Chapter 25: Very Heavy Train
(Wednesday, May 2nd 2012 – 07:45am; Vicarstown Depot, Island of Sodor)
Carrie woke up from the comfortable bed she was sleeping in within the crew building in the Motive Power Depot at Vicarstown, on the eastern side of the Island of Sodor. It was the start of a new day, and she wondered what adventures lay ahead of her, as she pulled herself out of bed and went over to the curtains. Pulling them aside, she was pleased to see that the weather was sunny this morning and there weren't too many clouds in the sky.
The day before, when she arrived at the depot at Tidmouth in the morning, both she and Olivia had both been assigned to work on the footplate of W.D. Austerity 2-8-0 No.90541, whose first job had been to take a long and slow freight mixed train from the extensive freight yards at Knapford down to Brendam Docks, where a number of large ships would be waiting at the different berths to take the freight away. They left the yards at 9:30am, and made their way along the Southern Main Line to Brendam Docks with their long and heavy freight train.
It was a bit of a slow journey to get to the Docks, due to the weight of their long train, as well as due to the fact some of the trucks were being quite troublesome on the trip. For the two girls, who had never actually worked on a W.D. Austerity 2-8-0 before, apart from preparing or disposing a few in the depot in the last few months, it was a bit of an exhausting journey, particularly when they used the shovel to stoke the firebox with fresh coal to keep the steam pressure up. But both girls were impressed by how smoothly the locomotive ran along, even with a heavy train.
Both girls were very pleased when they finally reached Brendam Docks with the train, bang on time. Not long after it was taken to the reception sidings, and No.90541 was uncoupled from it, they soon received their next job; No.90541 was assigned to take another freight train, this time consisting of many open wagons, a few of which had their loads covered over with canvas sheeting, from Brendam Docks back to Knapford Station. Leaving the docks at 11:00am, they brought their second long train of the day out from Brendam and up onto the Southern Main Line, and then west towards Knapford.
On the journey back to Knapford, just as on the previous journey out, the trucks tried some of their tricks, and they tried holding back a few times while shouting out things like "Hold back! Hold back!" and other things like that. But No.90541, who was quite used to hauling trucks by this point, was able to manage the trucks without too much trouble at all, particularly as he had a very good braking capability for when working on loose-coupled freights.
They made it to Knapford without a problem, and brought their train into the yard where the driver and fireman carefully managed to stop the train in one of the reception sidings. Afterwards, No.90541 was driven up to the Tidmouth depot, where he was parked in a siding in the depot where the fitters and shed staff would look over him and get him ready for his next shift, while Olivia and Carrie, as well as the driver and fireman went off to the main crew building to get lunch.
After their lunch break finished, both Olivia and Carrie were reassigned to work on new engines; Olivia was moved to work with L.N.E.R. L1 2-6-4T No.67717 on various duties out of Knapford Station, including moving short freights as well as on the inevitable commuter trains later in the day. In the meantime, Carrie was assigned to work on an afternoon train on L.N.E.R. K3 2-6-0 No.61893, which would be leaving the yards at Knapford bound for Vicarstown at 2:15pm, bang on time, with a long slow freight train, while making stops at different stations along the Northern Main Line to pick up more freight along the way over to Vicarstown. Carrie knew it would mean staying at the Vicarstown crew building that night. Luckily, she had prepared for that as she had a bag with everything she needed in her locker, including a spare change of clothes, as well as a small bag with all the toiletries that she needed, which she kept at the back of the cab.
They made their way along at a steady pace with their train and made their way out of Knapford and over the estuary to the north of the town, and Carrie was wondering how the rest of the trip would go as they made their way along the Northern Main Line. But she didn't need to worry about it as, despite the hard work that she often did on the footplate, including shovelling the fresh coal into the firebox to keep the pressure up.
At one point as they went along, they went along the line that passed behind her father's house and Carrie was able to see the house from the railway line for the first time. As they were going north, the house was off to the left of the two tracks, and Carrie took a few moments to watch the house as they went by. The view didn't last for long, for not long after they came upon the house, they went past it and were heading further northwards, and so Carrie went back to doing whatever work needed to be done on the footplate.
For the rest of the journey, they stopped at some of the stations along the way and they picked up more and more heavily laden trucks that were to be taken down to Vicarstown. By the time they picked up the final batch of trucks, which was at High Hill along the north eastern coast, No.61893 had about 60 or so heavily loaded trucks of a number of different types following along behind him.
During the run, there were some instances where there was some fast running as they went along, and during those fast runs Carrie found that she had to hang on tight due to the fact that the L.N.E.R. K3 2-6-0 she was on rode rough at times. No.61893 shook from side to side at times as he went along the track, and so Carrie had to hold on tight to avoid being knocked over. Yet at the same time, Carrie was also reassured by the driver that the rough riding would help No.61893 steam more freely, as the motion would cause the ash, clinker, and cinders to fall through the grate into the ashpan and help free up the air spaces.
Whenever Carrie had to take her turn to stoke the boiler with fresh fuel, she had to spread her feet out to stay as steady as she could when she moved the shovel with the coal from the tender to the firebox, to be sure that any rough riding wouldn't knock her down to the footplate. As a result of that, and trying to stay standing up during instances of rough riding, Carrie was absolutely exhausted from that trip when they finally arrived in Vicarstown Station. Her muscles, particularly those in her arms and legs, were quite sore and she was really looking forward to clocking out for the day and getting some rest at the crew building.
They arrived in the main freight depot at Vicarstown a little after 4:45pm and parked their train into one of the longest sidings within the reception sidings. Not too long afterwards, No.61893, along with his driver, fireman, and Carrie on his footplate, made his way over to the main motive power depot very close to the reception sidings. He was parked in one of the sidings in the depot, and once that was done, the crew along with Carrie disposed of No.61893 after a hard day's work by emptying out the hopper ashpan as well as dropping the fire with the help of the rocking grate.
Once all that was finally finished, which was a little after 5:45pm, Carrie bid a goodnight to No.61893, who wished her a "Good night" back, and then made her way over to the crew building to clock out and get herself cleaned up after her long and tiring day of work.
After being given a room in the building, she went and had a long hot shower to wash off the grime, sweat and dirt from her long day out on the line. Once she had finished her shower, she felt so much better than she had been when she finished up a little while earlier on. After getting dressed into some clean clothes, she went downstairs to the canteen where she had a good hot dinner and then later went up to the main recreation room where she relaxed and socialised with other teens on the apprenticeship scheme for much of the evening. This went on until a little after 9:30pm when, feeling tired, Carrie bid her fellow teens a "Good night" and then went back to her room upstairs, where she changed into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth in the ensuite bathroom, and then turned in for the night.
(Back to the present time)
Carrie got herself dressed into the same work clothes and work boots she had worn to work the previous day, although she was given a new set of overalls to wear for the day. After dressing, she went below to get some breakfast. Arriving in the canteen, she was pleased to see it wasn't too busy this morning, with only two crews lining up at the buffet counter and a few others sitting at the different tables and eating breakfast. She could overhear a few of them talking quietly about what their jobs for the day might be, but at the same time she also overheard a number of the crewmen talking with each other about how they had done during the night work.
Going over to the counter, Carrie picked up a tray and set about getting the food she wanted for breakfast.
A short while later, having gotten what she wanted to have for breakfast, Carrie made her way over to one of the tables, which was very close to the windows overlooking the yards outside and where locomotives would be going by every now and then, with the sounds their wheels going along the steel rails, their valve gear clanking, chuffing from their chimneys, and the sounds of steam from their safety valves.
After sitting down at the table, Carrie set about to tucking into her breakfast; she was eager to get some good food into her before she started work, as she wasn't sure about what jobs she would need to do out on the line today, and she wanted to make sure she was ready to go once the time for that arrived in a short while.
"Morning there, Carrie." came a familiar voice. Carrie turned to her left, and saw Saoirse standing very near to her with her own tray in her hands.
"Oh, good morning there, Saoirse. Did you sleep well last night?" Carrie asked, as Saoirse sat down beside Carrie.
"I did, and a very good sleep it was too. I reckon I needed it after all the hard work that was done out on the main line yesterday. What about you?" Saoirse asked, as she started on her own breakfast.
"Yes, indeed, I slept very well. In fact, after all the hard work I did yesterday, and in particular with working on the footplate of No.61893, I had no trouble falling asleep last night." Carrie said with a smile, as she took a sip of her orange juice.
"Yeah, me too. After all, working on a railway for a long day will cause you to drop off to sleep quite quickly." Saoirse said.
The two of them were quite for a few moments as they enjoyed their breakfast, with the only sounds they could hear being the sounds of other locomotive crewmen in the canteen chatting amongst themselves, the sounds coming from the kitchen, as well as the sounds coming from out within the depot. Then, after swallowing some of her bacon and eggs, Saoirse broke the silence between her and Carrie.
"So, Carrie…just out of curiosity…do you fancy any of the boys who are on the apprenticeship scheme?" Saoirse asked. Carrie glanced over at Saoirse with a somewhat surprised look on her face; she hadn't been expecting to hear something like this from one of her friends, particularly at this time of the morning when she had just gotten up.
"I…can't say if I do fancy any of them or not, Saoirse." Carrie said, as Saoirse looked at her with a slow growing smile on her face.
"Ah, come on there, Carrie. I can clearly remember how both you and Simon were always close to each other when we all went out for our picnic recently. And I couldn't help noticing that both of you are always with each other whenever we all go out together, and how close both of you are becoming to each other." Saoirse said, in a slightly teasing way.
Carrie felt herself blush a little at this, because in a really big way, Saoirse was absolutely right about that; Carrie was already attracted to Simon, simply because he was a very handsome boy and he was always a very good personality. He was also able to make Carrie feel very safe, and was able to give her a good laugh whenever he sensed she needed one.
"Well…all right then, Saoirse…I actually do fancy Simon. He's a very good man, and he's also been a very good friend to me ever since I arrived here on Sodor late last year." Carrie confessed to her friend.
"I knew it!" Saoirse said, in a quiet excitement. "I think you two make quite a nice couple, and how you've both looked at each other every now and then and smiled at each other. I think that there is something very strong developing between you and Simon, based on what I and the other girls have seen in the last few months." Saoirse said.
"Yeah, you're right, Saoirse. I am finding myself attracted to Simon. He's such a decent young man, and he's been a really big help to me whenever we've gone and worked together out on the railway in the last few months. I wonder if he feels the same about me." Carrie said.
"Hey, don't worry about a thing, Carrie…" Saoirse said, as she patted Carrie on her shoulders, "…just tell him how you feel, whenever you feel that the time is right."
"Okay, Saoirse. When the time's right, I will." Carrie said. And with that, the two girls continued on with eating their breakfast.
(A short while later)
Once they had finished their breakfasts, both Carrie and Saoirse went upstairs to their rooms and collected their things, and then went outside with the other teens in the apprenticeship scheme who were at Vicarstown Motive Power Depot this morning, and waited to be assigned to their locomotive for the morning. Looking up into the sky, Carrie felt herself smile at the clear sky, with fewer clouds about now than earlier on, as well as the bright shining sun still rising into the blue sky.
After they went over to the part of the depot where they were to be assigned to their locomotives, Carrie was wondering what the day ahead would bring, and whether or not she would be able to do a good job on the locomotive she was to be assigned to work on.
Standing on the different lines were various different steam locomotives waiting for the day ahead, as well as for which recruits to be assigned to them. There were a few express passenger locomotives who were sitting there, with their paintwork all polished down and shining, but amongst them were a number of other freight and mixed traffic locomotive types – practical everyday workhorses amongst thoroughbred racing greyhounds – including some B.R. Standard 9F 2-10-0's, a few W.D. Austerity 2-8-0's and 2-10-0's, L.M.S. 8F's, and a number of other different types. There were clouds of dark grey smoke wafting from the chimneys, indicating that their fires had been lit and were heating up the water in their boilers. Carrie could feel a sense of anticipation going through her, as she wondered which locomotive she would be assigned to for this morning.
One by one, each of the recruits were assigned to work on a particular locomotive by the yard manager and the rail inspector, and they were also assigned their first jobs for the day. Finally, it was time for Carrie to be assigned to the locomotive she would be working on.
"Okay, miss…" the yard manager said, as he looked on his clipboard, "…you're going to be working on No.94000 this morning. And he's right over there." the yard manager said, as he indicated to the large and powerful-looking B.R. Standard Class 9MT-2 2-8-2 standing close to them (41).
Carrie took a moment to examine the locomotive that she was assigned to; he was very similar in just about all appearances to Michael, the B.R. Standard 9MT-1 2-8-2 that she and Simon had both worked on during Valentine's Day back in February. But the only real difference between Michael and No.94000 that she could see was that No.94000 had slightly smaller diameter driving wheels than Michael had.
(41): The fictional B.R. Standard Class 9MT-2 2-8-2 was the second example of the B.R. Standard Class 2-8-2 Mikado's to be build with three cylinders, just like the 9MT-1, with the only difference is that this class had slightly smaller driving wheels. These were known as "Small-Wheeled Mikado's" to their crews, and to railway enthusiasts. The very first example of the class, No.94000, came into service in late 1954, after being completed at Crewe Works.
In all, 157 examples of the class, from No.94000 to No.94156, were built, with 100 being built at Crewe Works, and the final 57 examples being built at Swindon. The final example of the class, No.94156, emerged from Swindon Works on May 20th 1958. They were designed for long-haul heavy freight work on the main line, as well as for fast fitted trains and local passenger services that had to stop at all stations during their journeys.
Just like with the 9MT-1 Class, they were a 2-8-2, three-cylinder version of the B.R. Standard Class 9F 2-10-0, with the only difference being that the driving wheels were 5ft 3in in diameter. The two 9MT Classes shared the exact same boiler design, which was pressed to 250psi and fitted with superheating elements, as well as three cylinders which were 20in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke. With the 9MT-2 Class having slight smaller 5ft 3in driving wheels, they had a maximum tractive effort of 56,670lbf, making them much more powerful than the 9MT-1 Class 2-8-2s, and easily making them amongst the most powerful classes of tender locomotives ever to run in Britain. With such a high tractive effort, the 9MT-2 Class was able to haul even heavier trains on the British Railway network, and could easily handle any kind of trains they were tasked with doing. Just like the 9MT-1s, they were paired to large tenders that ran on four axles and could take between 8,000 and 8,500 gallons of water and about 7 tons of coal, which helped to give the engines a considerable range.
All members of the class were painted in B.R. Standard unlined black livery, just like most of the other steam locomotives of the B.R. Standard range of steam locomotives. A few different experiments were made with the class; including fitting some members of the class with British Caprotti rotary cam poppet valve gear and double chimneys paired with Kylchap exhaust systems. This allowed the class to operate with very high efficiency, in terms of being able to use the steam in the boiler with good economy and distribution, as well as being able to haul heavy trains over long distances without any problems. Another experiment made was to fit some examples of the class with twin Westinghouse air pumps on the right-hand side of the selected locomotives, so that they could work on hauling the heavy iron ore hopper wagons on the heavy trains that ran along the Tyne Dock to Consett route, a task they were able to work on quite well alongside the B.R. Standard 9F 2-10-0's which worked along the route.
The class worked all over the B.R. network, where they hauled all different kinds of trains, ranging from slow unfitted freight to fast fitted freights, and even up to heavy express passenger trains on occasion. They were known for being very smooth locomotives to ride on, and were very popular with their crews because of how easy they were to drive and work on, as well as having the ability to haul very heavy loads on a regular basis. Just like all the other B.R. Standard Steam Classes, the 9MT-2 Class 2-8-2 locomotives were also fitted with rocking grates, hopper ashpans, and self-cleaning smokeboxes, as well as other labour-saving devices which made the locomotives much easier for their crews to work on.
In 1961, No.94032 set the record for hauling the heaviest freight train ever hauled by any steam locomotive in the U.K., when on April 16th it managed to start a long and very mixed freight train weighting 2,975 tons on a journey from a depot near London Marylebone Station all the way along the Great Central Main Line to Manchester via Nottingham and Sheffield. The train managed to reach a very respectable speed of over 50mph on the journey, and arrived in Manchester a few minutes ahead of schedule. As a result of this very impressive achievement, No.94032 was immediately preserved when it was withdrawn from service on B.R. on November 7th 1966.
Despite the class having smaller 5ft 3in diameter driving wheels, the 9MT-2s proved to be no slouches when it came to running fast; one example of the class, No.94058, one of the examples that was fitted with traditional Walschaerts valve gear, achieved the highest speed ever recorded by the class when, on March 31st 1959, it managed to reach a top speed of 100.2mph when hauling a long line of 16 heavily laden coaches on a special rail-tour from Birmingham to Newcastle. No.94058 is now preserved as part of the National Collection, and is based at York's National Railway Museum, from where she runs rail-tours all over the U.K. network.
Although the class proved to be very popular locomotives with their crews, as well as with railway enthusiasts and large sections of the general public alike, withdrawals of the class began in early 1965 when the first two examples, No.94020 and No.94067 were withdrawn from their home depot at Peterborough in mid-February. The other examples of the class followed along at regular intervals in the intervening three and a half years until early August 1968 when the final example, No.94089, was withdrawn from service at its home base of Glasgow Central.
Thankfully though, a respectable 20 members of this very powerful and versatile class have survived into preservation, including the doyen of the class No.94000 and the last-built member No.94156, as well as No.94089. All 20 survivors have run under their own steam, both on the main line and on various heritage railways all over the U.K. since their restoration. Five members of the class were bought and preserved straight from B.R. by enthusiasts, including No.94000, with the other 15 surviving examples being bought in various states of disrepair from Woodham's Scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, and then subsequently restored to working order over the years by dedicated bands of enthusiasts.
"So, are you okay with working on No.94000 today, Carrie?" the yard manager asked, as he glanced at Carrie for a moment.
"Yes, sir. I shouldn't have too much of a problem with working on this engine today." Carrie said, as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation of the work that needed to be done.
"Very well, Carrie. You'll be with No.94000 and his crew for this morning. Now then, gather round…" the yard manager said looking through his clipboard, as Carrie and the crew of No.94000 stood before him and awaited what their task would be. "…now then, your task for this morning is an empty coaching stock working. You're to go over to Vicarstown Station and collect a long line of brand-new coaches that have just been delivered to Sodor from around Continental Europe."
"From Continental Europe, sir?" No.94000's driver said, as his eye brows went up in some surprise at this unexpected bit of news.
"Yes, in order to better prepare the railway for the coming summer season, as well as to add more variety to the coaching stock on the island, the Fat Controller ordered a batch of about 50 new coaches, or Eurofima coaches as they're known, from around Europe. The countries I heard he ordered them from include Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and Germany. The first 25 examples arrived earlier this morning, and they need to be delivered to Knapford Station. They're currently sitting at Platform 2 over at Vicarstown Station. Do you think you can manage that?" the yard manager asked.
"Yes, sir!" the driver, fireman, and Carrie said at the same time.
"I can manage it, sir." said No.94000, as he thought about the train he was to haul.
"There's just one more thing about the coaches that I need to tell you before you go and collect them…there's 25 of them, and they each weight 42 tons apiece."
"Hang on a moment…42 tons each?" No.94000 said in genuine surprise, unsure of whether to believe that or not.
"Yes, and the train is going to weight 1,050 tons in total." the yard manager said.
"I see…" the driver said, as he thought about how they would manage to get a train of that weight and length along the line to Knapford.
"I think I could manage a train of that weight, sir." No.94000 said, even though he hadn't hauled a train of that weight for some time.
"That's a good engine, and best of luck with getting your train to Knapford this morning." said the rail inspector. And with that, both the inspector and yard manager went back to the offices to discuss the schedules for later that day.
"Do you think you can manage a train of over 1,000 tons, No.94000?" Carrie asked, as she looked up at the big B.R. Standard 9MT 2-8-2 before her.
"I'll do my very best, Carrie. I haven't pulled a train of that weight for quite a long time, but I'm confident that I can manage it." No.94000 said, with a sense of determination in his voice.
"That's a good engine, No.94000. Now let's get you ready, and then we'll go and collect the train." the fireman said. And, after Carrie put her bag up into one of the corners of the cab, the three of them set to work at getting ready for their first job of the day; both the driver and Carrie set to work at oiling up the motion on No.94000 and filling up the mechanical lubricators with oil, as the fireman went into the cab and set about getting the fire in order and that there was enough steam in the boiler.
After all the motion and other moving parts were fully oiled up, Carrie then set to putting the head-code indicator disks, which were just simple circles painted in a crisp white with fittings behind them so they could fit into place on the lamp-irons that were fitted around a locomotive. Going up to the front of No.94000, she placed the two indicator disks into place on the centre and right-hand lamp-irons on the buffer-beam, which for the long, heavy train they were going to be pulling would mark it out as an empty coaching stock working, as there would be no passengers aboard the train.
Once that was all done, they then moved over to the water tower where they topped up the tender tank with water. As the tank had a capacity for well over 8,000 gallons of water, it took a little while for the tank to be filled up with water. But once it was, they turned off the water, closed the lid to the water tank, and then moved forward to the coaling stage so as to fill up the coal space in the tender.
The coaling tower was a very tall and impressive concrete structure, with a space beneath it with a section of line for locomotives to pass underneath it so as to top up their coal spaces before they went out onto the main line. After they slowly went under the coal chute, they came to a stop and the man assigned to work the mechanism allowed the coal to tumble down from the chute and into the coal space. Watching and listening to the coal pouring into the tender, Carrie could see that there was water pouring off the coal as it came down, and she knew that it was meant to dampen down the coal so that any of the dust wouldn't blow about into the air when the coal came into the tender.
Once the coaling had been fully completed, the driver opened the regulator and No.94000 slowly rolled forwards along the line for a short distance, maybe about 100 yards or so, before the driver shut the regulator and put the brakes on.
"Okay, now let's get that coal trimmed." the driver said, as he made sure the regulator was fully closed and the steam brake was on before he stood up.
"All right, let's get to work then." Carrie said, as she grabbed the shovel. Climbing up the two ladders at the back of the tender, the driver then showed Carrie how to trim the coal in the tender coal space, so that the coal was evenly spread out and that no lumps would come loose and fall off during their run. After watching the driver for a moment, Carrie took a turn at getting the coal trimmed and she set to it with determination, so as to make sure the coal stayed put when they set out on their journey.
It didn't take too long for the job to be completed, and the coal was evened out and looked much neater than it had been after it had been poured in. With that job done, both Carrie and the driver climbed back down the tender ladders to the ground and went back up into the cab.
They were soon ready to leave the yard and head over to Vicarstown Station to pick up their waiting coaches, and, with No.94000 giving a loud blast of his whistle, they slowly made their way out from the yards, over the points and out onto the main line. Stopping a little after the points, the driver blew the whistle to indicate to the signalman in his signal box just off the side of the line to change the points. After the points were changed and the signalman waved from his box to indicate they were changed, the driver wound the reversing gear into full reverse, released the steam brake, and, after giving a short blast of the whistle, gently opened the regulator a little. With a loud hissing of steam from the cylinder drain-cocks, No.94000 slowly reversed along the line and back towards Vicarstown Station
As they slowly reversed back towards the station, the high roof of which they could see in the distance as they came round the bend and onto the long brick viaduct that went over the streets of Vicarstown, Carrie looked out from the driver's side of the cab, and looked back towards the station as they got closer. She was wondering what these new coaches would look like, as well as what colours they were painted in, and how they would follow along No.94000 once they left the station with them coupled behind.
A few short minutes later, with the impressive façade of Vicarstown Station filling the view of the driver and fireman as No.94000 slowly reversed over the points and up to the platform where the 25 new coaches awaited. Looking out from the cab as the driver shut the regulator and put the brakes on, Carrie could see the long line of European-style coaches they were reversing up to; she was very impressed, as each coach was quite long – each coach was in fact about 86.5 feet in length – and each were painted in a two-tone grey livery with red doors at each end along the sides. Almost each coach was a corridor coach with a series of compartment along one side of each coach, and there were also a few special coaches, such as kitchen-cars, mixed within the train as well.
Very slowly and gingerly, No.94000 reversed up to the first coach and buffered up to it. Then the shunter went between the tender and coach, and coupled them together and connected the brake pipes as well.
"Wow…I've never seen any coaches quite like that before." Carrie said, as she stepped out from the cab with both the driver and fireman and surveyed the length of the train stretching down along the platform.
"I know…and I've worked some long trains over the years, but never anything quite like that before." said the driver, as he too surveyed the length of the train stretching away before him.
"It doesn't look like anything that we haven't done before, and I'm sure we can get a train like this to the other side of the island without too much difficulty." said the fireman.
"I suppose you're right about that, but let's make sure that we can get this job done safely once we leave." the driver said, as he rubbed his hands together with some anxiousness, before he turned and went back onto the footplate.
Carrie, still standing on the platform, looked up at the clock; the time was 8:55am, and they were due to depart from the station at 9:05am. Further down the platform, Carrie could see a few small groups of men, each of whom were dressed in very smart business suits and carrying laptop bags or briefcases in their hands, standing together, and waiting their turn to climb aboard some of the new coaches. These men were very likely officials who were going to be aboard the train for the journey, so as to be sure that the new coaches would run smoothly on the trip and wouldn't cause any unforeseen problems.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Carrie turned and stepped back onto the footplate of No.94000 and waited for the time to depart. Going over to the fireman's side of the cab, she sat down on the padded fireman's seat and leaned out from the cab. Looking back along the track along the line beside Platform 1, she could see another line of coaches sitting alongside the platform. This was a much shorter train, about 10 coaches in length, and was more than likely a passenger train that would be bound for a different part of Sodor a little later in the day.
About five minutes later, as she was sipping a hot cup of tea, Carrie heard the sound of another whistle, which sounded like it was coming along the line adjacent to Platform 1. Looking out from the fireman's side of the cab, Carrie could see the tender of another steam locomotive slowly reversing along the line towards the train sitting on the same line. Watching as the locomotive slowly came by, Carrie could see that the engine before her was No.43100, who was an example of an L.M.S. Ivatt Class 4 2-6-0, and he was painted in a plain, unlined B.R. black livery, which had been polished to a very high shine (42).
As No.43100 came to a slow and gentle stop, with his cab becoming level with that of No.94000, Carrie could see there was a late B.R. crest on the tender side, and as the cab came to a stop beside her, she could clearly see Saoirse was standing on the footplate of the L.M.S. 2-6-0 with the driver and fireman. She had the shovel in her hands and was placing some fresh lumps of coal into the fire. She seemed to be very keen to get the fire in the firebox up to a good state, and to make sure that there was plenty of steam in the boiler before they could depart with their train.
(42): The L.M.S. Ivatt Class 4 2-6-0 was designed by Henry George Ivatt, the Chief Mechanical Engineer (C.M.E.) of the London Midland and Scottish Railway company, for the task of moving medium freight work, but they were also widely used for secondary passenger services. In total, 162 examples of this class, numbered from No.43000 to No.43161, were built between 1947 and 1952, but only the first three locomotives of the class, No.3000, No.3001 and No.3002 were built by the L.M.S., with the rest being built under British Railways auspices. Construction of the class was undertaken at different locations; 75 examples were built at the L.M.S./B.R. works at Horwich, 50 at the former L.N.E.R. works at Doncaster, and the final 37 at the former L.N.E.R. works at Darlington.
Given the power classification of 4MT under B.R., the class were used extensively across the B.R. system on all regions, including a few that worked in Scotland for a time, but most notably on the London Midland Region, as well as on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, a line in East Anglia that had previously been joint-owned by both the L.M.S. and the L.N.E.R., where they became a dominant type.
They were also used, albeit only for a short period, on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, but were quickly transferred to work elsewhere because of their poor steaming on the line's long and steep gradients. With their two outside cylinders – which were 17.5in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke – a boiler pressure of 225psi, and driving wheels that were 5ft 3in in diameter, the class had a tractive effort of 24,170lbf.
The class had a low axle-loading which meant that they could work on all secondary routes, and they were also powerful enough that they could easily replace the older and less powerful pre-Grouping 0-6-0 types on those routes.
The class was known for its American appearance, particularly with the running plates placed at a high level and a gap being left ahead of the two outside cylinders, fully exposed driving wheels, a high-pitched cab, and exposed pipework. Many enthusiasts considered it being the ugliest British steam locomotive ever produced, especially with the first 50 locomotives that were built – No.43000 to No.43049 –which had been outshopped with double chimneys.
However, the double chimneys did nothing to improve the locomotive's steaming capability, and so, after much testing, the class were fitted with single chimneys and blastpipes from No.43050 onwards, which worked wonders at doubling the steam production of the boilers. No.43000to No.43049 were later rebuilt with singles chimneys as well. It was one of the very few instances where single chimneys actually proved to be far more efficient than double chimneys.
The class were fitted with new mechanical features which were intended to reduce overall maintenance and running costs, such as the fitment of rocking grates, hopper ashpans, and self-cleaning smokeboxes. The overall utilitarian appearance of the class was actually a deliberate decision on the part of the designers, considering the class was built in the years after the end of the Second World War. Due to the spartan appearance of the class, they were often known to many railwaymen and enthusiasts as mucky ducks, doodlebugs, or even as flying pigs.
The B.R. Standard Class 4 2-6-0 was based upon this particular design, though its appearance was improved by the running plate being redesigned to include a sloping plate to fill the gap ahead of the cylinders. Interestingly, the Ivatt Class 4MT actually outlasted the B.R. Standard Class 4 2-6-0's, as the last six examples of the former class were withdrawn in 1968, and the last of the Standard 4 2-6-0's were withdrawn in 1967.
No.43027 was used for experiments with different single chimneys, including a stove-pipe single chimney being fitted to her from 1950 to 1955.
On August 8th 1952, No.43142 rolled off the turntable in South Lynn and became stuck in a ditch right by the turntable. This incident became the inspiration for the Reverend Wilbert Awdry to write a story about Gordon's accident in The Railway Series, known as Off the Rails.
The class did very useful work, and without drawing too much attention while they went about it. Withdrawals of the class began in 1963, when the first 6 examples were withdrawn from service. The rest followed between 1963 and 1968, with 1967 seeing the greatest number of engines, 59 in total – including No.43000, being withdrawn from service in that year. In 1968, the final six examples were withdrawn from regular service, with No.43106 being the very last member of the Ivatt 4MT Class to be withdrawn.
Thankfully though, No.43106, the final example to be withdrawn, has survived into preservation as the sole survivor of the class. Built at Darlington in 1951, she was withdrawn on 2nd August 1968 from her final depot, Lostock Hall depot near Preston, only a few days before the final end of steam on British Railways. She's currently based on the Severn Valley Railway, where she's in running order, though she'll likely be withdrawn in the near future for a major overhaul. During her career in preservation No.43106 has travelled extensively, including working several main line specials between the mid-70's and early 80's, as well as visiting different preserved heritage railways. It's affectionately known as The Flying Pig, though many railwaymen still refer to the Ivatt Class 4's as Doodlebugs.
"Hey there, Saoirse!" Carrie called, just as Saoirse closed the firehole doors on the backhead of the boiler of No.43100. Looking up from where she was, Saoirse saw Carrie leaning out from the cab of No.94000 on the adjacent track.
"Hey there, Carrie!" Saoirse said, as she placed the shovel into the fall-plate of the tender, and stepped over to the driver's side of No.43100, and leaned out from the side of the cab.
"So, you're on passenger train work this morning?" Carrie said, as she overheard the sounds of the passengers on the platform adjacent to No.43100 start to board the coaches.
"Yeah, I am. And it's a stopping service all the way to Knapford, which means that we're to stop at all stations between here and Knapford. So, that means I'm in for a long morning. You're at least lucky to be working with a lot of empty coaches, which means you won't have to stop on your trip to the other side of the island." Saoirse said.
"Yeah, but then again…we're pulling quite a heavy train…which is unlike anything I've ever seen before." Carrie said, as she turned her head to her right to look down along the length of the train they were to take.
"And that's quite a long train as well to take." Saoirse said, her eyes wide open in some astonishment at the number of coaches she saw.
"Speaking of which…what on Earth are European-style passenger coaches like that doing here on Sodor? Are they even fitted out to run on these rails?" the driver of No.43100 asked, as he too looked back at the long train on the adjacent track.
"Well, from what I've heard, these coaches have been specially refitted in such a way so as to allow them to run on British rails, including having the appropriate braking system installed so as to allow them to be hauled by British locomotives, and other such things like that." said the driver of No.94000, as he leaned out from the fireman's side of the cab for a moment and looked back along the train. Then he pulled himself back into the cab, and went over to his seat to get ready to leave.
It wasn't too long before the clock struck 9:05am, and the guard assigned to the train blew his whistle and waved his green flag, before then quickly stepping aboard the front coach and closing the door behind him.
"Okay, right away, driver!" Carrie called.
"Okay there, Carrie!" the driver said, as he blew No.94000's whistle for a few seconds, and then released the steam brake before opening the regulator a little. From where she stood, Carrie looked up at the steam chest pressure gauge fitted above the driver's position, and watched as the indicator pointer quickly moved from 0psi all the way up to between 100 and 150psi as steam flowed through the steam pipes and into the three cylinders. With a loud series of slow chuffing sounds from the double chimney, and steam shooting out from the cylinder drain cocks in a dense white cloud, No.94000 slowly took up the strain of the long heavy train, and rolled on his way.
"And we're on our way!" the fireman said, as he stood up and took hold of the coal shovel from the coal space.
"Yes, we sure are." Carrie said quietly, as she looked out from the driver's side of the cab. She couldn't help but smile broadly as she felt the immense power of such a strong locomotive as it departed the station, and able to pick up such a heavy load and get it moving without any trouble at all.
From the footplate of No.43100, Saoirse, the driver and fireman all watched in some interest as each coach in the long train went on by very smoothly. From where they stood, the three of them could see into each coach and saw that many of them were in fact corridor coaches with separate compartments, with seats in them, spread along one side of the length of each coach. They could also see into the kitchen and bar cars that were in the train as well, and the fact there were also some of the smartly-dressed men on the train, who the railway officials who were aboard the train so as to make sure that the coaches ran smoothly out from the station and along the main line.
"Now that's quite a sight, isn't it?" the driver said in awe, as each coach went by. And Saoirse and the fireman could only nod in response. It wasn't too long before the last coach in the train went by them, and went out onto the main line. The sounds of the wheels going along the steel rails gradually faded away as the coaches got further and further away, and soon it was quiet again, apart from the sounds of passengers boarding No.43100's train, as well as the various sounds that were expected to be heard at a railway station.
Aboard the footplate of No.94000, the driver gently eased open the regulator a little more, while adjusting the reversing gear back a little more towards mid-gear. Going over the points and out onto the line that would lead them to the Southern Main Line, No.94000 picked up a little more speed with the 25 coaches following along smoothly behind. From behind the driver, Carrie leaned out a little and looked forwards as they rolled along. She could sense they were picking up more speed, and pulling herself back into the cab, she looked up at the speedometer fitted in front of the driver; the indicator pointer was slowly climbing up above 20mph and was just touching 25mph as the driver blew the whistle loudly, before then opening up the regulator a little more.
"Well, this is it…we're on our way." Carrie said quietly, before she turned and went to wait for her turn to stoke the boiler. As she sat down on the padded fireman's seat and leaned her arm on the window sill, where the window was slid open, she looked up at the main boiler pressure gauge; the indicator pointer showed the boiler pressure was just a shade below its maximum working pressure of 250psi, and, from the chuffing from the funnel ahead, it sounded like they would reach Knapford Station in good time.
Yet at the same time though, another thought came into Carrie's head; she remembered the conversation she'd had with Saoirse during breakfast a little while before. She did indeed have very strong feelings for Simon, particularly as he had been a very good friend to her in the time since she'd been on Sodor. Ever since the group of friends had gone out on their recent picnic out into the countryside, and keeping in mind the time that she and Simon had spent together on that outing, Carrie knew full well that she and Simon were becoming closer and closer all the time.
At the same time, she wondered if Simon was feeling the same feelings about her. She hoped that he did, as Carrie knew she would love to have Simon as her boyfriend. It seemed the next logical step for her, as having a boyfriend was something that she never had expected to have in her life. Back in Chamberlain, she knew that the chances for a social outcast like her to have a boyfriend at Ewen High School would be HIGHLY unlikely to happen, especially when she remembered how everyone had treated her back there. Now though, since she was a long way from all of that, she knew the chances of having a boyfriend were now much higher than they had been before.
"Hey, Carrie…do you wanna have a go with the shovel?" the fireman asked, as he offered her the coal shovel. Disturbed from the thoughts that she'd been thinking about, Carrie turned her head, and saw the coal shovel being offered to her.
"Oh, yes…of course." Carrie said, as she stood up and took the shovel from the fireman.
Going over to the coal space, she thrust the shovel forward and filled it with some lumps of fresh coal, before she then turned round to face the firehole doors, which the fireman had opened, and then she thrust the shovel forward and placed the fresh coal into the white-hot fire. She did that another six times and placed the coal into different places within the firebox, including along the sides of the firebox, under the firehole doors, and into the back corners. Eventually, with enough coal on the fire for now, Carrie handed the shovel back to the fireman and went to sit back in the padded seat, and rested herself until she had to go and do it all over again.
In some of the coaches behind, the smartly-dressed officials who were sitting in some of the different cubicles looked over their laptops and monitored the ride of the coaches as the train picked up speed. Each coach had been fitted out with special sensors to monitor how they rode along the tracks, and the men were monitoring the different signals to see how they were going along in real time. The signs they saw so far were very encouraging, as the coaches were going along very smoothly with no strange vibrations or any odd noises to be noticed, and with only the familiar sounds to be heard as they went along the line, such as the sounds of the wheels running along the steel rails, and occasionally going over points and cross-tracks.
In the forward-most coach immediately behind No.94000's tender, the guard sat in one of the compartments all by himself and enjoyed a nice hot cup of tea while he listened to the train going smoothly along the line. It seemed strange to be riding in passenger coaches from Continental Europe on a British-style railway line, but then again maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all, especially when he considered how smooth and quiet the ride of one of these were. The seats were certainly comfortable, and the table between the two rows of seats was very sturdy.
Eventually though, the guard finished his cup of tea and stood up. Stepping out from his compartment, the guard went off on his usual rounds along the train, just as he would normally do as if it was a normal day and the train was full of passengers.
(A little later)
Soon No.94000 was approaching the main railway station at Crovan's Gate and, with the signal not far before the station having been set to "Proceed with Caution", the driver had closed the regulator and gently put on the brakes, slowing down the train to about 20mph as they approached Crovan's Gate.
"What's going on?" Carrie asked, as the train slowed down.
"We're approaching a busy stretch of line where there might be other trains passing through. There's nothing to worry about, Carrie." the driver said, as he kept a close watch of what was going on along the line, as well as for the next signal.
"I hope we're all clear to pass through." Carrie said to the fireman.
"Let's hope so." the fireman said. Then a few moments later, as they rounded a curve at about 20mph, the driver suddenly shut the regulator, cutting off the flow of steam to the cylinders, and put on the brakes.
"A signal set at "Danger" up ahead!" he said, as the speed slackened off. Looking out from the fireman's side of the cab, Carrie couldn't see the signal that was set at "Danger" ahead, but as they were rounding a curve that was going off to the left, with a red brick wall going by them, it was obvious that only the driver could see it. Then, just before No.94000 came to a stop, the wall came to a stop and Carrie could then see they were now going alongside a number of narrow-gauge lines to their right, and going in the same direction as the main standard-gauge tracks. Just ahead of them, Carrie could now see the Crovan's Gate Narrow-Gauge engine sheds and, from the thin columns of smoke she could see rising into the air from the yard on the other side of the sheds, could tell there were narrow-gauge engines there. The only one of them she had met so far was Duke, and that was back in early December. Now she was looking forward to meeting a few more of Sodor's narrow-gauge engines.
As No.94000 came to a gentle stop, with slightly screeching brakes just before the signal, Carrie could see a number of different narrow-gauge steam locomotives, four in total, sitting on the different lines and being readied for their next jobs. One was painted green, another painted in navy-blue, and the final two were painted in red livery, though the red on the second of the two was painted in a red that was more orange in its appearance.
"Well, hello there, you lot." No.94000 said, as he spoke to the narrow-gauge engines.
"Hello, No.94000!" the narrow-gauge engines said, to the much larger standard-gauge locomotive standing beside them.
"Are you making good time today, No.94000?" asked the little red saddle-tank engine, whose name was Skarloey. He was painted red with white lining, had an 0-4-2 wheel arrangement, and the No.1 on shiny brass plates which were fitted on the coal bunkers on his sides just forward of his cab.
"Yes, Skarloey. I'm bringing these new European-style coaches to Knapford." No.94000 said.
"And are they very heavy?" asked the second engine sitting beside Skarloey, whose name was Rheneas. He was painted in vermillion livery, had an 0-4-0 wheel arrangement, and had the No.2 on brass plates fitted on the sides of his small coal bunkers forward of his cab.
"Yes, they are indeed very heavy, as there's 25 coaches behind me in total. But I can manage it, and I should be able to arrive on time." No.94000 said.
"I don't think we could haul trains that heavy on our railway. Even with all of us working together." said Skarloey as he looked back along the length of the train.
"Well…make sure you can make up the lost time when you're able to get moving again. Because that looks like a very heavy train there." said the little engine who was painted in dark-green with red lining, whose name was Peter Sam. He was an 0-4-2 saddle-tank engine, just like Skarloey, except for his dark-green livery, and he had the No.4 on brass plates fitted on the sides of his coal bunkers.
"I'll do my very best there, Peter Sam." said No.94000, when suddenly there came the sound of a familiar whistle coming from the direction of Crovan's Gate Station.
"Hang on…is that…?" said Peter Sam.
"Oh, that sounds like Gordon's whistle." said Rheneas, as he and the other engines looked towards the direction of Crovan's Gate.
He was absolutely right; a few moments later, with another whistle, Gordon came into view; he was rolling slowly along from Crovan's Gate Station on his way with the morning express from Knapford to Vicarstown coming along behind him. They could all see that Gordon didn't look too pleased, which interested them all.
"Delayed then were you, Gordon?" No.94000 asked with a slight smile on his face, as the big blue engine approached them.
"Disgraceful! I was delayed by track men doing maintenance work along the line! And it's made me and my train late too!" Gordon said, as he went on by with his passenger train, about 10 coaches in all, rolling along smoothly behind him.
"Hey! Better late than never, Gordon!" said the little blue narrow-gauge 0-4-2 saddle-tank sitting with the other narrow-gauge engines, as he and the others watched Gordon go by with his train. This little engine was named Sir Handel and he was painted in a dark blue livery with red lining, and he had the No.3 on brass plates fitted to the sides of his coal bunkers.
It wasn't too long before the last coach of Gordon's train went on by towards Vicarstown, and, leaning out from the cab on the fireman's side, Carrie hoped that the way ahead would be clear for them to continue on their way again. But the signal stayed at "Danger" and she wondered what could be the matter.
"Oh, hello there, miss. Is your name Carrie White?" Skarloey asked, as he suddenly noticed Carrie leaning out from the cab of the larger engine. She turned her head to face the little narrow-gauge engine sitting on the track closest to the main line.
"Why yes. Yes, I am Carrie White. Did Duke tell you all about me?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, he did, Carrie. And we were all shocked to hear about what you went through and why you came over here to Sodor." said Peter Sam, as the disturbing thoughts of what Carrie had gone through filled his smokebox.
"Yes, but now it's all in the past for me. And I haven't gone through anything like that since I've been over here. Everyone that I've met and worked with has been very supportive of me, and I've had a good time ever since I arrived." Carrie said
"Well, that's good to here, Carrie. I sure wouldn't want to go through anything like you went through in your home town." Rheneas said
"Well…I'm pleased to tell all you little engines that you won't have to go through anything like that. You just be glad that all you have a nice place where you can live and work." Carrie said to the little engines before her. And all four of the little engines smiled.
"Thank you, Carrie." They all said together.
Just then the signal ahead went from "Danger" to "All Clear", and with that, the driver blew the whistle and released the steam brake before he gently opened the regulator.
"Oh, it's time for us to be on our way again, you lot. We'll see you around!" Carrie said to the four little engines, as she felt No.94000 start to slowly move off again.
"See you around, Carrie!" Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel, and Peter Sam called with toots from their whistles as they watched No.94000 set off on his way. From where she stood, Carrie looked back and waved to the four little engines before she then pulled herself back into the cab. The little engines stood and watched as each of the coaches went on by them, and they were astonished by how many coaches went by them and how different they looked compared to other coaches they had seen before on Sodor. Eventually though, the final coach went on by them and disappeared round the bend in the distance, with a red tail lamp fitted to the back flashing away as the last thing to be seen.
(A little further on down the line)
Once clear of Crovan's Gate Station, where they had to go slowly when they went through and a little after the station due to the fact that there were a number of track gangs about who were doing some essential maintenance work on the tracks, the driver on the footplate of No.94000 was able to open the regulator a little more, and so they were able to pick up some more speed as they headed out onto the main line heading off towards Kellsthorpe North, and then onto Kellsthorpe Junction beyond. Carrie was standing up, and taking another go with the shovel and had just placed four shovelfuls of coal into the firebox. Not only was she wearing her work boots and overalls, she was also wearing a pair of gloves on her hands so that she wouldn't run the risk of her hands being burnt when she placed the coal into the fire.
"Phew…and that's it for now." Carrie said, just after she placed a fifth shovelful into the firebox and the fireman closed the firebox doors a little.
"You're doing a good job so far, Carrie. But at the same time though, don't push yourself too hard, or you'll end up burning yourself out." said the fireman, as Carrie handed the shovel back to him.
"Okay…I'll try not to do that." Carrie said, as she sat herself back down on the fireman's padded seat. Removing one of her gloves, she took off her cap and wiped the beads of sweat down from her face before putting her glove back on. Resting her cap on her lap, she leaned her head out from the side of the cab and looked forwards, while allowing the wind to blow through her hair and over her sweaty face. The cool wind really felt good, and the sounds of No.94000 as he surged on ahead with his train, including the sounds of the chuffing from the funnel, the sounds of the wheels on the tracks, as well as the sounds of the valve gear and motion, and steam hissing from pressure relief valve on the cylinders.
"This is absolutely brilliant." Carrie said quietly. And it certainly was; there was absolutely nothing in the world that could cause Carrie's adrenaline to run in such an excitable way than to work and ride on the footplate of a steam locomotive running at speed.
"How are you doing up there, No.94000?" his driver called, as he leaned out from his side of the cab a little.
"I'm doing okay, driver!" No.94000 called, as he surged on ahead with his train. Despite the train weighing well over 1,000 tons and being made entirely of coaching stock that had never been run on British rails before, it was following along quite nicely.
They soon approached Kellsthorpe Station, where James could be seen sitting alongside Platform 1 with his passenger train, and his passengers were on the platform and getting aboard his train. Standing on the line at Platform 2 beside James was another steam locomotive, which was a 2-6-0, just like James. In fact, it was No.6350, an example of the G.W.R. 43XX Class 2-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives (43).
No.6350 was painted in G.W.R. green livery with "Great Western" painted on the sides of his tender, and he had coupled behind his tender a very long line of heavily-laden coal trucks, which was no doubt on its way to the main motive power depot at Vicarstown. He had stopped at Kellsthorpe Station in order to refill his tender tank with water, and the fireman could be seen standing on the back of the tender holding the hose from the water-tower into the open lid as the driver stood beside the valve at the base of the water-tower and waited for when the tank was full.
(43): The G.W.R. 43XX Class 2-6-0 moguls were one of the largest classes of steam locomotives ever to be built and used on the G.W.R. network, and the largest class of steam locomotives with tenders to be used by the G.W.R., with 342 examples of the class being built between 1911 and 1932. Of that number, 307 locomotives were built at the G.W.R. Swindon Works, with the remaining 35 examples being built by Robert Stephenson & Co in Newcastle Upon Tyne, as the workforce at Swindon Works were unable to keep pace with the demand for these locomotives.
It was the very first modern 2-6-0 to be built in Britain, and the reason that the class were built was to provide more motive power for the increasing weights of mixed traffic work that was on the upsurge on the G.W.R., which many older locomotive designs were finding difficult to cope with. Designed by George Jackson Churchward, the class used many similar standard parts from other G.W.R. steam locomotives, including the outside cylinders from the 29XX Saint Class 4-6-0's, the 5ft 8in driving wheels from the 31XX Class 2-6-2T tank engines, and a Standard No.4 boiler with superheating.
The 43XX Class, with their two outside cylinders that were 18.5in in diameter with a 30in piston stroke, 5ft 8in driving wheels, and a boiler pressed to 200psi, had a maximum tractive effort of 25,670lbf. This allowed the class to haul almost any type of train they were tasked with pulling, whether it was a loose-coupled coal train, a fully or partially fitted freight, or a passenger train that ran along the main line or along a cross-country branch line in Wales or Cornwall.
When the first examples of the class went into service in 1911, there was one problem encountered, which was that the layout of the injector gear was found to be somewhat cramped. The reason for that issue was that the class had been designed to be short in length, with the shortest possible cabs, so that the locomotives had maximum availability on certain lines where they could only use the smaller turntables. But after the first 20 examples, the cabs were increased in length by 9in as elements from the G.W.R. County Class 4-4-0's were incorporated into the design.
In the First World War, 11 examples of the class were sent over to work in France and were operated by the Railway Operating Division – the R.O.D. – of the British Army. They were based at Audruicy, which was on the line between Calais and St Omer, and worked trains full of war supplies between the rail yards at Calais and the British Second Army on the frontline near Ypres.
The class were numbered differently from each other, due to the large numbers that were built, as well as due to various modifications that were made to some examples of the class throughout their working lives. They were numbered from No.4300 to No.4399, No.5300 to No.5399, No.6300 to No.6399, and No.7300 to No.7321.
In 1932, when Charles Collett was the G.W.R.'s C.M.E., 20 examples of the class were built to a modified design with side-window cabs, outside steam pipes, and screw reversing gear in place of the original lever reverse, as well as extended frames, which increased the weight to 65 tons, and so they were numbered from No.9300 to No.9319. However, in B.R. days, these engines were modified to be slightly lighter, as well as having the ballast weights on their driving wheels removed, and were thus renumbered from No.7322 to No.7341.
The class were widely used throughout Devon and Cornwall where many of the lines had sharp curves. But it was found that, because of these sharp bends, flange wear on the leading driving wheels became excessive. So, in October and November 1927, added weight was put on the leading pony trucks of some locomotives, so that the pony trucks would be forced to impart more side thrust to the main frames on bends. Between January and March 1928, 65 locomotives of the 53XX series were modified with added weight to their pony trucks – just behind their buffer beams – and 3000 was added to their numbers, temporarily creating an 83XX class. However, it was found placed them into the G.W.R.'s red category for route availability, which meant that the modified locomotives couldn't travel over certain cross-country and branch lines. And so, from 1944 on, due to a shortage of locomotives in the G.W.R.'s blue category, the additional weights in the modified 2-6-0's were removed and the engines reverted back to their original numbers.
When they came into service, the 43XX 2-6-0 Moguls became the maids of all work, both on the G.W.R. and later on the Western Region of British Railways. The class quickly earned an excellent reputation for their ability to handle all and any kinds of traffic on the railway with ease, from local stopping goods all the way up to the occasional main line expresses. They could reach speeds of up to 70mph at times, and proved themselves to be the ideal mixed-traffic locomotives.
Though the class proved themselves to be very good locomotives, the train weights on the G.W.R. system kept on getting heavier and heavier, and so more powerful locomotives were needed to keep pace with the demand for haulage of heavy trains. So, between 1936 and 1939, 100 of the earlier examples were withdrawn, and from them came the wheels and motion for use on two new locomotive classes for the G.W.R., which turned out to be the 68XX Grange and 78XX Manor 4-6-0 classes. It had been intended to replace the whole class in this way, but the Second World War intervened and brought the programme to an end. And when the war ended in 1945, the programme was not revived.
After the war ended, one example of the class, No.6320, was modified to burn oil instead of coal. But due to the high costs of importing oil, the experiment was abandoned in 1948, and No.6320 was reconverted back to coal firing in August 1949.
Further withdrawals of the class from their regular duties began in 1948 under B.R., and continued right up until the end of December 1964 when the final six surviving examples were finally withdrawn from regular service. Those six locomotives were No.5306, No.5335, No.6309, No.6337, No.6338 and No.6345.
Thankfully, two examples of the class have survived into preservation. These two engines are No.5322 (ex-No.8322) and No.7325 (ex-No.9303). Both engines were rescued from Woodham's yard in Barry, in South Wales, by preservationists; No.5322 was rescued from the yard in 1969, and No.7325 followed along in 1974. Currently, No.5322 is on static display at the Didcot Railway Centre, having been withdrawn from use back in 2014 due to boiler problems. No.7325 is currently in storage on the Severn Valley Railway, having been on static display in the S.V.R.'s The Engine House until March 2019. Both surviving 2-6-0 Moguls have been steamed in preservation, and have run on heritage railways, with No.7325 even running on the main line for a time in the 1990's, so as to show what it was capable of doing.
On the West Somerset Railway, there's a very similar 2-6-0 design to the 43XX Class, but with a smaller boiler. This engine is No.9351, which was rebuilt or converted from a G.W.R. 5101 Class 2-6-2T tank engine, which had been rescued from Woodham's in Barry, into a smaller boiler version of the Churchward 43XX Class 2-6-0 Moguls. Formally numbered No.5193 when it was a 2-6-2T prairie tank engine, it was converted to a 2-6-0 tender engine so as to have a representative of the 2-6-0 mogul as only two of the Churchward 43XX Class have survived into preservation.
"Do you hear that, James?" No.6350 asked, as he heard the sounds of another locomotive coming towards the station, with the sound of a whistle being heard a few seconds later.
"Yes, I hear. It sounds like another train coming." James said, as he wondered which engine it was. He got his answer a few seconds later, when he and No.6350 saw the sight of No.94000 coming along the down line towards them with his long train of European-style coaches following along behind him. Both James and No.6350 were astonished to see such different-looking coaches, which they had never seen on the railways of Sodor before, and such a long line of them too.
"Hello, No.94000! A new line of coaches?" James asked, as he looked at all the new coaches.
"Yes, James…and they're to be delivered to Knapford Station." No.94000 called, as he went on by on the line adjacent to Platform 3, with his coaches rolling along behind him.
"Well, get them there safely then!" No.6350 called, as he watched the long line of new coaches go by in a cloud of white-grey smoke and steam.
"I wish I was pulling brand new coaches like that. I would love to haul such different coaches like that." James said.
"You may get the chance one day, James. Those coaches just need to be readied beforehand, and then you may get the chance one day." No.6350 said.
Just then, the guard of James' train blew his whistle and waved his green flag, showing it was time for James to head off on his way. The signal for the line James was on dropped, showing that the way was clear for him to depart.
"Come on, James. Let's get on our way again." his driver called, as he blew James' whistle.
"All right!" James said with a loud wheesh of steam, as he started off on his way again with his train on its way to Vicarstown.
For much of the rest of the journey, up until the point where they got near to Killdane Station, No.94000 ran well with his long train, and Carrie was able to stoke the boiler a few more times with fresh coal to keep the steam pressure up. After checking the two water gauge glasses on the backhead, Carrie also turned on the steam and water injectors on the fireman's side of the cab to top up the level of water within the boiler.
It wasn't long before they reached Killdane Station and the signals were down, which showed "all clear" and they continued on their way through the station and on further down the line.
"It shouldn't be too long now before we get to Knapford! We're about halfway along the main line now!" the driver called over the sounds of the different noises.
"That's sounds good to me, sir!" Carrie called back in reply. She was feeling very pleased with herself; she had done a good job of helping to keep No.94000 running today, with the steam pressure being kept up in the boiler, as the indicator pointer was very close to its maximum working pressure of 250psi. Not only that, but there were no unexpected things to be heard that shouldn't be heard, and the wheels were running very smoothly along the track. Leaning out from the fireman's side of the cab, Carrie took a quick look behind at the train following along behind them. A moment later, having seen the train following along smoothly, she pulled her head back in and sat down on the fireman's seat and waited until she was called upon to have another go at stoking the boiler.
(A little while later)
They soon went by Maron Station, where Murdoch was seen standing at the platform on the line that went back to Vicarstown with some coaches standing behind him, and people could be seen standing on the platforms or on the footbridge. When No.94000 approached, and then went through, the station with his train, giving his whistle a short blast as he went by, the waiting passengers waved to him as they went on by. From the cab, Carrie leaned out the driver's side and waved to the passengers as they went by. She could see there were people from all walks of life on the platform, men, women, and children, and all waiting for their trains as they watched another one go by on its way. Carrie felt herself smile quite a bit when she saw many of the waiting passengers wave to her, and she even heard a few of the younger kids call out "Hello!" to her.
After going through Maron Station, the train was on the final stretch of line leading towards Gordon's Hill, and the driver knew that he would need to slow down before they got to the crest of the hill, as they had to go slowly down the hill so as to avoid the risk of having a runaway, especially with the long and heavy train they had.
"We'd better get ready to go down Gordon's Hill. It's coming up very soon." the driver said, as he closed the regulator someway, and the reached for the brake controls.
"What do you want me to do?" Carrie asked.
"Well, Carrie…you just stand by the brake controls for the tender and be ready to put the brakes on…just in case it becomes necessary." said the driver. Giving a nod, Carrie went over to the brake control handle for the tender. Looking down at it, Carrie could see that to put the brakes on, she could be required to turn the handle clockwise, and to release the brakes she had to turn the handle counter clockwise.
"Okay, we're nearly there now." the driver said, as he put the brakes on. As they slowed down, Carrie looked out from the cab and noticed they were going along the long straight stretch on line just before the crest of the hill. It wouldn't be too long before they went down the hill.
"Here we go, you two!" the driver said, as No.94000 went by the signal box and over the crest of the hill, and Carrie felt the level of the cab tip down a little towards the front as they started going down Gordon's Hill. Taking a glance over to the speedometer, Carrie could see they were now going at about 20mph, which was a much more reasonable speed so as to make sure the train didn't runaway as they went down the gradient. Taking a quick look out, Carrie could see the other two tracks beside the one they were on now were empty for now, but there was no doubt that other trains would be going along those tracks during the day. She could also tell, from looking over at the driver, that they were going down the hill in a steady and controlled manner. Carrie felt herself sigh in some relief that the train was in good hands, and they would make it to the bottom of the hill in one piece, which they soon did.
"Okay Carrie, you can sit back down now." the driver said with a smile on his face, as he opened up the regulator a little more while the train went round the curve at the bottom of the hill and under the red brick road bridge. Agreeing with that, Carrie let go of the brake handle and sat back down on the fireman's seat, relieved that the tender brakes didn't need to be used on the hill.
(Later, approaching Knapford Station)
After passing through Wellsworth Station, where they whistled to Edward, who was waiting at the platform on the up-line with his train for Brendam Docks, No.94000 continued on down the line towards Knapford, with the coaches still following along behind. And finally, they soon were on their final approach to the station, and the roof canopy over Knapford Station came into view ahead of them. Carrie felt herself smile when she saw it; they had made it at last.
Rolling along the line by Platform 2, the driver shut the regulator and put on the brakes, and, with a squealing of brake blocks on the wheels, No.94000 came to a halt at the end of the platform.
"And there we are…we've made it." the driver said, as he made sure that the regulator was fully closed and the lever that opened and shut the cylinder drain cocks was in the "Open" position.
"I knew that we would." Carrie said, with a smile. She then leaned out from the fireman's side of the cab and looked forwards. "Thanks for getting us here safely, No.94000!" she called.
"Oh, it's no problem, Carrie! I knew we would get here safely!" No.94000 said in some quiet excitement. Even though it had been a very heavy train they had taken earlier on, No.94000 felt an immense sense of pride at having taken such a heavy train from one end of the island to the other without a problem at all.
From the coaches along the train, the officials who had travelled on the train disembarked, with the results of the run and the performance of the coaches on their laptops. Many of them had smiles on their faces, and were no doubt looking forward to analysing their data when they had the chance to do so. From the cab, Carrie looked up at the clock over the platform; it was 10:50am, and they had managed to arrive in Knapford Station right on time.
"I trust that you all had a very good run this morning." came a familiar voice as it got closer to No.94000. They all knew that voice, as it was none other than the Fat Controller himself.
"Yes, sir. We had a very good run, and the new coaches seemed to have gone along quite well too." the driver said, as his boss approached.
"That's very good, and was No.94000 able to manage such a heavy train like this without any trouble?" asked the Fat Controller.
"Yes, sir. We had no problems on our run. But I'll be glad to have a good long rest for a while after all that." No.94000 said, as he let off some steam.
"That's a good engine." the Fat Controller said with a smile. Then he turned to the driver, fireman, and Carrie.
"Are you ready for your next jobs today?" he asked.
"Yes, sir." they all said together.
"Okay…head over to Tidmouth Sheds, and the yard manager will give you your next tasks there." said the Fat Controller.
"Yes, sir." the driver said, as he turned and adjusted the controls, so that they could leave once they were given the all clear to do so.
"But what about all these coaches, sir?" Carrie asked.
"Don't worry, Carrie. I'll have some of the other engines take them away to the coach sidings nearby." said the Fat Controller reassuringly.
"All right, sir." Carrie said, with a small smile on her face.
The shunter had soon uncoupled No.94000 from the front coach and had disconnected the pipes for the air brakes. With that done, he got out from between the tender and front coach.
"Okay, we're all uncoupled and secure here!" he called, as he went round to the fireman's side, looked up to the cab, and gave a thumbs-up.
"Very good!" the fireman called. A few seconds later, there came the sounds of the signal dropping, showing the way ahead was clear for them to leave.
"Okay, let's go then!" the driver said, as he released the steam brake, pulled on the whistle lever, and then opened the regulator a little. With clouds of condensed white steam shooting out from the cylinder drain cocks, No.94000 slowly rolled forwards, out of Knapford Station and on towards Tidmouth Sheds. For Carrie, as they rolled along towards Tidmouth, she couldn't help wonder what other jobs she would need to do today. But regardless of all that, she was looking forward to it.
(Later that day, 5:25pm)
Another day of hard work on the railway was over for the recruits on the apprenticeship scheme, and now, with them having had a hot shower and changed into clean clothes, they made their way out from the crew building at Tidmouth Sheds and proceeded to make their way back home. For Carrie, it had been a long and tiring day out, and she was very glad to be clocking off for another day. For much of the late morning and into the afternoon, she had worked on the footplate of No.94000 where they had worked at hauling freight trains from the yards at Knapford to the northern part of the island, and then back again.
As a result of all that work, Carrie was exhausted and really looking forward to a good long sleep that night. After changing into clean clothes, she met up with her friends, including Simon, and after clocking out for the day, they made their way out of the crew building and onto the street that ran by the entrance to the depot.
"Oh, I'm looking forward to getting some rest tonight." Saoirse said, as she stretched her arms into the air and yawned.
"Yeah, and I think we'll all sleep well tonight." Olivia said, as she covered a yawn with her hand.
"But shall we all go to the shop and get an ice cream before we head on home?" Sophie asked.
"That sounds like a good idea to me, and I also do need to go to the shop anyway and get a few things." Alice said.
"Yeah, me too. Come on, let's go there." Carrie said.
They soon arrived at a nearby shop, which was quite sizeable and offered just about anything that the local people needed to have. Going inside, the group went off to the different aisles to get what they needed. Going into the aisle that sold a very wide selection of different toiletries and female hygiene products, the girls looked around for the products that they needed to get. Carrie picked up a tube of toothpaste, as she was running a bit low on what she already had at home, as well as a new toothbrush. She turned to see the other four girls picking up a series of things in purple packs on the other side of the aisle behind her. Carrie had never seen whatever these strange products were, and went over to see.
"What are you girls getting here?" Carrie asked, as she looked over what the girls were buying.
"Oh, we're just getting some more tampons and sanitary napkins. Some of us are starting to run low on them." Sophie said, as she picked up a pack of tampons.
"And…what are they used for?" Carrie asked. The other four girls looked at Carrie with slightly stunned or surprised looks on their faces.
"They're…for use by girls to control blood-flow when we get our periods." Alice said.
"Oh…" Carrie said, as what Alice said slowly sank into her head.
"What a second…have you ever had a period before, Carrie?" Saoirse asked, as she caught on to Carrie's lack of knowledge about menstruation. There was a quiet moment, maybe about 10 seconds or so, and then Carrie shook her head.
"No, my momma never told me about anything like that when I was under her care." Carrie said, somewhat embarrassed to hear that. And the other four girls all looked at each other and nodded, while going "Ahh." They understood now why Carrie was wondering why they were buying these products.
"Oh, don't worry about a thing, Carrie. It's perfectly normal for girls to get periods." Olivia said, and then she and the other girls took some time to explain to Carrie what a period was, and why girls get it. By the time they finished, Carrie felt herself smile a little, and feeling somewhat relieved.
"So, it's perfectly normal for me to get something like that as I grow up?" she said.
"Absolutely, and all girls get it as they grow up, but…Carrie are you really and genuinely being serious with us…have you never had a period yet?" asked Sophie, with a surprised look on her face.
"Eh…no…not yet." Carrie said, with some slight embarrassment, as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Well…I think its maybe time that you bought some…just in case you do get yours soon." Saoirse said, as she reached for a pack of tampons and another of sanitary napkins from the shelve, and handed them to Carrie.
"Thanks…" Carrie said, with a smile as she took them.
After finishing up in the aisle, they made their way over to the checkout, where Simon was standing with the things he needed to get and waiting for them to arrive.
"Are you girls ready to get an ice cream?" he asked, as he watched the five girls approach him from the aisle they had just been in.
"Yes, Simon." they all said.
"Come on, let's get one then. And we can head off home." Simon said, with a smile.
"Yeah, let's do that." Saoirse said, and they lined up at the checkout.
A few minutes later, having paid for the products they wanted to buy, as well as an ice cream cone in their hands, they stepped out of the shop and back out onto the street. For Carrie, having an ice cream after a long day of hard work made such a day worth all the effort, sweat, as well as getting covered in dirt and coal dust that occasionally blew up when a breeze sprang up.
"Hmm…this is nice." she said, as she took another lick from her ice cream.
"Yeah, and after a long day, I think an ice cream surely makes such a long day worth it." Simon said, in agreement.
"Anyway, we'll see you two in the morning. Good night." Saoirse said, as she went on her way.
"Good night!" the other girls said, as they also turned and went on their way, leaving Carrie and Simon alone together.
"So, Carrie…" Simon asked, as he paused unsure of what to say next.
"Yes, Simon?" Carrie asked, as she turned her head to him and wondered what he'd say.
"I was wondering…if you'd like to go out on a date with me this Saturday?" Simon asked.
"Yes…yes, I would. I don't think we've gone on a date together since we went to the Christmas market last December." Carrie said. She was thrilled, and maybe her hopes that Simon had strong feelings for her, just as she had for him, would prove to be true.
"Thanks, Carrie. I hoped that we could go on another date together." Simon said, with a smile.
"And me too." Carrie said, with a smile. And, enjoying their ice creams together, they turned and made their way down the street, and headed off home.
And that's the end of another chapter, everyone! Carrie did another good day of hard work, and also got the chance to meet some more of Sodor's narrow-gauge engines. And don't worry everyone, she will get the chance to meet some more of Sodor's narrow-gauge engines later in the story.
Also, as we've seen, the other girls have told her about a period and what it is. She's also been given some female hygiene products for herself, so as to get herself used to using them. It means that she now knows about female menstruation, and so it won't come as such a big shock to her when it finally does come, as will happen later in the story.
