn't notice how close they already were to Vicarstown, passing through Crovan's Gate, and the farewell forever to this special human in her life.
Pulling into the station, the sun slowly started to set, casting a soft golden hue on the 306 and her coaches. She knew it was time to part and tried to not let emotions get the better of her. Once all the passengers had disembarked, they thanked Sandy and her crew for the lovely day, the one or other wishing them well before leaving for the already waiting train back to the mainland. The old man was once again pushed to face Sandy, getting out of his wheelchair and walking towards her, holding onto her running board. He spoke softly but sternly, urging her to always be the dutiful and polite engine he remembered her to be and to never forget her past. Even though one cannot change it, one can always learn from it. A soft smile spread across his face as he sat back down in his wheelchair and waved good-bye to Sandy, being pushed towards the adjacent platform to board the train back home. The 4-4-0 sat in silence, once again swallowing the upcoming tears as she knew she wouldn't see him again. She watched as the train slowly pulled out of Vicarstown towards the rolling bridge and onto the mainland, disappearing in the distance. With a heavy sigh, she was reversed out of the station to be turned around and readied for her return trip to Knapford. She had all green lights on her way back to the big station, but wasn't able to get her thoughts off what the old man had said until she fell asleep that evening.