Chapter 44: Carrie's First Period
(Friday, August 24th 2012 – 2:35pm, Wellsworth Station)
Okay everyone…for this chapter…Carrie's going to be getting her first period, and much, MUCH, earlier than we're used to expecting in Stephen King's original story, as well as the various different movie adaptations made over the years. The circumstances will be very different as well, with NO bullying or harassment from anyone at all. Please enjoy the chapter and leave reviews.
"It shouldn't be too long before we're all loaded up with everything here, and then we'll be able to be on our way again." said the fireman, as he leaned out from the side of the cab and looked back along the platform at Wellsworth Station, as members of the station staff helped to load up the vans coupled behind them with a large number of heavily-laden mail bags along with a large number of parcels and packages that had been waiting on the platform.
"That sounds good to me. I'm feeling tired after the work we did this morning." Carrie said, as she sat down on the fireman's side of the cab and yawned while covering her yawn with her hand. It was nearly the end of her day of work, as Carrie and all those young people who had been on the apprenticeship scheme had started earlier today than they had been usually done, with all of them getting up quite early that morning, with them starting work at 6:00am. It was just one of those days where everyone on the scheme were scheduled to start work earlier in the morning than had been expected, just to give them more experience of working early in the morning, which was something that was to be expected when working on the railway.
Carrie had been among the early risers this morning, having gotten up a little before 5:00am in order to be ready in time, and she had been assigned to work on the footplate of Murdoch, the bright orange 9F 2-10-0, for the day, with them leaving the motive power depot at Tidmouth a little after 6:00am. Carrie had never started work at 6:00am before, and so she was quite keen to see what it was like to start work at such an early hour.
After leaving the depot at Tidmouth, Murdoch made his way up along the line towards the large marshalling and shunting yards up at Heathfield, where he was to collect his very first train of the day. For Carrie, it was quite an interesting sight to go along the line after 6:00am and to see the sky slowly and gradually get a little bit brighter as the sun rose higher into the eastern sky, causing the darkness off to the west to gradually lessen as more light spread across the sky. The morning air had that chill to it, which caused Carrie to appreciate the warmth coming out from Murdoch's firebox, but the air would gradually get warmer as the morning went on. As they went along up the line, Carrie, in between taking a go with stoking the firebox with the coal shovel, would sit on the comfort of the fireman's seat and sip an enamel mug of steaming hot tea while she enjoyed a breakfast roll, which she had seen prepared for her in the cafeteria of the crew building before she went to work.
After arriving in the busy yards at Heathfield, Murdoch was diverted off the main line and into the yards where he made his way along the line through the vast complex of lines and sidings to pick up his train. Looking out from Murdoch's cab as they went along, Carrie couldn't help but look out with astonishment at the size of the yards, how many different sidings there were, the numbers of light towers there were keeping the yards lit up, as well as the different variety of buildings, how many different types and varieties of trucks there were parked together in the sidings, and just how busy these yards were, even at the very early time of 6:15am. She had heard all different kinds of sounds, ranging from trucks being moved about in the sidings, a tannoy system making announcements, as well as the sounds of the yard shunters moving about in between their various jobs and assignments, often taking lines of trucks with them as they moved around.
Murdoch made his way along the line to where the long freight train he was meant to collect was waiting for him, and he slowly reversed onto the front of the train, where he was coupled up to it. The train was a very long, and a very heavy, mixed freight train, and consisted of a number of different types of wagons, each of which was heavily loaded down with a variety of different goods, including machinery that was covered with tarpaulins, logs, steel beams, and a very large variety of other different things as well.
After looking back from the cab and seeing just how long their train was, Carrie was astonished and wondered if they would be able to manage a train of that length and weight, but the driver reassured her that Murdoch would easily be able to move a train that heavy, as he had done it many times before. Feeling reassured somewhat, Carrie relaxed a bit and sat back in the fireman's seat while awaiting the time when they would set off.
The minutes passed by slowly, but finally it was time for them to be on their way with their train, and the guard blew his whistle and showed his green shining lamp at 6:30am exactly. With a loud blast of his whistle, Murdoch moved slowly forwards out of the long siding, taking up the weight of the heavy train behind him, and soon they were travelling through the yards at a slow speed. From the footplate, Carrie remained where she was sitting and took in the sight of the different sights in the yard go past them as they headed on out towards the main line, including the many light poles, the various different buildings, as well as the sheds where the yard shunters would be maintained and serviced in between their jobs in the marshalling yard.
It wasn't too long before they were finally out of the yards and out onto the Northern Main Line, and it was here that the driver would be able to open the regulator a bit more and so they would be able to pick up some more speed. However, as much of the train behind them was loose-coupled, with only the front third or so of the train having brakes that could be controlled from the driver's position, they were limited to going at a maximum speed of between 45 and 50mph for the journey to Vicarstown. But Murdoch didn't mind that too much, as it would allow him some peace and quiet on the journey, as well as allowing Carrie to see parts of the Northern Main Line she had never seen before.
(Insert soundtrack – Murdoch Season 7 Theme)
The trip along the Northern Main Line went very smoothly, with the only things to disturb Murdoch's peace and quiet being the occasional engine travelling past them in the opposite direction on the other line with either a freight train or a faster passenger train. In between taking a go on the shovel with stoking the firebox, Carrie also took in the sight of the northern and north-eastern part of the Island of Sodor at this time of the morning, and she was really amazed to see how beautiful everything looked at this time of day when the sun was just rising into the eastern sky. Where the rising sun shone on rugged and rocky parts of the hills that towered in the distance to the south-west, Carrie could often see details on the hillsides that she hadn't seen before, which was amazing to see and often brought a smile to her face whenever she saw something new.
Eventually, they finally arrived at the yards at Vicarstown, bang on time at 7:15am and safely delivered the long line of trucks into one of the reception sidings. Once uncoupled from the train, Murdoch made his way over to the engine depot nearby, where he was serviced and the fire cleaned by having any clinker removed, as well as having the coal and water spaces in the tender topped up. While Murdoch was being readied for his next jobs, his crew, along with Carrie, went into the crew building to get some hot tea and hot food, as well as to wait for what their next jobs for the day would be.
They were soon given their next tasks by the yard manager not long before 8:00am; he gave them the job of going from Vicarstown Station down towards the junction near to Barrowdell to the Norramby Branch Line to the seaside town of Norramby, as there were a lot of tourists and holidaymakers who were going to be heading back home to the mainland from Sodor, as it was getting very near to the end of the summer. And as there were going to be a lot of people who wanted to get back to the main land to catch their trains home, a big and powerful engine would be needed to get all those people back to Barrow-in-Furness.
Once given their instructions for the rest of the morning, the driver, fireman, and Carrie stepped back aboard Murdoch's footplate. By this time, Murdoch had been readied for his next jobs, with his tender refilled with more coal and water, and was ready to go with plenty of steam in his boiler. They made their way over to the coaching depot nearby, where they picked up the line of coaches that were ready for them to collect, and there were 14 of them in all. Once Murdoch was coupled to the line of coaches, and the brake pipes connected up and checked, it was time for them to be on their way again, and they would be going straight down to Norramby Station to collect the passengers there. Murdoch was feeling pleased to be given the chance to pull a passenger train, as he mostly spent his time hauling heavy freight trains around the island, just like his fellow 9Fs.
Once given the all-clear to depart the yards, Murdoch made his way out from the coach yards and then down the Southern Main Line until he reached the junction that led down to Norramby, and then went onto the line. It was the first time that Carrie had gone along that line, and, in between taking a go on the shovel, she was looking out at all the different sights that went on by as they went along. Looking up to the sky, she was pleased to see that there were no clouds, the sun was shining brightly, and that there was a very light breeze in the air, all of which promised a lovely day.
After passing through Ballahoo Station, where they had to go through another junction, they soon passed through Norramby West, and pulled into the terminus of the line not long afterwards, Norramby Station. As they came to a stop, Carrie looked out around the town and station, and she was impressed by how nice this place was. There were shops and cafés, as well as a number of bars, inns, hotels, and guesthouses, that lined the main street that was the closest to the station. Out in the harbour, the tide was all the way in and there were many different boats, and painted in bright colours, to be seen floating away on the calm water, from the quaysides near them all the way down the channel towards the open sea. Not too far ahead of them, Carrie could clearly see the raised embankment and steel bridge which carried the High-Speed Line from near Vicarstown, over the estuary, and which went all the way along the southern coast of the Island of Sodor.
Then, just as the shunter uncoupled Murdoch from the coaches, there came the sounds of another steam whistle from somewhere ahead of them, and on the High-Speed Line. A few moments later, they saw who it was; it was G.W.R. King Class 4-6-0 No.6026 King John, and he was making his way along the High-Speed Line with a train of 12 coaches bound for Vicarstown Station. And from the speed he was going at, he appeared to be making good time as well. As Murdoch slowly rolled forwards, Carrie leaned out from the cab and watched as No.6026 King John went on past on the High-Speed Line with his train, with clouds of smoke and steam swirling around as the sounds of the train faded into the distance.
Once Murdoch had rolled forwards, the points behind him were switched and he rolled in reverse over them and onto the other line, past his train and over another set of points onto the turntable. Once he was turned round, he reversed off the turntable and back onto the end of his train, where he gently buffered up and was coupled to the train. In the meantime, the passengers, which were mostly tourists and holidaymakers, and which included many children, had boarded the coaches, and many of them had a lot of stuff with them, including their luggage and whatever else they had with them.
Carrie had been surprised to see just how many people there were waiting on the station platform when they had arrived and wondered if they could all fit inside the coaches. But when she looked out from Murdoch's footplate after they had been turned on the turntable and buffered up, she was pleased to see that many of the people who had been waiting before were already aboard the train. Once the last of the passengers had boarded the train, the doors to all the coaches were closed, and then the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. Acknowledging the guard, as well as the green signal ahead of them, the driver blew Murdoch's whistle and then opened the regulator, and they were on their way.
And that's what Murdoch did for much of the morning, which was running back and forth between Norramby Station and Barrow-In-Furness via Vicarstown, where they took the tourists and holidaymakers leaving Sodor to the main land, and then took some passengers who were making a quick last trip to Sodor before the summer season ended. The trains that went from the main land back to Sodor usually had far fewer people in them than the trains that went over to Barrow-In-Furness. When they arrived at Barrow, they were always uncoupled from the train and went up to the turntable, where they were turned round in readiness for the return journey to Vicarstown and Norramby.
Each time they returned to Norramby Station during the course of the morning, Carrie was always amazed by how many people were waiting on the platform for them to arrive, so that they could make their way back home. And before Murdoch could leave Norramby, he was always turned on the turntable and then coupled up to the other end of the train before he could leave.
By 11:55am, with the crowds that had crowded the trains from Norramby that morning having thinned out somewhat, Murdoch arrived in the main engine depot very close to Vicarstown Station, where he could be looked over and checked, and his crew and Carrie would be able to have a well-earned lunch after all their hard work that morning before they went back to work at 1:00pm. By that point, Carrie was feeling famished, especially since she had worked so hard that morning, with keeping Murdoch's firebox topped up with coal to keep the fire burning, as well as from some of the other jobs she had to do, including going up into the back of the tender and pushing coal forward down to the front with the shovel.
For her lunch hour, Carrie went into the cafeteria in the crew building and enjoyed a good lunch of a burger in an onion sauce, with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and peas, which she washed down with a bottle of Coca Cola, followed afterwards with a slice of rich chocolate fudge cake with whipped cream on the side. Then, with a cup of tea in her hands, she went outside to sit down at one of the tables and watched as the different activity took place within the depot around her.
However, the lunch hour came to an end just a bit too quickly for Carrie's liking, and she soon had to get back to work again. After meeting back up with the driver and fireman, they were given their next job, which was to go over to Vicarstown Station and collect a line of parcels vans and take them along the Southern Main Line to Knapford, while making stops at Crovan's Gate, Kildane, and at Wellsworth to pick up more parcels and sacks of mail before they got to Knapford.
Carrie was feeling pleased that this was her last job for the day, and she was scheduled to finish up at 3:00pm that afternoon, having started work at 6:00am that morning. After having gotten up earlier that morning, and then having worked very hard for the whole morning, she was really looking forward to getting a hot shower, and then clocking out to spend the rest of the day with Simon and the girls.
(Back to the Present, at Wellsworth Station)
Looking out from the side of Murdoch's footplate, Carrie looked along the platform and watched as the last of the mail sacks, parcels and packages were loaded onto the vans. She watched with some interest as the last of the electrically driven trolleys moved off from the platform, while the porters went along with clipboards in their hands and double-checked that everything was loaded aboard. Further back along the train, she heard the sounds of doors behind shut on some of the vans as work on loading up those vans was now fully completed.
Just then, there was the sounds of a loud whistle coming from along the line in the direction of the banker sidings. Going over to the fireman's side of the cab and looking ahead along the line, she saw who it was making the noise; it was No.455 Sir Lancelot, a member of the L.S.W.R. N15 4-6-0 Class, also known as the "King Arthurs" (79). His light-green Southern Railway livery was polished to a very high shine and Lancelot had a smile on his face as he moved along, with 12 coaches coupled up behind him. From the back of Lancelot's train, Carrie could clearly see a column of grey chuffing smoke rising into the air, which meant there was a banker at the back of the train pushing hard as this long passenger train was going to be going over Gordon's Hill.
(79): The London and South Western Railway's (L.S.W.R.) N15 Class 4-6-0 express passenger engines, also popularly known as King Arthurs, were designed by Robert Urie, and were intended for use on heavy express passenger trains that ran on the L.S.W.R. network to the ports that were along the Channel coast, as well as further west towards Exeter. They were the second biggest 4-6-0 passenger locomotives to work on the Southern Railway after the Lord Nelson Class, and could often reach speeds of up to, or in excess of, 90mph.
After Robert Urie completed his H15 Class mixed traffic 4-6-0 design in 1913, with the prototype being built in August 1914, the new design showed a major improvement in terms of performance over the previous L.S.W.R. T14 Class 4-6-0 when used on local and express passenger trains. Although 10 engines of the H15 Class were introduced by August 1914, the outbreak of the First World War prevented construction of further members of the class being built, but even so, Urie did anticipate that peacetime increases in the number of passengers being moved would necessitate longer trains being moved from London to the south-west of England. Another thing was that in the time prior to the war, the number of passengers being moved on the heavy boat trains from London to Weymouth, Portsmouth, and Southampton had been increasing, and the L.S.W.R.'s existing locomotive fleet was struggling to cope with the heavier trains, and so the L.S.W.R. needed to have a locomotive that could cope with the increasingly heavy train loads, down to the Channel coast and on the arduous route to the West Country. So, Urie responded by designing a new class of locomotive to cope with the massively increased demand.
During tests with the prototype N15 Class 4-6-0, considerable speed potential was shown with it on the Western section of the L.S.W.R. from Basingstoke onwards, and Urie knew it could form the basis for a brand-new design of express passenger 4-6-0 express locomotive with larger 6ft 7in diameter driving wheels, two outside cylinders that were 22in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke, Walschaerts valve gear, and an eight-wheel tender with double bogies. The tenders were reinforced with extra internal bracing so as to hold 5,000 gallons of water. The boiler the new design as fitted with was the very first of the taper boiler designs to be built at Eastleigh Works. Urie's design of a narrow-diameter stovepipe chimney, large dome over the top of the boiler, and his "Eastleigh" design of superheater were also included.
Although Urie's new design was approved by the L.S.W.R. management committee in 1917, work on building the new design couldn't begin until after the war came to an end of the war, and the control of essential raw materials was relaxed. In 1918, approval for construction was given, and Eastleigh Works set to work on building the new design, which would become known as the N15 Class, with the very first example, No.738, entering service on August 31st 1918. The first twenty examples of the class were built in two ten-engine batches between 1918 and 1919, and between 1922 and 1923, with the engines being numbered from No.736 to No.755. The last engines of the first batch, No.741 to No.745, were delayed due to a shortage of copper for their fireboxes, and so they didn't enter service until November 1919.
These initial engines built had two outside cylinders that were 22in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke, a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 180psi, and six driving wheels that were 6ft 7in in diameter, which all combined to give the engines a maximum tractive effort of 26,245lbf. In fact, the 22in diameter cylinders were the largest ever to be used on a British locomotive up to that time. The high running plates over the driving wheels along the side of the boiler were retained, as it allowed for easier oiling and maintenance.
When the grouping of the railways took place in 1923, the new C.M.E. of the newly-formed Southern Railway, Richard Maunsell, planned to introduce his own new class of heavy express passenger locomotives, which would in time become the Lord Nelson Class. However, there was still a need for existing services to be maintained in the short-term, and as Maunsell's new Lord Nelson Class wouldn't be ready for some time, Urie's N15 design was modified and expanded.
Maunsell ordered another batch of 10 N15s to be built at Eastleigh Works, and this batch was part of a previous L.S.W.R. order to rebuild 15 of a number of Drummond's unsuccessful four-cylinder locomotives into examples of the 2-cylinder H15 Class engines; these included the F13, G14, and P14 Classes, each of which were 4-6-0 designs. In the event, only 5 examples of the F13s were converted into H15s, with the remaining 10 G14 and P14s being rebuilt as N15s, with modifications being implemented to Urie's original design.
Trials were begun with N15 No.442 in 1924, and it was discovered that much improved performance could be made to the class by altering the steam circuit, as well as the valve travel and draughting arrangements. Although Urie's boiler was retained, a new superheater – designed by Maunsell – was fitted, and it had a much greater area of superheating than the original did. The original cylinder diameter of 22in was reduced to 20.5in, and new Ross pop valves were fitted to the boiler, which allowed it to be pressured to 200psi. A larger steam chest and an increased-diameter chimney were also incorporated into the design, with the new chimney using a rim and capuchon to control the exhaust flow. The valve events of the cylinders were revised in order to use the steam more efficiently, and the driving wheels were also rebalanced in order to reduce the effect of hammerblow on the track.
By the time the rebuilding programme was completed, the only things that remained of the rebuilt G14 and P14 classes were the numbers, smokebox doors with the centre handles, and the flat-sided cabs, and they were numbered from No.448 to No.457. However, these engines did retain their original and distinctive Drummond tenders, which were known as "watercarts." The tenders, which had a water capacity of 4,300 gallons and 5 tons of coal. were modified by having the complex injector feedwater heating equipment removed.
While the G14 and P14 Classes were being rebuilt to the N15 Class standard at Eastleigh, limited production capacity at Eastleigh due to the repairs and overhauls meant that Maunsell had to order a further batch of 20 locomotives from the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow in 1924. However, due to the necessity to maintain an intensive timetable on the Southern network, the order was increased to 30 locomotives, which were numbered from No.763 to No.792. Because these engines were built in Glasgow, they were known as "Scotch Arthurs" by their crews and enthusiasts, and they were all delivered to the Southern Railway in October 1925.
What made the N15s built in Glasgow different was that they had an Ashford-style cab based on those used on the S.E.C.R. N Class 2-6-0, which was of all-steel construction and had a roof that was flush with the cab-sides, allowing it to be used on restricted routes in the east of the Southern Railway. The Glasgow-built engines were paired with tenders that were Urie-designed and ran on double bogies, and which could carry 5,000 gallons of water. These N15s had outside cylinders that were 20.5in in diameter with a 28in piston stoke, a boiler pressed to 200psi, and driving wheels that were 6ft 7in in diameter, which combined to give the Glasgow N15s a maximum tractive effort of 25,320lbf.
Once the batch built at North British was in service on the Southern Railway, a new batch of 25 engines, numbered from No.798 to No.817, was ordered from Eastleigh Works. This was done as a way to standardise the Southern's fleet, as well as part of a desire to replace older and more obsolescent engines working on the Eastern and Central Sections. These engines were different as they had smaller firebox grates and improved water-heating surface. However, after the first 14 engines were built, the order for rest of the batch was cancelled in favour of Maunsell's new four-cylinder Lord Nelson 4-6-0 Class.
Initially, No.793 to No.807 were paired with tenders that ran on 6 wheels and carried 4,000 gallons of water for use on the former S.E.C.R. lines in the Eastern Section, and replaced the Scotch Arthurs on boat train duties. No.763 to No.772 were paired with tenders that carried 5,000 gallons of water, as they were better for use on the longer runs within the Western Section. The final ten engines, from No.808 to No.817, were paired with tenders that carried 3,500 gallons of water, and were used on the former L.B.S.C.R. routes in the central section, as the shorter turntables there restricted the sizes of engines that could be used on those routes. After the order to the Lord Nelson Class, N Class tenders were paired with No.793 to No.806 for use on the Central Section lines.
The N15 Class, which eventually numbered 74 engines in total, were known as the King Arthurs, with each one of them being given names based off of Arthurian Legends, and various characters and places associated with King Arthur.
The numbers and names of the N15 King Arthur Class designed and built under Urie were as follows;
No.736 Excalibur, No.737 King Uther, No.738 King Pellinore, No.739 King Leodegrance, No.740 Merlin, No.741 Joyous Guard, No.742 Camelot,
No.743 Lyonnesse, No.744 Maid of Astolat, No.745 Tintagel, No.746 Pendragon, No.747 Elaine, No.748 Vivien, No.749 Iseult,
No.750 Morgan le Fay, No.751 Etarre, No.752 Linette, No.753 Melisande, No.754 The Green Knight, and No.755 The Red Knight,
The numbers and names of the N15 Class built as Eastleigh were as follows;
No.448 Sir Tristram, No.449 Sir Torre, No.450 Sir Kay, No.451 Sir Lamorak, No.452 Sir Meliagrance, No.453 King Arthur, No.454 Queen Guinevere,
No.455 Sir Lancelot, No.456 Sir Galahad, No.457 Sir Bedivere, No.793 Sir Ontzlake, No.794 Sir Ector de Maris, No.795 Sir Dinadan, No.796 Sir Dodinas le Savage,
No.797 Sir Blamor de Ganis, No.798 Sir Hectimere, No.799 Sir Ironside, No.800 Sir Meleaus de Lile, No.801 Sir Meilot de Logres, No.802 Sir Durnore,
No.803 Sir Harry de Fise Lake, No.804 Sir Cador of Cornwall, No.805 Sir Constantine, and No.806 Sir Galleron.
Those members of the N15 Class that were built at the North British Company in Glasgow were numbered and named as follows;
No.763 Sir Bors de Ganis, No.764 Sir Gawain, No.765 Sir Gareth, No.766 Sir Geraint, No.767 Sir Valence, No.768 Sir Balin,
No.769 Sir Balan, No.770 Sir Prianius, No.771 Sir Sagramore, No.772 Sir Percivale, No.773 Sir Lavaine, No.774 Sir Gaheris,
No.775 Sir Agravaine, No.776 Sir Galagars, No.777 Sir Lamiel, No.778 Sir Pelleas, No.779 Sir Colgrevance, No.780 Sir Persant,
No.781 Sir Aglovale, No.782 Sir Brian, No.783 Sir Gillemere, No.784 Sir Nerovens, No.785 Sir Mador de la Porte, No.786 Sir Lionel,
No.787 Sir Menadeuke, No.788 Sir Urre of the Mount, No.789 Sir Guy, No.790 Sir Villiars, No.791 Sir Uwaine, and No.792 Sir Hervis de Revel.
In 1926, the N15 Class became the very first class of British steam locomotive to be fitted with smoke deflectors, with several designs being tested. Different experiments were undertaken on different members of the class during that year, with No.753 being fitted with a curved plate above the smokebox to channel air from below the funnel to lift the exhaust clear of the locomotive. Another example, No.772, was fitted with large, square, German-type smoke deflectors, and No.453 was fitted with small rectangular smoke deflectors fitted to the handrails on the smokebox sides. Due to the experiments giving mixed results, Maunsell asked for assistance from the University of London with wind-tunnel tests. This resulted in a standard deflector design which was fitted to the class from late 1927 onwards.
When the first N15s initially emerged from Eastleigh Works and were placed into service under L.S.W.R. ownership, they were well received at first by their crews, though they soon gained a reputation for steaming poorly when used on long runs. So, through running of the class to Exter was stopped in favour of engine changes at Salisbury. A series of trial runs were undertaken which showed that the steam pressure of the engines would usually decrease when they ran on flat parts of the line that ran west to Salisbury. Also, the trials showed that the hammerblow was the heaviest of any British locomotive class, which also caused the frames of the test locomotive to crack.
Another problem raised by the crews was that the cabs of the engines were often exposed in bad weather, which caused crews to install tarpaulin sheeting over the read of the cab and the tender front, which restricted rearward visibility. In the 1921 Miner's Strike, two members of the class were fitted with equipment for oil-firing, but when one of the modified engines caught fire at Sailsbury Shed, both were converted back to normal coal-firing.
When Maunsell took over as the Southern's C.M.E., he undertook trails on No.742, and the results showed that better performance could be obtained by altering the steam circuit, valve travel, and the draughting. The problems with the draughting through the boilers was solved when reduced-diameter blastpipes and a new chimney design were fitted. This modification proved to be successful, and all Urie N15s were modified from 1925 to 1929. From 1928, all engines except No.755 had their cylinders reduced in diameter to 21in when renewals were due, and this helped in improve their speed on flat sections of line, though the performance of the engines were affected on the gradients west of Salisbury.
In 1940, the Southern's new C.M.E., Oliver Bulleid, modified No.755 The Red Knight with a new design of 21in diameter cylinders and streamlined internal steam passages, along with having a wide-diameter chimney and a Lemaitre multi-jet blastpipe fitted, which allowed the locomotive to produce performances similar to the more-powerful Lord Nelson Class. Four more N15s were similarly treated, though the modifications to four more engines was cancelled due to war-time shortages of metal.
During their careers on the main line, the N15s performed well on their duties of hauling heavy passenger express trains on the lines that ran from London Waterloo to Weymouth, Exeter, Plymouth, and Southampton. They were allocated to different sheds across the region, and were also used on cross-country trains that ran from Bournemouth to Oxford. They also ran on the heavy boats trains that ran from London Victoria to Dover Marine, as well as on expresses to Brighton, and on commuter trains in the London area. In 1931, No.780 Sir Persant even hauled the inaugural Bournemouth Belle Pullman train from Waterloo to Bournemouth West. On the lines that ran to Eastbourne and Bognor Regis, the N15s replaced the ex-S.E.C.R. K Class 2-6-4T tank engines and the ex-L.B.S.C.R. H2 Class 4-4-2 Atlantics. They were well-liked by their crews and were used on that part of the network until electrification too place.
The class also saw use on fast freight trains from Southampton Docks, as well as on the fronts of troop and military freight trains during the Second World War. In October 1942, 10 engines were transferred to the L.N.E.R. and were based at Heaton Shed for use on freight and the odd passenger trains to the north east and Scotland. These 10 engines returned to the Southern in July 1943, after the introduction of the United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class 2-8-0s into service. A few were even loaned to the G.W.R. in order to help out with moving additional freight trains, which was necessary as there was a shortage of freight locomotives on the Great Western at that time.
From 1945 onwards, the N15 Class regularly deputised for Bulleid's new Pacific classes, which were experiencing poor serviceability at that time due to various mechanical problems they had. In 1948, when the railways nationalised, the entire class came under British Railways control and had the number 30000 added onto their numbers. From 1948 onwards, they could be found working away on most areas of the Southern Region on medium-length express trains, as well as on stopping trains that ran on the ex-L.S.W.R. main line.
Over the winters of 1948 to 1952, the original Urie N15s were put into storage, due to detail variations compared to the rest of the class. The Maunsell N15s were easier to maintain, and there were also large numbers of Bulleid Pacifics, as well as the newer B.R. Standard Classes entering service at that time. Although the Urie N15s were brought back into service during the summer months, their conditions had deteriorated quite considerably by that point, and in 1953 the first example, No.30754 The Green Knight, was withdrawn from service with cracked frames. From 1955 to 1957, the slow running-down of the Urie N15s continued and several were put into storage prior to withdrawal. By March 1958, the final example of a Urie N15, No.30738 King Pellinore, was removed from service, which took place at Basingstoke Shed. Each of them was cut up for scrap, although their names were given to 20 B.R. Standard Class 5 4-6-0s allocated to the Southern Region.
In 1959, more withdrawals of the other N15s took place, when 17 were removed from service that year, particularly as the work they did became harder to find. By 1961, there were only 12 engines still at work, and by the end of November 1962 the final example of the class, No.30770 Sir Prianius, was withdrawn from service. When she was removed from service, she had actually outlived the newer, but less numerous, Lord Nelson Class by one month.
Thankfully, one example of the N15 Class has survived into preservation; this engine is No.777 Sir Lamiel, and she was built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow in June 1925, and was withdrawn in October 1961. She's currently preserved as part of the National Collection, and has been based at the Great Central Railway at Loughborough since 1996.
During her career in preservation, No.777 has worked on many different heritage railways as well as many rail-tours out on the main line, travelling the length and breadth of the U.K. As of early 2024, after several years of sitting in storage, she's currently undergoing an overhaul to main line condition on the Great Central Railway, so it shouldn't be too long before we can see No.777 in action again.
As Carrie watched the passenger train being pulled by Lancelot go by them, she looked at the coaches and saw the passengers inside; some of them were looking out from the windows, while others were looking through books and magazines, working away on their phones or laptops, or even enjoying a late lunch at their tables. As Lancelot built up speed in front, the coaches went by a little faster and it wasn't long before the banker at the back of the train came past them; it was G.W.R. Hawksworth 94XX Pannier 0-6-0T tank engine No.8450, and he was pushing very hard at the back, with quite a racket being made from the sharp, loud puffing from his chimney as he went by.
A few moments later, with the sounds of the passenger train fading into the distance towards Gordon's Hill, the last of the doors on the parcel vans were closed up, which meant that Murdoch was ready to depart for Knapford Station. From the guard's van at the back of the train, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag before stepping back into the brake van.
"Here we go!" the driver said, as he released the steam brakes, blew Murdoch's whistle for a few seconds, and then opened the regulator, allowing steam to flow into the two outside cylinders.
"Stand by to stoke the boiler!" the fireman said, as Carrie took hold of the shovel and readied herself to stoke the boiler, as Murdoch slowly set off from Wellsworth Station.
"Okay!" Carrie said, as she held onto the front of the tender and waited for the right moment to stoke the boiler. She looked out the cab towards the fireman's side of the cab, she watched as the opposite platform of Wellsworth Station went by them, and then the banker sidings where all the different engines assigned to banking were waiting in the sidings.
As Murdoch slowly built up some more speed along the main line, it was time for Carrie to start placing some more coal into the firebox to keep the fire burning brightly and hot, so as to make enough steam. Standing up and getting into a position which she was comfortable with, Carrie began to stoke the boiler with fresh coal. Suddenly, as she placed a fourth shovelful of coal into the firebox, Carrie then felt a slight cramp just below her stomach, and she stopped what she was doing while placing her right hand on where the pain was and groaning for a second.
"Carrie…is everything all right?" asked the fireman, with some concern.
"Yeah…I'm fine. Just…just a slight pain in the area below my stomach." Carrie said, as she straightened herself up a bit, while keeping one hand on the handle grip of the shovel and using the shovel to help her straighten up.
"Well Carrie…if you need to sit down and rest for a bit…you can do so. And I'll take over stoking the boiler." the fireman said. After thinking for a few moments, Carrie nodded.
"All right…I think I do need to have a sit down. I have been standing for much of the last while anyway." Carrie said, as she handed the shovel to the fireman and then went to sit down on the fireman's seat. With some more pain lower down below her stomach, Carrie sat herself down and tried to make herself comfortable.
For the rest of the journey along the Southern Main Line to Knapford Station, although Murdoch ran very smoothly along, Carrie did keep experiencing odd pains and cramps in the area below her stomach at times, which meant she did find it difficult to stoke the boiler when she went to take her turn at that task. So, as a result of that, the fireman told her that he would take over stoking the boiler with coal for the rest of the trip. In the meantime, Carrie worked at keeping the boiler filled with water, which wasn't a problem as the injector controls for putting water into the boiler were right in front of her. The pains, although they were very slight, they were just a constant presence, and it did cause some Carrie some concern that something was going on. Was this the onset of a simple stomach ache, or was it something a bit more serious than that?
They rolled smoothly along and soon they went through Henry's Tunnel, and were on the final stretch of line before they arrived back at Knapford Station. By now, Carrie was feeling tired from having started earlier on in the morning than usual, and she was looking forward to a nice hot shower before meeting up with Simon and the girls and relaxing for the rest of the afternoon and evening. She was also hoping the pain in her lower torso area would have eased before then, as she didn't want to spend the rest of the day with her friends in pain, slight though the pain was.
Soon, they went round the final bend and Knapford Station came into view ahead of them, and Carrie felt herself smile a little when she saw the welcome sight of the station appear and get nearer to them as Murdoch rolled up to the station, and then slowed down as he came alongside Platform 5, where men were standing by to unload all the parcel vans. As Murdoch came to a stop, Carrie looked up at the clock fitted over the platform to see what the time was; it was 2:55pm. They had arrived a little bit early than the scheduled time allowed for.
As the men on the platform opened the doors of the vans and began unloading all the parcels and sacks of mail onto waiting trolleys, a shunter got in between the front van and Murdoch's tender and uncoupled him from the train. At the same time, the driver reset the controls and got ready to head back to Tidmouth Sheds, as he and the fireman were also due to finish for the day at that time. Once they got back to Tidmouth Sheds, Murdoch would be handed over to another crew and then he would head out again to do some more work until later that evening.
"Okay, we're all uncoupled back here!" the shunter said, as he stood below the cab and called up to the driver.
"Thanks! We'd best be off to the sheds now! We'll see you later!" the driver said, as he blew Murdoch's whistle and then opened the regulator a little. Slowly, with steam blowing out from the front, Murdoch slowly rolled forwards out from Knapford Station and back towards Tidmouth Sheds.
(At Tidmouth Sheds, a little while later)
"And here we are…back at the sheds." Murdoch said, as he slowly reversed back into the berth at one of the sheds. He'd had a good day of work so far, and had really enjoyed his runs through the countryside, as there he could really enjoy some peach and quiet which he always liked.
At the same time, Carrie was feeling glad to be back as well and, as soon as Murdoch's driver put the brakes on and brought the orange 9F to a stop inside the shed, Carrie slowly stood up and stretched out a bit. Right now, the pain she had experienced in her lower abdomen a little earlier on had faded somewhat, but at the same time she was concerned that the pain and cramps would return, and hoped that it wouldn't be when she was socialising with her friends later that day. Grabbing the things that she had brought with her, she managed to step off from the footplate without too much trouble and, after giving her thanks to the driver and fireman, she made her way over towards the crew building nearby.
Stepping inside the main entrance, she saw Sophie, Alice, Olivia, and Saoirse already there and chatting together with each other near to the foot of the stairs.
"Hi, Carrie! Welcome back!" Saoirse said, when she saw Carrie approach them.
"Hi there, girls! It's great to be back here after today! And boy, am I eager to have a good shower after today." Carrie said.
"Yeah, and I think the rest of us are eager to have a good hot shower as well. Especially me, after the day I've had today." Sophie said, as she showed that her overalls, as well as parts of her face, were coated with a light layer of coal dust.
"What happened to you, Sophie?" Carrie asked.
"I was working on the footplate of No.63619 for today, and we ended up in the coal mines after lunch. And while we were there, a breeze sprung up as a large sack of coal burst open near to us, and the coal dust that blew us went everywhere, including onto me." Sophie said.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that, Sophie." Carrie said.
"Anyway…let's get upstairs and get showered and changed. And then we'll meet up with Simon and then head out to socialise for the rest of the day." Olivia said.
"And where is Simon by the way?" Carrie asked, as they all headed up the stairs, with Carrie being mindful of the cramps and slight pains she had earlier on in the day.
"We were told that he's gonna be a little bit late getting back here today, due to the fact something happened out there…but rest assured, we do know that he is on his way back." Alice said.
"That's good. Now let's get to the changing room." Carrie said.
(A minute or so later)
Once the girls arrived in the ladies changing room, they stripped off and prepared themselves for a nice hot shower, as well as to dry off and change into fresh clothes afterwards. The girls who had filthy overalls on were very keen to get their filthy overalls off and place them in to be washed before they themselves went in for a shower.
"Ughh…I'm glad to be getting these sweaty and filthy overalls off! They've been clinging to my back all day!" Olivia said, as removed the open-topped overalls she was wearing and placed them into a large wash-basket off to the side, which was already half-full with a number of overalls that needed washing.
"Yeah, and I've been working so hard all day that my old t-shirt is clinging to me as well!" Saoirse said, as she stripped off her sweaty shirt and then unclasped her bra.
"Time for a nice hot shower, I think!" Carrie said, as she grabbed two towels from by her locker, as well as the bottle of body-wash lotion she had with her, and then stepped over to the shower area.
Stepping into one of the empty shower stalls, Carrie closed the door and then turned on the hot water. Stepping under the warm and strong flow, she stood still for a minute or two and allowed the water to go all over her body and wash the sweat off. As the steam from the hot water rose into the air and filled up the shower stall, Carrie reached for the bottle of body-wash, opened it up, and put some on her left hand. Then she rubbed it under one of her armpits before lathering up the other one.
As Carrie rubbed the soapy lather over more of her body, a sudden thought went through her mind about the pains she experienced earlier on and something she remembered having with the other girls earlier in the year; was she having her first period? The thought of it did scare her, but then again, after having spoken to the other girls she was friends with, as well as having read about the process of menstruation in books at the library when she could get some time to herself, she knew it was a part of how young women all over the world grew up.
As she rubbed some shampoo into her hair, she felt another slight pain come into the same place as earlier on in the day, and she placed her hands down there again. For a few moments, she wasn't sure what on earth was going on, but as she brought her hands up from the area between her legs and looked at the palms, she saw there was blood on them. For a few seconds, she wasn't sure what was going on…but then she remembered again; it was the process of menstruation…she was having her first period at last.
"Oh, my goodness…" Carrie said, in a slightly loud voice, as she looked at her hands, and then down her legs to the floor of the shower; there was period blood down her legs collecting and being washed down the drain in the middle of the stall.
"Carrie?" came the familiar Irish voice of Saoirse, as her hand knocked three times on the outside of the door to the shower stall, "Are you all right? There's nothing wrong is there?"
"It's all right, Saoirse, nothing's wrong…it's just that I've just had my first period at last!" Carrie said, as she rinsed the blood off her hands under the shower.
"Well then, congratulations for that, Carrie! I guess it means that you're a young woman now!" Saoirse said.
"Yeah, I guess I am!" Carrie said, with some genuine sense of relief in her voice, now knowing the pains and cramps she had experienced were only her period. Feeling a sense of even greater relief go over her, Carrie continued on with her shower.
(A few minutes later)
With the last of the blood from her first period having been washed down the drain, and with her having washed pretty much every inch of herself, Carrie turned off the shower, and the wrapped the two towels around herself. Grabbing her bottle of body-wash, she stepped out from the shower and back towards the changing area, where some of the other girls who had already showered and changed a little earlier on were leaving the room and heading downstairs to clock out.
"Are you feeling all right, Carrie?" Sophie asked, as Carrie stepped over to them and sat down on the bench in front of the locker she had that day.
"Yeah, I'm feeling all right, Sophie." Carrie said, as she rubbed one of the towels into her hair to try and dry it off as much as she could.
"Was that really your first period?" Alice asked, as she rubbed her own towel over her top half to dry herself off.
"Yes, it was, I've never had a period before today. And I'd did have some pains lower down in my abdomen earlier on today when I was working away on Murdoch's footplate on the main line." Carrie said.
"Oh yeah, I know what that's like to go through. You do get used to it in time, but at first, it's a mild irritant when it happens." Olivia said.
"And just be glad you had your first period in the shower, where the running water can wash it all away. I did hear a story once…and how true it is, I don't know…about a girl who had her first period when she was wearing a set of crisp white shorts on a summer's day in a park, and that she was so embarrassed when her white shorts turned red as she had her period." Sophie said.
"Oh dear, I hope that story isn't true." Carrie said, fearful of the embarrassment that girl had gone through. At the same time though, she thought about what would have happened to her about what might have taken place to her back in Ewen High School if she had her first period in the showers of the gym and what the other girls might have done. And then, an even more worrying thought crossed Carrie's mind; what would have happened to her of her mother had found out she had her first period? There were no doubts that she would have locked up Carrie in the closet for quite a long time, and those thoughts made her shiver in a frightful sort of way.
"And Carrie…they way you got your first period in the shower is no different to the way I got my first…" Saoirse said.
"And what happened?" Carrie asked, as the other three girls looked at each other; it was quite clear they had heard this story before.
"Well…I was in the bathtub at home…when I was 12 years old, and having a relaxing bath after a long day of playing sports with my friends…and I was relaxing in the bubbles and allowing the heat to rest me, and that's when I got my period." Saoirse said.
"And…" Carrie asked, wanting to know a bit more.
"Well…I opened my eyes after a bit, and I saw that the water was red, which shocked me somewhat. But then I realised what it was, and I was grateful for that." Saoirse said.
"I guess that's something." Carrie said, as she and the other girls continued drying themselves off.
"But, seriously though, Carrie…was that really your first period?" Olivia asked.
"Yes, it was." Carrie said, confirming her answer.
"You know Carrie…I'm a bit surprised that you're…16 years old now?" Olivia asked.
"Yes." Carrie said.
"I'm a bit surprised that you're 16 years old now, and you've had your first period only just a few minutes ago. Most girls first have theirs when they're around 12 or 13 years old." Olivia said.
"Well, hang on a moment there, Olivia. Each girl is gonna be different in when they get their first period. I first got mine when I was 14 years old." Sophie said.
"Yeah…I think you might be right there, Sophie." Olivia said, as she continued on with drying herself off.
(A little later)
Once the five girls had fully dried themselves off and dressed into fresh clothes, as well as Carrie taking the time to get a fresh tampon and sanitary pad, they packed their used clothes and work-shoes into separate bags they had with them, they left the changing room and made their way downstairs to clock out for the day.
Stepping down to the main entrance area, they all saw Simon standing very close to the entrance doors, having just clocked out himself.
"Oh, hey ladies. Are you all okay?" Simon asked, when he saw the girls coming down the stairs towards him.
"Yes, Simon. We're all fine. Did everything go well for you today?" Olivia asked, as they approached him.
"Yeah, but the only thing that spoiled my day was when I was on my way back from Ffarquhar Station on Thomas; two cows from a field strayed onto the line and we had to wait for the farmer to come down and take them away., But apart from that, my day went very well." Simon said.
"When did you get back Simon?" Sophie asked.
"Not too long ago to be honest, and I was able to get myself showered and changed into clean clothes in record time, before I left the men's changing room and ended up down here." Simon said.
"Well…shall we head off and relax for the rest of the day? After all, it's still quite a nice day out today." Saoirse said, as she glanced out the doors.
"Absolutely, and let's go out there and enjoy the day while it lasts." Simon said, and after the five girls clocked out for the day, they left the crew building and made their way out onto the street before they headed over to one of their favourite coffee shops.
(Later that evening)
After spending the rest of the afternoon socialising with each other in the coffee shop, as well as taking the opportunity to have a long stroll around the nearby park with each other, they went to one of their favourite places just on the northern outskirts of Knapford to eat at around 6:00pm where they enjoyed a really good dinner with each other. After each of them had to get up earlier than usual that morning to start work early, having a good dinner in one of their favourite places with each other's company made it all seem worth it in the end.
"Hmm…that's good." Simon said, as he savoured his steak.
"I bed you'd rather have one of these burgers though, Simon." Olivia said, as she took another bite out of her burger.
"Or even this chicken I'm having." Sophie said.
"Well, maybe when we come here another time." Simon said. The six friends were eating at one of the tables out on a large outside patio area, where they had a good view out to the setting sun off to the west, as well as of a double track railway line that passed by below the ground where the restaurant was at, and as well as a good view of the setting sun and the wide open view of the landscape, they also had a good view of trains that passed by on the two lines below them.
They weren't the only ones who were enjoying a good meal here this evening; there were plenty of other people who were also eating their evening meals here as well, whether they were inside the restaurant or eating outside on the patio space. Many of those who were eating here this evening were tourists and holidaymakers who were enjoying a final good dinner at one of the restaurants of Sodor before they had to head on home in the morning on one of the trains. There were also some of the permanent residents of Knapford who were also having dinner here, and who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.
The weather this evening was warm and calm, and there were no clouds in the sky at all, and there was no breeze to be felt at all. In fact, it was a perfect late-summer evening to be out and about with friends.
The six friends soon finished their main courses and it wasn't long before the used dishes were taken back to the kitchen by one of the waitresses, and then they were handed copies of the evening's dessert menus. When they had placed their dessert orders a few minutes later, after the waitress had come back from serving another table, the waitress took the orders to the kitchen and the six friends sat around and chatted with each other.
"What do you think is gonna happen when we get back to work next week?" Saoirse asked.
"No idea. But one thing I can say that is certain is that the new flight route to Sodor from the Western Main Airport on Saturday September 1st, and so there's no doubt gonna be people from Maine coming over on the inaugural flight from there to Sodor." Simon said.
"I only hope that none of the people I know from Chamberlain are on that flight. After all, they've already caused me enough trouble for one lifetime." Carrie said, as many of the bad memories from her past went through her head.
"Don't worry, Carrie. I don't think it's very likely to happen anytime soon. I'm sure that if they knew you were here, they would have already come over here by now." Sophie said.
"Yeah, maybe you're right, Sophie. But, even so…I can't help but worry that it might happen." Carrie said.
"Don't worry, Carrie. If in the unlikely event any of them ever come over here to Sodor at all, I promise you that we'll be there for you. After all, considering what you told us about your main bully, Chris Hargensen…I'm sure that she wouldn't dare cause us any trouble, especially a Scotswoman like me!" Sophie said.
"Well, there's absolutely no doubt, Sophie, that a Scotswoman like you would be able to stand up to bullies like those at Carrie's high school without too much difficulty." Alice said, as she drained the last of the soda in her glass.
"Absolutely." Sophie said, as she grabbed her own glass and drained the last of the soda in it.
As they chatted, they heard the sounds of a whistle from along the railway line below them and, quietening and looking down to the railway line, they waited to see which engine it was that was approaching. After a minute or so, they soon saw which engine it was; it was L.M.S. Princess Royal Class Pacific No.6209 Princess Beatrice, painted in original L.M.S. Crimson livery with L.M.S. in gold paint on the sides of her tender, and she was rolling along the main line towards Knapford Station with a long line of 16 heavily-laden coaches rolling along behind her. With the sounds of her deep-toned whistle sounding again all around as she passed under the road bridge a few hundred feet away and then passed by below the restaurant, the six friends at their table waved their arms and watched as the train went on by.
At the same time, a number of other people who were dining at the tables outside on the patio had stood up and then stepped over to the wall that lined it and watched as the train went on past. Once the last of the coaches had disappeared amid a thin cloud of swirling steam and smoke, those people went back to their tables and continued on with their meals, conversations, or their drinks.
"What a sight that is." Simon said, as the sounds of the train faded into the distance.
"And indeed it is, and one I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing." Saoirse said.
It wasn't too long before their desserts were served to them, along with hot tea as well, and they settle down to enjoy them. Carrie had ordered an ice cream sundae, while Simon had ordered a slice of apple-cinnamon pie with whipped cream. Alice and Olivia had ordered baked apples with ice cream, Sophie had ordered a slice of chocolate fudge cake, and Saoirse had ordered a slice of fruit pavlova.
"Hmm, this is good." Carrie said quietly, as she savoured the flavour of her sundae and how sweet and creamy it was. After starting earlier than expected that morning, as well as hard day of work, having such a good ice cream sundae like this one made it seem like the early start and all the hard work had been worthwhile in the end.
"I'm feeling somewhat tired after today, Carrie. I can't wait to get into bed this evening, I'll be honest about that." Simon said, as he took a sip of tea.
"Me too, and the day seemed to pass by slower for me, especially with all that freight that needed to be moved about out on the line today." Olivia said, as she took another spoonful of her baked apple.
"Shall we all meet up tomorrow morning and do something together?" Saoirse suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me…what do you think we should do?" Alice asked, as she took a sip of tea.
"How about we meet up for breakfast at one of the cafés in the centre of Knapford and then maybe a walk in the park afterwards?" Simon suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me. What do you girls think?" Carrie said, and the other four girls voiced their opinions that it sounded like a good idea. And so, with a plan for the morning sorted out, the six of them continued on eating their desserts, while occasionally looking over towards where the sun was setting to admire the view of the landscape in the evening light, as well as the sky slowly getting a little darker as time went on.
And that's it for this chapter, everyone! As we've all seen, Carrie just had her first ever period, and under conditions that were certainly much different and far calmer than what we're all used to seeing in Stephen King's original novel, or in any of the three film adaptations.
I hope to have the next chapter in the story, and with a little bit of luck it may be TWO chapters, uploaded sometime in the near future. So, until then…please enjoy this latest chapter!