By the next morning, the weather hadn't changed, for it remained bright and sunny. Right at the start of the day, Liliana was the first engine fired up, and on her way. Being the track inspection engine, Liliana has the biggest responsibility on the railway; making sure the rails were safe and properly.
Today, Liliana had been assigned to check over the old concrete arch single beam bridge that crosses one of the lakes, the bridge marked with number '1905' on it. The NER Class H 0-4-0T collected her worker's train, and she headed off to check on the bridge. It took them some time for the workmen to check the structure and the rails, but after about half-an-hour, the job was done, and Liliana pulled up into a nearby siding to clear the line.
"So far, the rails look like they won't need to be relaxed until another few months." The foreman said to Liliana. "The concrete structure seems intact, and won't need to be fixed until we do find some damage." He added.
"I understand." Liliana replied to the foreman. "Best we get going to the next location, and check on that." She suggested.
With that, the workmen climbed into the worker's train, and Liliana began to chug backwards down the line, pulling the two coaches with her, now heading off to the next location for morning inspection.
Back at the main yards, Braedey was having his fire stoked and fuelled up with coal, with the warmth spreading through his boiler, giving him a comforting feeling. Braedey looked to see Max and Austin already moving out, the shunter diesel going to do the light goods work, with Austin heading off to the coal mines. Croghan was nowhere to be seen, which was fine enough for them all. Better him not around than here at the sheds.
"Today feels like its gonna be a good day." Braedey said to himself with a sigh. He then looked over to the closed up doors where Diana's berth is. "Although, it be better if she was feeling better, and she could travel along the lines under her own steam."
While he waited to be fully steamed up so he can head out for the day, Braedey noticed what could be a car driving up towards the sheds, crossing over the tracks. The car looked to be a wine red 1950's Rover P4 90, with silver hubcaps and bumpers, and chrome headlights. The car pulled up to a stop nearby the sheds, the motor giving a low rumble and squeak as the car turned off.
'Huh. I wonder why Mr. Franklin is here, and what he needs.' Braedey thought to himself, just as the man himself climbed out of the red Rover, and began to walk up to the sheds. 'I guess I'm about to find out soon enough.' He thought.
Mr. Franklin, his official name being Franklin Robinson, is the owner and controller of the Josephine Railway, the railway being named after one of his daughters. Franklin is a male with short spiky red hair, along with silvery blue eyes, fair colour skin, while standing 5ft 5" tall. He looks to be in his late 30's or early 40's. He has broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, while having slender muscles in his arms and legs, but he has really good flexibility to move about. He is wearing a uniform that seems similar to that of a tuxedo.
"Morning, Mr. Franklin." Braedey greeted calmly to the redhead gentleman, as the man walked up to the red engine. "What brings you here this morning?" He asked.
"Well, I have been pulling some strings for some time, and I managed to obtain some new coaches for the new schedule that I've been drawing up and have had on the desk for a while." Mr. Franklin said to Braedey. "Since you are our premier express locomotive, I had called in Shadow to assist you with the tourist trains." He added in.
"So, what's the plan for the new schedule?" Braedey asked in curiosity.
"Braedey, you'll be taking the first scheduled train in about 20 minutes." Mr. Franklin explained about the schedule to the GWR 4900, who was now steamed up and ready. "Once you collect the new coaches, you head forth to Barrow-in-Furness. After you disembark and collect on passengers, I need you to make your way down the rails to a station called Vicarstown." He added on. "The run is a trial to see if it's viable, so you won't be running on a tight schedule. If this works, this will be the next big thing for the Josephine Railway."
"Now that does sound like something grand." Braedey commented to Mr. Franklin with a smile on his face. "I'm on the way, sir. Keep your steam up." He joked, and he chuffed away from the sheds to the station platform. He then noticed what coaches were there: about three British Railways Mark 1 coaches. These red coaches were long, has broad windows on one side, and narrow windows on the other side.
Braedey smiled once he looked at the coaches, seeing the reason why Mr. Franklin had been pulling some strings in order to get these coaches. Braedey reversed your to the coaches, coupling you to them, as tourists and passengers boarded the new coaches. Once all were onboard, the guard's whistle blew, and Braedey began to leave the station, heading out to Barrow-in-Furness.
After about a few minutes with Braedey leaving, Shadow pulled out of the sheds to collect the tourist coaches for the morning run around the district. With the coaches coupled up, he made his way over to the platform, now waiting for the tourists and passengers to board.
"Shadow, wait." The LNER Class V4 looked over to see Liliana pulling up to the opposite platform with her worker's train. "Before you go on your way, I need to give you a heads-up. The switch-track nearby the old mill is undergoing repairs, so I'd advise you to curtail your speed to around 10mph." She advised.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Lili." Shadow thanked, then he began to puff out of the station with his passengers onboard, as Liliana shunted her empty work coaches into the yard.
After that, Liliana pulled up to the water tower, so she can top up the water in her boiler. As she relaxed, her crew filling up her boiler, Liliana looked over to the sheds to see the berth where Diana sleeps in, only to see the doors were shut. After her tanks were filled, Liliana rolled up onto the turntable, which turned to the closed up berth, and she bumped up against the doors.
"Diana? Are you there?" Liliana whispered, puffing back onto the turntable. "Hey, are you okay?" She gets no response, all except for silence. "Listen, Diana. I'm here to try and talk to you. Please, can you answer back to me?" She asks quietly. Again, there was no answer from the Caledonian engine. Liliana sighed. "Well, if you do want to come out, I'll be here to help if you need it."
With that, Liliana puffed away from the sheds, heading off to take a light goods to a small hamlet nearby.
Meanwhile, Braedey had arrived at Barrow-in-Furness right on time. He waited at one of the main platforms, with passengers disembarking and boarding the coaches, as he was checked over by his crew to make sure he was good to go further.
"Okay. Now, if I remember correctly, Mr. Franklin said to keep going down these tracks towards a station called Vicarstown." Braedey remembered what his manager said. "Once the signal is green, I'll be on the way." He added, looking to the signal gantries ahead.
"Excuse me, mister." The GWR 4900 Class looked over to see a blonde woman in her 30's in a white dress walking up to the platform. "Is this train heading off for Sodor?" She asked.
Braedey was confused but what this woman said. He hadn't heard of a place that is called Sodor before. "Madame, this train is bound for Vicarstown Station." He clarified. "If the station on this Sodor that you speak of, then yes. This train is heading there." He added on. The woman nodded her head, and she made her way to the first coach, and Braedey smiled. Then, he heard the clunk of a nearby cloak. He looked over to the see the time was 11:00AM. "Perfect. 11 o' clock on the dot."
The guard blew the whistle to say it was time to go. With two blasts of his whistle, Braedey began to pull out of Barrow-in-Furness, clouds of steam coming from his funnel and pistons, as he headed out onto the mainline. He headed off along the line, and he travelled at speeds of up to 60mph, which was adequate for mainline speeds. He had been longing to get the chance to stretch his wheels, and he's now given the chance. Soon, Braedey was approaching what looks to be some kind of lift-bridge up ahead. The bridge is a red and grey double track 'Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge'; a type of bridge with a counterweight that balances the span, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. The bridge has a 120ft span crossing over the Walney Channel.
"Quite an impressive bridge. I've never seen one of these for some time." Braedey commented with some curiosity in his voice, now slowing himself down for the bridge to cross. He crosses the structure at a measly 25mph to be safe, and once he crossed the channel, he accelerated back up to around 40mph. "Okay. Back to speed, and on my way." He announced.
Braedey couldn't help but look around as he made his way along the new rails. He could feel how smooth the rails were under his wheels, as well as notice the green meadows around him. Sure, it didn't feel the same as his own railway, but it was still nice to look around at.
After a few more minutes of crossing the meadows and fields, Braedey could see his destination ahead; Vicarstown Station. He smiled once he caught sight of the station up ahead, and he began to chug along at a faster pace, eager to see what this station is like.
Vicarstown Station is situated up on a viaduct, which contained shops in several of its arches. The station is the largest on Sodor, consisting that of 8 platforms with a lower level beneath them. The station is built in an elegant Victorian architectural style, and is covered by a glass panel roof, with clock towers on each end. There is an electric tramway running along the roads underneath the viaduct, and a cathedral is located in the town, nearby the station.
Braedey soon pulled to Platform 6, coming to a gentle stop with a hiss of his brakes. Once he came to a stop, his passengers began to disembark his train, taking a look around the station, and also heading off to the other platforms to board connecting trains that were arriving and leaving the station. As this happened, Braedey was taking in the sounds, the action, and all the other locomotives that were coming and going.
'Wow. I've not seen this many engines ever since I worked at the main yards in London and Doncaster back in 1951.' Braedey thought to himself in awe. 'I have to say, whoever is the controller on this railway, he must have a fondness for steam engines and old-model diesels. I'm quite impressed.' He added mentally.
Just then, the sound of a Gresley LNER whistle got Braedey's attention. He looked over to where Platform 2 was, and to his shock and surprise, he could see what was an LNER A1 Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotive, the prototype engine to the Flying Scotsman, one of the most famous steam engines in the world. The engine is painted in NWR sky blue with red and yellow lining. A number 4 is painted on both sides of the tender in yellow with red lining, and the lining around the cab windows is in yellow.
"Oh, my..." Braedey breathed in surprise. "An LNER locomotive in action? I haven't seen one of their big tender engines running since Flying Scotsman." He added on in amazement. He decided to make a new friend. He gave a toot of his whistle to get the LNER's attention. "Hello? Over there. By platform 2." He called.
The big blue engine looked around in confusion, wondering where that voice and whistle came from. He then looked over to see a crimson red GWR 4900 Class locomotive with three red coaches hitched up behind him. "My, my. You are quite a smart-looking engine, I must say." The LNER A1 commented to the crimson GWR 4900. "What brings you here to Sodor?" He asked.
"Hold on a moment." Braedey looked to the blue LNER A1. "I'm on this Sodor that you speak of?" He asked.
The blue LNER A1 looked on in confusion at the red engine. "What do you mean? Have you never heard of our railway before?" He asked to Braedey.
Braedey gave a shrug, or as best as he could. "Well, this is my first time going abroad and further than Barrow-in-Furness." He admitted. He looked around. "So, this station is on this Sodor?" He asked.
"Of course. You're on the Island of Sodor." The blue engine clarified to Braedey. "Oh. I don't believe I ever gave you my name. I am Gordon, the premier No.4 express engine of the North Western Railway." He announced.
"Well, charmed to meet you, Gordon." Braedey greeted back. "I'm Braedey, the express engine from my home, the Josephine Railway."
"Josephine Railway?" Gordon questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. It's my home railway, a little ways away from Barrow-in-Furness." Braedey clarified. "My home is part of the Lake District National Park, a few miles away." He added. "I was sent here on a trial run to see how well a scheduled run from my railway to Vicarstown will go. So, this might be a run I could be taking soon."
"Well, I might be seeing you every now and then." Gordon commented.
"I hope so, too." Braedey agreed. 'I guess I'll have to ask Mr. Franklin about any and all information about this North Western Railway when I get back.' He thought to himself. He then remembered he needed to be turned around for his return trip. "I'd better get myself switched around for the return trip. Hope to see you next time, Gordon." With a blast of his whistle, Braedey chuffed out of the station to get turned around.
"Until then, Braedey." Gordon whistled back, and he puffed out of Vicarstown Station for his mainline work.
About an hour had gone by. Braedey had been turned around, had collected his coaches, and after his passengers had boarded, the GWR 4900 Class engine chuffed away from Vicarstown, heading off to the mainland. He crossed over the Vicarstown Bridge, now returning to mainland rails, and he crossed the rails back to Barrow-in-Furness. Once there, he was switched over to his own line, and he headed off for home, a spark in his flame ever since he left Sodor. He was excited to tell the others about his small venture. Once Braedey had arrived back to the main station and sheds, he saw Liliana sitting by the water tower, taking a drink. He also took note of something else: Max sitting in his berth with workmen around him, and Austin by the turntable.
"Liliana, what's going on over by the sheds?" Braedey asked, pulling up to the platform. "What's with all the workmen?"
"It's Max. His engine gave out on him earlier today. Maybe about an hour after you left." Liliana replied. "His engine broken down when his water-cooled radiator cracked and started to leak. He came to a halt just as he arrived here with his empty coal train. Austin had to cover for him with me as well. Shadow was otherwise engaged, but he had asked Mr. Franklin to send in mechanics to try and get him going." She explained about the incident.
"All of that happened while I was away?" Beaedey asked incredulously. He looked to the injured diesel in the shed. "That's bad news."
"I agree." Liliana added in. "I've had to cover for Max up at the coal mines. But, let me tell you this; those trucks are so heavy, I thought my wheels were gonna break off." She sighed deeply, a wall of steam coming out of her pistons, blanketing the tracks around her. "I really need a vacation after this." She muttered.
"Okay. I'll take over that work for you." Braedey said to the little engine, just as Shadow pulled up. "Shadow. Think you can handle my trains for the rest of the day?" He asked to the blue LNER V4.
"Of course." Shadow acknowledged. "You do what you need to do, and I'll take care of your trains."
"Thanks so much." Braedey sighed in relief, now uncoupling from his red coaches, and he pulled up to some freight wagons, consisting of a flatbed of steel, box wagons of fresh food, three tar tankers, as well as some coal and slate trucks. "I'll take this lot to the town halt, and handle the rest of the freight work." He said to Liliana and Austin.
"Okay. Thanks, mate." Austin called, being turned around on the turntable.
With that, Braedey began to make his way down the line with his mixed freight, while Austin goes off to the coal mines to take over for Max, Shadow handling the passenger services for Braedey.
That evening, the engines had returned to the sheds after their long hard day of work. Max had been kept in the sheds for the rest of the day, the workmen doing their best to try and get him fixed up, with the other engines pitching in and taking care of his work, on top of their own work.
"Man, I knew you did some hard work, Austin, but I didn't expect myself to nearly burst a piston." Braedey took a deep breath.
"Sorry about not telling you about that heavy steel load that was scheduled in." Austin apologised to him. "I should've come along to assist you with that."
"Despite that, Braedey managed well on his own." The engines looked over to see Mr. Franklin walking up to the sheds. "Evening, engines." He greeted.
"Evening, Mr. Franklin." The engines replied in unison.
"Braedey. I've been onboard your train when you travelled to Vicarstown to evaluate the journey time." Mr. Franklin said to the GWR 4900 Class engine. "With a bit of a tweak to the timetable, I think we can have the schedule set, and be on the way." He declared.
"So you mean..." Braedey spoke up. "I'll be making more trips to Sodor and back?" He asked in surprise.
"That's right, Braedey." Mr. Franklin replied with a smile on his face. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be making the regular run from Marion, Barrow-in-Furness, and Vicarstown. I'm sure this will give you a good stretch."
"That, it will." Braedey smiled. He was excited to get out and about again, and to have a good long run.
Mr. Franklin walked over to Max's berth, looking to the damaged shunting diesel. "Max, until the replacement parts arrive, you'll remain here in the shed until you're fully repaired." He said to the diesel.
"I understand, sir. I had a nagging feeling something wasn't feeling tight on my engine." Max admitted. "I thought it was just dust or something in my alternator." He added on.
"Okay. Until you're fully repaired, I've asked to loan over another engine from Shadow's railway, and he or she will handle with the shunting and heavy work." Mr. Franklin said to Max, gently patting his side.
"Thanks for that, sir." Max sighed, as the workmen now headed off for home. They'll continue work on Max in the morning.
"Sir. I've been needing to ask." Liliana spoke up quietly, getting Mr. Franklin's attention. "We've had not luck with Diana. Even I tried to talk to her this morning. But, I didn't get a peep out of her."
"I understand your concerns, Liliana. You and Braedey's." Mr. Franklin acknowledged to the little green engine. "I've contacted some associates to see if they could provide any assistance, whether they'd be human or locomotive."
"You mean a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist?" Austin asked next.
"Yeah, something along those lines." Mr. Franklin nodded his head to the green six-wheel shunter. "In no time, we'll get the call, and we'll see how it goes."
"And hopefully faster than when Croghan gets back." Braedey spoke up.
"Speaking of which, where did he go?" Shadow asked in suspicion.
"I've sent him off to a refurbishment facility where his engine can be tended to thoroughly." Mr. Franklin explained to the LNER Class V4. "We lack the tools and equipment that they have to do such an operation." He then checked his watch. "Well, I'd best head off for home. The missus will be annoyed if I don't return home in time for dinner with her and the kids." He chuckled. "Goodnight, engines." He called.
Braedey and the others chuckled as well. "Try not to get the Wellington boot, sir." Braedey called. "And take care."
"I'll try not to." Mr. Franklin chuckled, now climbing into his car. With that, the manager drove away, heading for home, as the engines settled down for sleep.
As the other engines slept, Liliana remained awake. Her mind was lost in thought about the conversation she had with Mr. Franklin regarding Diana and a possible therapist to help the Caledonian engine out. She took another look to Diana's closed berth, and with a heavy sigh, she soon fell asleep.