Chapter 36: A Day out with Friends (II)
(Friday, June 29th 2012 – 5:25pm; Ffarquhar Station)
It was getting very near to the end of another long day of hard work on the Sodor Railway for Carrie, and all her friends. Right at that moment, Carrie was standing on the left-hand side of L.M.S. Fowler Class 2-6-2T No.51, and they were in the small yard at Ffarquhar Station waiting to take their very last train of the day back down to Knapford. As they waited, Carrie took the chance to oil up and around No.51's moving parts and valve gear, so as to make sure that it would all run smoothly when they made their way back to Knapford Station in a short while.
It had been another very long day for Carrie; after getting up a little before 7:00am that morning, she and her father, Ralph, had made their way straight over to Tidmouth Sheds where they were assigned to the engines they were to work on for today. Ralph was assigned to work on the footplate of B.R. Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.73020, while Carrie was initially assigned to work on the footplate of Thomas for the first part of the day, having been told she would be assigned to work on the footplate of another engine later on in the day, probably sometime during the mid-afternoon after lunch.
Not long afterwards, they all headed off on their way to start their day of work. Thomas picked up his coaches, Annie and Clarabel, from the siding where they were, and then headed off to Tidmouth Station to collect his first passengers, and from there went onto Knapford Station to collect more, and then they proceeded onto Thomas' branch line. And that was where Carrie had worked for much of the day, going back and forth along the branch line of the footplate of Thomas, where they took passengers from station to station along the route, as well as taking some trucks loaded with stone later from the Ffarquhar Quarry over to the sidings close to Ulfstead Station.
By the time they parked up in the sidings over at Ulfstead Station after delivering the heavily-laden stone trucks, Carrie was feeling quite tired from the hard work, and was eager to get some lunch and a good rest for her lunch hour before she went back on duty again.
After meeting up with Alice, who had been working on the footplate of Percy for much of the morning, they went into Ulfstead together and to one of the shops that was fairly near to the yard. After they bought what they wanted to have for lunch, they made their way back to the Ulfstead sidings, where they sat down on one of the benches and settled down to eat. As they enjoyed their food, they chatted with each other about how their morning had gone and what things had taken place during their travels.
At the same time though, they also chatted about the trip out they were going to be having with their friends the following day. The next day was going to be Sophie's 17th birthday, and the group of six friends had planned a trip out to celebrate it. Sophie wanted to go over to the Skarloey Railway and travel up the line to enjoy a day out there, to which all the friends agreed. Especially Carrie, as she was the only one amongst the six who had never been along the Skarloey Railway yet, although she had gone past it a few times in the past, and had already met some of the narrow-gauge engines who ran the line.
Eventually though, the lunch break came to an end, and much too quickly for their liking! But regardless of that, both Carrie and Alice went to get themselves ready to get back to work again. Standing up, they made their way back into the yards to get back to work.
However, both girls were reassigned to work with different engines for the rest of the day; Carrie was assigned to work with No.51, while Alice was reassigned to work on the footplate of No.42420, an L.M.S. Fowler Class 2-6-4T. After bidding each other goodbye and saying they would see each other that evening, both Carrie and Alice climbed onto the footplates of their new engines with the crews and then set off to work.
(Back to the present)
Soon, Carrie had finished oiling up all the moving parts on the valve gear of No.51 and, after wiping down any excess oil from the last lubrication part she had topped off, she made her way to the front to face No.51.
"And there we are…all oiled up and ready to go again, No.51." Carrie said with a smile, as she faced the tank engine.
"Thank you, Carrie. I feel much better now." said No.51, as he smiled down at Carrie. He indeed was feeling better; with his motion and valve gear all oiled up, as well as with his fire having been cleaned of any excess ash and nasty clinker, he was feeling eager to get his last train of the day down to Knapford Station.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all, No.51. It's always a pleasure to work with fine engines like you. After all, it's helped me to develop into a much better person ever since I arrived here last November." Carrie said.
"I heard about everything you went through at your old home, Carrie. And I just want to let you know that I'm sorry for everything that you had to go through." No.51 said, with some caution in his voice, as he didn't want to upset Carrie.
"Oh, it's all right, No.51. I always try not to let details of my past bother me too much…but then again…it's not the easiest thing to forget." Carrie said, as she lowered her head slightly, knowing that sometimes the really bad memories from her past weren't the easiest of things to forget, especially the worst instances of bully, almost always brought about either by the worst bully in Ewen High School Chris Hargensen, or one of the girls in her clique, the worst of them being Tina Blake. On seeing Carrie look down, No.51 though she was upset about memories of her past being brought up, and he felt bad at once.
"Oh, I…I'm sorry, Carrie. I didn't mean to upset you with what I said…" he began.
"Oh, it's all right, No.51, I know you didn't mean anything. It's just that…every now and then, bad memories from my past do pop up…but I try my best not to let any of them bother me." Carrie said.
"Thank you, Carrie." No.51 said, as a small smile returned to his face.
"Okay there, you two…" came a new voice from off to the side. And coming up to them was the yard manager.
"Hello, sir." said No.51.
"Have you our job, sir?" Carrie asked.
"I do indeed…" the yard manager said, as he looked through the papers on his clipboard. "…now then…you're to take some vans from here at Ffarquhar down to the large yards near Knapford Station. And along the way, you're to collect some more vans, also bound for Knapford, from the yard at Elsbridge Station."
"Is there anything else we have to do, sir?" No.51 asked.
"No, that's it." the yard manager said.
"Very well then…let's get to work and collect those vans." said the driver of No.51, as he climbed onto the footplate.
(A few minutes later)
It wasn't too long before No.51 had been coupled up to the line of vans that were sitting in a siding within the small yard. There was a brake van coupled at the very rear of the train, and the guard was making his last preparations to go. But they needed to wait until another train coming along the Ffarquhar Line from the direction of Hackenbeck had pulled into Ffarquhar Station. So, No.51 sat patiently and simmered quietly as he waited for his turn to depart, while wondering who it was that they needed to wait for. It was unlikely to be Thomas, as he had already left some time before with his last train of the day, so it was more likely a train bound for Ulfstead or for the very end of the line at Kirk Machan.
They didn't have to wait for very long, for soon the sound of a whistle in the distance, as well as the sounds of chuffing could heard coming along the line. A few moments later, they saw which engine it was; it was L.N.E.R. Thompson L1 2-6-4T No.9000, and he was hauling a line of seven coaches painted in maroon-red livery. He was on the later-afternoon/early evening commuter run from Knapford Station that ran along the Ffarquhar branch line, and taking people home, and was about to make his stop at Ffarquhar Station.
"Good afternoon, No.9000!" No.51 called, as No.9000 rolled slowly along the line and into the station.
"Hello, No.51! Are you heading off soon?" No.9000 called, as his passengers climbed aboard his coaches, while those who were getting off at Ffarquhar disembarked.
"Yes, but I need to wait until you're out of the way first before I can go." said No.51.
"I'll be out of the way as soon as my last passengers have got aboard." said No.9000. It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers had boarded the coaches, and they could head off on their way down the line again. Then, with the sound of a guard's whistle, it was time for them to be off again.
"Time to be off again! See you later, No.51!" No.9000 said, as his driver sounded his whistle and opened the regulator again
"See you later then, No.9000!" No.51 said, as he watched the Thompson L1 set off down the line towards Ulfstead, with his seven coaches following along behind him. At last, with the line clear for them to depart, No.51 was given the "all clear" to go, and they headed off out from the siding and down the line.
(Later on; 6:15pm, Tidmouth Sheds)
After going down the Ffarquhar Branch Line, where they picked up more vans from Elsbridge Station, No.51 safely arrived back in the yards at Knapford, where he dropped off his vans into a siding in the yard, and then went back to Tidmouth Sheds. By this time of the day, Carrie was very tired after such a long day of work, and she was really looking forward to getting home and getting a really good night's sleep before she and her friends went out the next day in order to celebrate Sophie's 17th birthday.
After reversing back into one of the sheds within the depot, No.51 gently stopped within the cover of the shed, with some steam hissing out from his cylinders drain pipes.
"Oh, I'll be glad to get to sleep tonight." No.51 said, as he closed his eyes somewhat.
"Me too…especially after the long and tiring day I've had out there today." Carrie said, as she climbed off the footplate and carefully placed her feet on the ground. After bidding the driver and fireman of No.51, as well as No.51, a good night, she headed off to the crew building to shower and change.
As she walked over to the crew building, she yawned, but she didn't bother to put her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn. From the yawn, she knew she was gonna sleep very well tonight.
After arriving at the crew building, Carrie went upstairs to the ladies changing room, stripped off, and had a long hot shower. Rubbing shampoo into her hair and body wash elsewhere on her body, she was determined to wash off all the dirt, grit and grime that had gotten on her throughout the course of the day. By the time she had finished her shower, and stepped back into the main changing room wrapped up in two soft white towels, Carrie felt much better. After drying off, she got dressed into the fresh clothes that she had stored inside her locker. With that done, she packed up her things and then made her way downstairs.
After clocking out at the main entrance, she stepped outside the front entrance, where she could see her friends, including Simon, Sophie, Saoirse, Alice, and Olivia chatting together a few metres away from her, and she stepped over to them.
"Ah, Carrie, there you are!" Simon said, as Carrie arrived beside them, and both he and Carrie gave each other a big hug and a kiss.
"Yes, Simon. Here I am. And boy…am I glad today's work is done at last!" Carrie said, as she stretched her arms out and yawned again, but this time putting one of her hands over her mouth.
"Me too! I'm just knackered after all the work that I did when I was out on the main line for today!" Saoirse said. She had been assigned to work on the footplate of L.N.E.R. P1 Class 2-8-2 No.2398 for most of the day, where they had worked long and heavy coal trains along the Southern Main Line, as well as on the Central Main Line that went right through the very centre of the Island of Sodor.
"Yeah, but I'm glad we've got the weekend off, and we can go and celebrate Sophie's birthday tomorrow as well." Alice said.
"And I'm glad we're going over to the Skarloey Railway as well. I've always wanted to go there and see what it's like ever since I arrived on Sodor." Carrie said.
"Oh, you'll love it there, Carrie. Many of the narrow-gauge engines who run on that line are always very happy to see visitors. And the scenery along that line is always quite nice to see as well." Olivia said.
"Well, I am looking forward to seeing it tomorrow." Carrie said.
"Anyway, shall we all go out and get something to eat? I think we're all hungry after today's work." said Alice. And they all agreed with that, before they then turned out through the gates and headed off down the street to one of their favourite places to get dinner.
(Next morning; 8:05am)
Now well-rested after a really good night's sleep in her very comfortable bed at home, Carrie stood on Platform 1 at Knapford Station, with Simon, Saoirse, Alice, Olivia, and Sophie, the birthday girl, with her on the platform. They were hoping, along with all the other passengers who were waiting on the platform, to catch the train from the station at 8:20am, but it hadn't arrived down from Tidmouth Station as of yet, which caused some of the waiting passengers to get slightly concerned.
"I hope the train gets here soon. It wouldn't be a good start to today if the train arrives here late." Alice said.
"Just be patient. It's probably already on its way here right now, but may have been held up for some reason." Simon said.
"I just hope you're right, Simon. It wouldn't be a good start for Sophie's special day if we're not able to arrive at Crovan's Gate on time." Olivia said. Just then, there was the low sound of a whistle coming from up the line in the direction of Knapford Yards.
"Hang on…do any of you hear that?" Carrie asked. Before any of them could answer, an announcement came over the station's P.A. system.
"May I have your attention please? The 8:00am service from Tidmouth to Vicarstown is now approaching Platform 1."
"Yeah, we heard it, Carrie. And about time too!" Sophie said, as she looked down the line towards the north.
With a wheesh of steam, some low chuffs from the chimney, and a slight clanking-rattle coming from somewhere, the train slowly pulled alongside Platform 1. There were 12 smartly turned-out Pullman Coaches in the train, with their paintwork all washed down and polished up to a high standard. The engine who was at the front of the train, and whose paintwork and brass had been polished down and cleaned up to a very high standard, was G.W.R. 4000 Star Class 4-6-0 No.4054 Princess Charlotte, who simple liked to be called Charlotte, and she was looking slightly concerned as the train pulled into the station (60). With a gentle squealing of brakes, a light whoosh of air, as well as the sounds of hissing steam, the driver put the brakes on, and they came to a gentle halt at the end of the platform. As Charlotte came to a stop, many of those standing on the platform couldn't help but admire how bright and shiny her G.W.R. passenger green livery, as well as all her brass-work and other parts were bright and clean.
(60): The G.W.R.'s 4000 Star Class 4-6-0 passenger steam locomotives were designed by George Jackson Churchward, and were built at Swindon Works between April 1906 and February 1923. It was the very first class of 4-6-0 engines in the G.W.R. to be built with four cylinders, and it proved to be such a successful design that they established the design principles for all later G.W.R. four-cylinder classes of engine for the next 25 years, including the 4073 Castle and 60XX King Classes.
Built in order to address the G.W.R.'s motive power needs and for long non-stop express services, based on information Churchward had gathered from a number of locomotives with different wheel arrangements and boiler sizes, as well as following on the success of the G.W.R.'s previous 2-cylinder 29XX Saint Class 4-6-0 locomotives. A prototype was built in 1906, No.40, and was a 4-4-2 Atlantic, but it could easily be converted to a 4-6-0 if needed. The new engine incorporated a four-cylinder layout with divided drive, meaning the inside cylinders drove the front driving wheels and the two outside cylinders drove the second driving wheels. No.40 was also fitted with a unique version of Walschaerts valve gear, known as scissor gear.
The initial trials of the prototype engine proved to be rather successful, though it was noted that greater adhesion would be needed, especially when hauling heavier loads and during bad weather conditions. Once all the trials and testing of No.40 were completed, production of the Star Class could begin in earnest, which began in 1907. Eventually, No.40 was rebuilt as a 4-6-0 in 1909, renumbered to No.4000 in 1912, and given the name of North Star.
The first of the production engines to be built, No.4001 Dog Star, emerged from Swindon Works in February 1907, and the other members of the class all following along at various intervals in between February 1907 and February 1923. In total, 73 members of the G.W.R. Star Class were built. The class were fitted with four cylinders, which were 15in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, which, combined with a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 225psi and six driving wheels that were 6ft 8.5in in diameter, gave the Star Class locomotives a maximum tractive effort of 25,090lbf.
The class had divided drive, with the inside cylinders driving onto the leading set of driving wheels, and the outside cylinders driving onto the second set of driving wheels, something that was later copied on the larger G.W.R. Castle and King Classes.
The class were built between seven series during their production run. These seven series included;
The Star Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4001 to No.4010, were named after well-known Stars, including names previously used by the earlier G.W.R. Broad Gauge Star Class of 1838. The numbers and names of the locomotives in this series included;
No.4000 North Star, No.4001 Dog Star, No.4002 Evening Star, No.4003 Lode Star, No.4004 Morning Star, No.4005 Polar Star, No.4006 Red Star,
No.4007 Rising Star (later Swallowfield Park), No.4008 Royal Star, No.4009 Shooting Star, and No.4010 Western Star.
The Knight Series; the locomotives in this series, which featured improved bogies to allow for a smoother ride, were numbered from No.4011 to No.4020, were named after historical knights. The names and numbers of the locomotives in this series included;
No.4011 Knight of the Garter, No.4012 Knight of the Thistle, No.4013 Knight of St. Patrick, No.4014 Knight of the Bath, No.4015 Knight of St. John,
No.4016 Knight of the Golden Fleece, No.4017 Knight of the Black Eagle (later Knight of Liege), No.4018 Knight of the Grand Cross,
No.4019 Knight Templar, and No.4020 Knight Commander.
The King Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4021 to No.4030, and were named after British Kings. The framing for these engines had curved ends under the cabs and over the cylinders. From 1927 onwards, this series of the class were renamed as new engines of the G.W.R. 6000 King Class came into service, and so they were given names of a country followed by the word "Monarch". So, for example No.4022 King William was renamed Belgian Monarch, and No.4030 King Harold was renamed Swedish Monarch. However, early in the Second World War, those engines that had names relating to enemy countries were removed.
The numbers and names of the locomotives in this series included;
No.4021 King Edward (later The British Monarch and British Monarch), No.4022 King William (later The Belgian Monarch and Belgian Monarch),
No.4023 King George (later The Danish Monarch and Danish Monarch) No.4024 King James (later The Dutch Monarch and Dutch Monarch),
No.4025 King Charles (later Italian Monarch), No.4026 King Richard (later The Japanese Monarch and Japanese Monarch),
No.4027 King Henry (later The Norwegian Monarch and Norwegian Monarch), No.4028 King John (later The Romanian Monarch and Romanian Monarch),
No.4029 King Stephen (later The Spanish Monarch and Spanish Monarch), and No.4030 King Harold (later The Swedish Monarch and Swedish Monarch).
The Queen Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4031 to No.4040, and were named after British Queens. The numbers and names of locomotives in this series included;
No.4031 Queen Mary, No.4032 Queen Alexandra, No.4033 Queen Adelaide, No.4034 Queen Adelaide, No.4035 Queen Queen Charlotte,
No.4036 Queen Elizabeth, No.4037 Queen Philippa, No.4038 Queen Berengaria, No.4039 Queen Matilda and No.4040 Queen Boadicea.
The Princes Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4041 to No.4045, and were named after the sons of King George V. One example of this series, No.4041, was built with enlarged 15in by 26in cylinders which gave a higher tractive effort of 27,800lbf, and this eventually became the standard for the whole class. The boilers were also given top-feed apparatus, which again later became a standard feature for the whole class. The names and numbers of the locomotives in this series included;
No.4041 Prince of Wales, No.4042 Prince Albert, No.4043 Prince Henry, No.4044 Prince George, and No.4045 Prince John.
The Princess Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4046 to No.4060, and were named after British Princesses. These engines featured an improved four-cone vacuum injector, which was seen as necessary in order to improve the braking on the increasingly long passenger trains. The names and numbers of the locomotives in this series included;
No.4046 Princess Mary, No.4047 Princess Louise, No.4048 Princess Victoria, No.4049 Princess Maude, No.4050 Princess Alice, No.4051 Princess Helena,
No.4052 Princess Beatrice, No.4053 Princess Alexandra, No.4054 Princess Charlotte, No.4055 Princess Sophia, No.4056 Princess Margaret,
No.4057 Princess Elizabeth, No.4058 Princess Augusta, No.4059 Princess Patricia, and No.4060 Princess Eugenie.
The Abbey Series; the locomotives in this series, numbered from No.4061 to No.4072, and were named after famous Abbeys located within the territory of the Great Western Railway, and were built with an improved crank-axle design. The numbers and names of the locomotives in this series were as follows;
No.4061 Glastonbury Abbey, No.4062 Malmesbury Abbey, No.4063 Bath Abbey, No.4064 Reading Abbey, No.4065 Evesham Abbey,
No.4066 Malvern Abbey(later Sir Robert Horne and Viscount Horne), No.4067 Tintern Abbey, No.4068 Llanthony Abbey,
No.4069 Margam Abbey(later Westminster Abbey), No.4070 Neath Abbey, No.4071 Cleeve Abbey, and No.4072 Tresco Abbey.
During their careers, the class performed very well on all the G.W.R.'s long distance express passenger routes on the fastest express trains, as well as those that had the longest distances to cover between stops. But as members of the Castle and King Classes came into service in the 1920's and 30's, the Stars were gradually displaced to work on secondary services. Yet despite this, the Stars kept on working well until the 1950's. They were free-running engines, and always gave performances to the highest standards, and they rarely suffered a breakdown when they were in service.
Some modifications were made to the class when they were in service; on orders from Charles Collett, 15 examples of the Star Class were rebuilt as members of the Castle Class, including No.4000 North Star, No.4009 Shooting Star, No.4016 Knight of the Golden Fleece, No.4037 Queen Philippa (renamed as The South Wales Borderers), and No.4069 Margam Abbey (as No.5089 Westminster Abbey). Other modifications and improvements were made to the boilers, the smokeboxes, and steam pipes – some examples were rebuilt with outside steam pipes, while others retained their inside steam pipes. The class were also paired with six-wheeled tenders that could carry up to 4,000 gallons of water from 1938 onwards.
Withdrawals of the class began in April 1925, when the first example, No.4009 Shooting Star was withdrawn to be rebuilt as a Castle Class locomotive. The final example wasn't removed from service until 1957, when No.4056 Princess Margaret was withdrawn in October of that year.
Thankfully, one example of the G.W.R. Star Class has survived into preservation as part of the National Collection. This engine is No.4003 Lode Star, and she was withdrawn from service in July 1951 having covered a very impressive 2,005,898 miles during her years of service. After being preserved at Swindon Railway Works until 1962, and then at Swindon's Museum of the Great Western Railway, she's currently on static display inside York's National Railway Museum. As of 2023, she has never been steamed or run under her own power in preservation ever since she was withdrawn.
As soon as the train came to a halt at the platform, the doors on all the coaches were opened up and the voices of "All aboard!" called out, as the passengers on the platform stepped aboard the coaches. From where they were standing, Carrie and Simon, Saoirse, Sophie, Alice, and Olivia all stepped aboard the coach that was coupled immediately behind Charlotte's tender. This was one of the First-Class coaches in the train and, as part of a special treat for Sophie's birthday, the six friends decided to travel First-Class on the journey over to Crovan's Gate, as well as for the journey back to Knapford later in the day.
"Come on, let's get to our seats. My feet are killing me already!" Sophie said, as they stepped aboard the coach.
"Okay, they should be very close to the front of the coach." Alice said, as they turned and walked forwards towards their seats. After a few moments, they found them; there was a table with four seats on one side of the coach and a table with two seats on the other side of the coach. The seats looked very comfortable to sit on, and there was a light fixture with a nice shade fitted on each table in the coach. The tables were covered with soft white linen tablecloths, and on both ends of each window in the coach there were light cream-white curtains.
"Now this looks very nice." Carrie said, as she and Simon sat down together at the table for two, and the other girls sat down on the table for four beside them.
"Yeah, and I think it really helps to make the journey a very comfortable one too. And I do feel it helps to make my day a much better one as well." Sophie said, as she sat down and made herself comfortable.
"Yes, this is certainly one of the best coaches I've ever travelled on in my life." Simon said, as he looked all around the coach in awe.
"I just hope that the service is up to spec when we finally set off on our way." Saoirse said.
"It will be…" Alice said, "…and I'm really hoping to enjoy breakfast as we make our way towards Crovan's Gate."
It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers on the platform had gotten aboard the train, and then the doors to the coaches were closed one by one. With that, it was time for Charlotte to set off on her way again, bang on time at 8:10am. The signalman on duty in his signal-box a little way down from the station set the points and the signal arms to show the line ahead was clear for her to leave. At the same time, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, before quickly stepping back aboard his compartment in the front coach. With a loud blast from the whistle, the driver opened the regulator; slowly, Charlotte rolled out from Knapford Station, taking the weight of her long train behind her. Inside the train, most of the passengers looked outside and watched as all the sights in the yard leading up to the junction leading to the Ffarquhar Branch went on past.
Gradually, the train built up a little more speed as it moved out from the station and out onto the main line, with Charlotte driver sounding her whistle out loudly as they made their way along out to the countryside.
Now that they were clear of Knapford and making their way out, it was time for the on-board catering service to start. In the First-Class coach, one of the stewards on duty handed the six teenagers a menu each. This morning, there was plenty of choices, for them to choose from, including a full English breakfast, which was prepared in the kitchen coach immediately behind the First-Class coach, as well as hot tea and coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, and other choices as well.
After the friends ordered the full English breakfasts with one of the stewards, they settled down in the comfortable seats to chat with each other and enjoy the ride to Crovan's Gate.
It wasn't too long before they were served their drinks first, which was orange juice, and either tea or coffee in silver pots. After thanking the server, they tucked into the drinks and sipped them slowly while they chatted with each other. Occasionally, they would look outside the windows from the tables they were sitting at every now and then, and see what sights were passing by outside the windows, and they would also listen to the beat of Charlotte working away hard at the front of the train, as well as the sounds of her blowing her whistle every now and then.
Soon, the six friends were served out their breakfasts from the kitchen coach, and they tucked into the food not long after they were served. And they really enjoyed the breakfasts, especially, as the food was hot and really tasted delicious. For several minutes, the six friends didn't say much to each other, as they were all too busy enjoying the food while it was still before them.
By the time the train reached Wellsworth Station, where they would have to pick up a banker to go up Gordon's Hill, the six friends had finally finished their food, and were settling back and resting. Looking outside, they knew where they were and why the train was coming to a stop. As they chatted, they all listened out for the sounds of the whistles, both from the banker buffering up to the back of the train, as well as the sounds of Charlotte sounding her whistle to let someone know she wanted a banker to help her up the hill.
They didn't have to wait for too long until they were on their way again, with loud blasts of chuffing from Charlotte chimney to be heard by everyone who was nearby or on the train, as well as from that of the banker that was pushing hard at the back of the train.
As they made their way along the line, they soon began climbing up the slope of Gordon's Hill, with loud blasts from the chimney of Charlotte as she took a good long run at the hill with her heavy train following along, and the banker pushing very hard at the rear. Looking out the window as they made their way up, Carrie couldn't help but look outside and take in the view of the land below as they climbed the hill. It was nice to be seeing the sight from the comforts of a First-Class coach rather than from the draughty, noisy, and hot conditions of a locomotive footplate.
Once they got to the top of the hill, Carrie could feel the train speed up a little as they went over the summit of the climb and down the more gentle-sloping side of the hill. With the sound of a whistle from the banker at the rear of the train as it slowed down and gently dropped off from the back of the train, Charlotte moved on ahead swiftly down the line.
For the rest of the journey, which went very smoothly, the six friends chatted away with each other about what the day ahead of them might bring, especially as they went around to many of the different sights on the Skarloey Railway. All the others in the group gave some indication to Carrie of what she could expect to see when they finally arrived at Crovan's Gate and then went along the narrow-gauge lines. Carrie was really looking forward to seeing what was on the Skarloey Railway, and if she would like what she saw along the line when they got up there.
(Soon, at Crovan's Gate Station)
It wasn't too long before they finally arrived at their destination, Crovan's Gate Station, bang on time at 9:00am, and came to a stop at the platform. Stepping off the train, Carrie, Simon, and the other four girls in the group got off the train and then went along over to the ticket office to get their day-tickets for their trip along the Skarloey Railway. After getting their tickets, they made their way along the footbridge, which cross over another two railway lines between the main station and the Skarloey Railway, and then down to the platform that was immediately by the narrow-gauge railway line.
As they waited for the train, Carrie took a few moments to have a good look around along the platform from where she was standing; it was about a foot or two lower in height than the platform for the standard-gauge line it was adjacent to. There were steps that allowed people to go from one platform to another, and along the length of the low wall between the two platforms was a white-washed picket fence (N).
(N): what I'm describing here is the narrow-gauge station adjacent to the main part of Crovan's Gate Station that was seen in the Season 4 episodes where the Skarloey Railway played a major role, such as A Bad Day for Sir Handle and Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady.
As the friends sat down on the one of the platform benches and waited for the train to arrive, they all chatted with each other about what engine might be taking them up into the mountains for today.
"Do you think it might be Skarloey who'll take us up there today?" Sophie suggested.
"Maybe, but it could just as well be Duncan or Rheneas who could take us up." Saoirse said.
"Well, I don't mind which engine takes us there, just as long as they can get us there safely." Simon said.
"Hang on…I think I can hear chuffing right now." Carrie said, as she looked along the line, while the others on the platform did the same as well.
They could hear the sounds of chuffing, and then the sound of a whistle from somewhere in the direction of the Skarloey Engine Sheds. A moment later, the locomotive who had made the sound came into view from around the bend; it was Peter Sam, and he had a line of six blue and white coaches coupled up behind him. He was looking very happy, particularly as it was a bright sunny day and there were people to take up into the mountains so they could enjoy the sights.
With a gentle wheesh of steam, Peter Sam pulled slowly into the station and came to a stop very close to where Carrie and her friends were standing.
"Hello there, everyone!" Peter Sam said, when he saw Carrie, Simon, and the other four girls standing close to him.
"Good morning, Peter Sam. So, you're the one taking us up into the hills this morning?" Alice said to the green narrow-gauge engine.
"Yes, I am. And I'm very proud to do so. Especially on a nice summer day like this one!" Peter Sam said, with a smile on his face.
"And we're glad to see you take us there, Peter Sam!" Olivia said.
"Anyway, all aboard, please! All aboard!" Peter Sam said, as Carrie, Simon, Olivia, Alice, Sophie, and Saoirse climbed aboard the coach coupled immediately behind Peter Sam, and took their seats inside.
As she sat down in the coach, Carrie took a look around it; it was a single compartment with two rows of upholstered seats at each end. Off to the sides, there was a single door with a window and two windows on both sides of the door. Thankfully, the tops of the windows could open, and so Carrie opened the one beside her a little in order to allow some fresh air inside the compartment. Even though the compartment was large enough for all six of them to fit inside without a problem, it still felt slightly cramped.
"This…this space does feel a little small. I'm beginning to miss the coach we were on not too long ago." Carrie said.
"Don't worry about a thing, Carrie. We're only going to be on this coach for a short while as we go up the line, and besides we're used to these coaches. We've all gone and travelled in them before." Saoirse said, and the others murmured in agreement.
"All right, if you lot are able to stand this limited space, then I suppose I can as well." Carrie said.
Soon, with the last of the passengers aboard the train, the doors on the coaches were closed, and the guard blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag, and then stepped quickly into his brake van. With a toot on his whistle, and with his driver slowly opening up the regulator, Peter Sam set off from the station, and out into the hills.
(Insert soundtrack – The Skarloey Railway Theme – Season 4)
As they rolled along the line out from the station and along the line that led into the mountainous and wild eastern part of Sodor, Carrie looked outside the window to see all the different sights that went by as they went along the line. She was impressed by how smoothly the coach, small though it was, rode along the line; she had expected it to be a bit bouncier than it really was. Every now and then, she heard the sound of Peter Sam blowing his whistle whenever they came up to a level crossing or approaching a bridge they went under. And outside, she sometimes saw people standing at the fences or low stone walls along the line and waving at the train as it went on past them, and she sometimes found herself waving back at those who were waving at the train.
"You know, Carrie…waving back at people waving at the train is something we've all done on occasion whenever we've been on this line." Saoirse said.
"Yeah, and I imagine it's something everyone just does. And it doesn't matter if people are from Sodor or not." Olivia said.
"Well…I'm glad to finally become a member of that club." Carrie said with a smile, and they all chuckled for a few moments before they quietened down and settled down to enjoy the journey up the line.
(A little while later)
They soon got into the more rugged part of the hills to the north west of Crovan's Gate, where there were rock formations all around them on both sides of the line, along with tall trees and thick hedges up amongst many of the rocky formations.
"We're approaching the Old Viaduct now, Carrie. It crosses over a wide and very deep valley with a stream that runs along the bottom of it." Simon said.
"How high is the viaduct?" Carrie asked.
"Oh, it's quite high. But wait until we cross over it to see how high it is." Sophie said.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she looked outside in anticipation to see the viaduct. They came upon it soon enough; after they came round a gentle corner, they went along a short straight stretch and then they went over the viaduct. Looking out the window as they started crossing, Carrie was amazed to find how high they were over the valley below them. She could see the stream flowing below them, as well as the rugged and rocky sides of both sides of the valley as they crossed over.
"Oh, that's quite high. It's certainly a long way down from here." Carrie said, as they made it to the other side of the valley.
"I know. It still gives me slight chills to see how high above the valley we are each time we go over that viaduct." Alice said.
"Yeah, I can understand that." Carrie said, as she thought about how high they had just been.
They soon slowed down as they approached the first station on the trip, which was Rheneas Station. There the line became double-tracked again, at least for a short while, before it had to come single-track again after it left the station. With a short toot of his whistle, Peter Sam came to a gentle stop at the platform, on which were a number of people waiting to catch the train up the line.
"Get in quickly please." Peter Sam said, as some of the coach doors were opened and the people who were waiting on the platform stepped aboard them. But Peter Sam needn't have encouraged his passengers to board quickly, as they had to wait at the station for a little while, as there was another train coming along the line in the other direction. When the engine came into view, Peter Sam saw that it was Duke, and he had a long line of heavily-laden slate trucks and a brake van rattling along behind him.
"Hello Granpuff!" teased Peter Sam, when he saw Duke, "You're running late!" He always enjoyed teasing him every now and then.
"You impertinent scallywag! I was delayed over at the slate quarries! And now I'm trying to make up for lost time! In my young days, engines were…" Duke said, with a frown as he went over the crossing and through the station.
"…seen and not heard, Granpuff! Yes, I know!" Peter Sam said, as Duke went on by with his train, the heavily-laden slate trucks rattling all the while.
Soon, they were all clear to depart and the guard blew his whistle while waving his green flag. The driver blew Peter Sam's whistle, and they were on their way up the line again. As they set off, Carrie couldn't help but look outside at the spectacular scenery and high hills that towered above the landscape, as well as various features she could see, including waterfalls pouring off the steep cliffs, individual buildings here and there on the gentler slopes of some hills, as well as the odd deer or two at times when they went through a forest by the side of the line.
"Is this place a very popular one for visitors?" Carrie asked.
"It is, Carrie. Lots of visitors who come to Sodor always take the chance to visit the Skarloey Railway, and they always enjoy the sights of the land up here, as well as going on the many hiking trails and the waterfalls, forests, and the lakes up here." Simon said.
"And not to mention the town of Lakeside as well." Saoirse added.
"That's very close to the end of the line up here, and it's one of the more popular places for tourists to visit. There's a very large lake up there, hence its name of Lakeside, and boat rides are offered on large boats up there. The town is quite a nice place too, with many good places to get a bite to eat, as well as gift shops and such." Alice said.
"I'm sure that there'll be plenty of things in Lakeside for you to enjoy while we're there, Carrie." Sophie said.
"Let's hope so. I'm really looking forward to seeing what its like up there. And I hope we'll have a great time there today." Carrie said, as she looked outside the window again. This time, they were travelling through a forest with tall trees on both sides of the railway line. A few moments later, they went over a narrow bridge that crossed over a narrow stream flowing below them.
(A little later on)
It wasn't too long before they finally arrived at Lakeside. Looking outside the window, Carrie was impressed as they rolled along the line into the small town. There were quite a few buildings she could see as the train slowed down, and right in front of her was a large mountain lake, with the high hills on the other side of it forming quite an impressive backdrop to the glassy calm water.
Sitting at the quayside near the station was a tourist boat with two decks, and it looked to be a fairly recent addition to the lake based on its sparkling appearance. Forward on the boat's upper deck, there was a pilot house where a man would control the engines and steer the boat while it was out on the water, and behind the pilot house were upholstered seats where people would sit and enjoy the view when they were out on the water.
Crossing halfway along the harbour, there was another narrow-gauge railway line that went over a low bridge, but the middle of the bridge could lift up and down to allow boats to move in and out of the small harbour.
Peter Sam came to a stop at the small station, and allowed the passengers who wanted to get off at Lakeside to disembark from the train. Carrie, Simon, and the girls were amongst them. By this point, the clock above the platform showed the time as being 9:45am. As she stepped off the coach, Carrie took in a deep breath of the clean mountain air, and took in the sights that were all around her.
"Wow…it's quite nice up here." Carrie said, as she looked at Simon.
"Yeah, it's a really nice place this town, and from the scenery, you can see why a lot of people do like to come up here." Simon said.
"Come on, you two. Let's go and see what time the boat tour sets off at." Sophie said, as she and the other girls stepped along the platform and towards the tourist boat information office that was sitting on the dockside where the boat was docked.
"Come on, Carrie. Let's go and see." Simon said, as he and Carrie held hands and followed the girls over to the information office.
Stepping over to the information office, they looked at the timetable on display on a board outside; the first boat tour was due to set off onto the lake at 10:30am.
"Looks like we've still got a little time to wait until the boat leaves." Sophie said, as she looked at her watch.
"Yeah, so what shall we do in the meantime?" Carrie asked, as she looked towards Simon and the other girls in the group.
"Let's go and have a look around town, and see if we can get anything to eat in some of the shops. And maybe we can even look into the gift shops and we'll see what we can get in some of them. Then, we'll meet back here at about 10:20am. How does that sound?" Simon asked.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me. What do you say, girls?" Sophie asked. And Saoirse, Alice, and Olivia all agreed that sounded like a fair idea. And so, they went off in different ways, aiming to see what was going on before they all met up again.
Carrie and Simon made their way along the quayside towards some of the gift shops they could see. Looking down to the water as they walked along, Carrie was very impressed to see just how crystal clear the water was, and that she was able to see the bottom of the enclosed harbour quite easily. At one point, she saw a small shoal of fish swimming about close to the water surface for a few moments, before the fish turned away and disappeared under the hull of a boat floating a few metres away.
"So how do you like it up here so far, Carrie?" Simon asked, as they walked along hand in hand.
"It's really quite beautiful up here, Simon. The way the tall mountains form a backdrop to this lake is really something, and it all reminds of different pictures that I've seen of similar lakes with mountains as a backdrop to them." Carrie said.
"Oh, I know what you mean by that, Carrie. And the scenery up here is one of the many reasons why a lot of people come up here in the summer time." Simon said.
They soon arrived in front of one of the gift shops that looked out over the lake, and went inside it. Looking around the different shelves that lined the walls, Carrie was impressed by the large variety of souvenirs, postcards, trinkets, gifts, and other things that were on offer. Many postcards were standing on stands that could turn round, and there were different t-shirts, hats, books, mugs, and stuffed animals sitting on the shelves and tables too. Other things on offer included chocolate bars, rock sticks, boxes of tea bags, drinking glasses, as well as posters, toys, and even specialty bars of hand soap. Apart from the two attendant who were behind standing the counter, there were around half a dozen other people in the building who were looking around at what was on offer.
"Wow, there's certainly plenty on offer in here." Carrie said, as she looked round in awe at everything before her.
"I know, and with all this before us, where on earth do you start?" Simon said, as he too looked around in awe.
"Well, let's go and see what's on offer." Carrie said, as she and Simon went over to one of the tables that were laden with souvenirs.
For the next several minutes, they went about the shop, looking at what caught their interest and debating about whether they should buy them or not. But eventually, when Carrie and Simon left the shop a few minutes later, they had bought something; Carrie had bought a large bar of chocolate, and Simon had bought a new baseball cap, as he felt he needed to have a new hat.
"Happy with what you got, Carrie?" Simon asked, as they left the shop and headed back along the quayside.
"I am, Simon. But if we have time, I'd like to go and have another look later." Carrie said.
"I think that could be arranged, Carrie. After all, I think I saw something in there that I'd like to look at later." Simon said.
"Okay, but what shall we do now?" Carrie asked.
"Well, there's a place quite close by where we can get a cup of tea and a cake. And believe me, Carrie…the cakes served in that place are some of the nicest you'll ever have." Simon said.
"Sounds good to me. Let's go get them!" Carrie said, as they held hands again and headed off to the shop Simon knew.
(A little later)
Once they bought what they wanted inside the small café, they stepped outside and made their way back to the quayside, where they could enjoy what they had bought. Reaching a bench where they could look out over the small harbour, they both sat down. Both of them had bought tea, but they bought different pastries; Simon had bought a rich chocolate brownie topped with some melted chocolate, while Carrie had bought two chocolate chip cookies.
"Oh, I'm looking forward to enjoying these." Carrie said, as she sat down on the bench.
"Me too, and I do like these pastries." Simon said, as he took a sip of his tea. Opening her bag, Carrie took out one of her cookies and took a bite out of it. As she chewed, she savoured the sweet flavour of the chocolate, and then a smile crossed her face.
"Hmm…these are good! You're right, Simon!" Carrie said, as she swallowed before she took a sip of her tea.
"Told ya, Carrie. And it's good we went there early, as by about 12:30pm or so, that place will be packed with visitors wanting refreshments." Simon said, as he took a bite of his brownie.
"And I can well imagine why." Carrie said, as she took another bite of her cookie.
(Not too long later)
It wasn't too long before the other four girls joined up with them, and they sat around and chatted with each other until the clock struck 10:20am, at which time they stood up and went over to where the boat was. By then, there was already a small crowd of about two dozen other people there, all waiting to step aboard the boat. Many of them had just arrived on a train hauled by Skarloey, who was just leaving the station with his coaches, and on his way up to the Top Station a little further up the line.
"I've never been on a boat ride before. I hope I'll have a good time on that boat." Carrie said, as she looked over the boat sitting right by the dockside and waiting for its first passengers of the day.
"You'll love it, Carrie. There's nothing better than to be sitting out on a boat and enjoying the motion of the boat as it goes along the lake, as well as seeing the sights of those high mountains and hills that surround the lake." Sophie said.
"Have you been on that boat ride too, Sophie?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, I have, but the last time I was on it was a few years ago, so this is the first time in a few years I've been on it." Sophie said.
"Well, let's get on it and see what it's like." Carrie said.
It wasn't too long before they were able to board the boat. After paying for tickets, the six friends went up the stairs at the back of the boat to the upper deck, where they would be able to have the best view as they travelled along the lake. Once all the passengers were safely aboard the boat and seated, either on the top deck or in the cabin beneath, the crew cast the boat off from the quayside and they slowly pulled away.
"We just need to do under that low bridge before we can get out onto the lake, Carrie." Alice said, as she pointed to the low rail bridge that crossed over the quay.
"And that's where the lifting bridge section comes in." Saoirse added, as the man sitting in the wheelhouse lined up the boat ready to head out once the bridge lifted up. At the moment, Duncan was going over the bridge, with a long line of laden slate trucks behind him.
(Insert soundtrack – Duncan's Theme – Season 4)
Duncan seemed to be in a good mood today, as he crossed over the bridge with his train, with each truck fully loaded down with slabs of slate, rolling along smoothly behind him. Giving off a short blast of his whistle as he went on by, Duncan and his train was soon off the bridge and making its way down to the Wharf that was much further on down the line. Once Duncan's train was off the bridge, the man who controlled the section that could lift up and down activated the controls, and the bridge section slowly lifted up, allowing the tourist boat the chance to move out of the harbour and out onto the lake. Slowly pushing the throttle forward, the man at the wheel guided the boat forwards through the gap, as all the people on the boat sat and looked around.
"This is it, Carrie…we're out on the lake now." Simon said.
"Yeah, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the land looks like from a boat." Carrie said, as she settled back on the upholstered seat she and Simon were sitting on. Then she looked down at her watch; the time was 10:31am.
(Insert soundtrack – The Skarloey Railway Theme – Season 4)
And for the next two hours, they all had a very relaxing trip around the lake in the boat, and everyone loved every minute of it. And it was made even more pleasurable due to the fact the sky was clear of any clouds and the sun was shining brightly, as well as the fact there was no wind to ripple the water surface.
Carrie, in particular, had a fantastic time, as she was able to relax and enjoy herself with her friends on such a great boat that rode very smoothly on the calm water. As they went along, the others would point out landmarks they came upon, including certain hills, lakeside forests, viewing points, picnic areas, as well as any narrow-gauge railway lines that were seen close to the lake.
The boat also had a bar on board in one corner on the lower deck, where plenty of ice-cold soft drinks as well as a selection of snacks, including ice cream, chocolate bars, and crisps, were served out, and the friends took the chance to get a few things from the bar while they were aboard…as did everyone else as well!
At one point, as they passed in front of a beach that was in front of a picnic area, Carrie could see a lot of people sitting on the beach and enjoying the nice summer day. Quite a few of them, including many of the younger children there, waved their arms when they saw the tourist boat pass by on the lake in front of them. Some of the passengers waved back, as did Carrie and Simon, who knew it was to be expected whenever they saw people on the shoreline wave at them.
At another point not too far along the shoreline, they came upon some men who were having a relaxing day of fishing. With their lines cast out into the lake, the men were just sitting back and chatting together while they waited for something to take the bait. Looking up, they saw the boat go by a few hundred feet from them, and they waved as well. As soon as the boat had gone by taking its passengers on tours around the lake, all of them switched their attentions back to their fishing rods.
As they went along, Carrie looked over the railing at one point and down to the water as they went fairly close to the shoreline along one shallow stretch; she was amazed to see how crystal clear the water was, and that she could see the bottom of the lake somewhere between 10 and 20 feet below the surface. She could see patches of dark green weed on the lake bottom among larger sandy patches, which were much lighter in colour. In one instance, she swore that she thought she saw the dark outlines of some fish swimming along over the light patches of sand.
Looking over towards another part of the shore, she saw a narrow-gauge railway line passing very near to the edge of the lake, and then she heard the sound of another steam whistle from nearby. A few moments later, as they passed along the water parallel to the shore, they saw the engine; it was Sir Handel, and he had a line of seven coaches, all full of tourists and visitors, as well as a single brake van behind him. From the coach windows, people could be seen looking outside onto the lake, as well as the boat out on the water, and the tall and impressive mountains and hills that formed such a dramatic backdrop.
With a short blast on his whistle, Sir Handel moved on along the line with his train rattling along behind him.
(Later on; 12:30pm)
The boat soon arrived back at the quayside at Lakeside, with all those aboard very satisfied from their trip around the harbour. And standing on the quayside were more people wanting to have a ride around the lake on the boat.
"That was great! I don't think I've ever enjoyed something so much before!" Carrie said, as she and her friends disembarked from the boat and set foot back on dry land.
"We're all very pleased to see you enjoyed it, Carrie. And let's hope that we could come back again sometime before the end of the summer ends for another trip on this boat." Alice said.
"And so…what shall we do now?" Simon asked.
"Well, Simon, it is Sophie's birthday…and so I think we should go where she wants to go." Saoirse said, as she and the others looked towards the birthday girl.
"I think we should go up towards the Top Station. There's a lookout point up there with a café that looks all over the valley, and we can get lunch up there." Sophie said.
"That sounds like a good idea, Sophie. And that café does serve some very good food too." Olivia said.
"Well, if that's what you want to do, Sophie…let's do it." Simon said.
"Okay, let's go and get the next train that's going up there." Saoirse said, as they all walked over towards the platform a few metres away.
They didn't have to wait too long before the train arrived at the platform. There was the sound of a horn from a short way down the line, and a few moments later, none other than Rusty, the little orange diesel engine, approached with a line of coaches behind him. Rusty was usually not seen pulling passenger trains, and so many of those standing on the platform were surprised to see him.
"Hello, everyone!" Rusty said, as he came to a stop along the platform.
"Hello, Rusty. I never expected to see you pulling a passenger train, as you're usually seen on maintenance trains." Simon said.
"I know, Simon. But with all the passengers who are visiting the railway today, Mr Percival has assigned me to help out with passenger trains today." Rusty said.
"Well, we're glad to see you Rusty, and any engine to get us to where we need to go is better than no engine at all." Sophie said.
"And where are you going?" Rusty asked.
"Right up to the Top Station, Rusty." Alice said.
"And that's where I'm going you lot. Climb aboard, and I'll get you all up there in no time." Rusty said. And so, Carrie and her friends climbed into one of the coaches and sat down.
A few minutes later, with everyone on board, the guard blew the whistle and waved his green flag. With an acknowledgment from Rusty's horn, they were soon off out of the station, and off up the line towards the Top Station.
(Insert soundtrack – Rusty's Theme – Season 4)
The ride up towards the Top Station went very smoothly, with Rusty doing a very good job of taking the passengers along up the line. At times, they went alongside the lake, and along stretches of shoreline that Carrie and her friends had seen from the boat out on water not too long before.
The friends chatted together with each other, with Carrie asking what the café very near the Top Station was like, and the others telling her what the food that was served up there was like. After listening to her friends talk about it all, Carrie was really looking forward to getting up to that restaurant and having lunch up there.
Soon, they felt the line begin to climb as they made their way up towards the Top Station, and they could hear the sound of Rusty's engine roaring away as he hauled the heavy train with great determination up the line to the summit of the climb. At one point, they felt the train start to slow down somewhat as they made their way up the hill, but they didn't stop as Rusty pulled with all his might.
It wasn't too long before they finally arrived at the Top Station, and Rusty was able to finally stop and have a good long rest before they continued on again.
"Well done, Rusty! Great job at getting that train up here!" said his driver, obviously very pleased with how the little orange diesel had performed.
"Thank you, driver!" Rusty said, as he took the chance to have a rest.
In the meantime, those passengers who wanted to get off here disembarked from the train; some of them were hikers, with backpacks on their backs, who set off to explore the many different hill trails that crossed through the area, while a few others were on their way up the pathway to the café where they would be able to get a bite to eat, as it was lunch time now.
"And so, the place is up this way?" Carrie asked, as she looked up the path that went up.
"Absolutely, Carrie. But luckily, it's only a fairly short walk of about five minutes or so to get there. Do you think you could manage it?" Simon asked.
"I think I could. And if the food served up there is what you and the girls say it is…I think the walk will be worth it. Let's get up there." Carrie said, as they set off away from the station and along the pathway up to the café.
Sure enough, just like Simon had said, it took no more than five minutes for them to walk along that path before they finally arrived at the café. Approaching it, Carrie could see that it was quite a nice building, with two storeys, and an open patio with plenty of tables and chairs out in front of it. The side of the building that looked over the lake and valley below had wide windows to allow the best view for those who were sitting and eating inside. Off to the side of the building was a carpark, that was only maybe a third full, and a road went past the building maybe a hundred yards or so further on.
"Now this does look like a nice place to have lunch." Carrie said.
"Oh, it is, Carrie. It really is. Particularly with that view we have of the valley and lake in front of us." Sophie said. Turning round, Carrie took in the wide views of the valley spread out before her. The lake they had been on just a short time before was also spread out before them like a picture postcard, and the boat they had sailed on could be seen out on the water again, with a new load of passengers aboard her.
"Shall we get inside and see what's on offer today? I'm hungry." Alice said.
"Good idea, and I like the smell of whatever's cooking in there today." Saoirse said, as they all turned and went inside the building.
It wasn't long before they were all eating together at one of the tables outside on the patio, from where they could enjoy the wide-open views before them.
"You know, this view of the hills reminds me very much of Wales." Alice said, as she settled down to enjoy her sandwich.
"Wales? Aye, this view reminds me very much of my native Scotland!" Sophie said, as she took a sip from her bottle of Coca Cola before tucking into her lunch, which was roast pork with all the trimmings.
"Well, regardless of what it reminds you of…it's still a great view." Simon said, as he too tucked into his own lunch, which was roast chicken. Feeling herself smile, Carrie also tucked into her lunch as well, and silence descended as all six friends tucked into their food and relaxed.
(Later on; late afternoon, Crovan's Gate)
With the time on the clock over the platform as 4:25pm, Carrie, Simon, and the girls stood together on the platform at Crovan's Gate station and waited for the train to take them back to Knapford. They were all feeling a little bit tired from their day out on the Skarloey Railway, but as far as they were concerned, the day had been a success. The weather had stayed very good for the whole day, and nothing at all had gone wrong.
After staying up at the café on the hills above the lake for about two hours or so, where they relaxed and chatted with each other for much of the time, as well as having tea and dessert after finishing their lunches, they decided it was time to head back down the hill and catch the train back to Crovan's Gate. By then, it was a little after 3:10pm.
Arriving back at the station not too far from the café, they didn't have to wait too long until the train arrived, and it was being headed by Skarloey. After Skarloey stopped, and his passengers left the coaches, those waiting on the platform stepped aboard and sat down. Soon, with the guard waving his green flag and blowing his whistle, they were off on their way down the line, with Skarloey chuffing hard at the front.
The trip down the line was quite uneventful, with the only things interrupting it being Skarloey stopping at different stations along the route to pick up or drop off any passengers. As they enjoyed the trip behind Skarloey, Carrie and her friends all chatted with each other about how the day had gone.
"So, you haven't yet had your period yet, Carrie?" Alice asked.
"No, not yet, Alice. I've done a bit of reading about the concept of it in my spare time, but I'm really surprised I haven't had mine yet." Carrie said.
"Just give it a little time, Carrie. After all, each girl is different." Saoirse said.
"Oh, I intend to." Carrie said, as she turned her gaze to look outside at the passing scenery.
(Back to the present)
Sitting at one of the benches on the platform, the six friends were chatting quietly while waiting for the train to arrive, when then there came the sounds of chuffing from down the line a little way. Turning their heads to see who it was, everyone on the platform watched as the train slowly rolled into the station on its way from Vicarstown to Knapford. The train was being hauled by L.M.S. Rebuilt Patriot Class 4-6-0 No.5512 Bunsen, with his maroon red livery polished to a very high shine (61). Behind him were about 12 coaches and they were identical Pullman coaches as Carrie and her friends had travelled on to Crovan's Gate earlier that day.
As Bunsen arrived along the platform, his driver put his brakes on and, with a slight squealing of the brakes blocks on his wheels, he came to a halt along the platform. With a hissing of steam, the doors on the coaches were opened and the people standing on the platform stood up and began to board the train.
(61): The L.M.S. Patriot Class 4-6-0, numbered from No.5500 to No.5551, was designed by Henry Fowler and was built to run on express passenger trains on the L.M.S system. They were based off of Fowler's previous Royal Scot Class, and they initially used a boiler from the Large Cloughton Class of the London & North Western Railway (L.N.W.R.), which earned them the nickname of the Baby Scots.
The first two examples were built in 1930 as rebuilds of the 1912 L.N.W.R. Large Cloughton Class, and retained the original driving wheels with their large bosses, the original double radial bogie trucks, and a few other parts. In total, 52 examples of the Patriot Class were built between November 1930 and May 1934, with 40 being built at Crewe and the remaining 12 being built at Derby.
The class were built with a three-cylinder arrangement, each of which were 18in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, which, combined with a boiler pressed to 200psi and fitted with superheating, and driving wheels that were 6ft 9in in diameter, gave the class a maximum tractive effort of 26,520lbf.
The first two engines of the class that were built retained their original Cloughton numbers until 1934, when they were renumbered as No.5500 and No.5501. The next 40 engines to be built were numbered from No.5502 to No.5541 in that same year. The final members of the class numbered from No.5542 to No.5551 when built from new. The next five members of the class, which would be numbered from No.5552 to No.5556, were originally ordered as members of the Patriot Class, but on orders from William Stanier, they were fitted with taper boilers and became the very first members of Stanier's new Jubilee Class.
The naming of the Patriot Class was a somewhat haphazard and erratic affair. Some of them retained old Cloughton names, but others were named after military associations, and 13 carried the names of holiday resorts that were served by the L.M.S., and a number of the class never received a name. The numbers and names of the class were;
No.5500 Patriot (formerly Croxteth), No.5501 St. Dunstans (formerly Sir Frank Ree), No.5502 Royal Naval Division,
No.5503 The Leicestershire Regiment (later The Royal Leicestershire Regiment), No.5504 Royal Signals, No.5505 The Royal Army Ordnance Corps,
No.5506 The Royal Pioneer Corps, No.5507 Royal Tank Corps, No.5508 (unnamed), No.5509 The Derbyshire Yeomanry, No.5510 (unnamed), No.5511 Isle of Man,
No.5512 Bunsen, No.5513 Sir W.A. Stanier, No.5514 Holyhead, No.5515 Caernarvon, No.5516 The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Yeomanry, No.5517 (unnamed),
No.5518 Bradshaw, No.5519 lady Godiva, No.5520 Llandudno, No.5521 Rhyl, No.5522 Prestatyn, No.5523 Bangor, No.5524 Sir Frederick Harrison (later Blackpool),
No.5525 E. Tootal Broadhurst (later Colwyn Bay), No.5526 Morecambe and Heysham, No.5527 Southport, No.5528 R.E.M.E,
No.5529 Sir Herbert Walker K.C.B. (later Stephenson), No.5530 Sir Frank Lee, No.5531 Sir Frederick Harrison, No..5532 Illustrious, No.5533 Lord Rathmore,
No.5534 E. Tootal Broadhurst, No.5535 Sir Herbert Walker K.C.B., No.5536 Private W. Wood V.C., No.5537 Private Sykes V.C., No.5538 Giggleswick, No.5539 E. C. Trench,
No.5540 Sir Robert Turnbull, No.5541 Duke of Sutherland, No.5542 (unnamed), No.5543 Home Guard, No.5544 (unnamed), No.5545 Planet, No.5546 Fleetwood,
No.5547 (unnamed), No.5548 Lytham St. Annes, No.5549 R.A.M.C., No.5550 Sir Henry Fowler, and No.5551 (unnamed).
Most of the Patriot Class spent much of their working lives within England, mostly hauling expresses along the West Coast Main Line, with many of them being stationed at Crewe North and Carlisle Upperby. A few of them were also stationed in places like Edge Hill, Camden, and Carlisle Kingmoor amongst others. They were mostly used for their role as express engines, yet they did on occasion do other jobs, such as local passenger trains, mixed traffic work, including fish trains, on fitted freights, as well as on fast parcels duties.
The engines in their original forms could be temperamental machines at times, and they did have their problems, including their smokebox doors not providing a tight enough seal which compromised the vacuum in the smokeboxes, as well as their water injectors being problematic as well. But regardless of those issues, having three cylinders made the Patriots far more reliable than they would otherwise have been if they had been fitted with four cylinders.
Between 1946 and 1949, Ivatt decided to rebuild some of the Patriot Class with a larger boiler, which was a Stanier 2A, double chimneys, as well as new cabs and tenders, to give them a very modern look, which made them look like the Jubilee and rebuilt Royal Scot Classes. They still had a layout of three cylinders, which were 17in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and their new boilers were pressed to 250psi, which helped to give them a higher tractive effort of 29,570lbf. In total, eighteen examples of the class were rebuilt, though the two original members of the class, and the first ten engines of the class were never rebuilt due to the fact they were built with non-standard parts. Compared to those members of the Patriot Class that were never rebuilt, the rebuilt Patriots were much better riding engines.
Upon the nationalisation of the railways in January 1948, the rebuilt members Patriot Class were reclassified from 6P5F to 7P, and the whole class were renumbered by having 40000 added to their numbers, thus becoming from No.45500 to No.45551.
The un-rebuilt members of the Patriot Class were withdrawn between 1960 and 1962, starting with No.45502 Royal Naval Division in September 1960, and the last one, No.45543 Home Guard being withdrawn in November 1962. As for the rebuilt Patriots, the first one to be withdrawn was No.45514 Holyhead, which took place in May 1961 and the very last rebuilt Patriot, No.45531 Sir Frederick Harrison, was withdrawn from service in October 1965.
Sadly, no member of the Patriot Class, either in original condition or rebuilt form, has survived into preservation. However, the L.M.S. Patriot Project, which is based at the Midland Railway in Butterley, is currently working on a project to build a replica of the final member of the L.M.S. Patriot Class No.5551. As the original engine ran without a name during its life with the L.M.S. and then with B.R., the replica of No.5551 has been given the name of The Unknown Warrior.
Carrie, Simon, and the girls all stepped aboard the First-Class coach and sat down at their assigned seats while they waited for the train to set off. By this point, all of them were quite from their day out together and were eager to get off their feet. They didn't have to wait for long, for soon they heard the sound of the guard blowing his whistle, followed not long afterwards by the sound of Bunsen's driver sounding his whistle. Then, looking out the window, they saw the station start to move away from them as they set out on their journey back to Knapford, with clouds of steam drifting by the window and the sounds of chuffing starting to fill the air. Looking down at her watch, Carrie could see the time was 4:35pm; they had departed Crovan's Gate right on time.
For the next hour or so, the six teens either relaxed and dozed on and off, or chatted quietly with each other as the journey went on, while Bunsen stopped at a number of stations along the way, and picked up or dropped off passengers. Luckily, the trip went very smoothly, and they managed to roll along without anything causing any sort of alarm, nor was there any unwarranted jarring or bumping of the coaches whenever they had to stop or set off again.
At 5:34pm, one minute ahead of schedule, Bunsen arrived at Knapford Station, and gently pulled into the bay platform alongside Platform 3. Looking out the window as they slowed down, the six teens in the First-Class coach could see they had finally arrived.
"Well, we're here." Simon said, as he pulled himself out of his seat.
"And on time too." Saoirse added, as she checked her watch.
"So, what shall we do now?" Alice said, as she grabbed her bag and put the strap over her shoulder.
"Well, let's get off this coach for one thing." Carrie said, as she too grabbed hold of her bag. And so, they did; carefully stepping off the coach, they went along the platform and towards the bridge, where they crossed over it and onto Platform 1, where they and all the other passengers made their way out of the station.
As the six teens stepped out from the station entrance, they saw someone waiting for them quite close by; it turned out to be Simon's father, with his minivan waiting alongside him.
"Hello there, you lot." he said.
"Dad? What's going on?" Simon asked.
"All in good time, Simon. Just hop aboard and I'll take you there." his father said, and so, the six teens did. Soon, they were on their way through the streets to where Simon's father was taking them to, while the six teens all wondered what was going on.
They found out soon enough, for they pulled off the road and in front of a building that looked like a hall or some kind. Getting out of the van, the teens looked up at the front of it and wondered what was going on.
"Follow me this way please." Simon's father said, as he went into the hall through the front, and the six teens followed along behind. Entering through the front doors, they went down a short corridor towards a set of double doors in the walls.
"Okay Sophie, you first." said Simon's father. A little puzzled, Sophie did so, and she pushed the two doors open fully.
At almost the very same instance, the lights inside came on, and there came out a very loud "SURPISE!" from the voices of many people who had been waiting inside.
"Happy Birthday, Sophie!" came the sounds of the voice again. And Sophie looked around in astonishment; it was a surprise party for her 17th birthday. In front of her were people she knew, including family, relatives, and school friends. There were banners and streamers all around, and a banner with "Happy 17th Birthday" hanging on the wall. Off to the side, there was a long line of tables which were laden down with all sorts of refreshments and snacks for people to enjoy.
Sophie was so surprised and happy that she didn't know what to say and think.
"Well, Sophie…we set this up during the day so as to surprise you when you and your friends got back after your trip to the Skarloey Railway earlier on." said her mother.
"And the trip along the Skarloey Railway…" Sophie said, as she turned to her five friends, "…did we go there so you could help surprise me with this?"
"Actually…no, Sophie…we were never told a thing about a surprise party being set up for you by anyone before today…" Alice said.
"And we're all just as surprised as you are." Saoirse said.
"And are you being honest?" Sophie asked, as she looked at each of her five friends.
Each one of them nodded their head, as Carrie said "We're being honest, Sophie. We'd no idea anyone was going to do something like this."
Sophie was silent for a moment, and then she smiled at them. "Well come on…let's go and enjoy ourselves for the evening." And agreeing with that they all headed in to enjoy Sophie's 17th birthday.
(A short while later)
After socialising with many people in the hall, Sophie was lining up at the line of buffet tables that were against one of the walls and seeing what was there for her to enjoy. Carrie came up alongside of her, also looking to see what was there to choose.
"Did you have a good time out on our trip today, Sophie?" Carrie asked.
"I most certainly did, Carrie. It was really nice to get out to the Skarloey Railway and see the sights out there, and not to mention the boat ride as well." Sophie said, with a big smile on her face.
"Well, I'll be honest, Sophie…I really enjoyed it too. I hope that I can go up there again sometime." Carrie said.
"And speaking of birthdays, Carrie…when in the year does your birthday fall on?" Sophie asked, as she picked a can of Coca Cola out from a bowl filled with ice cubes.
"On September 21st, that's when my birthday is." Carrie asked, as a slight tinge of sadness came over her, something which Sophie noticed.
"Have you never celebrated your birthday before, Carrie?" she asked.
"No, never…my mamma would never let me celebrate it, as she always considered things like birthdays to be sinful." Carrie said.
"Oh dear, that's just horrible." Sophie said, feeling a genuine sense of sorrow for her friend.
"I know, and sometimes my classmates would play horrible pranks on me on my birthday too." Carrie said. Sophie was quiet for a moment as a thought went through her head.
"Well, Carrie…how about we all do something for your birthday when the day comes? Maybe that could be a way of making it up to you for all the birthdays you never got to have when you were growing up?" Sophie suggested. After a moment, Carrie looked at her.
"You know, Sophie…I think I'd like to do that." Carrie said with a smile.
"That's great, Carrie! Let us know what you want to do and we'll see about arranging it for you." Sophie said.
"Thanks, Sophie." Carrie said, and they continued on with going along the buffet tables.
And that's the end of this chapter, everyone! Carrie and her friends have had another great day out together, and they've travelled on the Skarloey Railway for the first time in the story. And from the conversation Carrie and Sophie have just had, Carrie's birthday is gonna be in a future chapter…that I can promise!
Not only that, this chapter takes the number of words in this story to well over 400,000!
Now as for the next chapter, well…we're gonna see the first appearance of a very special and famous real-life British steam locomotive that's gonna visit Sodor! Please stay tuned to see which one it is! Until next time!