Chapter 63: The Flying Kipper
(Monday, December 17th 2012 – 3:55am, Tidmouth Sheds)
Okay everybody, this is the last chapter that will be uploaded before Carrie sees her classmates from Chamberlain again. I know that all of you are feeling really eager to see what happens in that chapter, as it's been a very long time in the making! Never fear, everyone! It's almost upon us at last, and you won't have to wait for too much longer! In the meantime, please enjoy the chapter that's ahead!
Carrie woke up from a sound sleep in the warm bed as the alarm on her phone began to sound out and buzz, and then she opened her eyes a little to a dark room. However, she could just about hear the sounds of work that were being done outside in the main yards, with the low sounds of steam hissing away from some of the engines being readied for work very early this cold morning. Turning on the bedside light, she pulled the duvet aside, swung out of bed, and stood up while taking note of the fact that the room was quite cold. Going over to the window, Carrie pulled the curtains aside a little and looked outside; she could see reduced activity taking place in the glare of the lights in the yards, with the sights of a number of engines being readied for their very early work.
Wondering which of the engines she would be assigned to work on for this very early morning shift as well as what train they would be taking, Carrie turned away from the window, shut the curtains, and set about getting ready for her day . As she was starting her shift much earlier than she usually would this morning, she would be clocking out in the early afternoon. She was looking forwards to that, as it meant that she and her closest friends would have a good few hours of daylight with which to socialise with each other. Maybe they could go to the Christmas market again after work and get a bite to eat there. Deciding to worry about that later, Carrie went into the ensuite bathroom.
(A few minutes later)
Once she had finished in the small bathroom, and then dressed into her fresh work clothes, as well as a fresh set of work overalls and her bright orange Hi-Viz safety vest, and her work boots, Carrie packed all her things she had with her into her bag, and then left her room. She made her way to the ladies changing room down on the first floor, where she placed her bag and things into one of the lockers, locked it up, and then left the changing room and headed downstairs. Once she was downstairs, she went straight into the canteen, where she saw that the place was not quite as empty as she had expected the place to be; there were a few crews there, having an early breakfast with tea or coffee before they went out to work, and, much to Carrie's relief, she saw Simon and Alice there as well.
"Morning, Carrie." Simon said, when he saw Carrie approach them.
"Good morning, Simon." Carrie said, as the two of them gave each other a welcome hug and a kiss.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Alice asked.
"Tired, to be bluntly honest. I've never been up this early before." Carrie asked, as she yawned and covering her mouth with her hand as she did so.
"I am feeling the same as well. But I guess very early starts like this one is something that we all need to get used to." Alice said.
"Well, let's get some breakfast and eat in there quickly. Because I think we're gonna need to be outside to be assigned to our engines in a very short while." Simon said, and with Alice and Carrie agreeing to that, the three of them lined up at the buffet line to get breakfast.
A short while later, the three of them sat down at one of the tables and tucked into their food. Knowing the limited time that they had this morning before they had to go to work, the three of them had chosen whatever cereals they wanted to have, as well as some toast, glasses of orange juice, and hot drinks, such as tea or coffee, as well as a few pastries, like scones and croissants, that were on offer at the buffer line.
"I think we'd better eat quickly, as we need to be outside in a very short while." Alice said, as she started on her cereal.
"I know." Carrie said, as she took a long sip of her hot coffee before starting on her cereal. Simon was already eating, and so he didn't say anything. The three of them ate away while the low level of activity in the canteen went on, with only a very small number of engines crews also eating their own breakfasts and discussing what the day ahead might bring.
"I can't believe that there's only just over a week left to go until we finally get to Christmas." Carrie said, as she took a bite out of her scone.
"Yeah, me too. And I'm really looking forward to having a really good long rest over the holidays as well. I think that we've all earned it after the work we've done on the railway in the last few months." Simon said.
"I agree. You know…I did consider taking this week off some time ago…but then again, I realised that probably wouldn't be a very good idea, especially knowing just how busy it's going to be in the leadup to Christmas time." Carrie said.
"I think that's probably a very good idea there, Carrie. After all, at this very busy time of the year it's going to be a case of all hands on deck, and the Fat Controller needs to have everyone and every engine that he can get hold of in order to keep all the trains moving and to get the passengers, mail, and parcels to where they need to be delivered to before Christmas." Alice said.
"Absolutely, and I didn't have any intention to take any leave before Christmas, though I have made arrangements to take additional leave for the holidays." Simon said.
"Yeah, and I also took a few extra days leave for the holidays as well." Carrie said, as she took a long sip of her orange juice.
A few minutes later, the three friends had finished their breakfasts and were soon standing up and readying to leave. Placing their warm hats on their heads, as well as their work gloves on their hands, the three made their way out of the canteen, placing their trays on racks to be taken away later, and then clocked in for the day. Stepping outside into the cold morning air, they looked up into the dark night sky and weren't able to see the stars due to the heavy cloud cover above, which promised to unleash more snow sometime later on.
They felt the freezing air swirl all around them, as there was a slight breeze blowing about, and the air was so cold that the three of them could see their breath being exhaled from their mouths in dense white clouds.
"It's gonna be very cold for us on this early shift." Simon said, and the two girls murmured in agreement as they rubbed their gloved hands together.
"Ah, there you three are." came the familiar voice of the yard manager, as he stepped up to them with a clipboard in his hands.
"Morning, sir!" the three teens said, as the manager stopped in front of them.
"Okay, I have your jobs for this early morning work. Simon…you're going be to working with B1 No.61200 on an early mail run, taking plenty of mail from the Knapford mail depot over to Vicarstown along the Northern Main Line, while picking up more mail along the way."
"All right, sir." Simon said.
"Alice…you're going to be working with No.8900, and you'll be taking a freight train down to Brendam Docks."
"Okay, sir." Alice said.
"And Carrie…you're going to be working with Henry this morning, and you're gonna help to take the Flying Kipper from Knapford Harbour over to Barrow-in-Furness via Vicarstown along the Southern Main Line." said the yard manager.
"All right, sir." Carrie said. This was the first time that Carrie had been assigned to help take the Flying Kipper, and she hoped that they could make it to their destination on time.
"Okay, now you have your jobs, the engines are just over there. And good luck with the work you have to do this morning." and the yard manager turned and went back to the offices.
"Okay, you guys. I think we should head to our engines and get ready to go. I'll see you guys later on." Alice said, as she made her way over to where No.8900 was waiting.
"Sounds a good idea to me. I'll see you later, Carrie." Simon said, as he gave her a quick hug, which she gratefully returned.
"Okay, Simon. And good luck this morning." Carrie said.
"Thanks, Carrie. And good luck to you too." Simon said, as he and Carrie then went over to their engines.
Carrie stepped over to Tidmouth Sheds and over to the berth where Henry was being readied to go. By this time of the morning, Henry was ready to go to collect the Flying Kipper; his fire was lit and had plenty of steam in his boiler, with all his motion and moving parts oiled up, and his paintwork all polished down and ready to go.
"Good morning, Carrie." Henry said, when he saw Carrie approach him.
"Good morning, Henry. A very early start for me this morning." Carrie said.
"Yes, Carrie. But I'm used to early starts by now." Henry said.
"Anyway, are you all ready to go?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, Carrie. I'm ready, as are my driver and fireman." Henry said.
"Okay, I'll get aboard." Carrie said, as she went in between the narrow gap in between Henry and the shed door before walking into the sheds and climbing aboard the footplate. Turning round and looking out from the cab, Carrie saw that the other engines who were in the shed, Thomas, Edward, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, and Duck were all still fast asleep, and it was clear they all would be sleeping for a little while longer yet. But at the same time, she could see that there were thin columns of grey smoke rising slowly from their chimneys, indicating that the fires had been lit in their fireboxes and they would have steam up in their boilers in a few hours from now.
"All ready to go, Carrie?" the driver asked, as he climbed up onto the footplate.
"Of course." Carrie said, as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation and waited to take her first go on the shovel.
"Okay, let's get going then." the driver said, as he wound the reversing gear into full forward, released the brakes, and then slowly opened the regulator a little. Slowly, with steam shooting out in front in a dense cloud, Henry rolled forwards out from the sheds and onto the turntable before coming to a stop. Then the turntable turned round so as to get Henry lined up to the line he had to take to leave the depot, and once that was done Henry rolled forwards off the turntable and then out of the depot. Leaning on the side of the cab and looking out as they went along, Carrie had noticed the driver didn't blow the whistle before they left the sheds, but she knew the reason for that was to avoid waking the other engines in the sheds or elsewhere within the depot.
They soon went out onto the main line, rolling slowly over the points out of the depot and then set off down the line towards Knapford Harbour.
As they headed off down the main line towards the harbour, Carrie looked out from the cab and took in the sights of the line at night, though they looked somewhat different from what she had seen during the day. Bright lights that lit up yards and streets could be seen as they went along the line southwards, and Carrie could often hear the "whoosh" as they passed beneath the bridges along the way.
At one point, Carrie yawned again, and didn't even bother to cover her mouth on that occasion.
"Still feeling tired, Carrie?" the fireman said, noticing Carrie's yawning.
"Yes, I am. I've never started this early before in the time I've been working." Carrie said.
"Don't worry, Carrie. You'll get used to it after a while. After all, we did with time." the driver said, as he adjusted the position of the regulator and looked out ahead of them, then blowing the whistle as they passed over a level crossing.
"Do you want a go with the shovel, Carrie?" the fireman asked.
"Sure would." Carrie said, as she took hold of the shovel and began work on placing fresh coal into the hot firebox.
Up front, Henry was looking forward to getting the Flying Kipper from Knapford Harbour to its destination at Barrow-in-Furness on this very cold winter morning. He wondered how many vans would be in the train and how heavy it would be, as well as how difficult it would be to get it out from the harbour yards when it was time for them to set off. He also wondered how busy it would be when they finally arrived at Knapford Harbour.
(At Knapford Harbour)
Henry soon found out; for when they pulled into the harbour, where all the lights in the place were switched on, they could all clearly see that the harbour was still quite busy, even in the very early hours of the morning. There were still were some dockside workshops still busy, with workmen to be seen in them as they worked on various machines, including lathes, as well as on welding equipment, due to the bright blue-white flashes from the depths of some of the workshops. From some of the buildings, there were tall chimneys that were still releasing white-grey smoke from their tops, and from some of the buildings groups of men could be seen as they worked away at taking things out, or even trying to get things inside there they could be worked on or looked over.
Making his way along the track, Henry soon got very close to the quayside where he was to pick up the Flying Kipper, and he slowly reversed along the quayside. Looking out from the right-hand side of Henry's cab, which was the side that was the closest to the edge of the quay, Carrie saw that there were a number of fishing boats tied up to the mooring bollard on the dock, with boxes of fish packed in ice that were being loaded up into a line of vans that was standing on the line. Carrie also saw that there was a travelling crane that could run along the length of the quayside with the two lines running beneath it.
Slowly, Henry buffered up to the line of vans and was soon coupled up, while the driver stepped off the footplate and walked forwards to the forward buffer-beam in order to place the headlamps on the lamp-irons they needed to be on so as to show the correct headcode. As they were pulling a fish train, the headlamps were placed onto the middle and right-hand lamp-irons, showing that Henry was pulling a Class C train.
Once the driver had finished placing the headlamps to where they needed to be on the front buffer beam, he went over and spoke with the harbour master about the make-up of the train and the route that they would have to take. On the footplate of Henry, the fireman took the chance to place some more coal into the firebox to make sure that the fire was well up and making plenty of steam in the boiler, while Carrie sat on the front of the tender and waited for the time when they could set off. Taking a sniff through her nose, Carrie winced at bit at the smell of the fish that lingered in the air, and she hoped they could set off soon, if only to get away from the fishy smell.
Standing up, Carrie went over to the left-hand side of the cab and looked back along the length of the quayside; she could clearly see plenty of men loading the vans with crates and boxes of freshly-caught fish, with the men hustling and shouting as they went about their work. Taking a look at her watch, Carrie saw that it was 5:08am, and they were due to leave the harbour with the train at 5:15am.
After a short bit, after having spoken with the harbour master and then with Henry, the driver climbed back aboard Henry's footplate and sat down on his seat on the left-hand side of the cab.
"Are we ready to head off soon?" Carrie asked, as she checked on the two water gauge glasses on the back of the boiler to see if the water level in the boiler was okay.
"Yes, Carrie. We'll be heading off in the next few minutes. But there's one thing that you two should know before we set off." the driver said, as he sat down and got ready to set off.
"And what's that?" asked the fireman.
"There's some essential track maintenance being carried out on the stretch of main line in between Cronk and Kildane Stations, and so to avoid that, we're going to be sent along the stretch of line that goes past the airport and through the airport station." said the driver.
"All right then. I suppose that there's nothing we can do about it then." Carrie said, as she checked over the other different gauges.
The fireman opened up the firebox doors and checked on the state of the fire; it was burning white-hot and a quick check of the main boiler pressure gauge showed that the steam pressure was at about 200psi. With a full load of coal in the tender and the water space full up with water, there was hope amongst them all for a good fast run along the Southern Main Line with hopefully only one water-stop to be made along the way. Sitting on the fireman's seat on the right-hand side of the cab, Carrie saw a number of lorries and vans head away along the road leading out of the harbour, no doubt heading towards a number of the local towns with freshly caught fish to deliver to the shops and restaurants. Then, over the different sounds of the harbour, Carrie overheard the sounds of a ship's horn sounding out somewhere in the harbour, and she wondered if it was a ship that was coming into the harbour with more fish, or else a fresh boat that was going out to sea to do more fishing.
"How heavy is the train behind us?" Carrie asked to the driver.
"There's about 20 vans coupled up behind us, including the brake van, Carrie. And it's quite a heavy train as well. But at least this heavy load will mean we can have a banker to help us up Gordon's Hill." said the driver. Giving a nod and a small smile in return, Carrie turned her head back to look forward.
The last minutes to departure ticked on by bit by bit, and soon they all heard the sounds of banging as the last of the open doors on the train were closed one by one by the men who had just leaded the vans up.
"Oh, this is it!" the driver said, as he turned and looked back along the length of the train on his side, while the fireman and Carrie looked back along the other side. From the brake van at the back of the train, the guard leaned out and showed his bright green lamp, showing that it was time for them to depart with the Flying Kipper.
(Insert soundtrack – The Flying Kipper Theme – Season 1)
"Okay, here we go!" said the driver, as he blew Henry's whistle, released the brakes, and then opened the regulator while activating the sanding gear at the same time. Slowly, Henry moved forwards, with his wheels slipping a bit on the rails, which were a little icy and slippery from fish. But with the help of the sanding gear, his wheels gripped the rails and he moved forwards, taking up the weight of the heavy train.
"Come on! Come on! Don't be silly! Don't be silly!" Henry puffed to the vans. From behind him, the long line of vans shuddered and groaned as they moved along the quayside, while calling out "Click, clack! Trock, trick! Click, clack! Trock, trick! All right! All right!"
From Henry's footplate, Carrie held on tight and watched as they moved out from Knapford Harbour and towards the main line. They went along the series of different lines and junctions through the harbour, and then through the extensive freight yards near to Knapford Station, before going through Knapford Station itself, with the train following along smoothly behind him. Carrie was feeling really pleased to be away from the harbour and the different series of smells that were there, including the smell of fish, and she was looking forward to breathing fresher-smelling air.
After passing through the station, where all its platforms were deserted of people apart from a few members of station staff who were out working, Henry made his way out along the line and away from the Knapford area, onto the Southern Main Line from where he could pick up more speed and get his train on the move.
"That's better! That's better!" Henry said, as the train picked up speed and passed by the junction where there was the bus station and by the sets of points where the line branched off to the left and headed up to Ffarquhar.
Heading out onto the Southern Main Line, Henry picked up more speed as he made his way along, with clouds of smoke and steam pouring out from his funnel into the freezing early morning air. On the footplate, Carrie took another go with the shovel and placed the coal onto the fire, with the bright orange-yellow glow from the fire lighting up the cab. As they passed through and then out of Henry's Tunnel, Carrie placed six shovelfuls of coal onto the fire, helping to keep it burning brightly and making plenty of steam in the boiler. After placing the coal inside, Carrie stood up and handed the shovel to the fireman, before then going over to the seat on the fireman's side and sitting down while keeping an eye out ahead.
Henry powered on ahead along the main line, calling out "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" as he did so, with the Flying Kipper following along smoothly behind him, and passing by all the familiar landmarks along the way. Passing through Crosby Tunnel and then through Crosby Station, they surged on up the line and then passed by another train heading in the opposite direction; it was a slow-moving and very lengthy coal train in a long line of 20-ton steel hopper wagons being hauled by W.D. Austerity Class 2-8-0 No.90361 from the coal mines over to the yards very near to Knapford Station.
"Good morning, Henry!" No.90361 called out with a whistle as he approached Henry.
"Good morning, No.90361!" Henry whistled, as he went on by with the Flying Kipper.
Henry soon crossed over the viaduct and made his way along towards Wellsworth Station, where he had to stop for a brief period and pick up a banker before heading up Gordon's Hill. As the driver closed the regulator and gently applied the brakes, Carrie finished up with taking another go on the shovel and leaned out on the fireman's side to see what was up ahead of them. She knew that the rails going up Gordon's Hill had been quite slippery during the autumn when there were instances of lots of leaves being blown onto the lines, but she also knew that would also be the case during this bitterly cold winter, as ice could form on the rails and prevent the engines getting a good grip, especially when they were going uphill with heavy trains coupled behind them.
Slowing down, they went by the banker sidings just before Wellsworth Station, from where a number of engines could be seen waiting for their next duties to bank trains up the hill. Passing by the banker sidings, Henry came to a gentle stop a little way beyond them, but before Wellsworth Station. Then, he gave a special signal with his whistle. "Peep! Peep! I need help up the hill please!"
This was followed a second or two later by another whistle, which was from L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T No.67925, who called out "I shan't be long!" and he slowly rolled out from his siding and onto the main line to help push the Flying Kipper up the hill. He gently buffered up to the back of the brake van, and then blew his whistle to signal he was in position. After another exchange of whistles, both Henry and No.67925 headed off, with the former pulling the train at the front, and the latter pushing hard from behind.
Passing through Wellsworth Station, where they were greeted by the deserted platforms, the train passed under the road bridge and along the line that went past the junction leading down to Brendam Docks and then towards Gordon's Hill in the distance.
Looking out from the cab on the driver's side, Carrie felt herself getting a little nervous as they approached the hill; she was wondering if they would be able to get to the top of the hill with a train like this and in these conditions. Henry was concerned as well, as he remembered the incident from many years before when he was pulling the Flying Kipper with Duck pushing from the back that he had pulled too far ahead for Duck to keep up with them and had then been forced to slow down due to the weight of the train, which had resulted in Duck crashing into the back of the train because the red tail lamp had fallen off the last van in the train.
However, there would be no need to worry about that, for the bright red tail lamp on the back of the brake van was securely on its lamp-iron, and all the lamp-irons on the brake van were also securely in place as well.
As the train rounded the curve and then started up the hill, seeing the line ahead of him was clear Henry dug his wheels into the climb and began to head up the hill, with No.67925 pushing with all his might at the very back. The driver on Henry's footplate had also activated the sanding gear as well, which allowed for fresh dry sand to be placed onto the rails for his driving wheels to grip. Carrie was placing some more fresh coal into the firebox, being careful to place the coal into the back corners, under the firehole doors, and as far forward as she could throw the coal with all her might. Standing back up, she took a look at the main boiler pressure gauge, and was pleased to see the steam pressure was at 220psi, clear evidence of all her hard work.
Going over to the fireman's side and looking forward, she could see that they were making good progress up the hill, with the train following along smoothly behind them. Carrie could clearly see the bright lights in the signal box in its place by the side of the line at the top of the hill, and getting closer and closer to them all the time. From the back of the train, No.67925 was pushing as hard as he could and helped to keep the train moving.
Soon they reached the top of the hill, and Henry could pick up a little bit of speed as he went over the top of the climb and then on down the other side towards Maron Station. As the train picked up speed, the weight on the front buffers of No.67925 eased off and then he blew his whistle to say that he was dropping off the back of the train. As he eased off, the train reached the top of the hill and the brake van pulled away from him, and the driver put the brakes on fully, stopping No.67925 just a little beyond the signal box. Once the signalman had switched the points and given the all-clear, the big L.N.E.R. OS1 Class 2-8-4T slowly reversed back over the points onto the other line and then he headed on back down the hill to Wellsworth Station, ready to bank another train up the hill.
Meanwhile, Henry was approaching Maron Station, and he was feeling very pleased with the progress of the trip so far. They really were going well, with the light of dawn on the eastern horizon slowly getting better as the first rays of sunlight spread along the horizon, and signal lights shining bright green as they went past them. Going past Maron Station, they were getting closer and closer to the airport junction, from where they would soon have to turn off and go through the airport station due to the essential work that was being carried out along the main line between Cronk and Kildane. Sure enough, they soon saw a yellow signal appear ahead of them, meaning "Proceed with Caution," and the driver shut off the steam and slowed the train down, preparing to stop the train if needed.
Leaning out from the fireman's side, Carrie kept a sharp watch ahead of them, for the signal box by the side of the line, as well as the junction leading off to the right.
They soon came upon the junction, and the signalman had set the points for them to head along the line going towards the airport. With Henry going along at a slow pace, they went over the points and on the line. Looking out behind them on the right-hand side of Henry's cab after they went over the points, Carrie watched as the vans that made up the Flying Kipper followed them smoothly over the points, one van at a time, until she saw the brake van in the distance follow along.
"Is the full train over the points, Carrie?" the fireman asked.
"It is! It's all still behind us!" Carrie said, as she turned to look at the driver and fireman. With a smile on his face, the driver opened the regulator a little bit more as the signal ahead of them was showing a bright green light, while the fireman set about stoking the firebox. Turning back forwards, Carrie leaning out from the cab again.
"All clear, Henry! Away we go!" she called, as she felt the train pick up some more speed and head down towards the airport.
"Okay, Carrie!" Henry called out with a smile. However, what none of them realised at that time was that Carrie would get the closest to the people from Chamberlain that she had been for the first time in well over a year. At this time of the morning, they were all still fast asleep in their comfortable hotel rooms and so were equally unaware of the fact that Carrie was getting very close to them…but all of that still lay in the future.
In the meantime, a very lengthy freight train was waiting on one of the lines going through the middle of the airport station in order to let the Flying Kipper pass. In fact, it was standing on the line that was running beside Platform 7, with the engine who was taking this long train, L.N.E.R. Thompson A2/3 Class 4-6-2 No.516 Hycilla, dozing away quietly as he waited for the Flying Kipper to go past so that he could continue on his way (119). As the train wasn't going to be moving anywhere for a little bit, the driver, fireman, and guard of that train were sitting inside the warmth of one of the cafés on the platform and enjoying mugs of hot drinks at one of the tables inside the space while they waited. The station cafés here were kept open all night long for engine crews who needed some hot refreshments if they were stopping at the airport station to pick up or drop off loads, and tonight was no different. With the heating turned on, the environment inside the café was warm, quiet, comfortable, and civilised, with the only sounds being heard being from the two workers who were quietly chatting with each other behind the counter at one end of the café, and the driver, fireman, and guard who were quietly chatting away with each other at their table, as well as the sounds of ticking from the clock that was fitted on the wall close to the entrance door.
From where he was sitting, the guard pulled aside the sleeve on his left arm and looked at his watch. Looking up, he compared it to the time being shown on the clock mounted on the wall; the time on his watch and the clock was the same; 5:35am.
"Hmm…the Kipper's due to go past here any minute now." said the guard, as he sipped from his mug of hot coffee.
"Who cares?" said the fireman. "This is good cocoa." And then, as the fireman took another long sip of the cocoa, the sounds of a very familiar whistle could be heard in the distance.
"Ah, I think that'll be Henry approaching now." said the driver, as he stood up, mug full of hot tea still in hand, and stepped out onto the platform, with the guard and fireman following behind him. Looking along the length of Platform 2, they heard the sounds of Henry blowing his whistle again, and then they saw him approach from the north side of the station with white-grey smoke and steam coming from his funnel.
As Henry went through the airport station, going at about 20mph, he blew his whistle again and called out "Good morning, Hycilla!" to the L.N.E.R. A2/3 as he went on by. In return, Hycilla also called out "Good morning, Henry!" as he watched the Flying Kipper go on by.
As the guard, driver, and fireman of Hycilla watched Henry and his train go by them, they counted the number of fish vans in the train; including the brake van, there were 20 vans in the train in total, and the vans were of a number of different types, including the CCT utility vans that had the four distinct vent slats placed at each end of them.
Once the train went by in a cloud of swirling steam and smoke, the driver turned to the fireman.
"Come on, fireman. Let's get back aboard Hycilla, and get the fire stoked up." said the driver.
"All right then." the fireman said, as they walked over to where Hycilla was standing, while the guard went back along the platform to his brake van.
(119): The London and North Eastern Railway's A2/3 Class 4-6-2 Pacifics were designed by Edward Thompson, and they were intended to be a major part of his scheme of standardisation for the L.N.E.R. system, which he envisioned would be in 10 classes of engines in total, including two Pacific classes. They were based off Thompson's earlier A2/2 Class Pacifics (which were rebuilds of Gresley's six P2 2-8-2 Class engines), as well as his A2/1 Class Pacifics (which were rebuilds of the last four ordered examples of Gresley's V2 Class engines).
After being given approval to build the new design in April 1944, Thompson set about making plans to build 30 examples of his new A2 Class Pacifics in 1945, with a further 13 engines to follow in 1946. The new design was similar to the earlier A2/2 Class engines, especially in terms of the frames, motion, and boiler, and it also retained the divided drive, with the inside cylinder driving the leading forward set of driving wheels, while the two outside cylinders drove onto the second set of driving wheels. However, this design choice meant that each of the three connecting rods, each of which was paired with its own independent set of Walschaerts valve gear, had to be exactly the same length and resulted in the outside cylinders being set behind the bogie, giving the engines a longer elongated appearance, which was typical of all Thompson Pacific designs.
The new A2/3 Class engines were the first new Pacific Class engines to be built at Doncaster Works for eight years, and so they incorporated a number of new innovations, including steam brakes, a hopper ashpan, electric lighting, as well as a self-cleaning smokebox, and a larger boiler than those which were used on the A2/1 Class. However, for some strange reason, a rocking gate was never fitted to the A2/3 Class, though a Gresley drop grate was fitted instead. However, rocking grates were later retro-fitted to the class later on in their working lives. Initially, the design included the small wing-type smoke deflectors on both sides of the chimneys, identical to those that were fitted to the A2/2 Class, but these were changed to the larger smoke deflectors before any of the A2/3s were built.
The A2/3 Class had three cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 250psi, and six driving wheels that were 6ft 2in in diameter, which all combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 40,430lbf. They were paired with large high-sided eight-wheel tenders that ran on eight wheels and which could carry 5,000 gallons of water and 9 tons of coal, which allowed for a good range. In order to allow for water to be taken on when the engines went over water troughs, the tenders were fitted with water scoops that could be controlled from the cabs.
In May 1946, the first example of Thompson's new A2/3 Class, No.500 Edward Thompson, emerged from Doncaster Works, having had the honour of being the 2000th locomotive to have been built at Doncaster, and entered traffic not too long afterwards.
In total, 15 members of the Thompson A2/3 Class were built between May 194 and September 1947. Apart from the first of the class, all the engines were named after famous racehorses. The numbers and names of the A2/3 Class were;
No.500 Edward Thompson, No.511 Airborne, No.512 Steady Aim, No.513 Dante, No.514 Chamossaire,
No.515 Sun Stream, No.516 Hycilla, No.517 Ocean Swell, No.518 Tehran, No.519 Honeyway,
No.520 Owen Tudor, No.521 Watling Street, No.522 Straight Deal, No.523 Sun Castle, and No.524 Herringbone.
Although the A2/3 Class proved to be quite successful engines in service and could haul any heavy trains with ease, they did suffer from a number of different issues. One of these was due to the fact that the engines had divided drive, which meant that there was a long spacing in between the lead bogie and the forward coupled wheelset and which often resulted in the frames flexing, as well as problems with the connections of the outside steam pipes leading to the valve chests of the outside cylinders, causing steam leaks. Due to the flexing of the longer frames, there were occasions where the outside cylinders worked themselves loose. resulting in the engines being temporarily withdrawn from service for repairs to be carried out.
The divided drive of the class did nothing for the engine's weight distribution, and another issue with using three identical sets of connecting rods that were exactly the same length was that the ride quality of the A2/3 Class wasn't quite as good on other British Pacific Class designs.
Another problem that was found with the new design in the first examples to come into service was that although the steam brakes worked very efficiently at stopping the engines and their trains, one side effect from it was that any heavy braking would cause water in the boiler to slosh forwards with some being taken into the main steam pipe. And if the ejectors were being used when that happened, water could often be sent through the ejector pipe and out through the chimney, often drenching anyone who happened to be standing nearby. In order to reduce this as much as possible, the steam pipe had an extension added to it, and a drain valve was also added to the ejector pipe. Most of the class had these modifications fitted from new, but even so, the class retained the ability to shoot water from their chimneys every now and then when fitted with their original boilers. But this issue was finally solved when the A2/3s were fitted with L.N.E.R. Diagram 118 boilers, which were the ones fitted to the Peppercorn Pacific Classes, and which had a banjo dome on top with a much more sophisticated steam collector.
At one point, a member of the A2/3 Class was put in a comparison test with a V2 Class 2-6-2 in order to test the fuel economy of the two types. During the trials, it was found that the A2/3 was superior to the V2, particularly as the Pacific design had a double chimney with a Kylchap exhaust system, though its smokebox temperature was higher. The fuel economy of the A2/3 Class was also found to be inefficient in their use of coal when they were put to work on lighter duties, but it was found that they could work to their maximum capacity when they were used on heavier duties.
The entire class were originally fitted with straight-sided stovepipe chimneys when they were first put into service, however most of the class were later fitted with lipped chimneys during overhauls. Only two engines retained the original stovepipe chimneys throughout their working lives, No.60514 Chamossaire and No.60519 Honeyway.
After the A2/3 Class was put on trials between July 1946 and September 1947, Thompson's successor, Arthur Peppercorn, decided not to build any more members of the class after No.524 Herringbone was built, and he made modifications to the design. Not long afterwards, Peppercorn introduced his own version of the class, the Peppercorn A2 Class, which became the standard A2 Class engine on the B.R. Eastern Region and proved to be much more successful than the A2/3 Class had been.
The A2/3 Class were based at a number of different sheds within the Eastern, North Eastern, and Scottish Regions during the length of their working lives, including at Gateshead, Doncaster, Heaton and Haymarket, King's Cross, New England, Polmadie, Tweedmouth and York. Five of them were initially allocated to the Southern Area, one to Scotland, and the remaining nine to the North-East Area. This changed in 1963 after withdrawals began, and the remaining locomotives were all concentrated away from the North East Area.
One issue that the class had was that they were notorious for their driving wheels slipping when they were starting off from stations with heavy trains, something that all Thompson Pacific class engines were known for, and the crews had to be careful when setting off from a standing start with a heavy load. But once they were up and running at speed with a heavy train, the A2/3s had no trouble maintaining speed with a heavy train, whether it was a passenger train or a fast fitted freight train.
When the railways were nationalised in January 1948, the class were renumbered by having 60000 added to their numbers, e.g. No.500 Edward Thompson became No.60500. For the rest of their time on British Railways, the A2/3 Class worked away on their usual duties, whether it was heavy express passenger trains or fast long distance fast freight trains. The famous passenger trains that ran within the Eastern and North Eastern Regions of B.R. that the A2/3s were used on included The Flying Scotsman, The Talisman, The Heart of Midlothian, The Norseman, The West Riding Limited, and The Yorkshire Pullman. In addition, No.60519 Honeyway ran the Talisman express at times that matched the timings of the streamlined Coronation train to the minute.
At one point during B.R. days, one member of the A2/3 Class was put up against the B.R. Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 engines when a cement train that was originally meant to have been hauled by a 9F had to be taken up Stoke Bank along the East Coast Main Line by an A2/3 instead. The A2/3 managed to do a very good job on that train and proved that they were just as good as the new 9F Class 2-10-0s were.
Even though the A2/3 Class, as well as other Thompson Pacific designs, weren't particularly well-liked by railway enthusiasts, who usually thought that Thompson Pacifics were ugly, the class were well-loved by their regular crews, who often knew how to get the best performances out of them.
Withdrawals of the class began in November 1962 when the first six engines were removed, followed by two more in December. Four more engines, including No.60500 Edward Thompson, were withdrawn from service in 1963, and the final three engines were withdrawn in 1965. In June 1965, when the final two engines still running at the time, No.60512 Steady Aim and No.60522 Straight Deal, were withdrawn, it marked the last of the Thompson Pacifics that were still running. Sadly, none of the Thompson A2/3 Class Pacifics have been lucky enough to have survived into preservation.
As Henry had passed through the airport station, Carrie had been sitting on the fireman's side of the cab and leaning her right arm on the armrest while sticking her head out a little and looking out ahead of them. She had waved to the crew of Hycilla who had been standing on the platform as they had gone by, and as they passed out of the station heading on southwards to the southern junction leading back out onto the main line, Carrie took a long glance up to her right. Above the edge of the slope that was maybe 30 feet above the nearest of the railway lines to it, she could clearly see the outline of the airport hotel towering above the railway. Almost all of the lights of the rooms of the building's 10 floors were darkened, meaning that all the hotel's guests were still fast asleep at this time. There were a few lights turned on within the ground floor level, as well as many of the exterior lights still being turned on.
However, what Carrie didn't know at that moment was that there was one guest in the hotel who was watching Henry go on by with the Flying Kipper; from the window of her hotel room, Sue Snell was watching as the train went on past below her and head off into the distance. A few minutes prior, Sue had woken up from a sound sleep and had slowly and quietly gotten out of bed before walking over to the bathroom. Once she finished up in there a short while later, she quietly stepped out, turning off the light behind her, and made her way back over to her bed, being very careful not to wake her sister Sierra, who was sound asleep in her own bed.
Just as she was about to climb back into bed, Sue heard the sounds of an approaching train, due to the sounds of the whistle that she heard being blown as well as the sounds of chuffing getting closer and closer. Curious as to what sort of train it was, Sue very quietly stepped over to the curtains, and slowly pulled one of them aside a little before she looked out. Allowing her eyes a moment to adjust to the lineside lights that were lighting up the line for a certain distance outside the station, she then saw as Henry went on past along one of the lines below them, but Sue didn't get a good chance to see his face. However, one thing that Sue clearly saw was the number 3 on the side of Henry's tender, as well as his smart green paint, and the clouds of smoke and steam puffing out from his funnel as he went along.
But what Sue also saw was someone leaning out from the right-hand side of the cab of Henry, and they seemed to be looking up towards her. For a moment, Sue wondered whether or not that person was Carrie who was out at this time. But then her view of the train was taken up the view of the vans in the Flying Kipper going on past, until the brake van at the back went by, leaving the scene below quiet again for the moment. Turning away from the window, Sue got back into bed. As she pulled the duvet over herself and fell into back to sleep once again, Sue couldn't help but wonder if she actually saw a face on the front of the engine she had just seen go by the hotel, or if she had just imagined it because she was still tired.
In the meantime, Henry continued moving along the line; after getting back onto the Southern Main Line at the junction off to the south a short while after passing by the airport, he was able to build up some more speed and get the Flying Kipper moving at a better pace. For the rest of the trip, Henry made his way along the Southern Main Line, passing by Rossington Junction, Kellsthorpe Junction, Kellsthorpe North, and then going through Crovan's Gate Station, which was still quiet at this time of the morning. As they passed by the sheds where all the engines of the Skarloey Railway were stabled, Carrie looked out from Henry's cab and saw that they were all still fast asleep.
It wasn't too long before they finally were making their last approach to Vicarstown Station, but this wasn't where they were going to be making their last stop of this early trip. They had to go through the station and then make their way across the bridge that went over narrow strait on the eastern tip of Sodor and deliver the train to the depot in Barrow-in-Furness. As they went along the wide red-brick viaduct that went through the middle of Vicarstown, Carrie looked out over the town; all the streets were lit up with bright lights, and she could also see lights on in some windows within the town. There were also a few vehicles that were moving about on the streets as the town started to wake up. Looking at her watch, Carrie could see that the time was 6:15am, and they were due to get the Flying Kipper into the yards at Barrow-in-Furness at about 6:30am, and so it appeared that they were ahead of schedule.
Looking out from Henry's cab as they passed through Vicarstown Station, Carrie saw there were coaches lined up at some of the platforms and being readied for the first commuters, who could be seen coming onto the platforms and waiting to board their trains.
After passing through Vicarstown, Henry made his way along the last stretch of line towards the wide bridge that crossed over the narrow strait to England, and hence to Barrow-in-Furness. Going over the bridge, Henry went by S.R. W Class 2-6-4T No.1925, who was heading back towards Vicarstown with six coaches full of commuters who actually lived in Barrow but who had their day jobs inside Vicarstown.
"Morning, Henry!" No.1925 said, as he went by.
"Good morning, No.1925!" Henry said, as he blew his whistle in reply.
Looking out from Henry's cab, Carrie was feeling very pleased with herself from her morning of work. They had managed to get the Flying Kipper from Knapford Harbour to the other side of Sodor without a problem, and now they were on the verge of arriving in Barrow and delivering the train there. From there, the fish would then be delivered on to wherever it was needed, whether it was down to London, or much nearer to the shops and restaurants within the local areas.
Slowly, after having arrived onto England and having gone through Barrow-in-Furness Station, Henry went over the points and finally arrived in the yards on the other side of the station. He went along one of the long sidings within the yards, before coming to a stop near the end of the siding with the Flying Kipper fully inside.
"We've made it!" Henry said, feeling very pleased with himself.
"And well done, Henry! And we've made it to our destination a few minutes ahead of schedule too." Carrie said, as she leaned out from the cab just behind the driver. And Henry smiled, feeling pleased at having gotten to his destination safely.
From behind his tender, the shunter uncoupled him from the train and disconnected the brake pipes. Once the driver was given the all-clear to leave, Henry rolled slowly out from the siding and over to where the turntable was. Rolling onto the turntable, Henry came to a stop in the right place and was turned round, ready for the return journey to Vicarstown and the engine depot nearby. As they were being turned round, Carrie looked up into the sky; she saw that there were dense clouds coming over them now, and there was a good chance they would bring plenty of snow with them. Looking back east to where the sun was rising over the horizon and lighting up the sky, she watched as the clouds slowly moved east and covered the clear patches of sky.
"Looks like we're going to be in for some snow today." Carrie said, as she turned her attention to the driver and fireman.
"Yes, it does. And I think that it could be quite heavy too." said the driver, as he also took a glance up into the sky himself.
"Well, let's get ourselves back over to Vicarstown as quickly as we can. And then we can get ourselves a hot breakfast while we're there." added the fireman, who was looking forward to warming up and getting something hot to eat before they went back to work later in the morning.
"Agreed!" Carrie and the driver said together.
Once they had been turned, Henry slowly rolled off the turntable and then made his way out from the depot, and back out onto the main line. He made his way along the main line back through the centre of Barrow-in-Furness and the station there, before crossing over the bridge. By now, with the early morning light having improved a bit, Carrie could see the calm waters within the strait, as well as the boats that were secured to some of the buoys that were dotted along he length of the narrow strait. She couldn't see any sign of any boats that were moving about on the water, though that was really no surprise considering the time of year it was.
It wasn't long before Henry had crossed the bridge and arrived back on Sodor, and then on he went towards Vicarstown. He had to wait a little while before we went through the station, as a number of commuter trains had to leave the station first before Henry was allowed to pass through. But once some of the lines were cleared, he could proceed on his way, and headed through the station and out the other side of it and towards the main depot not too far away.
Soon, Henry was reversing into the motive power depot just up the line from Vicarstown Station, and there was plenty of activity taking place within the depot, as the engines there were being readied for their day of work ahead, or else were being disposed of after a long night of hard work on the island. Engines that were being readied for the day were having their tender tanks, as well as their side tanks and coal bunkers, topped up with coal and water, and they were also being polished down so as to look their best. Crewmen were also seen oiling up around all moving parts, as well as trimming coal in bunkers and tenders to make sure that no coal would come loose when the engines were out on the line.
Looking out from Henry's cab, Carrie looked over over the activity taking place within the depot and took in the sights, sounds, and the smells of what was going on. In particular, she was well used to the smells by now, including the smells of lubricating oil, coal smoke, ash, soot, and coal dust. But right now, she was feeling a little tired from her early morning work and was looking forward to having a good rest and a hot breakfast in the crew building within the depot before going back out to work later in the morning.
Slowly, Henry reversed into the shelter of one of the large sheds and gently came to a halt, releasing steam shortly after stopping. He was feeling very pleased so far with his morning's work, and wondered what jobs he would have later on this morning. As he wondered, his driver, fireman, and Carrie stepped off of his footplate, as some members of the shed staff came over and spoke with the driver about what needed to be done, including cleaning the fire by removing any clinker, making sure the brakes were okay, as well as making sure the motion and other moving parts had the lubrication topped up, and making sure that the coal and water in the tender were topped up as well.
As the driver was chatting with the members of the shed staff, Carrie went off towards the crew building a short distance away. Stepping inside through the main doors, she heard the sounds of engine crews inside the main cafeteria a few metres away as they chatted with each other, as well as the sounds of work being done in the kitchen area.
"Hey, Carrie!" came a voice from behind her. Turning round to see who it was, Carrie saw that it was Simon.
"Oh, hey Simon!" Carrie said, feeling very pleased to see her boyfriend here, and they both gave each other a hug and kiss.
"Did you manage to get the Flying Kipper to where it needed to be?" Simon asked.
"Yes, we did, and Henry did a very good job of it too. And did you manage to get all the mail delivered to here?" Carrie said.
"Absolutely! No.61200 did a very good job, and we stopped at many of the stations along the Northern Main Line and collecting the mail that was waiting for us. Right now, all the mail trucks are at Vicarstown Station and being unloaded ready for delivery." Simon said.
"That's very good, Simon. But shall we go and get something to eat? I'm feeling hungry." Carrie said.
"Sounds like a good idea to me. Let's go do that." Simon said, and the two of them put their arms round each other before going into the cafeteria.
(Meanwhile, at Sodor International Airport Hotel; time 7:30am)
Slowly, with a slight groan and heavy sigh, Sue Snell opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. Turning her head, she looked towards her sister; Sierra was slowly stirring in her own bed as she started to wake up from a good sleep. Looking over to the curtains, Sue pushed the duvet aside, got out of bed, stretched her arms out and yawned, before then standing up and going over to the curtains and opening them. Taking a look outside, Sue took in the sight of the lines going out from the southern side of the airport station, as well as the sight of the snow-covered landscape, the dark-grey snow-laden clouds in the sky, and a few buildings that were dotted around on the other side on the lines. There were no trains passing by below them at the moment, though there would no doubt be a few going by as the morning went on.
She also saw that it was now starting to snow, with countless number of tiny white flakes starting to fall down from the grey sky to the white landscape below them and replenishing the layers of snow that had already fallen before. After a few more seconds of watching, the snowfall picked up some more and then a whole lot more started to come floating down in the still winter air.
"Wow." Sue said quietly, as she looked all around at the sight spread out before her. She had never expected to see anything like this when she woke up, and to see the landscape, as far as the eye could see, covered with lots of fresh white snow, with more of it coming down from the sky and with more sure to follow as the day went on.
"Hey, let me see." Sierra said, as she came up behind her older sister and took a look outside as well. Stepping back a bit, Sue walked over to the bathroom. Then there came a knock on the interconnecting door, to the next room where their parents were staying in. Going to the door, Sue opened it to see her father standing on the other side, and still in his pyjamas.
"Ah, good morning, Sue. Is Sierra up yet?" he asked. But then, Sierra came up behind her sister, as if to say "Yes, I'm up" to their father.
"Good morning, dad." Sue and Sierra said together.
"Okay, you two. Better get yourselves ready, and then we'll all head downstairs to get breakfast in a little while." their father said.
"All right, dad." Sierra said, as she turned and went into the bathroom. As their father closed the door behind him, Sue went back over to the window to look outside again. As she heard the sounds of the shower starting up inside the bathroom, Sue's mind was on what might happen today; would they all get a chance to see Carrie again after more than a year? Where would they all end up going to? And would they also be able to interact with Carrie again and try and apologise to her for what happened over all these years? Deciding to worry about that after breakfast, Sue turned away from the window and sat on her bed, waiting for her turn to use the bathroom. As she waited, she heard her father's distinct chuckle from the other room, and then she heard him saw to their mother, "It looks like we're gonna be in for a white Christmas over here after all."
Elsewhere within the hotel, all the others from Chamberlain were also waking up as well and making their own preparations to start their day. A few of them had been up even earlier than most; Rita Desjardin had been up early at 6:00am sharp, and had changed into some of her workout clothes, before heading on downstairs to the hotel's fitness centre, which was on the first floor, for a morning workout. For more than an hour and a half, Rita had worked away on the different exercise machines in the fitness centre, including a good long run on the treadmill, a stint at one of the rowing machines, a ride on one of the stationary bikes, elliptical machine, and using some of the different weight-lifting machines. By 7:40am, Rita was very sweaty from her early morning workout and, after taking a long drink of cold water from a water cooler provided in one corner of the fitness centre, she left and made her way back upstairs in the elevator to her room to have a long hot shower and then change into some fresh clothes before going downstairs for a good breakfast.
In their own rooms on the different floors of the hotel, all the other seniors from Ewen High School and their families, and the teachers were also getting up and starting their day, with many having long hot showers first of all as many of them hadn't had a chance to have a shower and freshened up after their long flight over from Maine the previous evening. When they looked out their windows the first thing after they got up, they were all astounded to see just how beautiful the snow-covered landscape looked, as well as seeing the heavy snowfall from the sky above. It certainly made the landscape outside look quite festive.
It wasn't too long before all the guests were making their way downstairs from their rooms to the main dining area for breakfast. Stepping into the dining area, Sue and her sister and parents looked around at those who were already in the large room and having breakfast; Sue could see some of the girls, including Nicki and Lizzy, Heather, Jessica, and Rachel, sitting at some of the tables close by and eating. And there was Chris Hargensen sitting at a table that was even closer to her, with Tina and Donna, and Sue could also see a few other familiar faces lining up at the different buffet lines and choosing what they wanted to have, before moving off to some of the spare tables to eat. The smell of cooked breakfast foods filled the air, and Sue could distinctly smell the familiar scent of hot coffee floating through the air as well, as many of the guests here were drinking the stuff with their breakfasts.
After confirming their room numbers at the stand by the entrance with a member of the hotel staff, Sue and her family went off into the dining room to get what food they wanted to have for breakfast. Once they had chosen the different foods and drinks that they wanted a few minutes later once they had managed to get to the stations where the food was, including a selection of hot and cold foods, and then they went off to sit down at one of the spare tables that was close to the doors to the kitchen.
As Sue and her family tucked into their breakfasts, Sue couldn't help but look around the large space at everyone as they enjoyed their food. She could see Tommy and his parents just arrive in the dining area through the main doors, before moving inside and lining up to choose the food that they wanted to have. Turning her head to look elsewhere, Sue could see Rita Desjardin sitting at a table with three other teachers from Ewen High and having breakfast with them, and the four of them were clearly chatting with each other as they ate.
Sue could feel that the atmosphere here was quite relaxed, with no one appearing to be anyway uneasy or uncertain of what the coming day would bring, and that helped to relax Sue's nerves a little bit. She was feeling very nervous on the inside, although she didn't look it on the surface. Deciding to worry more once breakfast was finished, Sue continued on with eating.
(Meanwhile, Vicarstown Motive Power Depot; 8:40am)
By this time, Henry was ready for his next job. His fire had been cleaned out of any clinker, his paintwork had been wiped down, and his tender had been topped up with more coal and water. By now, Carrie and Simon were also rested, satisfied from a good breakfast in the crew building, were back outside and ready to be assigned their next jobs for the day. Carrie was going to be working with Henry again, while Simon was assigned to work with B1 No.61200 for the rest of his shift.
The yard manager was standing before Carrie and Simon, as well as the drivers and firemen of Henry and No.61200, with a clipboard in his hands, and he was about to assign them their next jobs.
"Okay, Henry's next job for this morning is to collect a line of parcel vans in the sidings and then bring them over to the airport. A lot of mail and parcels were flown into the airport on a number of aircraft last night, and it all needs to be picked up and then delivered to the Knapford Station. And I've hear that a lot of it is very special Christmas mail that has to be delivered to homes around the island before Christmas." said the yard manager.
"Very well, that shouldn't be too difficult!" said Henry's driver.
"And No.61200 is to go over to Vicarstown Station and take a passenger train from there to Knapford along the Northern Main Line." said the yard manager.
"We have to go back along the northern line again?" Simon said, slightly surprised.
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Simon. That's just the way things are." said the yard manager.
"All right then. I suppose there's nothing we can do about it." Simon said.
"Okay then, that's your jobs for this morning, and I must get myself back to the offices now. There are a few other things that I need to do before I clock out at midday." and the yard manager turned and went back over to the offices.
Now informed about the next jobs they were to do, Carrie and Simon headed over to the sheds where Henry and No.61200 were waiting, along with the respective crews.
"Well, I guess that I'll see you later on today, Carrie." Simon said, as they walked along together.
"Yeah, I guess so. And good luck with getting the passengers to Knapford too." Carrie said.
"Thanks, and considering that it might snow today…I think I may need it too." Simon said, and they both gave each other another big hug and kiss.
"And good luck with collecting all that mail today as well." Simon said.
"Thanks, Simon." Carrie said, and the two of them headed off to the engines they had been assigned to work on.
Carrie walked over to where Henry was waiting inside the shed, and feeling eager to get back to work again after being cleaned up and with a full head of steam in his boiler.
"Hello, Carrie. Are you ready to get back to work again?" Henry asked, when he saw Carrie approach him.
"Hey, Henry. Yes, I'm ready. Let's get to work. You know what we have to do?" Carrie asked.
"Yes, my driver has told me. Let's get going and collect that mail!" Henry said, as Carrie went and climbed aboard his footplate. Because of the cold weather, Carrie didn't take off her bright orange Hi-Viz safety vest, and also put on the gloves assigned to her, both to keep her hands warm as well as to keep the coal dust off.
Once the driver and fireman were ready to go, the driver released the brakes and blew Henry's whistle, before opening the regulator. Slowly, Henry rolled out from the shed and out into the cold winter air, heading past the other sidings and sheds where other engines were before making his way over to the sidings, where the train they were to collect was waiting.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel by the airport, everyone who had flown over from Chamberlain had finished their breakfast by now, and they were all back upstairs and inside their rooms and getting their things packed up and ready to check out of the hotel. They were due to catch the train going over to Knapford at 10:00am, and as there was a lot of people who had to go and get onto the train, they all had to check out from the hotel early and make their way down to the station in order to get their tickets.
In their room, Sue and Sierra were packing all their things and getting ready to leave, while their parents were doing the same in the adjacent room. As she packed her things and double-checked to be sure nothing was left behind, Sue's mind couldn't help but wonder to the train she had seen pass by earlier this morning and what she had seen of it; it certainly had been one of the engines they had seen in the pictures from earlier, but she swore that she had thought she'd seen a face on the front of the engine. But even now, she wasn't very sure due to the fact that she had been still quite tired and was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open.
It wasn't too long before the Snell Family had fully packed up all their things, and then, having put on their warm coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, they left their two rooms and headed downstairs in one of the elevators.
At the same time, all the others from Chamberlain were leaving their rooms and making their way down to the main reception area. One by one, they all checked out from the hotel and stood outside the main entrance, while waiting for the others to come out once they had checked out as well. As they stepped outside into the open, many of them gasped on stepping out into the freezing winter air; having been used to the warmth of the inside of the hotel, they were shocked by the freezing weather condition. A quick look to the sky revealed the grey clouds above, which threatened to unleash more snow at any moment, and the bitterly cold winter wind that blew around them chilled them, even though they were all well-wrapped up in warm and thick winter clothing.
Sue had also been quite shocked by the cold weather when she stepped out into it, and pulled up the collar of her warm coat as far up as it would go to keep the cold out. Off to her right, Sierra pulled down her woollen hat over her head and rubbed her gloved hands together. Looking to her left, Sue saw Chris, Tina and Donna standing together in a small group and talking quietly with each other, as Sue then saw Rita Desjardin step out from the hotel entrance with her bags, followed a few moments later by two more of the teachers and then Principal Morton.
"Hey, Sue." said a familiar voice. She turned her head to see Tommy standing beside her.
"Oh, hey Tommy. How are you feeling this morning?" Sue asked, as she and Tommy hugged each other tightly before releasing.
"Sleep well last night?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah, I did." Sue said, deciding not to mention what she saw outside her bedroom window a few hours earlier.
"Okay, let's start making our way over to the station and get ready to catch our train!" came the voice of someone standing close by. And they began making their way over there, walking along the pathway that followed the edge of the car park, and also offered a good view of the railway lines leading out from the southern side of the station. Many of them looked out over the lines as they went along; there were no engines to be seen or heard yet, and the steel rails were just barely visible within the snow on the ground. Many of the Chamberlain group were keen to get out of the bitterly cold wind as soon as possible, as the wind was blowing all around them and chilling them. They were soon glad to be inside the main entrance of the station, which was a fairly large space with the ticket offices lined against the opposite wall. In the middle of the opposite wall was the arched entrance that led out to the platforms. As everyone stepped into the station entrance hall, they began to line up at the ticket offices ready to get their pre-booked tickets.
By this time, Henry had already left the yards at Vicarstown with his long train of empty vans and coaches converted to carry mail and parcels, and he was making good time, despite the falling snow and icy weather conditions. On his footplate, Carrie was taking another go with the shovel and stoking the boiler with fresh coal. The driver was concentrating on driving, while the fireman was standing off to the side and watching as Carrie went about placing the coal into the firebox. And she was able to do a very good job at it too, being quite used to doing hard physical work by now, and being able to keep a good footing on the footplates she worked on when running at speed.
Passing through Kellsthorpe Junction, Carrie handed the shovel back to the fireman and went to sit down on the fireman's side. Looking out from the cab, she saw the snow-covered landscape all around them, which looked to be quite beautiful, especially under the dull clouds above, as it made the snow seem whiter than it was.
"Wow…incredible sight to see this." Carrie said quietly to herself. She couldn't help but watch the sight of the snow-covered landscape as they went on by all the landmarks.
Henry was really enjoying his run, particularly as the lines were cleared of any snow and the success of delivering the Flying Kipper to its destination on time. He was looking forward to collecting the Christmas mail from the airport station and then delivering it to Knapford Station, so that it could all be delivered in time for Christmas. Approaching the station at Rossington Junction, Henry blew his whistle in greeting to those who were on the platforms there and waving to him as he went on by with his train.
Over at the airport station, many of those in the Chamberlain group had already gotten their tickets from the ticket offices and were heading through the arched entrance and down to the platform where they would catch their train. They were stepping down from the wrought iron footbridge and onto Platform 14, and once they were there, they couldn't help but look around at just how big this station was, with the number of railway lines running through the station, how high the roof was, as well as the level of details they could see.
"Wow, what a place this is." Sue said, as she and Tommy stepped onto the platform and made their way along a little way so as to be clear of the crowds.
"Yeah, I know. And look how long the platforms are. I think there'll be no trouble getting a lot of passenger cars in here to take us all to Knapford." Tommy said.
"Let's go have a look down here. It'll get us away from the crowd." Sue said.
"Good idea. Let's do that." Tommy said, as they moved on down the platform a little.
"I wonder when we'll see the special thing the officers told us to keep an eye out for." Sue said.
"Be patient, Sue. I'm sure that we'll see it soon enough." Tommy said, as Sue nodded in agreement.
Elsewhere on the platform, the four officers from the Chamberlain Police Department, Brian, Spacek, Irving, and King, along with their families stood together in a group and waited together while chatting with each other and a few of the other people from Chamberlain. Elsewhere along the platform, other small groups of people stood together and chatted together or got coffee and hot chocolate from some of the kiosks that were spread along the length of Platform 14.
The teachers from Ewen High School, including Principal Morton and Rita Desjardin, were chatting with some of the parents by one of the coffee kiosks while they waited for the train to arrive that was to take them to Knapford.
Chris, Tina, and Donna stood together in a small group, while their parents were standing nearby, and wondered what was going to be happening in the next while, as some of the other seniors from Ewen High chatted together. More than quite a few of them had noticed the large numbers of sacks full of mail and large numbers of parcels placed on trolleys along much of the length of Platform 13, which was three tracks over from them, with members of station staff keeping a close eye on the mail before the train to pick them up arrived.
"Oh, that's a lot of mail over there." Norma Watson said to her boyfriend, Freddy Holt.
"Yeah, and I only hope it can be delivered to where it needs to be in time for Christmas." Freddy said, as he looked over how much there was.
Meanwhile, Henry had just turned off the Southern Main Line and was now making his final approach towards the airport. On the footplate, Carrie was resting on the fireman's seat having just taken another go of placing more coal into the firebox with the shovel. Looking out the front window, Carrie could see the familiar sight of the outline of the station ahead of them in the distance and getting closer as Henry rolled along the line.
"I wonder how much mail will be there for us to pick up." Carrie said.
"I sure we'll see quite soon, Carrie. After all, there's usually lots of mail to pick up at this time of year." said the driver.
"And when he says lots…he means LOTS." added the fireman.
"All right then." Carrie said, as she looked back ahead towards the station, which was getting closer and closer to them all the time. As they went past the signal box and then went over the points on their last approach into the station and Henry was about to slow down so that he could arrive smoothly into the station, Carrie had no idea that she was about to receive the biggest shock of her life.
And that's it for this chapter, everyone! The Flying Kipper has been delivered to its destination successfully, and Henry's now on his way back to the airport to pick up the mail for Christmas. The people from Chamberlain, and in particular many of Carrie's schoolmates are now waiting for their train to pick them up, completely unaware that they're about to get a really surprising shock.
And as for Carrie…well she's about to discover that in looking to the future, the past cannot easily be left behind…but that's all for the next chapter! I'll see you then!