Chapter 66: Forming a Plan
(Tuesday, December 18th 2012 – At Simon's House – 4:10pm)
In the living room of Simon's house, Carrie was sitting with Simon on the couch and they were talking with each other about what had happened earlier on in the day. Alice had helped them with delivering the baked goods that they had bought at the bakery over to the house a while before, and then she had to leave as she was expected to be back home very soon. In the meantime, Carrie and Simon went into the living room to talk. In the last few minutes, Carrie told Simon some more details of what had happened over at the airport between Chris Hargensen and Henry, Gordon, and James and of how they had stood up to Chris when no one else would.
While Carrie told him some more of the details of what happened, Simon listened very carefully to what she was telling him and at the same time, he was thinking long and hard about what needed to be done when Carrie inevitably saw her classmates and teachers again.
"And have you told your father anything about it yet?" Simon asked, when Carrie finished telling him everything.
"I sent him a text earlier on to say that something had happened and that I needed to speak with him as soon as possible. I just need to wait for him to get back to me." Carrie said, as she settled back uneasily into the couch. She had no idea as to what her father would think when she told him what had happened earlier on and that people from Chamberlain had somehow found out that she was on Sodor. There was no doubt that he wouldn't be too pleased to hear this unexpected news, and she also wondered on how exactly she should tell Sir Topham Hatt about it when she saw him again.
Just then, there came the sounds of the front door opening, which was quickly followed by the sounds of two people coming into the house. And a moment later, both Ralph and Simon's father, David, stepped into the living room.
"Hey Carrie…" Ralph said, as he stepped inside and then sat down on the couch beside Carrie, "…I got your message about what happened earlier on. Can you tell me what happened?" Carrie could see the anxious look on her father's face, and she knew that he wanted to know about everything that had happened.
"Of course…" Carrie said, and then she told her father about what happened over at the airport earlier on that day, and about how Henry, Gordon, and James had stood up for her when they came face to face with Chris Hargensen. She also told them about how she, Simon, and Alice had met with her gym teacher, Rita Desjardin, over at the bakery where they had gotten the things that Simon's mother had wanted to get. By the time she had finished telling her story, both Ralph and David were somewhat stunned to hear it.
"Well…if that's the case, then how on earth did they all discover that you were over here on Sodor after all this time? It shouldn't have been possible." David asked, still somewhat uncertain of what the next few days would bring for them all.
"I did ask Ms Desjardin about that, but she wasn't very sure about telling me that. However, she did say that four police officers from Chamberlain have come over to Sodor with them all, and she said that they could tell me far better than she possibly could." Carrie said.
"Oh, okay then." Ralph said, somewhat anxiously.
"Alice and I were with Carrie at the bakery earlier on, and we saw three of her bullies there, including her main bully, Chris Hargensen." Simon said.
"You saw Chris Hargensen earlier today?" Ralph asked, as he looked at Carrie.
"Yes, dad…I did. And that means her parents are over here with her as well." Carrie said.
"Oh…my god." Ralph said, with his face now a bit ashen pale. The realisation that a lot of people from Chamberlain were here on Sodor, and that John Hargensen was amongst them, did get him a bit worried. It had been a very long time since he had last been face to face with his old high school rival, and the thought that he was now on Sodor did get him somewhat concerned. The fact that a lot of those people who he had gone to high school with many years ago were here on the island as well also made him a bit concerned, as it had been so long since he had seen many of them. Some of them he hadn't seen since they had finished in high school so many years ago.
"And Carrie, whereabouts in Knapford are they all staying right now?" David asked.
"Well, Ms Desjardin didn't say where they were staying, but I have a feeling that it was in the really big hotel that's very near to the bakery." Carrie said.
"I see…and were there many of them on the platform over at the airport station when you saw them there this morning?" Ralph asked.
"Yes, dad…and it appeared that almost all of them were there too." Carrie said, still a bit shaken from that very recent memory.
"Goodness me…it must have been a massive shock for you, Carrie." David said.
"It was…I won't lie about that." Carrie said.
"We need to inform Sir Topham Hatt about this as soon as we can. I think it's important that he's told so that measures can be taken to keep you safe from them, including from those who bullied you." Simon said.
"Hold on, Simon. Carrie…did Henry, Gordon, and James see what was going on at the airport earlier on?" Ralph asked.
"Yes, dad. They did." Carrie said.
"Well, if that's the case…then I guess it's very likely that they've passed the word all around the island by now." Ralph said.
"I imagine so. After all, when some very important news happens on this island, then all the engines who've initially heard it will spread the word around to all the other engines as fast as they possibly can." David said.
"To be honest…I also heard Henry tell some of the other engines who were already at the sheds not too long after we got back after collecting the mail at the airport and delivering to the mail depot near Knapford Station." Carrie said.
"Then that probably means that Henry and all those engines have no doubt spread the word around all the other lines by now." Ralph said.
"Yeah, I think so." Carrie said.
A short while later, with the kettle in the kitchen having fully boiled up, Simon's parents and Ralph prepared hot drinks for themselves and choose one of the cookies from those baked goods which Simon had bought at the bakery earlier on in the day. Carrie and Simon decided not to have any, as they were feeling okay from the hot drinks and baked goods they had enjoyed over at the bakery earlier on in the day.
"I just hope that it doesn't get any worse for me over the next few days, Simon. Seeing almost all of my former classmates and most of my teachers earlier on today was such a shock for most of me." Carrie said, as she settled back into the couch and tried to relax.
"Me too. With everything that's happened today, with seeing your former classmates and bullies turn up unexpectedly…I'd be amazed if anything suddenly did take the unexpected turn for the worse." Simon said, as he grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and switched on the T.V.
Then, Simon and Carrie found themselves looking at a news channel which showed a live feed of a number of smartly-dressed officials and a few American police officers who were all standing on a raised stage area inside the large open space of a large building and briefing a larger number of gathered reporters and cameramen at some sort of an important press conference taking place somewhere in the United States.
"And what's going on over there?" David asked, as he stepped back into the living room.
"I don't know yet…but I'm guessing that we'll soon be finding out." Simon said, as he and Carrie turned their attentions back to the screen to listen to what was about to be said.
One of the officials stood up at the lectern in the middle of the stage and addressed all the gathered reporters who were waiting for the story.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press…we'd like to thank you all for being here today, for we have some very important information to give you with regard to the Carrie White Case." said the official. And upon hearing that, Carrie's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped in complete shock, as did Simon's, and they turned their heads to look at each other.
"Are you hearing this, Carrie?" Simon asked, as if unable to believe what he had just seen and heard on the T.V. screen. And Carrie nodded her head in return, before they turned their heads to look back at the screen. At the same time, David called his wife and Ralph from the kitchen, and they stepped inside and looked at the T.V. screen to what was about to happen.
"We've managed to find out where she is after more than a year after she ran away from her home in Chamberlain…" said the official at the lectern, and then the camera turned a little to the right to a large white screen where the first of the many pictures were being shown to the gathered photographers and news media people gathered within the space, "…and we have the photos here to show to you about where she is, and what she's doing now."
"What in the…how…how in the world did they find that out?" Simon's mother asked, unsure if she should believe it
"I'm sure we'll see in a second…" Ralph said, as he watched the screen in a stunned way.
"Earlier this year, during the month of September, we at the Chamberlain Police Department received information that Carrie White had been seen over on the Island of Sodor. Not too long afterwards, some of our officers from the Chamberlain P.D. went over to Sodor in order to investigate this sighting. Not too long afterwards, they actually encountered the missing Carrie White on Sodor within the town of Knapford…" said the official, as a satellite image of the Island of Sodor was shown on the screen off to the side of the stage. The town of Knapford was clearly marked by a yellow dot on the map with the word "Knapford" above it. Not too long afterwards, an image of Carrie taken by the officers on the day they arrived on Sodor was shown on the screen. Simon and Carrie clearly recognized the location; it was one of their favourite coffee shops not too far away from Knapford Station.
"Oh, my god! Someone was following us around and taking our pictures without us knowing!" Carrie said, feeling shocked and outraged at this sudden and unexpected fact.
"I know! And what were they thinking of by doing that!" Simon said, also angered by the fact that he and his girlfriend had been stalked by some police officers they had never known had been following them.
"During their time over on the Island of Sodor, our four officers were able to confirm that Carrie White was all right and in very good health. One thing that we found out was that Carrie is working on the Sodor railway system, as you can see from these pictures being shown on the screen." said the official, as a number of pictures taken of Carrie working with some of the engines appeared on the T.V. screen that Carrie, Simon, and their respective parents were watching.
For Carrie, seeing that press conference take place before her, where those people there were telling the press where she was, was a massive shock to her system; one of her worst fears had been realised, and all in the same day as those she had gone to school with from Chamberlain had suddenly appeared on Sodor.
But before they could hear anything more, Simon's mother grabbed hold of the remote.
"I think that's quite enough of that for the moment!" she said, as she pressed the red button that turned the T.V. off. In a second, the screen went black and the sounds faded. She was feeling completely appalled and angered that a few police officers had come over here to Sodor and had discreetly followed her son's girlfriend around the place during the month of September without Carrie or anyone else noticing that it was taking place.
"What's the Fat Controller going to say when he hears all about this?" Simon said, as he settled back into the couch and rested his arm on the side.
"He's not gonna like it very much, son! That much is quite obvious!" David said.
"And I think that it's fair to say that all the engines aren't gonna be too pleased when they hear about this either." Ralph said, with a heavy sigh.
"Yeah…" Simon said quietly.
"That whole press conference they're having there is just gonna bring a rush of reporters and photographers over here to Sodor…and at a time of year when we don't really need anything like that." Simon's mother said.
Carrie was silent as she sat down on the couch and tried to process everything that had happened during that day. Prior to this morning, the one thing she had been looking forward to had been Christmas. But now, with her classmates and teachers having suddenly shown up at the airport and then having seen just how they had known she had been over here on Sodor in the first place, Carrie was now very unsure about what the future was going to be like for the next few days. Suddenly, she really felt like she could do with a cup of tea.
"Is there any tea left inside?" Carrie asked, as she looked at Simon's mother.
"Of course, there's plenty in the pot." Simon's mother said, as Carrie then stood up and went into the kitchen.
"I think some tea would be good about now too." Simon said, as he also stood up and followed Carrie. Just like Carrie, he was still stunned to hear this sudden news that the press now knew where his girlfriend was. He was also deeply concerned about what the next few days would bring, and he hoped that he would be able to help Carrie navigate through what was to come.
A few minutes later, as Carrie and Simon were sipping through their tea and enjoying a cookie in the kitchen, Ralph's phone rang. On hearing it, Carrie and Simon turned their attention towards the living room and listened as Ralph spoke to whoever it was that was calling him. At one point, Carrie heard Ralph say to whoever it was, "Hang on…right now?" and then watched as Ralph checked his watch on his left wrist. Both Carrie and Simon looked at each other with some anxiousness as to who could be calling Ralph. Eventually Ralph said "All right. We'll be there right away. Thank you, sir" and then he ended the call.
Stepping into the kitchen, Ralph looked towards Carrie.
"Carrie…that was none other than the Fat Controller himself. He's heard about what you went through earlier on today. He says that he needs to speak with you about what happened at the airport, and what you plan to do now that your classmates and teachers are over here on the island." Ralph said. The thought of needing to speak with the Fat Controller about what happened earlier on did get Carrie very nervous inside, but she knew that it needed to be done.
"All right, and when does he want to see us at his office?" Carrie asked.
"Well, right away. He needs to know what needs to be done." Ralph said. For a long moment, Carrie though long and hard about it…but then she turned to look at her father.
"Okay, we'd better get going then." Carrie said, as she stood up from the table.
"And good luck with the meeting, Carrie. You may need it." Simon said, as he also stood up.
"Thanks, Simon." Carrie said, as she and Simon gave each other a big hug.
"Best of luck, Carrie." David said, as Ralph and Carrie made their way out of the house.
"Thank you." Carrie said. After putting on her warm coat and hat, Carrie and her father stepped outside the front door and went over to Ralph's car.
(Meanwhile, over at the hotel)
In the hotel's large bar area, with the rich smell of freshly-brewed hot coffee drifting through the air, Rita was sitting with a number of the other teachers, as well as a few of the parents and other family members of the senior students and filling them all in about her recent meeting with Carrie and two of her friends over at the bakery not too far away not long before. The other adults gathered with her were very keen to hear how Carrie was doing and what she and Rita had talked about. Among the adults there were the four police officers from Chamberlain, Brian, Irving, King, and Spacek.
They were all sitting around on the comfy armchairs and couches within one corner of the space and enjoying hot coffee served from the bar and platters of sandwiches freshly prepared within the kitchens.
"And what did she say about her father being over here on Sodor for all this time?" King asked, as he sipped his mug of hot coffee while the others leaned in a little.
"Well…she said to me that her father realised he made a terrible mistake three months after he got married to Margaret, especially when Carrie told me about all the horrible things that Margaret did to him within the walls of that old house and what she put him through when they were living together, and Carrie told me that her father had spent quite a bit of time during that period thinking about the different sorts of ways that he could end his marriage to Margaret legally without admitting that he made a mistake. She also told me that her father took advantage of the confusion caused by that horrific accident at the construction site that he worked at back then to basically fake his own death and escape from that abusive marriage so that he could start a brand-new life somewhere else." Rita said, as all the others went "Ah!" as the realisation of why Ralph was living over here hit them.
"So, that's why he always went around the streets of Chamberlain with a look on his face that seemed like he was plotting something!" Mrs Snell said, as she remembered back to all those years ago.
"And after hearing all of that...as well as learning what sort of a person Margaret was like...I really can't say that I blame him for doing something like that either. I'm really quite sure that any one of us would have done the same thing if we'd been put into his position." said Mrs Watson, the mother of Norma Watson, as everyone agreed with that.
"And what did Carrie say about working on the railway over here? Is she enjoying it?" Principal Morton asked, as he sipped his coffee.
"She certainly seems to be enjoying it very much…" Rita said, as she then went and told them all at length at how Carrie had told her how she had joined the apprenticeship scheme and how it had started in January, as well as of the kind of work that Carrie did on a regular basis on the railway, and the different engines she had worked on in all that time, and all the different sorts of skills she had learned. She also told the others about how much happier Carrie was now, and how much her appearance and her ability to socialise with other people had changed within the last full year.
"Yeah, well…I guess that not being bullied by your own classmates on a daily basis or suffering abuse at the hands of your own mother would certainly give you the chance to take your life into your own hands and steer it into the direction you want it to go." said Mr Holt, the father of Freddy Holt, as he took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Indeed." his wife said, as she took a long sip of her coffee.
"And so…did you tell her that most of us have come over here from Chamberlain to see her?" asked Mr Snell.
"Yes, I did. And she seemed to be quite surprised when I told her about it too." Rita said, as she paused and took a long sip of her coffee.
"And did she seem to be in good spirits when she saw you again?" asked Mr Upshaw.
"Oh, she was. She really was very happy to see me again after so long, and she seemed to be a little bit disappointed when she and her friends had to be on their way again." Rita said.
"Don't worry too much about it, Rita. You'll get the chance to see again before our time over here is finished." Principal Morton said.
"Yeah, I know." Rita said, as she took another long sip of her coffee.
Then, Irving looked up towards the T.V. that was fitted up on the wall that was very close to where they were all sitting.
"Wait, hang on, everyone. The press conference that we mentioned earlier on is taking place live in Chamberlain." Irving said, as she turned to the others while pointing up to the T.V. Quietening down, they all turned and looked up to the T.V. to see what was taking place. For several minutes, they all watched in a slightly stunned silence as the press conference announcing that Carrie had been found and where she was played out on the T.V. screen. From the different photos and little video clips that were being shown to the media, the story was laid out for the press that Carrie had been found alive and well on the Island of Sodor.
On watching what was going on from the stage within the town hall back home, Rita suddenly felt a little bit uneasy as to the police revealing everything that had been gathered about Carrie from back in September. Most of the others were a little bit concerned at what they were seeing as well, especially at the fact that the four police officers with them had been the ones who had undertaken that task four months prior.
"Are…are you fellas sure that's a good idea? I mean to show the press where Carrie is, as well as to what she's doing over here?" Mr Snell asked, as he and everyone else turned their attention to the four police officers who were sitting with them.
"Well, that's why we held off telling the press for quite a long while." Brian said.
"The idea was that we all had to do was to wait until you guys were all over here on Sodor and settled into the hotel before the press was informed about it. Because that way you wouldn't have to worry about getting a seat on a flight coming over here or securing a hotel room." Spacek said.
"Ah, and so that's why nothing was ever mentioned in the press between October and now." Principal Morton said.
"Yeah, and we also didn't want anything to happen to Carrie in between then and now. We also felt that if Carrie became aware that she had been found here on Sodor, she probably would bolt from Sodor to somewhere else, and then we'd lose the trail all over again. And the main reason why a tight lid was kept on the story, until now." Irving said.
"Very clever…but revealing all that to the press will just mean that there'll be an avalanche of reporters and photographers coming over here to try and get pictures of Carrie and get the story of what's going on here." Mrs Snell said.
"Ladies, gentlemen…we're all aware of the risks of reporting this story to the press, but after all the false alarms that have occurred over the past year, we feel that we owe the press some sort of good story after all the anticipation that's been building over the last year." Brian said.
"All right…we'll go along with it. But I just hope that everyone in the Chamberlain P.D. knows what they're doing." Mr Holt said with some concern, as he turned his attention back to the T.V. screen. As everyone did the same thing as well, Rita wondered what Carrie would think when and if she saw what was going on at that press conference.
(Meanwhile, with many of the Ewen High Seniors)
While many of the adults socialised together in the warmth of the hotel, most of Ewen High's seniors were out in the cold December air and looking around the town of Knapford, and trying to find out where the best restaurants were, as well as the parks, coffee shops, and anywhere else that caught their interests. Eventually, many of them found themselves at a point where they could stand at the viewing points along the high backing wall that overlooked Knapford Station. From there, they could all see the activity going on as trains went back and forth along the lines going into and out from the station.
Despite the bitterly cold December air and falling snow, all the seniors from Ewen High stood together and watched the trains go on past. What really amazed them all was the fact that they all saw that each of the engines had a face on their fronts and that they all could talk and look around like humans could. The sounds of the chuffing from the chimneys, the wheeshing of clouds of steam, whistles being sounded loudly, the clanking sounds of valve gear, and the rolling of wheels along the tracks filled their ears, and the smells of drifting clouds of smoke drifted into their nostrils as the trains went on by.
"An amazing sight, isn't it?" Freddy Holt said, as he recorded everything going on with his camera as the trains went by.
"Yeah, and it's hard to believe that there's still steam engines running this railway. You'd have thought they'd have been removed long ago." Norma Watson said, as she leaned on the railing and watched.
"Well, clearly not. And they all seem to be doing a very good job about it too." Heather said. They all watched as B.R. Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92345 made his way along through Knapford Station with a long line of L.M.S. 40-ton coal hoppers that were filled with tons of freshly mined coal. Then as the coal train went on by, another whistle was heard being sounded loudly, and a few moments later on, L.M.S. 8F Class 2-8-0 No.48600 went past heading southwards with a long line of box vans coupled up behind him. The Ewen High seniors listened to the 8F as he headed on past them, blowing his whistle loudly as he headed out onto the Southern Main Line with his long and heavy train, with clouds of smoke and steam rising from his funnel as he headed out from Knapford.
"Do you think that Carrie's had a chance to work with many of those engines during her time over here?" Rachel Spies asked, as she sipped from a cup of hot chocolate she had in her hands.
"I wouldn't be too surprised if she did. After all, there are lots of steam engines on this island, and so Carrie probably did work with them at some point in the last year." Vicky said.
A few moments later, as the last of the box vans behind No.48600 faded into the distance along with the sounds of their wheels rolling along the tracks, there came another sound, and it was the sounds of an air horn. Turning their heads to their left, the teens looked to see which engine had made that sound; a few seconds later, amidst the sound of what sounded like a motor, they saw BoCo, the large green diesel, and he was coming along the line and heading towards the station with an express freight train, made up of box vans as well as a few conflats with containers secured to then, from Brendam Docks following along behind him.
"Well…it's nice to see that there are a few diesels working on this railway at least." said Nicki Watson, as they all watched BoCo head on past below them with his long train.
A few seconds later, there came the sound of another steam whistle being sounded loudly, and they all looked to their rights. With a loud wheeshing of steam being blown in the cold snowy air, they watched as a large tank engine set out from Knapford Station with a line of eight coaches following along behind him. The engine was No.42447, an L.M.S. Stanier two-cylinder 2-6-4 tank engine (123) and he was setting out from Knapford to run along the Ffarquhar Line with one of the late afternoon commuter trains. His coaches were full of people who worked in the Knapford-Tidmouth area who were eager to be back at home as soon as possible after their long day of work at their places of employment in Tidmouth or Knapford.
"I wonder if we'll get the chance to travel on a train hauled by an engine like that one while we're over here." Lizzy said, as she, her twin Nicki, and all the others watched as No.42447 set off along the lines below them with his long and heavy train.
"I think we might get the chance, Lizzy. After all, we're gonna be here for the Christmas holidays and so there's no knowing where we'll end up." Sue said.
They all watched as No.42447 went on by below them, they listened as he blew his whistle loudly, as well as the sounds of the wheels of his coaches as they rolled along the steel rails on their way out of the station and on towards the Southern Main Line.
(123): The LM.S. two-cylinder Stanier Class 2-6-4T was another variant of the 2-6-4T tank engine classes that had been built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway for various duties, including working on commuter trains in different cities that the L.M.S. ran services to.
Designed by William Stanier, the two-cylinder version of the 2-6-4T tank engine was very identical in appearances to the three-cylinder version that had been introduced in back in 1934. The two-cylinder engines were just as capable on their day-to-day duties as the earlier three-cylinder engines had been, except that with just two cylinders they were much easier to keep maintained than the three-cylinder version had been.
The class were built at two workshops, which were Derby and the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, in between December 1935 and February 1943, with 206 engines being built in total in eleven lots; Derby Works built 133 engines, while the N.B.L. built 73 examples of the class. The engines were numbered from No.2425 to No.2494, and from No.2537 to No.2672.
The two cylinders on the class were 19 5/8in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, which combined with a boiler that was pressed to 200psi and fitted with superheating, and six driving wheels that were 5ft 9in in diameter, gave the class a maximum tractive effort of 24,670lbf. Their side tanks could take 2,000 gallons of water in total, while their coal bunkers could carry about 3.5 tons of coal. They were also fitted with water pick-up gear between the rear coupled driving wheels and the trailing bogie, and which could be used if the engines were running forwards or backwards.
During their working lives, the class were allocated to sheds all over the L.M.S network, but mostly on lines of the former London and North Western Railway (L.N.W.R.) and the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L.Y.R.), but never managed to make it up into Scotland. They proved themselves to be very highly successful engines, and were quite popular with their crews, often being able to reach high speeds on many occasions. They were known by as "Derby Tanks" to their crews and to railway enthusiasts.
When Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, the entire class came under control of British Railways, and they were renumbered by having the number 40000 added to their original numbers, meaning the class were now numbered from No.42425 to No.42494, and from No.42537 to No.42672. The power classification was also changed from the original L.M.S. classification of 4P to the new B.R. power classification to 4MT. The class also served as the inspiration for the L.M.S. Fairburn 2-6-4T Class tank engines. During their time running in B.R. days, the class performed with the same competence as they had done during L.M.S. days, performing their duties without drawing too much attention from the press.
In August 1953, No.42474 collided with an electric multiple unit while it was hauling a passenger train at Irk Valley Junction not too far away from Manchester. In the accident, 10 people were killed and 58 were injured to some extent.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1960 when No.42450 and No.42490 with removed from service in June and May respectively that year. Withdrawals continued over the next six years, with 1964 seeing 51 engines, the highest number, being withdrawn from regular use. By the end of 1967, the final 15 engines that had still been running were withdrawn, with No.42574 being one of the final ones removed, leaving service by September 1967. Sadly, none of the class have survived into preservation.
For several more minutes, the Ewen High seniors stood together and watched as all the trains went on past along the different lines spread out below them; they saw a number of different trains and of different lengths go past. It was a fascinating scene for them all to see, as well as hear the sounds of the different whistles being blown loudly, the sounds of the chuffing from the chimneys, as well as the odd occasion where an engine's driving wheels would slip on icy patches.
They saw Murdoch head on past through the station with a very long freight train rattling along behind him, and a short time later they watched as B.R. Standard Class 8P No.71001 Duke of London as he arrived in Knapford with a long line of passenger coaches behind him that were full of passengers. Then with the sounds of two whistles being sounded, they watched as the Scottish Twins, Donald and Douglas, went on by double heading together with a long train of trucks following along behind them from the Knapford yards out along towards the Southern Main Line.
They watched as S.R. rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 No.35023 Holland Afrika Line reversed away from the station, and over to Knapford Sheds not far away in order to be turned on the turntable there, so he would be ready for his next train.
Eventually, with the freezing cold temperatures as well as the falling snow starting to get to them a bit, the teens decided to turn away from the viewing point and head to a spot where they could get warmed up, as well as to get a hot drink.
"I saw that there was a nice-looking coffee shop not too far away from here where we could get something hot to drink and to warm up." Sue said, as they started down the street.
"I think that sounds like a good idea to many of us, Sue. After all, I'm freezing right now." Jessica said, as she rubbed her gloved hands together.
"Well, come on. Let's go and get ourselves warm!" Freddy said, as they all headed off down the street to the coffee shop.
(Meanwhile, in the Fat Controller's office)
Having arrived at Knapford Station just a short while before, Carrie and Ralph were now upstairs in the Fat Controller's office upstairs at Knapford Station, and were sitting together on the seats on the other side of the main desk where the Fat Controller was sitting. Right now, Carrie was telling the Fat Controller about what happened over at the airport station earlier on, and especially how she was grateful at how Henry, Gordon, and James stood up for her when she was too shocked by the sudden appearance of her classmates on the platform. She also told the Fat Controller that Henry made very good time when pulling the Flying Kipper this morning, as well as how well that trip had gone after she got up early this morning. She also told him about how she had met up with her gym teacher, Ms Desjardin, over at the bakery that afternoon not long after she had finished work and how Ms Desjardin had managed to prevent Chris Hargensen and two of her lackeys from going anywhere near her and bullying her again.
They also told him that they had seen on the T.V. not too long before part of the press conference where the media back in the United States were told that Carrie had been found alive and well and exactly where she was.
Once she had finished telling the Fat Controller her story from what had happened earlier that morning, the boss settled back into his comfy seat, absolutely stunned to hear everything that had happened during the course of the day.
"Well, I never…" the Fat Controller said, as he rubbed his chin and thought long and hard about what to do next. For several long moments, there was a tense and uneasy silence in the office as the Fat Controller thought about what to do, and Carrie and her father sat and waited for what he had to say.
"And you don't know exactly how they managed to find out that you were over here in the first place?" asked the Fat Controller, as he looked towards Carrie.
"I've got no real idea on how they managed to discover that, sir. But I'm guessing we'll soon find out, as Ms Desjardin mentioned that some officers from the Chamberlain Police Department came over to Sodor with them." Carrie said, as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Well then…if that's the case, then we must discover why they've come over here then." said the Fat Controller, as he stood up and went over to the window to look outside.
"Did Ms Desjardin say which hotel they were staying in?" Ralph asked.
"No, she didn't…but I think that they're all staying in the large hotel that's very close to the bakery where we had our conversation with each other earlier on. And considering how big that hotel is, I wouldn't be surprised that they're all staying there." Carrie said.
"I suppose that makes sense…" the Fat Controller said, as he turned round and went to sit back in his seat at the desk.
"Well…during the talk we had earlier on…Ms Desjardin did mention to me that almost everyone came over here to apologise to me for what they put me through, as well as to try and put things right. She also said that they didn't expect me to come back home, as they all know what sort of work I'm doing over here, however…she did say that everyone wants to say they're sorry for what they did to me." Carrie said.
For several long moments, both Ralph and the Fat Controller were silent after listening to what Carrie had to say. Then, after clearing the throat, the Fat Controller spoke.
"Well, Carrie…after listening to what your gym teacher had to say to you earlier on…I think that it might be an idea to go face to face with your former classmates and to listen to what they all have to say to you after all this time." said the Fat Controller.
For several long seconds, Carrie was quiet as what her boss had said to her sunk into her head. Then, she cleared her throat and looked at her boss.
"All right, sir. I suppose that there won't be too much harm in listening to what they have to say to me after all this time. Though I don't want to go over there and face them alone. I'd be much safer if there were a few other people with me in the process. I just wouldn't feel safe going there alone. After all, I know what Chris Hargensen and many of her friends might want to do to me after I exposed everything they did to me in my notebook before I left Chamberlain." Carrie said, trying to stay calm.
"I understand, Carrie. And did you tell all your friends about it earlier on?" asked the Fat Controller, as he listened carefully.
"Yes, sir. I did. And they were all shocked to hear about after I told them." Carrie said.
"And would you feel better if I went along with you as well?" Ralph asked, as he looked down at Carrie.
"Yes, dad…I think that I might." Carrie said.
"All right, Carrie." Ralph said, as he gave his daughter a small, reassuring smile. However deep down, Ralph was feeling very nervous, as he was about to see a large number of people that he had gone to high school with whom he hadn't seen in many years. Among them would be his old enemy John Hargensen, a man whom he had hated from all those years before from the lengthy feud that they had had during their high school years. The mere idea of it did make him feel disgusted, but he knew that he had no choice in the matter.
"How soon do you want to go and see them?" asked the Fat Controller.
"Well…the sooner it's done the better, I'd say." Carrie said, as she felt the familiar feeling of nervousness build up deep within her stomach.
"All right, Carrie. We'll see about getting some sort of a meeting arranged as soon as we possibly can. And I'll make sure that I can be there to give you some support as well." said the Fat Controller in a reassuring way.
"Thank you, sir. And where do you think we should hold the meeting?" Carrie asked. For a few long moments, the Fat Controller was quiet as he thought long and hard about where everyone who had come over from Chamberlain should come face to face with Carrie again. But then, remembering what she had told him about how Henry, Gordon, and James had stood up for her at the airport station earlier on, and keeping in mind the fact that the word of what happened earlier had no doubt spread among all the engines by now, the Fat Controller made his decision.
"How about we have the meeting at Tidmouth Sheds tomorrow?" asked the Fat Controller.
"Sounds okay to me. But at what time?" Carrie asked.
"What's your schedule for the rest of the week?" Ralph asked.
"Well, I'm rostered to start at 4am for the rest of the week, and my Christmas leave is starting when I finish up at 1pm on Friday afternoon, December the 21st." Carrie said.
"And you're scheduled to finish at 1pm every day for the rest of the week?" asked Ralph.
"Yes, that's right." Carrie said.
"All right then…I'll arrange for the meeting to take place when you arrive back at the depot tomorrow before you finish your shift." said the Fat Controller, as he picked up a notebook and a pen and made a long note in it.
"Thank you, sir." Carrie said.
"And Ralph…" the Fat Controller said, as he looked up from the notebook, "…I'll also rearrange your schedule for tomorrow so that you can be there with Carrie when she has to go and face her classmates."
"Very well, sir." Ralph said, giving a nod.
"But there's one thing that you mentioned that's gotten me concerned…and that's the fact that the press has been told about where you've been found. And that clearly means that there'll be a lot of media people and photographers that'll be coming over here to Sodor in the very near future, and it also means that things will be very difficult for people to go about and for my engines to operate." said the Fat Controller, knowing full well there would be a need for more security for the foreseeable future.
"Yeah…and that's what worries me." Carrie said, as she thought about what would happen when and if the press came over to Sodor.
"Try not to let that worry you for now, Carrie. Just try and concentrate about what needs to be done with your classmates." Ralph said.
"All right, dad." Carrie said, as she settled into the chair she was sitting on.
"Will there be anything else for you to say, sir?" Ralph asked, as he looked to his boss.
"No, that'll be all for the moment, Ralph. If I need to speak to you about anything else, I'll give you a call." said the Fat Controller.
"Thank you, sir." Ralph said, as he and Carrie stood up from their seats and prepared to leave the office and head on home.
"And Carrie…" the Fat Controller said, as he looked at Carrie, "…make sure you get a good night's rest tonight. You look like you may need it."
"Thank you, sir." Carrie said, and feeling deeply uncertain about what the near future would bring to her, she and her father left the office, heading downstairs to the platform.
(A short while later)
Now in Ralph's car, and with the air conditioning set to keep them warm as they went along, the two made their way along through the snowy and cold streets on their way home. Even since they left Knapford Station, Carrie had been sitting in silence in the front on the passenger side of the car, deep in her thoughts of what the next few days would bring. As well as having to go to work, she now had to worry about facing her classmates and teachers and what they all had to say, as well as the high probability that the press might be coming over to Sodor in the very near future.
At one point as they drove along the main road, they actually went on past the hotel where all those who had come over from Chamberlain. Looking outside the window as they went by, Carrie tried to see if there was any sign of those people she clearly recognized from Ewen High School…but she couldn't see anyone whom he recognized. But then again, if any were there, then they were all dressed up in their warm clothes to keep the cold off them.
"Are you feeling okay, Carrie?" Ralph asked, as they drove along.
"I'm all right, dad. But…it's just the thought of…" Carrie began, her voice trembling a little.
"It's all right, Carrie. I understand if you're feeling anyway nervous about what's to come. And to be honest…I'm feeling nervous too. After all, it's been a very long time since I've seen any of those from Chamberlain." Ralph said, as he looked out ahead and kept them going along safely.
"Yeah, I can understand why that is." Carrie said.
"Anyway, Carrie…let's go and do some Christmas shopping and then we'll head on back to the house." Ralph said, as he drove them towards the nearby shopping centre.
"All right." Carrie said. The idea of going Christmas shopping would help take her mind off things for a little bit, but she also had some concern that she and her father might run into her classmates at the shopping centre.
(Back at Knapford Station)
While Carrie and her father went off Christmas shopping, Chris Hargensen and two of her trusted lackeys, Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg, stood on Platform 2 at Knapford Station and watched as the trains went on past them, with the three of them calling out names to some of the different engines as they went on past them.
As BoCo went past them heading through the station back towards Wellsworth with a long line of trucks following behind them, Chris and her two lackeys couldn't help but laugh and point towards the diesel as he went by.
"Hey! Look! It's a great big green tin cookie box on wheels!" Chris called as BoCo went on past with his long train, and Tina and Donna both laughed out loudly like Chris was. However, BoCo took no notice of these comments and just rolled on past with no regard. Chris and her two lackeys thought it a great joke.
"Engines with faces on their fronts, and a railway that still uses steam engines in this day and age! What a strange place!" Tina said, as she laughed out loudly.
"I had always thought that freak was a strange person, but I never knew that she would want to live in such a strange place like this!" Donna said, as she cackled with laughter too.
"Yeah, and I hope that we can try and make up the lost time we never had over the last year!" Chris added, as they all cackled with evil laughter.
Just then, there came the sounds of another steam whistle being sounded from down the line, along with a rather unusual wheezing sound. And turning their heads in the direction the different sounds had come from, the three girls saw that it was No.9447, who was an example of the L.N.W.R. G2 Class 0-8-0 heavy freight engines, which were better known as "Super Ds" (124). He certainly looked like an old-fashioned sort of engine, but even so he always proved himself to be a really useful engine, just like all the other engines who ran on the Sodor railway system.
As No.9447 slowed down while he was coming alongside Platform 2, the three bully girls could see that he had a line of different box vans coupled up behind him and was clearly slowing down so that some of the vans could be unloaded here at the station.
After coming to a stop at the platform, the members of station staff who had been waiting for the train to arrive opened the doors of the vans that needed to be unloaded and then began to unload everything that needed to be unloaded and placing them onto long trolleys to be taken away.
While No.9447 waited and as his fireman went up into his tender to move more coal forwards, he then noticed the three girls standing very close to him, and from the looks on their faces, it was clear that they weren't too pleased to see him.
"Ah…good afternoon." No.9447 said, with some caution and apprehension in his voice as he looked to the three girls standing close to him. However, the three of them gave him quite a dirty look back in return.
"What's so good about it?! We're all here on this island instead of being back in home and skiing in the snowy mountains! And we're all surrounded by the old-fashioned!" Chris said, as she and her two lackeys sneered at the L.N.W.R. G2 0-8-0.
No.9447 was utterly offended by these people saying this.
"Excuse me, I maybe an old-fashioned engine, but I am useful!" he said, feeling angry to be told things like that by these three girls. Earlier in the day, he had been informed that Carrie's classmates and teachers had arrived on the island, but he didn't know what some of them looked like…until now.
For a moment, Chris and her two lackeys were quiet…and then they laughed in a sort of malicious way at No.9447.
"No, you're not useful at all!" Tina said, as she laughed.
"You're just an oversized tea kettle, which belongs inside a museum somewhere and not working out on a railway!" added Donna, as she smirked at him.
No.9447 was slightly hurt by these comments, though it didn't show on his face. However, with the bangs of doors on the vans that had been unloaded, the guard for his train soon blew his whistle, showing it was time to be off again. Blowing his whistle loudly, No.9447 slowly moved forward out of the station, taking up the weight of the heavy train behind him as he set off on his way again.
(124): The London and North Western Railway's (L.N.W.R.) G2 Class 0-8-0 engines were designed by Hewitt Beames and were intended to be used on heavy freight trains on the L.N.W.R. network. They were a natural development of earlier 0-8-0 design that had been built earlier on by the L.N.W.R., such as the D and G Classes that had been designed by George Whale, and the C1 and G1 Classes that had been designed by Charles J. B. Cooke.
In total, 60 examples of the G2 Class were built at Crewe Works between 1921 and 1922, and they were used quite extensively on the heavy freight trains that ran extensively on the L.N.W.R. and then later on the L.M.S. system. In L.M.S. days, the class were numbered from No.9395 to No.9454, with the class having been numbered in a haphazard way during L.N.W.R. days, and were given the power classification of 5 under the L.M.S., while during B.R. days the class were given the power classification of 7F.
The class had two inside cylinders that were 20.5in in diameter with a 24in piston stroke, eight driving wheels that were 4ft 5.5in in diameter, and a boiler that was pressed to 175psi and fitted with superheating elements, all of which combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 28,040lbf. The tenders that the class was paired with ran on six wheels and could carry 6 tons of coal and 3,000 gallons of water. Many of the tenders used by the class, as well as other L.N.W.R. 0-8-0 types, had cabs fitted onto the fronts in order to provide added protection for the crews.
The valve gear that was used by the class was Joy Valve Gear, which worked off the movement of the inside connecting rods, rather than from eccentrics, and it resulted in a distinctive wheezing exhaust was something the L.N.W.R. had used extensively on its classes of engines until the end of its existence, though it was rarely used on new construction after 1900.
Although the G2 Class were known as Super Ds to their crews, they were also known by a variety of other different nicknames as well, mostly due to the fact that they had the unusual ability to generate peculiar noises from various orifices. Among the other nicknames they were given, it included "Stupid Ds", "Choo Choos", and "Mourners", as well as the rather strange nickname of "Fat Nancies."
Two different classes were built that were based off the G2 Class; these were the L.N.W.R. 380 Class 0-8-4T tank engines – of which 30 engines were built between 1923 and 1924 at Crewe Works – and the near-identical L.N.W.R. G2A Class 0-8-0 engines – of which 327 engines were built.
Many examples of the earlier L.N.W.R. G1 Class were rebuilt with higher pressure boilers pressed to 175psi, allowing those members of the class to be reclassified as G2As. Like with other L.N.W.R. 0-8-0s, the G2s originally had cast number plates on the sides of their cabs, but these were later replaced by painted numbers in L.M.S. days.
The class were instantly recognized by the sounds they made, including very sharp blasts from their chimneys, which was usually accompanied by other wheezing and hissing sounds. The conditions on their footplates were not very hospitable for their crews, especially whenever they were working trains in reverse during the winter if the tenders didn't have cabs fitted to provide added protection from the rain or biting cold winds. Some controls weren't quite what they were on other British steam locomotives, such as the regulators having to be pulled up to close them and pushed down to open them. The handbrake and water-scoop controls were placed in such a way that they could catch the knuckles of the firemen whenever they had to place coal into the fireboxes.
The firemen had challenges too when firing an L.N.W.R. G2, as the shallow ashpan delivered insufficient air to the rear of the firebox, although the fire burned better towards the forward end due to the sloping nature of the grate. To get coal forward, it would often take quite a hefty swing from the fireman, no small feat when standing on a moving engine and holding a heavy shovelful of coal.
In L.M.S. days, the Super Ds and other ex-L.N.W.R. 0-8-0 designs, kept on working hard at hauling heavy freight and mineral trains all around the L.M.S. system. And despite the arrival of William Stanier's modern 8F Class 2-8-0 engines in 1935, the older L.N.W.R. 0-8-0 classes soldiered on, with fewer than 100 of the older engines being retired by the L.M.S. by January 1948. Due to the 0-8-0 wheel arrangement, the class had very good adhesion on the rails with the weight of the locomotives being spread out over four driving axles.
They were based at a whole variety of different areas, including in Wales, where they worked trains from Swansea on the arduous Central Wales Line, as well as working trains from Abergavenny to Merthyr. In England, those based in Carnforth worked heavy trains over Shap, while those based in the West Midlands worked all sorts of heavy freight trains that ran within that region, including taking trains from Birmingham's largest and busiest freight yards.
When Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, all 60 engines of the G2 Class came under the control of British Railways, and they were all renumbered by having the number 40000 added to their original numbers, thus the class became No.49395 to No.49454. During their time running with B.R., the class ran without any modification being made to them, though unusually they ran without any B.R.-style number plates being fitted to the fronts of their smokeboxes like on other engines. Many of the class were fitted with vacuum brakes during B.R. days.
Despite the idiosyncrasies of the class, the G2s proved themselves to be very rugged and sure-footed machines which were more than capable of hauling very heavy trains as modest speeds.
Withdrawals of the class began in May 1959, when the first 19 engines were removed from service that year; among them was No.49395, which was removed from service in November 1959 due to an incident that resulted in water entering its cylinders which caused the engine to hydraulic, and resulted in the valve gear becoming buckled and its cylinder block becoming cracked. More withdrawals took place over the next five years, with the greatest numbers of engines being withdrawn in 1962 when 20 engines with removed from service. In 1964, the final three engines still running at that time, No.49407, No.47430, and No.49446, were removed from service.
However, one example of the L.N.W.R. G2 Class has survived into preservation; this engine is the first member of the class, No.49395. She was built at Crewe in June 1921 and withdrawn from service from November 1959, eventually becoming a part of the National Collection. Although it was saved for preservation, No.49395 was constantly being moved around for many years and put into storage in a number of different places, including at Crewe Works, Stratford, Leicester, Telford, and at Tyseley before being moved to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley.
In 1993, restoration work began on getting No.49395 returned to running order with the help of Pete Waterman, who had memories of the class from trainspotting in his younger days. The work took 12 years to complete, with a lot of problems being encountered as the restoration went on, including having a lot of parts being removed and replaced as the project went on. But by July 2005, all the work was completed, and No.49395 finally returned to working order on the Churnet Valley Railway, with the final cost of returning the engine to full working order again costing somewhere between £500,000 and £700,000 in total.
During its time running in preservation, No.49395 ran on many heritage railways around the U.K. over a period of nearly ten years, before being removed from service on the East Lancs Railway in January 2014. As of 2024, No.49395 is currently on static display at the Locomotion Museum in Shildon.
As No.9447 set off on his way out of the station, he was completely unaware of the fact that the Fat Controller had seen what had taken place from a distance…and just like No.9447, he wasn't too pleased to have seen these three girls insult his engines. He knew right away that one of these three girls was probably Chris Hargensen, one of the girls who had bullied Carrie White for many years. Making a mental note in his head to make sure these three terrible girls should be justly punished for what they did to Carrie, as well as insulting his engines, the Fat Controller turned and went back to his office.
(At Knapford Yards)
With a blast of his whistle and a wheeshing of steam, along with many buffers clanking together and the sounds of brakes squealing on the driving wheels, No.9447 came to a stop in one of the long sidings within the extensive yards near to Knapford Station. He was still feeling quite cross from his most recent encounter with Carrie's main bullies back at the main station not too long before, and it left quite a bad impression with him. He wanted to pay them back for what they had said about him, but he didn't know how to go about it.
As the shunter uncoupled him from his train and the yard manager spoke with the driver, there came the sounds of another whistle coming from elsewhere in the yards. Looking up to see who it was, No.9447 saw that it was S.&.D.J.R. 7F Class 2-8-0 No.53800, who was coming into the yard with a long, loose-coupled train of loaded coal trucks coupled behind him.
"Hello, No.9447…what's wrong with you?" No.53800 asked, noticing the angry look on No.9447's face at once.
"Oh, hello, No.53800. You'll never guess what I just experienced…" and then No.9447 told No.53800 all about what had happened at Knapford Station a few minutes before. When he was finished, No.53800 was stunned to hear this.
"And did those three girls sound American, by any chance?" No.53800 asked.
"Yes. Yes, they did." No.9447 said, a little surprised to hear that his friend knew that.
"I think you've just met some of Carrie's bullies. Somehow, they all found out she was over here on Sodor, and now almost all of them are over here." No.53800 said.
"How do you know all this?" No.9447 asked.
"Because both Gordon and Henry told me so earlier today. They said that they and James encountered them over at the airport this morning. And they told me that Carrie was very shocked to see them there. She had been assigned to work with Henry when he took the Flying Kipper early this morning." No.53800 said.
"Oh, my goodness!" No.9447 said, as the realisation of whom he had spoken to not too long before sunk into his smokebox. "What's going to happen now?"
"I don't know yet, to be honest. But I fear that Carrie might have to face them again. And that's what worries me the most. I just hope that the Fat Controller can sort something out." No.53800 said.
But before No.9447 could reply, he heard another voice…and it was that of his driver.
"Come on, old boy! We've been uncoupled from our train, and it's time that we got back to the sheds!"
"All right!" No.9447 said. With a short blast of his whistle, and steam shooting out in front, No.9447 set off from the yards on his way back to the sheds. As he made his way along the line towards the sheds, he was keen to tell the other engines there about his recent encounter with Carrie's bullies at Knapford Station.
(At Tidmouth Sheds)
All the engines who were gathered together within the depot were talking with each other about what had happened earlier on that day. With all of them having been told the news from Henry, Gordon, and James, or from other engines who had heard the news from them, about how Carrie's classmates, their families, as well as some of her teachers from her hometown had arrived on the island the night before. At the moment, none of them had any idea of how they had found out Carrie was here on Sodor, but they were all determined to see that nothing bad would ever happen to her while her classmates were over here.
"I just hope that Carrie is able to face them all without anything bad happening to her!" said L.N.E.R. J39 Class 0-6-0 No.2989 anxiously.
"Well, if it does happen…then let it be here at the sheds! Because that way, we can keep an eye on Carrie to be sure she's safe!" added S160 No.96100, with determination.
"I also hope that Simon and those girls that she's friends with are by her side too! I think that Carrie could certainly use all the help she could get when she has to face her classmates!" said G.W.R. Star Class No.4054 Princess Charlotte.
"I'm also quite keen to discover just how all those people found out that she was here on Sodor after more than a full year!" added L.N.E.R. A3 Class No.60110 Robert the Devil, curious as to how that was.
"Ach, aye! We are as well!" Donald said, as he and his twin Douglas looked at each other grimly.
"And I hope that we can see if those people are truly sorry for all the bad things they did to Carrie!" Douglas added, just as curious to see if that was the case or not.
"Well look…remember what Carrie told us all about some of those who bullied her a few months back…" came the voice of B.R. Standard Class 7MT Britannic Pacific No.70047 Sir Ernest Shackleton, "…some of them probably won't be sorry for what they did to her for all those years. And I think that it's quite likely that those people will be here to try and pick up where they left off more than a year ago."
"I hope that doesn't happen. After all, Carrie's done a very good job in the time she's been over here, and I think it would really spoil things for all of us if her main bullies were to do that." added Oliver, nervously.
"I'm sure that the Fat Controller won't let that happen, Oliver. After all, Carrie's got lots of very good friends over here to keep a close eye out for her. And if she ever does come face to face with her bullies in this yard, then she'll have us to back her up." said G.C.R. Class 8K 2-8-0 No.3611.
"I'm hoping that we can tell that Chris Hargensen exactly what we all think of her! And to call her out for all the bad things that she did!" said James.
"I'm quite sure that we'll all get the chance to do that sometime very soon. And I think that might take place a lot sooner than any of us may think." Edward said.
"I think you might be right about that, Edward. After all, I did tell the Fat Controller about it when I picked him up after he finished with his meetings earlier on." No.337 said.
"We'll have to wait and see what the Fat Controller is planning, and we should find out soon." said ex-S.R. rebuilt Merchant Navy Class No.35004 Cunard White Star.
Then, their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of a whistle and approaching chuffing. Looking up, the engines saw No.9447 roll onto the turntable, and they could see that he was quite cross too. After seeing the look on his face, the other engines could tell right away what might have happened with him.
"Hello. No.9447. Did you encounter any of Carrie's bullies perchance?" James asked, as No.9447 was turned on the turntable before reversing into the empty berth beside James, as the other engines looked to him.
"Yes, I had an encounter with three of them over at Knapford Station not too long before…" said No.9447, and he told all of them what happened. By the time he had finished telling them his story, the other engines couldn't help but feel somewhat cross at what Chris had said to No.9447.
"You know…something tells me that Chris Hargensen is gonna find herself in some serious trouble. Mark my words." Cunard White Star said.
"Ach, aye!" said Donald and Douglas together.
"And when that does happen, let's hope that Chris gets what she really deserves for what she did!" said Ernest, and all the other engines around him agreed.
(Meanwhile, with Sue and Tommy)
Among the falling snow and bitterly cold light wind that was blowing from the north, Sue Snell and Tommy Ross were standing together on a footbridge that crossed over two railway lines that ran through a long cutting that had earthen banks gently sloping on both sides of it. On the tops of both banks were the fences of the back gardens of houses that ran along the length of both sides of the cutting. The falling snow had covered much of the bottom of the cutting, and the two railway lines could be clearly seen as four thin black lines standing out against the crisp white ground and stretching out along the length of the cutting.
Off to one side of the cutting, and very close to the footbridge, there was a signal box where the figure of the signalman could be seen working away inside. There was also a scent of smoke coming from the chimney of the signal box, meaning that a fire in a stove was keeping the inside of the signal box warm for the signalman.
By this point of the day, it was starting to get dark, and the street lights were already on, while lights were starting to turn on in all the buildings that Sue and Tommy could see lined up on both sides of the railway cutting.
"It's starting to get dark now, Sue. I think that we should head on back to the hotel as soon as we can." Tommy said, as he looked at his girlfriend.
"Yes, I think so too. And this cold is starting to get to me as well." Sue said, even though she was wearing a very warm thick coat, gloves on her hands, a scarf around her neck, and a warm woollen hat on her head.
"Are you feeling a little bit disappointed from how Chris reacted to those three engines when we saw Carrie at the airport earlier on?" Tommy asked.
"Oh, I am. I'm appalled at the way she acted out. It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth, and possibly spoiled our hopes of trying to make things up with Carrie." Sue said.
"Yeah, me too. I only hope that when we see Carrie again, we'll be able to salvage something out of it and give our apologies to her." Tommy said.
"Me too. Anyway, shall we get back to the hotel?" Sue said, as she pulled back away from the wall of the bridge.
"Yes, let's get back. And we can have dinner together once we get back there." Tommy said, as he put his arm round Sue's shoulders. But then, just before they stepped away from the bridge, they heard the very loud sounds of a steam whistle being sounded in the distance along the railway, followed moments later by the sounds of chuffing. Looking up along the line to see who it was, Sue and Tommy saw that it was L.N.E.R. A4 No.4484 Falcon, who was on his way towards Knapford Station with a line of full passenger coaches coupled up behind him. His L.N.E.R. Garter Blue livery was still quite bright and shiny, and he looked very smart as he rolled along
As he approached the footbridge, with clouds of white smoke and steam rising up from his chimney, both Sue and Tommy waved their arms. Looking up, Falcon saw them and blew his loud chime whistle in greeting to them, while also calling out "Hello!" and then he passed on by under the bridge, shaking it somewhat as he did so, with the clouds of smoke and steam swirling around the bridge and the loud sounds of the coaches passing by beneath as well. Going over to the other side of the bridge, Sue and Tommy watched as the train moved off down the line, with Falcon moving off towards Knapford Station with the coaches following along.
As the sounds of the passenger train hauled by Falcon moved off through the cutting, there came the sounds of another steam whistle from the same direction, but on the adjacent line. Looking up, Sue and Tommy saw that it was G.W.R. Grange Class No.6800 Arlington Grange, who was heading in the opposite direction with a very long and heavy freight train rattling along behind him. He also blew his whistle in greeting as he approached the footbridge, as Sue and Tommy were waving to him.
"Hello, there!" he called out, as he passed beneath the bridge. Looking at the train as it passed beneath them, Sue and Tommy could hear that this train sounded very different from the passenger train that had passed by a few moments before. It clattered and clanked along, with buffers occasionally bumping into each other as the train moved along. Sue and Tommy had never heard such sounds like that before, and they stood in silent fascination and watched as the long train went by beneath them.
It wasn't too long before the brake van finally passed under the bridge and it headed on up the line too, with the bright red tail lamp clearly seen fitted onto one of the lamp-irons at the back of the van.
"Wow…what a sight that was!" Tommy said, deeply impressed by the two engines he and Sue had just seen pass by them within the last two minutes.
"Yeah, and that's something that I think we're gonna be seeing a lot of in the time that we're over here." Sue said, as she smiled while looking up the cutting in the direction where Arlington Grange had just gone.
"Anyway, shall we head back to the hotel now?" Tommy asked.
"Good idea. I think everyone will be wondering where we've gotten to." Sue said, and they headed away from the footbridge and back to the hotel.
And that's it for this chapter, everyone! Now the Chamberlain Police Department have shown the news of where Carrie is to the press and goodness knows what's going to happen now. As for those from Chamberlain who are all on Sodor already, they've already settled in somewhat and are looking around the area from where they're staying, while at the same time, the Fat Controller, Carrie, and her father have formulated some sort of a plan for Carrie to face her former classmates.
As for Chris Hargensen and her lackeys who have just insulted a few of the engines…well, don't worry everyone, for they'll get what's coming to them very soon! That I can promise you all! Please enjoy this chapter, and I hope to have the next one written and uploaded as soon as I possibly can. Good reading!