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A Model Engine
Written by Rhydyronen & Broa Island
Proofread and Corrected by BNSF1995
Isle of Sodor: 1957
A Special Train arrived at Knapford Station one day and the Fat Controller welcomed the passengers. They looked at everything in the yard, and photographed the engines. Duck's driver let some of them ride in his engine's cab.
"They're the Railway Society," Duck's driver explained. "They've come to see us. Their engine's 'City of Truro'. According to some, he was the first to go a-hundred miles an hour. Let's get our work finished, then we can go and talk to him."
"Oh!" said Duck awed. "He's too famous to notice me."
"Rubbish!" smiled his driver. "Come on."
Duck found 'City of Truro' at the coaling stage in the Knapford Yards.
"May I talk to you, Mr. 'City of Truro', sir?" he asked shyly.
"Of course," smiled the famous engine, "and there's no need to be so formal. Please, call me Montgomery. Or even just Monty will suffice." Monty looked Duck up-and-down. "I see you are one of Us."
"I try to teach them Our ways," said Duck modestly.
"All ship-shape and Swindon fashion. That's right."
"Please, could you tell me how you beat the South Western?"
So Monty told Duck all about his famous run from Plymouth to Bristol more than fifty years prior. After he'd finished his story, Monty stared up at the blue sky above with a sigh. He'd spent all morning getting his picture taken, and was looking forward to a reprieve from the crowds.
"I'm honored to be thought of in such high regard," he said, "but I much prefer the company of my fellow engines. Especially a Westerner like yourself."
Duck was flattered by such a remark.
As they chatted, Duck noticed a boy running towards them. "Well, seems they find you no matter where you go," he chuckled.
The boy came right up until he was almost touching their buffers. "Hello, Mr 'City of Truro', sir! I can't believe it's really you!" The boy held his hand out, and presented a small model replica of the famous engine.
"My word," smiled Monty. "That's quite an impressive model, young man. Did you build it yourself?"
"Yes!" blurted the boy. "Oh, well, with a little help from my dad. Your our most favorite engine of all time!"
Just then, a man came running over to the boy. "Neil! What did I say about running off! You have to be careful in a rail yard."
"I-I'm sorry daddy. I only wanted to show Mr. 'City of Truro' our model."
The man, not having noticed Monty at first, looked up and beamed. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person," he said, "Err, sorry for the trouble."
"The honor is all mine, sir," Monty smiled, "Your son has quite the talent." He looked back to the boy. "I do hope you'll continue to work on your craft, young man. There are many famous engines waiting to be modeled, like Duck here."
Duck blushed at the praise.
"Could we make Mr. Duck next, daddy?" the boy asked excitedly.
"Certainly," his father smiled, "if that's alright with you, Duck?"
"I could think of no greater honor," Duck replied.
With that, the boy and his father said their goodbyes, and walked back to the station. "You know," Monty said wistfully, "enthusiasts are all well and good, but it's the young rail-fans that truly make these tours worthwhile!"
Henry the Green Engine had been resting in a siding nearby – he'd heard everything. And suffice to say, he was green with envy.
"What's that Duck ever done to deserve such attention?!" he fumed, "if any engine on this railway deserves a model of themselves, surely it's me?"
"Come now Henry," said Edward who was shunting nearby, "You've had books written about you. That's more than most engines can say for themselves."
"Yes, yes, yes, books are all fine and well," Henry said dismissively. "But imagine, a model replica of triumphant engine like myself, running round a little railway in the homes of every boy and girl! Doesn't that sound grand?"
Edward could not think of any more to say that wouldn't incite an argument, so he went quietly back to work.
Soon, Henry's crew came to prepare him for his next train. "Guess what, old boy," said the driver. "We get to take a special stopping service tomorrow for the Railway Society! And they specifically asked for you to take it!"
"A Special Train!" Henry exclaimed. "Just what I need! This'll show those 'rail-fans' which engine really deserves a model!"
Henry was excited for the rest of the day. He talked and bragged endlessly about 'special trains' and 'model replicas'. Suffice to say, the other engines found him insufferable. He was still boasting when the day's work was done.
"Good gracious," Duck sighed to Monty in Tidmouth Sheds. "I'm very sorry you have to witness this. I'd have thought North Western engines would act more dignified in the presences of an honored guest."
Monty chuckled. "Well, when you've traveled as much as I have, you'll find that this sort of behavior exists on all railways," he winked.
Suddenly, the shed was silent. They glanced back, and chuckled. Henry had talked himself to sleep.
Henry woke next morning to the rays of the sun battering his smokebox. With a distinctive BOOM, he fired himself up and felt warmth spreading through his boiler, and steam trickling into his cylinders. He yawned contently, and was about to say good morning to the others, when he heard snickering from within the shed. The engines, including Monty, were looking at him with wicked smiles.
"What on earth's gotten into you lot?" he asked. His driver walked up, trying to stifle a laugh. "And what are you on about?" demanded Henry. The fireman came round with a mirror. When he held it up, Henry's eyes widened.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" he thundered.
Instead of his usual sleek figure, Henry found boxy wooden structures clinging to his smokebox and running board!
"It appears some details were missed about today's 'special train'," the fireman giggled.
"This is special equipment engineers use to test the performance of an engine," the driver explained. "The Railway Society heard about your rebuild at Crewe, and asked if they could monitor how well you run. That's why they chose you specifically!"
Henry, his face obscured by the wooden equipment, scowled. Duck and Monty tried to remain composed, but Gordon and James were in hysterics.
Henry spent the day traveling up-and-down the main line with the stopping service. At each station, a new member of the Railway Society would join the engineering staff in observing his performance. They had a wonderfully time riding in the wooden structures. Henry, however, just felt silly. Every time an engine passed, they whistled at him in a cheeky way.
"Have you left Henrietta behind today, Toby?" called Gordon as he thundered by with the express, "Oh, never mind. It's only you, Henry!"
Later, Molly steamed past with the Limited. "Preparing for the nuclear fallout, Henry?" she snickered, "I know your green, but this just takes the cake!"
Henry turned redder than James with fury.
Much to Henry's relief, the engineering equipment was removed after the day's work was done. No one said a word as he backed into the sheds. They just looked cheekily at him. He felt very annoyed.
The next day was Monty's last on Sodor before he was to take the Railway Society back home to the mainland. As they engines were being readied, Duck noticed the little boy and his father walking towards the sheds.
"Hello," he smiled warmly. "It's nice to see you again. You haven't made a model of me already, have you?"
"Sorry Duck," the man said, "we had to put your model on hold. A more pressing project presented itself."
Duck was puzzled. "What sort of project, sir?"
"Go on, Neil," he urged the boy, "Show them!"
The boy walked over to Henry and held out his hand. "Look Mr. Henry," he said proudly. "It's you!"
Henry was speechless. It was a model of him alright, but it was fitted with the engineering equipment!
"You were certainly one of the more… err… interesting engines we'd seen yesterday," confessed the man.
"It looks like you got your wish after all, Henry," winked Edward. "What do you think of that?"
"I know one thing," Henry scowled. "I'm thankful Wilbert Awdry wasn't around to see this!"
And everyone, barring Henry, laughed.