Chapter 70: Some Well Deserved Payback

(Wednesday, December 19th 2012 – 1:35pm, Christmas Market)

Arriving at the Christmas market together after making their way there from Tidmouth Sheds, Carrie, Simon, and their friends entered through the main front gates. By this time of the day, all of them were feeling eager to enjoy some of the good Christmas food that was on offer, as well as to enjoy the festive atmosphere. It certainly seemed to be that way in the market right now, as there was jolly Christmas music being played over the speakers, and the comforting smells of a lot of delicious Christmas food being cooked at the many different stalls could be smelt drifting through the calm freezing air, and there was the buzz of activity to be heard as lots of people went about to and from the different stalls and did some of their Christmas shopping here. They could see thin columns of smoke rising from some of the stalls that were preparing hot foods, as well as smells of spices coming from stalls that were preparing hot drinks, including coffee, hot chocolate, eggnog, and mulled wine.

The six friends all paused just inside the entrance and for a few moments, they looked around for any sign of Carrie's classmates. Although there were quite a lot of people at the Christmas market this afternoon, including a lot of children who seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was no sign of those from Ewen High School or any of the familiar adults from Chamberlain about that Carrie could see.

"I can't see any sign of them yet." Carrie said, as she looked back and forth a few times to see if she could see them.

"I wouldn't worry too much. They probably just haven't arrived yet, Carrie." Saoirse said, as she looked around at the different stalls.

"Yeah, but then again there's also the chance that some of them could be here, but we just can't see them around yet." Alice added.

"I think that's quite a fair point actually. But even so, let's go get some decent food while we're here and before more people arrive." Sophie said, and agreeing to that, they went off towards some of their favourite food stands to get something good to eat, which they felt they really needed after having started work early on this morning.

(Meanwhile, over at Tidmouth Sheds)

Having gotten back to the sheds not too long before, and having witnessed what had happened over at the Knapford depot not too long before, James told all the other engines present about the states that he had seen Chris, Tina, and Donna after their morning of punishment work not too long before. On being told this story, all the engines present couldn't help but laugh out loudly, as all of them were very pleased to be told that the three main bullies of Carrie White had finally been given some just desserts for all the horrible things that they had done to Carrie over the years.

However, even though they were all really very pleased to hear this news, there were a few engines among them who had some misgivings about what Chris and her two closest cronies might try to do next in order to get even, either with Carrie, or even with them for putting them through that work.

"I just hope that those three don't go anywhere near Carrie in the remaining time that they and everyone else from Carrie's hometown still have over here. I'd really hate for anything bad to happen to Carrie." Percy said, with some genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm very concerned about that as well." added Toby with some concern, knowing full well from the day before what sort of a person Chris Hargensen was like.

"Me too. I'm afraid that those three girls might try to do something to get even with Carrie, or against her father, for being made to do the sort of work that Carrie seems to enjoy doing every time she goes to work." Oliver added.

"I'm quite sure that the friends Carrie has made over here will help to keep an eye on her when they're out and about. And her father will no doubt help to keep a close watch on her as well. And let's not forget…when Carrie's working on the railway with us, there's no risk of her bullies getting anywhere near to her." Edward said.

"I suppose that's true enough, Edward…but even so, I'm still concerned that those three bullies might try and find a way to get at Carrie when she's out working with us." Duck said.

"I wouldn't be too worried about that, Duck. After all, those bullies probably won't know on which of us Carrie will be working, and they'll be quite hard pressed to find us as we're all usually out working, especially at this time of year." said James.

"Maybe so, James…but even so, I think that we should all keep our eyes open to see what those three might do if they get the chance. And something tells me that they could try something in the near future." Thomas said

"Well, regardless of what they might or mightn't try, we should still keep a close watch out for Carrie, as well as what her three main bullies might try and do." said Gordon, and that was something to which all the engines present agreed to.

Just then, a very familiar voice interrupted their conversations. It turned out to be none other than the Fat Controller himself, who had just arrived in the yards from his office with the latest jobs for them all to do.

"Okay, everyone!" he called out, as he got their attention as he stepped up with his two assistants, "It's time for you all to get back to work! After all, it's going to be Christmas in a few days and we all need to make sure that the passengers, freight, parcels, and mail gets to where it needs to be!" said the Fat Controller.

"Yes, sir!" all the engines said at once. Christmas was always one of the railway's busiest times of the year, and the engines were always busy going back and forth across the island, taking heavily-laden trains full of people, mail, and parcels to the different stations. And it always seemed like every year the trains got heavier and heavier as more and more people, parcels, and mail needed to be moved around. Not only that, but there was also the obvious risk of heavy snow falling, as it usually did year after year, and that meant that some engines would need to be set aside for snowplough duties in order to keep the lines clear for trains to run. It was often very difficult for trains to run through the snow, especially if there were deep drifts to run through, but it was important for some engines to be assigned to snowplough duties in order to keep the lines clear.

"I should also let you all know that there's more snow due to fall very early tonight, and so that means some of you and the other engines will need to be assigned to clear the lines." said the Fat Controller.

"Yes, sir!" all the engines said, knowing how difficult things could be when the snow caused drifts along the lines at this time of year.

"Now, you all better get ready to head out to work as soon as possible. There's a lot of work that needs to be done before the day is out." the Fat Controller said, as he turned and walked back to his car.

"Yes, sir!" the engines all said together, as their crews, having been given their instructions on what trains they were going to be taking this afternoon. By this point, each of the engines had plenty of steam in their boilers and the fires were burning away in their fireboxes, and making even more steam.

As each of the engines made their way out of the depot and out to collect their next trains, each of them was keeping Carrie in their thoughts, and they were each hoping that Chris Hargensen wouldn't do anything to get revenge on Carrie.

(Meanwhile, at the Christmas market)

Having gotten some of the things that they wanted to eat from the stalls within the market, Carrie, Simon, and the girls made their way to one of the sheltered seating areas where they could stay out of the cold and eat their food. They managed to find two tables in one of the corners where they could seat down, and yet they could still look outside the windows at what was going on within the Christmas market.

"Oh, I've been looking forwards to having this all day!" Simon said, just before he took a bite out of his hot dog, which had crispy fried onions on it as well as barbecue sauce.

"I agree, Simon! I love the burgers that they serve here!" Saoirse said, as she started on her burger. Feeling pleased to get some good food into her, Carrie started on her food as well, which was spicy noodles with vegetables and beef that she had gotten from one of the nearby food stalls. Savouring the spices within the noodles and beef, she felt herself smile as she enjoyed her food, especially as it helped to warm her up after being outside in that cold for the last few minutes. Taking a look outside at what was going on, she could see a number of stalls that had caught her eye and that she wanted to go to once they finished up in here.

"Hmm…this is really good." Sophie said, as she savoured her burger before taking a long sip from her can of Coca Cola.

"It's hard to believe that there's only a few days left before the Christmas market comes to an end, and then we'll have to wait until next November before it comes back again." Alice said, as she took a sip from her can of Sprite.

"Yeah, I know. But I feel that the time between when the Christmas market ended last year and when it started up again this year just flew by, and so if we're lucky then maybe the next year will fly by in the same way." Olivia said.

"Yeah, let's hope it does." said Simon.

A few moments later, the doors to the covered seating area opened up and Sue Snell and Tommy Ross, along with Heather Shyres, Jessica Upshaw, Norma Watson, Freddy Holt, and Rachel Spies stepped inside. Turning their attention to look for a place to sit down and eat the food they had just bought at a few of the nearby stalls. And then Norma, while turning her head to look around for any spare tables that they could all sit at, she then noticed Carrie and her friends sitting at the table that was the closest to them.

"Hey, there you are, Carrie! We've been looking all over the market for you!" Norma said, as she smiled while stepping over towards them. Turning their heads to see, the others in the group saw where Carrie and her friends were and went over to them as well.

"Hi there, everyone." Carrie said, as she looked up while her classmates approached her.

"Did you have a good day at work today on the railway, Carrie?" Sue asked, as they stood by the table and then sat down.

"Yes, I did, and we managed to get all the trains to where they needed to be on time. And that was despite the snowy weather and the risk of icy rails." Carrie said, as her classmates sat down around the table on the spare seats.

"Did you get a chance to drive the engines that you were working on today?" Heather asked, just before she started on her burger.

"No, not today. I just had the job of being the fireman today, and used the shovels to place coal into the firebox to keep the fires burning." Carrie said.

After her classmates sat down and started on the food they had bought, there was silence between the two groups for a few long moments, apart from the sounds of those people who were already in the seating area and chatting, socialising, and enjoying the different food and drinks that they had. And for those few long moments, Carrie looked from one of her classmates to another, rather uncomfortably, and waited for that they had to say next. She also seemed to sense that her classmates were also somewhat uncomfortable as well, due to the looks that she could see on some of their faces.

After a few more moments of this awkward and uncomfortable silence, Tommy Ross took in a deep breath and spoke up.

"So, Carrie…do you have plans to take some time off during the Christmas holidays?" he asked, as he looked at Carrie.

"Yes, I've made some arrangements to take a few days leave from Christmas Eve until early in January. And I'm really looking forward to relaxing for that time before getting back to work after the end of that rest." Carrie said.

"And are the rest of you guys taking leave over the Christmas holidays as well?" Sue asked, as she looked towards Simon and the other four girls sitting at the table.

"We are…and we're all really looking forward to it as well. And that's because we've all been working very hard over the last few weeks in order to help get all the passengers and mail, parcels, and freight to where it needs to be in time for Christmas." Sophie said.

"And do all of you have to start very early, like Carrie said she had to do this morning?" Sue asked.

"Yes, at this time we need to, and believe me we'll be glad to take the time off. It's exhausting to start very early at around three or four in the morning in order to go to work, and then having to work all day and getting to bed early so as to be up early the following morning. And we'll all be very glad to take a good long rest from all that over Christmas." Olivia said.

"I don't know how well I'd be able to operate getting up very early in the morning to start work at a certain time day after day after day." Jessica Upshaw said.

"Oh, you'll get used to it over time, believe me. But it's a bit of a challenge to do that when you first start off." Simon said, as he took a sip of his Coca Cola.

They all took a few seconds to enjoy some more of their food and drinks before they spoke again.

"How to you think Chris, Tina, and Donna managed working in the depot today? I think that they should be finished up by now." Rachel said, as she looked out the window.

"I think that it's likely they're all done by now…and I imagine that the three of them aren't too happy about having to work there either." Saoirse said.

"Yeah, I bet they're not too happy." Alice added.

"I can bet that they're not!" Norma said, as a smile crossed her face, and quite a few of those around the table chuckled at the thought of what the three bullies had gone through in working with some of the engines during the course of the morning.

(Meanwhile, back at the hotel)

Norma was indeed right about Chris and her two closest minions not being too happy about the work that they had been made to do. The fact that all the trucks in the yards had laughed at them and had sung a very rude and humiliating song about them before they had left the yards hadn't made their moods any better at all. Right now, the three of them were sitting around together in the main lounge of the hotel and sulking over their recent experience. Even though the three of them had each gotten a bottle of Coca Cola from one of the vending machines that were located within a corner near to the main reception desk a few minutes before, the cold drinks hadn't done much to improve their moods at all.

"I swear that I'm gonna get even with both that freak and those engines as well! And I swear that I'm gonna do it before Christmas!" Chris said, in an anger that she hadn't felt in quite a long time.

"Yeah, we want to get even with them as well, Chris! But how do you think we should do it?" Tina asked, as she took a sip from her bottle of cola.

"And where shall we try and do it?" added Donna.

"I don't know yet…but we should try and do something where we can catch that freak when she's out working with one of those engines, because that way we can get two revenge plans done at the same time!" Chris said, as the angry look on her face disappeared, to be quickly by an evil one. On hearing that, both Tina and Donna also smiled evil smiles on their faces too. For a few minutes, the three of them brainstormed a number of ideas on how to put their revenge plan into action, but they kept quiet about it as they didn't want to anyone else in the hotel's lounge to hear anything. The fact that there were quite a few people in the lounge and enjoying their afternoon tea and each other's company meant that they didn't want to be too loud about that they planned to do, and whenever any other people came by the couch where they were sitting, they would quieten themselves down for a bit until the people had gone on their way.

When they stepped out of the lounge a few minutes later, their moods were slightly better and they had the beginnings of a revenge plan in place to get back at Carrie and some of the engines of the Sodor railway. There was still some work left to perfect their plan before they could put it into action, but they were confident that their revenge plan would have some success once they could work out the final details. And once all those little details were finally finished, they could then find a way to put their revenge plan into action.

(Meanwhile, with the adults from Chamberlain)

Having left the coffee shop near to the top of Gordon's Hill a little while before, all the adults who had come over from Chamberlain were finally arriving back into Knapford Station after having left Wellsworth Station. All the adults were feeling rather pleased with their trip out to see one of the areas on the island, but they were all keen to get back with their kids as soon as possible. Quite a few of them were also keen to get to the Christmas market while there was still plenty of daylight left, as many of them were keen to enjoy some of the tasty Christmas foods that were on sale there, as well as get some Christmas gifts that had caught their eyes.

Sitting on her seat and looking outside as the train slowed down while it pulled into Knapford Station, Rita Desjardin was also keen to get to the Christmas market, as she knew that it was very likely Carrie, her boyfriend, and the four girls who she was friends with would be there, as well as many of the Senior students she knew from Ewen High School. At the same time, Rita was also concerned with the fact that Chris, Tina, and Donna might try something, and she needed to make sure that someone kept an eye out for the three of them to be sure that they didn't do anything stupid.

In other seats not far from where Rita was sitting, a few of the other teachers, as well as Principal Morton, were also feeling concerned that Chris Hargensen might do something to get even with Carrie after being made to work in the yards. All of them were concerned at what Chris and her two lackeys might have planned to do that and knew that such an act would cause Ewen High School more negative publicity and also cause potential problems with the authorities here on Sodor.

At the head of the train, the engine who was pulling them into the station, G.W.R. King Class 4-6-0 No.6026 King John, slowed down even more and then came to a gentle halt at the end of Platform 3, stopping just before the buffer-stops at the end of the line. As he let off some steam just after he came to a stop, the porters opened the doors to the coaches and the passengers disembarked from the train and made their way towards the footbridge so they could leave the station. After getting off the coached that they were travelling in, those adults from Chamberlain made their way out from the station and into the car park, where they paused before deciding where to go next.

"I'm going to head over to the Christmas market. I think that Carrie and her friends may be over there right now." Rita said, as she looked at her fellow teachers and Principal Morton.

"I think that sounds like a good idea, Rita. And make sure that Carrie is kept safe from Chris and her two minions if you see the three of them there." said Mrs Harrison, the theatre and drama teacher.

"And some of us will also head back over to the hotel, and if we happen to see Chris in there, then we'll let you know." Ms Lewis, the business teacher.

"Thanks. And I'll let you know if I see Chris at the Christmas market. I'll see you all later on!" Rita said, as she set off towards the market.

"Okay, Rita, and good luck!" Principal Morton said, as he and the others watched Rita set off down the street. Some of the parents of the Ewen High seniors were also heading over to the Christmas market as well, and keen to enjoy some time there before night fell.

Back within the station, John rested after his long trip over from Vicarstown Station with his train, which had stopped at many of the stations along the Southern Main Line to pick up and drop off passengers along the way. Behind him, a shunter had just uncoupled the coaches from his tender, and not long afterwards the coaches were taken away to one of the coach sidings nearby where they would be service and cleaned before they were sent back out on another train later on in the day.

Just before John could leave the station so that he could head back to Knapford Sheds to be serviced, there came the sounds of a whistle being sounded from down the line and the sounds of chuffing approaching the station. A few moments later, the engine who made the noises came into view as he came to a stop at Platform 2 opposite where John was standing. This engine was No.450, who was a Great Central Railway (G.C.R.) Class 9N 4-6-2T tank engine (129) and he seemed to be very pleased about something, which interested John.

"What are you so happy about?" John asked, curious as to why No.450 was so pleased about something.

"Well, you know those three bullies who always harassed Carrie before she ran away from home last year?" No.450 said.

"Yes?" John said, his interest now piqued as he looked over to No.450 with a look of curiosity of his own on his face.

"Well…let me tell you what I saw when I was being serviced earlier on this morning…" and then No.450 told John about what he had seen over at the depot earlier on. And when he had finished telling his story, John couldn't help but smile broadly at hearing this story.

"Then I guess all that serves those three right for doing what they did to Carrie! I would've loved to have seen it!" John said, as he chuckled for a few long moments.

"I and a few of the other engines did, and we couldn't help but laugh at those three girls before they left the depot! You should've seen their faces once the trucks had finished singing their song!" No.450 said, as he chuckled loudly for a few moments.

(129): The Great Central Railway's Class 9N (L.N.E.R. A5 Class) 4-6-2T tank engines were designed by John G. Robinson, and they were intended to be used on suburban passenger services that ran out of Marylebone Station in London. They were the very last passenger tank engine design to be produced by Robinson, though it wasn't the final tank engine design that he produced.

The class were built at Gorton Works and by Hawthorn, Leslie, and Co between March 1911 and March 1926, with 44 engines being built in total, of which 31 engines were built at Gorton with the rest of the class being built by Hawthorn, Leslie, and Co. The later engines were intended for use on lines around Middlesborough, and were fitted with Westinghouse and vacuum brakes.

The class had two inside cylinders that were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke that were paired with 19in diameter piston valves, a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 180psi, and six driving wheels that were 5ft 7in in diameter, all of which combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 23,750lbf. The coal bunkers of the class could carry a little over 4 tons of coal, while the side tanks could carry up to 2,280 gallons of water. The boilers that the class were fitted with were interchangeable with the G.C.R. Class 11B / L.N.E.R. D9 Class 4-4-0s.

They were the very first class of Great Central locomotives to be fitted with superheaters, which worked wonders for the economy of coal and water, and were fitted initially with Schmidt-type superheaters but these were later replaced by the Robinson-type. From 1920 on, Ross pop safety valves were fitted and later on Automatic Train Control equipment (A.T.C.) were fitted to a number of the class, including all those that were built after 1923. From 1947 to 1949, a number of the class were fitted with a number of experimental A.T.C. systems, including the Hudd and Great Western systems.

When they were first built, the class followed the G.C.R. practice of not being fitted with side-window cabs, although No.450 was fitted with them in 1921. All members of the class built after 1923 were fitted with side-window cabs from new, and eventually the rest of the class were similarly fitted with them between 1924 and 1926.

All the engines were originally built with water scoops fitted so that they could replenish their water tanks from water troughs when they were on the move, however these weren't used very often and eventually fell into disuse in the 1940's, with the pick-up gear being removed entirely from all the engines between 1948 and 1949. Oil-burning equipment was fitted to some of the class in 1921 and 1926/27 in order to circumvent a lack of coal due to coal strikes.

Initially, the A5 Class were built to the gauge of the G.C.R., which was larger than it was on the L.N.E.R., though later on the engines of the class were fitted with boilers that had lower domes, and Gresley-style chimneys were also fitted, which allowed them to run over much of the L.N.E.R. system.

During their working lives, the class generally worked out of Marylebone Station, but they also worked on trains around Bradford, as well as out of King's Cross in London, with the class running out of King's Cross taking trains to Hitchin and Baldock. On these services from King's Cross, one member of the A5 Class was recorded at running at a speed of around 70mph, which is believed to be a record for any engine within the class. They were also used on the London Transport Line in between Rickmansworth and Aylesbury where they replaced the eight earlier H2 Class 4-4-4T tank engines that had run along that line since 1920.

The first member of the class to be withdrawn from service was No.5447, which was removed from service on 21st December 1942 when it was discovered that its frames were found to be badly cracked. As a result of that, a number of the A5 Class were overhauled with new frames from 1944 onwards. Upon nationalisation of the railways in January 1948, the class were renumbered from No.69800 to No.69842, with the engines built at Gorton Works being numbered from No.69800 to No.69829, while the engines built at Hawthorn, Leslie were numbered from No.69830 to No.69842.

When the new Thompson L1 Class 2-6-4T tank engines came into service on the Marylebone routes in some numbers from 1948, the A5s were transferred to Lincolnshire. From 1950, a few of the class were moved to work on the route from Darlington to Saltburn, with some being moved to Hull in 1951.

Proper withdrawals of the class began in 1957, when both No.69815 and No.69833 were removed from service in July and May respectively that year. Over the next three years, withdrawals continued until 1960, when the final 10 engines that were still running were removed from service. The last two engines of the class to be withdrawn were No.69808 and No.69820, both of whom were removed from service in November 1960. Sadly, none of the class have survived into preservation.

But before the two engines could carry on with their conversation any further, they were interrupted by a voice.

"Okay, John…" came the voice of John's driver as he leaned out from the cab of the G.W.R. King Class, "…it's time for us to be off to the depot now."

"Okay!" John said, as his driver wound the reversing gear into full reverse, released the brakes, and then opened the regulator a little. Slowly, letting out a cloud of condensed steam from the drain cocks of his four cylinders, John reversed out from Knapford Station and headed towards Knapford Sheds.

"I'll see you later, No.450!" John said, as he left.

"Okay, John!" No.450 said, before he then set off on his way back towards Knapford Yards.

(At the Christmas Market)

Having finished their food within the seating area, Carrie and her friends, along with her classmates, were walking around the market and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas. All the people who they could see were really enjoying themselves as they walked along, with people laughing, smiling, and enjoying the food that was being served from the different stalls they went by. The smells that were coming off from the various different stalls as food was being prepared really brought back plenty of memories of previous Christmases to those who were here and enjoying themselves.

As Carrie and those who were with her went along, they would pause every now and then to have a look at something that caught their interest, whether it was a souvenir or gift at a stall that they wanted to buy a packet of chocolate or candy at one of the stalls that they passed by. Then a bit later, they passed by where Santa's Workshop was located, where a line of people with excited kids could be seen waiting to go in to see Santa Claus.

"I don't suppose any of you guys would fancy going in to see Santa Claus, would you?" Freddy asked, in a jokingly sort of way. For a few seconds, there was a sort of a disbelieving silence among everyone else in the group as they all looked at Freddy…and then they all laughed for a few seconds.

"No Freddy, I think that we're all a bit too old for that sort of thing now." Tommy said,

"I stopped going in to see Santa all the way back when I was 10 years old, and I don't think it would be suitable now." Sue added.

"I stopped doing that years ago, Freddy. Though if I have kids of my own in the future, then I might take them to see Santa!" Rachel said.

"I really don't think that would be a good idea!" Jessica added.

"It would look a bit strange if teenagers like us were seen in that line with all those kids!" Saoirse said, as she looked at Freddy in a sort of incredulous way.

"I agree with Saoirse about that!" added Sophie.

"Hey, come on you guys! I was just kidding about that!" Freddy said, as he shrugged his shoulders in some embarrassment.

"We know you were, Freddy. But really! The idea of teenagers like us going in to see Santa Claus!" said Norma, slightly amazed that her boyfriend would suggest something like that, even in a joking sort of way.

From where she was with Simon, Carrie listened to what her classmates and some of her Sodor friends talking about going in to see Santa, and a slight tinge of regret went through her head. In her younger years, she had never gone in to see Santa Claus during the festive season, all due to her mother's religious beliefs and her refusal to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Because of that, their house along Carlin Street was never decorated with Christmas lights, or had a brightly decorated Christmas tree placed in the front windows, and nor did they celebrate Christmas Day with a special dinner. And it was something that a lot of her classmates from the last few years had occasionally bullied her about. Now that she was here on Sodor, and about to celebrate the second proper Christmas of her life, she knew that she was a bit too old to go and see Santa Claus as she was 17-years-old now. Seeing the group move on ahead towards some of the other stalls, Carrie followed along, putting her bad memories of her personal past firmly behind her.

They soon stopped in front of one of the stalls where hot chocolate was served, and the rich smell of the hot chocolate coming off from it drew the group towards it. From what they could all see, the hot chocolate seemed to be a best-seller due to the amounts that the two attendants at the stall were selling to customers.

"What you say we all get a cup of hot chocolate here?" Norma asked, as she looked towards the others.

"Sounds like a good idea to me! I am getting a bit cold now!" Rachel Spies said, as she rubbed her gloved hands together to keep some heat in them.

"I do recommend the hot chocolate they serve here, guys! It's a really thick and luscious hot chocolate that's made with real chocolate instead of the powdered stuff that you'd usually buy in the supermarket." Sophie said, knowing how popular this hot chocolate was.

"Well then, let's go and get some while there's plenty of it left!" Jessica said, as they all lined up and waited to take their turn at getting a cup.

"You know, I think that a cup of that hot chocolate would be really good in this cold right now." Simon said, as he looked at Carrie.

"Yeah, I think so too. And it certainly smells delicious too." Carrie said, as she looked towards the hot chocolate in the vats that were being served. As well as regular hot chocolate, there were two different variants, including one flavoured with different spices, like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, another flavoured with vanilla, as well as another one that was flavoured with gingerbread. Each of those flavours certainly smelt good and promised to warm someone up on this cold day. And there were different toppings being put onto the hot chocolate, including whipped cream, grated chocolate, marshmallows, and even caramel sauce.

When they had gotten the hot chocolate that they wanted to have, and which was served in the large cups, a bit later on and had taken a few long sips from them, each of them felt much better as the warming effect went through them.

"Oh, that's so much better!" Norma said, as she took another long sip and enjoyed the sweet and thick liquid.

"Yeah, this is really nice stuff." Jessica said, as she also took a long sip, while also taking in some of the cold whipped cream that had been placed on top.

"Hmm…I think that I should ask for the recipe for this hot chocolate while I'm here. Because this is really delicious!" said Sue, as she savoured the rich, sweet flavours.

Both Simon and Carrie had gotten some of the hot chocolate that had been flavoured with vanilla, and they were both really enjoying the hot drinks, particularly by the way they warmed them up in this cold weather.

"Oh, this is good! Really very nice!" Carrie said, as she enjoyed the warm feeling that was going through her from the heat of the drink.

"Yes, indeed!" Simon said, in agreement with her.

A few minutes later, as the group went around the Christmas market, Carrie then noticed someone very familiar in the distance and coming towards them. And then she realised who it was in fact.

"Ms Desjardin!" Carrie said, when she saw her favourite teacher approach the group, having seen them and now making a beeline towards them.

"Hey, Carrie! Hey there, everyone!" Rita said, as she approached the group and greeted everyone present in it.

"Hello, Ms Desjardin!" or "Hello, Rita!" everyone in the group said, when they saw Ewen High's gym teacher approach them.

"Are you all having a good time?" Rita asked, as she looked at each of them.

"Yes!" or "Sure!" all the teens before her said at the same time.

"And I suppose that you've all had a good time here this afternoon?" Rita said.

"Yes, Ms Desjardin." Heather said.

"And we've all had a bit to eat by now." Norma said, as she took another sip of her hot chocolate while it was still fairly hot.

"And we're just going about and enjoying ourselves while there's still plenty of light, and before we need to go back to the hotel." Tommy said.

"Or in our cases, back to our houses." Alice said.

"Yeah, there's that. And also before I forget…did any of you guys see Chris Hargensen, Tina, or Donna around here this afternoon?" Rita asked.

"No, Rita. We haven't seen them around here at all today. I think that they decided not to show up after they finished over at Knapford depot earlier on." Simon said.

"I just hope that the work that those three had to do over in the depot taught the three of them a very good lesson for why they shouldn't bully someone!" Sophie said

"Yeah, I hope so too!" added Olivia.

"I hope so too." Rita said, hoping that the hard work had taught Chris, Tina, and Donna a very good lesson about why bullying is wrong, as well as what it means to do a hard day's work, especially in an environment where people had to get dirty in their work.

Just then, there came a sound of buzzing as a text message came to Rita's mobile phone. Fishing her phone out from the pocket on the inside of her coat, Rita checked the message, and after a few moments a small smile crossed her face.

"I've just gotten a message from Principal Morton. It turns out that Chris, Tina, and Donna are over at the hotel right now." Rita said, as she looked at the teens.

"Well, that's good news to hear. But do you think that those three might try something?" Sophie said, as she looked at Rita.

"I don't know, Sophie. But I think that we should all keep a close eye on them, just in case they try to do something stupid." Rita said.

"I agree. And knowing what Chris is like, it wouldn't surprise me at all if she and her two cronies did try something." Tommy said.

"Absolutely." Alice said, as she then took another long sip of her hot chocolate while it was still quite hot.

(Later on, early evening)

With a light shower of snow falling slowly from the dark sky high above, the bright lights of the Christmas market brightly illuminated everything that was going on as more people arrived to enjoy the nightlife of the market. Familiar Christmas music could be heard being played over the speakers as smells of food being cooked at the many stalls drifted out over the street and helped to draw people in. However at the same time, Carrie, her Sodor friends, and her classmates were leaving the market. Her classmates and families needed to be back at the hotel to have their dinner and rest after their day out, while at the same time Carrie and her friends needed to get back home, as they were rostered to start work again on the railway early the following morning.

"So, you're starting work again early tomorrow, Carrie?" Rita said, as they stepped out onto the street.

"Yes, Ms Desjardin. I have to be. And I think that with all the heavy snow that's sure to come down tonight, I think that it's very likely some of us are gonna be assigned to snowplough duty to keep the lines clear for trains to run." Carrie said.

"And believe me, Rita…when the snow comes down here on Sodor, it can sometimes come down quite hard and block many of the lines. And so, some engines are fitted with snowplough and go up and down the lines in order to keep them clear for trains to run." Simon said.

"And that's another major reason as to why we've got an early start tomorrow." Saoirse added.

"Well, good luck with the work that you all need to do tomorrow." Rita said.

"And make sure to keep all the lines clear of snow so the trains can run!" Tommy added.

"We will! And shall we see you tomorrow when you're finished?" Alice asked.

"Well, let's hope so. Anyway, we'd all be off home now. See you guys in the morning!" Sue said, as she and Tommy turned and went along the pathway towards where the hotel was.

"Good night then!" Sophie said, and after everyone said "goodbye" and "good night" to each other, they all set off on their respective ways, either back to the hotel or off to their homes nearby.

As the Ewen High seniors made their way along the footpath back to the hotel, many of them were thinking about how they had interacted with Carrie over the last few days they had been on the Island of Sodor. From the way that she had been interacting with them over that time, it was clear to each and every one of them that Carrie White was no longer the shy and awkward outcast that she had been the year before. It was clear to all of them that within the course of the last full year Carrie had changed quite considerably in her ability to socialise with other people her own age, as well as in her ability to keep good friends close to her, all of which really impressed her classmates. They were also hoping that they could still make up for their previous mistakes and become good friends with her, just like the people who she had become friends with here on Sodor. They were also hoping that she would forgive them all for the bad things that they had done to her over the years back in Chamberlain, and they hoped that the time they had over here would be enough for that to take place.

As they walked back to the hotel, each of them could only hope it wasn't too late for that to take place. All they could do for now was to hope that Carrie would fully forgive them all.

(The next day; Thursday, December 20th 2012 – 8:30am – Knapford Yards)

With a loud wheesh of steam and a squealing of brake blocks on steel wheels, L.N.E.R. B16 Class 4-6-0 No.61475 came to a stop in one of the long sidings within Knapford Yards. He had a snowplough fitted to his front, and had spent the best part of the last four hours going along the Northern Main Line in between Knapford and Emily Road keeping the lines clear of snow. There had been a very heavy snow shower that had lasted through most of the night, which had been accompanied by freezing temperatures, and as a result of that snowdrifts had built up everywhere. The cold temperatures had also caused the rails to become icy in many places and even caused many snowdrifts to freeze, which meant that clearing them away would become a problem.

Carrie had been at Tidmouth Sheds early with her father, and she had been assigned to work with No.61475 on snowplough duties this morning, while Ralph had been assigned to drive L.N.E.R. A2/3 Class No.516 Hycilla on an early fitted freight run from Knapford Harbour to Vicarstown. After getting changed and having a quick breakfast in the crew building's canteen, Carrie met up with the crew of No.61475 and not too long afterwards, with the snowplough fitted to his front buffer beam, they set to work at once. At that time, the snow was still falling quite heavily and the sky was as dark as it could be from the enormous snow clouds that were overhead.

After being turned on the turntable and then after heading out onto the Southern Main Line, No.61475 set to work at clearing the snow. Along with a number of other engines who were assigned to snowplough duties this morning, No.61475 went back and forth along the section of line that he was assigned to and clearing the snow away. For the most part, the drifts that he came upon were cleared without too much trouble, though in some places he needed to make a number of runs through the heavier denser drifts until he had cleared a way through the snow.

For much of the morning, Carrie worked away at helping to keep the firebox stoked with fresh coal, and even though she was well wrapped up in warm clothing, including a warm woollen hat, heavy work overalls, good work boots, and gloves on her hands, she deeply appreciated the heat from the firebox as well as the physical work, both of which helped to keep her warm on this freezing cold morning. The fact that there were two full tea cans sitting on the warming plate over the firehole doors was also an important factor in keeping the crew warm on the footplate.

Whenever she looked out of the forward cab windows as they were going through a snowdrift, Carrie couldn't help but be impressed by the sight of the snow whenever No.61475 went through it at speed; the snow would often just spray out to the sides of the plough, almost like a ship ploughing through an ocean swell. Sometimes, there would be instances where clouds of loose snow that had been cleared got thrown up into the air and then mixed in with smoke and steam from the chimney would mix together in a cloud and be blown into the footplate, but they didn't cause too much trouble for the crew on No.61475's footplate.

For the few hours that they ran up and down the Northern Main Line in between Knapford and Emily Road, they kept the lines clear of the snow that had fallen on it, though with the snow coming down all the time and topping up the snow that was on the ground, it was a bit of a repetitive task. Thankfully though, the falling snow did ease up somewhat at around 7:15am, and that meant it would be much easier to keep the snow off the lines as they went along them. Looking out from the footplate as the sun slowly came up to the east, with the sky gradually brightening as the light spread across it, Carrie couldn't help but be impressed at how far the bank of snow-laden clouds extended across the sky, and she knew that a lot more snow would be falling for quite some time yet.

Eventually though, No.61475 arrived back at Knapford Yards at 8:30am, exhausted from his morning of hard work and keen for a good long rest before going out to work again. Carrie as well as the driver and fireman were feeling tired as well, and felt they deserved a good rest for a while before going out to work again. By this time, a lot of the coal within the coal space in the tender had been used up and it needed to be replenished before they went back out again, and the water space in the tender also needed to be topped up soon. Although they had replenished their water supply a number of times from a number of water towers during the course of the morning, another top-up would be needed again.

As Carrie stepped off the footplate, she went over to a brazier that was only a few feet away and stood by it for a few long moments, allowing the heat coming off of it to warm her up a bit. Deeply appreciating the heat coming off from the glowing hot coals in it, she suddenly realised that she was quite hungry after the morning's work and wondered how soon she'd be able to eat again as the breakfast that she had eaten at the Tidmouth crew building earlier on hadn't been a very big one, just a bowl of cereal with milk, a glass of orange juice, a small cup of strong hot coffee, and some toast with butter and jam spread on it.

"Hey, Carrie!" came a familiar voice. Turning round, Carrie smiled as she saw Simon approach her. Just like her, he had been assigned to snowplough duties this morning, and worked on the footplate of L.M.S. two-cylinder Stanier Class 2-6-4T No.42447 on the Ffarquhar branch line running from Knapford to as far as Ffarquhar. Some parts of that line had been quite heavily snowed over, with deep drifts forming in places, particularly in the cuttings, which had required considerably force and quite a bit of digging to get through. But No.42447 had managed to get through the snowdrifts without too much difficulty and managed to clear the line all the way to Ffarquhar Station, and a number of other engines on snowplough duty had helped to keep the line clear of snow for much of the early morning, despite the snow coming on down from above.

"Hey there, Simon! Did you have a good morning's work?" Carrie asked, as she and her boyfriend hugged each other and kissed each other on their lips.

"Yes, we did. And we managed to clear quite a bit of snow over the last few hours along the Ffarquhar line, despite a few drifts along the way." Simon said.

"Yeah, same here. Nothing major to report at all there." Carrie said, feeling very happy to see her boyfriend.

"Shall we get something to eat? I think that having a fry-up on the shovel would sound good right about now." Simon said.

"Yeah, that sounds all right to me. I am feeling hungry right about now." Carrie said, knowing that a hot hearty fry-up cooked up on the shovel would also help fortify her against the cold winter weather.

"Well, let's get started on it then. I'll get a few things and then we'll begin." Simon said, as he turned and went into the building adjacent to the sheds to get the things they needed.

(Meanwhile, over at the hotel)

Having woken up a short while earlier on, and having showered and changed into fresh clothes, many of those from Chamberlain were downstairs in the main dining area and having breakfast. Sitting over at one of the tables very near to the large windows looking out over the grounds behind the hotel, Sue Snell, her parents, and younger sister Sierra were sitting together and enjoying their breakfast. Looking up from where she was sitting, Sue could see plenty of other people, both from Chamberlain and from elsewhere, eating their breakfasts or else lining up at the buffet line and getting whatever it was that they wanted to eat before sitting down at one of the spare tables and tucking into their food.

Turning her head around and taking a look out the window, Sue saw that the grounds behind the hotel were covered in a lot of fresh white snow, with more of it falling out of the grey sky high above. It was a really beautiful sight, and certainly promised that there would be a white Christmas on Sodor this year.

But as Sue ate her food, her thoughts immediately turned to something else. Where was Chris Hargensen? Sue hadn't seen her in the dining area having breakfast yet, although she had seen her parents a few moments before having breakfast at another table very close by. Sue also hadn't seen Tina or Donna yet this morning, and was wondering whether or not the three of them were up to something. But then, looking towards the main entrance to the dining area, Sue saw the three of them come in and dressed in clothing that seemed to show that there was nothing wrong at all. But Sue wasn't convinced that the three of them didn't have anything in mind, and knew that Chris would try and do something to get even with Carrie, especially when she considered what happened when the three of them worked in the depot yesterday and got filthy dirty and covered in ash and soot.

Watching the three of them go over to the buffet line and choose what they wanted to get for breakfast, Sue turned back to finish off her breakfast.

At another table elsewhere in the dining area, the news reporter Gale was having breakfast with her cameraman and soundman. While sipping from a mug of strong hot coffee, Gale was taking the odd glance around the room and watching what was going on, as well as listening out to what was happening. So far, she hadn't heard anything major that attracted her interest, although she had heard stories that many of those who had come over here from Chamberlain had encountered Carrie within the last few days, and that the senior students who had come over here had apologised to Carrie, but she hadn't heard any more details beyond that.

"We should try do what we can to find out where Carrie is, and try to get an interview with her, if that's at all possible." Gale said, as she knew from her extensive experience in working within the tabloid media for the last few years that it could be difficult in getting what was needed, and so she had to be quite ruthless in trying to achieve what she wanted to get.

"And how do you expect us to do that?" the cameraman asked.

"Yeah, she's working out on the railway on this island, and so she'll be constantly on the move as a result." added the soundman.

"Well, we'll just have to keep our eyes opened to make sure that we see her before anyone else! And when we do…then we'll make sure to try and get an interview with her first!" Gale said, with her voice full of determination.

"And how likely do you think that could be?" the cameraman asked, as he picked up his mug and took a long sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, Sodor's still quite a large island, and that means the chances of us actually even seeing Carrie isn't a hundred percent guaranteed." added the soundman, as he looked at Gale.

"I'm not going to get worried yet, you two. I've overheard some of those here saying that they saw her nearby, and so there's always a chance of seeing her." Gale said, while taking a look outside the window at the snowy scene outside.

"Well…if you're so sure about that, Gale. But still, I'm not gonna hold my breath on the off-chance that we'll actually see Carrie and get close to her." said the cameraman, as he finished off the last of his coffee.

A short while later, having finished her breakfast, Sue excused herself from the table and stood up before making her way out of the dining room. As she did so, she passed by the table where she saw Chris, Tina, and Donna were eating their breakfasts. When they saw her approach, the three girls suddenly silenced themselves from the low conversation that they had been having and waited until Sue had gone by before speaking again. Suspicious as to what her three former friends were planning, Sue knew that she had to alert someone so as to make sure that Chris, Tina, and Donna didn't do something stupid and get themselves into some sort of trouble with the authorities over here.

Heading out the dining room doors, Sue made her way over to the elevators that were by the main reception lobby and pressed the button to summon one of the elevators. After waiting for a minute, the doors slid open with a ding and Sue stepped inside. Pressing the button for the floor her room was on, the elevator doors slid shut and the lift made its way up the shaft.

(Meanwhile, with Carrie)

"How are the sausages looking, Simon?" Carrie asked, as she knelt down beside him and looked towards the blade of shovel, on which the sausages were being cooked over the heat of the fire burning away within the inside of the firebox. They were together on the footplate of No.61475 and cooking a hot breakfast over the hot coals in the firebox as a little reward for the work that they had done that morning. Already, Simon had cooked some bacon and eggs beforehand, and now all he had to do was finish cooking the sausages and then they would be ready to enjoy their food.

"They should be just about ready by now, Carrie." Simon said with a smile, as he pulled the blade of the shovel out from the firebox and checked on the sausages with a fork he held in his left hand. Satisfied that everything was finally ready to go, Simon lifted the shovel up and used the fork to place the sausages onto a plate sitting on the front of the tender.

A few moments later, with their sandwiches made up and a cup of hot tea in hand, Simon and Carrie sat down on the front of the tender to enjoy their food. The drivers and firemen of the engines they had worked on had already made up their own sandwiches a few minutes prior with what Simon had cooked and were off resting before coming back to work. Taking a long sip of tea while it was quite hot, Simon felt himself smile as he felt the warmth of the hot liquid go down his throat and warm him up. Then he took a bite out of his sandwich, and smiled at how tasty it was.

"Hmm…this is good." Simon said, after swallowing.

"I agree…this is delicious." Carrie said, as she took another long sip of hot tea.

"Yeah, nothing can beat something like this." Simon said, as he took another bite out of his sandwich.

Once Carrie and Simon had finished eating their food a few minutes later, it was time for them to get back to work again. By this time, having finished his early work sometime before, Henry arrived in the depot and was being serviced, including having his tender topped up with more coal and water, before heading back out to work again. Carrie felt that it was very likely that she and Simon might be assigned to work with different engines for the rest of their shifts today. After taking the opportunity to use the toilet facilities within the depot, Simon and Carrie stepped back out into the cold and stood by a brazier so as to keep themselves warm while they waited to be assigned to new engines or the engines that they had worked on earlier that morning.

It wasn't long before the yard manager stepped out with a clipboard in his hands, and he went straight over to where Carrie and Simon were waiting and keeping warm.

"Ready to get yourselves back to work, you two?" he asked, as he stepped up.

"Yes, sir." Carrie and Simon said, as they looked up at him.

"All right then…Carrie, you're going to be working with Henry for the rest of your shift. And Simon…you'll be working with No.42447 for the rest of your shift." said the yard manager.

"Yes, sir." the two young teens said, as they then turned their heads to look at each other.

"Looks like I'll be with my old mount for the rest of today." Simon said.

"Don't worry about it too much, Simon. At least we'll still have work to keep us occupied for the day." Carrie said, as a small smile crossed her face.

"Yeah, I guess there's that." Simon said, as he smiled a but before turning his attention back to the brazier where he was keeping his hands warm.

"Anyway, better get to work you two. There's still much that needs to be done before you can finish this afternoon." said the yard manager, as he went back to the offices.

After giving each other a hug and kiss, as well as saying they would see each other later, both Carrie and Simon made their way over to their engines, with Simon going to No.42447 and Carrie heading over to where Henry was standing and waiting.

"Oh, hello there, Carrie!" Henry said with a smile, when he saw her approach him.

"Good morning, Henry. I'm to work with you for the rest of my shift today." Carrie said.

"That's nice to hear." said Henry. "My driver and fireman should be back very soon, so it you get into my cab and wait for them to arrive."

"All right then." Carrie said, as she stepped forward and then went up the steps onto the footplate. Knelling down, she opened the firebox doors to have a look at the state of the fire; everything seemed to be okay, considering how much heat that there was coming off the coals that were burning away in there. However, Carrie noticed a few patches that were thinner than on the rest of the fire-bed, and so she turned to grab the shovel in order to top up the fire with fresh fuel. Making sure not to overload the shovel with too much coal, she swung back and forth from the tender to the firebox about six or seven times, and made sure to place the coal to where it was needed. Once that was done, she saw that the coals needed to be spread out evenly in the firebox and, knelling herself down, she looked into the firebox and used her telekinetic powers to spread the coals evenly around. The coal piles that were slightly higher in spots were levelled out by themselves, and in less than a minute or so the entire fire-bed was fully evened out. The fire burned brightly as the fresh coal ignited, and then checking the main steam pressure gauge, Carrie saw that the indicator arrow was hovering around 220psi.

Feeling herself smile that everything seemed all right, Carrie then heard a noise and, turning her head to see what it was, she saw the driver and fireman stepped onto the footplate.

"Morning there, Carrie! You're gonna be working with us for the rest of your shift?" said the driver.

"Yes, sir. I am." Carrie said.

"And did you top up the coal in the firebox?" asked the fireman, as he opened up the firehole doors and then took a look at the state of the fire.

"I just did, and the fire seems to burning nicely too." Carrie said, as she watched the driver take his seat on his side of the cab.

"Good, and you've done a very good job of levelling out the bed of the fire as well." said the fireman, as he turned and reached for the shovel.

"You're more than welcome there." Carrie said, knowing that her telekinetic powers had planned a big part in doing that.

"Okay then…let's get doing, old boy! We've got work to do!" the driver said, as he leaned out from the cab.

"All right!" Henry said, eager to get back out to work again. His driver wound the reversing gear into full forward, and then released the brakes, and sounded the whistle before opening the regulator a little. Henry slowly moved forwards, making his way out from the yards and towards the main line. Leaning out from the cab, Carrie looked over to where No.42447 was being readied for his next job, and she saw Simon going along the motion and oiling it up from an oil can that he had in his hand. She also saw the fireman in the cab and topping up the firebox of No.42447 with more fuel. Turning her face back forwards to look along the line as they made their way out, Carrie wondered what job they had to do next and where on the island they would need to go to take the train. Deciding not to be too concerned about that for now, she looked forwards as Henry made his way along the line out towards the main line.

(A little later that morning)

By 10:30am, the snow that had been falling all night finally stopped, but the dark and grey clouds remained overhead and a biting cold wind blew from the north as a moderate breeze, which chilled many people who were out and about this morning. However, the steam engines who were out working on the railway weren't too concerned about the cold, as they had hot fires burning away in their fireboxes, the heat from which helped to keep their crews and the apprentices working with them warm as well.

Despite the bitter winter weather and heavy snow, the trains had to keep running as there was a lot of passengers, freight, mail, and parcels that had to be moved to where they needed to be. With Christmas getting closer by the day, many trains were leaving many of the stations on the Island of Sodor and being taken to their destinations by the engines, with many of the trains being very long and thus very heavy. To each of the engines, it seemed like the trains that they pulled each November and December in the leadup to Christmas got heavier and heavier every year, and this year was no exception to those thoughts.

One of the engines who was helping to do his bit to take the trains around Sodor at this time was No.49624, who was an L.M.S. 7F Class 0-8-0 heavy freight engine (130), and he was making his way along the line towards Knapford with a long and heavy parcels train coupled up behind him. He had left Vicarstown Station earlier on that morning and had made excellent time with his train since then, and was looking forward to having a good rest once he had dropped off the train within the yards at Knapford.

"You're doing very well, old boy! Just keep it up and we'll be home before you know it!" his driver called, as he leaned out from the cab.

"Okay, sir! Let's keep going then!" No.49624 called, as he smiled while he puffed on ahead. His driver then blew the whistle for a few seconds as they went over a set of points not very far from their final destination. The new line that they were now travelling on would take them directly to Knapford Yards within a very short time, but the line would take them through a part of the suburbs of the town of Knapford, including through a narrow and shallow cutting with the two railway lines going through the middle of it. The cutting would also have houses lines up on both sides of it, and with a number of bridges going over the two lines, both road and rail.

(130): The London Midland and Scottish Railway's (L.M.S.) 7F Class 0-8-0 heavy freight engines were designed by Henry Fowler, and were intended to be used on heavy freight trains. The class was basically a Midland Railway version of the earlier London and North Western Railway's (L.N.W.R.) 0-8-0 designs, such as the G2A "Super D" Class. Under the earlier L.N.W.R. system, they were classified as Class G3.

What made them different from the earlier L.N.W.R. 0-8-0 designs that had come before them was that the original Joy valve gear and short travel valves that had been used on the earlier L.N.W.R. designs were replaced by inside Walschaerts valve gear and long-travel valves. The boiler pressure was also higher than on the earlier classes, and their boilers were also fitted with Belpaire fireboxes. The basic external appearance of the 7F Class also gave them a Midland Railway look. The class were also known to their crews as "Baby Austins" or "Austin Sevens" after the motor car that was becoming very popular around that time.

First introduced in 1929, a total of 175 engines were built at Crewe Works in eight batches in between March 1929 and July 1932. Under the L.M.S., they were numbered from No.9500 to No.9674, while under the later British Railways system, they were numbered from No.49500 to No.49674, although many never carried B.R. numbers. The class had two inside cylinders which were 19.5in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke and paired with piston valves, a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 200psi, and eight driving wheels that were 4ft 8.5in in diameter, which all combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 29,745lbf. The tenders that the class were paired with ran on six wheels and which could carry 4 tons of coal and 4,200 gallons of water.

Although the 7F Class were certainly a promising design, also had a number of flaws that were common to many older Midland Railway designs, especially as they had been designed at Derby Works, whose drawing office staff insisted on sticking to the older Midland Railway practice. The class were fitted with the older, inadequate axle bearings which overheated too easily or even fell apart if the engines went above a certain speed, which restricted them to running at slow speeds to prevent the bearings overheating. Other problems the class had included injector steam pipes that leaked, which meant that the class suffered from high maintenance costs.

When they were in service, the 7F Class proved that there were more than capable of hauling heavy freight trains along the L.M.S. system like the earlier L.N.W.R. designs could. Despite the various maintenance problems they had, the class had very good steaming qualities, and in fact some drivers preferred the 7F Class 0-8-0s instead of the newer Stanier 8F Class 2-8-0s when steady slogging was required on heavy freights.

A number of different modifications were made to the class during their working lives; in 1932, Nos.9672 – No.9274 were fitted with A.C.F.I feedwater heaters, with a feed pump and two heat-exchanging drums fitted on top of the boilers just behind the chimneys. This arrangement gave the engines a rather unique appearance, and gave them the nickname of "backpacks," with another nickname of "hikers" being given to the engines, an identical name that was given to L.N.E.R. B12 Class 4-6-0s that were fitted with A.C.F.I. equipment. During the Second World War, the engines had the A.C.F.I. feed-water equipment removed. In 1947, five members of the class, No.9511, No.9533, No.9613, No.9642 and No.9670, were fitted with oil-burning equipment. However, before the end of 1949, No.49511 had its oil-burning equipment removed, but the other four engines were withdrawn from service and scrapped later that year without having had the oil-burning equipment removed.

When Britain's railways were nationalised in January 1948, the entire class of 175 engines came under B.R. control, but before the end of 1949 around 61 engines had been removed from service, with many not being given B.R. numbers. Withdrawals of the class continued on over the next 13 years, until by the start of January 1962 only one example was still in service; this engine was No.49508, and she was soon withdrawn from its base of Agecroft Shed within the first few weeks of 1962. Ironically, the very last examples of the L.M.S. 7F Class 0-8-0s were withdrawn from service well before the last examples of the L.N.W.R. G2 Class 0-8-0s, the older class that the 7Fs had been intended to replace when they were first introduced, were withdrawn from service by the end of 1964.

Sadly, no examples of the L.M.S. 7F Class have survived into preservation. If a project to build a new one is ever launched, then some substantial modifications would no doubt need to be made to it, such as replacing the older, inadequate Midland Railway axle-bearings with more modern and much more efficient roller bearings.

Making his way along the line, No.49624 slowed down as the speed limit going through the cutting was 25mph. Very soon, he saw the tops of the different buildings appear above both sides of the long cutting, along with the bare trees. He also saw and smelt the smoke that was rising from the chimneys of some of the many houses as people were keeping themselves warm with fires inside their homes.

(N): The cutting that I'm describing here is the one that Sue and Tommy are placed at towards the very end of Chapter 66: Forming a Plan.

Then far ahead of him, he saw one of the footbridges that crossed over the two lines, and as he got closer and closer to it, he saw that there seemed to be three people standing on the bridge that was directing over the track that he was travelling on. Thinking that the three of them were railway enthusiasts who were waiting for the next train to pass by, he blew his whistle in greeting to the three people he could see on the bridge just before he passed beneath it.

"Peep! Peep! Good morning!" he called out cheerfully. But then, he was suddenly hit from above on his boiler with something that was very cold and wet, and it spread all over his boiler and into the cab's two forward windows.

"Ohhhhh!" No.49624 gasped loudly in shock when he felt the icy cold liquid spread over his boiler. As the liquid that had splashed over the forward windows had briefly obstructed the view of the crew ahead, the driver quickly shut the regulator fully, cutting off the steam from the boiler to the two inside cylinders. At the same time, he reached for the brake control handle and pulled on it some of the way, putting the brakes on and slowing down the train.

"What in the world was that?!" No.49624 called in a panic, as he slowed down while still heading up along the cutting. The sudden shock of icy cold liquid falling on top of him caused some panic due to the shock.

"Someone clearly dumped a bucket of water on top of you from the bridge we just passed under!" the driver called out in panic, as the train came to a gradually stop. After they came to a full halt, the driver and fireman quickly jumped out from the cab and took a look along the top of No.49624's boiler. They saw evidence of water that had been dumped on top of the boiler, due to some that was still running down the side of it.

Just then, they heard the sounds of feet crunching through the snow and coming quickly towards them. Turning their heads to see who it was, they saw that it was the signalman coming along from his signal box that was close to the footbridge.

"Are you two all right?" the signalman said, as he came up to them.

"Yes, we're all right. What on earth happened?" the driver asked.

"I saw three teenage girls standing on the bridge before you passed under it. And they had two buckets that were full of water, and they dumped it on top of you passed beneath the bridge. They quickly scampered off when they dumped the water on top of you." said the signalman.

"Did you get a good look at their faces?" No.49624 asked, now feeling cross that some girls had decided to do this to him.

"No, I'm afraid that I didn't actually. The three of them had their backs to me, and besides the three were well wrapped-up in thick cold weather clothes. So, I didn't see their faces." said the signalman.

After taking a minute to check No.49624 all over, they all determined that there was no damage caused by the cold water being dumped onto a hot boiler and so they both clambered back up onto the footplate and continued on their way, with the driver and fireman keen to report the incident once they arrived at their destination. Meanwhile, the signalman went back into his signal box so as to continue on working at getting the trains moving to where they needed to be going to.

Once No.49624 had arrived at Knapford Yards, he dropped off his parcels train within the part of the depot where there was a special area where the parcels and mail would be unloaded from the vans and converted coaches. Once he was uncoupled from his long train, he left the depot and made his way over to Tidmouth Sheds so that he could be serviced before going out for his next train. He was still feeling quite cross from what had happened at the footbridge within the cutting when the three girls had dumped icy water on top of him as he passed under the bridge. He wondered who those three girls were, and why they dumped water on top of him in the way they did. Deciding to worry about that later, No.49624 made his way out from the depot and over towards Tidmouth Sheds.

After arriving at the sheds a few minutes later, No.49624 slowly reversed into one of the empty sheds where a few members of the shed staff were waiting for him. After he stopped and the driver firmly put the brakes on, the shed staff began to start work on servicing No.49624, including emptying out the ashpan, cleaning the fire of clinker, as well as giving the outside of his boiler a good rubdown.

While the shed staff worked on getting No.49624 cleaned up and ready for going back out later on in the day, his driver went straight to the yard's main offices in order to report the incident that had happened at the footbridge earlier on. Upon being told what had happened, the yard manager noted it down with the intention of reporting it to the Fat Controller as soon as he possibly could.

As he was being serviced and cleaned down, No.49624 told two other engines who were in the shed with him, S.R. Schools Class 4-4-0 No.927 Clifton and L.M.S. Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 No.6108 Seaforth Highlander, about what had happened a little earlier.

"Did you see who did it to you?" Clifton asked, somewhat surprised to hear the news.

"Well, I could tell that it was three girls who had done it, but I'm afraid that I didn't get a good look at their faces at all." No.49462 said, still feeling cross about being ambushed in such a way as that.

"Do you think that there's a chance the three of them could strike again at that spot?" Seaforth Highlander asked, feeling concerned about would happen if he were to travel along that stretch of line later on in the day and that the three of them were waiting.

"I only hope that something can be done to stop those three from doing that again! It certainly gave me quite a shock when they dumped all that icy cold water on me. It also caused some panic for my driver and fireman as well." No.49624 said, remembering that they needed to quickly come to a stop after the incident.

Just then, there came a voice which interrupted their conversations. It turned out to be none other than the driver of Seaforth Highlander. By now, the L.M.S. Royal Scot was all cleaned, serviced, and ready to go out for his next job of the day.

"Come on, Seaforth Highlander, old boy! It's time for us to be off!" said the driver, as he and the fireman stepped up and then climbed aboard the footplate.

"Okay, driver!" Seaforth Highlander said, as his crew set about making the final preparations before they could leave, including the fireman checking on the state of the fire and making sure that there was enough steam in the boiler.

(Elsewhere, with Chris, Tina, and Donna)

"I can't believe that we managed to hit that old-fashioned steam pot directly on top of its boiler the first time round when we tipped that bucket over!" Tina said in a quiet excitement, as she and the other two enjoyed hot drinks together in one of the coffee shops in Knapford, and not too far away from the footbridge where they had dumped a bucket of freezing water on top of No.49624 when he passed beneath them not too long before.

"Yeah, but at the same time I didn't see that freak standing in the cab of that engine! I want to have one more try at that before the day's over. And if that isn't successful, then we'll have to try something else!" Chris said, as she sipped from her mug of hot chocolate.

"I'd advise being careful, Chris. We were quite lucky in being able to do that once, but I don't think that we'll be successful in trying it again." Donna said quietly, feeling a bit concerned about what would happen to them if they ever got caught doing it.

"Then we'll just have to keep our eyes open to make sure that we're not caught by anyone! I really want some revenge against that freak!" Chris said, as she looked towards the fireplace near to where they were. A wood fire was merrily burning away in there and helping to keep the space warm for the customers who were enjoying each other's company as well as the hot drinks, slices of cakes, and different pastries that were on offer inside the coffee shop.

"Listen you two…" Chris said quietly, as she turned her attention back to Tina and Donna, "…we'll try again once more later on. Maybe then we might be able to catch that freak on the footplate of one of the other engines."

"Okay, Chris." Tina and Donna said quietly. Both of them had this uneasy feeling of being caught in the act and getting into trouble for it…but then again, the urge to get back at Carrie for exposing them in her notebook, as well as for being forced to work with some of the engines of Sodor, was just too strong. Quietening down for now, the three of them continued on with enjoying their hot drinks and pastries or slices of cake as they whiled away the time.

(At Knapford Station)

Gordon stood at Platform 1 at Knapford Station and taking on passengers for his train, with many of them heading off to the main land to spend the Christmas holidays with their families. However, at the same time, there were also a few reporters standing on the platform very close to him and shouting questions to him about Carrie White's whereabouts. But Gordon took no noticed of the reporters and their cameramen, as he knew that Carrie White didn't need to have anything told to these people about her while they were over here, especially her current whereabouts. Even though he wasn't saying anything to the press about where Carrie White was, the reporters and other press people were constantly asking questions while the cameramen were recording everything with their cameras.

By the time the last of the passengers were aboard the train, they were finally ready to set off, much to Gordon's relief as it meant they could finally get away from these pesky reporters and other members of the press and get the train over to Vicarstown. The signalman had already set the signal to show the line was clear and also had set the points accordingly, while from his compartment within the first coach of the train, the guard leaned out and blew his whistle while waving his green flag. From Gordon's cab, the driver turned and blew the whistle for a few seconds, and then opened the regulator. Slowly moving forwards, Gordon took up the weight of the train and moved out of the station, with his coaches following along smoothly behind him. As he pulled out, all the reporters shouted more questions to him as many of them were quite annoyed that he hadn't answered any of their previous questions.

Gordon was quite glad to be away from the station, as it meant that the reporters wouldn't be shouting their questions at him, for a while at least, and that he would be able to have questions thrown at him from what seemed to be all sides.

"Oh, what a nuisance the press is!" Gordon said quietly to himself, as he made his way out from Knapford and out towards the Southern Main Line. Aboard his coaches, all the passengers were just as keen to be away from the station and all the reporters who had been gathered there, as they were already starting to make a public nuisance of themselves. A few were more concerned as to whether or not the members of the press were still going to be there again when they returned later in the day.

And it wasn't just Gordon who was being pestered by the press as he went about his work for today; quite a few of the other engines were also having questions shouted to them as they worked. Shortly after Gordon had left Knapford Station, Murdoch passed on through with a very long, heavy, and slow freight train trailing along behind him, and as he went by the station there were still a few members of the press standing on Platforms 1 and 2 who shouted questions at the big orange 9F like they had done earlier. Murdoch also ignored the press, mostly because he was busy getting his heavy train moving, but also because he liked peace and quiet, which these reporters were clearly interrupting. Merely giving a short blast of his whistle as he went on past, Murdoch continued along the line out of Knapford Station, with his trucks making loud rattling, clanking noises as they went past.

(Later on that morning, at Brendam Docks)

A few men went about and looked in between the wagons to check on the couplings to be sure all the wagons were securely coupled together, as well as checking on the doors to the vans, any ropes that were helping to keep sheeting firmly in place over some of the open-topped trucks, as well as a myriad of other different little things that needed to be done before the train left the docks. A lot of the cargo on the train had been loaded aboard from a ship that had docked very early that morning, and now with the cargo loaded up onto the train, it was almost time for the train to be on its way. Standing coupled to the front of the train was Henry, and he was looking forwards to taking this train from Brendam Docks all the way back to the yards at Knapford.

Standing on his footplate, Carrie was sipping a mug of hot tea while they waited for the time that they could leave and get this train to where it needed to be delivered to. She looked over the ship that was moored to the quayside adjacent to where Henry was standing and waiting to leave. She watched as a number of crewmembers went along the upper decks of the ship, with some of them pausing every now and then to have a look down to the quayside far below them. She also watched as a few crewmen who had been allowed ashore for a while walk up the aluminium gangway and back onto the ship. Hearing a clanging sound, she looked up to see that a door going inside the ship had been closed, no doubt to keep the cold out from the crew who were resting inside.

The driver was busy going around the motion and oiling it up if more oil was needed, while the fireman had just topped up the coal in the firebox and was watching the indicator arrow climb in main boiler pressure as the fresh fuel ignited and kept the fire burn brightly. There was plenty of water in the boiler, which was helping to make plenty of steam. Once she finished off her cup of tea, Carrie placed the empty enamel mug onto the hot plate over the firehole doors and leaned out on the fireman's side of the footplate and waited for the time when they could finally set out from the docks with the train.

Henry was also waiting for when they could leave, and with a good fire burning away in his firebox he was warm and comfortable. Things had gone well so far this morning, with all his trains having been delivered on time despite the snowy winter weather, and he was wondering what would happen when he brought this train out from the docks.

As he waited, he listened to the sounds that were going on all around the docks, including the distant sounds of ship's horns out at sea, clanking and rattling of dockside machinery, vehicles that were driving away, and men calling out instructions to each other. Then, over the sounds of the docks, Henry heard another set sounds coming along the line towards him; it was clearly the sounds of another engine, and it wasn't too long before the engine who had made those noises came into view; it was No.5250, who was a G.W.R. 5205 Class 2-8-0T tank engine (131), and arriving into Brendam Docks with a short, mixed freight train.

"Morning Henry! Is everything okay here?" No.5250 asked, as he came to a stop along the line beside the line on which Henry was standing.

"Yes, everything's fine here. I'm going to be leaving with this train in a short while. What's the latest news?" Henry asked, as he looked towards No.5250. At the same time, Carrie also looked over towards the G.W.R. 2-8-0T tank engine.

"Have you heard what happened a little earlier on this morning? No.49624 had a bucket of icy cold water dumped on top of him earlier on by three girls." No.5250 said, as a heavy frown appeared upon his face. And on hearing this, Henry gasped out.

"And where did this take place?" Carrie asked, also somewhat stunned to hear this news.

"It happened in that long shallow cutting not too far from Knapford Station, and at one of the footbridges that cross over the two railway lines along that cutting." No.5250 said, feeling angry by what happened to No.49624 earlier, and he told Henry and Carrie about what had taken place. When he had finished about two minutes later, both Henry and Carrie were stunned to hear this news.

"I have to take this train along that cutting with this train when I return to Knapford Yards in a bit. I just hope that those three girls don't try anything like that when I go along there." Henry said, as the idea of being covered in cold water in winter wasn't his idea of fun.

"Did No.49624 see who it was who dumped water on top of him?" Carrie asked, as the suspicions rose inside her.

"No, he didn't get a very clear view of who they were, especially as the three of them were dressed in thick winter clothes. But he did see that the three of them were in their mid to late teens." No.5250 said. For a few long moments, Carrie thought very long and hard about who the three girls were…but then again, it was no surprise to her at all as to who they were.

"I think that those three girls were probably Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake, and Donna Kellogg, my three main bullies from Ewen High School." Carrie said, feeling grim.

(131): The Great Western Railway's 5205 Class 2-8-0T tank engines were designed by Charles Collett, and were intended to be used on heavy freight and mineral trains that ran on the G.W.R. system within South Wales, in particular on runs from the coal mines down to the ports. They were based on the earlier 42XX Class 2-8-0T tank engines, only this class had slightly larger diameter cylinders and various detail differences.

Introduced in between June 1923 and March 1940, 100 members of the class were built in total at Swindon Works, although many examples were withdrawn from service and completely rebuilt as examples of Collett's new 72XX Class 2-8-2T heavy tank engines. The class were numbered from No.5205 to No.5294, although engines that were numbered in between No.5255 to No.5264 were reused twice as the engines that were first numbered as such were rebuilt as the larger 72XX Class 2-8-2T tank engines, with the next batch of engines to carry the numbers being built in 1940.

The members of the class that were built after 1930, but these engines had curved frames at their fronts with sections raised over their cylinders, with the engines being numbered from No.5275 to No.5294. These engines didn't see much use in their original forms and were eventually rebuilt as 72XX Class 2-8-2T tank engines.

The 5205 Class were fitted with two outside cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 30in piston stroke, eight driving wheels that were 4ft 7.5in in diameter, and a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 200psi, which all combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 33,170lbf. Piston valves were paired with the cylinders, and inside Stephenson valve gear was used. The side tanks of the class could hold 1,800 gallons of water, while the coal bunkers could carry up to 4 tons of coal. The class were also built with outside steam pipes and straight running plates over their cylinders, although later examples of the class were built with raised running plates going over their cylinders.

The engines of the class that were rebuilt from the original 5205 Class design to the larger and later 72XX Class 2-8-2T tank engines were numbered from No.5255 to No.5274, which were originally built from 1925 to 1926, and from No.5275 to No.5294, which were originally built in 1930, and rebuilt to 72XX Class tank engines from 1934 to 1936.

Just like the earlier 42XX Class 2-8-0T tank engines that were built before them, the 5205 Class were used on the heavy coal and mineral trains, as well as on freight trains, that ran within the network in South Wales, with all of them being based at Welsh depots for their whole working lives. The class ran without much attention, apart from railway enthusiasts. When the railways were nationalised in January 1948, those members of the class that hadn't been rebuilt were given the power classification of 8P by British Railways.

For the rest of their working lives under B.R. control, the 5205 Class worked on their usual duties within South Wales taking heavy coal and mineral trains, as well as normal freight trains, until the first example to be withdrawn, No.5207, was removed from service in January 1961. The rest of the class followed along over the next four years, until by January 1965 there were only 10 engines still running, but by the end of September 1965, the final example of the class in service, No.5235, was withdrawn.

Thankfully, three examples of the class have survived onto preservation, not including those engines that were rebuilt as 72XX Class 2-8-2T tank engines. The three surviving engines are;

No.5224; built at Swindon Works in May 1924, she spent her entire life based in Wales before being withdrawn from Cardiff East Dock in April 1963 and sent to Barry Scrapyard in August of that year. After being rescued from Barry in October 1978, she was taken to the Great Central Railway where she was restored to working order and based for a number of years before being bought by Pete Waterman in 1998. After running on the Great Central and other heritage railways for a few years, No.5224 was eventually moved to Peak Rail, where she's being overhauled to working order.

No.5227; built at Swindon Works in June 1924, she was withdrawn from her base of Cardiff East Dock in February 1963 and sent to Barry Scrapyard not too long afterwards. She remained in the yard for many years, eventually became one of the "Barry 10" that hadn't been bought to be restored, but she was eventually moved to the Didcot Railway Centre in 2013. She's been stripped of some parts, which have been used in a number of projects to recreate lost engines, including having its axle-boxes being used on the new 47XX Class 2-8-0 No.4709, and having its boiler and pony truck wheelset being used on the new 38XX County Class 4-4-0 No.3840 County of Montgomery. The rest of No.5227 is still at Didcot, and it's hoped that the engine will be returned to working order in the future, which will include making new parts to replace those that were stripped from the engine for use on other projects.

No.5239; built at Swindon Works in August 1924, she spent her entire working life based at Neath before she was withdrawn in April 1963 and then sent to Barry Scrapyard not too long afterwards. Rescued from Barry in June 1973, she was taken to the Dart Valley Railway where restoration was undertaken and fully completed by June 1976 when she steamed for the first time in preservation. At some point during her career, she was given the name Goliath, which she still carries to this day. After being taken out of service in 2015, No.5239 was taken to the East Somerset Railway in October 2017 for a full overhaul, which was fully completed by April 2020 when No.5239 returned to the Dartmouth Steam Railway, where she's currently in operational condition.

"And why do you think the three of them dumped water on top of No.49624?" No.5250 asked, as he looked towards Carrie.

"I think that they want to get even with me for telling the truth about what they did to me when I ran away from my home town of Chamberlain last year…" and Carrie took a minute to tell No.5250 a bit more.

"Now I see…" No.5250 said, now fully understanding everything that Carrie had just told him, "…but what those three are doing to try and get back at you is dangerous. Surely doing something like that could cause some sort of an accident." No.5250 said, feeling concerned at what might happen.

"Well, knowing what sort of a person Chris is like…there's no doubt that she's gonna try and do everything that she can to get even with me. But we need to be sure that she can't do anything like that again, or else someone's gonna get hurt." Carrie said, as he thought about what to do.

"Hang on…I know a way that we can get back at those three in that spot, just in case they try it again." Henry's driver said. He had heard everything that No.5250 had told them, and after hearing it he thought for a minute on what to do.

"And what's that?" Henry asked, as he looked at his driver.

"Henry…do you remember that incident from many years back when those boys threw stones at you from that road bridge…?" his driver asked, as he looked up at Henry. And at once on hearing that, Henry couldn't help but smile, as he did indeed clearly remember what happened to those boys not too long afterwards that day.

"Yes, I can remember very well what happened! And do you think we should try it again with those three girls?" Henry asked.

"I think that we should. After all, if those three girls are the ones who Carrie thinks they are, then I think that the favour should be clearly repaid fully to them for what they did." said the driver.

"Hang on…what do you have in mind?" Carrie asked, curious as to what the driver was planning to get back at her three bullies.

"Well, Carrie…let me explain everything…" the driver said, and he told Carrie everything that had happened with the boys on the bridge years before when they dropped stones onto Henry and of how Henry had gotten back at the boys later that day when he sneezed a lot of ashes and soot through his funnel at the boys, covering them all from head to foot in black. When the driver had finished telling his story, Carrie couldn't help but smile and chuckle at what she had been told.

"I think that's a great idea to get back at those three…but do you think that we'll have enough time for enough ashes to build up inside Henry's smokebox before we get to that bridge?" Carrie asked.

"I think that we should, Carrie. After all, there's probably enough ashes in there already from the work we did this morning, and making our way along the Southern Main Line to that cutting will add even more ashes into Henry's smokebox." the driver said.

"And having even more in there will give those three girls a really nasty surprise!" Henry added, as he smiled at how horrified the three of them would be once they were covered from head to toe in ashes and soot.

"Well, we shouldn't sit around here for much longer, old boy. We need to be on our way soon." the driver said, as he climbed back aboard Henry's footplate and got ready to go.

"Best of luck in dealing with those three, Henry. And make sure to tell me what happened afterwards!" No.5250 said, as he set off towards another part of the docks for his next job, having just been uncoupled from his train.

"Thanks, and I will!" Henry said, as he watched No.5250 set off on his way.

A few minutes later, with everything at last in order, it was time for Henry to be off on his way with his train. The signal dropped and showed a bright green light to show the way ahead was clear, while from the brake van at the back of the train, the guard blew his whistle and showed a green light.

"Here we go!" the driver said, as he blew Henry's whistle and then opened the regulator. With a wheesh of steam, Henry moved forwards and took up the weight of his heavy train, which slowly began to move forwards along the tracks.

"We're moving fine all the way back there!" Carrie called to the driver. She was looking towards the back of the train, which she could see in the distance.

"Very good, Carrie!" the fireman said, as he began the job of stoking the firebox with more fresh coal. He was just as keen as Carrie was to give her three bullies a lesson that they would never forget, and wanted to make sure that there were plenty of extra ashes in Henry's smokebox for that to take place.

Making his way out of the docks, Henry slowly built up more speed and headed on up the line towards the junction near to Wellsworth Station, and then from there out onto the Southern Main Line. As he passed on through Wellsworth Station, Henry came upon L.N.E.R. V2 Class 2-6-2 No.60977 as the V2 made his way along the line heading towards Gordon's Hill with a long, fully fitted freight following along behind him and being banked from the rear by L.M.S. Fowler 3F Class 0-6-0T No.47276, who was pushing hard as he was aware of the climb up the hill that awaited them. Giving a friendly blast of his whistle as he went on past, Henry continued on through the station and then on past the banker sidings where all the other engines who were on banking duties today were waiting to bank their next trains up Gordon's Hill.

Taking on her next go with stoking the boiler, Carrie couldn't help but feel a little shaky with excitement as to what might happen if Chris, Tina, and Donna were at the footbridge and waiting for the next train to pass beneath them. She could almost imagine the looks of shock on their faces when Henry sneezed a lot of the ashes and soot that had accumulated in his smokebox.

At the same time, Henry was also feeling a mix of different emotions; he was keen to give Carrie's three main bullies a taste of their own medicine for what they were doing by dumping buckets of water on top of the other engines. But at the same time, he was also concerned by what would happen if they weren't at the bridge when he arrived there. He hoped that they would be there as he powered on ahead down the main line, and he hoped that he would be able to show Chris, Tina, and Donna a thing or two as to why they shouldn't mess with the engines of Sodor.

(Insert soundtrack – Henry's Theme – Season 1)

After passing through Crosby Station, and then through the tunnel where he had ben bricked up in many years before, it wasn't too long before Henry finally approached the junction where he would be turned off from the Southern Main Line and then onto the line which led to the cutting going by Knapford. With the driver slowing down, Carrie leaned out from the fireman's side and looked forward towards the junction, which she could see ahead of them. In the signal box, the signalman had already set the points for them, and with a short blast from his whistle, Henry went over the points and onto the line that would allow them to go around Knapford and take them to the cutting.

"Well, this is it…" Henry said, as he looked ahead along the snow-covered line as it stretched out ahead of him.

"I know, old boy…and I know the bridge that they're likely to be at. And I'm sure that we'll see them when we get there." said the driver, as he leaned out a little and looked forwards.

"I hope that they're there. I've been eager to get back at the three of them for such a long time, and I hope that today I'll finally get the chance." Carrie said, as she felt the nervousness build up inside her stomach.

"Don't worry there, Carrie. Let's just wait and see." said the fireman, as he took the next go at stoking the boiler with the shovel. Feeling the familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach intensifying as they went along, Carrie looked out ahead along the line.

Soon, they came into the stretch where the ground rose up on both sides of them and where houses of the Knapford suburbs would be lined up on both sides of the cutting. Then after a short run along the cutting, they saw the footbridge ahead of them in the distance…and then they could see three figures standing on the footbridge directly over the line that they were travelling on. Carrie knew right away that they were Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake, and Donna Kellogg, her three principal bullies.

At the same time, Henry clearly saw them as well.

"There they are, driver!" Henry called, as a heavy frown crossed his face when he saw them. By this time, he was feeling stuffed up from the ashes that had built up in his smokebox, and was keen to use them on the three bullies.

"I see them, Henry!" his driver said.

From where they were standing on the bridge, Chris, Tina, and Donna, having filled their bucket up with more water a short time before, were feeling very keen to drop it on another engine. When they saw Henry in the distance and approaching them, they recognized who he was at once and realised they had a golden opportunity to drop this water right on top of the engine who had suggested they work in the engine depot for a day.

"Get ready, you two!" Chris said, as they readied themselves to drop the water on top of Henry. All three of them were giggling in anticipation, and could only imagine the look of horror on Henry's face when the cold water went all over him. However, they were unaware that they were the ones who were about to get a rather nasty surprise instead.

As he got closer and closer to the bridge, Henry got ready to sneeze all the ashes in his smokebox at the three bullies.

"Are you ready, Henry? Sneeze hard when I tell you." said the driver. From the front right corner of the cab, Carrie was looking outside the forward cab window and waiting in anticipation for when Henry would sneeze at her three bullies. The fireman was just behind where Carrie was standing and also eager to see what would happen.

Henry came closer and closer to the bridge, and then his driver called out "NOW!" And with all the might he could muster, Henry sneezed as hard as he could, sending a great cloud of soot and ashes shooting out from his funnel. The cloud went all over the bridge as Henry passed underneath it, and the three bullies disappeared within the cloud of ash and soot. When it cleared a few seconds later, Chris, Tina, and Donna were covered all over with ash, with their clothes being completely ruined as a result of it.

They stood in complete shock before dropping the bucket and looked down at each other in shock. Their clothes were covered in ash and soot, and they would need to be cleaned as a result of it. And then, with anger and rage building up inside them, the three turned round to the other side of the bridge and they shook their fists and shouted a whole series of profanities and obscenities at Henry as he got further down the line with his train. Laughing out loudly at having achieved what was needed to teach those three girls a lesson, Henry carried on down the line towards Knapford Yards, eager to tell the other engines when he got back. On his footplate, Carrie was also laughing out loudly. She hadn't seen the effect of the cloud of ash and soot go over her three bullies, but imagining the looks of horror on their faces from having been surprised in such a way could only fill her laughter. At the same time, both the driver and fireman couldn't help but laugh for a bit as well, as they were pleased to see their plan had been a big success.

Back on the bridge, Chris, Tina, and Donna remained shouting insults and shaking their fists in anger until the brake van at the back of Henry's train had passed beneath the bridge and moved off down the line. Then, with the three of them looking back down at their ash and soot-covered clothes again, the three of them left the bridge and made their way back to the hotel to get themselves cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes.

From the signal box adjacent to the two lines, the signalman had also seen what had happened, and he couldn't help but laugh for a few long moments as well. Previously, he had considered reporting what he had seen earlier on to the police, but now seeing what Henry had done by blasting a great cloud of ash and soot over the three girls, he felt that there was no need now. Feeling himself smile, he continued on with his duties of manning his signal box.

(At Knapford Yards)

Still laughing from what he had achieved and very pleased with himself as a result, Henry rolled into the long siding within the yards with his long train, where the shunters were waiting to uncouple him from the wagons. Coming to a stop with a squeal of brake blocks on his driving wheels, Henry waited for the shunters to uncouple him, and then he would be off to Tidmouth Sheds for a rest before going out again.

Clambering down from the footplate with a big smile on her face, Carrie stepped forward and looked up at Henry.

"Well done at getting back at them for me, Henry!" Carrie said, still smiling.

"It was my pleasure, Carrie! I'm very happy to help you to teach your bullies a lesson!" Henry said, as he smiled back down at Carrie.

"Now let's hope that the three of them don't ever think of trying anything like that again! Either to me or to any of the other engines here on Sodor!" Carrie said.

"I agree!" Henry said. Just then, the driver stepped up.

"Come on, Carrie! We're all uncoupled from the train, so back onto the footplate! It's time for us to be back on our way to the sheds!" said the driver.

"All right then!" Carrie said, as she stepped past the driver and then clambered back onto the footplate, with the driver following along closely behind her. Once the points were set for them to leave, the driver blew Henry's whistle and then opened the regulator, and Henry slowly moved forwards out of the siding.

(Back at the hotel)

Sue and Tommy were sitting at one of the tables within the main reception area of the hotel, and enjoying mugs of hot coffee with Heather and Brian, Norma and Freddy, as well as Vicky Hanscome, Rachel Spies, and Jessica Upshaw. They had all been out walking together and looking around some of the shops in town for much of the morning, and now they were back at the hotel and waiting for Carrie and her friends to finish up with their shifts before they all went out again. They were chatting quietly while sipping their hot coffee when Sue noticed the doors to the reception area open up, and then saw Chris, Tina, and Donna step inside the hotel reception. The group of friends stopped their conversation and turned to look at the three girls, and were astonished to see that they were covered in ash and soot from head to foot, and that the three of them were quite furious as well.

"And what happened to you three?" Jessica asked, as she tried her best not to laugh.

"And where did it happen?" Norma said, as she also tried not to laugh.

"We were at a footbridge that crossed over two railway lines, and that big green engine blew ash all over us while we were watching it pass beneath us!" Tina screeched, with the anger in her voice and on her face clear for them all of them to see. She neglected to mention that she and the other two had planned to dump water on top of Henry to try and get back at Carrie.

"And look at our clothes! They're ruined because of that too!" Chris said, her anger clearly boiling to the surface, feeling absolutely furious that her revenge plan to get back at Carrie had completely and totally failed.

"Well…I suggest that the three of you get yourselves cleaned up and into fresh clothes. After all, I don't think that the hotel staff would be too pleased if you three tracked ash all over the floors." Sue said, as she tried her best to keep a straight face.

"Yes, I think that's a very good idea!" Donna said, as she, Chris, and Tina turned and stepped over towards where the elevators were. Once the three of them were out of sight, the group of friends couldn't hold it in anymore and they all burst into laughter. For several long moments, all of them just laughed and laughed, as Chris, Tina, and Donna did look quite funny covered from head to toe in ash and soot.

"What were the three of them doing to get covered in all of that?" Tommy asked, as he tried to control his laughter.

"I don't know…but whatever it was they were doing when it happened, I guess that it serves the three of them right for bullying Carrie." Freddy said, as he caught his breath after laughing so much.

"I think that if any of us were in their position, I don't think that any of us would be pleased to be covered in all of that as well." Norma said, as she calmed down from the laughing that she had done.

"Let's hope that the three of them learn their lesson about why they shouldn't have done whatever it was that they were doing." Heather said, as she finished laughing before she finished off her mug of coffee.

From where she was standing by the main entrance to the dining area, Rita Desjardin, who had just finished lunch not long before, had seen Chris and her two minions go past as well as the states the three of them were in. Seeing them covered in filth and how angry they were, Rita couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction at knowing those three had finally gotten what they really deserved. Feeling a smile cross her face, Rita then headed over to the elevators to head back upstairs to her room to get a few things before heading out to the Christmas market.

(Back at Tidmouth Sheds)

Having arrived back at the sheds not long before, Henry had been turned on the turntable and reversed back into the berth at the sheds where some of the other engines were waiting. When he came to a stop, Henry told all the other engines there about what had happened at the bridge not too long before and how he had blasted a lot of ashes and soot over the three bullies. When he had finished, all the other engines present couldn't help but burst out laughing, with many of the other engines only able to imagine how shocked Chris and her two lackeys had been when a lot of ash and soot and been blasted into their faces.

"I guess that it serves them right for trying to dump water on top of us!" No.49624 said, feeling pleased that Henry had been able to get back at the three bullies.

"And let's hope that the three of them don't try anything like that again!" added L.N.E.R. P1 Class 2-8-2 No.2399, as a smile crossed his face.

"I agree!" added L.N.E.R. P2 Class 2-8-2 No.2010 Waverley.

"But I think that we should keep an eye out for them in case that they do try anything." said L.B.S.C.R. H2 Class 4-4-2 No.2424 St Alban's Head.

"Indeed!" said S.D.J.R. 7F Class 2-8-0 No.53800, as he smiled a bit.

(With Carrie, inside the main crew building)

Having at last finished up for the day, and keen to get a hot drink before she went to get herself cleaned up, Carrie and her friends, and her father, were sitting together in the main canteen and having hot drinks together. Among the other enginemen who were eating or drinking or chatting with each other, as well as the other apprentices who were taking their lunch breaks before going back out again, Carrie was telling her friends and father all about how she and Henry had done to Chris and her two lackeys a short while before. And all of them couldn't help but laugh out loudly at what they had been told, and how Carrie had finally managed to get some well-deserved revenge against her three main bullies. They could only imagine the looks on the faces of Chris and her two lackeys when Henry had blasted a lot of ashes and soot into their faces.

"I remember when Henry told me about those boys who dropped stones on top of him many years back and how he did the exact same thing to them when he saw them later in the day." Simon said, as he smiled while taking another sip of his tea.

"And for him to have done that to your bullies today is just a genius move on his part!" added Sophie, as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"I can only imagine their clothes got completely ruined, just like with those silly boys many years before!" added Alice.

"Yeah, let's hope so. After all, the only thing that I'm sure we don't want to happen is for our Christmas to be ruined by anyone, especially those three." Carrie said.

"I agree, and let's hope those three idiots don't try anything between now and Christmas Day." Ralph added, as he sipped his mug of coffee.

"Indeed…anyway, let's finish up our drinks and then we'll get cleaned up. And then it's off to the Christmas market." Saoirse said, as she finished off her tea. And with them all agreeing to that idea, they all quickly finished off their drinks.

And that's the end of this chapter, everyone! With the words in this chapter, we've finally reached that figure of a million words at last! Which makes this story the very first one within the Thomas and Carrie categories to reach this impressive figure. I can't tell you all just how pleased I am to have finally reached this achievement, especially as I never thought that I would ever reach this figure when I first started this story all the way back in 2022.

I also think that it's also safe to say that with Henry having blown a lot of ashes and soot at them, Chris and her two lackeys have been taught a very good lesson that they won't forget for a very long time to come.

I hope to have the next chapter written and uploaded as soon as I possibly can, and so until then, pleased enjoy this one and good reading!