Chapter 16: A Busy Day Out
Here Carrie is going to spend the day work on another of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry's original characters, as well as getting the chance to meet some more original characters from the TV show. Who are they? Tune in to see!
(Wednesday, March 14th 2012 – 7:30am; Tidmouth Sheds)
After arriving at the main depot of Tidmouth Sheds, and clocking in and then getting changed into their work clothes, all the young recruits, after getting a hot cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate along with a pastry or two, from the main canteen on the ground floor of the crew building, marched out into the depot and waited to see which engines they would be working on for today. The weather for this morning was quite fair, with thin scattered clouds in the sky and the sun shining brightly in the morning sky. The morning air so far was quite cool, as many of them had expected it to be, but things promised to warm up a little as the day went on.
Many of the engines stood in the Tidmouth Depot with their crews, and all waiting for which of the recruits would be assigned to work with them for the day. Steam was swirling from their cylinder drain cocks and thin clouds of dark grey smoke were rising from their chimneys, showing their fires had built up and steam pressure was slowly rising in their boilers. Their paintwork had also been fully rubbed down and polished so they all looked very smart for when they went out to start their jobs today.
"Another early start, eh Carrie?" Simon said, as he sipped from his cup of hot chocolate before taking a bite from his Danish pastry.
"Indeed, Simon. And a cool start to the day, as usual." Carrie said, as she sipped from her cup of hot tea. Afterward she took a bite from her own pastry, a croissant.
"Well, spring is on its way, you two. So hopefully, it should be getting warmer within the next few weeks." Alice said, as she sipped from her own cup of hot chocolate.
"Yeah, I'm sure it will." Carrie said, as she looked at Simon. He smiled back at her, and then took another sip from his hot chocolate.
It was soon time for the recruits to choose which engines they wanted to work on today; some of the recruits worked on a different engine than the one they may have worked on the previous day, so as to get some new experience on working on a different class of engine and to broaden their skills of how to work on the railway.
When Carrie's turn came, she looked around; some of the other engines, with their crews and the recruits on them had already been given their tasks for the day and were leaving the depot, as others were getting ready to leave. She looked around, and then she made her decision.
"I'll work with Edward today." she said to the inspector.
"Very good, miss. Edward, you don't mind working with Carrie today?" the inspector asked.
"I don't mind, sir. I haven't had the chance to work with Carrie yet, and I'd like to work with her today." Edward said, with a smile.
"Very well, Edward. Carrie's working with you for today." said the inspector, with a nod of his head as he looked through the papers on his clipboard. Both Carrie and Edward were very pleased with the decision.
"Okay, Edward…your tasks for today will be on the line from Wellsworth down to Brendam Docks and you'll first take passengers from Tidmouth and Knapford Stations down to Brendam Docks via Elsbridge and Wellsworth. There's a passenger ferry due to depart from the ferry terminal at Brendam bound for Dublin later this morning and the passengers need to be at the Docks so as to catch the ferry on time." said the inspector.
"Very well, sir." Edward said.
"And you'll also do whatever other jobs that need to be done down there today, including taking any passengers or freight to and from the Docks to Wellsworth and back." said the inspector.
"Yes, sir." Edward said.
"Now, I'd best be off. Best of luck out there today." and the inspector left and went onto the next engine.
Soon, with everything ready, it was time for Edward to leave the sheds and pick up his coaches for his first train. With a good head of steam, and Carrie standing on the footplate, the driver blew the whistle, opened the regulator a little and Edward puffed out of Tidmouth Sheds and out to the main line. He puffed down to the sidings where he collected his coaches, there were eight orange coaches in total, and then headed down to Tidmouth Station, where the passengers were waiting.
Pulling smoothly into the station, Edward rolled to the end of the platform and came to a very gentle stop, the porters opened the doors of the coaches and the first passengers started to board the train. Looking out from the cab and back along the platform, Carrie could see the passengers get aboard the coaches, as well as station staff helping out, including loading baggage onto the train, assisting passengers onto the coaches if needed as well as keeping a close eye out for anyone in need of help.
"Well…so far so good." Carrie said, as she turned round to look at the driver and fireman.
"Indeed, and we haven't even set off yet." the fireman said with a chuckle, as he opened the firebox doors and examined the state of the fire.
"I'll be glad when we're finally on our way. I'm much happier when we're running along the main line and having the countryside go by us as well go along." said the driver, as he got ready to set off, including resetting the brakes and making sure the indicator needles on the brake gauge were between 20 and 25 before they could go.
Eventually, the clock over the platform showed the time as 8:10am, and with all the passengers at Tidmouth having boarded the train, the porters closed the doors on all the coaches, and the guard stepped out from his compartment in the front coach, and blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag. Ahead, the points had been set and the signal dropped to show the way was clear, and Edward could depart safely.
The driver blew the whistle and opened the regulator, and Edward slowly puffed out of Tidmouth Station on the first part of his first journey of the day.
They puffed steadily along the line towards Knapford Station, passing by sidings where lines of trucks stood waiting and by places overlooking the track where kids and their parents stood and waved as he went on by, with Edward whistling cheerfully to the people waving as he carried on his way. They soon passed over a long and wide embankment with double tracks where they could overlook the town below on both sides of it. Looking over one side, Carrie could clearly see people going about their morning business on the streets opening their businesses and shops.
Other people could be seen on their way to work, as cars and buses passed through the streets of the town. It seemed like everyone was out and about on this fine spring morning, and Carrie felt herself smile as they went by.
It wasn't long before they passed by the large good yards and extensive sidings that served both Knapford Station and Knapford Harbour, but they were on a long double tracked viaduct that went over the yards, which meant they wouldn't be held up while they tried to traverse by such a busy area. (N)
(N): The yards I'm describing here are the ones that are seen quite extensively in Season 2 of Thomas, where we see a red brick viaduct passing over the yards, such as in Saved from Scrap, Duck takes Charge & Pop Goes the Diesel.
From the cab, Carrie looked out over the yards below as they puffed by; she could see various engines in the different sidings, some of whom were busy shunting trucks into various trains for other engines to take away, as other engines were heading over to the busy port which Carrie could also see nearby. Then she saw the broad and open expanse of the Irish Sea beyond and stretching as far as the eye could see, and there were some ships coming and going out of Knapford Harbour. Amongst them were two passenger car ferries – of which one was heading out of port and another coming in, a few cargo ships and freighters of a large size, as well as some fishing boats going out of port on their way to catch more fish.
"How come we're taking passengers to catch a ferry at Brendam Docks when they could just catch one over there?" Carrie asked, pointing over towards Knapford Harbour.
"Well…the ferries from Knapford usually only go up to Belfast in Northern Ireland, Douglas over on the nearby Isle of Man, or down to Liverpool. But the only ferries that have a route down to Dublin usually only depart from Brendam, as do ferries that go down to Liverpool." the fireman said.
"Oh, I see." Carrie said, now that she understood the logic behind that.
Soon, a few minutes later, they pulled into Platform 2 at Knapford Station, on which stood quite a few passengers waiting for Edward's train. Some of them were stepping out from the waiting room when the man on the station's P.A. system announced that Edward was approaching the station. As the driver put the brakes on and slowed down, Carrie, who had been taking a turn at the shovel, stood up and leaned out the driver's side. Coming to a stop, she looked out once again along the platform to see the passengers board the train. Among the voices of the people, she could distinctly hear quite a number of Irish voices. Considering the fact that the ferry due to leave Brendam Docks later that morning was going directly to Dublin, the capital of Ireland, it was obvious that many of these passengers were returning home after their time of being on Sodor.
As Edward sat and gently simmered while waiting to go, he heard the sound of a whistle coming from ahead and then the sound of another engine coming towards Knapford Station. Looking up, he saw another engine, a tank engine painted in L.N.E.R. Apple Green livery, with eight long coaches coupled behind him come into view ahead. Slowing down and giving a cheerful whistle, the tank engine approached the line beside Platform 3. The engine was No.67905, one of the L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T tank engines (24), and he was pulling in with the local commuter train from Wellsworth. The coaches were filled with commuters who were on their way to work, as they always did each morning during the working week, and once they stopped at the station, they would disembark the train and head off into town to the jobs they worked at.
(24): The L.N.E.R. Class OS1 2-8-4T Tank Engines are another fictional class of engines that have been specially created for this story. Designed by Arthur Peppercorn for use on very heavy freight work and on suburban commuter trains, the class first came into service on the B.R. system very early in 1948, and were basically a lengthened and more powerful version of Thompson's L1 Class 2-6-4T tank engine, with an additional cylinder being put between the frames, with all three cylinders, each of which being 20 inches in diameter with a piston stroke of 26 inches (exactly the same as on the Thompson L1 Class 2-6-4T), connected to the second pair of four sets of driving wheels, each of which were 5ft 2in in diameter (again exactly the same diameter as those driving wheels on the Thompson L1 Class 2-6-4T).
Built in four batches between January 1948 and mid-1949 at three different locations, including at Doncaster Works, in Darlington Works, and at the North British Locomotive Company, with 100 engines in total coming into service and they were numbered from No.67900 to No.67999. They were often put to work on the different duties for which they were intended, including moving long slow freight trains for which they were perfectly suited. They also proved to be perfectly capable of hauling passenger trains, most of which were the busy and heavy commuter trains that ran in the suburbs of big cities like Birmingham and Nottingham, Edinburgh, and London.
With their eight driving wheels, they were also known for being exceptionally smooth and stable engines to ride on, particularly when they were operating at speed, often reaching speeds of up to 88mph on occasion, although it was rumoured that one or two engines had managed to reached speeds of 93mph on one occasion. With their three good-sized cylinders, a large-diameter boiler that was fitted with high-temperature superheating elements and pressed to 250psi, and 5ft 2in diameter driving wheels, they had a maximum tractive effort of 53,470 pounds, which meant that they were thus were the most powerful tank engines ever to be used on the British Railway network. Their boilers were well-known for their good steam-generating capability, and so they always had plenty of steam available to do their work. Each of the three cylinders were driven by three separate sets of Walschaerts valve gear.
Such a high tractive effort also led to them doing other duties within B.R.'s Eastern and North Eastern Regions, such as banking heavy freight trains up the Worsborough Incline and pulling very long and heavy freight trains in between different cities. They also banked heavy iron ore trains on the steeply graded line that ran from Tyne Dock to Consett, as well as being seen banking heavy trains that went up the Worsborough Incline. With their large water tanks, which could hold up to 3,520 gallons of water, and a large coal bunker behind the cab, which could hold up to 5.5 tons of coal, the class had quite a considerable range. They did initially have some problems when they first came into service, with the main one being that the cabs could be quite draughty to work in when they were running at speed. But modifications, which were usually done when the class were put into the works for major overhauls, soon sorted out these issues.
The class proved to be very popular machines with their crews, particularly because of how smoothly they rode on the track when going along at high speeds, their immense strength and haulage capabilities, as well as how easy they were to work on and keep maintained. They were also known for their good braking ability, something which was seen as a necessity for when they hauled very heavy loose-coupled freight trains, with brakes even being included on the rear four trailing wheels.
They worked very hard throughout B.R.'s Eastern and North Eastern Regions, as well as occasionally venturing onto other regions of B.R. and doing any kind of work that was asked of them, until late in 1964, when the very first example of the class, No.67936, was withdrawn from service in early December at its base of Doncaster, and other members of the class followed along at regular intervals over the next two years, until the very last one was withdrawn in early October 1966. The last one to be withdrawn was No.67915 from its home-base near London King's Cross Station.
Thankfully, a very respectable eight members of the class have managed to survive into preservation, all of which were bought directly from B.R. after being withdrawn and all of which have been steamed since being restored to working order, either on different heritage railways in the U.K. or out on the main line. Among them is the doyen of the class, No.67900, which is now currently on long-term display in York's National Railway Museum as a major part of the National Collection.
"And there we are…two minutes early." said No.67905, as he came to a very gentle stop at the end of the platform, after taking a quick look up at the clock mounted near the footbridge. As the porters opened the doors and the passengers, including many businessmen dressed in smart suits, disembarked from the train, No.67905 could feel very proud at the fact that he had managed to deliver his passengers to Knapford Station safely and a little early too, which would no doubt please many of them.
Edward rolled his eyes a little; he knew that No.67905, though he really did mean well and was a very good well-mannered engine, was the type of engine who would always try to get his passengers to their destinations a little earlier than what was shown on the train schedules. Though there were many occasions where his passengers were very pleased that they arrived a little early at their destinations, some of the other engines, including a few of the other L.N.E.R. OS1's on Sodor, felt this obsession could get a little out of hand at times and warned him about it quite a few times.
Though No.67905 did take their advice to heart, he would still try to make sure he got his passengers to their destination in a smooth and efficient manner.
Then the last passengers boarded Edward's train, and the porters closed the doors as the signalman set the points and signals to show the way ahead was clear. And with the clock over Platform 1 showing the time as being 8:30am, and it was time for them to leave the station. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag before he climbed aboard the coach and closed the door as the driver blew Edward's whistle loudly and pulled the regulator open a little.
Edward pulled forward, steadily and smoothly, out of the station, round the gentle curve and then towards the main line that would take them to Wellsworth Station, and then to the junction to Brendam Docks beyond.
(Insert soundtrack – Edward's Season 1 Theme)
Edward slowly built-up a little more speed and was puffing along the main line with the open countryside passing by. At the shovel, Carrie was busy placing some more coal into the firebox while the fireman, in between looking out from his side of the cab whenever they went round a bend, kept a close eye on Carrie to make sure she was doing everything right. After they went through Henry's Tunnel, the fireman decided to take over the shovel for a little while Carrie took the opportunity to rest her back and to cool off a little from shovelling coal into a hot firebox.
Leaning out from the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie allowed the cool wind generated by Edward's forward motion to blow over her and cool her down. She soon felt much better from and watched as the countryside went by them. They were passing an area where a shallow creek ran parallel to the main line for a short while before the creek turned away back into the countryside, and then they approached a very long straight stretch where the three tracks ran parallel to each other for a few miles. Here Edward was able to pick up some more speed and the train was able to make good time on their way to Elsbridge.
They soon came very close to Elsbridge Station, and the driver shut the regulator and put the brakes on. Going round the corner a short while later, the driver put the brakes on some more and they gently rolled into Elsbridge Station, where the passengers were standing around and waiting for the train to arrive.
After Edward came to a stop and the passengers boarded the train, Carrie turned to Edward's crew.
"At what time this morning is the ferry to Dublin leaving?" she asked.
"It's leaving at about half past ten, so we've got plenty of time to get all our passengers down to Brendam so they can catch their boat." the fireman said.
"There's no need for us to hurry in any way. Edward's doing just fine at the rate we're going." the driver said. Carrie gave them a nod, and then looked out along the platform to see what was taking place. Many of the passengers who had been on the platform waiting were getting aboard the train, but then again there were a few other passengers who were getting off here, as they had connections to catch here to take them to other parts of Sodor.
The minutes passed by, and as they waited to set off, another of the engines, W.D. 2-8-0 Austerity No.90410 passed through the station bound for Knapford with quite a long line of grey and brown steel hopper wagons, all of which were fully loaded with coal, rattling along behind him. The wagons were streaked with varying layers of coal dust on their steel sides, some of which were thicker than others. With No.90410 giving a friendly toot on his whistle, he rattled through the station with his long and heavy train, with the hopper wagons following along behind him, all of which rattled along as they went by.
Carrie leaned out a little from the right-hand side of the cab, and watched as the train went by them, while counting all the hopper wagons going by. There were 60 of them altogether, each of which was fully loaded down with about 25 tons of freshly mined coal from one of the nearby coal mines that branched off of the main line, which meant there were around 1,500 tons of coal in that train.
Not long after No.90410 went by with his coal train, and disappeared on the line to the left in the direction of Knapford, the guard on Edward's train blew his whistle and waved his green flag, meaning it was time for them to be on their way again. The driver blew the whistle and opened the regulator, and after a moment, Edward rolled very smoothly out of Elsbridge Station and over the points onto the up line onwards towards their next station, Wellsworth.
They were soon at a good speed and heading along very smoothly, while back in the train the passengers were enjoying the trip immensely. Some were just sitting down and working on their laptops, as others read books while occasionally looking out the windows to see the world going by outside. In the buffet coach in the middle of the train, the staff were busy serving food and drinks to the passengers, including plenty of hot tea and different styles of hot coffee as well as hot food like English style breakfasts.
Not only that, but some staff members were also going through the train with the trolley service too, and serving out tea and coffee as well as snacks. The passengers were having a wonderful time, and were hoping to arrive at Brendam Docks on time so they could get aboard the ferry as soon as they arrived.
Up on the footplate, Carrie was taking a break from shovelling and was leaning out from the right-hand side of the footplate as they approached Crosby Station. Having gone through the triple-tracked tunnel a few miles away, they soon approached Crosby. It first appeared as a small shape in the distance along the arrow-straight triple-tracked line, and then as they got closer and closer to the station, familiar features started to come into view, including the signal box, the extensive yard with all its sidings along the south side of the main line, the water tower, and various details situated on the two station platforms, one on each side of the main line and connected by a footbridge.
They weren't scheduled to make a stop at Crosby Station today, especially as there were no passengers standing on the platform along the up line, and so they were going to go right on through without having to stop at all.
As they went past the yards, where some of the sidings were filled up with different trucks, the fireman pointed out the yards to Carrie and told her that Duck once had an accident there quite a few years back when, trying to stop some runaway trucks that broke loose on Gordon's Hill, he crashed into a barber shop in that very yard. Luckily, no one had been hurt and Duck had been congratulated by the Fat Controller for preventing a serious accident. Carrie was amazed by that story and wondered what it must have been like for Duck when he tried to stop a runaway train like that.
Going through the station, Carrie noticed there were passengers standing and waiting on the down platform for the next train going towards Knapford. She hoped that the passengers didn't have to wait for very long before the next train to arrive as Edward, after giving the passengers a friendly toot on his whistle, continued on along the line and passed over the girder bridge, where Gordon and Henry had once been stopped by a cow on the line, and carried on down the line.
They passed over the high arched viaduct over the deep valley below it and rolled on towards to Wellsworth, and passed by a large lumber yard before they passed by an open area with a rocky hill a little to the north on which sat the ruins of an old castle before they came upon Henry's Forest a few short miles later. Passing on the line through the forest, Carrie looked round at the passing scenery, on which sat many different trees, all of which were starting to have their leaves starting to appear on their branches.
There were some trees that appeared to be a little too close to the tracks in places, but for the most part all the trees were a reasonable distance back from the line and covering the hillsides on both sides of the main line for a distance of about two or three miles before the forest finally ended.
It wasn't too long before the familiar sights leading towards Wellsworth Station came into view ahead, including the smoke from bankers waiting in their sidings to assist trains up Gordon's Hill. As the driver closed the regulator, Carrie went over to the left-hand side of the cab and looked out ahead, they passed under the road bridge and soon they came upon the banker sidings a few hundred yards before the station, where a good selection of bankers stood awaiting their next turns of duty. Among them, Carrie could clearly see the imposing sight of No.2395 sitting within his siding and waiting for the next very long and heavy freight train that needed banking assistance up Gordon's Hill.
After giving the other engines in the sidings a friendly toot on his whistle, to which the others all whistled back in reply, Edward continued onto Wellsworth Station, where the passengers hoping to catch his train stood on the platform and waiting for him to arrive.
After stopping at the platform, the porters opened the doors and the passengers on the platform stepped aboard the train as a few others got off, as Wellsworth was their destination and they didn't need to continue onto Brendam Docks.
As they waited in the station, they heard the sounds of a whistle in the distance and then three of the bankers came reversing in on the down line. They were G.W.R. Hawksworth 94XX Pannier 0-6-0 tank engines and they were returning to their base at Wellsworth having just banked another heavy freight train up Gordon's Hill. The three tank engines, each of which were painted in the same G.W.R. Green livery that Duck and Oliver were painted in, were reversing through the station buffer to buffer. As they went past Edward, all three of them blew their whistles in greeting to the blue engine and, as Edward whistled back "hello" in response, the three engines went through the station towards the banker sidings.
Leaning out from the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie watched the three 0-6-0 tank engines, who had brass number plates on their cab sides, showing they were No.9406, No.9460 and No.8450, go by in reverse on the down line before they stopped on the other side of the road bridge. These three tank engines were members of the G.W.R. Hawksworth 94XX Pannier 0-6-0 tank engine class (25). The signalman working in the signal-box on the other side of the line had already changed the points and, after being given the all clear, the three tank engines rolled forwards over the points and back to the banker sidings. Once in the sidings, their crews went about preparing them for the next trains they needed to bank up Gordon's Hill.
(25): The G.W.R. Hawksworth 94XX 0-6-0 Pannier tank engines were the last major class of steam locomotives that were designed and built by the Great Western Railway. They were a taper boiler pannier tank design mainly intended to be used for shunting and banking duties, as well as for branch line work. In total 210 examples of the class were built, of which only 10 engines were built at Swindon, only 10 were built by the G.W.R. and the remaining 200 examples were built by British Railways after nationalisation, with the last one, No.3409, being built in 1956. As well as Swindon, the class were also built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in North East England, by W.G. Bagnall in Stafford, and by the Yorkshire Engine Company in Sheffield.
The class were in fact a tank engine version of the 2251 0-6-0 tender engine class, which Collett had introduced back in 1930, and they used the very same boiler as the earlier 0-6-0 design. The boiler gave the class a major increase in power, though it did mean that there was a weight penalty that somewhat restricted the route availability of the class.
The first ten engines, from No.9400 to No.9409, were built at Swindon and were fitted with superheating elements in the smokebox, while the other engines that were built after nationalisation were not fitted with superheating. They were also the last design in a very long line of G.W.R. pannier tank engines, from an original design dating back to the 1860's.
The class were numbered from No.9400 – No.9499, No.8400 – No.8499 and No.3400 – No.3409, and were mainly used within South Wales, particularly on heavy coal trains, as well on on heavy shunting duties, as well as at Old Oak Common Depot near Paddington Station in London, where they were used to move coaching stock in and out of Paddington Station, and thus became quite a common sight in the capital. With two inside cylinders that were 17.5in in diameter with a 24in piston stoke, a boiler that was pressed to 200psi and six driving wheels that were 4ft 7.5in in diameter, the class had a tractive effort of 22,515lbf. Their side tanks could carry up to 1,300 gallons of water, while their coal bunkers could take up to 3 tons of coal.
A number of examples, including from No.8400 to No.8406, were used for banking duties on the steep gradient of the Lickey Incline after the Western Region of British Railways took over the rail depot at Bromsgrove at the foot of the Lickey Incline. At times on the Lickey Incline, the engines of the 94XX Class could often be seen banking in two or threes, or sometimes even with four engines at once, such as being used to bank very heavy oil trains up the incline.
A number of examples were fitted with screw reversers, but these proved to be quite unpopular with drivers when the engines were on shunting duties, particularly as it took many turns of the screw reversers to put the engines from full forward to full reverse. And so reversing levers, often taken from older withdrawn locomotives, were fitted to locomotives at some sheds, which made things much easier for crews assigned to shunting duties.
Most of the class had very short working lives, considering the fact many of them were introduced so late during the 50's, which meant it wasn't long before diesel shunters took over their assigned duties. No.8447 holds the unenviable record of having the shortest working life of any G.W.R. locomotive in B.R. days, just four years and nine months from August 1954 to May 1959. Yet despite the class having a very short working life on B.R., the engines proved themselves to be reliable performers on their various assigned tasks, with some examples - often lacking their number plates and being in a filthy condition - still working right up until the end of steam on the Western Region, doing such things as working coaching stock into and out from various stations, as well as working short freights along branch lines and on cross-country route in places like Wales.
Withdrawals of the class began in 1959, when the first 29 examples were withdrawn from service. The rest of the class followed along over the next six years, until June 1965 when the final 23 examples of the class were that were still running at that time were finally removed from service. One example, No.9424, was sold for use in industry and managed to survive until 1966.
However, two members of the class have survived into preservation, including the very first built member of the class No.9400, which is also the oldest member and is currently a part of the National Collection and on long-term static display at the G.W.R. Steam Museum in Swindon, and No.9466, which is currently in full working order on the West Somerset Railway.
It wasn't long before the passengers had boarded the train, and the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag as the signal dropped. Blowing his whistle loudly, Edward set off from Wellsworth and headed on down the line to the junction that led down to Brendam Docks. The signalman had set the first set of points and, after going under the road bridge, they went over the points onto the middle line and, as they approached the level crossing, they went over a second set of points onto the down line.
Going over the level crossing, they went over another set of points onto the down line leading directly down to Brendam Docks. As the train slowly went over the points and onto the new line, the fireman turned to Carrie.
"And this is the last stretch of line for us, Carrie. We're now heading directly down to the docks, and hopefully we should be there very soon." said the fireman.
"I know, sir. I've actually gone along this line before, but just not at this time of day." Carrie said, with a smile. It would be nice for her to see what lined both sides of the track in daylight for a change rather than having to see what was there in the evening or at night.
They soon passed by the vicarage orchard to the right, where Edward could see his good friend Trevor the Traction Engine working away within the grounds of the orchard, with smoke rising from his tall chimney. Giving a whistle to say "hello" to Trevor, who whistled back in reply, Edward carried on down the line and soon passed by the scrapyard where Trevor had been saved from scrap by the vicar many years before.
With Carrie then taking another go at the shovel, the train smoothly rolled on along the line, passing by a double tracked junction where two more lines branched off to the east and soon they approached a tunnel mouth ahead of them. With his whistle blowing, so as to warn anyone who might be standing inside, Edward rolled into the tunnel knowing that their next stop was at the other end of the tunnel. The driver closed the regulator and gently put on the brakes, before blowing the whistle again as they popped out from the other side of the tunnel and rolled slowly up to the platform at Suddery and came to a gentle stop just before the closed gates at the level crossing.
As the passengers waiting at the platform climbed aboard the train, Carrie looked back from the right-hand side of the cab at the hill that dominated the station and the twin tracks that came out from the dark bore of the tunnel behind them. She could also see a road that twisted its way down the hill until it passed by the station heading down to Brendam, with another part of it going left and then over the level crossing before them.
Then Carrie turned and stepped over to the water gauge glasses on the boiler backhead to check if the water level in the boiler was okay; she could see the water level was about at the three-quarters full point, so there was no need to put more water in the boiler yet.
Soon, with all the passengers safely aboard the train, it was time for them to be on their way again. With the level crossing gates open and the signal arm down, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. The driver opened the regulator and blew the whistle, and Edward was off down the line with his coaches following smoothly behind him. With no more stops to make, they were now heading straight for Brendam Docks with the passengers aboard destined to get to the ferry with plenty of time to spare.
As they pulled out of the station and started heading through a deep cutting with steep banks on both sides of it, Carrie took another go at the shovel and was soon was placing the lumps of coal to where they were needed in the firebox. She was able to do the job fairly well now, as she knew from the education she'd had so far where the coal was to go and how frequently, depending on the type of engine she was working on. As her strength and stamina had also massively improved, she was also able to place heavier loads of coal into the firebox, usually when it was needed. And by firing little and often, she was able to keep the needle on the main boiler pressure gauge at the high mark all the time.
They soon passed by the large and extensive goods sidings, many of which were full of all different sorts of trucks and wagons, and then past the junction that led off to the nearby china-clay works, quarry as well as the cement works, and then they were entering the vast and very busy Brendam Docks. As they slowly rolled towards the station that was near to the main ferry terminal, Carrie looked out from the side of the cab at what was going on in the docks; there were boats being overhauled on some of the quaysides, with men working over them with tools, and boat engines sitting nearby with the bright blue-white arc-lights from welding torches that were being used on them as repairs were being made. Cargo was being unloaded from ships and placed onto trucks ready to be taken away once the trains had been fully assembled, while cargo was being loaded aboard other ships from trains that were already sitting on the quaysides. Sniffing the air, Carrie was pleased to discover there was no smell of rotting seaweed or the smell of fish about this morning, just the fresh sea air which couldn't help but brighten up her spirits.
They slowly pulled up onto a very long and wide quay that jutted out into the harbour quite a bit. Standing in the very middle of the quay was the main ferry terminal. It was quite a tall building, with at least four levels, with one long platform on each side of it which stretched the whole length of the building. Over each platform was a dark green painted covering, which provided shelter for people boarding or disembarking the trains. Between the edge of each edge of the quayside and the large terminal building there were three railway lines, one group of three on one side and three more on the other, with points connecting each of the three lines. Carrie could see they were coming in to the right of the terminal building on the inside line that ran right along the terminal platform.
The terminal building had its own covered walkways, which were almost like jet bridges found at an airport, stretching out from the sides of the building from the departure lounges to the open berths that lined both sides of the long quay. At one of the berths was the ferry scheduled to sail for Dublin soon; it was a very large and impressive vessel. Painted in blue and white paint, which shone smartly in the morning sunlight, the ferry was about nine decks high and seemed to stretch for a long way along most of the dockside.
Carrie looked out from the left-hand side of Edward's cab as they slowed down and took in everything she saw; the covered walkways above them were like fingers connecting the ship to the building, and it was a spectacular sight to see such a large ship secured to the quayside waiting for her passengers. As the ferry was also able to take cars and other vehicles on board, the large doors at the stern were opened up and cars, large trucks and buses were slowly coming aboard and being directed to where they had to go by the members of the ship's crew who were helping out.
The driver put the brakes on, and Edward came to a gentle stop. The doors on the coaches opened and the passengers stepped out with their luggage before making their way into the main terminal building, from which they would go upstairs and then board the ferry. As she looked out from the left-hand side of Edward's cab, Carrie took the chance to really take in everything that she saw and heard around her, being especially observant to see everything she saw on the enormous ferry towering over the dockside before her. It was then she noticed there were some gangways going from near the edge of the concrete quayside over to smaller open doors along the lower decks of the ferry and a few small groups of men, all dressed in bright orange hi-vis clothing and who seemed to be waiting for something.
Then, she suddenly heard the sound of a whistle from back in the direction from where Edward had come from and then the sound of another steam locomotive coming along the quayside on the outer line. She turned and saw a tender engine, painted in L.N.E.R. Apple Green, rolling slowly in reverse along the outer line and pulling a line of six different box vans along with him. The engine standing before Carrie was an L.N.E.R. V4 Class 2-6-2 (26), and it was No.3407 Centurion. His green paintwork had been polished down and cleaned, as he was going to be taking passengers away from the docks and into the island a little later on in the day once his vans were unloaded of what they were carrying.
He came to a gentle halt by the gangways, and the men who were waiting set to work opening the vans and getting whatever was in them aboard the ferry.
(26): The L.N.E.R. V4 Class 2-6-2 mixed freight design was the last design introduced by Sir Nigel Gresley before he died in office in April 1941. They were basically a smaller version on Gresley's earlier V2 Class 2-6-2s, of which they bear a family resemblance, and were intended to be used on lines that the V2s couldn't travel on due to their heavy weight and axle loading. They were also known as Gresley's "Rolls Royce".
By using modern construction techniques - such as welding instead of riveting, light alloys, as well as replacing many components that would normally have been cast with components that were assembled from fabrication methods, the weight of the locomotives decreased from close to 75 tons to a little over 70 tons, making the V4s suitable to travel on about 5,000 miles of the L.N.E.R. system's 6,414 miles. The V2 Class could only cover about 2,752 miles of the L.N.E.R. system by comparison. Powered by three cylinders - two outside and one inside - that were built to a monobloc design in which all three cylinders were cast together - that were 15in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, together with a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to a working pressure of 250psi, and driven along by six driving wheels that were 5ft 8in in diameter, the V4 Class had a maximum tractive effort of 27,420lbf. Both engines were coupled to tenders that ran on six wheels and could carry 3,500 gallons of water and 6 tons of coal, and which were also fitted with water scoops so that both engines could replenish their water supplies from water troughs.
However, only two examples of the class were ever built at all, No.3401 Bantam Cock and No.3402, which was never named, but was always known unofficially by many as Bantam Hen. It's very highly possible that had Gresley never died when he did, and had the Second World War not intervened when it did, then there's no doubt that many more examples of the V4 Class would have been built for use on the L.N.E.R. system.
No.3402 was different from No.3401 as it was built with a fully welded steel firebox and was also fitted with a single thermic siphon for circulating the water in the boiler in order to allow for better heat distribution. However, the stays on the firebox of No.3402 kept breaking, and so the firebox and thermic siphon were eventually replaced.
When Edward Thompson took over as the L.N.E.R.'s C.M.E. (Chief Mechanical Engineer) after Gresley's death in April 1941, he decided not to build anymore engines in the V4 Class, as he felt that they were too expensive to built, and instead set about introducing his versatile B1 Class 4-6-0 mixed traffic engines, which became the L.N.E.R.'s standard mixed-traffic engine, as they were simpler to build and maintain, and were just as strong. When Thompson took over as the L.N.E.R.'s C.M.E., there was an order in place for a further 10 more V4 Class 2-6-2s, for which the cylinders had already been cast, but the order was cancelled due to wartime conditions.
Unlike the Thompson B1 Class engines, which were known for being rough-riding, the V4 Class rode much more smoothly along the line and with far less hammerblow than a B1 could. They also generated far less vibration due to their three-cylinder layout.
The two V4s, after they were completed in 1941, were sent first to work on the Great Eastern Section of the L.N.E.R., where they were well received, having more power than the Gresley Class B-17 4-6-0s and with much better riding qualities as well. The two were then sent to work up in Scotland, first on the lines around Edinburgh, and then on the West Highland Line from Glasgow to Fort William. They could work very well on the faster stretches of the line, and their comfortable cabs and good riding qualities were much appreciated during the winter, but on the steeper grades of the line they did struggle somewhat with the loads they were assigned to haul. In fact, the Gresley K4 Class 2-6-0 locomotives were found to be much better at getting the heavier trains uphill in some areas of the route due to their smaller driving wheels, which allowed for a much higher tractive effort.
In 1949, after being replaced by the newer ex-L.N.E.R. B1 Class 4-6-0s as well as ex-L.M.S. Black Five Class 4-6-0s, the two V4s were moved to Eastfield, where they ran freight trains, on fish trains, as well as occasional passenger trains to Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross, with one of the two being based at Stirling specifically for passenger services.
In 1954, both engines were moved to Aberdeen to replace the W.D. Austerity Class 2-8-0s which were unsuitable for fast running. In 1957, the two V4s, which were now numbered No.61700 and No.61701 respectively, were withdrawn from service on British Railways when their boilers became due for renewal and no spare boilers had ever been built for them, and they were both scrapped not too long afterwards.
However, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust have a plan in place to build the third example of a Gresley V4 Class 2-6-2, of which construction will start as soon as their current project, the construction of brand new Gresley L.N.E.R. P2 Class 2-8-2 No.2007 Prince of Wales, is completed. The new V4 will be numbered No.3403, the next locomotive in sequence, and it will be given the rather appropriate name of Highlander, as it perfectly matches with the history of the V4 Class, which spent a lot of their working lives in the highlands of Scotland. The trust already has some components for the engine, including a complete set of tyres for the wheels, a chimney, as well as a speedometer, and a few other smaller miscellaneous parts. Many of the parts, as well as all the original V4 engineering drawings, were gathered together by a now defunct group called the Gresley V4 Society who had planned to build a brand new example of a Gresley V4 back in the 1990's.
As No.3403 Highlander will be a smaller engine than either A1 Class No.60163 Tornado or P2 Class No.2007 Prince of Wales, it will be able to go almost anywhere within the U.K., and even on lines that the two larger engines can't travel on due to their large size and heavy weight, such as the West Highland Line in Scotland, and the Heart of Wales Line in the middle of Wales. No.3403, just like No.60163 and No.2007, will also be fitted with modern electronic equipment and an air braking system, so that it can travel on the main line, and vacuum brakes so that it can work with preserved stock on heritage railways. It will also be paired with a larger L.N.E.R. Standard 4,200 gallon tender that will be modified to carry more water and slightly less coal.
Four V4s will be appearing in this story as it goes on, No.3407 Centurion, No.3408 Chieftain, No.3409 Challenger, and No.3410 Conqueror, all of which were the names of main battle tanks that were extensively used by the British Army in the years after the end of World War II. And what will make these four L.N.E.R. V4s different from the original two examples is that the diameter of their three cylinders will be increased from 15in to 17.5in, allowing the tractive effort to be increased up to 37,325lbf, allowing them to haul much heavier loads, as well as the fact that all four of them will be coupled to slightly larger tenders that can carry up to 4,200 gallons of water.
"And there we are. And now for the men to get to work." Centurion said, with a smile.
"Hello there, Centurion." Carrie said, as Centurion looked over towards her.
"Oh, hello there, Carrie. I'm just making a last-minute supply delivery to the ferry before it goes." Centurion said, as he smiled at Carrie.
"And what's being delivered this morning, Centurion?" Edward asked.
"Just meat, fruit and vegetables, and other things like that for the passengers to enjoy on their trip across the sea." Centurion said.
"I thought you'd be off working with your first train of the day by now." Edward said.
"Well, my crew and I were asked to do this job first and then when it's done, I can go and get my first train right here at Brendam." said Centurion.
"Do you have any idea where your first train is going to?" Carrie asked, as she stepped off of Edward's footplate with an oilcan in her hands and her bright orange hi-vis vest on.
"No, not yet. I'll find out once I go and collect my train." Centurion said.
"Well, whatever it is and wherever it's going today, best of luck." Carrie said, as she then turned and started work on topping up the oiling points on Edward's motion rods.
"Thanks for that, Carrie. I have a feeling that I may need it." Centurion said, as the groups of men unloaded the vans and moved the boxes of food and other things down the gangways by a human chain and down into the open gangway doors and on board the ship, where the boxes would be unpacked and the food stored away.
About two or three minutes later, as Carrie finished up with oiling round and stepped back onto the footplate, the yard manager appeared on the platform.
"Come along now you lot, I have some empty trucks for you to take over to the china-clay pits." he said.
"But what about our coaches? Shall we just leave them here?" the driver asked.
"Please do, one of the other engines will take them away in a short while." the yard manager said.
"Very well then. Let's go and collect those trucks." the driver said, as he, the fireman and Carrie set to getting ready to go. Behind Edward's tender, a shunter had uncoupled the coaches and had disconnected the air brake pipes, as the crew got ready on the footplate. Once the shunter had gotten clear, and the points ahead had been changed, the driver blew the whistle and Edward slowly rolled forwards and over the points to the middle track before coming to a stop. The points were reset and Edward was able to reverse slowly along the quayside to go and pick up his trucks. After giving Centurion a friendly whistle and saying "See you later, Centurion." to which Centurion whistled back and said "See you later, Edward." Edward continued reversing away and into the main docks.
It wasn't too long before they were coupled up to a dozen empty and heavily dusted china-clay wagons, along with a brake van, in one of the sidings. The shunter fastened the coupling and they waited their turn to leave, but had to allow a freight train depart from the docks first. Hauled by U.S.A. S160 2-8-0 No.2300, who was painted in U.S.A.T.C. light grey livery, the long and very mixed freight train slowly rolled out of the docks, past the siding where Edward was waiting to leave, and over a series of points and onto the line north out of Brendam Docks back towards Wellsworth Station.
From the left-hand side of Edward's footplate, Carrie leaned out and watched the train as it departed from the docks, with the wagons clattering and rattling along behind No2300. It seemed like the train would take its time leaving, especially considering that there were between 50 and 60 wagons within the train altogether. But eventually though, the brake van went by the siding and moved away with the rest of the train in the distance, its bright red tail warning lamp shining at the back of the van as it got further and further away. Then the points to the siding changed and Edward was given the all-clear to go.
"Time to get these wagons to the china-clay works, old boy!" Edward's driver said, as he blew the whistle and opened the regulator.
"And off we go!" Edward said, as they slowly rolled forwards and out of the siding.
(Insert soundtrack – Edward's Season 2 Theme)
Edward headed out from the docks and towards the junction nearby, where he would go onto the line that went to the china-clay pits. After being diverted onto the correct line, he made his way carefully along up a slight gradient and along a single line that gently twisted its way along until it went round a bend and under a very old wooden bridge that crossed between two cliff faces at the entrance to the china clay pits.
As they entered the china-clay pits and slowed down before going into one of the empty sidings, Carrie looked round at everything; the grounds of the whole area were filled with tracks and sidings, some of which were filled with empty trucks or ones that were loaded up with china-clay. One set of tracks even led into the mine shaft, which was built within one of the tall and jagged cliff walls. Nearby were various buildings, including the main office, a place that served as a first aid post, a multi-storey building that served as a canteen and changing area for the workers and another that served as a storage area for work tools. Over on the top of the tall and jagged rocky cliff that dominated the background, there were a few other buildings used for the operation of the pit.
"And what shall we do here?" Carrie asked, as she turned to the driver and fireman as the train came to a stop.
"Well, we need to drop off these empty trucks, and then we need to pick up some full ones from elsewhere in the pits and then bring them back to the docks." said the driver, as he and the fireman stepped off the footplate so they could go over to the office for further instructions.
"Very good then." Carrie said, as she put her orange hi-vis vest on and then stepped off from the footplate too.
As Edward's crew went into the office to talk to the manager and receive their instructions, Carrie decided to take a short stroll around to see what these yards were like. However, as she came to a stop between two sets of two tracks, upon two of which sat a very long line of loaded china clay trucks, she was unaware that she was being closely watched. From a distance away, two small and cheeky yellow twin tank engines had seen Carrie step off Edward's footplate and come strolling along in their direction, like she was walking in a park. The two engines were Bill and Ben, the small twin engines who worked here at the china clay works and occasionally at the nearby quarry.
Although they had heard the story of why Carrie White had come to the Island of Sodor, just like all the other engines on the island had, they had never seen her before or knew what she looked like.
(Insert soundtrack – Bill and Ben's Season 2 Theme)
"And who do you suppose that person is, Bill?" Ben asked, as he watched Carrie walk about not too far away from them.
"I don't know Ben, but if she's a newcomer to the island, I think that we should give her a "proper" welcome here." Bill said, as he looked towards his twin with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Yes, I think we should do so indeed." said Ben, as he chuckled a little. The two of them puffed over towards the trucks near to where Carrie was standing. Between the two tracks on which the loaded trucks sat were two empty tracks, one on each side of the two lines of loaded trucks, which was perfect for the twins to play their little trick. When they were close to the two lines of fully loaded trucks, Bill puffed forward while Ben stayed back to await his turn.
Slowly Bill puffed up until he had emerged from behind one line of trucks on Carrie's right.
"Hello there, miss." Bill said innocently with a smile, as Carrie turned her head and looked towards him.
"Oh, um hello…I didn't hear you approach me there." Carrie said. She had never met Bill or Ben before, and so she didn't know they were identical twins or that they liked to play tricks on people or other engines every now and then.
"It's nice to meet you, what's your…" but before Carrie could finish asking, Bill quickly reversed back and out of sight, which confused Carrie.
Ben who had slowly crept up, then took his cue and emerged into view on Carrie's left.
"So, are you new here on Sodor?" Ben asked, as Carrie then quickly swung her attention over towards him. She was surprised to see him on the other empty track, and wondered how he could have gotten over there so quickly.
"Oh yeah, I am. I've been here since November, and I'm…" she began, but then Ben suddenly reversed away and out of sight, further confusing Carrie.
"What on earth…" she said, as Bill suddenly appeared where he had been before.
"You know there are lots of things for people like you to see and do here on Sodor." Bill said, as Carrie jerked her head back to the right to see, what she assumed was, the same small yellow tank engine.
"Yes, I know, but why do you keep…" she said in some frustration, as Bill then quickly reversed back again.
She was so intent on watching Bill that she didn't notice Ben reappear on his track again.
"Maybe I could take you on a tour round the island sometime." Ben said cheerfully, before he then puffed backwards as fast as he could.
"Hey, wait there a second!" Carrie called, as Ben quickly disappeared from sight. And Carrie stopped and let out an utterly frustrated sigh; what was going on?
Suddenly, both Bill and Ben both shot forward from behind the trucks and called out "Welcome to Sodor!" in unison, and Carrie, taken completely by surprise, went "Aaaah!" and fell onto her back. Quickly pulling herself up into a sitting position, she looked at the two engines, and then realised what was up.
"Hang on a second…hold it…are there TWO of you?" she asked, as the realisation suddenly sank in over what had just happened in the last few moments.
"Yes, we're twins." Bill and Ben said together.
"I might have known it." Carrie said, as a smile slowly crossed her face. She got up and stepped off to the side of the tracks, so that she'd be out of the way in case another engine came along the line towards them.
Just then, Edward came round the bend on one of the middle tracks, and with him on the other track was a long green painted diesel who had his face at one end and with twin bogies, one of which had four wheels and the other with six, under his frames. They were both here to collect the long lines of trucks that were waiting in the sidings. Carrie was standing at the side of the tracks waiting for Edward to arrive so she could step aboard him.
"Hang on…Bill and Ben…what are you two doing here?" Edward asked, as he backed down onto one of the lines of trucks, while the green diesel backed down onto the other.
"We were just welcoming this girl to Sodor, Edward." Bill said, as he gave a cheeky look.
"And in the only way we know how." added Ben, with a chuckle.
"There's no need to get this girl all flustered up with any tricks of yours." Edward said, in a firm way, "This girl you see here is Carrie White, the one who ran away from her home back in November and ended up here on Sodor in the process."
On hearing this information, the twins were abashed and then realised what they'd been told about Carrie from the other engines.
"Oh, we're sorry about that, Carrie." Bill said.
"Yes, we heard about you and why you came to Sodor, but we didn't know what you looked like." added Ben.
"That's all right you two, but just don't play any more tricks like that on me please. After all, I left my home town of Chamberlain and my schoolmates so to get away from all of that nonsense." Carrie said, as she looked to the twins while raising an eyebrow.
"Of course, sorry about that, Carrie." Bill said
"Yes, we promise we won't play anymore tricks on you." said Ben.
"Thanks for that." Carrie said.
"That settles it then. Now go and fetch some more trucks, Bill and Ben. And then bring them back here for us to take away." Edward said, as both Bill and Ben puffed away to another part of the pits.
Carrie stood and watched as the twins puffed away to collect the fully loaded trucks before she turned to look at Edward and the green diesel.
"Thanks for that, Edward." Carrie said.
"You're welcome, Carrie. There's no real harm in those two engines. But they're maddening at times." Edward said with a smile, as he looked towards Carrie.
"Maddening…" Carrie said, with a smile, "…is the word."
"Anyway Carrie, this diesel is BoCo and he experienced something very similar to what you did the first time he came to Sodor." Edward said.
"Well, it's a relief to know I wasn't alone in that respect. Anyway, it's nice to meet you BoCo." Carrie said, as it was the first time that she had met the big green diesel engine.
"It's nice to make your acquaintance too, Carrie." said BoCo, as the shunters coupled the loaded china clay trucks to him, before they went and coupled Edward's line of trucks behind his tender.
"And we're nearly ready for us to go on our way again, Carrie." Edward's driver said, as he stepped out from the cab and walked forward.
"So, where are we taking this load of china clay?" Carrie asked.
"Well, this load we have behind us to take away is going straight down to Brendam Docks to be loaded onto one of the ships there. The one BoCo has is going over to Vicarstown to be sent away to the mainland." said the driver.
"Okay, then." Carrie said, as she stepped back to Edward's and climbed back aboard before taking off her hi-vis vest and storing it into one of the cabinets fitted to the tender front.
It wasn't too long before both Bill and Ben returned, and they were each pushing half a dozen loaded china clay trucks before them. Slowly, they pushed the loaded trucks behind Edward's and BoCo's trains, so that they each had a dozen loaded china clay wagons behind them all ready to go. The twins then shunted a brake van behind each of the two trains, and the guards climbed on, and they were ready to go.
"We just need to leave BoCo leave the works first, Carrie. After all, we don't have too far to go to deliver our trucks, but he has to go further so as to make his delivery." the driver said to Carrie.
"All right then." Carrie said, as she looked out from Edward's cab. Soon, BoCo was given the all clear to go with his train and, giving a short blast on his horn, he slowly moved out from the china-clay pits with his engine slowly revving up as he made his way out.
As Carrie watched the trucks go by, she saw that all of them were covered with canvas sheeting which was secured in place with ropes. The sheeting was meant to keep the china-clay in the trucks dry just in case it rained.
A few moments later, after BoCo had left with his train, it was soon time for Edward to leave and head down to Brendam Docks. After being given the all clear from the guard, the driver blew the whistle and they were on their way.
"We'll see you later, Bill and Ben." Edward whistled to the twins, as they left the pits.
"Okay, Edward. See you later!" Bill and Ben called, as Edward puffed out with his own line of 12 china-clay wagons.
Leaning out from the left-hand side of the cab, Carrie took the chance to take a good look at the countryside they were passing through before she went over to stoke the boiler. They rolled along the track back the way they came, crossing a bridge that went over a narrow stream and soon arrived back at the junction and went straight down the line to Brendam Docks. As Carrie finished with her go at the shovel, she went over to the right-hand side of the cab and looked along the line that went towards the north. There was no sign of BoCo, as he had already gone too far ahead along that line with his train.
Smiling a little, she turned away to look forward ahead as they rolled forwards towards the busy Brendam Docks.
(A short while later)
Edward soon arrived at the quayside where the china-clay was to be dropped off, and he slowly reversed along the quay, pushing the long line of trucks into place where a crane would load the china-clay onto a ship when one came along a little later.
"And there we are. All where they need to be and ready to be loaded onto the ship when it arrives." Edward said with a smile, as Carrie looked out over the berth.
"Let's hope it's not too long before the ship arrives to collect the china-clay." Carrie said.
"Well, there's one due to arrive later on today. And it'll take the china-clay away in its holds to wherever it's going next." said the fireman.
"Now, what's next for us today?" Carrie asked.
"Well, now that this delivery has been delivered here safely, our next task is to go to the sidings at the marshalling yards nearby and get some trucks arranged into trains." the driver said.
"Okay, let's get over there as soon as we can then." Carrie said, as she went over to have a quick check of the water level in the two water gauge glasses. With the water level okay, she then put some more coal onto the fire.
It wasn't too long before they departed the docks and went up to the extensive sidings nearby to do some shunting and help arrange some trains for other engines to take away. After Carrie and Edward's crew took a much-needed tea break for about 15 minutes, they set to work at getting the trains arranged. And that's what they did in the yards for much of the rest of the middle of the day, going from one very long siding to another and bring different trucks and wagons to other sidings where some of the other engines who were assigned to work there today helped to assemble the trains ready for dispatch.
For Carrie, this work of going from one siding to another and dragging lines of wagons in and out from them did get a little monotonous at times, and she was glad later that day when the time came up for their scheduled one-hour lunchbreak from 1pm to 2pm.
After the driver parked Edward in one of the empty sidings in the locomotive depot, where the shed staff could look over him and undertake any checks on him before he went back out again after his crew and Carrie had finished their lunchbreak, he, the fireman and Carrie stepped off the footplate.
"I'll be glad to get something to eat after that work." Carrie said, as they made their way to the building for engine crews so they could quickly clean themselves up before they went to get something to eat.
"Yeah, and so will I." the fireman said, as they made their way inside and towards the changing rooms up on the first floor. After Carrie reached the changing room, she was able to wash up her hands and face of any coal dust and grime. There wasn't much to wash off today, as the work on Edward's footplate had been fairly easy so far with no coal dust or any other grime to wash off, unlike on other engines on some of the other jobs she had worked so far.
Once she had fully washed her hands and face, and she looked a little more presentable, Carrie left the changing room and went downstairs to the main canteen where she could get some good food into her before she and the crew she was with went back to work.
Lining up at the buffet line with a few other crewmen, she grabbed a tray and set about choosing what she wanted to have. She eventually chose a bowl of hot soup, complete with a bread roll, and a plate of hot beef stew with mashed potatoes.
Once she had what she wanted, she went over to one of the vacant tables and sat down. As she was about to tuck into her food, she looked round; there weren't too many engine crewmen about here today, so it was reasonably quiet with plenty of places where she could sit down and eat at. But she was happy where she was sitting, and decided to eat her lunch there. As she started on her soup, she was able to look out the main window that looked out over the depot, where she was able to see different engines go about through the yard, as they arrived in the yard to be serviced, or departed the yard for their next jobs.
Carrie had her back to the buffet line, so she couldn't see whoever was lining up there and getting their food after they came inside.
As she sipped another spoonful of soup, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind her.
"Afternoon there, Carrie." said a familiar Scottish voice. Carrie turned her head, and saw Sophie standing by the table with her own tray of food in her hands.
"Oh, hey Sophie. Do you wanna sit with me?" Carrie said.
"Certainly." Sophie said, as she sat down opposite Carrie and placed her tray on the table.
"How have you been doing so far today?" Carrie asked, as she finished another spoonful of soup.
"Not too bad, I'll be honest. I've been working on the footplate of Henry today, and we've just made a delivery of trucks from the yards at Knapford down to Brendam Docks. We made the delivery safely, and came up here. And while Henry's crew and I take our lunch hour in here, as well as to allow the shed staff outside the time to clean out Henry's fire and to oil up his motion and other moving parts before we have to go back out to work again. And how have you been so far today?" Sophie said, as she started on her sandwich.
"Well, things haven't been too bad so far today. Not much grit and grime being thrown about while we were working today. And Edward is going well today too. We've just finished with some work shunting and arranging trains in the yards near Brendam a little earlier on today." Carrie said, as she brought her bowl of hot stew off her own tray and placed it before her before she picked up her knife and fork and started on it.
"Any idea on what's on for you after lunch?" Sophie asked, as she took a sip from her bottle of orange juice.
"No Sophie, not yet. We'll have to wait until after lunch to see what's on for later." Carrie said, as she started on her bowl of stew.
Both Sophie and Carrie were quiet for a few moments more as they ate their food and savoured it before they spoke again.
"So, were you just at the docks and in the shunting yards today, Carrie?" Sophie asked.
"No, we went over to the china-clay pits earlier on...in order to collect a shipment of china-clay to bring over." Carrie said, with a heavy sigh as she looked up to the ceiling.
"Oh dear, and did you meet Bill and Ben while you were there?" Sophie asked, as a smile came across her face.
"Yes…yes, I did…and the hard way too, may I say." Carrie said, as a smile crossed her face too.
"Oh, no…" Sophie said with a giggle, as she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.
"Yeah…. yeah, I know. Did they do the same thing to you as well?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, they did. It's just in their nature…being identical twins and all." Sophie said, as she stopped giggling, but with a smile still on her face.
"Agreed…I suppose it's just in their nature." Carrie said. In a small way, both Bill and Ben reminded her of two of her former bullies back in Ewen High School, Chamberlain, the Watson Twins, Nikki and Lizzy. They were identical twins, just like Bill and Ben were, but they were also friends of Chris Hargensen and thus were not at all too friendly to almost all other people in Ewen High, at least outside of Chris' notorious circle of friends. Many people in Ewen High School, both staff and students alike, couldn't tell them apart. By comparison, although Bill and Ben were both mischievous and could be cheeky at times, they both meant well and they worked hard too.
"And did you meet BoCo as well?" Sophie asked.
"Yes, I did, and he seems to be quite a fair and respectable engine too." Carrie said.
"He is, and when he first came to the railway many years ago, both Bill and Ben played a similar trick on him." Sophie said.
"Yeah, I know. BoCo told me about it earlier on today." Carrie said, as she took a sip from her bottle of water.
They soon finished their food, and then they went back into the buffet line to choose what desserts they wanted to have. Sophie chose some apple crumble and custard, while Carrie had a slice of chocolate fudge cake with some with whipped cream, and they also got a pot of tea to share between them, along with two mugs and a jug of milk. Once they had the desserts they wanted, they returned to the table they had been sitting at before.
"I'll be glad to get back to work. After all, Henry's scheduled to take a train out from the docks a little later on this afternoon." Sophie said, as she sat back down.
"Any idea on what it is? It's not a fish train, is it?" asked Carrie, after she too sat down again.
"No idea yet, but what I do know is it's NOT gonna be a fish train like the Flying Kipper. That train usually runs during the night...though to be fair, there are some occasions where it has to run during the day." Sophie said, as she poured herself a cup of tea before carefully handing the teapot to Carrie.
"Oh, I see." Carrie said, as she took the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.
They were quiet for a few moments as they tucked into their desserts, and savoured the rich, sweet, and creamy tastes of them. Taking the opportunity to sip their tea in between bites, they were soon feeling quite satisfied from a good lunch and were feeling eager to get themselves back to work as soon as their scheduled one-hour lunch break was over.
"Hmm, this is delicious." Sophie said, as she enjoyed her apple crumble.
"But I'd bet you'd rather like some this chocolate fudge cake." Carrie said, after swallowing some of the cake she was enjoying.
"I actually had some yesterday at the depot near Vicarstown, so I already know what it's like." Sophie said, as Carrie gave her a smile and nod.
It wasn't too long before they finished their desserts, and they sat back with their cups of tea and just chatted with each other while the rest of their lunch break lasted, with Sophie telling Carrie about her early childhood in Scotland before her family moved to Sodor. Though Carrie told Sophie a little bit about what her life in Chamberlain was like and how she had come over to Sodor in the first place, she didn't want to reveal too many details about what the bullying she had gone through was like, as she was still disturbed by the details of everything she went through at home. Sophie understood and said it was entirely up to Carrie if she wanted to tell her anymore about her life back home or not.
Soon though, their lunch break came to an end and it was time for them both to leave the canteen and make their way outside again and get themselves back to work. Reaching the sidings not too far from the crew building, they found both Edward and Henry sitting side by side and being looked after by some of the shed crew. After having had their fires cleaned out with all and any clinker removed, and having had a quick polish and oiling, they were both simmering nicely and waiting to set back to work again.
"Ah, there you are, Sophie. Are you ready to get back to work?" Henry asked, when he saw both Carrie and Sophie approach.
"Of course, I am, Henry." Sophie said, with a smile.
"And it's a good thing you are too. We've gotten information on that train we're to collect at Brendam Docks in a short while." Henry's driver said.
"And what is it?" Sophie asked.
"We're to collect a long train of grain and sugar that's come in on one of the ships, and then we're to bring it to the freight yards at Knapford. That means we'll need to pull a long line of those specialised covered bulk grain and bulk sugar hopper wagons. There are also a few tankers of molasses to take from the docks as well." said Henry's driver.
"Very well then." said Henry.
Carrie stepped over to Edward, where the driver and fireman were waiting for her to arrive.
"Well Carrie…are you ready to get back to work?" the driver asked.
"I sure am." Carrie said, with a smile.
"Good girl! Hop aboard and we'll get back to work." said the driver.
Climbing onto Edward's footplate, Carrie went over to the firehole doors and opened them to check if the fire inside was okay. Everything seemed to be in order, and Carrie checked the water gauge glasses to see if the level of water in the boiler was okay. It was, and Carrie quickly put on her gloves and reached for the coal shovel.
"So, what's our next job for today?" Carrie asked, as the driver and fireman stepped onto the footplate.
"Well, we're to head back to the docks and pick up a short freight filled with goods that came in on one of the ships earlier on today and bring it straight to Wellsworth Station, and then we're to collect another freight at Wellsworth and being it straight back here." said the driver.
"But first, we need to top up the coal and water before we leave the depot." said the fireman.
"All right then." Carrie said.
A few minutes later, with a good head of steam, Edward gave a toot on his whistle and headed out from the siding and over to have his tender tank and coal space topped up with water and fresh coal. Stopping under the coaling tower, Edward stopped in the right spot beneath it and, with a very loud sound that Carrie could only describe as being akin to an avalanche, fresh coal poured down into the coal space in the tender. Once it stopped, Edward puffed forwards and stopped beside the water tower. Both Carrie and the fireman climbed into the coal space and took the opportunity to trim the coal, so that none would come loose while they were on the move, before they topped up the water tank with more water.
At last, with those little jobs done, and Henry pulling under the coaling tower directly behind them where he had more coal loaded into his tender, Edward set off from the depot and headed back down to the docks.
(Later that day, 4:35pm)
Edward stood at the station by the ferry terminal, but this time he was facing in the opposite direction where he would be able to roll forwards out of it, with a line of eight orange coaches sitting behind him. The ferry, a different one from the one that had been there earlier on, had arrived from Dublin, and the passengers it carried, the ones who were travelling without their cars, were disembarking from the boat, and heading down to catch the trains to their final destinations on Sodor.
From Edward's footplate, Carrie stood at the right-hand side of the cab and looked back along the platform as the passengers came onto the platform and began to board the train. She could see that many of them were pleased to have arrived on Sodor safely and were at last catching their trains. This train was going back to Knapford, and stopping at a few selected stations along the way, while the train at the next platform over was going to Vicarstown, which was also stopping at a few selected stations.
Sitting over at the other platform on the other side of the terminal building was L.N.E.R. Peppercorn Class A2 4-6-2 No.60534 Irish Elegance, who had eleven very smart-looking Pullman coaches coupled behind him. The coaches were in chocolate brown and cream liveries and had been polished to a very high standard so they would be presentable. And placed at the very back of the train was a very special observation coach, which was large glass windows placed all round much of the coach so the passengers would have a good view outside as the train went along.
Carrie was feeling very tired after a long day of work, and was looking forward to getting back to Tidmouth Sheds where she would meet back up with the others and get herself cleaned up before going home.
After getting back to work after lunch, they went back to the docks where they collected their freight train, but they had to wait until Henry had left the docks with his own long train of bulk grain and sugar wagons as well as the molasses tankers. There were about 50 wagons in all and Carrie was surprised by how much grain and sugar had come in earlier, and they had to wait for a few long minutes until Henry had left, as the train he had behind him was very long and very heavy.
Soon, Edward was able to leave the docks with his own train, and they headed up the line back to Wellsworth, where they left the train in the sidings there and, after being turned on the turntable in the yards, they picked up another freight train and brought it straight back down to the docks. When they delivered that freight train, they spent some more time shunting trucks and arranging them into trains before they were assigned to bring this train to Knapford.
"You know, I'll be very glad to get back after the long day we've had today…I'm just knackered." Carrie said.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit tired too. But, let's get this train delivered and then we can head back to the sheds." said the driver. Carrie nodded a tired nod, and then turned to look back along the platform, where she watched the passengers continued boarding. Then she turned her attention to the clock mounted above the platform; the time was 4:40pm, and they were due to leave at 4:50pm exactly.
"I'm just hoping to give my passengers a good run all the way to Vicarstown." said Irish Elegance, as he simmered gently while waiting for the guard's signal to depart.
"Yes, and you just be sure that you get them all there safely." Edward said.
"I will, Edward. You know that I always do." Irish Elegance said
"I'm aware of that, Irish Elegance. But sometimes it's best not to say anything that may tempt fate." Edward said.
"Very well then." Irish Elegance said, as he rolled his eyes a little and sighed somewhat.
Soon, the clock struck 4:45pm and, with the signal down and the points set, the guard on Irish Elegance's train blew his whistle and waved his green flag, showing it was time for the big Peppercorn A2 to leave the station. Blowing his whistle loudly, Irish Elegance slowly moved forwards with clouds of steam shooting out in front and smoke puffing sharply from the double chimney.
From Edward's footplate, Carrie leaned against the cab-side and watched the bigger engine and his train depart the station. She watched the coaches as they went by her, and she counted them all, eventually reaching eleven when the last one, the observation coach went by. Carrie could see that there were many passengers sitting together in the seats in the observation coach with many of them looking out as the train left. A few of them seemed to notice Carrie looking towards them, and they waved out to her. Seeing them wave at her, Carrie waved back.
As the train pulled away from them, she lowered her arm and then turned back to watch along the platform.
As soon as the clock touched 4:50pm, the last doors on the coaches were closed and the guard stepped out and blew his whistle and waved his green flag. With the points set and the signal showing all clear, it was time for Edward to leave. Blowing his whistle, he pulled out of the platform with his coaches following along behind him. As they went through the docks Carrie took a go at the shovel, and placed a few loads of coal onto the fire to keep the steam up on the boiler pressure gauge.
The trip back to Knapford via Wellsworth Station was a fairly routine journey, with Edward making a stop at Wellsworth Station to pick up some passengers who were heading back to Knapford, and then it was a non-stop journey all the way there.
For much of the trip, Carrie alternated between looking out from the cab and taking a turn on the shovel to keep the boiler stoked up. At times when she was looking out, various trains went by them, with Edward whistling in greeting and the other engines whistling back in reply as they went on by with their trains, either passenger or freight.
Very soon, at about 5:24pm, they passed under the last road bridge and then the welcome sight of Knapford Station came into view ahead round the bend. For Carrie, seeing the station come towards them was a relief to her, as it meant she was now much closer to signing off for the day and getting herself cleaned up after a long day.
Edward pulled alongside Platform 2 and came to a gentle stop, and the doors on the coaches were opened and the passengers stepped off the train.
"Well, it looks like the passengers are all satisfied with their journey here." the fireman said, as he looked back along the train.
"Yeah, I think they are." Carrie said, with an exhausted smile as she sat down on the front of the tender and rested her feet.
"Eager to rest your feet after today, Carrie?" the driver asked with a chuckle.
"Yes, I am, particularly after having been standing for much of the day." Carrie said.
"Well, don't worry. We'll be back at the sheds soon." said the driver.
As the passengers left the train and went over the footbridge, the shunter uncoupled Edward from the coaches, which would be taken away a few minutes later by another engine.
"And there we are, you're clear to go." the shunter said, coming to the cab and giving them a thumbs up.
"Okay, thanks for that." the driver said. Having been given the all-clear to leave the station, the driver gave a short blast of the whistle and opened the regulator. With a loud sound of hissing steam, Edward slowly moved forwards out of Knapford and back to Tidmouth Sheds.
"We'll be back at the sheds soon, Carrie." Edward said reassuringly to Carrie, as they rolled along.
"Thank goodness for that, Edward. I could do with a long rest after this busy day." Carrie called from the cab.
"Don't worry, you'll soon be able to." Edward said, and feeling a smile draw across her face, Carrie simply leaned on the side of the cab and allowed Edward to bring her back to the sheds.