Amelia the Double-Decker Bus has made quite an impact on the North Western Railway, mostly in helping out those and being a friendly face for those to meet and greet when they get the chance. They all can agree that Amelia is so much better than Bulgy in every single conceivable way.
Today seems like a relaxing day for both the N.W.R and the J.R engines. Diana was taking an enthusiast's train from Barrow-in-Furness to Vicarstown on Sodor, since they were heading to the Vicarstown Railway Museum. The enthusiasts were to take pictures and interviews of the engines there, including Colin, Lily, and Adam, the three Wellsworth and Suddery Railway engines. Turns out they were purchased by the railway museum back in the early 80's to preserve them and keep them away from the clutches of British Railways.
"Please, enjoy yourselves." Diana said to the many enthusiasts as they go on ahead to look at the vast variety of locomotives and rolling stock around the Vicarstown Railway Museum.
As Diana was getting her tender loaded with coal, she saw Peter going by with a heavy goods train, passing by Hayden with another heavy goods train on the opposite line, the two engines whistling to one another, just as Braedey steams by with an express, the three tender engines exchanging whistles to each other. She is happy to see Hayden smiling to others as they go along, but also wonders about the relationship between Hayden and the others. But as she did so, she heard the guard blow his whistle, so she began to leave the station.
Hayden, meanwhile, he had delivered his goods train to Elsbridge Station for the others to sort and also handle. Once he did so, he made his way over to a water tower to refuel and top up his boiler and tender tank. As he does so, he saw Braedey arriving alongside him with some flatbed goods he delivered from the Brendam Branch.
"Hey, Braedey." The GWR King Class locomotive called out to the crimson GWR Hall Class engine. "You doing well?"
"Been better than ever, especially since I've gotten some new wheel bearings for my axle boxes and tender axles." Braedey smiled back. "I feel so much better and feel lighter on my wheels."
"That's good to hear." Hayden smiled. "You know, the two of us being here, it makes me think back to those days long ago. Back when..." He stopped himself.
"I know. You told me about your relationship with Lilah." Braedey spoke up. "She was the sister you've wanted."
"Yeah..." Hayden hesitated to speak, memories of all those years ago now coming back. "I know..."
Before Hayden had ever come to Sodor, he worked on the Mainland with another Engine by the name of Lilah. She was a Great Central Railway 9N Class 4-6-2 Tank Engine with purple paintwork, the BR symbol on her side tanks. Lilah and Hayden were extremely close, and even though she was a tank engine and he was a tender locomotive, she was like the Big Sister Hayden never had. She always defended Hayden whenever someone tormented me for being autistic, and Hayden did the same thing whenever someone tried to flirt with her...
In 2005, Lilah and Hayden were both on Sodor, when they were kidnapped by Lilah's Former Controller, who wanted "revenge" on her after she exposed him for scrapping Steam Engines ALIVE. The Former Controller, along with several Diesels and corrupt workers, held both of them hostage in a Scrapyard deep within the Mainland. He was about to kill Hayden first, when Lilah suddenly shot forward, and shoved him out of the way, saving Hayden's life, but now putting herself directly in the Controller's path. The Corrupt Controller ordered the Workers to make Lilah suffer. Hayden tried to get Lilah to safety, but she told him to save himself. Hayden begged and pleaded with her, but she said that this was the end of the line for her. Before Hayden was forced to make a run for it, they looked at each other one last time. Lilah told him that she would never forget him and said, "I love you, Little Brother." Tearing up, Hayden said the same to her and he reluctantly raced out of the Smelting Shed, Lilah's screams of pain suddenly filling the air. As he sped back to Sodor, Hayden couldn't stop crying...
"That day was utterly traumatic for you." Braedey said solemnly and sympathetically. "You didn't come out of the sheds when you came back to Sodor. You stayed there as the others heard you cry for Lilah. The others gave you space for you to recover, though you needed more help from others."
Hayden shows a small smile to the crimson GWR locomotive. "Yeah. You came over, along with Peter, by request from Sir Topham Hatt, to try and help recover, especially with Peter and myself having gone through our own loss of those who we knew years ago." Hayden looks to Braedey with sympathy.
Peter's brother Alan, his first firing was a week after Peter had left Crewe for Sodor in the 1930's, and they'd unfortunately never met. In the 1960's, Alan had been part of the R.I.U railway force, and had been chasing after a notorious gangster engine who goes by the name of Johnny Cuba. A diesel was making his way through the Midlands with the supply train. The diesel's faulty engine forces him to stop just as Johnny Cuba appeared next to him. He swipes the train away from the diesel and makes his escape. Enraged, the diesel alerted the soldiers and police, and they set off in hot pursuit. Cuba knocked one of the police engines aside and evades Lenny and Eliza by taking another track around them. Next, Cuba narrowly avoids a collision with the Flying Scotsman. Agent Alan sets off and he and Cuba confront each other at a bridge. After a ferocious back and forth battle, Cuba forced Alan off the bridge and he fell into the water below. With the police hot on his tail, Cuba continued fleeing. Later, some agent named Potter told a railway doctor the dive had killed Agent Alan when he came into contact with the water and Cuba escaped.
"Peter never got the chance to see or even talk to Alan." Hayden sighed deeply. "That's rather sad."
"Yeah. I felt the same way when I found out No.4911 'Bowden Hall' was taken out during the bombing raids of World War 2." Braedey added in agreement.
"At least you still have six of your siblings out there." Hayden stated.
"The same to you, since there's three engines of the same class in preservation." Braedey added. "And there are 12 preserved 8Fs like Peter."
"Yeah, but some aren't as lucky." Hayden pointed out.
"Unfortunately." Braedey agreed, now thinking about Thomas, Jane, Toby, Edward, Donald and Douglas, as well as James and Lady. Most of them are the only last surviving members of their class of locomotive. "Some of us have been lucky enough to be bought and saved by others who care for locomotives like us."
"That is true, but sadly, we can't save everyone." Hayden said back as he looks down at his buffer beam. "I feel bad for those... Other machines are not as lucky as us. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah." Braedey acknowledged. "Kind of like some of those engines, rockets, planes and cars that haven't made it into either a museum or been saved. I've even talked to some of those a few years ago, and they have lost brothers and sisters, whether it be accident-related or from old age."
"That is rather sad." Hayden commented.
"I even talked to a Boeing 747 back in the 90's who once knew Japan Airlines 123." Braedey said, Hayden now looking over in surprise. "Yeah, he knew her. It was very tragic that day in august of 1985."
"Was that incident the one where a 747 had its tailfin get blown off?" Hayden asked.
"Yeah. While the plane was heading up to cruising altitude, because of a faulty repair to the rear pressure bulkhead, it resulted in a rapid decompression that blew off a large portion of the tail and caused the loss of all onboard hydraulic systems." Braedey explained. "The plane practically bled to death, while flying in a phugoid cycle, the flight crew trying in vain to get the plane back to the airport, amazingly keeping the Boeing 747 in the air for 32 minutes. Sadly, it was all in vain. The aircraft went into a steep dive when the 4th engine struck the trees on top of a ridge at 1,530m (5,020ft). The backward shock of the impact caused the aircraft to roll sharply to the right and the nose to drop again. The aircraft continued on this trajectory for 3 seconds until the right wing clipped another ridge, separating the rest of the brown tail, a third of the right-wing, as well as the remaining three engines. The 747 flipped on its back, struck another ridge 570m (1,870ft) northwest from the ridge, and exploded."
Hayden was stunned and shocked by what he heard from Braedey. "Did... anyone survive?" He asked softly.
"Out of the count of 524 passengers and crew... only four of them survived." Braedey replied solemnly. "The 747 that I talked to happened to be related to Japan 123 since they were both built side by side. It broke his heart he was once-related closely to her."
"That's horrible." Hayden muttered softly.
"Yeah. It's one of the worst aviation-related incidents in history." Braedey added in solemnly. "But neither she nor her passengers who perished won't be ever be forgotten."
"Very true. Much like those before us." Hayden agreed with the crimson locomotive. "Those engines did not pass away in vain. They helped us become who we are now."
"True, brother." Braedey agreed.
"Come on now, old boy." Hayden's driver called out. "It's time to get going. Don't want to be late for the next train."
"Got it." Hayden acknowledged this, then he looked to Braedey. "Thanks for talking with me."
"Anytime, Hayden." Braedey smiled before Hayden steams away with a whistle. "Anytime..."
Hayden smiles to himself as he steams off down the tracks, all the while with his thoughts about Lilah. He did indeed miss her, but he knew she didn't die in vain. She gave her life to let him live, and he's been able to carry on to this point in his life because of her. He sees a green signal and steams ahead, ready to move forth.
As he watches Hayden steam away, Braedey began to think about something. He decided to do something good for Hayden. He talked to his driver and fireman about this after they had come back from their lunch break, and they agreed that the idea sounds great. So, they soon depart from Elsbridge to try and find where Sir Topham Hatt is.
Meanwhile, Hayden had collected a small goods train of van wagons and was now making his way down the mainline at a good pace. He was still thinking about what Braedey had said to him, just as he saw a red signal up ahead. Hayden slows himself down to a stop, steam hissing around him. He did think about Peter and his love interest Georgette. She is a purple Great Central Railway Class 8K 2-8-0 tender engine, who can also be a bit shy and flustered at times, but she's a hard worker and has a gentle soul.
As he waited at a signal, Hayden could see something yellow approaching him on the opposite track. As he sees it getting closer, his eyes widen in response and a smile forms on his face. There, now approaching him on the opposite track is his adoptive mother Rebecca.
Rebecca is a Southern Railway (SR) "West Country" and "Battle of Britain" Class (also known as "Light Pacifics"), a class of 4-6-2 tender locomotives designed by Oliver Bulleid and built between 1945 and 1951. Rebecca is painted sunshine yellow and navy with white lining. Her wheel rims are in white, her front end is painted red and she has red and orange stripes painted along her sides. Rebecca also has two blue nameplates on her smoke deflectors with her name painted on them in white. Her number 22 is painted on the sides of her cab in white and the initials "N.W.R." are painted on the sides of her tender, also in white.
When Hayden first arrived on Sodor in 2004, Rebecca was one of the first engines he met, and over time, she became like a Mother figure to Hayden. She and Mickey later took Hayden under their wing, and after he told Rebecca how he felt about her, she confessed she also considered Hayden to be like a son to her.
"Hello, Hayden." Rebecca smiles softly. "How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty well, Mom." Hayden smiled back. "How about you?"
"Aside from my slippery wheels, I'm fine." Rebecca admitted. Despite her large size, Rebecca is shy and sometimes clumsy, but not afraid to stand up for herself and is not intimidated by the older engines. But despite her insecurities, Rebecca loves to see the best in everyone and all her friends appreciate her kindness and enthusiasm.
"Yeah, I also got the chance to talk to Braedey, and we did reminisce about the past." Hayden added, then he looks down at his buffers.
Rebecca can tell from the tone in Hayden's voice by what he meant. "I know Lilah meant a lot to you. But you're not alone anymore. You have me, Mickey, as well as Thomas, Henry, even Braedey and others, and you'll never be alone." She said sincerely.
Hayden looks to Rebecca and smiles softly to her. "Thanks for that, Mom." He thanked her.
"If you need to stay at the sheds at the docks for the night, I'll leave a spot for you to sleep." Rebecca even offered.
"Thanks, Mom. That be nice." Hayden smiled softly. Just then, the signal drops for Hayden, the signal now green for him. "I'd better get going." Hayden said, then looks to Rebecca. "I'll talk to you later." With that, he blows his whistle and steams away.
"You too, Hayden." Rebecca called back as she also puffs away.
Later that evening, Braedey was making his way to Brendam Docks with something for Hayden. He was lucky enough to ask Sir Topham Hatt and Mr. Franklin to try and locate what he's been looking for, and now, it was time to go and find Hayden. As he arrived at the docks, he saw Thomas talking to Sir Topham Hatt.
"Okay, Thomas. Thanks for telling me about the bridge on Bertie's route." Sir Topham Hatt acknowledged to the blue tank engine. "I'll get some workmen on the scene first thing in the morning." He then saw Braedey arriving alongside. "Oh, Braedey. Were you looking for Hayden?"
"Yes. Do you know where he is?" Braedey asked.
"He's over in the nearby sheds with Rebecca." Thomas answered to the crimson locomotive. "Let's go see."
Braedey smiled back as he and Thomas chuff over, Sir Topham Hatt also making his way over with the two engines. As they made their way over to the sheds, they all can see Hayden and Rebecca settling into their berths and smiling to one another.
Hayden then saw Braedey, Thomas, and Sir Topham. "Oh, hey. What's going on?"
"Hayden, I've been thinking and considering all of what you have been through ever since you first came here to Sodor, so I asked Sir Topham Hatt and Mr. Franklin to look for something." Braedey explained calmly, as his crew hands some papers and something wrapped up, and the Fat Controller started to make his way over.
"So, we managed to find these and make this special nameplate in memory." Sir Topham added, and begins to unwrap the paper.
Hayden looks in surprise. There, in Sir Topham Hatt's hands, is a brass nameplate with the name 'Lilah' in purple, as well as a pair of pictures of his sister.
"Is that...?" Hayden mutters in surprise and shock.
"Yes. We were able to find some of these pictures of Lilah, and I've asked Mr. Franklin to make something special, and his team of mechanics have been able to make this nameplate." Sir Topham explained.
"He thought you could have the nameplate placed in your cab, as well as the pictures, so you could feel closer to Lilah." Braedey added in.
Hayden didn't know what to say or what to do. He felt so many emotions inside of him right now. He finally shows a happy smile, tears starting to accumulate in his eyes. "Thank you... thank you so much." He finally said to them.
Sir Topham smiled softly before he walks to Hayden's cab and climbs in, now placing the nameplate up against part of the main wall, as well as the pictures in a glass box.
Hayden looked to Braedey. "I can't thank you enough for this." He said sincerely.
"It's the least I can do for you, especially after all that you've been through." Braedey replied softly. "After all you've done and have traversed, you need a type of closure."
"Well, I think that's the nicest thing to do." Rebecca commented, Hayden smiling softly to her.
"Lilah meant a lot to you, Hayden. It felt right to do this for you, so you'll always remember her." Thomas said. Hayden smiled warmly at those around him, Thomas and Braedey both letting off whistles of salute for the King Class locomotive.
Unbeknown to them, a ghostly shape of a GCR 9N Class Tank Engine with purple paintwork could be seen hiding amongst the coaches and trucks parked up nearby. She looks over at Hayden, who is now smiling and laughing along with Braedey, Thomas, Rebecca, and Sir Topham Hatt. The female purple tank engine shows a soft smile as she watches, seeing Hayden smiling happily.
'Take care now, Hayden.' Lilah thought softly, then she fades away from sight...