Chapter 58: The Onset of Winter
For this chapter, we're gonna be seeing the early arrival of a very cold and very snowy winter on the Island of Sodor. How will Carrie and the engines she'll be working with cope in these difficult and very cold winter conditions as the chapter progresses? Well, tune in to see what happens!
(Thursday, November 8th 2012 – 10:07pm, Vicarstown Station)
Taking a last sip of the hot cocoa in the large mug that she was holding in her hands, Carrie took a last long look outside the window of the recreation room of the Vicarstown crew building before she went off to bed for the night. It had been a very cold last trip day only a few short hours ago for her and for the crewmen she had been working with on the footplate of L.N.E.R. K2 Class 2-6-0 No.4689, when they had taken a late train from Knapford Station across the Island of Sodor on the Southern Main Line to Vicarstown. It had been a scheduled trip for her and she had brought along a few things with her in an overnight bag, so that she could spent the night in the crew building at Vicarstown before returning to Knapford on one of the first trains to leave in the morning.
The train they had to take to Vicarstown had been a special late parcels service, and they had departed from the mail depot at Knapford at 5:50pm, right on time, and made their way along through Knapford Station and onto the Southern Main Line. Carrie took turns at stoking the boiler with the shovel, just as she had done ever since she had started working out on the main line earlier in the year, but today she was working harder than she had done before. This was due to the very cold winter weather, with the cold wind being generated by their forward motion causing conditions on the footplate to be somewhat uncomfortable.
Even though Carrie was well wrapped up in very warm winter clothing, including the overalls she was wearing, the work gloves on her hands, a warm coat she was wearing over her overalls, a scarf underneath that, and a warm woollen hat on her head, she still felt quite cold from the freezing wind. She found that the good way to stay warm was to stay close to the open door to the firebox, as well as to keep moving as much as she realistically could. Stoking the firebox by using the shovel to move heavy loads of coal from the tender to the firebox also helped to keep her warm.
The journey along the Southern Main Line to Vicarstown on the first part of their journey went very smoothly and without incident, only being interrupted when they had to stop briefly to pick up a banker at Wellsworth to help them up Gordon's Hill. Two Fowler 3F Class 0-6-0T tank engines, No.47308 and No.47276, buffered up to the back of the train and, pushing as hard as they could, helped No.4689 through Wellsworth Station and down the line before they started to climb Gordon's Hill. As they climbed up the hill, the driving wheels of No.4689 slipped a little when they reached patches that were covered with leaves or else were icy. Looking out from the footplate as they climbed the hill, Carrie could see desolation within the trees; all of them had now shed their leaves, leaving them bare of any bright colour and looking just as desolate as the winter sky above.
Upon reaching the top of Gordon's Hill, No.4689 blew his whistle and, as the driver opened up the regulator a little more, pulled away from the two bankers that were pushing hard from behind and made his way towards Maron Station. As the train pulled away, No.47308 and No.47276 dropped off the back of the train and slowed down as they went over the top of the hill as well, before they stopped and then reversed over the points and then back down the hill to Wellsworth Station.
The rest of the trip for No.4689 went very smoothly, with the only thing that seemed worth reporting being that they had to be diverted to run on the line that went through the airport station, due to some work being done along the main line in the vicinity of Cronk Station. As they went through the Sodor International Airport Station, Carrie looked out onto the platforms from the side of the cab she was on and was somewhat surprised to see that there were quite a few passengers standing on some of the platforms, waiting for the trains they were to catch to arrive. She thought it was very likely that all of these people had recently arrived on flights that had landed at the airport not too long before, and so it was clear that these people all needed to be getting to places on Sodor that they needed to be.
After passing through the Airport Station without incident and re-joining onto the Southern Main Line, No.4689 proceeded along the rest of the trip to Vicarstown. In between taking goes on the shovel, Carrie took looks out from the cab at different sights and places they went on past; she could often see desolate winter scenes in some of the fields, with bare trees lining many of the fields, brown muddy patches in many fields, people wrapped up in their warm winter clothes on station platforms, as well as other engines waiting in stations, in sidings, and in yards adjacent to the stations.
It was already dark when they finally arrived in Vicarstown Station and came to a stop at Platform 6. As members of station staff began the work of unloading all the parcel vans and coaches that had been converted to carry parcels, No.4689 was uncoupled from the train and then made his way away from the station and over to the nearby motive power depot, where he would be parked in one of the sheds while his crew and Carrie went to the crew building to enjoy a hot meal and then get some sleep.
After being assigned to one of the rooms for the night, Carrie, still feeling very cold from the journey from Knapford, went and had a hot shower. And once under the hot water and washing herself off, she felt a great deal better. However, she knew that she would have to go back out there in the morning for more work. After finishing her shower, she dried off and changed into fresh clothes, before then going down to the cafeteria where she had a really good hot dinner. Then she went to the recreation room, and stayed there for a few hours more, where she read some of the books that were there on the many bookshelves there, as well as enjoying a mug or two of hot cocoa.
But now though, tired after a long day and eager to get some rest in her room, Carrie decided to turn in for the night. Getting up, she left the recreation room and went upstairs to her room. After changing into her pyjamas, she went and brushed her teeth in the little bathroom, before then stepping back out to her room. Going over to the window, she pulled one of the curtains aside and looked out; there wasn't much to see outside from the window, but she could tell that it was very cold outside. From the lights that were lighting up the part of the yard she could see, it was clear that the cold wind which had been blowing for much of the day from the north seemed to be easing off. The bare branches of some trees she could see weren't blowing about as much as she had originally seen earlier in the day.
But feeling too tired to care now, and wanting to be well-rested for the morning, Carrie closed the curtain and then went to turn in. Before she did though, Carrie placed her hands near the radiator against the wall, and was pleased to feel that it was still hot and keeping the room warm, necessary on this cold winter night. Smiling a little, Carrie took off her watch – while noting the time as being 10:30pm – and then slipped under the quilt, turned off the bedside light, and went into a deep sleep at once.
(Next morning; 7:10am)
Carrie slowly opened her eyes and looked round, as she began to hear the sounds of nearby steam whistle blowing and engine chuffing about in the yard. Sitting up, she swung her feet out onto the floor and stood up. After putting her watch back on, Carrie went over to feel the radiator, and was pleased to feel that it was still quite warm. Going over to open the curtains, she saw that there were dark clouds in the sky, and could be seen stretching over the sky as far as the eye could see. Seeing it, Carrie couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about the coming day, and wondered if it meant that there would be a chance of snow coming today.
Turning away from the window, Carrie set about getting ready for the day that was to come.
(A few minutes later)
Now dressed in her work clothes, Carrie headed on downstairs to get some breakfast. She was keen to get some hot food into her this morning, and was hoping it wouldn't be too busy there this morning. She was lucky; it wasn't that busy, with only a few engine crews to be seen there and having breakfast while chatting quietly with each other. Lining up at the buffet line and grabbing a tray from the side, Carrie set about choosing what foods she wanted to have for breakfast.
Sitting down at one of the spare tables about three minutes later, Carrie tucked into her breakfast, which was sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, as well as toast, a glass of orange juice, and a hot cup of tea. Settling down to eat, Carrie listened to what the other crewmen sitting near to her were chatting about. She heard one veteran crewman say that with the dark clouds outside, as well as how cold it was and the fact no wind was blowing this morning, there would be a chance of snow this morning. After hearing that, Carrie started to become concerned about what the day ahead would bring. Deciding to worry about that later, she continued on eating her breakfast.
(Later, at 8:00am)
Having just dressed into her work clothes, as well as having put on warm clothes over that, Carrie clocked in for the day before then stepping outside the main door. She paused, completely shocked by the sudden cold of the freezing winter air. There was no wind blowing about this morning, which was a major relief, but even so the cold hung around everywhere almost like a shroud. Even though there was no wind, the cold air seemed to be even colder than it had been the day before. Looking before her, Carrie could clearly see the dense misty clouds of breath come out from her mouth and slowly disperse in the air. She could clearly feel the freezing cold air on her face and, even though she was wearing warm clothes, including warm work gloves on her hands, the cold seemed to permeate everywhere.
Taking in a deep breath, and rubbing her gloved hands together, she made her way into the yard to be assigned to her engine, either for the morning or the whole day.
She soon met up with the yard manager, who took her into the yard to the engine she was assigned to. And she found out that it would only be for the morning, with her going over to another engine when they got back to Knapford later in the morning. And it wasn't too long before Carrie found out which engine it was; it was Emily, the G.N.R. Stirling 4-2-2 (103), and this morning they were going to be taking passengers from Vicarstown over to Knapford on the Southern Main Line.
"Good morning, Emily." Carrie said, as she stepped in front of Emily.
"And good morning back, Carrie. Are you ready for work this morning?" Emily asked.
"Yes, I am. And I just hope that it doesn't get any colder as time goes on." Carrie said, as she looked up to the dark clouds in the morning sky.
"I know what you mean, Carrie. I think those clouds mean that there's going to be snow on the way in the near future." Emily said, as she also looked up to the sky with some concern.
"Let's just hope that it'll hold off for a time." Carrie said, as she made her way to Emily's footplate and then climbed aboard.
"Me too." Emily said.
(110): The Great Northern Railway's (G.N.R.) Stirling Single 4-2-2 Class were designed by Patrick Stirling for use on express passenger trains that were running on the East Coast Main Line out of London King's Cross in the 1870's. When he came to the G.N.R. in 1866 as its Chief Mechanical Engineer, Stirling set about a policy of locomotive and rolling stock standardisation. Stirling built his engines for speed and power, in order to handle some of the continuous gradients that could be experienced on the main line that ran from London to York, and to compete against the Midland Railway and L.N.W.R. in the Races to the North.
He borrowed a single-wheeler with 7ft diameter driving wheels from the Great Eastern Railway, and in 1868 he built two 2-2-2 engines with 7ft 1in diameter driving wheels. Then in 1870, he introduced his new class of 4-2-2 single-wheeler, which was especially designed for use on the high-speed expresses that ran from London to York. There were a few things that made the design stand out from other classes that had been built before it; the first one was the large set of 8ft 1in diameter driving wheels, which some amongst some of the largest ever fitted to a steam locomotive at that time.
But the second one was with the placement of the cylinders that drove the wheelset. Until that time, most British steam locomotives had inside cylinders, but the problem was that there had been quite a frequency of failures with the cranked axle shafts. Another problem was that using inside cylinders on the new design would have meant the boiler would have been placed up too high on the engines for the loading gauge. So, outside cylinders were used instead, with a four-wheel bogie being used fitted to the front in order to give the engines stability when on the move.
When it first came into service in 1870, No.1 was subjected to a number of different tests, but initially it didn't prove itself to be a successful design. The problem with No.1 was that it wouldn't steam properly, and so a considerable amount of work had to be done to ensure that it would steam efficiently. But despite the problems it initially had, No.1 managed to cover about 32,000 miles during its first eight months in service, and the problem it had were rectified on the other members of the class as they were being built.
In total, 53 members of the new class were built at Doncaster Works between 1870 and 1895 in three batches, which were introduced in 1870, 1884, and 1894, with only two or three engines being built each year. Despite Stirling's standardisation policy, the production period of twenty-five years meant that there were many differences between individual members of the class.
The class had two outside cylinders, which varied in size from 18in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke on the engines of the 1870 and 1884 batches, to 19.5in in diameter with a 28in piston stoke on the 1894 engines. The boiler pressure also varied depending upon the series, with the boilers of the 1870 engines being set at 140psi, the boilers of the 1884 engines set at 160psi, and the boilers of the 1895 engines set at 170psi. The diameter of the single set of driving wheels, however, remained the same at 8ft 1in. The tractive effort of the engines also varied, with the 1870 engines having a maximum tractive effort of 11,129lbf, the 1884 engines having a maximum tractive effort of 12,719lbf, and the engine's built in 1895 having a maximum tractive effort of 15,680lbf.
The weight of the locomotives also varied depending upon which year they were built, with engines built in 1870 weighing around 40.1 tons, those built in 1884 weighing about 45.9 tons, and those built in 1894 weighing around 49.5 tons. The tenders the class were paired with could carry around 2,500 gallons of water in them, along with around 4 tons of coal.
Due to the large size of their eight-foot diameter driving wheels, the class were known to railway enthusiasts as "eight-footers."
The class weren't named sequentially, as the G.N.R. usually didn't number its locomotives in that manner. Instead, the class were numbered using numbers that had been freed up by older locomotives that had been withdrawn from service. Thus the 1870 series of engines were numbered between G.N.R. No. 1 and No.671, with the 1884 series of engines being numbered from No.771-8 and No.1001-2, and 1894 series engines being numbered No.1003-8.
When the engines came into service, they proved they could haul passenger trains of up to 275 tons in weight at an average speed of about 50mph, though with lighter loads behind them they could reach speeds of up to 85mph. In August 1896, one member of the class, No.775, was reported to have completed the run of 82 miles from Grantham to York in 1 hour and 16 minutes, at an average speed of 64.7mph.
Although the class proved highly successful in the work they did, they later became inadequate to haul the increasingly heavy express passenger trains that were running along the East Coast Main Line. They were displaced on the most prestigious express services by the introduction of the Ivatt Atlantic Class engines in 1898. A few members of the class were later rebuilt by Ivatt with domed boilers after 1898.
Although the class did capture the public's imagination and did very well on the work they did, in their actual performance Stirling's outside cylinder 4-2-2s actually turned out to have been inferior to the Stirling inside cylinder 2-2-2s.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1899 when some engines that had been built in 1870 were removed from service, but some of the class remained in service on secondary duties until the last examples were withdrawn in 1916.
One example of the class has survived into preservation; this is the doyen of the class, No.1. Built in 1870, she was famous for taking part in the 1888 Races to the North, which was one of the reasons why it was preserved. Withdrawn from service in September 1907, she had covered 1,404,663 miles during her career. She was restored to working order in the 1930's for the anniversary of the Race to the North, and also steamed for a time during the 1980's.
No.1 hasn't been steamed since 1985, but remains in good mechanical condition, and is on static display in York's National Railway Museum as a major part of the National Collection. From 2008 to 2012, the engine was used in the production of The Railway Children, with performances at the National Railway Museum, as well as in the empty Waterloo International Station in London.
After getting onto the footplate, Carrie took a look at the fire to see the state of it; it was burning brightly, making plenty of steam in the boiler, and the pressure gauge showed the pressure was at 150psi. Feeling good about the boiler pressure, Carrie stood on the fireman's side of the cab and waited for the off.
She didn't have to wait for very long, for soon the driver and fireman climbed up onto Emily's footplate and took their positions ready to go. Their job for this morning was to take passengers from Vicarstown back to Knapford, and they needed to be in Vicarstown Station in time to be coupled to their train, as it was scheduled to leave at 9:00am.
"Okay, Carrie…ready to go?" the driver asked, as he stood behind the controls and got ready to set off.
"Yes, and let's just hope that we don't get too cold this morning." Carrie said, as she rubbed her hands together while looking up anxiously to the sky.
"I know what you mean, Carrie. Railway work in winter time, particularly when there's snow around too." said the fireman.
"Anyway, let's get going. We've got work to do." said the driver, as he blew Emily's whistle for two or three seconds, released the brakes, and then opened the regulator a little. Very slowly, Emily moved forwards out from her shed and out into the depot, and then from there onto the Southern Main Line, before reversing back to Vicarstown Station.
They reversed into the station on the line that ran alongside Platform 2, and were then coupled up to their coaches. Carrie was very glad they didn't have to reverse anymore, because the cold wind generated by their movement had made it a little uncomfortable at times, especially when it blew into her face.
Looking out from the side of the cab that was right beside the platform, Carrie watched as the passengers boarded the train, and all of them were well wrapped-up in warm winter clothes to guard against the winter cold. She also saw that many of them had cups with hot drinks in their hands, and the sight of them reminded her of the hot drinks cans the driver and fireman brought onto the footplate with them.
Taking a look forwards out through the station, Carrie watched to see when they would be able to pull out. Then, after a few moments of looking out without seemingly seeing anything, she then noticed something that seemed to be out of place against the backdrop of what she was looking at; what she saw with small white specks falling out from the sky, only a few at first but then getting heavier and heavier as the seconds went on by.
"Hang on a second…Emily, do you see what I see?" Carrie said, as she called ahead to where Emily was.
"Yes, I can see it too, Carrie. It's starting to snow out now." Emily said, as she felt herself smile when she saw the first snow of the winter start to fall at last. Leaning out from the cab, the driver and fireman gasped when they saw the snow start to fall from the dark clouds to the ground.
"I had a feeling that the snow was going to start falling very soon. But I never expected that it would be today." the driver said.
"Due to the cold weather we've been having in the last few days, the ground all over the island should be frozen solid. And that'll mean the snow won't melt when it falls to the ground. As the snow keeps falling, it'll keep piling up more and more…and if it doesn't stop, it means that there'll be drifts…especially in many rail cuttings." added the fireman.
"And are those sorts of drifts difficult for engines to get through?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, or at least if the engines aren't wearing their snowploughs." the driver said.
"Well…let's hope some of the engines have a chance to wear their snowploughs in the coming days." Carrie said, as she looked outside.
It wasn't too long before the passengers who had been standing on the platform had boarded the train, but they still had to wait for five minutes before they could set off on their journey. As Emily simmered up front and waited for the off, Carrie took the chance to fight off the cold by stoking the firebox with coal in order to keep the fire burning. Then, as she put a fourth shovel of coal into the firebox, she heard the sounds of chuffing coming into the station, and then the sounds of brakes being applied. Standing up and looking out from the cab, Carrie saw that another train was coming to a stop on the line beside Platform 1, right beside them. In fact, it was No.91075 Michael, the B.R. Standard Class 9MT-1 2-8-2, who was just arriving into the station with a heavy train he had collected from Barrow-in-Furness on the mainland only a little while before.
"Phew! And just in time too!" Michael said, as he came to a full stop, letting off some steam in the process.
"Heavy train, Michael?" Emily said, curious as to what Michael was pulling this morning.
"Yes, it's a parcels train, Emily. And I have to stop at selected stations along the Northern Main Line and collect mail and parcels at them before I arrive at Knapford." Michael said. He was right about that; there was already a shipment of sacks full of mail and countless numbers of parcels that were waiting on the platform and which needed to be loaded onto his train. Station staff were already opening the doors of the vans and converted coaches, and then beginning to load everything up in an orderly process, making sure that everything was packed into the vehicles in such a way that nothing would move during the journey.
"Well, I need to make stops at some of the stations along the way to Knapford to pick up and drop off passengers. And that means it's going to be a very long morning, especially in the snow." Emily said.
"I know. And if it keeps on falling without let-up…it'll just make things difficult for all of us." Michael said.
Just then, the signal for Emily dropped, showing its green light, while at the same time the guard for her train blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag. The clock above the platform showed the time as 9:00am on the dot.
"Oh, that's for me! It's time I was on my way!" Emily said, as her driver blew the whistle. She slowly moved forwards, taking up the weight of her coaches behind her, and headed on out of the station.
"Good luck getting to Knapford then, Emily!" Michael called, as he watched her depart.
"Thanks, Michael!" Emily replied back with a whistle, as she set off on her way. From the footplate, Carrie leaned out and, making sure that her warm woollen hat was firmly pulled down over her head, watched as they slowly made their way over the points and out onto the Southern Main Line. She watched as the heavy snowfall they were pushing through started swirling all around her, with the flakes falling onto the tender, the cab roof, as well as onto the footplate itself. The cab roof didn't offer too much protection from the snow and cold, as it didn't extend back very far, but Carrie knew that she had to put up with it. Yet, she was also very thankful that it wasn't raining today, because if it had been, then it would have been very unpleasant to have been on Emily's footplate in such weather and with such limited shelter for them too.
(Insert soundtrack – Emily's Theme – Season 7)
They headed along the main line to their first stop, which was Barrowdell Station, and Carrie took first go at stoking the boiler as they went along. The exercise would help keep her warm, as well as keep the boiler stoked with enough fresh coal for the boiler to make steam. Taking the coal from the tender on the shovel, she carefully placed it to where it would be needed in the firebox to keep the fire burning brightly. Standing off to the side, the fireman stood by and watched her work, giving her advice if needed, while the driver stood on his side of the cab and drove the train along.
Up front, Emily was keeping an eye out ahead while they pushed through the falling snow, which seemed like it was getting heavier as they went along. But Emily wasn't worried at the moment, as the snow wasn't falling too heavily. Already, due to the frozen ground, the snow was starting to turn the landscape white, with the green of the fields slowly turning white as the snow continued falling.
Back in the coaches, the passengers were making themselves as comfortable as they could while they made their way along. They settled down and began reading their books, magazines, or newspapers, or worked on their laptops, or chatted with each other, while a few others looked outside the windows at the falling snow that was coming down.
They soon arrived at Barrowdell and stopped at the platform, where a number of passengers who had been waiting in the waiting room quickly stepped aboard the train. As Emily waited to set off again, she heard the sounds of chuffing coming from the direction of Crovan's Gate. Looking up, she saw it was L.N.E.R. K1 Class 2-6-0 No.62001, who was heading towards Vicarstown with a long line of laden coal hoppers coupled up behind him.
"Morning No.62001!" Emily said, as she whistled in greeting.
"Morning, Emily! Can't stop to chat! I need to deliver these coal hoppers!" No.62001 said, as he went on through the station without stopping, while blowing his whistle in greeting too. As each of the coal hoppers went by, Carrie watched them and counted how many there were; she managed to count about 46 hopper wagons, each heavily laden down with about 20 tons of freshly-mined coal.
"Hey! Care for a hot drink, Carrie?" the fireman asked, as Carrie turned her head to see the fireman holding one of the hot drink cans in his hand.
"Oh, sure would!" Carrie said, as she reached for her white enamel mug.
"You'll love this hot cocoa, Carrie! It's my grandmother's secret recipe, which has been handed down in my family." said the fireman, as he poured some of the steaming hot cocoa into Carrie' mug.
"Thanks." Carrie said, as she then brought the mug of hot cocoa up to her lips and took a sip of it. Savouring the rich, sweet, and creamy taste, Carrie felt herself smile as the hot liquid flowed into her stomach and warmed her up.
"Hmm…this is very good. Very good." Carrie said, as she looked at the fireman.
"Glad you like it, Carrie." smiled the fireman, as he also took a sip from the mug he had in his own hand.
It was soon time for them to be on their way again, and giving a whistle, Emily set off on her way again. Setting off down the line, she headed off towards their next stop, which was Crovan's Gate Station. By now, the snowfall seemed to have picked up and it was coming down even heavier than ever. Also, a breeze had picked up from the north, which caused the snow to blow about, creating a slight blizzard. As they headed on down the line, Carrie began to feel a little nervous, and wondered if the snow would build up even heavier before the day was over.
It wasn't long before they arrived at Crovan's Gate Station, and came to a stop at the platform immediately adjacent to the narrow-gauge lines. They just needed to wait for a train to arrive on the narrow-gauge line and take the passengers from that train before they could set off on their way again. They didn't need to wait for too long before the narrow-gauge train arrived; it was Skarloey, and he had six red coaches and a brake van coupled behind him.
"Morning, Emily!" Skarloey called, as he came to a stop at the platform.
"Good morning, Skarloey!" Emily said.
"It's getting very snowy. I don't know how we'll manage the trains up in the hills if the snow gets very deep." Skarloey said, as the passengers in his train disembarked and then went over to board Emily's train.
"I know…and I just hope that it doesn't get too deep either on this railway!" Emily said, as she looked up to the dark snow-laden clouds in the sky with some concern.
It wasn't too long before the last of the passengers who had been on Skarloey's train had transferred over to Emily's train, as well as a small number of passengers from Emily's train had gotten aboard the narrow-gauge train, and then she could set off on her way again. The signalman set the signal to show the line was clear, while the guard for Emily's train blew his whistle and waved his green flag.
"Oh! Time for us to be on our way again! See you later, Skarloey!" Emily said, as she blew her whistle before she set off on her way again.
"Okay, Emily! Best of luck!" Skarloey called, as he watched Emily set off on her way again, while blowing his own whistle in return. From Emily's cab, Carrie leaned out and waved to the little red narrow-gauge engine as they set off, and Skarloey blew his whistle in greeting to Carrie too when he saw her.
The rest of their journey along the Southern Main Line went without incident, with them making further stops at Kellsthorpe Junction, Kildane, Cronk, and Maron. After leaving Maron Station, they had to carefully go down Gordon's Hill, as by then the snowfall had gotten heavier and the wind had picked up a bit. As the driver carefully drove them down the hill, the fireman took his go at stoking the firebox. Standing on the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie leaned out and looked at the three lines going down the hill. By now, so much snow had fallen from the dark clouds the three lines could only be seen as six dark lines sticking out from the top of the snow. Nearing the bottom of the hill, they heard the sounds of another train approaching from Wellsworth Station. Then from round the bend at the bottom of the hill came L.M.S. Patriot Class 4-6-0 No.5512 Bunsen, who was at the head of a passenger train made up of 12 coaches, with Bertha, the former Lickey Banker 0-10-0, pushing hard from the rear of the train. Bunsen and Emily whistled in greeting to each other as they went on past each other, and Emily headed on down towards Wellsworth Station.
It wasn't long before they finally arrived at Wellsworth and came to a stop on the platform on the line going to Knapford. There were a few passengers waiting on the platform for them to arrive, and Emily also needed to top up the water in her tender tank before they could set off on their way again. As the passengers who needed to disembark here got off the train and then those who wanted to get on stepped aboard, Carrie got off Emily's footplate and went round to the back of her tender, before climbing up onto the back and then the fireman swung the arm for the water tower round to her. After opening the lid at the back, Carrie placed the length of hose into the tender tank.
"Water on!" she called to the fireman. Acknowledging the signal, the fireman opened the water valve and then water began flowing into the tender tank. As she watched the water flow in, Carrie couldn't help but be well aware of the heavy snow that was coming down all around her, as well as the freezing winter wind that was blowing in the air. She wanted to get this job as soon as possible, and then get back into the shelter of the cab where she would be very close to the warm fire. Taking a quick look up, she saw the last of the passengers who were on the platform getting aboard their train, while the last of those passengers who had just disembarked were just leaving the station, either through the station building or going over the footbridge to the other platform.
Then, not too long after the tender tank had been replenished, she heard a whistle coming from somewhere along the line. Looking up as she closed the lit to the water tank, she saw Edward coming along in reverse from down the line in the direction of the junction that led down to Brendam Docks.
"Good morning, Emily!" Edward said, as he came to a stop on the line beside Emily.
"Morning, Edward! It's a big surprise to see the snow coming down so early this winter!" Emily said, as she looked up into the sky.
"I know. And I hope that the snow won't be too bad. But, then again…I just hope that we can get through the winter." Edward said.
"Me as well!" Carrie called, from the top of Emily's tender.
"Oh, good morning, Carrie! Is everything going okay for you so far today?" Edward asked.
"Yes, so far. Though the only thing that's disagreeing with me is the cold wind." Carrie said.
"I understand, Carrie. Though that's something many engines I know always complain about each winter." Edward said. But then, Emily's driver interrupted.
"Hey, come on down from the tender, Carrie! It's almost time for us to be on our way again!"
"Coming!" Carrie said, as she stepped off the tender and then made her way towards the cab where she stepped aboard.
A few moments later, the guard blew his whistle loudly, while the signalman set the signal to show the line ahead of them was clear.
"Time to be off again! We'll see you later, Edward!" Emily called, as she blew her whistle and set off with her passengers.
"Good luck, Emily! And good luck, Carrie!" Edward called, as he watched Emily set off on her way, with Carrie waving her footplate on the right-hand side.
"Thanks, Edward!" Carrie called, as they set off on their way again.
The rest of Emily's journey along the Southern Main Line to Knapford went uneventfully, though the heavy snowfall continued without let-up. When they went along over the viaduct, they encountered a northern wind blowing through the valley beneath that seemed to blow the snow directly into the cab, and it caused Carrie to place her hand on her woollen cap, even though it was firmly on her head with no risk of it blowing off.
Passing through Crosby Station, which they weren't scheduled to stop at, Emily noticed that there were no passengers standing on either of the two platforms there, which wasn't surprising at all considering the snow and the cold wind. At that moment, Carrie was taking another go with the shovel and placing more coal into the firebox. She noted that by now, due to the falling snow, the top layer of coal in the tender was covered with white all over, and more of it was coming down by the minute.
After going through Henry's Tunnel, they were soon making their final approach to Knapford Station. Pulling side her sleeve on her left arm and looking at her watch, Carrie could see it was almost 10:40am, the time that they were scheduled to arrive in Knapford. She couldn't help but smile at the fact they made it to their destination on time, and in such weather like that they were going through. Emily was also feeling pleased as well, particularly that nothing serious had happened during the course of the trip.
As they made their final approach going round the curve into Knapford, Carrie leaned out from the right-hand side of the cab and looked out ahead as she saw the station start to dominate the background. Then, through the clouds of swirling snow, she saw another engine going through the station on the line beside Platform 1 with a freight train coupled behind him. The engine was a small 0-6-0 engine painted in G.W.R. green livery. This engine was No.2400, who was a member of the Great Western Railway's 2301 Class 0-6-0 (111) and the train he was pulling was made up of different box vans that was bound for Brendam Docks.
When he saw Emily approach the station, No.2400 whistled in greeting to her, and Emily whistled back in return as she slowed down on the line that was running adjacent to Platform 5.
(111): The Great Western Railway's 2301 Class 0-6-0 engines were designed by William Dean, and they were built to work on freight traffic on the G.W.R. network. They broke with the previous tradition that had been the norm on the Great Western, in that they had only inside main frames, although 20 members of the class were built with outside frames.
Built at Swindon Works between 1883 and 1899, 280 members of the class were built in total in 12 batches, and they were numbered from No.2301 to No.2580. Most of the class received domed Belpaire boilers from 1911 onwards. In addition, nearly all members of the class were fitted with superheaters during the course of their careers.
The class were fitted with two inside cylinders that were 17in in diameter with a 24in piston stroke, though some members of the class were fitted with slightly larger diameter cylinders which were 17.5in in diameter. The boilers were pressed to 180psi, and the six driving wheels were 5ft 2in in diameter. This resulted in the class having a tractive effort of 17,120lbf, while those with the slightly larger cylinders had a maximum tractive effort of 18,140lbf.
In 1907, 20 members of the class, from No.2491 to No.2510, were rebuilt as 2-6-2T tank engines of the new 3901 Class and they were numbered from No.3901 to No.3920.
During the First World War, 62 members of the class were taken over by the British Government for military service and sent over to France in 1917 in order to support British military operations on the Western Front. In the summer 1919, after the war had come to an end, 46 engines managed to return home to Britain, while another 16 had been sent on to Salonika (Thessalonica) in Greece in early 1918. Two of those were later sold to the Ottoman Railways. Of these, one was withdrawn in 1929, while the second lasted until the 1950's. Of the 16 engines that remained in Greece, 8 were returned to Britain in 1921, and the last six were written off.
At the start of the Second World War in September 1939, the British Government acquired 108 engines, some of which had seen service in the First World War, and the G.W.R. had to reinstate some engines which had been withdrawn only fairly recently to that. The engines that had been requisitioned for military service were fitted with Westinghouse brakes, and 10 were fitted with pannier tanks and condensing gear. All of them were painted black with War Department numbers painted on their tenders, and 8 further engines were acquired in December 1940. The War Department engines were numbered from No.93 to No.200.
Around 79 engines had been shipped over to France by the time the German attack began on May 10th 1940, and some were destroyed during the retreat to Dunkirk. The rest of them were used on the French railway system by the German occupation forces for the rest of the war. Of the remaining engines the W.D. had, most of them worked at various W.D. and ordnance depots around the U.K. In 1943, six engines were sent to Tunisia and then onto Italy. After the end of the war in 1945, between 22 and 26 of the engines that had been in France were sent to China under the auspices of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). Another 30 engines were returned home to the U.K., but they were in such poor condition they were declared unfit for service and scrapped.
By the time Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, there were still 54 members of the class still in service. They were mainly used on cross-country branch lines in Wales due to their light axle-loading, and they continued working on those duties until they were withdrawn from service on being replaced by the newer, more modern B.R. Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0s.
Withdrawals of the 2301 Class began in October 1928, when No.2365 was withdrawn from its home shed of Hereford. Withdrawals continued until 1957, when the final member of the class still running that year, No.2538, was withdrawn from its home shed of Oswestry in May 1957.
Only one member of the class has survived into preservation; this is No.2516, who was built at Swindon in 1897. Withdrawn in May 1956 from its home shed of Oswestry, it's currently on static display in the Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon having never been steamed in preservation.
After coming to a stop at Platform 5, the doors to the coaches coupled behind Emily opened and the passengers disembarked from the train. As the passengers made their way out from the station by way of the footbridge that connected all the platforms, Carrie brushed the snowflakes off of her overalls and warm hat, and then rubbed her gloved hands together, even though her hands were fairly warm from the work she had done in the last while.
"Goodness me! I'm glad we're out of that snow for a while!" Carrie said, as she turned to the driver.
"I know how you feel! But we'll need to go back out into that snow if we're going back to the sheds." the driver said, as he checked over the controls.
"Yeah." Carrie said, as she looked out front. She watched the snow continue on falling from the dark clouds, and she saw the clear line where the snow fell outside the shelter of the canopy over the platforms of Knapford Station while on the other side of that clear line no snow was falling at all, leaving the rails and sleepers exposed.
After a few minutes, Emily was uncoupled from the coaches and she made her way out of the station and back to Tidmouth Sheds. As they headed back to the sheds, the heavy snow fell upon them and the cold wind blew around them, making the driver, fireman, and Carrie feel very uncomfortable, despite the heat from the fire and the warm winter clothes they were wearing.
"Goodness me! This is a bit uncomfortable!" said the driver.
"I'll be very glad to get back to the sheds! Once there we'll be able to warm up for a while inside the crew building and get a hot drink or two before we can go back out on duty again!" the fireman said.
"That sounds like a good idea to me!" Carrie said. Despite the warm winter clothes she was wearing, the heat coming from the open firebox doors, as well as the physical work she had been doing for much of the morning so far, Carrie still felt cold all over. She was looking forward to getting back to Tidmouth Sheds and to the crew building, where she could rest for a while and get some hot food and drink in her before she went back out on duty again a little later on.
(At Tidmouth Sheds)
Emily slowly reversed into her berth at the sheds, having been turned on the turntable a few moments before. She was glad to be getting out of the falling snow and cold wind for a while, as was her crew and Carrie. While she was at the sheds, Emily would be looked over and cleaned, while her fire would be looked over and any clinker removed, and then she would be off later on to do more work.
Stepping off Emily's footplate with her bag over her shoulder, Carrie bid the driver and fireman thanks, and then she went and made her way across the depot to the crew building, heading through the falling snow and cold biting wind that seemed to come from one direction and then another.
Entering the crew building, Carrie made her way upstairs to the ladies changing room, where she placed her bag with her things into one of the lockers, and then she went back downstairs again, and stepped into the cafeteria.
She could feel the warmth of the air in the cafeteria as she stepped inside, and could smell the smells of cooking food and hot drinks that were on offer in there. There were a few other engine crewmen sitting at the different tables around the room, and each of them were dressed up in warm clothing like Carrie was. She couldn't see any of the other teens who were on the apprenticeship scheme like she was, but then again it was very likely they were all still out working at this time, and goodness only knew where they all were right now. Deciding not to just stand around, she stepped forward into the cafeteria.
A few minutes later, she sat down at one of the spare tables close to the windows, from where she could look out into the yards to see what was going on out there. She had a large mug of hot tea, as well as a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs.
"This'll warm me up in no time!" Carrie said quietly to herself, as she tucked into her second breakfast of the day. As she ate, she looked up every now and then to see what was going on in the cafeteria before her. She could see some of the other crewmen in the room getting up from their tables and leaving, as a few others came in to get some hot food and drink from their cold morning out working.
From outside the windows, she could hear the sounds of different engines as they entered or left the depot, with the whistles first sounding for a few seconds, and then the wheeshing of steam, followed by the sounds of slow chuffing as the engines left the yards.
She soon finished her bacon and scrambled eggs, and then slowly finished off her tea while it was still quite hot. The warming effect of the tea soon warmed her up in no time at all, and Carrie felt far more comfortable than she had been when she had been on Emily's footplate a short while before. Once she finished her tea a minute or two later, Carrie just sat back and rested, while waiting to be assigned to another engine to work on for the morning. There was a bookcase fitted along the wall, and so she went and picked up a book to read while she waited. As she read, she wondered which engine she'd be assigned to for the rest of the day. She found out soon enough, as soon the yard manager came in, a clipboard in his hand.
"Carrie?" he asked, as he approached the table where Carrie was reading.
"Yes?" she said, as she looked up from the book she was reading.
"I have the engine you're going to be working on for the rest of the day waiting for you just outside." said the yard manager.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she put her woollen hat back on, placed the book back onto the book shelve, and then followed the yard manager outside, putting her work gloves back on as she did so.
Back outside, the wind seemed to have eased off somewhat, but the snow hadn't; it continued on coming down without let-up, though it hadn't gotten any heavier. It was quite clear that the snow would be continuing for some time to come, and it would be best if preparations were made to deal with it. Looing up to the sky, Carrie watched as the countless numbers of flakes came down from the dark clouds above.
"The snow's early this year, isn't it?" said the yard manager, as he pulled his warm coat up further his head to try keep some more head in.
"Yeah, I know." Carrie said, remembering from the year before when there had been no snow not long after she had arrived on Sodor, though it had come down during December.
They walked across the yard until they reached the shelter of one of the other large sheds, and stepped inside it. There, standing on the line before her, was the engine Carrie was going to be working on for the rest of the day; it was L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4 No.67905, with smoke rising from his chimney, a hot fire in his firebox, and plenty of steam in his boiler.
"Morning, Carrie! Ready to go?" No.67905 asked, when he sae her approach. He and Carrie had worked together a few times before earlier on in the year, and so the two of them knew each other.
"Yes, No.67905. I think I am." Carrie said. She was; as after a rest and a hot meal in the crew building, she was feeling eager to get back to work for the next part of the day.
"Okay, I'll leave you to get ready for your first train. You're to take some vans from the yards at Knapford and bring them to the airport, and then you're to bring another train back from the airport to Knapford." said the yard manager.
"Okay, sir!" No.67905 said, as he looked outside the shed at the heavy snowfall.
"Anyway, I'll be getting back to the offices. There's other work that needs to be done." and the yard manager left the shed.
After a few more minutes, where the time was taken to oil up all the moving parts around the motion, filling up the mechanical lubricators, as well as the tricky job of oiling up the moving parts in between the frames, and filling up the sandboxes with fine dry sand, it was time for them to be on their way. Carrie climbed onto the footplate and took her place ready for the off. The driver and fireman also took their places in the cab, and once given the all clear to leave, the driver blew the whistle and gently opened the regulator. Slowly, they moved forwards out of the shed and into the swirling falling clouds of snow.
"Looks like we're in for a very snowy day today!" No.67905 said, as he moved out.
"Yes, and let's just hope it doesn't get any worse." added his driver, as he looked out.
As the fireman took first go at stoking the boiler with the shovel, Carrie just stood back and waited for her turn to stoke the boiler. She liked working on the footplate of No.67905, as his eight wheels allowed for a very smooth ride, and he could also reach a good turn of speed when he was out on the main line.
Once they were out of the depot and out on the main line, the driver opened the regulator some more and No.67905 picked up some more speed. They soon reached a speed of about 37mph and made their way down to the yards at Knapford. Going along the line, they passed by L.N.E.R. V4 Class 2-6-2 No.3409 Challenger, who was heading north with a passenger train of 10 coaches coupled behind him.
"Morning, Challenger!" No.67905 called as he went by, while blowing his whistle.
"Morning, No.67905!" Challenger called, blowing his whistle in return.
It wasn't too long before they finally arrived at Knapford Yards, and were soon directed to the siding where they were to collect their train of box vans. As they slowly reversed into the siding, Carrie leaned out from the cab on the fireman's side to see the train; she saw there were about 20 or 25 vans of a number of different types, as well as a brake van, in the siding waiting to be picked up. Standing by the side of the line, the shunter, wearing warm clothing, dark-blue overalls, and an orange safety vest, waited by the side of the line to couple the train together once No.67905 had come to a stop.
As they came to a stop once they bumped into the front vehicle of the train, and the shunter went and began to couple them to the train as well as connect the brake pipes together, Carrie wondered what was loaded inside those vans, as well as where they would be going to once they arrived at the airport.
They were due to leave with their train at 11:50am, and so they just needed to wait for a few minutes before they could depart. As the driver used the ejectors to create a vacuum in the brake pipes in the length of the train, Carrie leaned out from the cab with the snow falling all around her, she wondered what trains they would encounter on their way over to the airport, as well as if the falling snow would cause any delays to them as they went along.
She was glad they were going with this job on the footplate of No.67905, as it was more enclosed than Emily's cab and offered far more protection from the cold winter weather. It also warmer from the heat from the firebox as well, along with having much more comfortable seats to sit on too. Carrie was looking forward to working with No.67905 for the rest of the day, as she knew that it should be a much more comfortable experience than working on Emily's footplate.
Then they heard the sound of an approaching engine, and who sounded like it would pass on the line adjacent to the siding that No.67905 was sitting on. Looking back through the heavy falling snow, Carrie saw another engine approaching them from the area of Knapford Harbour with several coaches coupled up behind him. This engine was painted in L.N.E.R. apple green livery, and at first Carrie thought it might be Henry, but it wasn't. This engine was No.950, and he was an example of the Great Northern Railway's C1 Class Small Boiler 4-4-2 Atlantic engines (112). He had eight coaches coupled behind him, and was taking passengers who had just arrived on the ferry at Knapford Harbour out along the Southern Main Line.
As No.950 went by, Carrie could see that this engine, just like Emily, also had a cab that didn't seem to offer very much protection from the weather, and so she was glad she wasn't working with No.950 for this afternoon. She could also see that the driver and fireman on No.950's footplate were well-wrapped up in warm clothing, including warm woollen hats on their heads, gloves on their hands, as well as the orange safety vests put on over their overalls.
Whistling in greeting to the G.N.R. Small Boiler Atlantic, No.67905 watched as No.950 went by with his coaches, as the other engine whistled in return. From where she was, Carrie watched as the coaches went by one by one, often being able to see passengers sitting at the tables inside the coaches. After a few seconds, the last coach went past them and as it disappeared along the line, Carrie could see the red tail lamp shining brightly at the back.
(112): The Great Northern Railway's (G.N.R.) C1 Class Small Boiler Atlantic (L.N.E.R. C2 Class) was the very first class of 4-4-2 Atlantic Class steam locomotive built in the U.K. It was designed by Henry Ivatt in 1897, and were commonly known as "Klondykes" after the 1897 goldrush that took place in the Yukon in the year the first example of the class was built. The name stuck and was used for the entire class throughout their working lives.
Near the end of the 19th Century, the G.N.R.'s stock of passenger locomotives were having difficulties keeping up with the increasingly heavy traffic being experienced at that time, and the single-wheelers just couldn't cope with the faster speeds and heavier loads. With this background, in November 1895 the GNR Board appointed H. A. Ivatt to replace Stirling, the previous C.M.E. of the G.N.R.
Although Ivatt's first locomotives for the G.N.R. were merely modifications of earlier Stirling types, he was considering the Atlantic 4-4-2 wheel arrangement even before his appointment with the G.N.R., as the type promises to offer far better power and adhesion than the previous single wheelers that had been the norm up to that time.
However, Ivatt also knew that John Aspinall, who was his counterpart on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, was also working on an Atlantic Class design of his own. Ivatt wanted to be the first to introduce an Atlantic Class engine onto the British Railway network, and managed to beat the L.&.Y.R. by a few valuable months, especially as the design was given the highest priority by the G.N.R.
In 1898, the very first member of Ivatt's new C1 Atlantic Class, No.990, later named Henry Oakley after the company's general manager, rolled out of Doncaster Works, a year after Ivatt was given permission to build an experimental 4-4-2.
Ivatt had placed great importance of the boiler design for the class, and for No.990 he opted for a large boiler with extra steam-raising capacity, which helped to give his new Atlantic class a major edge over Stirling's previous classes of Single Wheelers.
Ivatt's new C1 Atlantic Class had two outside cylinders that were 18.75in in diameter with a 24in piston stroke which were fitted with Stephenson valve gear, and along with a boiler that was pressed to 170psi, and four driving wheels that were 6ft 8in in diameter, gave the class an initial maximum tractive effort of 15,240lbf. Later on, the class were fitted with Schmidt superheaters in 1909, and the cylinders were increased in diameter to 19in, and the boiler pressure was reduced to 160psi, which reduced the tractive effort to 14,730lbf. Piston valves were eventually fitted to 12 members of the class.
In total, 22 members of Ivatt's C1 Atlantic Class were built at Doncaster Works between 1898 and 1903. Under L.N.E.R. auspices, the class became known as the C2 Class Small Boiler Atlantics, while Ivatt's larger Atlantic class were known as C1 Large Boiler Atlantics.
In 1902, a four-cylinder version of the class, No.271, was built. But with the smaller diameter cylinders, No.271 wasn't a great success and so it was rebuilt to match the other members of the class in 1911.
When they came into service, the C1 class proved to be fast, lively runners which caused conditions to become uncomfortable for the crews. So as a result, Ivatt had to caution drivers to reduce speeds on uneven stretches of track between London and Doncaster. While the boilers were large and had a very good steam raising ability, the cylinders were perhaps too small, which resulted in the early locomotives working at undesirable and uneconomic rates to achieve the expected performance.
Several modifications were made to the class during their working lives, which included fitted standard 18-element superheaters to the class from 1927 to 1928, extending the smokeboxes a little to make more room for spark arrestors, making repairs and changes to the main frames, and one engine, No.3271 (G.N.R. No.271) was built with two inside cylinders which were 18.5in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and paired with Stephenson valve gear and 8in diameter piston valves, with its maximum tractive effort being 16,070lbf.
After they came into service, the engines of the C2 Class were initially distributed between the main line sheds of the G.N.R., including Kings Cross, Peterborough, Grantham, and Doncaster. Their duties in their early years consisted of pulling the heavier expresses on the main line that ran from London to York. These services didn't run very fast in those day, and so the C2s could keep up even if they tended to be slow when climbing uphill.
By 1913, all the engines of Ivatt's larger C1 Class Atlantic were in service, so the smaller C2s tended to be seen on easier relief expresses. However, they were still called upon to pull some heavy trains during the course of the First World War.
By 1920, the C1 Class Atlantics had replaced many of the C2 Class at Grantham and Doncaster Sheds, and so the displaced C2s joined the other main line sheds. By 1923, three were allocated to Cambridge to haul passenger trains from London to Hitchin. In 1924, the ex-North Eastern Railway (N.E.R.) shed at Starbeck received a C2 to haul the Ripon to Doncaster leg of the Ripon to London service. In 1925, the N.E. area would receive more C2s for working between Leeds, Hull, Scarborough, and Newcastle. As well as secondary passenger trains, the C2s often pulled fish trains in the 1920s until these duties were taken over by Gresley's K2 and K3 2-6-0 Classes.
In the 1920's and into the early 1930s, the C2 Class would continue to pull secondary passenger services and even deputise for the larger C1s on faster services sometimes. But by 1935, the entire class were badly in need of new boilers, however they were also seen as not being strong enough for the levels of traffic that were running on the L.N.E.R. network at that time. Withdrawals of the C2 Class began in 1935, but there were still five engines still in service by the time the Second World War began in September 1939. These five members of the class stayed in service for the entire war, where they played their part in supporting Britain's war effort, before they were finally withdrawn in late 1945/early 1946.
Thankfully, one member of Ivatt's first Atlantic Class has survived into preservation; this engine is none other than the doyen of the class, No.990 Henry Oakley. Built at Doncaster Works in 1898, she was withdrawn in October 1937 from its homebase at Lincoln Shed, having covered 1,296,000 miles during its career. After being withdrawn, No.990 was restored to her original G.N.R. livery and put on display in York's L.N.E.R. Museum. She was restored to working order in 1953 and ran a series of specials with fellow C1 Atlantic No.251 where the centenary of Doncaster Works was celebrated. She was steamed again in 1975 for the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway before coming a part of the National Collection, and ran for a while on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in the summer of 1977. However, she's been on static display for many years in a number of different places, including at Bressingham Steam Museum, with no prospect of her ever returning to steam again.
Once the passenger train being hauled by No.950 had disappeared out of the yard, No.67905 only had to wait for another few minutes before he was able to set off on his way. The signalman changed the points and set the signal to show the way was clear, while the guard in his brake van blew his whistle and showed a bright green lamp.
"Okay, let's go!" the driver said, as he blew the whistle for a few moments, and then he released the brakes, and opened the regulator. Slowly, No.67905 moved forwards and headed out of the siding, taking up the weight of his heavy train behind him.
"Come on! Get moving! Come on! Get moving!" No.67905 said, as he took up the train.
"We don't want to! We don't want to!" the vans called, as they slowly and reluctantly moved out of the siding behind them. But No.67905 didn't care about what the trucks thought, and with all his might he hauled the heavy vans sternly out of the siding and then out from Knapford Yards.
"And remember, old boy! There's no need to hurry on this run! We've got plenty of time available for that!" his driver called, as he leaned out of the cab and called ahead.
"All right!" No.67905 called, as he made his way slowly along.
Once out of the yards and on the Southern Main Line, the driver opened the regulator a little more and wound back the reversing gear to increase the cut-off from the boiler, while the fireman checked on the state of the fire. After handing the shovel to Carrie, the fireman told her where to place more coal in the firebox to keep it burning brightly. Agreeing, Carrie set to work at placing fresh coal into the firebox, making sure to place the coal to where it was needed to keep the fire burning so as to make steam as efficiently as possible.
After passing through Knapford Station without any problems, No.67905 pushed on through the heavy swirling clouds of snow onto the Southern Main Line. By this time, the snow on the ground was piling up everywhere, with drifts starting to form in many places, and the snow showed no sign of letting up. The wind was also blowing the falling snow into many exposed corners and against walls, causing the snow to quickly pile up. At times, rails that were uncovered by snow from trains having passed over them not long before, and which could be seen as two parallel sets of dark lines in the white, were soon covered up again as the snow came on down.
When she leaned out from the cab having finished stoking the boiler, Carrie saw that they were now approaching the area of Henry's Tunnel. She was still surprised from seeing the snow coming down so hard and fast. Even though she had seen plenty of snowy and difficult winters in her life back in Maine, she had never seen a white snowy winter start so early in the winter, as here on Sodor.
The rest of the journey along the line went without incident, with them only stopping at Wellsworth to pick up a banker so as they could get up Gordon's Hill. Getting up the hill was somewhat of a challenge in this weather, and they had to proceed slowly due to the risk of icy rails, which caused No.67905's eight driving wheels to slip on occasion as they made their way up the hill. But once they reached the top of the hill, No.67905 was able to go along towards Maron Station much more easily, with the line of vans following along smoothly behind him. Taking her turn stoking the boiler again, Carrie was doing everything she could to keep herself warm and active in the cold winter weather, as well as to keep the fire burning brightly so it could keep making steam for them to roll on.
It wasn't long before they finally reached the junction that would take them off the Southern Main Line and down to the airport. As they made their final approach to Sodor International Airport, Carrie leaned out from the right-hand side of the cab and looked ahead through the swirling snow. She was wondering where the cargo in the vans was going to be going to. If it was going abroad from Sodor, Carrie felt such goods would need to wait until the weather cleared up, as she felt it would be unlikely that any aircraft could take off in this weather. Then, as they got closed to the airport, she noticed a familiar sight approach, which was the road bridge crossing over the lines just to the north of the airport station. She also noticed an orange-yellow glow shining through the white grey clouds in front of them.
"Yellow signal!" she called to the driver.
"Okay, Carrie! I see it!" the driver said, as he closed the regulator and put the brakes on. As they slowed down, they passed under the bridge and approached the complex of points just to the north of the airport station. The signalman had already set the points for them, and No.67905 crossed over the points at a slow speed and then entered the station.
He rolled along the line that ran adjacent to Platform 8, on which stood many men who were waiting to unload the vans. After No.67905 came to a stop, the men on the platform opened the doors of the vans and began unloading their contents onto the electrically-operated luggage trolleys and trailers, as well as on hand-powered luggage trucks and hand trucks. As a shunter uncoupled No.67905 from his train, Carrie leaned out and watched for several moments as the men unloaded the vans, and saw as boxes, sacks, and other things were unloaded.
But then, her views were interrupted by the sounds of the driver's voice.
"Come on, No.67905! Let's head over to the engine depot!" said the driver.
"Okay!" said No.67905, as his driver blew his whistle, and then they rolled forwards out of the station and over to the nearby engine depot.
(A short while later)
After No.67905 had arrived in the engine depot and reversed into one of the sidings by the turntable, it was time for Carrie to have her lunch hour, and she went over to the crew building to get some hot food and drink into her.
After going inside to use the toilet and then wash her face and hands, Carrie went into the canteen, and was pleased to see that it wasn't too busy this afternoon. Grabbing a tray and going over to the buffet line, she saw there was plenty of good hot food on offer. She chose a rich beef stew with mashed potatoes, as well as a glass of orange juice on the side. She had seen some very delicious-looking dessert at the buffet line as well, but wanted to get the stew eaten first before having any of the desserts.
Sitting down at one of the tables, Carrie began tucking into her food. She was feeling really pleased to get this hot stew into her, as it had been cold working out on the train to the airport, even though the cab of No.67905 offered good shelter from the cold weather. She soon felt much better, as she felt the warming effect of the food warm her through. Feeling herself smile, she made herself as comfortable as she could as she ate, while wondering what the train they were going to be taking back to Knapford Station later on was.
And that's the end of this chapter! This chapter takes the word count in the story to date to well over 800,000 words, which makes this story the first Carrie or Thomas fanfic story to reach this impressive figure! And let's hope that it shouldn't be too long before we reach the figure of one million words. I'll have the next chapter unloaded as soon as possible. Also, if anyone has any good ideas for future chapters, please let me know on Private Messaging! Thank you all, and good reading!