HOLD YOUR HORSES

Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

At the same time that Falcon was double-heading the Flying Falcon with Albert, Stuart was showing Jim the ropes about goods work on the line.

"There are quite a few mines along our railway, Jim," said Stuart. "That makes up the bulk of the goods traffic."

"Wow…" trailed Jim. The duo glanced down at one of the mines. "Is that where we have to go first?"

"Cas-ny-Hawin, yes," said Stuart. "Oh, and you can meet Atlas there. Come on!"

The two green engines headed toward the mine. There, they found Atlas bustling about as usual.

"There, more trucks."

"Atlas!" called Stuart. "Good day!"

Atlas sighed. "What is it, Stuart?"

"You have to meet Jim!" Stuart said excitedly. "He's not only new here, but he's my cousin!"

"Hello, Atlas," Jim greeted. "Er… nice to meet you."

"Another new engine so soon?" muttered Atlas. "John had to go off to who-knows-where?"

"So did Gerry, don't forget," Stuart pointed out. "You have to meet Albert too. He's helping Falcon today."

"Great, hopefully these newbies don't gossip as much as you do," said Atlas. "You two take your trucks and run. Must keep time, you know."

"She's not much of a talker, is she?" asked Jim as he and Stuart went to get their trucks.

"She never stops to chat with anyone," sighed Stuart. "But she is efficient. Which is more than what can be said for someone else…"

"You two hurry up and go!"

"I'll tell you more on the way!" cried Stuart as the two were coupled up and set off.

"Goodness me!" cried Jim; he and Stuart were resting on a siding after more shunting. They were currently at the mine south of Arlesdale Green. "That Smudger sure sounds to be a troublemaker. Wouldn't want to run into him in a hurry."

"Oh, believe me; none of us do," said Stuart. "But don't worry, Jim. So long as you can look past Atlas' abrasiveness, Falcon's boastfulness and Granpuff's perfectionism, you'll be fine."

"Granpuff?" asked Jim, confused.

"Oh, that's just a nickname Falcon and I have for Duke," giggled Stuart. "Call it a 'family code' or something."

"I think it's sweet," chuckled Jim. "How did you come up with–"

"Stuart, Jim!" called a miner. "You two have to leave in five minutes."

"Oh, what?!" cried Jim. "Stuart was about to tell me a story!"

"I can tell you at the sheds if you like," Stuart promised.

"That would be lovely," smiled Jim. "Thanks… cous."

Stuart giggled. "Cous… I could get used to that."

Jim was exhausted by the time he and Stuart had finished with goods work for the day; the other engines had come to the sheds too.

"…and that, Jim and Albert," said Stuart, "is how the nickname 'Granpuff' came to be."

Despite his tiredness, Jim smiled. "Aww! That's adorable!"

"Duke sure has been around for a while, hasn't he?" remarked Albert.

"That's one way of putting it," said Tim. "He was the first engine here and outlasted those that came and went."

Stuart and Falcon chuckled and winked. "Engines come and engines go, but Granpuff goes on forever!"

"You impertinent scallywags!" Duke scolded with a slight chuckle. "Whatever are you engines coming to?"

Tim, Jim and Albert looked on in amusement. "Thanks for the great first day, Stuart." Jim yawned. "Oh… that was quite exhausting though!"

"Not all jobs are fast paced," Stuart pointed out. "There is one particular train that you have to take your time to pull."

"Oh? What's it called?"

"The Horse and Cart," explained Stuart. "It requires a lot of patience to pull." He chuckled. "It sure made Gerry slow down and think, didn't it, fellas?"

Duke, Falcon and Tim all chuckled, remembering. "Seeing Gerry of all engines pull it?" remarked Falcon. "That was something, alright!"

"Well… I think I could use a slower pace," said Jim. "Thanks, Stuart."

And so, Jim was assigned as the new engine to run the Horse and Cart.

"Don't worry about going too fast," soothed the driver. "Arrival times on this train aren't guaranteed."

"Okay," Jim said quietly. And with that, the guard's whistle blew. "I can do this…" He slowly started off. The train was only a few trucks long, and Jim would have to make stops at virtually every station along the line to drop off and pick up goods.

His first stop was at Arlesburgh Bridge St., where a few parcels had to be delivered.

"Ah, excellent!" said a woman on the platform. "I was looking forward to these."

"What are they, ma'am, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, they're some new sewing materials," she smiled. "They're to help make blankets and clothes for the winter."

Jim was a bit confused by that, but gave a polite smile. "Well, I'm glad that you like them." I'd rather have a fire keeping me warm in the winter, he added to himself, but the passengers are welcome to those… things.

A slow moving train like the Horse and Cart may have been tedious to some, but Jim was loving it.

"I could get used to this," he hummed, watching a group of kids flying kites in the picnic area. One of them glanced up and waved as Jim traveled by. He whistled in greeting.

"We could see if this will be a regular train for you," smiled his driver.

Soon, Jim came to a stop at Arlesdale station; by now, he'd picked up a few more trucks. His next load was a truck of supplies for a cottage up at the Mountain Road.

"Platelayers cottage?" he asked the stationmaster. "Hmm… that rings a bell."

"It's near Falcon's Leap," the stationmaster explained. "That's where our very own Duke saved Falcon from falling many years ago."

"Oh, yes!" gasped Jim. "Stuart told me about that on my first day! Ohhh…" he shuddered nervously. "I wouldn't have wanted to be Falcon that day." Nonetheless, he shunted the truck of supplies onto his train and set off once more.

However, as Jim started to climb the Mountain Road, he felt the strain on his coupling. "Ugh…" he groaned. "I think I need help to get up there."

"Hold on, Jim," said his driver. "I'll see if someone will help us."

That engine turned out to be Tim.

"Oh dear… up the Mountain Road with this long train?" gasped Tim. "That may be dangerous."

"There's no rush," Jim said calmly. "We can take it real slow."

Anxiously, Tim began to push while Jim pulled as hard they both could.

At first, the journey was going smoothly, but at Ulfstead Road, Jim found something unusual.

"Excuse me?" asked an elderly lady. "Does this train stop at King Orry's Bridge?"

"It does," said Jim. "There's some crates of potatoes I need to take back down the Mountain Road."

"I'm afraid I missed the Picnic," the elderly lady admitted. "I was too distracted by looking at the flowers along the hillside. Could I please ride in the brake van?"

"It's a bit bumpy," Jim confessed, "and arrival times aren't guaranteed."

"Don't worry," said the elderly lady. "I don't need to catch a boat. My house is a short walk away from the station."

"In that case, you can hop aboard the guard's van," said Jim. "I'm sure he won't mind the extra company."

Tim took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay, an extra passenger… we can do this…"

"It'll be fine," assured Jim. "Nothing can go wrong."

Just after the old terminus at Arlesdale Road, and on the outskirts of Peel Godred, there was a dirt crossing. It was too dangerous for cars and lorries, so horses and carts were often used on this path.

"Good girl, Sunny," whispered a farmer. "Nice and steady down here."

Sunny, the palomino horse, kept a steady walk as she headed downhill. At first, all she was focused on was her farmer's gentle words. But out of the corner of her eye, a rabbit shot past. The horse let out a scared whinny as she burst into a gallop.

"Sunny!" called the farmer, rocked about in his cart. "Steady, girl! It's okay."

Sunny managed to knock her chains loose and race away, while the cart of wool lay marooned in the middle of the track.

"Oh no!" cried the farmer. He got up, unhurt, then grabbed his riding helmet and raced after his horse. "No train should be coming here any time soon…" But he'd reckoned without Jim and Tim.

"Hmm… 'no whistling'," Jim read the sign as they passed. "Tim, what's that about?"

"There are working horses around here," said Tim. "According to driver, they spook very easily. Believe me, I can relate…"

Suddenly, just as they were passing the abandoned station, Jim spotted the cart on the line ahead. "Look out!" he cried. "Brakes, Tim! Brakes!"

"Brakes?!" cried Tim, obeying. "Wh-what is it?!"

The train wasn't going too fast, but Jim couldn't stop in time to avoid crashing into the cart. It was smashed into pieces, with bits of splintered wood and a broken wheel festooning his front. On top of that, wool blew all over the engines and their goods train.

"Oh, crumbs," groaned Jim. "Those poor sheep!"

The driver and fireman couldn't help but chuckle. "There were no sheep in the cart," the driver explained. "Just their wool."

"Oh." Jim was relieved that he hadn't hit any sheep, but he still looked (and felt) rather silly. At that moment, the farmer had returned with Sunny, and was shocked by the sight.

"Gracious me!" he exclaimed. "Are you two alright?"

"Was that your cart, sir?" asked Tim. "We're ever so sorry, sir!"

"As long as my horse is alive, I'm okay," the farmer admitted. "I can replace the cart. Sunny and I will go for help." He put his helmet on, mounted Sunny, and rode to the nearest phone box.

Jim and Tim's crews, as well as the guard, helped to clear away the broken cart and gathered up what wool they could. The elderly lady who was in the brake van also assisted.

"I could imagine a scarf being made with this," she smiled.

"Sorry about the, er… delay," Jim said sheepishly.

"Oh, don't fret, dear," she replied. "It has been quite an adventure. And you've saved me a ton of walking already."

"I'm just glad that no one got hurt," smiled Tim.

"I'm just worried about what Mr. Jones will say," said Jim quietly.

However, Mr. Jones spoke kindly to Jim.

"The accident wasn't your fault," he assured. "The one thing we can predict about animals is that they are unpredictable."

"Oh…" said Jim. "Yes, I kind of gathered that, sir."

"And I heard about what you did for that elderly lady, Jim," continued Mr. Jones. "She gave a very glowing review about your kindness. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, sir," he smiled.

"And now, as you're done, er… 'horsing around' for the day," Mr. Jones chuckled, "you are going into the workshops to be looked over for any damage. Stuart will look after your trains until you're ready."

Jim beamed with pride.

Fortunately, the damage Jim incurred was minimal, and he was soon back at work again as if nothing had ever happened. About two weeks had passed, and Jim and Albert had settled into their new roles and new home nicely.

"I'm glad to have a fellow cousin at my side," grinned Stuart.

"Me as well," smiled Jim.

"Hey!" Falcon chided playfully. "I thought I was your brother."

"Maybe I could step in if these two treat you like a brick wall," joked Albert. Duke and Tim chuckled in amusement.

"You should all be treated like brick walls as far as I'm concerned!"

The engines and Mr. Jones all glanced up in shock to see a familiar cabless engine rushing toward them… but you all know what that led to, don't you?

THE END

Jim's mishap with the horse's cart is based upon an incident that occurred on the Leighton Buzzard Railway on August 25, 2007, when a train collided with a tractor at low speed on Cavalry Horse User Worked Crossing. One passenger suffered injuries, and damage had been caused to both the locomotive and tractor.

Author's Comments

Here we are with the final story for Mid-Sodor Memories, as well as the Set 3 finale and the 80th Between the Lines story overall! I didn't think I'd make it this far five years ago when I first published Emily's Coach Trouble, but to everyone who's left a comment or review on all three sets and followed this series up to this point, thank you so much.

Now that that's out of the way, this was another story that took inspiration from a real life event, and one that's actually fairly recent; seventeen years ago, to be more exact. I knew this was too good an opportunity to pass up, and it seemed to fit Jim fairly well, given that he was, as of the final Mid-Sodor layout, the engine assigned to run the Horse and Cart, only to run into an actual horse's cart himself. This story and the previous take place alongside each other, but just before the final scene of Mine Over Matter, which marks the beginning of the end for the Mid-Sodor Railway, but that's a story you already know.

Whilst I was publishing Mid-Sodor Memories, it was recently announced that Brian Trueman, former writer for the show, had died following a short illness at the age of 92. Truly, this is a sad time for the fandom, and so I'd like to dedicate this saga to Brian's memory.

BRIAN TRUEMAN

1932 - 2024