Chapter 72: First of the Surprise Visitors
(Friday, December 21st 2012 – 7:55am, Tidmouth Crew Building)
Okay everyone…for this chapter, we're going to be seeing another famous original Thomas character make an appearance! I never thought that I would ever get the chance to bring him into the story, but now I feel that the time is right in bring him into the story after all this time! Who is this character that I'm talking about? Well…read the chapter ahead to see which engine it is!
But also, on a much more sombre note…this chapter is dedicated to the memory of the creator of the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends T.V. show, Britt Allcroft, who sadly passed away on 25th December 2024 at the age of 81. After all, if it hadn't been for Britt Allcroft, then we wouldn't have the Thomas T.V. show as we know and love it today.
A lot of snow fell silently and heavily from the dark and grey morning sky above and slowly piled up on the ground below, just as it had done ever since it had begun very early that morning. As a result of that, the entire Island of Sodor was covered with a lot of fresh white snow, with many of the roads and all of the railway lines that criss-crossed the island being covered by it. And because of the heavy falling, and the high likelihood of drifts being caused as well as blocked roads and railway lines, workers had been out and about for the last several hours, with many of them starting their work not long after the snow began falling a little after midnight, to keep the roads and railway lines cleared.
Many big snowploughs and gritting machines had been going along many of the main roads around the island, getting as many of the roads cleared of snow and gritted as they could, so that people could go about their business of getting to work or getting things for Christmas once they set out from their homes first thing in the morning.
On the countless railway lines that crossed Sodor, quite a few of the engines had been fitted with their snowploughs and had then spent a few of the wee hours of the morning going about and keeping as many of the lines as possible clear of snow. With a lot of freight and mail running about on the railway during the night, it was vital that the lines be kept clear of snow so the trains could deliver their goods and keep to their schedules.
Carrie had been among those who had been working to keep the lines clear of snow. After getting up in the room that she was staying in at the crew building by Tidmouth Sheds at about quarter to four in the morning, she got dressed into her work clothes, as well as some very warm clothes. Then once that was done, she went downstairs to the cafeteria, where she and all the other recruits on the apprenticeship scheme who were there tucked into a good breakfast, which included quite a lot of hot food. Once they had finished eating, the recruits all clocked in for work and were then assigned to their engines.
Carrie was assigned to work with L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T No.67905, and they were assigned to snowplough duties along the Northern Main Line from Knapford to Heathfield for this part of the morning. When Carrie stepped outside to head over to where No.67905 was being readied for work, she couldn't help but look up at the dark early morning sky as the snow came down hard. She also noticed that it seemed to be even colder this morning than it had been within the past few days, and knew that would mean plenty of snow to clear as well as the chance of the rails being icy in quite a few places.
Once Carrie was aboard No.67905 and was ready to go, they set off for work. By this point, No.67905 already had his snowplough fitted by the shed staff earlier on, and had been turned on the turntable the evening before, so all he had to do was reverse out from the depot onto the main line and he would be facing the direction that he needed to be going in. Carrie was very glad to be on the footplate of No.67905, as the heat of the fire burning away inside the firebox was a much-needed relief in the cold winter morning.
Once out of the depot at 4:30am, No.67905 set to work at once heading northwards with his snowplough, and cleared away any drifts that he came across on his run northwards to Heathfield. For the most part, the drifts they encountered slipped away without too much difficulty, with the snow forming white clouds that seemed to engulf them as they went through them. However, there were one or two places where they encountered slightly deeper drifts caused by a lot of snow that had fallen from higher ground on both sides of the line and had piled up to a much greater extent, but they managed to go through those drifts without too much difficulty. While on the footplate, Carrie was able to keep herself warm by helping to shovel coal from the bunker into the firebox, with the heat from the fire also helping to keep her warm as they went up and down the line for about three hours, being turned on the turntables at each end before heading back along the line again.
They weren't the only engine and crew who were out clearing snow off the lines that morning, for they encountered a few others who were doing the same job, as well as other engines who were moving freight and mail around the island. Carrie didn't get a chance to see which engines they were, but she clearly heard them sounding their whistles loudly before rushing on by with their trains, the noise filling the cab as they did so.
By 7:25am, with the sun rising up into the eastern sky, No.67905 finally finished up the job of clearing snow along the stretch of main line that ran between Knapford and Heathfield, and made his way back to Tidmouth Sheds. By this time of the morning, there were more trains running about the line, including commuter trains filled with passengers on their way to work, and so the number of engines who were on snowplough duties were reduced. Even though it was still snowing very heavily from the dark cloudy sky, the number of engines now out and about going about their work meant that it was necessary to reduce those engines, but as some of the engines who had been out earlier went back to their sheds, a few new engines went out to help keep the snow clear.
Once they arrived back at the sheds, Carrie was feeling relieved to be back, as she knew that it was time for a rest before they needed to go out to work again. She didn't know if she'd be staying with No.67905 for the rest of the day or if she'd be assigned to a new engine, but she was looking forward to getting back to work once she had had a long rest. As she entered the crew building, Carrie felt the blast of warm air on her face and then felt herself smile as she felt herself warm up a bit. Going into the canteen off to the side, she was pleased to see that it wasn't too busy in there, with only a few of the tables occupied and no one lined up at the buffet line, although there were the usual kitchen workers to be seen working away within the main kitchen.
After getting herself a hot mug of tea from the drinks station, Carrie went over to one of the vacant tables and sat down, taking the time to rest from the first part of her working day and to warm up before she had to go out again. As she rested and enjoyed her drink, she was soon heartened by the sight of her boyfriend, Simon, coming into the cafeteria after a while, before getting a hot drink himself and sitting down at the table with her. For quite a while, the two of them just sat around and chatted with each other about how their morning of work had gone so far, and about any snowdrifts that they had come upon during the morning, as other enginemen went about them, heading out to work or coming in for a rest.
Eventually though, with their hot drinks fully finished off and feeling fully rested up, both Simon and Carrie stood up from the table and went back outside the canteen to check on which engines that they were to be working on for the next part of the morning. Carrie was assigned to work with No.67905 again, and they were to go down to Knapford Station and take the 8:25am passenger train from Knapford Station to Vicarstown, while Simon was assigned to go with L.M.S. Black Five 4-6-0 No.44686 and they were to take a fully fitted train of box vans from Knapford Yards along the Northern Main Line to Barrow-in-Furness via Vicarstown.
"Okay, so I'll see you later on this afternoon, Carrie." Simon said, as he gave her a quick hug before he had to go and meet with No.44686 and his crew.
"And good luck getting the train to its destination…especially in this weather." Carrie said to Simon, before she looked up into the sky at the snow-laden clouds.
"Don't worry, Carrie. Whatever the weather here on Sodor, we'll be able to get the train through to its destination. I'll see you later, and good luck to you too!" Simon said, as he also took a look up into the sky before he headed on his way.
"Thanks, Simon!" Carrie said, as she then went on her way to where No.67905 was parked and being readied to go. By this time, the snowplough that had been fitted to the No.67905 earlier in the morning had been removed, as he was going to be pulling his first train of the day.
She arrived by No.67905 to see that he was nearly ready to go, with his paintwork rubbed down, as well as having his coal bunker topped up with fresh coal and side tanks refilled with more water. There was just the matter of oiling up all the motion and other moving parts that needed to be done before they could set out for their next train. After being handed some spare old rags and an oil can that had been keeping warm close to a brazier, Carrie set to work at oiling up around the motion. By this point in time, Carrie knew where all of the oiling points were, and so she was able to easily find them, lift the little lids or remove any corks and fill up the oil reservoirs with the oil. The fact that the oil can had been kept fairly close to a hot brazier in order to keep the oil fluid in the cold weather also helped somewhat with oiling up.
It wasn't too long before Carrie finally finished oiling up around the motion, as well as filling up the mechanical lubricators on the running board with some more oil, and then, after wiping off some excess oil off one of the coupling rods with a rag, she made her way over to the footplate and stepped back aboard.
With a full head of steam in his boiler and feeling eager to get going after a good rest from the work that he'd done this morning, No.67905 blew his whistle and slowly headed out from the Tidmouth depot, and then down to Knapford to collect his train. As they headed on out of the depot and onto the main line, Carrie pulled aside the sleeve of her overalls and looked at her watch; the time was 8:11am, and the train that they were to pull today was due to leave Knapford at 8:25am.
(At Knapford Station)
It wasn't too long before No.67905 finally arrived at Knapford Station, where the coaches that they were to take this morning were lined up at Platform 1, and there were about 10 of them in all, and all looked very smart having been washed and polished not long before. There were already quite a few passengers who were boarding the coaches, some of whom were on their way over to Vicarstown in order to do their Christmas shopping. Over at the other platforms in the station, other passengers were boarding other trains that were waiting to set off, while at that moment No.71001 Duke of London was heading out from Platform 3 with his own passenger train, with his driver sounding his whistle loudly as he set off.
Heading through the station to the points that were a little way beyond, No.67905 came to a stop by the signal box and blew his whistle for a few seconds as a signal for the signalman to switch the points. Once the signalman had done so, and then acknowledged this to the crew, the driver wound the reversing gear into full reverse, released the brakes and blew the whistle for a second or two, before gently opening the regulator. Slowly, No.67905 reversed back along the line and very gently buffered up to the front coach of the train with a slight jerk. This train that they were to take today wasn't an express train, only a regular passenger train that made stops at certain stations along the way to their destination.
As the shunter coupled up the train to No.67905 and connected the brake pipes together, Carrie stepped off the footplate to the ground, reached for the single white indicator disc that the fireman handed down to her, and then walked forward before clambering up the front steps onto the front buffer beam of No.67905. With the white disc in her hand, Carrie reached up and managed to place it onto the lamp-iron on top of the smokebox directly in front of the chimney.
"Careful there, Carrie!" No.67905 said, as Carrie went about doing this little job.
"No need to worry there, No.67905…I know what I'm doing." Carrie said reassuringly, as she put the disc into place.
"And there we are!" Carrie said with a smile, as she admired the results of her handiwork.
"Well done, Carrie! Well done!" No.67905 said, as Carrie carefully stepped off the buffer beam and back down onto the ground.
"Thanks. And also…did you also hear the news that there's apparently going to be some very special visitors coming to visit the island for Christmas in the next day or so?" Carrie said, as she looked back up at No.67905.
"Yes, I have, Carrie. But who do you think that they could be?" No.67905 asked. He and the other engines had all heard this news, but nothing positive was ever heard on whether or not these rumours were true or not.
"Well, I've got no idea on who they could be. But even so, I guess that we'll just have to keep our eyes open to see who it might be." Carrie said.
"Yes, I suppose that we'll have to." agreed No.67905.
"Anyway, I'd best be better getting back onto the footplate. We'll be leaving any minute now." Carrie said, as she turned and went back to the cab before climbing aboard.
The minutes ticked on by, and the last passengers had soon climbed aboard the coaches with the porters closing the doors as soon as the final passengers were aboard. Soon, at 8:25am exactly, the guard stepped out from his compartment and waved his green flag while blowing his whistle, and then he quickly stepped back aboard the front coach. At the same time, the signal arm for their line dropped, showing the way ahead was clear.
"Okay, here we go!" the driver said, as he blew the whistle for a few seconds, released the brakes, and then opened the regulator a little. As high-pressure steam flowed into the three cylinders, No.67905 slowly moved forwards while taking up the weight of his heavy coaches behind him.
"Come on! Come on!" said No.67905 as he slowly moved out of the station and gently picked up some more speed, with his coaches following along smoothly behind him. His wheels slipped briefly on the icy rails as he headed out, but his driver activated the sanding gear and the sand allowed the eight driving wheels to grip the rails again.
From the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie looked out the front window as they moved out of Knapford Station. She knew that as this train was destined for Vicarstown, they were in for a long trip in order to get there, but at the same time she had no idea which stations that they needed to stop at in order to pick up and drop off passengers before they finally arrived at Vicarstown. But at the same time, Carrie was looking forward to the adventure that lay ahead of them, and wondered how they'd manage as they went along the Southern Main Line. Not only that, but Carrie was also feeling a bit curious as to whether or not they'd ever get to see if any of the rumoured special visitors who were coming over to Sodor. Looking into the cab as they picked up some more speed, Carrie watched as the fireman took a go with the shovel, making sure to place the coal to where it was needed in order to make steam efficiently in the boiler. Going over to the water gauge glasses, Carrie checked to see the water level was all right; she could see that there was still a good water level in the boiler, so there was no need to top it up just yet.
The train went very smoothly along the Southern Main Line, while they gradually picked up some more speed as they went along. As they passed on through Henry's Tunnel with No.67905 blowing his whistle as he entered the tunnel and passed on through, Carrie was taking her next go with the shovel, and placed around six shovelfuls of fresh coal into the hot firebox, while making sure to place the coal into the back corners of the firebox. It wasn't that easy, as the strong draught going into through the firehole doors more often than not simply sucked the coal right off the shovel.
They soon arrived at the first station that they need to make a stop at, which was Wellsworth. As they approached Wellsworth, they went past the banker sidings where a number of bankers were seen and waiting for their next jobs in helping trains up Gordon's Hill. Among the bankers that Carrie could see waiting for the next trains to help up included Bertha, the former Midland Railway 0-10-0 Lickey Incline banker, and No.2395, the enormous L.N.E.R. U1 Class 2-8-00-8-2 Garratt.
As No.67905 slowed down, Carrie leaned out from the driver's side on the left-hand side of the cab; she saw that there were plenty of passengers waiting for them on the platform, and each of them seemed to be eager to be on their way to where they needed to be.
"I just hope that there'll be enough room on our coaches for all of these people." Carrie said, as the driver closed the regulator and gently put the brakes on.
"I think that there should be. I'm sure that some people already on the train will be getting off here and then there'll be space for all these people." said the driver, as he slowly brought the train to a stop at the platform.
As the porters opened the doors to the coaches and the passengers began to board the train, the driver blew the whistle twice to let the bankers back at the sidings know that a banker was needed to help them up the hill. From the banker sidings, there came an acknowledging whistle as the next engine who was to bank the next train up Gordon's Hill made his way out from the sidings and proceeded down the line to the station. It was No.8450, one of the G.W.R. 94XX Class 0-6-0PT tank engines who helped to bank trains up Gordon's Hill, and he slowly rolled along the line up to the back of the train and gently buffered up to the rear of the back coach with a slight bump. Once he was in place, he blew his whistle twice to let the driver of No.67905 know that he was in position, to which No.67905 blew his whistle twice in reply.
Once all the passengers who had been waiting on the platform had boarded the train, as well as the few who needed to get off had disembarked, it was time for the train to be on their way again. After the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and the signalman had set the signal to show the way ahead was clear, Carrie was given the chance to blow the whistle for one long burst, which was the signal for the drivers on both No.67905 and No.8450 to open their regulators. Slowly, with the sounds of chuffing filling the air, the train moved forwards out of the station and then under the road bridge at the end a little way beyond the end of the station.
They made their way along the line until they passed beneath the red-brick road bridge that was at the start of the curve before the base of Gordon's Hill, and then they really began to attack the climb, with No.8450 pushing from the back as hard as he could, while No.67905 pulled as hard as he could. The noise of the chuffing roaring from the chimneys could be heard from quite a long way off. From off to the side of the hill off to the right of the two engines, there was a large open field with a slope and a few people, including some children, were seen tobogganing with their sleds down the hill. They were all having a good time going down the hill through the snow, as well as enjoying the winter morning.
From where she was standing on No.67905's footplate, Carrie couldn't help but smile at seeing all these children enjoying the snow on their coloured sleds as they raced each other down the snowy slope. She often remembered that back in Chamberlain she had seen other kids over the years playing with sledges whenever there was a time that the snow had come down really heavily and everything as far as the eye could see would be covered in white. However, given what her mother was like, Carrie would never be allowed to participate in such social events and would have to look towards other people enjoying themselves with envy. But now seeing all these kids enjoying themselves in the snow, she wondered now if there was a chance to get to enjoy something that she had always wanted to do when she was a kid.
As the train went by the field up the hill, some of the children and adults in the field paused from their fun and waved as the train went by. Carrie saw the kids wave to them, and she naturally waved back to the children as they headed on up the hill. Within a very short time, the train finally reached the top of the hill and No.67905 picked up some more speed as he went over the top and took his train with him. From the rear, No.8450 slowly dropped off speed and then dropped off from the back of the train as they went over the crest of the hill. And then after he came to a stop a little beyond the signal box, the driver of No.8450 blew his whistle and the signalman switched the points, and then No.8450 slowly reversed over the points and went back down Gordon's Hill to Wellsworth Station.
(At the hotel in Knapford)
Meanwhile at the hotel where they were staying, most of those who had come over to Sodor from Chamberlain and who had slept in for a bit were leaving their comfortable rooms and suites and making their way downstairs for breakfast. Sue Snell and Tommy Ross met up with each other in the elevator that was taking them down from the floors that they were staying on, and they headed into the main dining room together. Entering the large room, they saw that most of those who came over from Chamberlain and the smells of different breakfast foods filled the air, as well as the sounds of people chatting with each other at the different tables and clinking of cutlery on plates.
"I'm looking forward to a good breakfast on this cold morning. And I hope that it'll be a hot one as well." Tommy said.
"Absolutely! And I hope that there's still plenty of food left for us to get." Sue said with a smile, as she and Tommy went into the dining room together. After lining up together at the buffet line together, they each grabbed a tray and then went through the buffet line, taking which foods that they wanted to have for breakfast, and then went over to one of the spare tables where they sat down to eat their food. Looking out the window after she sat down, Sue wondered for a few moments what would take place that day before she began eating.
As the young couple tucked into their food, they couldn't help but look up from time to time at some of the other tables close to theirs, as their fellow classmates and their families ate breakfast. They could see that some appeared to be excited about what the day would bring, while others appeared to be much calmer. Taking a quick glance over to the table where Chris Hargensen was eating, Sue could clearly see that Chris seemed to be in quite a mood, no doubt from the punishment work that she, Tina, and Donna had had to do some days before where they had to clean out engines in the Knapford depot, as well as the what had happened the day before where the three of them had been blasted with ashes and soot from Henry's funnel when they had tried to dump water on top of him. Deciding to keep her distance from her former friend for now, Sue continued on with eating her breakfast.
At another of the tables within the dining room, Rita Desjardin was also eating breakfast and looked around from her table as she took a long sip of her coffee. The activity that she could see before her was no different to any morning activities at any hotel that she had been to in her life, with hotel guests lining up at the buffet line and getting whatever foods that they wanted to have for breakfast, while members of hotel staff went back and forth on occasion between the buffet line and kitchen so as to restock the buffet with more food. She heard the sounds of people talking at the different tables, the sounds of china mugs being touched off each other and cutlery being touched off the plates, as well as the sounds of the coffee machines by the buffet line being used as guests filled their mugs with hot coffee. Putting down her coffee mug, Rita took a bit of one of her slices of toast with butter and strawberry jam and thought about what the day ahead would bring. She hoped that she could be able to see Carrie again sometime today, and she was also wondering what engine who she'd be working on this morning. Deciding to wonder about that later on, Rita continued on with finishing off her breakfast.
(A short while later)
Having finished their breakfasts, Sue and Tommy left the dining area and went back upstairs in the elevators so that they could get ready to go out that morning. The elevator arrived on the third floor, which was where Tommy and his parents were staying, and the doors slid open.
"I'll see you downstairs in a little bit, Sue." Tommy said, as he stepped off the elevator.
"Okay, Tommy." Sue said, as she watched Tommy go through the elevator lobby and then set off down the corridor to where his room was. Then the elevator doors slid shut, and the elevator went up to the fourth floor, where Sue, her sister, and her parents were staying. Stepping off the elevator, Sue went off back to her room to get ready, and while she did so she turned on the T.V. and switched channels until she found one which was a news channel where the smartly-dressed news presenter was sitting at her desk and giving out the latest news taking place around the world.
As Sue put on her warm coat, gloves, and then looked for her scarf, she overheard something on the T.V. that caught her attention and looked to it to see what it was.
"And here ladies and gentlemen…is some of the interview that our reporter, Gale, managed to get of Carrie White over on the Island of Sodor last night. As you'll be able to see…and particularly to those who were no doubt worried…Carrie White is okay and seems to be in perfect health too. Please see this." the presenter said, as the scene on the T.V. then changed to show Carrie on the screen when Gale conducted the hasty interview with her out on the streets of Knapford the evening before. See this take place before her, Sue couldn't believe her eyes and she sat down on the bed while watching the interview with Carrie take place. In a way, she wasn't too surprised to see Carrie being interviewed as Sue was well aware of the fact that the media had arrived on Sodor en-masse when the news came out that showed that Carrie was alive and well, as well as where she was, but what surprised Sue the most was just how quickly someone had managed to get a chance to speak to Carrie for an interview and that it was put on the T.V. as well.
For about two or three minutes, Sue sat on the end of her bed and just watched large parts of the interview that Gale had managed to obtain with Carrie play out on the T.V. screen. She watched and listened to what Carrie had to say about her experiences of working with the engines here on the Island of Sodor, as well as how she really enjoyed working on the Sodor railway system. And Carrie also gave her honest answers of what her private life had been for her while she was back in Chamberlain, including some details of what her mother had done to her in the house that they had lived in together. Yet Sue was also feeling a bit pleased when she heard that Carrie said that ever since her classmates and teachers had arrived on Sodor recently, things between her and them had slowly been getting better now that they realised what they had done to her was wrong and that they had given their apologies to her. But Carrie also mentioned that her classmates and her teachers "…still had a long way to go yet…" before she felt that she could trust them after what she had gone through.
When one part of the interview turned to Ralph White and the question that Gale asked him about leaving Chamberlain when Margaret was pregnant with Carrie, Ralph calmly gave his reassurances that he didn't know that Margaret had been pregnant and that "…if I had known that Margaret was pregnant with Carrie…then obviously things in Carrie's life would've turned out very differently." This did surprise Sue in a way, as it had never occurred to her on whether or not Carrie's father knew that his ex-wife had been pregnant when that horrendous accident occurred all those years ago. But one thing that certainly did prick Sue's conscience was what Ralph had said about Carrie's life being very different from what it had been if he had known that Margaret had been pregnant. For a brief moment, Sue thought about what Carrie's life back in Chamberlain could have been like if her father had still been around town to look out for her. Would she still have been bullied in school, or would her father have done something to prevent it from happening?
And the final part of the interview with Carrie before it ended showed her saying that she really liked living and working on the Island of Sodor, as well as that the people and engines were great, and that she had no plans to return to Chamberlain for the foreseeable future. That part of the interview really didn't surprise Sue too much, as it was quite clear that Carrie really did enjoy doing the work that she was doing on the Sodor railway system.
Once the interview had ended and showed the news presenter sitting at her desk giving her personal thoughts about the interview that Gale had gotten with Carrie, Sue reached for the remote control and switched the T.V. off. As she stood up, she couldn't help but wonder what Carrie had said during her interview on the T.V. in the last few minutes. Sue knew full well that Carrie had been entirely right about everyone from Chamberlain, especially all those from Ewen High School, having a long way to go before they could fully regain her trust, and Sue wasn't fully sure on whether or not that they could all fully regain Carrie's trust in the remaining time that they had here on Sodor.
And it wasn't just Sue who had seen the interview with Carrie on the T.V.; a few of the other Ewen High seniors had seen it too in their own bedrooms, or else down on the T.V. that was in the hotel's main reception area. Tommy also saw the interview on the T.V. in his own room while he was getting himself ready to go. Many of them were surprised to see Carrie on T.V. and giving an interview about what her life was like now on the Island of Sodor. Many of those Ewen High teens who saw the interview, including those who were getting ready in their suites and rooms, couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed from the memories that they had of either bullying Carrie or neglecting to help her whenever she was being bullied.
When Rita saw it while she was still downstairs, she couldn't help but smile at seeing her favourite student compose herself while she was being interviewed by the reporter who had managed to track her down. She did have some concerns that other reporters might try and get an interview of some sort with Carrie within the next few days, but she was pleased to see that Carrie had managed to keep calm when she was suddenly surprised by the arrival of Gale, who was well-known for being a bit of a determined reporter and who would stop at nothing to get a story out before her contemporaries.
After the interview had come to an end and the next part of what was on the news came onto the screen, Rita left the hotel reception area over to the elevators so as to go up to her room, in order to get ready to go out to the town of Knapford, she was wondering where Carrie was and how she was getting on.
(Meanwhile, with Carrie)
No.67905 sat at the platform at Rossington Station while waiting for the last passengers that he was to pick up board his coaches. Despite the snow and icy cold, he made very good time on this run and was feeling like he might arrive in Vicarstown bang on time. From the footplate, Carrie was leaning out on the driver's side and looking back along the platform as the last of the passengers boarded the coaches. She saw that each of them was well wrapped-up in thick warm coats, gloves, and warm woollen hats to keep the winter cold off. As the passengers boarded, some members of the station staff went along the platform and helped them aboard the coaches if they needed any help, including helping to load any heavy bags onto the train as well.
"We just need to make one more stop at Crovan's Gate, Carrie. And once we're done there, it's a final last run of the trip all the way to Vicarstown Station." said the driver, as he put the reversing gear into full forwards once again.
"Okay then. I'm really looking forward to getting there and having a good long rest before the last run of the day back to Knapford." Carrie said, as she smiled. Pulling herself back into the cab, she looked at what the fireman was doing; he was placing some more fresh coal into the firebox to keep the fire burning brightly. Going over to check on the two water gauge glasses mounted on the backhead, Carrie saw that there was plenty of water in the boiler, and a quick check of the main boiler pressure gauge showed the indicator arrow was stable at around 220psi. Feeling herself smile, Carrie went back to the fireman's seat and sat down on it, while waiting for the last moments to pass before they set off on their way again.
It wasn't too long before the guard blew his whistle loudly, and the signal ahead dropped to show that the line ahead was clear.
"Okay, here we go!" the driver called, as he reached for the whistle cord and pulled it for a second or two, and then he released the brakes and reached for the regulator handle and pulled it open a little. As high-pressure steam flowed into his three cylinders, No.67905 slowly moved forwards and took up the weight of his coaches, moving them slowly out of the station. Leaning out from the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie looked out ahead of them as they set out from Rossington Station. With this stop now completed, it was onto the next one a few more miles up the line, and then after that Vicarstown and the chance of a good long rest in the crew building there.
Then, she heard the sounds of another whistle blowing out loudly from somewhere along the line ahead of them. A few moments later, she saw another engine passing underneath the road bridge a hundred yards or so away from Rossington Station and heading in the opposite direction on the Southern Main Line; it was another L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T No.67920, and he was heading along with a lengthy slow freight train coupled up behind him.
"Morning, No.67920!" No.67905 called, as he rolled on by while blowing his whistle.
"Good morning, No.67905!" No.67920 replied, as he steamed on slowly by with his trucks rattling and clattering behind him.
The signalman had already switched the points for them to go along the spur of main line heading towards Crovan's Gate, and they went over the points and onto the line that would take them to their next stop. Taking hold of the shovel, Carrie waited for when the firebox would need to be stoked again. The train slowly built up some more speed as they went along the line, and the ride was very smooth with no slipping of the wheels, much to Carrie's deep relief. When the time came for her to stoke the boiler again, Carrie used the shovel to push open the deflector flap and took a quick look in the firebox to see where the coal was needed. And then she turned round to fill the shovel with coal from the bunker, before turning back round and thrusting the shovelful of coal into the fire. She did that five more time, making sure to place the coal to where it was needed in to make the fire efficiently so as to make plenty of steam in the boiler.
At the same time, the fireman checked on the gauge that showed the level of water in the side tanks; they were only about a quarter full with water.
"We'll need to take on some more water once we get into Crovan's Gate." the fireman said to the driver.
"All right then. We've got a scheduled ten-minute stop there, and that should be enough for us to replenish the tanks. We'll use the water tower that's beside the Skarloey Railway sheds." said the driver.
"Right-o." said the fireman, as he checked on the two water gauge glasses to see where the water level was, and then reached up to the controls to inject more water into the boiler. Taking a look outside the cab, Carrie could see that the snow had stopped falling, but she knew that the dark clouds in the sky threatened to unleash more snow over Sodor at any moment. Deciding not to worry about that for now, Carrie looked ahead along the line, keeping a sharp eye out for the state of the signals.
(At Crovan's Gate Station)
With a blast of his whistle, a low squealing of brake blocks on his driving wheels, and a wheeshing of steam, No.67905 finally arrived into Crovan's Gate Station on time, where some passengers were seen waiting on the platform for him to arrive. After he came to a stop at the station, a shunter uncoupled him from the train and disconnected the brake pipes, and then No.67905 slowly rolled forwards out of the station and down the line a short way towards where the water tower was located, very close to where the main engine sheds for the Skarloey Railway were.
As No.67905 came to a stop right beside the water tower, Carrie leaned out from the cab and was pleased to see a few of the narrow-gauge engines of the Skarloey Railway sitting in the sheds and being readied for work. Among them, Carrie could see that Skarloey, Rheneas, Peter Sam, and Duncan were there, and Rusty was also sitting there as well. There were also two other engines that that Carrie had never seen before on the Skarloey Railway in her time on Sodor so far; one was a large grey tank engine called Freddy, as well as a strange blue double-ended engine, which was a Ffestiniog Railway Double Fairlie, that Carrie had never seen before, and this engine was Mighty Mac.
"Hello there, No.67905!" Skarloey said, as Carrie stepped off the footplate.
"Morning, Skarloey! And good morning, you lot! Have any of you had a busy morning so far?" No.67905 said, as his driver stood by the water tower while Carrie climbed up onto the front buffer beam and then up the steps onto the top of the left-hand side water tank before opening up the lid.
"Yes, we've all been out and about, helping to clear the lines clear of snow, as well as taking workmen up along the line to where they need to be. And also moving passengers about as well." Freddy said.
"And we're just taking a rest here in the sheds before we have to go out again in a while." added Peter Sam.
"Sounds no different to the work that Carrie and myself have been doing this morning." No.67905 said, as he indicated to Carrie, who was standing on top of his water tank.
"Good morning there, Carrie! You had a busy morning?" asked Mighty Mac, as he looked up to where Carrie was.
"Yes, I've been up since four o clock this morning, and it's been pretty busy from the moment we left Tidmouth Sheds. And I'll be looking forward to a good rest once we finally get into Vicarstown in a short while." Carrie said, as the driver swung the crane arm for the water tower over towards her and she placed the hose into the open lid.
"Okay, water on!" she called down to the driver, who acknowledged "Water on!" as he opened the valve below the water tower to allow water to flow down into the side tanks.
It wasn't too long before the side tanks were fully refilled with water, and Carrie called out "Water off!" and the driver shut off the valve while calling out "Water off!" As the crane arm was swung back away from No.67905 and Carrie closed the lid to the water tank, Carrie heard the sound of another whistle being sounded from down the line in the direction of Vicarstown, followed soon by the distant sound of chuffing. At the same time, the narrow-gauge engines heard the whistle as well, and they recognized it at once. But Rusty in particular knew at once who this approaching engine was.
"I know who that engine is!" Rusty said, as a smile crossed his face. As Carrie stepped off of No.67905's side tank, she looked where the sounds were coming from.
"Could that be one of the special visitors?" she asked the driver.
"I think that it is, Carrie! I think it is!" said the driver, as he also looked along the line.
(Insert soundtrack – Stepney's Theme – Season 4)
After a few more moments, with the sound of his whistle blowing again, the engine came into view around the gentle bend. Carrie saw that it was a small tank engine who was painted in an ochre-gold livery with six driving wheels, and his connecting rods painted in bright red. Carrie saw that the number 55 was painted on the sides of this engine's coal bunker, and looking at the sides of the side tank closest to her as the engine approached and slowed down, Carrie clearly saw the name of the engine painted on the side tank in crisp white paint; it was none other than Stepney the Bluebell Engine, who was an example of the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway's A1 Class 0-6-0T tank engines (134) and one of the two rumoured special visitors who was coming to Sodor for the Christmas holidays.
"Hello there, everyone!" Stepney said in a very cheery way, as he came to a stop opposite the Skarloey Railway sheds.
"Hello, Stepney! Welcome back to Sodor!" all the narrow-gauge engines said at once.
"It's certainly great to be back again! And I'm really looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays over here!" Stepney added, as he then looked over to where No.67905 was standing.
"And it's good to see you back here again, Stepney." No.67905 said, as he smiled at the ochre-gold painted 0-6-0T tank engine.
From behind the front buffer beam of No.67905, Carrie stood out and looked towards Stepney, who then noticed her.
(134): The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (L.B.S.C.R.) A1 Class 0-6-0T tank engines were designed by William Stroudley in order to haul commuter trains on the heavily congested lines that ran within South and South-East London. These routes included the line that ran from London Bridge to East and West Croydon, as well as on the route running from London Victoria to Sutton, and the East London Railway through the Thames Tunnel.
The class were built in seven batches from September 1872 to September 1880, with a total of 50 engines being built at Brighton Works, and they were originally numbered from No.35 to No.84.
Most of the class were given names of London boroughs or other areas of local importance that were served by the L.B.S.C.R. The numbers and names of the L.B.S.C.R. A1 Class were as follows;
No.35 Morden, No.36 Bramley, No.37 Southdown, No.38 Millwall, No.39 Denmark, No.40 Brighton, No.41 Piccadilly, No.42 Tulsehill,
No.43 Gipsyhill, No.44 Fulham, No.45 Merton, No.46 Newington, No.47 Cheapside, No.48 Leadenhall, No.49 Bishopsgate, No.50 Whitechapel,
No.51 Rotherhithe, No.52 Surrey, No.53 Ashtead, No.54 Waddon, No.55 Stepney, No.56 Shoreditch, No.57 Thames, No.58 Wandle,
No.59 Cheam, No.60 Ewell, No.61 Sutton, No.62 Martello, No.63 Preston, No.64 Kemptown, No.65 Tooting, No.66 Hatcham,
No.67 Brixton, No.68 Clapham, No.69 Peckham, No.70 Poplar, No.71 Wapping, No.72 Fenchurch, No.73 Deptford, No.74 Shadwell,
No.75 Blackwall, No.76 Hailsham, No.77 Wonersh, No.78 Knowle, No.79 Minories, No.80 Bookham, No.81 Beulah, No.82 Boxhill,
No.83 Earlswood, and No.84 Crowborough.
One member of the class, No.40 Brighton, was chosen to represent the L.B.S.C.R. in the 1878 Paris Exhibition, and the engine won a gold medal for the quality of the workmanship put into it. During a run to Paris from Dieppe, Brighton reached and maintained a speed of close to 50mph, which was a speed that was unheard of at the time, especially for small tank engines.
The A1 Class were famously known as "Terriers", which was due to the exhaust beat having a very distinctive barking sound.
The class had two inside cylinders, which originally had a diameter of 13in with a piston stoke of 20in, six driving wheels that were 4ft 0in in diameter, and a boiler that was originally pressed to a working pressure of 140psi, but was later upgraded on some engines to 150psi. Other engines in the class were later refitted with new cylinders that were 14in in diameter, but by 1909 most of the class received new cylinders that were 12in in diameter, although two engines had smaller cylinders that were 9in and 10in in diameter. As a result of that, the tractive effort of the engines varied from between 7,650lbf to 10,695lbf. The valve gear used was inside Stephenson valve gear which was paired with slide valves. The coal bunkers could carry a maximum of one ton of coal, while the side tanks could take about 500 gallons of water, which took the maximum weight of the class to about 27.5 tons.
The original boilers that were fitted to the class had fireboxes made of wrought iron, while two engines were fitted with steel fireboxes in 1889, but this experiment proved to be unsuccessful. But from 1888, boilers that were fitted with copper fireboxes were fitted to the class, with the boiler pressure being increased to 150psi. Some members of the class were fitted with new Drummond-style boilers during their careers that were slightly different in size from the ones they originally had when they were new.
Between 1911 and 1913, around 12 members of the class were fitted with new boilers under instructions from the new Chief Mechanical Engineer of the L.B.S.C.R., Douglas Earle Marsh, with four more being converted after the end of the First World War, with the engines being reclassified as A1X. The new boilers that were fitted to the engines were slightly longer than the originals, and so increased the weight of the converted engines to about 28.2 tons. The new boilers also had a larger grate area than the originals, and were pressed to 150psi. Other changes made included extending the smokebox, moving the sandboxes to below the running plate, and removing the tubes that had originally been part of the condensing equipment between the smokeboxes and side tanks. The cylinders on the A1X engines were 12in in diameter with a 20in piston stroke, and that gave the A1X engines a maximum tractive effort of 7,650lbf.
The engines of the A1 Class were initially painted in an ochre livery when they first entered service, which was a yellow-brown colour, which was strangely known as "Improved Engine Green," though the designer, Stroudley was likely colour-blind for this to be the case. In Southern Railway's days, the class were painted in the company's Olive Green livery, and then in B.R. black livery in B.R. days.
As London grew considerably in size in the last decades of the 19th Century, and smaller towns outside the city were absorbed into London as it grew, it meant that commuter trains going into and out of the city became heavier and heavier. While the need for shorter journey times remained the same, it meant that the trains became too heavy for the A1 Terriers to manage, and so they were replaced by the larger D1 Class 0-4-2T tank engines which were built in far larger numbers and slightly more powerful as well.
After being replaced by the D1 Class, the A1 Terriers were reassigned to other duties, as they were still quite reliable engines. Among the other duties that they undertook were working on branch lines on passenger and freight duties, as well as shunting in yards. Around 23 engines were withdrawn from service between 1898 and 1905, but most of these were still in good working order and were sold to a number of different companies, including the Isle of Wight Central Railway, the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, and the London and South Western Railway. A few others were assigned to work as shunting engines at Brighton Works and at Lancing Carriage Works. The A1 Terriers were also tried out on push-pull or "motor trains" that were used on many branch line services, and it was discovered that they were ideally suited to this kind of work.
In 1918, five members of the class were bought by the British government and sent up to Scotland to work at the U.S. Navy's North Sea mine barrage minelaying project. Four of the engines, No.37, No.79, No.81, and No.83 were used at Dalmore, while the fifth engine, No.38, went to Glen Albyn, Inverness. Later, the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway received No.38, No.81, and No.83.
When the Southern Railway was formed in January 1923, a total of 24 engines eventually came under the company's control, but very slow withdrawals took place over the following years, with two engines eventually going to the now long-closed Weston, Clevedon, and Portishead Railway. The engines were used for regular work and for departmental work on the Southern system, as well as on several light railways for which they were ideally suited, as nothing heavier was allowed to work on such lines due to the severe weight restrictions. Among the light railways the class worked on, it included the Isle of Wight Railway and the lines from Tenterden and on Hayling Island. This resulted in the A1s and A1Xs lasting much longer in traffic than may otherwise have been the case.
When the railways were nationalised in January 1948, there was still a single A1 and 16 A1X engines around to come into B.R. stock, with fifteen being based on the Southern Region and the other two being based in the Western Region, having been inherited by the Great Western Railway when the Weston, Clevedon, and Portishead Railway came under G.W.R. control. These engines were all given the power classification of 0F by B.R., as they were still mainly passenger engines, but were the least powerful on the system. Under B.R. auspices, the engines still worked on lightly laid railway lines and restricted branch lines, but they became increasingly expensive to maintain as constant use took its toll on the remaining engines. But the advent of the Modernisation Plan of the mid-1950's meant that the lines the class had worked on would have to close down. In November 1963, the Hayling Island line finally closed down, mostly due to the condition of the bridge at Langstone Harbour having deteriorated and considered to be beyond economic repair. The last services over the Hayling Island line ran on November 4th with No.32636 and No.32670 running a special train along the line on the final day the line was in operation.
In January 1964, the final two members of the L.B.S.C.R. A1 Class that had still been running, No.32670 and No.32636, were withdrawn from service.
Thankfully, 10 examples of the class have managed to survive into preservation. These 10 engines are;
No.40 Brighton/Newport; built at Brighton Works in March 1878, she was chosen to go to the Paris Exhibition that year and reached a speed on 50mph when running between Paris and Dieppe. She spent much of her early working life in London, being based at Battersea Shed, before being bought by the Isle of Wight Central Railway in 1901 and arriving on the island in 1902 after having been overhauled at Brighton Works. She was rebuilt as an A1X in August 1918. She returned to the mainland in 1947 and was overhauled at Eastleigh Works before working in a number of different areas, including the Hayling Island branch line. She was withdrawn in September 1963, after having covered over 1.1 million miles during her career, and was sold to Butlins, who displayed her at their camp at Pwllheli in North Wales. In 1973, she was loaned to the Isle of Wight Locomotive Society and was fully bought in 1976, with the engine finally being returned to working order by 1989 as No.11. She proved to be a powerful, reliable, and economic engine, and more than capable of hauling any train demanded of her on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. A new boiler was order in November 2007 and was delivered in September 2010 before finally being fitted in March 2014. As of late 2024, No.11 is in working order on the Isle of Wight.
No.46 Newington/Freshwater; built at Brighton Works in January 1877, she was initially based at Battersea in London before being sold to the London and South Western Railway in 1903 after having covered 574,000 miles by that point. Under the L.S.W.R., No.46, then renumbered as No.734, worked on the Lyme Regis branch line, as well as on the stretch of line now known as the Mid Hants Railway, before she and the other Terriers were eventually replaced by L.S.W.R. O2 Class 0-4-4T tank engines in 1906. Then No.46 and the other Terriers were put to work on other parts of the L.S.W.R. network, including to Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Town, Exmouth, and Bournemouth. In June 1913, No.734 arrived on the Isle of Wight and ran there before being bought in February 1917, where she was then repainted and renumbered to No.2. After the Grouping in 1923, she was renumbered again to W8 and renamed Freshwater, and she continued to serve on the Isle of Wight, and being rebuilt as an A1X in March 1932, until British Railways was formed in January 1948, after which she left the island in 1949 and was taken to Eastleigh for overhaul. After being renumbered No.32646, she worked on the Hayling Island branch line. In 1958, she had the sad honour of being the final locomotive to be overhauled at Brighton Works before the works closed down.
After the Hayling line closed in 1963, No.32646 was withdrawn from service and eventually was sold to the Brickwoods Brewery in Portsmouth, who strangely used it as a mounted plinth outside their pub on Hayling Island. She remained there for about 10 years, before she was bought and taken back to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in 1979. By June 1981, Freshwater was returned to working order again, and quickly proved herself to be a reliable workhorse, becoming the railway's only working steam locomotive by 1984. The engine was fitted with a new boiler by 1998, ensuring that she would stay in traffic. As of late 2024, Freshwater is undergoing a major overhaul.
No.50 Whitechapel; built at Brighton Works in December 1876, she was rebuilt as an A1X in 1920. She was moved to the Isle of Wight in 1930 and renumbered and renamed as W9 Fishbourne, before being rebuilt as an A1X in May 1920. She finally returned to the mainland in 1937 and used as a shunter in Lancing Works, being briefly converted to burn oil. Renumbered as No.32650 after nationalisation, she worked on the Hayling Island branch line before being withdrawn in November 1963 when the line finally closed down. She was bought not long afterwards, and eventually made her way to the Kent and East Sussex Railway, where she was overhauled and used to haul the railway's opening train in 1974. She was taken out of service in 1994 and remained out of use for a few years before an overhaul started on the Spa Valley Railway, which is still ongoing as of late 2024.
No.54 Waddon; built at Brighton Works in February 1876, she was sold to the Sheppy Light Railway in 1904 and renumbered No.751, and then renumbered again as A751 after the formation of the Southern Railway. She was taken to Lancing Carriage Works in 1932 and given the number No.680S, before being finally withdrawn from service in May 1962. She was then taken to Eastleigh and fully restored to her L.B.S.C.R. condition, complete with the Stroudley livery, before being shipped over to Canada, where she went on display at the Canadian Railway Museum Exporail in Montreal, and displayed along with L.N.E.R. A4 Class No.60010 Dominion of Canada. She remains on display there as of 2024, with no prospect of her ever returning to the U.K. for the foreseeable future.
No.55 Stepney; built at Brighton Works in December 1875, she was fitted with mechanical push-pull gear in 1907 as an experiment to work on push-pull trains before being rebuilt as an A1X in October 1912. She worked on the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway (which was the forerunner of the Longmoor Military Railway) from 1916 before returning to Fratton after the war. She was withdrawn in 1925 and stored at Preston Park, but was reinstated in 1927, being fitted with push-pull gear and vacuum brakes. Working from Fratton along the Hayling Branch Line, she eventually was moved to the Kent and East Sussex Railway before returning to Fratton after the war in 1945. She was withdrawn from service in May 1960, but was saved by the Bluebell Railway for £750, becoming the very first engine that the Bluebell had acquired, and she hauled the very first train when the line opened in 1960.
In 1991, Stepney, along with fellow L.B.S.C.R. engine No.214 Gladstone, appeared at Brighton Station in order to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the London and Brighton Railway. Both engines were part of a special exhibition, which included S.R. "King Arthur" Class 4-6-0 No.777 Sir Lamiel, B.R. Standard Class 7MT No.70000 Britannia, and B.R. Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80072.
As of 2024, Stepney is out of service and on long-tern static display at Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway having last run on the line in early 2014. Major work is required on the boiler and frames, as well as a new set of cylinders being needed, before Stepney can ever steam again.
No.62 Martello; built at Brighton Works in October 1875, she was initially based in London and worked on suburban duties, including on commuter trains. In December 1912, she was rebuilt into an A1X, and had moved to Fratton Shed by 1925, and saw extensive use on the Hayling Island line. She also worked in a number of other places, including New Cross, West Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, and Newhaven. She was withdrawn in November 1963, having covered 1,505,955 miles by then. and sold to Butlins at Ayr, where she was displayed alongside L.M.S. Princess Coronation Class No.6233 Duchess of Sutherland. She was then sold to the Bressingham Steam Museum by 1971 where she stayed for a number of years, before work to return her to working order began in the late 1990's and which saw Martello returned to running order.
As of late 2024, having visited a few other heritage railways in preservation, including the Kent and East Sussex Railway, the Bluebell Railway, and the Swanage Railway, Martello is currently in running order at the Bressingham Steam Museum.
No.70 Poplar; built at Brighton Works in December 1872, she was one of the very last members of the class to be rebuilt as an A1X, which took place in April 1943 when its old boiler was condemned and an A1X boiler was fitted in its place. In 1901, after having covered 664,108 miles, she was sold to the Rother Valley Railway and renumbered and renamed as No.3 Bodiam, as well as being fitted with vacuum brakes. It was temporarily withdrawn in 1931, but was reinstated in 1932/33 when another A1 Terrier, No.71 Wapping, was cannibalised for spare parts in order to restore No.3 Bodiam.
When the railways were nationalised in January 1948, Poplar returned to the Southern Region and renumbered as No.32670 and continued working on the Kent and East Sussex Lines until it closed in 1954, after which it worked widely over the Southern Region, including working on the Hayling Island branch line. When that line closed in November 1963, No.32670 was withdrawn from service. At that time, the engine was 91 years old.
After being withdrawn, Poplar was bought and returned to its old home of the Kent and East Sussex Railway, and was steamed occasionally during the 1960's and early 70's. She was withdrawn due to boiler problems and was out of service until 1983, when work began to repair the boiler. At the same time, she was fitted with a steam brake, which helped to improve her stopping power. Although she returned to steam in 1984, more problems were found with the boiler in 1986 and the engine was removed from service again. After a lengthy overhaul, which included ordering two new boilers, Poplar returned to service in 2006 and ran until 2016, when she was withdrawn for another overhaul, which was completed in June 2022. However, while she was running on the Bluebell Railway, Poplar suffered a motion failure which resulted in a bent connecting rod, and so she was withdrawn and taken back to the Kent and East Sussex Railway for repairs.
No.72 Fenchurch; built at Brighton Works in September 1872, she was the first member of the class to enter revenue-earning service. She was sold to the Newhaven Harbour Company in 1898 before returning to the Southern Railway in 1925. In addition to the Westinghouse brakes that the engine originally had when she was built, she was also fitted with vacuum brakes. She was transferred to Eastleigh in 1963, but then moved to Fratton to work on the Hayling Island line, before being withdrawn in November when the line closed down. When she was withdrawn, Fenchurch had to honour of being the oldest steam locomotive in British Railways stock that was running, being 91 years and 2 months old at that time.
After she was withdrawn, Fenchurch was sold to the Bluebell Railway and saw much use before being withdrawn for an overhaul in 1970, which was completed in 1972 when she returned to steam for her 100th anniversary. After taking part in the Rail 150 celebrations at Shildon in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1975, she was withdrawn from service due to cracks that were discovered in the firebox, but returned to steam in 1980 with a new firebox and ran until 1988. But on its next overhaul, cracks were detected in one of the wheel-hubs which meant that the engine didn't return to steam until 2001. After running until 2011, Fenchurch was put on static display for a number of years, until November 2019 when the Bluebell Railway started an overhaul, which resulted in Fenchurch being returned to steam by the end of 2022.
No.78 Knowle; built at Brighton Works in July 1880, she was fitted with Westinghouse brakes and used on London suburban lines before moving down to Portsmouth, which included working on the Hayling Island line. She was converted to working push-pull train working, which resulted in the cylinders being reduced in size slightly, and by 1911 she was rebuilt to an A1X standard and she also had a Marsh-designed boiler, having covered by 763,993 miles by then. She was based at a number of other areas during her working life, including Horsham, Little Hampton, as well as around London. In 1929, after spending some time sitting in storage, she was shipped over to the Isle of Wight and was renumbered and renamed as W4 Bembridge, and her coal bunker was expanded in size while the push-pull gear was removed. She returned to the mainland in May 1936, and by 1937 she was assigned to the Hayling Island line renumbered as No.2678.
During the rest of her time running on the Southern Railway and then with British Railways, Knowle worked on the Hayling Island Line, as well as on the Kent and East Sussex Railway before it closed in 1954. She was finally withdrawn in October 1963 having covered 1,411,436 miles during her career, but was saved from the scrapyard by Butlins, who displayed her in their resort in Minehead alongside L.M.S. Princess Coronation Class No.6229 Duchess of Hamilton. She was eventually sold to the nearby West Somerset Railway, and then moved to North Kent by 1983. Although an overhaul began in 1975, it was only completed by 1999 when Knowle steamed in preservation for the first time on the Kent and East Sussex Railway.
During her career in preservation, Knowle has not only covered many miles on the K.E.S.R, but has also visited other heritage railways, including the Bluebell, the Severn Valley, the North Yorkshire Moors, and Mid Hants Railways. After being withdrawn in November 2018, she was overhauled before returning to the Isle of Wight Railway where she returned to steam in December 2020. She later returned to the Kent and East Sussex Railway, where she's in working order.
No.82 Boxhill; built at Brighton Works in August 1880, she was converted from an 0-6-0 to a 2-4-0 in May 1905 in order to work on the auto-trains and push-pull trains on the Brighton to Worthing and Brighton Kempt Town lines, but was converted back to an 0-6-0 in September 1912. Unlike many of the other members of the class, Boxhill was never built to an A1X standard and remains as an original A1 Class engine to this day, although she does have a Drummond-style chimney. She spent many years working as a shunter at Brighton Locomotive Works before she was withdrawn from service in August 1946 and spent many years in storage, including at the main shed at Salisbury. She eventually made her way to the Clapham Transport Museum in London, but later was moved to York's National Railway Museum in 1975 to become a static exhibit, and she still remains on display there to this day.
"Oh, hello there, miss. I don't think that I've seen you before during the last time I was here on Sodor." Stepney said, as he looked towards Carrie and smiled.
"Of course not. I've actually only been here on Sodor since late November of last year. I'm Carrie White and I'm part of the apprenticeship programme that's here on Sodor." Carrie said, as she looked at Stepney.
"It's nice to meet you, Carrie. I'm Stepney, and I've been invited here to the Island of Sodor for Christmas." Stepney said, as he smiled at Carrie.
"It's really nice to meet you too, Stepney." Carrie said, as she smiled at him.
But then, there came the voice of No.67905's driver from the footplate.
"Hey, come on, Carrie! We need to get back to the station and coupled back up to our train! There'll be plenty of time to talk with Stepney later!" he called.
"All right! Coming!" Carrie called, as she then turned and made her way back to the footplate and then climbed back aboard.
"I suppose that we'll have to talk later on, Carrie." Stepney said, as he smiled at Carrie.
"Yes, I'm afraid that we'll have to do that." Carrie said, as she looked back towards Stepney.
"Anyway, let's get back to the station and collect our train." the driver, as he leaned out and opened the regulator a little. Slowly, and with a short blast from his whistle, No.67905 reversed away from the Skarloey Railway engine sheds.
"I'll see you all later on! And I'll see you later on, Stepney!" No.67905 said, as he reversed away.
"See you later then!" Stepney said, as he blew his whistle. At the same time, all the narrow-gauge engines also knew their own whistles as well, while Rusty blew his horn as well, as they watched the big L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T reverse away from them back to Crovan's Gate station. After a few more moments, Stepney gave another blast of his whistle and slowly moved off forwards.
"I'll see you later on as well!" he said, as he moved off past the sheds.
"See you later, Stepney!" the narrow-gauge engines called, as they watched Stepney head off on his way.
As Stepney passed through Crovan's Gate Station on his way to Knapford, he blew his whistle in greeting again to No.67905, who was just being coupled back up to his coaches again. Blowing his whistle in return to Stepney as he went by, No.67905 waited for the guard to blow his whistle and wave his green flag so that he could set off again. He didn't have to wait for very much longer for soon the signal ahead of them dropped and showed a green light, meaning the way ahead of them was clear. At the same time, the guard stepped out from the front compartment of the lead coach and blew his whistle loudly while also waving his green flag.
"Let's go!" No.67905 said, as his driver blew his whistle, released the brakes, and then opened the regulator a little. With steam flowing into his cylinders, he slowly moved forwards out of the station while taking up the weight of his heavy coaches. Leaning out from the cab on the driver's side, Carrie watched as they headed on out and towards where the Skarloey Railway sheds were.
As they passed by those sheds, Carrie smiled when she saw the engines who had been there a few moments before still standing there and watching them go on by. No.67905 blew his whistle for a second or two as he passed, and Carrie waved to the narrow-gauge engines while calling out "See you later!" to them. And in return, the narrow-gauge engines all called out "See you later, Carrie!" while they blew their whistles, and Rusty blew his horn, in return as No.67905 headed on past with his train.
(A little later on, Vicarstown Station)
The rest of their journey went very smoothly and, after they passed through Vicky Road Station without any issues, they finally arrived at Vicarstown Station right on time. Looking out from the fireman's side of the footplate, Carrie saw that there were a few passengers who were waiting on the other platforms in the station for their trains to arrive. As No.67905 slowed down while coming alongside Platform 3, Carrie also noticed that S.E.C.R. N1 Class 2-6-0 No.31880 was coming through the station with a freight train behind him from Barrow-In-Furness bound for Knapford Station. As he passed through the station, No.31880 blew his whistle in greeting to No.67905 and called out "Hello!" while No.67905 did the same as he slowed down and came to a stop at the platform. As the doors to the coaches were opened and the passengers disembarked from the train, a shunter uncoupled the front coach and then disconnected the brake pipes. When that was done, he went up to the side of No.67905 below where the driver was looking out from the cab.
"Okay, you're all uncoupled back here!" he called up.
"Many thanks for that!" the driver said, as he pulled himself back into the cab and got ready to set off from the station and head over to the engine depot.
As they got ready to leave the station and head over to the depot, Carrie leaned out from the side of the cab and looked back along the track on the driver's side of the footplate. Then she heard the sounds of a whistle being sounded from just behind her, and turning her head to see who it was, Carrie saw that it was only S.R. Z Class 0-8-0T No.925, who was arriving to take away the empty coaches to the coach depot.
"Hello there, No.67905! Did you have a good journey from Knapford?" No.925 asked, as he came to a stop beside the L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T.
"Yes, I did. And we also saw Stepney when I had to take on water during a stop at Crovan's Gate." No.67905 said.
"Yeah, I saw Stepney arrive here not too long before. He stopped to say hello before he had to continue on his way to Knapford." said No.925, remembering that it had happened not too long before.
"Come on, No.67905…" came the voice of his driver, "…it's time for us to head over to the depot for a rest."
"All right!" said No.67905, as the driver released the brakes, blew the whistle, and then opened the regulator a little.
"I'll see you later, No.925!" No.67905 said, as he slowly moved forwards along the line and out of the station. Once No.67905 was out of the station, the points just ahead were changed and No.925 rolled forwards and onto the line beside Platform 3, and then reversed back to be coupled up to the line of empty coaches. Once he was coupled to the coaches, and all the doors were closed, he was given the all-clear to go, and No.925 set off with the coaches to the nearby coach depot.
(At the Vicarstown Motive Power Depot)
After No.67905 had reversed into one of the empty berths in one of the sheds and been secured, Carrie made her way over to the main crew building, while the driver spoke with a member of the shed staff about anything that needed to be done before No.67905 headed out to work again later on. Entering the crew building, the first place that Carrie went to was to the lavatory in order to use the toilet and wash any coal dust off. Even though she had been wearing gloves to protect her hands and keep the dust off them, it was inevitable that some would manage to get on her hands.
Once she was finished in the girl's toilet and had thoroughly washed her hands, Carrie left and made her way into the canteen, where she saw there were still a few tables available to sit at. There were a few other enginemen who were in the canteen and having hot drinks and enjoying hot food while sitting at some of the other tables. Feeling keen to get something hot while it was still reasonably quiet in here, Carrie grabbed a tray from the side of the buffet line.
Once she chose what she wanted to have, Carrie went over to one of the empty tables and sat down at it. As she started sipping her mug of hot tea, Carrie looked up at the activity taking place around her; there were enginemen chatting quietly among themselves and discussing what had taken place during the work that they had done earlier that morning, while others were discussing various problems that they had experienced that morning. A few other crewmen were seen getting up from their tables and making their way out of the canteen so they could start the next part of their shifts. Taking a look round, Carrie couldn't see any of the other apprentices who were on the apprenticeship scheme in the canteen. That didn't really surprise her too much, as there had been some occasions in the previous year where she had spent time alone in canteens during her breaks, while all the other apprentices were out working elsewhere.
Once Carrie's break was finished, and it did end a bit too quickly for her liking, it was time to get back to work again. Stepping outside into the cold, snowy weather again, Carrie made her way back over to where No.67905 was sitting in the shed. By now, all clinker in the firebox had been emptied out and the ashpan had also been emptied out as well, and his paintwork had been cleaned down and polished. His coal bunker had also been topped up with more coal as well, meaning that No.67905 was ready to head out and pull his next train. All that was to be done before they could leave though was to oil around all moving parts again, and refill the side tanks with more water. By this point it was already 11:00am, and the next train that No.67905 had to collect was due to leave from Vicarstown Station at 11:25am, so the engine crew needed to get moving if they were to get No.67905 out of the depot on time.
Carrie lent help with getting the motion oiled up and mechanical lubricators refilled with oil, as well as getting the fire built up in order for there to be enough steam in the boiler. With the effort, they managed to get everything done in only about 10 minutes and only had to refill the water tanks and be turned on the turntable before they could head off.
"We'd better get going soon. We need to be sure that the train leaves the station on time." said the driver, as he clambered up onto the footplate.
"Okay." Carrie said, as she followed the driver and climbed aboard. After a few short moments, they were slowly moving out of the shed and heading over to the water crane nearby where they refilled the water tanks and then proceeded over to the turntable. After being turned round, they left the depot and made their way over to Vicarstown Station, reversing along the Southern Main Line to get there.
(At Vicarstown Station)
Slowly, and taking care as he reversed into the station, No.67905 arrived at Platform 7 where his coaches were waiting for him to arrive. Already the passengers were getting aboard the train, and some of them had clearly been Christmas shopping judging by how many bags that a few of them had in their hands. But there were others who were clearly visiting Sodor for Christmas, judging by the luggage that they had.
After No.67905 came to a halt at the head of his train, a shunter quickly coupled him up to the train and connected together the brake pipes. Carrie leaned out from the footplate and looked up at the clock above the platform; the time was 11:21am.
"Looks like we'll be pulling out of here right on time this morning." Carrie said, as she turned to look at the driver and fireman.
"That's our intention, Carrie! After all, the Fat Controller himself will be pleased to see his trains running on time! Even in this snowy winter weather." said the fireman, as he checked on the boiler pressure gauge and the two water gauge glasses.
"I only hope that the weather doesn't get any worse on our journey back to Knapford. After all, I don't think that our passengers would be too pleased about that." said the driver, as he checked the brake controls and got ready to set off once the guard gave them the all-clear.
Then there came the sounds of a whistle being sounded from outside of the station, followed by the sounds of chuffing as another train entered the station. Looking out from the side of the cab and back along the length of their own train, Carrie saw another tank engine entering the station with seven coaches coupled up behind him. This tank engine was painted in Southern Malachite green livery, and it was No.2076, who was an example of the L.B.S.C.R. I3 Class 4-4-2T tank engines (135). He was at the head of a train that had left Barrow-In-Furness a short while before and was making a scheduled stop at Vicarstown before proceeding onto Brendam Docks.
"Good morning, No.67905!" No.2076 said cheerfully, as he slowed down and then stopped beside No.67905.
"Good morning to you too, No.2076!" No.67905 said.
"Did you have any problems with the snow and ice this morning?" No.2076 asked.
"No, I didn't. But looking at those dark clouds in the sky…I have a feeling that more snow is one the way, and that we might be closer to having more problems with it." No.67905 said, as he turned his gaze up to the dark bank of clouds covering the sky above.
"Yes…and I hope that it doesn't snow too badly. Because I have passengers who I need to get down to Brendam Docks on time." said No.2076.
"And I have passengers who I need to get over to Knapford before one o clock. I only hope that the snow holds off as long as possible." No.67905 said.
"Yes, me too." No.2076 said, as he looked up at the dark, snow-laden clouds above.
(135): The London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway's (L.B.S.C.R.) I3 Class 4-42T tank engines were designed by Douglas Earle Marsh, and they were intended to be used on the suburban passenger services that ran on the L.B.S.C.R. network. A total of 27 engines were built in all at Brighton Works between October 1907 and March 1913.
The I3 Class were a tank engine version of the successful L.B.S.C.R. B4 Class 4-4-0 tender engines that were designed by Robert Billington, and they were considered to be superior to the G.W.R 2221 County Class 4-4-2T tank engines. They were also an improved, upgraded version of Marsh's earlier I1 and I2 Class 4-4-2T tank engine types, neither of which had proved to be very successful classes, due to the fact that they either had small boilers that couldn't produce the necessary quantities of steam, or due to the fact that their fireboxes were too small. It was a lesson that Marsh learned well, and would use on the I3 Class.
What made the I3 Class much different in performance terms from the previous two classes was that the I3s had a larger boiler that was paired with a larger firebox, and together they ensured that the necessary quantities of steam that were needed to make the I3s work efficiently were made. But what made the I3s unique when they first came out was that they were fitted with superheating elements, and the experiments carried out with superheating on the class showed that superheating was the way forward for increased efficiency of steam locomotives.
The first two engines to be built, No.21 and No.22, emerged from Brighton Works in October 1907 and March 1908, with No.21 being fitted without superheating fitted and No.22 having it fitted, in order for the company to compare the performances of engines with superheating fitted and those with traditional saturated boilers. After several months of trials and testing, it was found that No.22 was far more economical in terms of coal and water consumption, as well as being more powerful on the heaviest trains. Four more I3s fitted with superheating, numbered from No.23 to No.26, were built in February and March 1909, and six more with saturated boilers, numbered from No.27 to No.30 and from No.75 to No.76, for a better comparison between saturated and superheated boilers.
During a series of tests, both varieties of I3 did extremely well at the work they were asked to do, but those that had the superheated boilers fitted were found to have the edge in coal economy, as well as being cheaper to run than those engines with saturated boilers. The superheated engines could easily handle the heaviest expresses running on the L.B.S.C.R. system without any problems, and they could also manage the distance of 84 miles from Clapham Junction to Fratton in only 1 hour and 40 minutes. One fact that really interested other railway companies was the fact that the I3 Class engines could consume far less coal than almost any other class of engines. A superheated I3 could actually cover the distance from Brighton to Rugby and back again without any need to replenish the coal and water, either on the way there or at Rugby. This was something that really impressed the directors of the London & North Western Railway (L.N.W.R.), who were at last convinced of the value of superheating being fitted to locomotives.
By mid-1910 with enough data having been gathered and at last convinced, the L.B.S.C.R. board gave the approval to build more examples of the class with superheating elements fitted. The first of these, No.77, emerging from Brighton Works in October 1910, and by March 1913 the last engine, No.91, rolled out of Brighton.
The I3 Class 4-4-2T tank engines had two inside cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, a boiler that was pressed to 180psi, and four driving wheels that were 6ft 9in in diameter, which all combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 17730lbf. However, one example of the class, No.22, had slightly smaller 6ft 7.5in diameter driving wheels and inside cylinders that were 21in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, which gave it a tractive effort of 22,065lbf. Those engines that were numbered from No.82 to No.91 all had 21in diameter cylinders. The side tanks of the class could carry 2,110 gallons of water, while their coal bunkers could carry up to 3.25 tons of coal.
The later engines of the class were different from the earlier examples in that they had vacuum brakes fitted, as well as different feed pumps, higher cab roofs and no dampers for their superheaters. The fact that these engines had vacuum brakes fitted made them quite suitable to haul ambulance trains during the First World War.
When the First World War finally ended in November 1918, Billington wanted to fit the engines that didn't have superheaters originally with them, especially as their original boilers became due for renewal, but he only managed to treat the prototype engine, No.21, before the L.B.S.C.R. became part of the Southern Railway when the Grouping took place in January 1923.
The rest of the class that wasn't originally fitted with superheating were gradually rebuilt with it between October 1923 and May 1927 when Maunsell was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway, and he used his own design of superheater. Many of the new boilers that were fitted to the I3 Class during their overhauls were brand-new purpose designed boilers, which allowed the B4-type boilers to be used to rebuild the earlier I1 Class engines, which were reclassified as I1X.
During 1927, when the London to Brighton expresses were taken over by the ex-L.S.W.R. N15 Class "King Arthur" 4-6-0 engines and ex-S.E.C.R. K Class 2-6-4T tank engines, the I3 Class were transferred to work on semi-fast and secondary services, including on branch line work. For some of the new areas in which they worked, some modifications needed to be made to the class, which included reducing the height of the boiler mountings and rounding the profile of the cab roofs. Under the auspices of the Southern Railway, the class were numbered from No.2021 to No.2030, and from No.2075 to No.2091.
During World War II, two engines, No.2089 and No.2091, were loaned to the Great Western Railway and were used there from 1941 until they returned to the Southern Railway in July 1943. The Western men who worked on the two I3 Class engines liked them very much, favourably comparing them to their 51XX Class 2-6-2T tank engines.
The first member of the I3 Class to be withdrawn from service took place during the war; in November 1944, No.2024 was withdrawn from service after it was discovered that the engine was badly worn out. But the rest of the class survived the war and they were later absorbed by British Railways, being renumbered by having 30000 added to their numbers.
However, withdrawals of the class soon began, with No.32085 being the first to be removed from service, which took place in July 1950. The other members of the class followed along over the next two years, with the class being replaced on their usual duties by newer B.R. Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T tank engines. The final member of the class to be withdrawn was No.32091, which was removed from service in April 1952 but it was displayed at Brighton Works for the centenary celebrations of the opening of the works in the autumn of 1952. It wasn't scrapped until January 1953, when it was cup up at Ashford Works, becoming the first ex-L.B.S.C.R. express passenger engine to be scrapped there.
Sadly, none of the class has managed to survive into preservation, as they were all withdrawn and scrapped before the railway preservation movement in the U.K. had been given a chance to get started. The fact that none have survived is a real shame, as several heritage railways around the U.K., including the Bluebell Railway, would no doubt find an example of the class very handy to have around. I do have my personal hopes that one day a project will be launched to build a brand-new example of the I3 Class, so that the class can be represented in preservation.
Soon the clock showed the time as 11:30am, meaning that it was time for No.67905 to be on his way with his train. With the signalman having set the points for them to go and changed the signal to show that the line ahead was clear, the guard stepped out from his compartment of the first coach and blew his whistle while waving his green flag before he quickly climbed back aboard, closing the door behind him.
"Right away! Here we go!" the driver said, as he blew the whistle for a few seconds and then opened the regulator. Very slowly, while taking up the weight of his heavy coaches, No.67905 moved forwards out of the station with his wheels gripping the rails very well as he moved out.
"See you later, No.67905!" No.2076 said, as he watched the train move out.
"Thanks!" No.67905 said, as he moved out of the station with his heavily-laden coaches following along behind him. From the windows, the passengers looked out as the world outside them passed on by, with many seeing No.2076 quickly pass in front of them before they moved out of the station and headed out along the wide red-brick viaduct going through the centre of Vicarstown. The train was heading towards the Southern Main Line, and on its way west back to Knapford, with stops to be made along the way at Norramby Fort, Kellsthorpe Junction, Kildane, Cronk, and Wellsworth before they finally arrived at their destination.
(Meanwhile, over in Knapford)
(Insert soundtrack – Stepney's Theme – Season 4)
After having made several stops along the Southern Main Line, including having made a number of stops at a few of the stations along the way, Stepney finally arrived at Knapford Station where there were a number of different engines either waiting at the station to set off, or passing on through. One of the engines who was heading on through the station on his way with his train was L.M.S. Fowler 5MT Class 2-6-0 No.2856, and he was hauling a very long train of empty milk tankers.
"Hello there, Stepney! Welcome back to Sodor!" No.2856 called out with a smile, as he went on by with his train.
"Good morning!" Stepney called, as he blew his whistle while he went on past heading towards the station.
From the platforms at the station, the engines who were waiting to set off with their trains and they all whistled in excitement when they saw Stepney approach the station. They all called out "Hello Stepney! Welcome back to Sodor!" as they whistled. And Stepney blew his whistle in return to the other engines while calling out "Hello there! It's great to be back!" and he passed on through the station and on towards Tidmouth Sheds so that he could have a long rest after his long journey from the mainland. Stepney was always a welcome visitor to the Island of Sodor, and the fact that he was here for the Christmas holidays would make this Christmas even more special.
From the road that was sitting by the top of the high retaining wall that lined one side of the approach to Knapford Station, a large number of people were lining the wall and watching Stepney as he arrived. Among them were quite a few of those who had come over from Chamberlain, who had gone there for a bit to simply watch the trains go on by. Among those who were from Chamberlain included quite a few of the senior students from Ewen High School, as well as a few of their parents and other family members, as well as a number of the teachers.
At one point along the wall, Sue and Tommy leaned on the wall and watched some of the engines going on by as they worked away in the stretch outside the station. Along with many of their fellow students, they had decided to go for a long walk around Knapford before going to the Christmas market. The walk that they had enjoyed had been uneventful, despite the intense winter cold, along with the snow, as well as all the locals who were out and about doing their Christmas shopping. Eventually most of the group had managed to make their way to the road where they all had a good view over the railway lines leading out of Knapford Station. For several minutes, the whole group stood together and watched as the trains and engines went on by in and out of the station.
"Hey! Just take a good look at that one!" Norma Watson said, when she saw G.W.R. 82XX Class 2-10-2T No.8203 who was passing by before them with a very long train of heavily laden iron ore wagons following along behind him. The wagons were clanking and clattering along as they went on by below where the people were standing and watching.
"And take a look at the size of that engine!" Freddy said in some awe, when he saw the size of No.8203 and how easily he was able to move such a lengthy and heavy train. Just a short blast of his whistle, No.8203 headed on down towards the Southern Main Line.
"And just look at that engine coming towards us!" added Brian Maxwell, as he pointed down the line. As the Ewen High students turned their heads towards the direction where Brian had pointed, and they all saw L.M.S. 12F Class 4-8-4 No.46300 coming by heading towards Knapford with a really long and heavy mixed freight coupled up behind him. The loud sounds of the chuffing that they heard coming from the double chimney filled the air, along with the wheeshing of steam, and the sound of the Caledonian-style whistle being sounded, was just incredible. As No.46300 went on past below them, everyone watching could watch with amazement at the length of the train, with a few of them trying to count the different wagons that made up the train. But by the time that the brake van had gone past, they had given up as there were just so many wagons in the train.
After the train had gone past them, there came another whistle being sounded very loudly, and after a few moments, with his six driving wheels slipping a little on the icy rails, L.N.E.R. A4 Class No.4500 Sir Ronald Matthews slowly set out from Knapford Station with his passenger train, which was made up of 10 coaches. As Ronald and his train slowly moved out, Freddy was recording everything with his camcorder, while the others stood around and watched as the train set off on its way.
As the train slowly disappeared into the distance, with Ronald sounding his whistle loudly again as the last of the coaches disappeared round the bend, one of the adults turned to look at the Ewen High seniors.
"Well, shall we all go somewhere else? And a place where it's both warmer and where we can get something hot to drink?" And with that idea sounding very good to everyone present, including the to the senior students, and they all turned away from the wall overlooking the railway lines and headed on down the road.
"When do you think that we'll see Carrie today?" Heather asked, as they walked down the road into the centre of Knapford.
"Probably later on this afternoon, Heather. After all, she's probably very busy out on the railway right about now." Sue said.
Sue was indeed right about that statement, for Carrie was working hard on the footplate of No.67905 and was helping to stoke the firebox with fresh coal as they went along the Southern Main Line. At that moment, they were going along the line having just departed from Kellsthorpe Junction Station where they picked up some more passengers and were heading along to their next station, which was Kildane.
"Phew! And there we are!" Carrie said, as she placed another shovelful of coal into the firebox.
"You're doing a really good job there, Carrie! You'll help to get us home, as well as helping to get all our passengers to their destinations right on time!" said the fireman, as Carrie handed the shovel to him.
"Thanks very much!" Carrie said with a grateful smile, as she went over to the fireman's side of the cab and leaned on the side while looking ahead. She watched as the landscape went by while the train went along, and all the hills were covered with crisp white snow as far as the eye could see, and it was a really beautiful sight to see. The feeling of the bitterly cold winter air on her face was a deep relief to Carrie, as she was feeling somewhat hot and sweaty from the work that she had done of placing fresh coal from the coal bunker into the firebox so as to keep the fire burning bright and hot.
It wasn't too long before they arrived at their next stop, Kildane Station. As No.67905 came to a stop at the platform and waited for his waiting passengers to board his coaches, he became aware of distant chuffing sounds that were getting closer and closer all the time. After a few moments came the sound of a whistle sounding loudly as the chuffing got very close, and then from ahead through the falling snow came U.S.A.T.C. S160 Class 2-8-0 No.96100, who was at the head of a very long and heavy parcels train bound for Vicarstown.
"Hello, No.96100!" No.67905 called, as he watched the S160 Class 2-8-0 head on through the station with his important train.
"Hello, No.67905! I can't stop to chat! I need to deliver all these parcels!" No.96100 said, as he blew his whistle while he headed on through the station, with his heavily-laden vans and converted coaches following along behind him. With Christmas getting closer by the day, it seemed like every parcel and mail train that was running on the railway each day was getting heavier and heavier as more people sent mail to relatives and friends.
As soon as the last passengers had boarded the train, it was time for No.67905 to be on his way again, and the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. After the driver blew the whistle, No.67905 began to move forward again with his wheels slipping a little on the icy rails as he took up the weight of his train. With loud chuffing sounds coming from his chimney, he moved out of the station and along the Southern Main Line. As Carrie set to work at stoking the firebox again with more coal, she was really looking forward to clocking out at the end of the day and meeting up with her Sodor friends and most of her Ewen High classmates. They were all going to be having a good lunch together at the big hotel in Knapford that those people from Chamberlain were staying at.
The rest of the trip along the Southern Main Line went without any incident, apart from the fact that the falling snow was picking up somewhat, which meant that they had to go slowly down Gordon's Hill on the approach to Wellsworth Station. While the driver kept the speed as close to 25mph as he could, No.67905 gently descended the hill as the snow fell all around him. On reaching the bottom and going round the curve at the bottom of the hill, they came upon L.M.S. Princess Royal Class No.46204 Princess Louise, who was heading on the line going up the hill with a passenger train of 16 coaches in B.R. maroon-red livery coupled up behind her. And as No.67905 passed under the red-brick road bridge at the bottom of the climb, Carrie looked out from the footplate and saw the banker who was pushing the train from the back; it was B.R. Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92185, and the sounds of the exhaust from his chimney was quite deafening, a clear indication of how hard No.92185 was working.
As they slowed down and pulled into Wellsworth Station a short bit later, No.67905 was slightly amazed to see just how quiet it was there at the moment, with only a few passengers standing and waiting for him on the platform. After coming to a stop, the doors to the coaches were opened and the passengers began to board the train. As he waited, No.67905 dozed quietly and with a really hot fire in his firebox, he was able to rest without being affected by the cold and snow. But he wasn't able to enjoy the brief rest for very long, as he soon heard the sounds of the coach doors being slammed shut, which meant that the passengers were all aboard. Several seconds later, there came the familiar sounds of the guard blowing his whistle loudly.
"Okay, old boy! Let's go!" the driver called out, as he blew the whistle before opening the regulator a little.
"All right!" No.67905 called, as he slowly moved forwards out of the station. From the footplate, Carrie held onto the shovel as they moved out. Looking out to her right, Carrie saw the banker sidings where the engines were standing and waiting to bank the next trains up Gordon's Hill. Carrie could see several men working as well among the engines, including levelling out coal that had been placed into bunkers and tenders, as well as refilling the tender tanks and side tanks with more water.
The last part of the run all the way to Knapford went very well, with nothing much to mention as they went along the line. Carrie took several goes at stoking the firebox with more coal and managed to keep the pressure in the boiler up to 250psi, which really impressed both the driver and fireman. Passing through Henry's Tunnel and heading out the other side in a cloud of smoke and steam, Carrie knew that there wasn't too much of the trip left to go until they finally arrived back at Knapford. By this point of the trip, she was feeling quite tired from the work, especially the early start this morning and the work that needed to be done after she started.
When Knapford Station finally came into sight ahead of them, Carrie couldn't help but smile when she saw it, as she knew that meant it was near the end of her shift for today and the time for her to get cleaned up and then clocked out for the day.
After they finally stopped at Knapford Station alongside Platform 5, the doors to the coaches were opened and the passengers disembarked. As she watched them make their way over to the footbridge that would take them over to Platform 1 and out from the station, Carrie couldn't help but take notice of how pleased all the passengers seemed to be as they made their way. She also noticed that a great deal of them had large luggage bags with them, as well as a few other bags hanging from their arms or from their shoulders, a clear indication that these people were intending to spend Christmas here on Sodor. She was so busy watching all these people make their way out of the station that she didn't hear the sounds of the shunter calling up to the driver that he had just uncoupled the train from No.67905.
"Okay then! We're all uncoupled! Let's get back to Tidmouth Sheds!" the driver said, as he released the brakes, blew the whistle, and then opened the regulator again. This slightly startled Carrie, who had been resting herself against the side of the cab, and she turned to look at the driver as they slowly made their way out of the station.
"So, are we heading back to the sheds now?" she asked.
"We are, Carrie! And once we get back, we'll be able to get cleaned up and then clock out for the day!" said the fireman, as he used to shovel to open the firehole flap and then began to check on the state of the fire. Feeling herself smile as they made their way along the line, Carrie couldn't help but think about having a long soak in one of the hot tubs in the ladies changing rooms in the crew building.
(Back at Tidmouth Sheds)
Once they finally arrived back at the sheds, No.67905 was turned on the turntable and slowly reversed into one of the empty berths. As they came to a slow, gentle stop, Carrie noticed a very familiar ochre-gold tank engine sitting on the adjacent line to them. She realised at once that it was Stepney.
"Hello again, Stepney." No.67905 said, after he came to a stop and his driver firmly put the brakes on.
"Hello, No.67905! Did you have a good time out there today?" Stepney asked, as he looked at the bigger L.N.E.R. tank engine.
"Yes, I did. And we managed to get all our passengers to where they needed to be on time as well." No.67905 said, as his driver, fireman, and Carrie stepped off of his footplate. And then, after the driver and fireman went by on their way back to the crew building, Stepney noticed Carrie standing close to him and looking at him.
"Hello there, Carrie. It's nice to see you again." Stepney said, as he smiled at Carrie.
"Nice to see you again too, Stepney. Now that I've finished for the day, do you suppose we could chat for a bit now?" Carrie asked.
"Sure thing, Carrie." Stepney said, and then Carrie told him a bit about herself and why she was over here on the Island of Sodor. She told Stepney about what had happened to her in her hometown of Chamberlain, Maine as well as what she had been doing here on Sodor over the course of the past year. She also mentioned that her classmates and teachers from Chamberlain were here on Sodor, and how they had managed to find out that she had been over here. Once she had finished explaining things to Stepney, the ochre-gold tank engine couldn't help but be shocked to have heard the story.
"I'm very sorry to hear that you went through something as horrible as all of that in your hometown, Carrie. I only hope that you're doing all right now, and that your classmates are trying their best to make amends for what they did." Stepney said.
"Oh, they are, Stepney. And so far, they've been keeping their word. But even so, my friends and I are keeping a close watch on my classmates just to be sure that they are. And a few of my teachers are also keeping an eye on them as well." Carrie said.
"Well, that's a very good thing to hear, Carrie." Stepney said, as a small smile crossed his face.
"It is indeed, Stepney. Now then, my friends will probably be wondering where I am, so I'd better get over to the crew building and get myself cleaned up." Carrie said.
"Okay, Carrie. And good luck with your classmates later today!" Stepney called, as he watched Carrie turn and walk away.
"Thanks, Stepney!" Carrie called, as she set off back to the crew building.
After going upstairs to the ladies locker room, Carrie took the chance to have a soak in the warm waters of one of the hot tubs. As she felt the warm bubbling water flow around her tired muscles, Carrie couldn't help but smile as she felt herself relax. Elsewhere in the locker room, a few of the other women she worked with were taking hot showers in the shower stalls or soaking away in a few of the other hot tubs as well. A few were quietly chatting with each other about how their day out working had been, while those who had finished showering were heading back to get dried off and changed.
After she finished soaking for a bit in the hot tub, Carrie went off to dry and get changed into fresh clothes in her locker. After that long soak, she was feeling much better and was eager to meet up with Simon and the girls before they clocked out for the day and went for lunch with her classmates in the hotel.
Once she had finished getting herself dried off and dressed into fresh clothes, including putting on a warm winter coat, a woollen hat, a scarf and gloves, Carrie grabbed her bag and left the locker room. Making her way back downstairs, she came upon Simon, Alice, Saoirse, Sophie, and Olivia standing together on the ground floor in the main entrance and close to the machine where they would scan their fingers so that they could clock out.
"Ah, there you are, Carrie!" Saoirse said, when she saw Carrie come on down the stairs and walk over towards them.
"Yeah, I'm right here." Carrie said, as she smiled while she approached her friends.
"I assume that you saw Stepney today, Carrie?" Alice said.
"Yes, I did. First over at the sheds for the Skarloey Railway at Crovan's Gate, and then a few minutes ago at the shed outside." Carrie said, as she indicated over her shoulder back towards the doors that led out into the main part of the yard.
"And did you speak with him?" Simon asked.
"Yes, I did. And he's quite a nice engine as well." Carrie said.
"Yeah, he's an engine who can get along with almost anyone. And he's also got a very good work ethic." Saoirse said.
"And I had a feeling deep inside that he would be one of the special visitors who were going to be coming over here for Christmas." Sophie said.
"Who do you think will be the second visitor who'll be coming here to Sodor for Christmas?" Olivia asked.
"You know…I have a suspicious feeling that I know who it might be. But I won't say who it is yet…just in case I'm wrong." Simon said.
"I know what you mean, Simon. But anyway, shall we all go and get over to the hotel and meet up with Carrie's classmates? I'm sure that they're all wondering where we are." Saoirse said.
"Sounds good to me. Let's clock out and go." Carrie said, and so they all went to clock out at the scanner where their fingers were scanned before a little green light shone to show that they had clocked out. Once that was done, they all stepped out into the main car park and back into the freezing winter cold. As Alice and the other girls went over to where Alice had parked her car, both Simon and Carrie went over to where Simon had parked Caroline. Looking up from her sleep, Caroline was pleased to see them arrive, as her engine was cold after having been out here for much of the morning.
"We're here, Caroline! And we're ready to go!" Carrie said, as she and Simon arrived and then opened the front doors.
"About time! I'm freezing out here after all this time!" Caroline said, feeling pleased that she would be able to get her engine warm for a bit.
After Simon and Carrie had gotten inside and fastened their seatbelts, Simon started the engine and turned on the air conditioning to warm Caroline up. After a minute or two, with the engine having warmed up enough, Simon put Caroline into gear and pushed down on the accelerator, and they slowly moved out of the car park, out the front entrance gate, and then down the road towards Knapford.
And that's it for the first chapter to be unloaded for 2025! With the introduction of Stepney into this chapter, we've now got many of the original characters from the first four seasons of the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends in the story. With Stepney being the first visitor coming to Sodor for the Christmas holidays, I promise you all that in the next chapter to come the second visitor who's coming to Sodor for Christmas will be seen.
And on a much more sombre note to conclude, this chapter was dedicated to the memory of the late Britt Allcroft, who created the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends show. If it hadn't been for her vision in creating the show all those many years ago, then it's highly likely that this story wouldn't have existed.
Rest in Peace Britt Allcroft.
14 December 1943 – 25 December 2024.