A/N: Well, everybody, we've almost reached the 100th chapter. I thought long and hard about what to do this month to celebrate, and I've come up with this. I hope everyone who enjoys these characters will appreciate it. So without a further ado, lets make tracks to great destinations!
Disclaimer: I do not own Thomas and Friends, The Railway Series, or any associated characters and locations.
Chapter 97: Mountain Engineer
Sir Handel was having a bad day. The passengers grumbled all day, and nothing he could make them feel better. Worst still, they had the audacity to complain to Mr. Percival. Fortunately, Mr. Percival could see that it was not his fault, and gave him some time to cool off, but he was still seething.
"Bothersome passengers," he complained, "It's not my fault those old coaches are a little rickety. They should be scrapped and replaced with modern boogie coaches."
"Not going to happen," Skarloey said firmly, "Those coaches are a part of our railway's history, and Mr. Percival won't scrap them just because a few passengers are having a bad day."
"Indeed," agreed Rheneas, "You'd better be grateful, Sir Handel, that we're not a Mountain Railway."
"A mountain railway? What on Earth is that?"
"A railway that climbs mountains, of course."
"Don't be ridiculous, that's impossible. The engine's wheels would slip."
"But it can. I've heard there's one on this Island, and another one in Wales. The only two of their kind in the whole United Kingdom, I've heard."
"I'm telling you it's impossible."
"It is possible."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
"It is."
A noisy argument broke out. Just then, Douglas shunted a wellwagon into a siding. On it was a queer looking engine. It had six small wheels, and a stove pipe chimney. The boiler tilted downwards, and the cylinders were back to front. The engine drivers had never seen anything quite like it. Inside the cab with Douglas was a smart looking man.
"Hello, Douglas," said Skarloey, "Who's that with you?"
"My name is Culdee," said the man, "Named after the railway my mountain climbs. This here's my engine, back from Switzerland after its overhaul."
"Well, what do you know."
Sir Handel just snorted.
"I'll be back for you tomorrow, Culdee," said Douglas, "No use trying to make it to Kirk Machan today, it'll be dark soon."
"Thanks, Douglas."
Douglas drove away. Culdee turned to the Skarloey Railway drivers.
"Hello, you three. Would any of you be able to tell me where exactly we are."
"You're at Crovan's Gate, on the Skarloey Railway. I'm Skarloey, this is my brother Rheneas, and the sourpuss moping in the shed is Sir Handel."
"Ah, good. I'll be home tomorrow."
"Does your railway really climb mountains?"
"Of course, it does, we've been doing it for over 50 years now. I haven't worked on it that long, mind you, but I know the line like the back of my hand."
"The employees of your line must be clever. Our engines couldn't do that, their wheels would slip."
Culdee just laughed.
"We're not that clever, really. Our engines were just built for it."
"How?"
"You see, Sir Handel, the wheels on our engines have teeth on them, which fit into our rack rail. That way they won't slip, no matter how steep the line is."
"It sounds like you have an interesting line. But aren't you scared taking passengers up the mountain?
"Not really. Our engines have automatic brakes in case of an emergency, and I'm always ready on the handbrake. But there was a time where I was frightened. Very frightened indeed."
"Please tell us."
And so Culdee did.
(Flashback, Culdee narrating)
You see, we must go through very thorough training to become engine drivers on this line. You must be ready for everything, and no place is this truer than on a Mountain Railway. One wrong move and you'll go flying off the edge.
I was nearing the end of my training, and I had passes with flying colors so far. But there was one more test I had to pass: The Summit test.
An inspector came to the sheds one day.
"Culdee Hampton," he said, "I'll be your instructor for this test. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine."
He had me take two coaches to the summit and made us stop on the steepest part of the line. Down, down it fell, approaching a crevasse.
"Breaks off, Culdee, let her roll."
Reluctantly I did so. The coaches pushed me down the hill, I was terrified. I wanted to pull the brakes immediately but stopped. I was told in training that doing so too fast could damage the brakes and should only be done if it was an emergency. Slowly, I applied the brakes, and the engine and coaches came to a stop. With the help of the automatic brakes we stopped just at the bottom of the hill.
The inspector came up to me.
"Good job, Culdee," he told me, "You've passed all of your tests. You'll make a fine engine driver."
I smiled, but I could tell that I was badly shaking.
(End Flashback)
The Skarloey Railway engine drivers stared at Culdee in awe. Culdee just smiled.
"I'm not scared anymore," he told them, "I have no reason to be."
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it. Bet you didn't expect to see the Culdee Fell engines making an appearance. I wasn't going to at first, but I wanted to do something unexpected for this month, as we're about to reach a big milestone. If this goes well, I might adapt other stories that didn't make it into the television series. Let me know what you think!