Chapter 62: Setting off for Sodor
(Friday, December 14th 2012 – 2:25pm, Ewen High School, Chamberlain)
With a loud buzz of conversation amongst each other, all the senior students of Ewen High School sat together on the seats within the school's large auditorium, while waiting for an announcement that needed to be given to them. Some of the teachers were there as well, and everyone was wondering that it was that needed to be announced to them. So far, they had been waiting for around five minutes or so and many were wondering how long more they needed to wait for until the announcement was made.
Among the seniors waiting for the announcement was Sue Snell and her boyfriend Tommy Ross, and they were wondering what they all would be told. Sue had no doubts that the announcement would be about the imminent trip of most them of them over to the Island of Sodor. By now, all the arrangements for most of the senior students and their families to go over to Sodor had been made, and some of the teachers were going to be going over as well. Not only that, but a few people from Chamberlain were going over as well, including some officers from the Chamberlain Police Department.
So far, and by some miracle, nothing had been mentioned in the press yet about the fact that Carrie had been found on the Island of Sodor, although unbeknownst to anyone else in town the police had already made the decision to release that information at a specially arranged press conference in the town hall on Monday morning. By that time, it was felt that everyone who needed to go over to Sodor would already be over there, and so they wouldn't be hounded by reporters in the process.
"I wonder what we're going to be hearing in here in the next while." Sue said, as she looked at Tommy.
"I've got no idea yet, Sue. Though something in my gut tells me that it'll likely be about the upcoming trip to Sodor, and the chances of seeing Carrie over there." Tommy said.
"You know, I think you might be right about that, Tommy." came another voice. Looking over to their left, Tommy and Sue saw that it was Heather who had spoken.
"What makes you say that, Heather?" Sue asked.
"Well, almost every time within the last year that we've all been gathered together, it's usually to be told something about something to do with Carrie's disappearance." Heather said.
"You know…I think you're right, Heather. Now that it occurs to me…that for almost each time in the last year we've been in a large group, there's usually something about Carrie's disappearance to say." Sue said, as the realisation struck her.
"But how much longer will we need to wait for what needs to be said here?" We've been in here for a few minutes now and not a peep." Heather said.
"It shouldn't be too long, Heather." Tommy said. "After all, it seems like something is happening up on the stage."
And it looked like Tommy was indeed right about that; up on the stage, it looked as if things were almost ready for this little presentation to be given, as there were three police officers from the Chamberlain Police Department up there getting ready, and Principal Morton was chatting with them before he made his announcement for the officers to say what they needed to say to the senior students.
However, Sue looked over to her right not too long before the presentation was to begin. In the row ahead of her and sitting off to her right, she could clearly see Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake, and Donna Kellogg sitting together, and from the looks on their faces, Sue could clearly tell that the three of them would rather be anywhere else but sitting here inside the auditorium with everyone else. And considering how she and everyone else in the school had seen Chris act within the last year, that didn't surprise Sue one bit.
After another minute or two, Principal Morton stood at the lectern in the middle of the stage and spoke into the microphone.
"Okay everyone, it's time to get this underway." he said, getting the attention of all the senior students and teachers who were in the auditorium. A silence quickly descended, as the students quietened down and looked up towards the stage, with each of them wondering what they would be told this afternoon.
"Now everyone…these officers here have some information to give you all before we all head off to Sodor on the flight on Sunday." Morton said, and he turned his head to look at one of the police officers, gave a nod and then stood aside as the officer stood up and stood behind the lectern. The officer was none other than King, and he had a few things to tell the students while they were all gathered here in the auditorium this afternoon.
"Well ladies and gentlemen…before our time in here is done, there's a few things that we need to announce before we can fly over to Sodor on Sunday." King said, as he looked at the papers that he had with him. Everyone sitting on the seats inside the auditorium, both students and teachers alike, sat quietly and waited to hear what the police had to say to them all.
"The first thing that I have to say is that everything in the last few days has been quite hectic for all of us, in getting ready to fly over to Sodor. And I have no doubt that things have been quite the same for most of you as well, as many of you are no doubt going to be spending your first Christmas of your lives in a different place this year." King said. And that was something that many of the senior students could only agree with, as they were spending Christmas over on Sodor instead of here in Chamberlain this year. Many of them were looking forward to it, as they felt that there would be no harm in spending Christmas in a different place, although a few others weren't too convinced about the idea of it.
A few of the senior students wouldn't be able to go over to Sodor on Sunday as they and their families already had prior arrangements made to go elsewhere for the holidays, but they did ask their fellow students who were going over to Sodor to give their apologies to Carrie if they saw her over there. And the students going over to Sodor promised that they would do so.
"And the second thing that I must say is this; Carrie is working on a railway and so there's places that she can go that you clearly can't, so make sure not to go to places you're not supposed to go to when we're over there." King said. Then, from a laptop that was placed on the lectern in front of him, he brought up one of the pictures that had been shown to the students and their families in the town hall back in early October up onto a wide screen set up over the stage, and it showed Carrie leaning out from the cab of Henry, and it clearly showed the side of the big green engine, including the number 3 on the side of his tender, though Henry's face wasn't visible in the picture. And that wasn't the only one to be shown; as the next few minutes went on, with King continuing to give to them what he had to say, he showed them a few other pictures from the time that he, Irving, Brian, and Spacek had been over on Sodor, including of Carrie working with other engines, including Gordon and James, with each image not showing the fronts of any of the engines, only views from the sides, the rear, or from any other angle where the fronts weren't visible. Some of the photos also showed Carrie with the friends she had made on Sodor, as well as with her speaking with some of the engine crews she was working with, and even standing on the backs of some tenders trimming the coal.
Even now, many of the senior students and teachers were wondering why the fronts of many of the engines they had seen in the pictures shown to them in the town hall a few weeks earlier on weren't being shown. However, they knew that they wouldn't have to wait for very much long to see as to why that was, and so none of them questioned the police about the pictures that they had been shown.
"Another thing that I should mention is to please be respectful to the people live over on the Island of Sodor, and also please don't rush Carrie if you see her over there. After all, considering everything that she went through when she was over here, it's quite likely that she'll be very shocked to see you all again in such a sudden way after being away from Chamberlain for over a year now." King said.
Once King had said "over a year," the mere thought of it made everyone before him in the auditorium realise just how long it had been since they had last seen Carrie amongst them. When she had run away from Chamberlain in November 2011, not one of them ever realised that it would be more than a full year before they ever saw her again, and the thought of that really hit many of them hard as it went through many of their heads. A few of the students and teachers shook their heads in slight disbelief at just how long it had been since they last saw Carrie, as well as realising that the time that they were to see the school's former scapegoat and outcast was getting closer and closer.
"And considering everything that was done to Carrie in school by some of the people here over the years, especially with all the bullying, harassment, and other forms of being picked on, it's quite clear that all of you still owe her some form of apology for what took place over the years." King said. And on hearing that, quite a few of the students sitting before him, including Sue Snell, lowered their heads in shame at the mention of what King had just said, as well as the memories when they bullied Carrie for no reason on many countless occasions over the years, or just stood by and didn't help Carrie from being bullied.
"Now…we're not sure just how we're going to go about finding Carrie just yet and get her to a place where you can all apologise to her for what happened…but we're confident that we can make the arrangements for that to happen." King said.
A few moments later, now that he had finished with giving what he had to say to everyone, King went to sit down off to the side, while another police officer, this time it was Irving, stood up from the seat she had been on and stood behind the lectern.
"Okay everyone, I just have one or two small things to say and then you can all go back to class." Irving said, as she looked at some of the papers she had with her. Everyone stayed quiet and waited for what Irving had to say to them all before they could leave the auditorium.
"Now first off…as you all well know, Carrie is working on the Sodor railway system, and that means it's not very likely that we could easily persuade her to come back to Chamberlain. But what we can do is to apologise to her and try to make it up to her for what happened for all those years, so that she can feel like she can come home again whenever she likes, and to make her feel like she's always welcome back in Chamberlain." Irving said. There were quite a few low murmurs of agreement from those sitting in the auditorium, both students and teachers alike.
"The second thing that I'd like to address is to keep your eyes wide open for something that you won't be expecting to see when you go over to the Island of Sodor. I won't say what it is, but you'll all see it very soon after we arrive on the island." Irving said. Upon being told this, all the students and teachers got very curious and began wondering what it was that Irving was referring to. But what they all didn't know was that Irving was referring to the fact that all the engines who worked on the Sodor railway system had faces on their fronts, and that the engines could talk. And the main reason that she and her fellow officers had never showed them pictures of any of the engines of Sodor with the faces on their fronts visible was to make it a really big surprise for the seniors of Ewen High School, their families, as well as the teachers who would be going over to Sodor on Sunday.
"The third thing that I'd like to mention, or at the very least remind you all, is that Carrie' father, Ralph White, is also over on Sodor as well…and I'm really not sure what he's going to think once he finds out how we managed to find out that Carrie was on Sodor. I guess we'll just have to take that avenue one step at a time." Irving said. There came more murmurs from everyone else in the auditorium, with everyone wondering deep down what the reaction of both Carrie and her father would be when they were told how everyone back in Chamberlain found out they were on Sodor in the first place, and that got many of them worried.
"And the fourth and last thing that I want to mention before we finish up in here is this…when you're over on the Island of Sodor, make sure that you all have a good time there. I know that it won't be the same as enjoying Christmas here at home as many of you have no doubt done for many years…but there's really no harm in enjoying Christmas in a new place every now and then." Irving said. And that was something that everyone who was going to be heading over to Sodor could agree with wholeheartedly, as they were all wondering what the Island of Sodor was like, as well as what Christmas outside the United States would be like.
"Okay…are there any questions any of you want to ask?" Irving asked, as she looked over the whole auditorium. For several moments, she looked left and right to see if any of the students or teachers had any questions; but no hands went up, as all the teachers and students seemed to understand everything they had been told in the last while.
"All right, thank you very much, everyone. That's all." Irving said, and with that, all the senior students stood up from the seats and made their way out of the auditorium.
(Outside the auditorium doors)
Stepping outside with their fellow senior students, both Sue and Tommy were feeling somewhat unsure of what the next few days would bring for them all. On the one hand, it would actually be nice to spend Christmas in a different place for a change this year, but on the other hand they were concerned what Carrie would think when she found out that they were there on Sodor. And they were also somewhat concerned at what Ralph White would think when he found out, and not to mention the friends that Carrie had made over on Sodor.
"Are you looking forward to going over to Sodor, Sue?" Tommy asked, as they went along the corridor to their next class.
"Well…I am to be honest, and I think that it'll be nice to go to a new place for Christmas. Though I am a little concerned as to what Carrie will think when she sees us over there…or if we see her there." Sue said.
"Yeah, I am a bit as well, Sue. And I am somewhat concerned what Chris might do if she gets anywhere near to Carrie when we're over there." Tommy said, also feeling somewhat concerned about the near future.
"I guess the best thing we can do is to try and make sure that nothing bad happens over there, and to make sure that Chris and any of the other girls she's still close friends with try to stay out of trouble." Sue said.
Then, their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of several feet coming along the corridor from behind them, and from the sounds of them, it was clear that whoever was making them didn't sound very happy right now. Slowly turning round to see who it was, Sue and Tommy weren't too surprised to see that it was Chris Hargensen, along with Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg, coming along the corridor and going right by them with angry and sour moods on their faces. Anyone who was standing in the corridor quietly, and wisely, stood aside on both sides of the corridor as they watched the three foul-faced girls head on past them on their way to the next class. And it wasn't just Sue and Tommy who had their eyes on Chris and her minions as they went by; everyone else who saw the three watched with some anxiousness as they headed on by in a silent anger.
After the three of them had gone on by, Sue and Tommy looked at each other with some consternation, as both Freddy Holt and Norma Watson stood beside them.
"I hope that the three of them don't do anything stupid when we're over on Sodor. I don't like them very much, but I'd hate for them to get into any sort of trouble." Norma said.
"Why do you think Chris is in such a sour mood right now?" Sue asked.
"Do you think it's the fact that Carrie has been found?" Tommy said.
"Probably. But then again, a few months back I did over hear her say something about spending this Christmas in Aspen, Colorado." Norma said.
"Oh, you mean she hoped to go skiing in the mountains there?" Freddy asked.
"Yeah, I imagine so. And I think that she was looking forward to going to Aspen to ski and enjoy the mountains there for Christmas." Norma said.
"Hey, the ski resorts will always still be there, so she could always go over to Aspen for next Christmas instead." Tommy said.
"I'm sure you know what Chris is like by now, Tommy. And I'd stay well clear of her if I were you." Norma said.
"Good idea, Norma. I intend to do just that." Sue said, as she looked back down the corridor in the direction that Chris, Tina, and Donna had gone a few moments before.
"Anyway, have you guys gotten your bags packed for going over to Sodor yet?" Freddy asked.
"We've taken them down from the attic at home, but we haven't had a chance to starting packing yet." Tommy said.
"We've had the bags down from the attic too, Norma. And I made a small start on getting a few things packed last night. I imagine that from tomorrow morning, we'll be making a real start on getting ready to go over to Sodor." Sue said.
"Yeah, we began some of that packing at my place last night as well. I can't wait to see what a place Sodor is like." Norma said.
"I feel that there's no harm in going to a new place for Christmas. It'll be a bit strange certainly, but I think it could be a very interesting adventure." Freddy said.
"Agreed." Norma said.
"Anyway, let's get to class you guys. We can talk about this later when we can go to the coffee shops after school." Sue said.
"Okay, Sue. Let's get to class then." Tommy said, as he, Sue, Norma, and Freddy went down the corridor to their next class of the day.
(later that afternoon; after school)
With a final ring of the bell, the last classes of the day emptied out in Ewen High School as all the students left their classrooms and made their way to their lockers to drop off the books they didn't need. At the same time, all the senior students knew that this would be the last class of 2012 before the Christmas holidays, and they were all looking forward to having Christmas on the Island of Sodor, and the chance of seeing Carrie again, although the chances of that weren't guaranteed. And all of them weren't sure how Carrie would react when she saw them again after more than a year of being away from Chamberlain.
As all the students made their way out the main entrance doors, they all stepped out into the cold December weather, with ice, snow, frost, and a bitterly cold wind that hadn't let up in the last two days. Snow was falling quite heavily from a leaden grey sky, and the wind blew it at an angle from the sky to the ground. Those who walked into it had to shield their eyes to prevent the snow from blowing into their eyes, while those walking with it rolled the collars of their warm coats up to prevent the snow getting into their coats.
After leaving the school, Tommy and Sue, with Norma and Freddy, made their way to the coffee shop where they liked to hang out with each other. Entering the shop, they were very pleased to see that it wasn't too busy in there this afternoon, with only two elderly sitting at a table over in one corner and enjoying hot cups of coffee. It was nice and warm in the space, and there were still plenty of choices of cakes and pastries on offer at the main counter, and there were still plenty of tables available for the four friends to sit at.
After they got whatever slices of cake they wanted to get, as well as the drinks they wanted, the four of them went and sat down at the table that looked out onto the snowy street. They watched for a few moments as people went on by and going about their business, as well as watching a few trucks go by on their way to various different places in Chamberlain.
Tucking into her slice of cherry pie, Norma was wondering about something, and the look on her face caught the attention of Tommy, Sue, and Freddy.
"What's on your mind, Norma?" Freddy asked, as he took in another forkful of chocolate fudge cake.
"Well…do you guys remember what Officer Irving said to us in the auditorium earlier about keeping a close eye out for something once we arrive on the Island of Sodor that we won't be expecting to see?" Norma said.
"Yes?" Sue and Tommy said.
"What do you think it could be that she was referring to? There's nothing that I would know of that would attract our attention." Norma said, as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.
"No idea, Norma. But let's just be patient and wait until we get over there to see it. After all, she did say that we'd all see it not long after we arrived." Tommy said.
"Yeah, I guess so. And I don't want to pressure any of the police officers to tell us what it is, and so we should just wait until we're on Sodor to see what it is." Sue said, as she took in another forkful of her caramel chocolate brownie.
"I agree. Let's just wait." Tommy said, as he enjoyed another piece of his slice of apple pie.
(A little later)
Sue and Tommy were sitting together in the front seats of Tommy's car, and he was driving them along the streets and towards the street where Sue lived. The wind had eased up somewhat, but the snow was still falling heavily from the sky above, and Tommy was going along at a very steady pace due to the risk of ice on the streets.
"So, I guess that we'll both begin packing our bags for the trip once we get back home?" Tommy said, as he turned onto the street where Sue's house was.
"Yeah, I certainly will. And with the bags having been brought down from the attic last night, we're gonna be spending much of tomorrow getting ready to fly over to Sodor." Sue said, with a heavy sigh.
"Me too. On the one hand, I'm certainly looking forward to going over to Sodor for the first time…though on the other hand, I am a little bit nervous about what Carrie's reaction will be when we see her again for the first time in over a year…if we see her there that is." Tommy said, as he gently pulled over on the side of the street, and stopped right in front of Sue's house.
"Yeah, me too. Well, I think I'd better get myself inside now. I think that my mother will have a hot dinner ready to serve very soon." Sue said, as she reached for her bag and got ready to step out from the car.
"Okay, good night, Sue. And also, if I don't see you at any time tomorrow, Sue…then I'll see you at the airport on Sunday morning." Tommy said.
"All right, Tommy. I love you." Sue said, as she looked at Tommy.
"I love you too, Sue." Tommy said, and the two of them leaned in and kissed each other on the lips, holding the kiss for a few moments before pulling away. Then Sue opened the passenger door and stepped back out into the cold and snowy weather, before closing the door and waving goodbye to Tommy and then heading up the path to her house. After seeing Sue enter the front door safely, Tommy started the engine and then headed on up the street and on his way home.
For the next day, Sue, her sister Sierra, as well as her parents began work at packing up their bags for the trip over to Sodor. As she packed her own large suitcase with her things, as well as the Christmas presents that she had bought for her parents and sister, Sue was feeling a mix of different emotions; she was feeling excited about going over to a new place for the first time, and especially for Christmas. But she was also feeling rather nervous and apprehensive at the same time, as she knew full well that Carrie wouldn't be expecting anyone from Chamberlain to be over on Sodor for the Christmas season. She knew that Carrie probably wouldn't be pleased to see them again after more than a year away, but Sue also knew that everyone still owed Carrie more than a few apologies from what they had put her through for all the years, and the only way to do that was to talk to her face to face.
And it wasn't just Sue and her family who were getting ready to go over to Sodor; many of the other seniors from Ewen High School, including their families, were also getting ready to go as well. A few of the teachers were going over to Sodor as well, including the gym teacher Rita Desjardin. In her bedroom upstairs, Rita was busy packing a large suitcase with what she would need for the trip. As she went about packing up her things, she couldn't help but feel excited about the prospect of seeing Carrie White again. From seeing the pictures that the officers had shown them in the old town hall back in October, as well as the most recent presentation in the school's auditorium, Rita could see that Carrie had finally managed to break out of the shell that she had been trapped in for so long, and had managed to become friends with a small number of people over on Sodor.
Not only that, but Rita was also very pleased to see that Carrie had managed to find employment on the Sodor railways system, a job that she never expected Carrie would have wanted to have. She was also very pleased and surprised to have heard that Carrie's father, Ralph White, was still alive and well. Like everyone else who lived in Chamberlain, she had always believed that he had been dead since 1995, and, just like everyone else, she had been very shocked to hear that wasn't the case at all.
Taking a short break from packing her bags, Rita went downstairs to the kitchen to have a sit down and a hot cup of coffee. As she waited for the water to boil in the kettle, she looked outside the window at the snowy back garden, where a fresh flurry of snow was falling from the grey winter sky above and replenishing the blanket of crisp white snow that was already on the ground. Taking a glance over her shoulder, Rita looked into her living room, where she could see her artificial Christmas tree, that was brightly and colourfully decorated, standing in the corner. She felt herself smile at it, and thought about how bright and cheerful her tree, as well as all the other Christmas trees that she had seen throughout the length and breath of the town of Chamberlain, looked at this time of year with their bright decorations and lights on them. She also thought of how cheerful all the Christmas music was, and how happy everyone was as Christmas got closer and closer by the day.
Then, Rita heard a "click" as the kettle finished boiling the water, and she turned back to the counter to make her cup of coffee. Three minutes later, she had a mug of hot coffee in her hands and she settled down in the living room to enjoy it. Grabbing the remote control, she switched on the T.V. to see what was sort of Christmas-related movies or T.V. shows were being shown today.
Over at the Hargensen residence, Chris and her parents were also getting ready to go. In her bedroom, Chris was busy packing her cases with her things for the flight to Sodor as well as the time they would be on the island. She was feeling quite sour about the prospects of going over to Sodor, as she had much wanted to have spent the Christmas holidays over in Aspen, Colorado, where she would have enjoyed going up and down the ski slopes there, as well as festive atmosphere of the hotel. And the prospects of going over to Sodor to see the school's former outcast and scapegoat didn't really appeal to her. Yet, what she was unaware of at this time was that her father had insisted on going over to Sodor as he wanted to confront his old adversary, Ralph White, face to face.
Chris' parents were already packing their own cases, and discussing whether or not they should bring this or that, but Chris wasn't taking too much notice of her what her parents were saying to each other in their room just down the hall. She already had her mind on what she was going to say to Carrie when she saw her, or if she saw her on Sodor. Looking out her bedroom window, Chris crossed her arms and watched as the snow fell from the sky, thinking deeply about what the coming days were to bring.
Over at their own respective homes throughout Chamberlain, the other seniors and their families who would also be going over to Sodor were packing their bags and getting ready to go. Many of them were also wondering of what the next few days were to bring, and they were also wondering what Carrie would think when they finally met her again. The thoughts did worry them slightly, especially considering what they had done to her for all these years as well as the length of time it had been since they had last seen her. But regardless of what thoughts that all of them had, they all continued on packing their cases and getting ready to head over to the airport first thing on Sunday morning.
(Sunday, December 16th 2012 – 8:15am, Chamberlain, Maine)
Waking up bright and early on Sunday morning, Sue Snell, along with her younger sister and parents got themselves dressed and then set about having breakfast in the kitchen. This was the day that they would be going over to Sodor, and they all knew that time would be of the essence. The flight that would be going over to Sodor was due to depart from the Western Maine Airport at about 11:30am, and so they would need to be leaving as soon as possible in order to catch their flight. Once they had finished their breakfast, the family set about getting ready to go; as Sue and Sierra went to their rooms to make their last preparations to go, their parents quickly cleaned up and then set about to make their last preparations as well.
Soon, stepping outside the front door, they set about loading their bags into the trunk of Mr Snell's car, while also making sure that every one of the windows and doors of the house were securely locked, as well as making sure that all the electrical plugs were pulled out, and quite a few other little things that needed to be done before they could set off to the airport.
Finally, with everything completed, and with them all having their bags loaded into the car as well as having their tickets, passports, and other documentation with them, it was time for them to be off on their way. After his two daughters and wife got into the car, Mr Snell locked the front door, double checked the front of the house to be sure that all the front windows were securely locked, and then got into the car himself, settling in behind the wheel. After starting the engine, he slowly rolled forwards out of the driveway and out onto the road, heading down the street and out of town towards the freeway that would take them down to the airport. As they made their way out of Chamberlain, Sue looked out the window and took in the sights of the town as they went along. Even though they weren't going to be arriving on Sodor until this evening, Sue could feel an anxious feeling of butterflies churning away in her stomach, especially at the thoughts of what Carrie might say when she saw them again.
The trip out of Chamberlain and along the freeway south to the airport went very smoothly, particularly as the roads had been cleared of snow and gritted, as well as the more important fact that there was no snow falling this morning, even though it was still very cold and the sky was covered all over with thin light-grey clouds that stretched all over the sky as far as the eye could see. Looking up to the sky, which was a bit brighter than it had been in past days, Sue felt that there was a good chance that they would be able to make it over to the Island of Sodor without any sort of delays.
They soon arrived at the airport, and made their way past the various different buildings and sights before they finally arrived at the main terminal buildings. Pulling in along the side of the road, Mr Snell came to a stop in front the departures area, and his wife and two daughters got out of the car and unloaded their bags from the back. Once unloaded, Mr Snell drove off to one of the parking lots nearby, where he would park the car in secure safety for the time he and his family would be away. In the meantime, Sue, Sierra, and their mother made their way inside the terminal building with the luggage, feeling keen to get in out of the cold, as well as to wait for their father to park the car and then make his way over.
Entering the terminal building, Sue was astonished to see that it was fairly busy, with other people lining up at the check-in counters and getting ready to place their luggage onto the conveyor belt that would take the bags to where they could be loaded onto the planes. Looking at the monitors over the check-in desks, they saw that three of the counters, Numbers 11, 12, and 13, were for the flight that was going over to the Island of Sodor, and so Sue, her sister, and mother went to wait near the lines to those counters.
Going over, Sue kept a sharp eye out for anyone else she recognized from Ewen High School who might be in the lines, though she couldn't see anyone there just yet, not even Tommy Ross and his parents. Then she saw someone close by who she recognized; it turned out to be Jessica Upshaw, and she was standing very close to the newsagents with her bags by her side, her warm hat off her head, and a somewhat tired look on her face.
"Morning, Jessica." Sue said.
"Oh, good morning, Sue." Jessica said.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Sue asked.
"Still tired, I'll be honest. An early start this morning, just like you and your family I suppose." Jessica said.
"Yeah, and I'm a bit tired as well, even though I did get to bed early last night." Sue said.
"Tommy and his parents haven't arrived yet, but I think they should be here very soon." Jessica said.
"I hope so too. After all, Tommy said that he and his parents would be going over to Sodor, and I just hope they get here in time." Sue said, a little concerned that Tommy and his parents might miss the flight.
"Oh, here he is now, Sue!" Jessica said, pointing over Sue's shoulder. Turning round, Sue saw Tommy approach them, pulling a large trolley case behind him and another bag slung over his shoulder and hanging from his side.
"Hey, Sue! Good morning!" Tommy said, as he approached his girlfriend with a smile on his face.
"Good morning, Tommy!" Sue said, as she stepped forward, put her arms round Tommy's shoulders and kissed him.
"You been waiting here for very long?" Tommy asked.
"About two or three minutes." Sue said, feeling pleased that Tommy had arrived.
"Is there anyone else here?" Tommy asked.
"Well, there's me, Tommy." Jessica said. "And I've also seen Heather, Nicki and Lizzy, Rachel, Vicky, and quite a few of the others around here as well. And there's also Tina and Donna here as well." Jessica said.
"And is there any sign of Chris yet?" Sue asked with some concern, as she also looked around to see if she was there.
"Not yet…but I think it's inevitable that she'll be here." Jessica said, as she looked around the airport terminal for any sign of Chris Hargensen or her parents. Although there was no sign of them yet, they were all aware that Chris would make an appearance at some point.
After a while, Rita Desjardin arrived in the terminal with her luggage and stepped over to the group, where she began chatting with some of those who were there, while many of the others began to line up at the three lines to check-in to the flight to Sodor. Sue, her sister, and parents also began to line up and experience something they had gone through a few times before in the past, waiting for the line to slowly move up little by little so that they could check-in their larger bags. It did take a little while for them to get near to the head of the line they were standing in, but soon it was time for Sue and her family to check in as well.
"About time as well." Sierra said, feeling very pleased that they had finally reached the head of the line.
"Yeah." Sue said, as they stepped forwards. The process of checking in their bags only took a few minutes to do, with the larger, heavier bags being sent onto the conveyor belt and then going away into the back, from where they would be loaded onto trolleys and taken out to be loaded onto the aircraft. The four of them also received their boarding cards at the desk before they were finished the process of checking in, and then they all stood aside once they were finished. Stepped off to the side, they just needed to wait for a while before they went upstairs and then through security. After a few moments, Tommy came over towards Sue, and still with his bag over his shoulder, having just checked in his larger bags.
"So, that's my larger bags checked in." Tommy said.
"Yeah, so shall we go and get a hot drink before we go through airport security?" Sue said.
"You know, that sounds like a very good idea to me, Sue. Let's go and do that." Tommy said, as he and Sue put their arms around each other and went over to one of the coffee stalls in the terminal.
As the young couple went over to the coffee stalls, it was only then that they noticed Chris Hargensen and her parents standing together with their bags in the line that was the closest to them off to their right. From the look they could see on Chris' face, they could tell that she would rather be somewhere else…anywhere else…than being here. Then Sue and Tommy also noticed Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg and their families standing a little further back in the same line as well, and both Tina and Donna also seemed to be wishing that they were anywhere else but here at this airport.
Tommy and Sue looked anxiously at each other as they went along.
"I just hope that those three don't do anything stupid while we're over on the Island of Sodor. I'd hate for anything like that to happen." Tommy said.
"Yeah, I agree. That wouldn't look very good for us. Especially as it's likely that Carrie has probably told her friends on Sodor about the things that we all did to her over all the years back in Chamberlain. And what really concerns me the most is what Carrie's friends on Sodor will think of us all when they see us face to face over there." Sue said.
"Well, try not to worry about it too much right now, Sue. Let's try and worry about that when it comes to it." Tommy said.
"All right, I'll try not to." Sue said, as they approached the coffee stall.
(A little later)
Once everyone in the three lines had checked in their luggage and gotten their boarding passes, all of them made their way upstairs, by the stairs, elevators, or escalators, to where they could go through airport security. They lined up at the lines there and waited for the time when they could go through the x-ray machines and then into the duty-free areas, and from there to the gate where they could board the airliner. Sue and her family lined up together in the line with everyone else and got ready to go through security, while those who were already at the end of the line were already going through.
Slowly, everyone who was in the line made their way along the line towards the front before going through security, with everyone placing their things onto the conveyor belt to go through the x-ray machines, and then they went through the metal detectors. It wasn't too long before Sue and her family reached the head of the line, and they placed their things into the trays to go through the x-ray scanners, including their carry-on bags, laptops, phones, coats, and anything else they had, and then they walked through the metal detectors. No loud noises came from any of the detectors when they walked through, which meant they were clean and could proceed to the duty-free area. As Sue, her sister, and parents gathered up their things at the other end of security, Sue noticed Tommy coming through the metal detectors, and they didn't sound loudly at all, so Tommy had done a good job of removing anything made of metal of him before he went through.
A minute or two later, with everything they had now in order, as well as having put their watches back on, they grabbed their bags and made their way into the duty-free area.
Moving forward with the others who had gone through security before them, Tommy and Sue stayed together and went into one of the first duty-fee shops they, and looked through the different shelves and aisles in there for what they wanted to buy. They saw all sorts of things on offer, including candy, chocolate bars, toys and souvenirs, woollen hats, and various all sorts of other odd and ends to get people to spend a bit of money. There was also a variety of different types of alcohol on sale, including whisky, spirts, and wine, including champagne, as well as all different sorts of luxury items, including fragrances, perfumes, and cosmetics.
"What do you think you might get before we board the flight, Sue?" Tommy asked, as he looked over a wide selection of different chocolates on offer on the shelves.
"Well…I think I might get one of these big chocolate bars." Sue said, as she picked one.
"Sounds good to me. I think I'll get some chocolate as well." Tommy said, as he looked through the shelves for what he wanted to get.
A few minutes later, having chosen what things they wanted to get, the two made their way up to the checkout to pay for their purchases. There was already a line there, with some of their fellow classmates, their families, and some of the teachers already wanting to pay for the things they wanted to get. Sue could see her father standing at one of the checkouts and buying what seemed to be a bottle of champagne, a drink she knew her parents liked. She also saw the gym teacher, Rita Desjardin, in the queue as well, as she seemed to be buying chocolate or candy, judging from the bright packaging Sue could see in Rita's hands. After Sue and Tommy reached the front of the line a few minutes later, they paid for what they wanted to get and then went to meet up with their families before going off to visit the next duty shops while making their way towards the gate where they would board the flight to the Island of Sodor.
A little later on, most of those in the group were sitting together near to the gate where they would board the flight to the Island of Sodor. From where they were all sitting, they had a very good view out of the enormous glass windows of the airport apron, where they had a very good view of the work being done on the different aircraft that they could all see. Many of the aircraft had two engines, but many of the largest aircraft had four engines, including the Boeing 747 and the enormous Airbus A-380. They saw as men worked at refuelling aircraft, stocking planes with food for their flights, as well as checking the engines and landing gear.
In the meantime, a few of the others were at a large café, which was among a good selection of different eateries that was very close by to the gates, and in here all of them were taking the chance to have a hot breakfast before they went and boarded the aircraft. Sue and Tommy were among those getting a hot breakfast, along with the company of Heather and her boyfriend Brian Maxwell, Nicki and Lizzy, Jessica, Rachel, and Vicky, as well as Norma and Freddy. The hot food they were enjoying included eggs of their choice, sausages, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, batter waffles, French toast, as well as a selection of drinks like orange juice, coffee, and tea. They also enjoyed a selection of pastries as well, including croissants, scones, Danishes, and cinnamon rolls.
"Hmm, this is good." Sue said, as she enjoyed her food.
"Yeah, and I hope that this'll last us for much of the journey over to Sodor." Rachel said, as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Me too. Also, I'm not too sure about the quality of food that we might be served on the flight across." added Heather.
"Oh yeah, some of the food served isn't very good on some flights." Jessica said, as she took in another bite of her Eggs Benedict.
"Anyway, I hope that we'll be able to get over to Sodor safely, and that we'll be able to have a good time over there." Vicky said.
"We will, and we'll be able to go to the Christmas market over there too. And I hope that we'll be able to enjoy it too, so that maybe there'll be a chance a Christmas market could be set up in Chamberlain too." Norma said.
"Well, there's no way to know if that'll be the case or not, but I wouldn't mind having a Christmas market on Chamberlain. I think such a thing would be nice." Freddy said.
Meanwhile, a short distance away at another table, Chris Hargensen, along with Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg, and their respective boyfriends Kenny Garson and Jackson "Jackie" Talbot, with sitting together and enjoying their own food. Despite the good food she was having, Chris was still feeling very sour and was in a bit of a foul mood, as were Tina and Donna, as a matter of fact. Kenny and Jackson had clearly noticed the moods the three girls were in, and wondered what they could do to cheer them up somewhat.
"I was so looking forward to going over to Aspen this year, and to go skiing on the slopes there. And yet where do I find myself going instead? Going across the Atlantic to a place I've never heard of instead to see that…that freak!" Chris said, in a sulky quiet way.
"Calm down, Chris. I'm feeling disappointed just as much as you are. I was certainly hoping to go someplace where I could really enjoy Christmas and forget about school for a few days as well." Tina said, as she took a long sip of her orange juice.
"Yeah, and I was hoping to go to skiing up in Quebec this year." Donna said, as she took in another bite of her scrambled eggs.
"Hey, don't worry about it, you three. The ski resorts will still be there, and you could always go to visit them next year." Kenny said, trying to sound optimistic.
"You're right about that, Ken. But I was so looking forward to going away for Christmas this year, and enjoying the holiday in a place where I could enjoy winter sports." Chris said, not feeling any better. The fact that her boyfriend, Billy Nolan, wasn't here and not going along with them over to the Island of Sodor as well didn't help her mood at all.
"I just hope that we have a good Christmas over there. After all, the one thing that won't help me that much will be a Christmas where everything goes wrong." Donna said. And that was something the five of them agreed with.
It wasn't too long before most of those who were in the café had finished their food, and then they left and made their way to have a look in some more of the duty-free shops that were very near to the gate. Tommy and Sue stepped into a bookshop and took a quick look around inside it to see if there was anything they wanted to buy.
"Anything that catches your interest, Sue?" Tommy asked, as they looked along the shelves.
"Well…nothing in particular yet. I've got a few books in my carry-on shoulder bag to keep me occupied for the flight, but I wouldn't mind buying one here to read for the flight across." Sue said, as she looked along the shelves.
"Anyway, we mustn't stay in here for very long, Sue. After all, the flight is going to be boarding very soon, and we'll need to get ourselves back to the gate as soon as we can." Tommy said.
"Okay, Tommy." Sue said. For a few more minutes, the two of them looked along the different shelved within the bookshop, seeking for a book or a magazine or two that they could buy for the long flight across the North Atlantic to Sodor. Eventually, they each found a book that interested them and they went up to the checkout to pay for them.
After they had paid for their books, they stepped out from the bookshop and made their way down the concourse to the gate. And it just in time too, as there came the sounds of a familiar dining sound, followed two seconds later by an announcement from the airport's public address system.
"May I have your attention please? Would all passengers who are boarding AA Flight – 8653 to the Island of Sodor please proceed towards Gate 4. Boarding of AA Flight – 8653 will begin in 10 minutes, so would all passengers please proceed to Gate 4. Thank you." and then the P.A. went silent for now.
"Sue, that's for our flight. I think we'd better get ourselves over to the gate as quickly as we can. Come on!" Tommy said, as he and Sue headed off towards the gate. Sue needed no encouragement, and both of them quickly down the concourse towards the gate.
After they arrived at the gate and met back up with their families, all they needed to do was to wait for a few minutes until it was finally time for them to board. Looking outside the big open windows with allowed a good view outside of the apron, they could see the airliner that was taking them over to Sodor; it was an Airbus A380, the enormous double-decker airliner with four engines. There were three jet bridges going up to the left side of the aircraft, with one going to the upper level, and the other two going down to the lower level.
The passengers didn't have to wait for too much longer, and then the gate was opened and boarding began, with those having priority passes boarding the aircraft first. Among them was Chris Hargensen and her parents. Going past the other lines, where her other fellow classmates and their families were discreetly watching them go by and lining up at the desk where they had their boarding passes and passports checked by the person who was standing behind the desk, and were then allowed to go along to board the aircraft down the jet bridge going to the upper level of the A380.
It wasn't long before the passengers with priority had boarded the airliner, and then it was time for the rest of the passengers to begin boarding. It didn't take nearly as long as Sue or Tommy, or any of their classmates, had originally expected to for it wasn't long before many of them had their passports and boarding cards checked and were on their way down the jet bridges to the aircraft.
Stepping in through the open aft door on the lower floor of the A380, Sue and Tommy were directed to their seats by one of the stewardesses on duty, and they both turned to their right heading towards the standard class area in the middle of the aircraft. Entering, they saw a lot of activity taking place, with other passengers placing their carry-on bags into the overhead luggage lockers and then taking their seats ready for take-off. The aisles in between the seats were also filled with passengers sorting themselves out before they sat down. It wasn't long before Sue and Tommy, and their families, soon reached the seats that they were going to be occupying for the journey; Sue and her younger sister and parents were going to be in Row 70, and took Seats D, E, F, and G, which were the middle rows of seats, while Tommy and his parents were also sitting in Row 70 in Seats H, J, and K, which were over on the starboard side of the aircraft. Tommy was sitting in Seat H, with Sue sitting across the aisle from her in Seat G, and that meant the two could talk with each other during the flight.
After taking off her winter hat and coat and placing them into the overhead locker with her carry-on bags, Sue sat down in Seat G and put on her seatbelt. She saw that there were large T.V. screens with the in-flight entertainment fitted onto the backs of the headrests of the seats in front of them, and she hoped that there would be something good to watch during the flight. Looking along the starboard aisle, she saw many of the other passengers getting themselves sorted out and sitting down in the different seats, with some taking the chance to place their carry-on bags and heavy coats into the overhead lockers before they sat down. Looking ahead, Sue saw the Watson Twins, Nicki and Lizzy, sitting down on Seats F and G in Row 65, as well as seeing Heather sitting in Seat H in Row 66. Taking a look over to her left, she saw a few other familiar people from school also sitting down as well, including Freddy Holt and his parents, Norma Watson and her parents, as well as Jessica Upshaw, Rachel Spies, and Vicky Hanscome. Sue also noticed the familiar figure of Principal Morton sitting himself in his own assigned seat as well, which was Seat E in Row 61.
Looking back to her right, Sue then noticed the gym teacher, Rita Desjardin, place her carry-on bags into the overhead locker and then sit down on Seat H in Row 60. Feeling somewhat pleased to be aboard the aircraft, but also anxious to get going as soon as possible, Sue checked her watch; the time was 10:46am, and they weren't due to pull away from the gate for another 15 minutes or so. Settling back into her seat, Sue looked through the new book she had bought not too long before while waiting for the safety procedures to begin.
Meanwhile, further forward on the lower level in the Premium Economy section, the four officers from the Chamberlain Police Department who were going over to Sodor as well took their seats after placing their things into the overhead lockers. The four officers, Irving, Brian, King, and Spacek, were the same ones who had been over to Sodor earlier in the year in order to spy on Carrie, and this time they were also bringing along their families with them. One deck above them in the First-Class cabin, where there were only 8 seats in total, Chris Hargensen and her parents were already occupying their seats for the flight; they were all seated in Row 2, with her mother and father in Seats D and G in the middle of the cabin, while Chris was in Seat K, where she had a window seat and a good view outside. Even though Chris was disappointed that her hopes and plans for Christmas this year weren't going to be the way she had wanted, at least having a window seat that was unobstructed by the wings somewhat made up for that disappointment. Settling back in her comfy seat, Chris buckled her seatbelt and wondered when the complementary drinks were going to be served before the flight.
A little further back on the upper level, there was the cabin for Business Class, and it was in here where Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg, along with their families, would be for the flight to Sodor. Tina and Donna were sitting beside each other in Row 12 in Seats D and G, which ran down the middle of the cabin, while their parents were sitting elsewhere inside the cabin. By now, most of the seats in the Business Class cabin were nearly filled up, as well all the seats that were forward in First-Class, with only the last few seats in Premium Economy and the Economy cabins left to fill.
It wasn't too long before everyone who had booked to take this flight was finally aboard and taken their seats, and then the flight attendants in the different cabins could go through the safety briefings for the passengers. As the doors were closed and the jet bridges were slowly pulled away from the A380, the flight attendants went through the safety briefing, showing all the passengers what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency, including how to put on and inflate a lifejacket, how to put on and remove a seatbelt, using an oxygen mask in the event there was a loss of pressure inside the cabin, as well as of what to do in the event of an emergency landing, including on water. All passengers were also reminded to have their seats in the upright position, with all tables folded up, and all electronic devices switched off or set to flight mode, as well as being reminded to have their luggage secured in the overhead lockers or under their seats, and that no smoking was allowed on the flight.
Also, the passengers were informed that the time on the Island of Sodor was five hours ahead of time on the east coast of the United States, and so all the passengers changed the times on their watches from the local time of 11:01am to the time that was currently on Sodor, which was 16:01pm.
While this was all being done inside the cabins, the enormous bulk of the Airbus A380 was being moved away from the gate by one of the powerful aircraft tugs and into a position from where it could move off to the runway, with the aircraft's engines slowly building up power. Once in position, the aircraft tug moved away and then the enormous airliner began to move forward down the taxiways to the runway. From where she was sitting, Sue could clearly feel the aircraft move slowly along before coming to a stop. Looking over to her right, she could see the window but her view out of it was obstructed by the people sitting in Seats H, J, and K in the row.
Slowly, the airliner went along the taxiways towards the end of the runway and waited until it was time for it to get on the runway and take-off. Once in position on the runway and with the way clear, the pilots in the cockpit were given the all-clear from the control tower to depart. Slowly, as the pilots pushed the throttled forward, the engines revved up and then the brakes were released; after several seconds, with the engines roaring loudly, the A380 started off down the runway. Slowly at first, but then it got faster and faster the more it went along the runway, until finally the nose started to rise up and the aircraft finally lifted into the sky. For all the passengers on board, it seemed like all of them were thrust back into their seats when the aircraft sped up and then lifted up off the ground. It was something many of them really liked, having flown on airliners many times over the years, though a few were a little bit more apprehensive about it.
Sue was one of those who didn't mind the effect of such an incredibly large aircraft lifting off the ground, and she knew that they had gotten clear of the ground and were climbing higher and higher into the sky. For several minutes, the A380 climbed higher and higher into the sky, going through the thick bank of snow-laden clouds that stretched for miles in all directions. Anyone who looked outside the windows from where they were sitting, the view they saw was on a dull snow-covered landscape below, to be soon replaced by the sight of white clouds covering their windows as they flew through the cloudbank. For about three minutes or so, everyone wondered on when they would get through the clouds and then see what was on the other side of it. They soon found out, for soon the A380 broke through the top of the clouds and was flying over the cloudbank in bright sunshine. Looking outside the windows, everyone could see that there was a crisp blue sky high above them, with the amazing sight of the expanse of clouds below them, with the top of the clouds being white as snow. Anyone could see different cloud formations towering over the cloudbank, often reminding many people of sculptures of even cloud formations that they remembered from their pasts.
About 10 minutes after taking off, the A380 was on course to the east and soon reached its cruising altitude of 38,500 feet. Now that they were on course, the lights for the seatbelt signs went out with an audible "ding." On hearing and seeing that, many of the passengers removed their seatbelts and adjusted their seats so they could make themselves more comfortable, while others lowered the tables on the backs of the seats in front of them, or else had a look through the inflight entertainment selection to see what was there that would keep them interested for the next few hours.
At her seat, Sue also unbuckled her seatbelt and settled back to enjoy the flight. Picking up her book from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of her, she opened the book to where she placed her bookmark. In the other seats in this part of the row, her parents and younger sister also settled down to enjoy the flight, with Sierra putting on her headphones and connecting them up to the inflight entertainment system, while the parents relaxed in their seats and set to enjoying the trip. Taking a glance forward along the starboard aisle, Sue could see the other girls and students in her class setting down to relax, including reading magazine or books, as well as looking through the inflight entertainment system.
Taking a look over to her right, Sue saw Tommy stretching his legs out under the seat in front of him while leaning the seat back a little bit. Taking a glance over across the aisle to Sue, Tommy saw her looking at him.
"Are you okay, Tommy?" Sue asked, as she smiled at him.
"Yeah, I'm just making myself comfortable, Sue. Long flights can make me somewhat uncomfortable at times." Tommy said.
"Don't worry about it too much, Tommy. This flight will only take about five hours or so, and that means we won't have to be too uncomfortable for very long." Sue said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Sue. I'm also wondering when the inflight food and drinks are going to be served." Tommy said.
"We'll just have to wait, Tommy. But it shouldn't be too long at all." Sue said.
"Yeah." Tommy said. Looking into her book, Sue settled down and continued to read.
(Meanwhile on Sodor; local time 16:20pm)
Among a group of people who were going into the Christmas market at Knapford Town Hall, Carrie White, along with the good company of Simon, Saoirse, Alice, Olivia, and Sophie, stepped out from the Christmas market, having enjoyed a few hours of their Sunday socialising together there and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
"Oh, I'll be looking forward to wearing these tonight!" Carrie said, as she held up a bag. A short while before, she had bought a pair of sheepskin slippers at one of the stalls inside. These slippers were lined with warm material on the inside, and Carrie was keen to see what they were like to wear, particularly at this very cold time of year.
"I bought a pair of them last year, Carrie. And they've kept my feet warm during the winter." Sophie said.
"I hope they do the same for me." Carrie said.
"Anyway, I think it's time that we all set off home now. After all, it's getting very cold and snowy, and it'll be getting dark very soon." Alice said, as she looked up to the grey and cloudy sky high above.
"You know, that sounds like a good idea to me. After all, I told my parents that I'd be home by 6:00pm, because that's when dinner is going to be served." Olivia said.
"Okay, let's all head off home then, and then we'll meet up tomorrow." Simon said. Agreeing with that, they all headed off their separate ways to head home.
Carrie and Simon were soon aboard Caroline and making their way through the streets to Carrie's house. They were feeling tired from their afternoon together, and were keen to get home as soon as they could. The main reason for that was that both of them were rostered to start work on the railway very early the following morning, and so they needed to be home and get dinner, and then pack their things and head to the Tidmouth depot where they would spend the night in the crew building there.
"I think I'll be glad to get to sleep tonight, as my feet are killing me after the walking we've done at the Christmas market." Simon said.
"Yeah, mine too." Carrie said, as she looked out the window at the sights they went past, including bright Christmas lights on buildings, Christmas trees in front windows, people going about and having a good time, and other sights that constantly reminded her that Christmas was getting nearer by the day.
"I can't believe that it's nearly Christmas now." Carrie said.
"I know. Just a little over a week to go until the big day, and I'm really looking forward to it." Simon said, as he smiled.
They soon reached a point on their journey where they could look down onto a double-tracked railway line that passed beneath a road bridge. The traffic lights ahead were red and there was a line of cars stopped before them, and so Simon had to stop as well. While they waited, they heard the sounds of two whistles coming from both railway lines, with one being heard on each side of the bridge. Looking over to their right, they saw a column of grey-white smoke rise into the air as L.N.E.R. Thompson Class O1 2-8-0 No.63752 went on by beneath the bridge with a long line of heavily loaded coal trucks coupled up behind him. Looking over to the left, Carrie then saw another engine coming in the opposite way on the other line. This new engine was a smaller tank engine, and it was painted in L.N.E.R. apple green livery, and had a line of coaches coupled up behind him.
This tank engine was actually No.2587, an example of the G.N.R. N2 Class 0-6-2T tank engines (118) and he was on his way back towards Knapford Station with some empty coaches from the north. As he passed beneath the bridge, he blew his whistle again, and clouds of smoke and steam enveloped the bridge again. From where they sat, both Simon and Carrie listened out as the train passed beneath them, with the sounds of the wheels on the tracks creating quite a sound as they went on by.
As the sounds of the train hauled by No.2587 faded away once the last coach passed under the bridge, both Simon and Carrie looked to their right and watched as the train moved further away from them, heading towards Knapford. There was nothing to be said between them for now, as they had seen trains pass beneath this bridge more times than they could remember.
Then the traffic lights ahead changed from red to green, and the line of cars slowly moved forwards on their way. Once the cars ahead moved forward, Simon gently released the handbrake and pushed the accelerator, and Caroline slowly moved forwards over the bridge and through the road junction on their way back home.
(118): The Great Northern Railway's N2 Class 0-6-2T tank engines were designed by Nigel Gresley and they were intended to be used on suburban passenger trains, particularly out of King's Cross in London. They were based off of an earlier and very similar 0-6-2T design, the G.N.R. N1 Class, which had been designed by Henry Ivatt and introduced for use on the G.N.R. system from 1906 to 1912. After the last member of the N1 Class had been introduced, the G.N.R. had no need for new suburban tank engines for a number of years.
A year after the end of the First World War in 1919, Gresley considered a number of possible new tank engine designs for use on suburban services that had a number of different wheel arrangements, including a new 0-6-2T, a 2-6-2T design, as well as a 2-6-4T design. Eventually, a new 0-6-2T design was selected by Gresley for development as the new suburban tank engine. The reason why the 2-6-2T and 2-6-4T designs produced were not selected was because they were just a bit too long to run through the G.N.R. interchange that was located at Moorgate.
The new N2 Class design was based on the earlier N1 Class, but it featured larger diameter cylinders and piston valves, a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements, and a greater water capacity in the side tanks. The piston valves were positioned above the cylinders, which required the boiler to be pitched higher than on the N1 Class. This combined with a short chimney to keep the locomotive with the Metropolitan loading gauge, gave the N2 Class quite a powerful appearance.
The new N2 Class had two inside cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 170psi, as well as six driving wheels that were 5ft 8in in diameter. All this combined to give the N2 Class a maximum tractive effort of 19,945lbf. The side tanks of the N2s could take around 2,000 gallons of water while their bunkers could carry around 4 tons of coal.
The boilers fitted to the N2s were very similar to those used on the N1 Class, except that they were fitted with a twin tube superheater. In 1944, the Southern Area fitted an 18-element Robinson superheater to No.4756 (B.R. No.69535). This proved to be quite satisfactory, and the Southern Area converted all of their N2s to this configuration in between 1944 and 1950.
In total, 107 members of the N2 Class were built between 1920 and 1929, at five different workshops. These workshops included;
Doncaster Works; which built 16 engines.
The North British Locomotive Company; which built 50 engines.
Beyer, Peacock & Co; which built 12 locomotives.
The Yorkshire Engine Company; which built 9 examples.
Hawthorn Leslie and Company; which built 20 engines.
The N2 Class had four different classifications built during their production history, thought the sub-classifications weren't used until 1928. These four sub-classifications included;
N2/1: these were the first batch of engines built from 1920 to 1921, and they had special condensers fitted so they could work on the Metropolitan Railway lines that ran between King's Cross and Moorgate. They were also right-hand drive machines, a shorter chimney, and had smaller axlebox journals. As with the earlier N1 Class, a water tank was located under the N2/1's coal bunker. This was shaped to also surround the coal space, and had a sloped top to ease coal shovelling. Unlike the N1s, the bunker was only flared at the back. These engines experienced some problems with their condensers, including water surging through the tank and being thrown up through the blastpipes, and even getting into the cylinders and causing damage. Various fixes were attempted, but the problem persisted, and many of the N2/1s eventually had the condensing gear removed. The N2/1s were eventually reclassified as N2/2s.
N2/2: these engines were built under L.N.E.R. auspices in 1925 and were numbered from No.2583 to No.2594. They were the first of the L.N.E.R. Group Standard N2s and were fitted with left-hand drive, as well as a taller chimney and no condensing gear. They were also fitted with mechanical lubricators for their axleboxes, as well as a Detroit sight feed lubricator in the cab for the cylinders and steam chests. However, condensing gear was added or removed from these engines as they were transferred to and from the London area.
N2/3: these engines were built in 1925, with a second batch being built from 1928 to 1929. They were similar in appearances to the N2/2s, but had improved axleboxes with larger journals, and had the axlebox springs mounted on cast steel hangers which allowed for much steadier running. The axleboxes were lubricated with a Wakefield No.7 mechanical lubricator, while a Wakefield Eureka D sight feed lubricator was fitted inside the cabs for the cylinder and steam chest lubrication. They were also fitted with Westinghouse brakes. Condensing gear was never fitted to any of the first batch of N2/3 locomotives, but some engines in the second batch were fitted with condensing gear.
N2/4: these engines were built from 1928 to 1929, and they had a much deeper ashpan which allowed for a damper door to be fitted at the ashpan's rear. They were also fitted with Wakefield No. 7 mechanical lubricators for lubricating the axleboxes, as well as the cylinders and steam-chests. Dry sanders were also fitted, unlike the steam sanders fitted to the earlier N2s.
When they first came into service, the N2 Class was put to work on the King's Cross Metropolitan suburban workings, displacing the earlier N1 Class, as well as the earlier G.N.R. C12 Class 4-4-2T tank engines. They became an immediate success, with King's Cross having 40 members of the class based there by 1925. As well as working on suburban commuter services, the class were also used on empty coach workings for main line expresses, and they were also sometimes used on occasion to pilot the main line expresses from King's Cross to Potters bar.
When they were hauling commuter trains, they could often reach speeds of up to 60 or 70mph on quite a frequent basis, and could often accelerate to speeds of 50mph within half a mile of them setting off from stations. They could maintain an average speed of about 30mph while hauling trains of up to 200 tons in weight on the 1-in-60 gradient of the Highgate Branch line, or the 1-in-60 gradient of the climb to High Barnet.
After trials in 1924 in Glasgow, 12 new N2s were ordered for the Scottish Area, and were initially allocated to Dundee, St. Margaret's, and Eastfield. As well as heavy suburban traffic, the St. Margaret's N2s would often find themselves on transfer goods workings. Construction of new members of the standard N7 Class in 1927 displaced many of the Kings Cross N2s to Scotland. Dunfermline, Haymarket, and North Berwick all acquired N2s for the first time.
The N2s that were assigned to work in Scotland did their duties well, although they were never too popular with their Scottish crews as they were often uncomfortable to ride on, and were nicknamed "Bulldogs" and "Metropolitans" by their crews. Due to a derailment near the town of Gartmore in October 1929, the N2s were banned from running on a number of Scottish branch lines. As the new engines of the V1 2-6-2T Class became available, 28 members of the N2 Class were moved down to London.
Two N2s were tried in West Riding in 1926, followed by a permanent allocation to Bradford and Ardsley in 1931. The West Riding N2s were found to have much quicker acceleration than the N1s, even though their high-pitched boilers made them top-heavy. By 1945, all the West Riding N2s had returned to London or were moved to Nottingham.
In the Second World War, one member of the class managed to find its way to Mexborough shed, from where it was used to bank goods and mineral trains from Wath to Dunford Bridge.
When Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, all 107 members of the N2 Class managed to be acquired by the newly formed British Railways, with more than half the class, 57 engines in total, being allocated to King's Cross in London. Once under B.R. ownership, the entire class was renumbered from No.69490 to No.69596, and were given the power classification of 3MT.
The entire class continued on with their normal duties of running on their original duties of hauling suburban commuter trains, as well as the occasional freight trains, under B.R. auspices until the first new diesel engines came into service during the 1950's.
The first withdrawals took place in 1955, when No.69514 was withdrawn in September that year, with the next member of the class, No.69562, following in January 1956, but the first proper withdrawals began in 1957, when 10 members of the class were removed from service that year. The withdrawals continued until 1962, when the final 13 members of the class that were still running at the start of that year were removed from service by the end of September 1962. Many of their last duties before being withdrawn included standing-in for diesels that had failed, as well as acting as station pilots.
Thankfully, one example of the class has survived into preservation; this is No.69523 (L.N.E.R. No.4744 and No.9523), who was built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow and saved for preservation after being withdrawn in September 1962. It's the only Gresley-designed tank engine that's still in existence. After being bought by the Gresley Society in October 1963, No.69523 was returned to running order and spent many years working on different heritage railways around the U.K., in her B.R. livery, as well as in her earlier G.N.R. apple green livery with her original G.N.R. number of No.1744, and is normally based on the Great Central Railway. During her time running in preservation, No.69523 gained fame by appearing in the film The Railway Children. As of 2024, No.69523 is nearing the end of a major overhaul on the North Norfolk Railway.
It wasn't too long before Simon finally drove Caroline into the gate and up the driveway to Carrie's house, and Carrie was feeling very pleased to get home after today. Also, knowing she had to be up very early in the morning due to the time she was assigned to start work, Carrie wanted to start packing some things so she and her father could make their way to the crew building at Tidmouth Sheds, which they intended to do after dinner.
"Well, Carrie…I guess I'll see you and your father over at the depot later on." Simon said, after he had turned Carrie round in front of the house.
"Yeah, hopefully I will. Anyway, I'd best get my things and get inside now." Carrie said, as she opened the door on the passenger side and got out, before opening the door behind and grabbing the things she had bought at the Christmas market earlier that day.
"See you later, Carrie!" Simon said, as he turned to look at her before she closed the door.
"See you later, Simon!" Carrie said, as she closed the door and went up to the front door. Once he saw Carrie had stepped inside the house, Simon drove Caroline down the driveway and turned onto the street, before heading off on his way home.
(Later that evening; time 7:10pm)
Sitting in the comfort of Ralph's car, Carrie and her father went along the street towards the depot at Tidmouth. By this time, both Carrie and Ralph had already enjoyed their Sunday dinner at home and were ready to spend the night at the crew building at the depot in Tidmouth. Both of them were rostered to start work early the following morning, though Ralph was scheduled to be up around five o clock so as to start at six. Carrie, however, had been rostered to be up at four the following morning in order to help out on an early train that was running in the morning.
"I've never started so early in the morning before. I don't know what it'll be like." Carrie said.
"Well, it was something that I was unsure of when I first started all those years ago, Carrie. But it's something you'll get used to with time. After all, I did. And there's always something about getting up early too. You usually get to see things that you never would normally see." Ralph said.
"Yeah, let's hope so." Carrie said.
They pulled into the car park in front of the crew building, and parked quite close by to the main entrance. Getting out of the car and grabbing their bags, they went straight inside. It was still extremely cold out, and Carrie was eager to get out of it as soon as possible, both to get to the room assigned to her as well as to get to sleep early tonight. Inside, they saw that there were a few other engine crewmen milling about and looking at the noticeboards that were fitted against one wall, while other crewmen, who had been told they would be working the night shift tonight, were heading outside the back entrances into the yards to get to their assigned engines before setting off for work.
Carrie was soon assigned to a room for the night on the second floor of the building, while her father was assigned to his own room on the floor below. Stepping into the small room, Carrie set about getting ready to turn in early. After setting the alarm on her phone to go off at about 3:55am the following morning, Carrie changed into her pyjamas while leaving out her work clothes so she could put them on after she got up.
After doing what she needed to do in the small bathroom, including brushing her teeth, Carrie stepped back outside into her room. Going over to the window, she pulled one of the curtains and looked out; there wasn't much to see out right now, just the street lights as well as the lights from a number of buildings she could see nearby. The sky above was covered with thick clouds that blocked out the stars, and which also threatened to unleash more snow at any moment. Closing the curtain fully, Carrie went over to her bed and pulled the duvet aside before getting into the bed and pulling the duvet over herself. Looking forward to the very early start in the morning, Carrie turned off the bedside light and went to sleep. Once the light went out, her watch showed the time as being 8:05pm.
(Meanwhile, at Sodor International Airport, 8:10pm)
Now on its final approach, and with only a short while left to go before they finally landed, the enormous Airbus A380 approached the runway at Sodor Airport after its long flight across the North Atlantic from Western Maine Airport. The flight had gone much quicker than all the passengers and crew had originally expected, as there had been a tailwind which had pushed them across the Atlantic for a great deal of the trip, and allowed them to cross over in just a shade over 4 hours instead of the originally scheduled 5 and a half hours.
By now, the seatbelt lights had come back on and all the passengers had fastened their seatbelts ready for landing. Sue, her sister, and parents had also fastened their seatbelts, as well as having put up their tables, raised their seats to an upright position, and braced themselves for landing. Next to Sue across the aisle, Tommy and his parents were also braced for landing, with their seatbelts on and seats in the upright position.
The flight had been a very smooth and uneventful one, with no turbulence to cause discomfort on the trip, and everyone seemed to be very satisfied with the flight. The food and drinks that had been served had gone down well with everyone, and the inflight entertainment system had offered plenty of choices for people to enjoy.
Sue had been amazed at just how quickly the flight had gone, but at the same time she was feeling tired from the flight and was keen to get her feet back onto solid ground again, and then get off the aircraft. From her seat, Sue couldn't tell what was going on outside but she knew that they were getting closer and closer to the ground from the way the aircraft was moving through the sky. She couldn't see outside any of the windows, but she could tell that they were descending closer and closer to the ground.
Suddenly, Sue felt a very slight jolt from beneath her feet and then the nose of the aircraft levelled out as they finally landed on the runway. As they all felt the aircraft slow down, many of those sitting in the Economy cabin clapped and cheered out loudly, as each of them were very pleased that they had finally landed safely.
Then, there came the sounds of the engines roaring loudly as reverse thrust was applied and the aircraft slowed down before it came to the north end of the runway. As the enormous A380 slowly moved off the runway towards the apron in front of the main terminal buildings, an announcement from the cockpit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'd like to welcome you all to the Island of Sodor. We'll soon be pulling up to the jet bridges over at the main terminal building, and then the doors will be opened and you can disembark from the aircraft. But please remain seated with your seatbelts on before then, and when you disembark, please make sure that you bring all your personal belongings with you. On behalf of the crew of this aircraft, I hope you've had a pleasant flight, and hope to see you all aboard flying with us again." and then the P.A. system went quiet.
The enormous A380 slowly rolled up to the main terminal building with the jet bridges, and was then came to a stop in the right position for the jet bridges to be connected up around the three doors – one on the upper level and two on the lower level – which were then opened up a few moments afterwards. Then the passengers could start disembarking from the A380. After putting on their coats and hats, and then gathering up their things from the overhead lockers in the four different cabins, the passengers began to make their way out from the aircraft, heading up the jet bridges towards the arrivals section within the terminal. Sue and her sister and parents, as well as Tommy and his parents had to wait for a time until the crowds ahead of them had moved out from the cabin, and then they were able to leave the cabin and slowly make their way out.
"You know…I'm glad to be out of that cabin. I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable in there." Sue said to Tommy, as they walked up the jet bridge side by side.
"I know how you feel, Sue. I do feel a little bit uncomfortable if I ever sit for too long in a seat on a long flight on an aircraft, particularly in my legs." Tommy said.
"Yeah, but at least we're back on solid ground now. So let's go and claim our bags, and then get checked into the hotel." Sue said.
"Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm feeling tired after that flight." Tommy said, as they made their way with everyone else into the baggage reclaim area, while keeping with the crowd of people making their way along.
After arriving in the baggage reclaim area, which was a large open space, as they had all expected, everyone grabbed a luggage trolley off to the side of the area and went up to the baggage carousels to get their bags. It wasn't too long before the first bags made their way out on the different carousels and everyone started to place their items of luggage onto the trolleys as they came out. Considering how much luggage an Airbus A380 could carry, it took some time for everything to be placed onto the luggage carousels and then to make their way out so they could be taken off by the passengers who owned them. Once every person had taken all the luggage they had onto the trolleys, they made their way out from the baggage reclaim towards customs and passport control, and then from there out to the arrivals area of the airport and then out to the hotel, where everyone from Chamberlain who had been on the flight had made reservations to stay the night.
Sue and Tommy, and their respective families, soon had collected all their luggage and then made their way out through passport control. Stepping out into the large arrivals area, they all looked around in some amazement; the place looked no different from any airport arrivals area they had been in before, only that there were brightly decorated Christmas trees about, with other decorations hanging from above, to mark the festive season. They could see other passengers who had been on the flight going up to the bureau de change in order to exchange their currency, while others were getting information from the information office that was open.
"Come on, and let's get to the hotel. I think that we're all tired after our long flight, and I want to get freshened up." said Sue's mother, as she covered a yawn with her arm.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me. Let's do that." said Tommy's father, as they pushed their luggage trolleys out the main doors and into the freezing cold winter air. They could all see that there was plenty of snow on the ground, and in the freezing air they could all see their breath coming out from their mouths in dense swirling white clouds.
"Oh, it's so cold!" Sierra said, as she rubbed her gloved hands together while looking up into the cold and dark Sodor sky.
"Well, the sooner we get to the hotel, the sooner we'll be out of the cold." Sue said, as they walked over to where they could see the hotel, which was only about one hundred and fifty yards away.
Then, they heard the sounds of a whistle from just off to their left and looking in that direction, about two hundred yards away, they heard the sounds of what sounded like an engine chuffing away from the airport station, and saw the sight of smoke rising up from over the edge of the slope that overlooked the railway lines leading in and out of the airport station.
"It looks like we'll be taking the train to the hotel in Knapford tomorrow morning." said Sue's father, as they all watched the smoke rise up and the chuffing sounds fade into the distance.
"Yeah, it sure looks like it." Tommy said, as they continued on towards the hotel.
Entering the hotel a minute or so later, they were glad to step into the warmth of the reception area. Looking up to the reception desk, Sue and Tommy could see a few people they recognized from Ewen High School; Rita Desjardin had just gotten her card keys for her room at the reception desk and was heading over to the elevator foyer, while Heather and her parents, as well as Chris Hargensen and her parents, could be seen in one of the lines and waiting to check-in for the night. Looking off to the side, Sue could see Freddy and Norma sitting on a couch and keeping warm by the fire burning brightly in the fireplace, while she could also see Jessica and Rachel getting a soft drink over at one of the vending machines that were tucked away in a corner of the reception area.
It took a little while for them to make it up to the reception desk, but they finally reached it, checked in for the night, and were given the card keys to access their rooms. They went upstairs in the elevator, with Sue and her family staying in two rooms on the fourth floor, while Tommy and his parents stayed in two separate rooms along the third floor. Reaching their rooms down a quiet and cosy corridor, Sue and her sister Sierra were staying together in Room 414, while their parents stayed in Room 415, with an interconnecting door between the two bedrooms. Going inside Room 414 and switching on the lights, Sue chose the bed that was the closest to the large window, while Sierra chose the adjacent bed.
Looking outside the window before closing the curtains, Sue could see that the room had a very good view over the different railway lines that went south out from the airport railway station, which could be clearly seen in the bright lights as dark lines sitting within the crisp white snow that lay everywhere on the ground, although there were no trains to be seen running out of the station at the moment. Closing the curtains, Sue and her sister set about getting ready to turn in for the night, as both of them were feeling very tired after their long flight from Maine. They weren't too concerned about eating right now, as a good dinner had been served on the flight to all the passengers when they were more than halfway across the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, in her own comfortable room up on the fifth floor, in Room 509, Rita Desjardin was also getting ready to turn in for the night. By now, she was already dressed into her pyjamas and had brushed her teeth in the bathroom, before leaving and going over to the window and looking out. She had a good view of the railway lines going south out of the station, though there were no trains to be seen. Closing the curtains, Rita decided to go straight to bed, but before she did so, she said quietly to herself, "Well, Carrie…we're all here now. And I hope that we'll get to see you very soon indeed."
Then she quickly pulled the duvet aside, slipped under it while laying her head down on the pillow, and then after she turned off the bedside lights, she fell into a welcome sleep at once.
We're getting much closer now, everyone! Now that Carrie's classmates, their families, and teachers have arrived on the Island of Sodor, part of the stage has been set for the reunion that many of you have been expecting since this story started! As you've also read in this chapter, Carrie's due to start her shift for the following morning much earlier than expected, and she's gonna be assigned to work on a very special early morning train. Which train is it? Well, wait and see until the next chapter!