Chapter 71: Dealing with the Press

(Thursday, December 20th 2012 – 1:05pm, Tidmouth Crew Building)

Having finished a long and hot shower, Carrie dried herself off and then changed into fresh clothes, before then placing her work clothes into her bag and closing the locker behind her. Feeling much better from her hot shower, she and the girls who she was friends with stepped out from the ladies changing room and made their way downstairs to the main entrance of the crew building in order to clock out for the day. Even now, Carrie still had a smile on her face from the recent, vivid memory of Chris Hargensen and her two closest minions being blasted with a lot of ashes and soot from Henry's funnel when they were standing on the footbridge now too long before.

However, as Carrie and her friends went downstairs so that they could clock out for the day, another more concerning thought suddenly flew into her mind; would there be a chance of them running into members of the press who had now arrived on Sodor? She had heard stories that quite a few photographers, cameramen, and news reporters had arrived on the island and were now out and looking for her. A few of the engines in the depot, as well as their crews, had been talking about it over the last while, with them having had encounters with a number of reporters and photographers at Knapford Station earlier on in the day. They had spoken of the reporters having shouted questions at them, as well as of the bright and numerous flashes from the reporter's cameras, which had caused the engines to shut their eyes to avoid being blinded by the bright lights.

Carrie was deeply concerned at what would happen if she had to go face to face with the press, as that was something she really didn't want to have to deal with, especially with the recent arrival of her classmates and teachers on Sodor only a few days prior.

After Carrie, Simon, and the girls had clocked out of work for the day, they all stepped outside the main doors and out into the car park, and back out into the freezing winter air. Having gotten used to the warmth of the interior of the crew building in the last few minutes, it was a bit of a shock to get back out into the freezing cold again. Gasping in some shock to be back outside in this again, the six friends made their way into the car park.

"So, where shall we all go now?" Saoirse asked, as she rolled up the collar of her coat and sipped it up as far as it would go.

"I don't know, but I think that we should all go and get some hot food somewhere. I think we've earned it after the work we've done out here on this cold morning." Alice said.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. But let's go somewhere to get some hot food first, and then we'll go to the Christmas market once we're finished. After all, I think that it's bound to be very busy over there right now." Olivia added.

"Yeah, and it's gonna get busier there the closer we get to Christmas." added Sophie, as they reached where their cars were parked. As Simon unlocked Caroline, Carrie took a look up at the dark clouds she could see in the sky. There had been heavy snowfall earlier on, and it certainly seemed as if more would be on the way as the rest of the day went on.

"Let's hope that it doesn't snow too heavily this afternoon. After all, I don't want to be assigned to snowplough duties again when I need to go to work tomorrow." Carrie said, as she looked at her friends.

"Yeah, I know how you feel about that, Carrie. But if it does, then some of us may have no choice but to work on snowplough duties tomorrow morning. Particularly if it snows heavily tonight, which I think that it might." Sophie said.

"I know. But still…it does get a bit boring going back and forth along the same section of line over and over again, with snow blowing into the cab." Carrie said, knowing how often that had happened earlier on that morning when she had gone out with No.61475 and his crew to help clear the section of Northern Main Line that they were assigned to work on.

"Yeah, it can be a bit of a nuisance, Carrie. But it's necessary in order to keep the trains running so people and freight can be moved around." Alice said.

"Anyway, you lot…where do you all think that shall we go and get lunch?" Simon asked, as he carefully moved himself into their conversation.

"How about that American-style diner in the centre of Knapford? There's lots of good things there to choose from, and we should be able to get seats there without a problem." Alice said.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. What do you think, ladies?" Simon said. And all the other girls, including Carrie, all wholeheartedly agreed with that idea.

"All right, let's go then!" Simon said, as he and Carrie got into Caroline, and the other four girls got into Alice's car. Starting the engines, they took a few long moments to turn the heaters on and get some heat in as well as to defrost the windows. When that was done, they set out from the car park and out onto the road before turning right and heading towards where the diner was located.

(Meanwhile, over at the hotel)

Having finished lunch not too long before, many of those from Ewen High School were preparing to leave the hotel and head out to the Christmas market again. They had finished lunch not too long before and so, feeling well fortified from the hot food that they had just eaten, they were feeling eager to get out and enjoy themselves for the rest of the day. At the same time, they were still chuckling from the funny sight that they had seen when Chris, Tina, and Donna had arrived back in the hotel not long before when they were covered in ash and soot from head to toe after Henry had blasted them with a lot of soot and ash when they tried to dump water on top of him from the footbridge.

"I just hope that the three of them have showered and changed into fresh clothes by now. I don't think that the staff of this hotel will be too pleased if they leave a trail of ash on the floors or on the walls." Sue said, as she and Tommy stepped out of the elevator and into the main reception area of the hotel.

"Yeah, and I suppose that the three of them will have to send their clothes off to the hotel laundry or else to one of the nearby dry-cleaners to be cleaned off as well. And I don't think that's gonna be too cheap either." Tommy said, as he smiled a bit.

Making their way over to the armchairs and couches that were over near to the main entrance of the hotel, they saw that a few of their fellow teens were there waiting for them to arrive. And just like Sue and Tommy, everyone else there was also dressed up in their warmest winter clothes, including warm coats, gloves, scarves, and woollen hats. From a nearby coffee station that was within the main reception area, the smell of hot, freshly brewed coffee drifted throughout the space and into the noses of the teens, while a few of the adults could be seen sitting at the couches and armchairs and enjoying the coffee as well as slices of cake and small pastries.

"Hey, there you two are." Heather said, as she saw Sue and Tommy approach the group.

"Are you two ready to set out with us?" Vicky asked, as she finished off her mug of hot chocolate before standing up.

"Yeah, we are. And I think we should head out and get to the Christmas market before it gets too dark." Tommy said, as he looked outside the windows.

"And too snowy, especially considering those clouds." Sue added, as she looked up towards the sky. Agreeing with that, the group stood up from the couches and armchairs and then, after sorting themselves out and making sure that their winter coats were buttoned up and that they had their gloves, scarves, and hats on, they stepped out of the hotel's main entrance and set off for the Christmas market. But as they set off on their way, many in the group clearly noticed a few of the media people who had arrived recently close by, and they had their cameras set up while reporters were talking and giving their news stations some of the latest updates that they had gotten earlier on. Not only that, but the Ewen High teens could also see that there were a number of paparazzi photographers standing around with their cameras slung around their shoulders and waiting around for something to happen.

"Goodness me…I can't help but feel some sympathy for Carrie, because I can't imagine that she'll be too pleased to face all those media people." Tommy said, as he looked at Sue.

"Yeah…and I imagine that the friends she's made over here, as well as all the engines working on the railway here, won't be very happy to have to deal with all those people either. In fact, I think that it's very likely that the engines are probably having to face the press already…and I don't think that they're too pleased about it either." Sue said, as she, Tommy, and the others made their way along the footpath towards the Christmas market.

Sue was indeed right about that, for at that moment the press and media photographers were already at Knapford Station, as well as at the platforms of a few of the other stations on the island, and were already making a nuisance of themselves. At Platform 3 at Knapford, quite a few photographers were already gathered together and waiting for the next train to arrive so that they could see if Carrie was working on the engine pulling it, while being completely unaware of the fact that Carrie had already finished off for the day and had clocked out along with her friends.

The photographers didn't have to wait for too long for the next train to arrive into the station, for there came the sounds of a whistle being sounded with the sounds of chuffing approaching. Looking along the line to see who it was, the photographers saw Thomas coming into the station in reverse with his coaches, Annie and Clarabel, coupled up in front of him. There were a lot of passengers aboard the train, and Thomas wasn't too pleased to see a lot of media people on the platform, as it meant that there would be a delay for his passengers when they had to get off the train and leave the station.

With a wheesh of steam and a squeal of brake blocks on his wheels, Thomas came to a stop about halfway along Platform 3. As the doors to his coaches were opened and the passengers began to disembark, many of the photographers crowded around Thomas' cab to see whether or not Carrie was there, while a few of the others turned to face Sodor's No.1 engine and shouted questions at him. Thomas wasn't too pleased to have all these questions being shouted at him, and nor was he too pleased to have so many camera flashes going off at once, almost like machine gun fire, and blinding him from the lights. Shutting his eyes to keep the flashes out, Thomas wished that these photographers would go away, as he needed to take on a fresh load of passengers and then get back to work.

As the photographers kept on taking photos with their cameras and shouted questions at Thomas, a shunter uncoupled him from Clarabel, and then he slowly reversed back along the platform and past the points. Once the points were changed, Thomas blew his whistle and then slowly rolled forwards over the points and onto the adjacent line before heading forward to the water tower so that his crew could refill his water tanks before they set off again. In the meantime, the passengers who had just been on Annie and Clarabel tried to get past the media people so they could leave the station and get to where they needed to be. It was a bit difficult, as some of the photographers wouldn't stand aside for a few seconds before they eventually moved, as others just wouldn't move aside at all. Watching all that was going on from the window of his office, the Fat Controller looked on and saw as the press photographers made a nuisance of themselves as they stood on the platform to try and see if Carrie was there. He sighed heavily and shook his head in a slight frustration; he knew that something needed to be done to get these photographers and other media people to keep out of the way so that the railway could go about its business in the leadup to Christmas. Turning away from the window, the Fat Controller went back to his desk and to finish off the paperwork that he needed to do there.

And it wasn't just at Knapford Station that the press was making a public nuisance of themselves; over at Wellsworth Station, a small group of photographers and news people were standing on the platform on the north side of the Southern Main Line, which was the side of the line where engines went towards Gordon's Hill. There were no passengers standing on the platform and waiting for the next train to come along, but even so the members of the press and other people were getting in the way of members of station staff who were trying to get things done in case any passengers did come along.

From the footbridge that crossed over the three railway lines, a number of photographers were standing around and waiting to see when the next trains were coming in. Due to the freezing cold, they were all well wrapped-up in warm clothes, and more than a few of them had hot drinks in their hands to keep the cold away. So far this afternoon, they hadn't seen much to indicate that Carrie would be working on the engines going by so far, because they would have already seen her looking out from the cabs of the engines by now. But they decided to stay for a little bit longer just to see, or if they had word sent to them from their colleagues back in Knapford that Carrie had been seen there. If that turned out to be the case, then they would need to get themselves on the next train back to Knapford.

Standing on the platform for the up line going towards Gordon's Hill, one of the press photographers looked off to her right while taking a sip from her cup of coffee. Then she saw a train arrive into Wellsworth Station along the middle line; it was B.R. Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92025, who was one of the former Crosti-boiler 9Fs that had been completely rebuilt so that he looked exactly like the rest of the 9F Class, and he was slowing down as he arrived into the station with a very lengthy and heavy freight train coupled up behind him. Coming to a stop with a slight groaning sound coming from his wheels, he let off some steam before sounding his whistle, which was the signal needed to be given that he required a banker to get up Gordon's Hill.

"Peep! Peep! I need some help up the hill please!" No.92025 called, as he blew his whistle a few times. From back along the line over at the banker sidings, there came a loud whistle acknowledging the signals which was followed by the sounds of loud chuffing as a banker rolled out from the banker sidings to back up to the end of the train. It was the enormous and sole L.N.E.R. U1 Class Garratt No.2395, and he slowly moved along to gently buffer up to the back of the train. Once in place at the back of the train, No.2395 blew his whistle loudly to let the driver of No.92025 know he was in place at the back. After acknowledging the whistle, which was a series of crow whistles, and then No.92025 blew his whistle loudly, and then the train proceeded on its way through the station.

From the platforms of Wellsworth Station, all the media photographers and news people present watched as No.92025 set off with his long, heavy train and then as the freight passed them by. As a few of the photographers took photos of the train while it went past, a few others were counting how many trucks were in the train, with the final number being counted totalling exactly 65 wagons in all, including the brake van. As the end of the train went on past, there came a great cacophony of sounds as No.2395 went on past, pushing the heavy train with all his might as they proceeded towards Gordon's Hill. From where she was standing, the female press photographer watched with amazement and fascination as the train went on past them, with the sounds of the wagons rolling on the rails and the clanking of buffers filling the air. And when No.2395 went on past, the woman couldn't help but put her hands over her ears to keep the noise out as the enormous engine went on by, as the sounds of chuffing from his chimney and the clanking of valve gear filling the air as he went by, with a clear look of determination on his face.

After No.2395 went on past under the footbridge and then along the line going under the road bridge heading along the line towards Gordon's Hill, the woman couldn't help but turn to face one of her colleagues and say "Wow! What a sight that was, wasn't it?" To which, her colleague smiled and said, "Yes, indeed" before he took a long sip of his coffee.

After a minute, the banker for the previous train that had just gone up Gordon's Hill a few minutes prior, L.M.S. Fowler Class 2-6-4T No.2396, reversed through the station along the down line and heading back towards the banker sidings. His L.M.S. maroon red livery was somewhat weathered by soot and coal dust from the hard work he had been doing so far this morning, but he was in good spirits from his work and was looking forward to banking more trains up the hill before the day was out. Looking over to the platforms as he reversed through the station, he blew his whistle in greeting to the people who he could see, and they all either waved in reply or took a few pictures of No.2396 as he reversed away from them.

Not too long later, there came the sounds of another whistle and chuffing coming from the direction of Gordon's Hill. With many of the media people at Wellsworth Station turning their heads round to see who it was, they watched as L.M.S. Fowler 4F Class 0-6-0 No.44562 went on by through the station along the down line with a long line of 16-ton steel mineral wagons that were loaded down with tons of freshly-mined coal (132).

From the platform for the up line, the photographers watched as No.44562 rolled on by with his long coal train. He had managed to get the train down Gordon's Hill without too much trouble, and now had to get the coal down the line back to Knapford so that it could be sent off to the different engine depots in the area, as well as to the homes of all the people who lived in the Knapford and Tidmouth areas so that they could keep their homes warm in the cold winter weather.

As No.44652 passed on through Wellsworth, many of the media photographers took pictures of the train, while a few of the news people tried to count just many coal wagons were passing by in front of them. But it was a little difficult as the train was going by at a speed of around 30 to 35mph, and many of the steel wagons were the same shade of grey or reddish-brown. By the time that the brake van went on past them, some had counted around 49 wagons, while others had counted about 57 or 58, and that's if the brake van was included in the consist. When the brake van finally passed on through the station and headed off down the line heading towards Cronk Station and then to Knapford Station beyond, many of the media people were beginning to realise that there was a high chance that they wouldn't be seeing Carrie here at Wellsworth. And so as a result, and feeling cold from having stood on the platform for so long, many of them went over the footbridge to the other platform to buy their tickets for the next train that was going back to Knapford Station.

(132): The L.M.S. Fowler 4F Class 0-6-0 engines were designed by Henry Fowler, and they were intended to be used on medium freight work as well as on passenger trains. They represented the final and ultimate development of the Midland Railway's six-coupled tender engines that had begun all the way back in the 1860's.

They were based off of an earlier Midland 0-6-0 design, the 3835 Class which was been introduced onto the Midland system between 1911 and 1922, and which eventually numbered 197 engines in total, and which were numbered from No.3835 to No.4026. The major difference between the earlier 3835 Class and the 4F Class was that the engines of the later 4F Class were built with lower boiler mounting, allowing them to work all over the L.M.S. system, as well as changing the newer engines from right-hand drive to left-hand drive in accordance with new L.M.S. policies.

In total, 575 members of the Fowler 4F Class were built between 1924 and 1941, with a number of different workshops around the L.M.S. building different batches of the class, as well as a number of outside contractors. These workshops included;

Derby Works; built 185 engines.

Crewe Works; built 165 engines.

St. Rollox Works; built 60 engines.

Horwich Works; built 10 engines.

North British Locomotive Works; built 80 engines.

Kerr, Stuart and Co.; built 50 engines.

Andrew Barclay Sons and Co.; built 25 engines.

The class had two inside cylinders that were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, six driving wheels that were 5ft 3in in diameter, and a boiler that was fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 175psi, which all combined to give the engines a maximum tractive effort of 24,555lbf. The tenders that the class ran with ran on six wheels and could carry 4 tons of coal and 3,500 gallons of water. The tenders could also be fitted with special coal rails along their tops to increase the amount of coal that the engines could carry. A few members of the class were even paired with higher-sided tenders that had been used on the Jubilee Class. The engines were fitted with vacuum brakes which worked for both the engines and the trains they pulled.

One problem that the class had was the use of the older Midland axle-box bearings, which overheated far too easily if the engines went above a certain speed. The introduction of mechanical lubricators eventually solved this problem, though it could have been avoided much earlier on.

When they first came into service, the 4F Class engines were put straight to work on hauling freight trains, a job they did very well. As more of the class were built, they found themselves going all over the L.M.S. system and working on whatever jobs came their way, whether it was a heavy and slow coal train in the Midlands or fast mixed freights along the West Coast Main Line. They also found themselves working well on passenger trains as well, though not as often as other classes of engines would. A few of the engines were also assigned to work along the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, where they helped take freight trains over the steep gradients of the Mendip Hills, with these engines being numbered from No.57 to No.61.

In 1937, at the request of the L.M.S. operating department, the C.M.E., William Stanier, reluctantly authorised the construction of another 45 members of the class. There was an anachronism within the L.M.S. about the 4F Class which was "If in doubt, use a 4F" which meant that a 4F could always be counted on to get a job done, even if they moved slower than most other engines.

In the coal crisis after the end of the Second World War, a number of the class were fitted with oil-burning equipment, but they were later converted back to burn coal. When the railways of Britain were nationalised in January 1948, all 575 members of the class came under B.R.'s control and were renumbered from No.44027 to No.44606. For the rest of their time under B.R. control, the 4F Class worked very well on their usual jobs, and ran all over the London Midland Region, as well as occasionally in other regions.

Withdrawals of the class began in 1959 when 44 engines were removed from service that year, and continued on over the next seven years, with 1964 seeing 153 members of the class withdrawn. By the start of 1966, there were only 11 examples still running and all had been removed from service before the end of the year. Even in their last days before being withdrawn, the Fowler 4Fs continued working on their usual duties, often being seen in filthy run-down states.

Thankfully, three examples of the class have managed to survive into preservation. These engines are;

No.44027; built at Derby Works in November 1924, she was withdrawn from service in November 1964, and spent some time in storage at Carnforth and Brighton before being arriving at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley in June 1975 where she returned to steam in December 1979. Now a part of the collection of the National Railway Museum, No.44027 is being restored to working order on the Vale of Berkeley Railway with the work due to be completed in the next few years.

No.44123; built at Crewe Works in July 1925, this is the only surviving Crewe-built example. She was withdrawn from service in June 1965 and sent to Barry Scrapyard in September that year and stayed there for 16 years until it was rescued and taken to the Mid Hants Railway in December 1981 before later being moved to the Avon Valley Railway. No.44123 is still undergoing restoration, due to the number of parts that were found to be missing, as well as the corrosion it suffered from the sea air while in Barry Scrapyard. No date is set for the completion of the restoration, although it should only be a few years away.

No.44422; built at Derby Works in October 1927, she was withdrawn from service in June 1965 and sent to Barry Scrapyard in August of that year. After being rescued from the yard in 1977, she was taken to the Churnet Valley Railway for restoration, which was finally completed in 1992 when No.44422 returned to steam for the first time. During her time in preservation, she has run extensively on the Churnet Valley Railway as well as on other heritage lines including the West Somerset Railway, the Nene Valley Railway, the Spa Valley Railway, the Gloucestershire Railway, the East Lancs Railway, and the Llangollen Railway. As of 2024, No.44422 is out of service and awaiting a major overhaul at the Churnet Valley Railway.

(Back in Knapford)

Carrie, Simon, and the four girls were sitting together at one of the booths in the American-style diner in the centre of Knapford Station and had placed their orders not too long before, and were chatting while waiting for their food to arrive from the kitchen. They had arrived not too long before and were feeling warm and comfortable, and very pleased that they were sitting out of the snow and the cold. From where the red-painted double doors that showed where the kitchen was, the smells of cooking drifted out and into the main dining area where everyone who was waiting for food to arrive was sitting.

The booth table that Carrie, Simon, and the four girls were sitting at was very close to the long counter, and the six of them were chatting together quietly. Simon was speaking at the moment, and he seemed to be a little excited about something.

"So, have you girls all heard the rumours that are going around at the moment?" he asked, as he took a sip of his glass of Coca Cola.

"Oh, you mean the rumours that there's going to be one or two special visitors coming over to Sodor to spend Christmas over here?" Alice asked, as she took a sip of her tea.

"That's exactly what I mean." Simon said.

"Who do you think that the two special visitors will be? And when do you think that they'll arrive on Sodor?" Sophie asked.

"Well, there's no way for us to know for certain…but it should be sometime between now and Christmas Eve. And I'm sure that both of them will bring some crowds with them when or if they do arrive here." Saoirse said.

"Well, I'm sure that'll be the case, and then if we're on the engines when that happens…we'll have to help take the visitors to where they need to be." Olivia added.

"I hope that we'll get the chance to work with these two special visitors, whoever they may be." Carrie said.

"I do hope so, Carrie. But at the same time, we don't know if the two visitors are human beings or engines yet. We'll just need to wait and see." Simon said.

"Let's hope it won't be too long before we see who the two visitors are…and if either of them are engines who we can work with on their footplates." Alice said.

After a few more minutes of waiting, one of the diner's waitresses arrived at the table from the kitchen with the first meals for them all.

"And here we are, you guys." the waitress said, as she arrived at the side of the table and placed the first of the meals that the six friends had ordered down onto the table before them.

"Thanks very much!" the six said, as the meals were placed down, and a few moments later another of the waitresses stepped out from the kitchen with the rest of the food that the six friends had ordered a little earlier on.

"Enjoy!" the second waitress said, as she and the first waitress went back to the kitchen. At the same time, the six friends tucked into their food while it was hot.

"Hmm…this is good." Alice said, as she enjoyed her burger.

"Absolutely…it's really good." Sophie said, as she also ate her hotdog. From where she was sitting beside Simon, Carrie enjoyed her burger while taking in the sight of her friends and the other customers in the diner enjoy their food. As she ate through her burger, Carrie was looking forward to trying one of the desserts that she had seen on the menu before she and her friends had ordered their food. She also wondered what the rest of the day ahead of them would bring, and whether or not they would see her classmates when she and her friends went over to the Christmas market. At the same time, Carrie was somewhat concerned at what would happen if and when she came face to face with the press, as she knew that there were photographers and some news reporters who were still lurking around the area somewhere and who were looking for her so that they could interview her. Deciding to worry about that when the time for that finally arrived, Carrie continued on eating her burger while listening to what was going on inside the diner.

(Later on, at the Christmas Market)

Once the six friends had finished their food at the diner, including enjoying some of the desserts and milkshakes that were on offer, they left the diner and headed on down the street towards where the Christmas market was being held. It wasn't too far away, only a walk of about five to ten minutes or so, but with the intense cold of the afternoon, it seemed like the end of the walk couldn't come soon enough for the six friends. Carrie was particularly glad when they finally arrived at the main gates of the town hall where the Christmas market was being held, she was feeling a little chilled down to her skin, even though she was wearing heavy winter clothes to keep the cold away.

Stepping into the Christmas market, the six friends looked around to see if there was any sign of Carrie's classmates around anywhere. They couldn't see any sign of them around, even though there were lots of other people around, including a group of primary school kids and their teachers over by one of the stalls that sold hot drinks.

"Your classmates should be around here somewhere, Carrie. But we may spend a bit of time looking for them." Sophie said, as she looked around the people who were standing by the different stalls and getting what food and drinks that they wanted to get, while others were browsing the stalls that sold gifts and other things.

"Come on, you lot. Let's go and see what's going on here." Alice said, as she set off towards one of the stalls, and the others followed along behind her. Carrie stayed close to Simon, like she usually did, and kept a look out for her classmates. She knew that they were somewhere close by, but not exactly whereabouts they might be. Feeling keen to enjoy the Christmas market while there were still a few days of it left, and especially the food and the festive atmosphere, Carrie went along with her friends to enjoy the rest of the day.

(Meanwhile, somewhere nearby)

Feeling somewhat frustrated from a lack of results over the past day, Gale and her news crew were going about the streets looking for any sign of Carrie White. But so far, there had been no sign of her yet, despite Gale and her crew, with all their news gathering gear in tow, looking from Knapford Station all the way to the centre of the town. Not only that, but there had been no news from their other fellow news-reporting colleagues about any sightings of Carrie.

"We should have seen Carrie somewhere around here by now. Maybe she's somewhere else on the island and not here in this town?" the cameraman asked, as he kept a hold of the camera bag that was over his shoulders.

"Yeah, Gale…we've been going around this town for much of the morning by now. And we should have seen SOME sign of her around here by now. And to add to that, my feet are killing me!" added the soundman.

"Let's just keep looking around for her for a little while longer, and then we'll head back to the hotel and have a rest! I just can't believe we haven't seen any sign of her yet!" Gale said, in an utterly frustrated way. She was a woman who was always eager to be the first into a good story when she detected one and it was no different for the Carrie White Case. She always seemed to have limitless energy, and always seemed to go about after people connected with a case without any form of let-up until she got what she wanted to get, whether it was a quote or something out of anyone who had seen or partaken in something.

Sighing heavily to themselves and looking at each other in a frustrated, knackered way, the cameraman and the soundman followed along behind their energetic colleague, with both of them looking forward to having a hot drink and a long rest when the time for both arrived.

It wasn't too long before the three of them arrived at the main gates to the Christmas market, where they could see a lot of activity taking place in the grounds as seemingly endless numbers of people went about, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

"Let's say we have a look in here for Carrie. I have a strong feeling that she could be somewhere in here." Gale said, as she felt that familiar sense of certainly flow into her head, before turning to step inside the grounds. Her cameraman and soundman followed along closely behind her, still feeling frustrated and their feet still killing them from all the walking that they had done.

Inside the grounds, the three of them had to carefully go around a lot of other people who were going around and enjoying themselves while keeping their eyes open for any sign of Carrie White. Due to the number of people who were here, and the way that many of them were moving around, it was very difficult to determine if any of the girls that they could see socialising with their friends was Carrie of not.

Approaching one of the sheltered areas placed right in the middle of the market where people would sit down and eat their food or order drinks at the bar, Gale slowed down and looked inside the front entrance; at one of the tables inside the space, she could see a teen girl sitting down who looked like Carrie White. The girl hadn't seen the news crew standing outside the two entrance doors, but Gale wanted to wait for the right time and place to try and get an interview from Carrie, and knew full well that doing it in the middle of a busy Christmas market wasn't the ideal way of doing it.

"You see that girl in there, you two?" Gale said, as she pointed inside the seating area where she could clearly see Carrie sitting with her friends.

"Yes…" her cameraman and soundman said together, as they also looked inside.

"I think that's Carrie White…the girl who we've been looking for all day." Gale said, as a smile crossed her face, feeling deeply pleased that their persistence had finally paid off after searching all day long. At the same time, her two crewmen also smiled a bit, feeling deeply pleased that they had found their quarry and especially that they wouldn't need to do any more walking for a while.

"So, what shall we do now that we've found her?" asked the cameraman, as he looked towards Gale.

"Simple enough…all we do is to wait for Carrie to leave that seating area, and then we follow her around until we get to a point where we can try and interview her." Gale said, as she and her two crewmen stepped away from the seating area to a point off to the side of it.

"Sounds fair to me. And we tell no one else about this?" added the soundman.

"Absolutely! The one thing that I don't want is for any of the other media people and reporters here on the Island of Sodor to get to her before I can!" Gale said, with her voice full of determination.

"All right…but let's get something hot to drink first. I think that we've all been out in this cold for too long already today, and I need something hot right now." the cameraman said, as he rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me. I think the cold is starting to get to me by now." Gale said, feeling that a hot drink would hit the spot about now. Noticing a stall nearby that sold hot chocolate, mulled wine, and hot tea and coffee, the three of them stepped over to it and joined up with the short queue of people who were already lined up there to wait their turn to get a hot drink.

(Inside the covered seating area)

At one of the long tables inside the seating area, which had been basically set up to resemble a German bar, Carrie, Simon, and the four girls she was good friends, as well as Stephen and Bridgitt Hatt, with were all sitting together with a few of Carrie classmates. Among them were Sue and Tommy, Norma and Freddy, as well as the Watson Twins Nicki and Lizzy, Heather and Brian, Vicky, Jessica Upshaw, and Rachel Spies. There were plenty of other people sitting around at the other tables in there as well, with many of them enjoying drinks and snack that they had bought from some of the stalls around the Christmas market. There were also a few others lining up at the bar at the opposite end of the space, where they were buying drinks from the bartenders who were working away there at keeping customers satisfied. Among the drinks that were being sold were large tankards of German beer, glasses of red and white wine, as well as a whole variety of soft drinks and different spirits and liquors.

"Are you anyway concerned about the press finding you over here on Sodor, Carrie?" Sue said, as she sipped her bottle of Coca Cola.

"Yes, I am, Sue. That's been a constant fear for me ever since those four officers admitted that they had told everything about where I am to the press. I just don't know how I'll be able to react when I inevitably come face to face with them. And I just hope that it won't be too soon…because I really don't want to have to face them." Carrie said with a heavy sigh, as she rested her head on her right hand and contemplated about what would happen if and when she came face to face with the media.

"Try not to worry about it too much, Carrie. Maybe if you're lucky, then the media won't find you here. But then again…" Tommy said, as he thought long and hard about what might happen if the press did somehow find Carrie.

"I'll be there for her if anything does happen…and I promised her that I would be with her to give her support just in case." Simon said, as he sipped his cup of hot chocolate.

"And we promised that we'll be there for her as well." Sophie said, as she, Alice, Olivia, and Saoirse sipped their hot drinks and looked towards Tommy and Sue.

"You guys must have given Carrie a lot of help over the course of the past year." Jessica said, as she ate one of the chocolate-sauce covered churros she had bought a few minutes earlier.

"Oh, we have…and she's also helped us out quite a bit over the last year as well." Olivia said, as she sipped her tea.

"And that's not only on the engines that we work on or even in the engine depots…but also when we're off duty and going around town or anything like that." Alice added.

"And are the loads that the engines have to pull around the railway very heavy at this time of year?" Norma asked, as she munched on some stir-fried noodles, vegetables, and beef that she had bought at the stand that sold Chinese stir-fry food.

"Oh, they are quite heavy, but especially so at this time of year in the leadup to Christmas." Sophie said.

"And that's because there's always more passengers, mail, and parcels to deliver at this time of year. And the engines and their crews always seem to say that the Christmas loads get heavier and heavier every year. And it always seems like they're right, as the trains do seem to get longer and longer, with more and more people trying to squeeze into the coaches." said Saoirse.

"That must be a difficult thing to try and keep up with all that heavy work. I don't know how well I'll be able to manage if I was ever put into the position that all you guys are working in." Freddy said, as he sipped his bottle of Coca Cola.

"Oh, you do get used to it with time. After all, we all did during this year." Olivia said.

"And with all the work that's to be expected for Christmas time, will any of you guys be working on the last weekend before Christmas?" asked Vicky.

"Yes, we're all rostered to work on Saturday, with all six of us, as well as all the other recruits who are on the apprenticeship scheme, scheduled to begin work at 4:30am on Saturday morning." Simon said.

"You're all starting work at half past four in the morning?!" Heather said, somewhat surprised to hear that news.

"Yes, we are. And something deep inside is telling me that it's gonna be a VERY busy day that day. With all the parcels, mail, and freight that's gonna be needed to be moved around, and not to mention all the large numbers of passengers who are going to be arriving on the island, either by plane, by ferry, or by bus or by other trains from the mainland, and who are gonna be spending Christmas here…I think that we're all gonna have our work cut out for us trying to keep up with getting everything and everyone to where they need to be." Saoirse said.

"We all have Sunday off, but then it's back to work again for all of us first thing on Monday morning, which is Christmas Eve…and I having a strong feeling that day's gonna be another very busy one as well." Stephen said.

"I don't know how well I'd be able to manage the stress of working on the railway at this time of year with so much work to do." Brian said, as he thought about just how stressful a job it might be.

"Are you guys getting paid extra for working on a Saturday?" Nicki asked.

"Yes, we are. And we're also getting our Christmas bonuses as well. And once we finish working on Christmas Eve, we're all taking a few days of well-earned leave over the Christmas holidays before returning to work in January next year." said Saoirse.

"And I think that we've all deserved a good long rest over Christmas, especially after the hard work that we've done, as well as the upcoming work that we're all gonna be doing over the next few days." Bridget added, as she sipped her tea while it was still hot.

"Yeah, and I bet that you're looking forward to a long rest as well." Jessica said.

"Oh, we all are. I think that we've all earned it over the last full year, and especially with all the work that we're expected to do at this busy time of year." Sophie said.

"I'm just wondering how all the engines are doing right now. I suppose that they're all moving more than a few of the heavy loads that they're expected to pull around this time." Sue said.

"Oh, I'm sure that they're hauling some very heavy train right now, and trying to get them to their destinations on time." Carrie said, as she took a long sip of her Coca Cola while she wondered how the engines who she was friends with were getting on.

(Meanwhile, out along the Southern Main Line)

Carrie was indeed right about the engines working hard at getting passengers, freight, and mail delivered on time, for all the engines were working hard on the different lines all over the island. They had long lines of coaches or trucks coupled up behind them, and were determined to see that their passengers, mail, and freight was delivered to their destinations on time. It was hard work for all of them, but at the same time the loads that they were pulling weren't anything that they hadn't handled before.

Standing at the platform for the down line at Crovan's Gate Station, L Class Brighton Baltic 4-6-4T No.331 Beattie was waiting for the last of the waiting passengers to board his coaches so that he could take them along the line to Vicarstown. It had been a busy morning and afternoon for him so far, with taking passengers back and forth along the Southern Main Line without much time to take a rest in between trains. Each of the stations that he had passed through was brightly decorated with bright Christmas trees and decorations that seemed to bring out the best in people. All the passengers seemed to be in good moods and in a festive spirit, and many members of the station staffs that Beattie had seen also seemed to be in a positive festive mood as well, despite the hard work that they were expected to do at this very busy time of the year. His driver and fireman had just stepped back aboard his footplate a few moments before, having only just refilled his side tanks with more water from the water crane fitted along the platform.

As the last of the passengers boarded his train, Beattie heard the sound of a whistle in the distance, followed by the approaching sounds of chuffing as another big engine approached Crovan's Gate station along the up line. After a few seconds, with another blast of its whistle, the engine came into view from round the bend; it was L.N.E.R. Peppercorn A1 Class No.60119 Patrick Stirling, and he had a long line of coaches coupled up behind him. There were already quite a few passengers waiting for him to arrive on the platform for the up line, and they waited for Patrick to come along the platform and come to a stop before they could board the train so they could head over to Knapford.

With a squealing of brakes as he came to a stop, Patrick looked over to where Beattie was standing and waiting to set off with his own train.

"Afternoon, Beattie. Are you feeling tired today?" Patrick asked.

"Yes, I am. I've gone back and forth along the line so much today and with such heavy trains, I don't know if I'll be able to move again!" Beattie said, and he was certainly feeling tired after all the work that he had done today already.

"Don't worry, old boy!" came the familiar voice of his driver. "Once we get to Vicarstown Station and drop off all these people, you'll be able to have a good long rest in the depot there."

"Thanks! That will be nice!" Beattie said, as he felt that he had deserved a good long rest after all the work that he had done this morning.

"Well, I still have to do some more work before I can even think about having a rest. And I think that I may need to pick up another coach or two to deal with any overcrowding I might have on this train!" Patrick said, thinking of just how many passengers would need to be taken on the trains at this very busy time of year.

Just then, there was the sound of a loud whistle being blown; it turned out to be the guard of Beattie's train, who had blown his whistle and waved his green flag, meaning that it was time for the Brighton Baltic tank engine to be on his way.

"Oh, I'd best be off! See you later, Patrick!" Beattie said, as his driver released the brakes, and then blew his whistle for a few seconds before opening the regulator.

"Good luck getting to Vicarstown, Beattie!" Patrick called, as he watched the Brighton Baltic 4-6-4T slowly set off out of the station and gradually build up some more speed as he left.

Patrick had to wait for a few more minutes for the passengers for his train had boarded, and some of them had quite a lot of luggage and other things with them, much of which needed to be securely placed in the luggage racks at the ends of the coaches or in the overhead racks. Finally though, with everyone and their luggage aboard the train, they were ready to go. All the doors to the coaches were closed, and then the guard leaned out from his compartment at the front of the leading coach, blew his whistle and waved his green flag. At the same time, the signalman in his signal box set the signal to show the line ahead was clear for them to go.

"Let's go, Patrick!" his driver called, as he blew the whistle before opening the regulator.

"Okay!" Patrick called, as he slowly moved forwards and took up the weight of the heavy train coupled up behind him, with his six driving wheels slipping a little bit on the icy rails as he started to move out from the station. His driver activated the sanding gear and fresh dry sand was spread onto the driving wheels in order to prevent the wheels from slipping further.

(Meanwhile, along the Rossington Branch Line)

Having just departed from Fairden Station heading southwards to Rossington Junction, L.N.E.R. K1 Class 2-6-0 No.62001 made his way along the single-track section of the branch line with a long line of empty coal hopper wagons following along behind him. These trucks were bound for the coal mines, from where they would be filled up with fresh coal and then dispatched to other places around the island, including the engine depots for the engines of Sodor to use. The steel hopper wagons clanked and clattered along behind No.62001's tender as he made his way along the line through the narrow valley, with a bitterly cold winter wind and loose snow being blown around him as he puffed along. Sometimes the loose snow was blown up into his face and temporarily blinded him before he could see ahead again, and No.62001 found the wind a bit unbearable to go through at times. But with a hot fire burning away in his firebox and making plenty of steam, he was able to stay someway warm while pushing on through the wind that was blowing through the valley.

No.62001 was feeling pleased with himself when the single-track part of the line became double-track, which meant that another engine who was waiting at the next station to proceed north wouldn't have to wait for much longer. After crossing over the bridge that crossed over the narrow-gauge Skarloey Railway, No.62001 proceeded along the line towards Glennock South and soon arrived there. Standing at the platform on the other line and waiting for him to go by was Southern Railway's U1 Class 2-6-0 No.31905, and he had a long and very mixed freight train coupled up behind him that was bound for Rossington (133).

"Afternoon, No.62001!" No.31905 called out, when he saw the L.N.E.R. K1 Class 2-6-0 approach him.

"Afternoon there, No.31905! I can't stop to chat, because I need to get these coal hoppers to the coal mines as soon as possible!" No.62001 said, as he blew his whistle in greeting as he went on past.

"Good luck with it then!" No.31905 said, as he watched the steel hopper wagons, their sides streaked with coal dust and rust spots, go on past him. As it went on by, No.31905's driver and fireman, having taken the chance to top up the tender tank with more water, as well as to move more coal down towards the front of the coal space, stepped back onto the footplate and got ready to set off on their way again.

(133): The Southern Railway's U1 Class 2-6-0 engines were designed by Richard Maunsell, and they were intended to be used on the heavy passenger trains that ran along the lines of the Southern Railway system. The class, which had followed the continuation of the basic principles that had been established by George Jackson Churchward of the G.W.R. with the 43XX Class 2-6-0, was the final development of the Maunsell mogul classes, and it was also the fifth member of Maunsell's classes of standardised 2-6-0 and 2-6-4 designs.

Maunsell had wished to create a new more powerful version of his previous U Class engines that had a greater route availability. The new design was intended to complement the earlier U Class by providing a new design that could undertake passenger duties on the Eastern Section of the Southern system, most notably in between London and Ramsgate. It was also hoped that the new design would replace many of the older and obsolete 0-6-0 engines in an attempt to standardise components and ease maintenance between other Maunsell designs. A 2-6-0 wheel arrangement was selected to be used, as it would also help the new class to run over the lightly-laid track within the Eastern Section and allow for an increased size of boiler.

The solitary K1 Class 2-6-4T tank engine with three cylinders, No.A890 River Frome, was chosen to be rebuilt into the prototype U1 Class, a fate no different from that suffered by its fellow K1 Class engines which were all rebuilt as U Class 2-6-0s after the Sevenoaks accident in August 1927. In June 1928, the rebuilt three-cylinder K1 Class 2-6-4T tank engine emerged from Ashford Works as the doyen of Maunsell's new U1 Class. The rebuilt engine retained the original three-cylinder arrangement and valve gear, which was Harold Holcroft's version of Gresley's conjugated valve gear. The rebuilt engine also resembled the G.W.R. 43XX Class 2-6-0s in a way, such as including a conical boiler and Belpaire firebox. The new engine also included elements from the Midland Railway in terms of locomotive fittings, including the water top-feed being placed inside a dome, as well as modifications made to the cab. The new engine also retained its original 6ft diameter driving wheels as well as the original right-hand drive layout in the cab.

But the feature that made the new U1 Class stand out from other Maunsell 2-6-0 engines was the slab front incorporated above the forward buffer-beam to house the third cylinder and associated valve gear assembly between the frames. This gave the forward end of the U1 Class a square front.

Once fully completed, the new U1 Class 2-6-0, now renumbered as No.890 and its name removed, went out on trials to see how she performed. The trials proved to be a great success, and as a result of that an order for twenty more engines went out, all of which were built at Eastleigh Works. There were a few differences between the new batch of engines and the prototype, which included the new engines being fitted with Walschaerts valve gear on all three cylinders, having the left-hand drive controls being put in place in the cab for the drivers instead of right-hand drive, higher running plates along the sides of the boilers, as well as dispensing with the original N1 Class/Midland Railway-style front windows on the cab. Also, unlike the prototype, the batch of new-built engines also had a flatter top to their domes.

The new engines also had the front steps fitted ahead of the cylinders as opposed to behind on No.890, and from 1933 onwards the whole class were fitted with smoke deflectors. The class originally had sniffing valves fitted to their smokeboxes, but these were removed by Oliver Bulleid after the end of World War II.

In total, the U1 Class numbered 21 engines, with the prototype emerging from Ashford in 1928, and the remaining 20 engines being built as Eastleigh Works between January and November 1931. The U1 Class had three cylinders which were 16in in diameter with a 28in piston stroke, six driving wheels that were 6ft 0in in diameter, and a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 200psi, which all combined to give the class a maximum tractive effort of 25,387lbf. The prototype of the class, No.890, originally ran with a tender that carried 3,500 gallons of water and 5 tons of coal, but eventually all 21 members of the class were paired with larger tenders that ran on six wheels and carried 5 tons of coal and 4,000 gallons of water.

Just like the earlier U Class engines, the U1s proved to be reliable and economical engines, and easily capable of reaching speeds in excess of 70mph on occasion, and displaying good acceleration and traction characteristics. They became a regular sight on the line that ran from Tonbridge to Hastings, as well as on the line from Portsmouth to Southampton until the Schools Class 4-4-0s came along and replaced them. At one point, one example of the class, No.31906, was tested out on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, but although she coped fine on loads of eight coaches, the trials proved that the U1 Class engine wasn't good at working on steep gradients when loads of twelve coaches were coupled up behind.

During the war, the class proved its valve on heavy troop and freight trains, mostly on routes to and from the Channel Ports, often running substantial mileages in between repairs. They also worked heavy trains from Red Hill to Banbury via Reading and Oxford before handing their trains over to L.N.E.R. engines. After the end of the war, they also worked on boat trains running to and from Newhaven and Dover.

The regular crews who worked on the U1 Class on a daily basis praised their ability to do what they had been designed and built to do, especially on the secondary duties the class also performed.

When British Railways was formed in January 1948, all 21 engines came under B.R. control and were renumbered from No.31890 to No.31910 and were repainted in black livery with red, cream, and grey lining with B.R. crests on the sides of their tenders. For the rest of their time in service, the U1 Class performed well on their normal duties, both on the main line and cross-country lines, although in the mid-50's it was found necessary to replace their cylinders with new ones, with most of the work being outsourced to private companies to build the new cylinders. The class were also fitted with new Automatic Warning System (A.W.S.) equipment, as well as new B.R. type blast pipes that were similar to those fitted on the B.R Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0s. The internal steam passages were also streamlined to speed up the flow of steam from the boiler to the cylinders.

By 1959, with the electrification of the Kent Coast Line, it became much harder to justify major repairs on the class, with No.31903 being the final engine to receive a major overhaul in November 1960. Another issue with those members of the class that worked on the line to Hastings was that the flanges on their leading driving wheels often suffered from excess wear due to the tight curves on that line, and a problem also experienced on the line west of Exeter. Some crews also preferred the smaller-wheeled N Class engines on some steeper-graded routes, which the U1s couldn't manage as well with their larger driving wheels.

By 1962, with Bulleid Light Pacifics taking over most of their work, much of the class congregated at Stewart's Lane Depot in London. Most of the class were withdrawn from service in November and December 1962, with the last few engines being withdrawn between April and September 1963 with No.31901 being the final example withdrawn from service. The engine which achieved the highest mileage in service was No.31890, which covered 1,026,340 miles during her career, both as a K1 Class 2-6-4T and a U1 Class 2-6-0. Sadly, no examples of the U1 Class have managed to survive into preservation, with none of them being saved by a private group or being sent to Barry Scrapyard.

Once everything was ready to go, it was soon time for No.31905 to be on his way again, with the signal ahead having dropped to show that the way ahead was clear to depart. After the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, the driver blew the whistle for a few seconds and then opened the regulator. Slowly, with his wheels slipping a little on the icy rails, No.31905 took up the weight of his heavy freight train and moved on up the line, with clouds of white-grey smoke and steam pouring out from his funnel and the noise echoing all around over the sounds of the wind blowing through the valley.

(Down at Maron Station)

There was a lot of passengers on the platform for the down line at Maron Station who were getting aboard the coaches that were coupled behind L.M.S. Ivatt Class 4MT 2-6-0 No.43100. He had been on his way back to Knapford Station from Sodor International Airport Station, and a LOT of passengers who had arrived on a series of flight not too long before had gotten aboard his coaches, along with all their luggage and other things that they had bought along with them. The coaches had been filled nearly to standing room from those who had gotten aboard at the airport, and so due to that, a call had been made up to Maron Station for a few more coaches to be made available for additional passengers.

Not too long after No.43100 arrived at Maron Station, there were four additional coaches ready for them to attach to the train, and the four of them were gently pushed up to the back of the train by L.N.E.R. J72 Class 0-6-0T No.68723, who had been waiting in one of the sidings for them to arrive. Once the coaches were coupled up to the back of the train and the corridor connections secured in place, the passengers could begin to board.

As No.43100 waited to set off again, his driver and fireman took the chance to top up his water tank, with the fireman standing on the back of the tender keeping the end of the hose in the tender tank while the driver stood by the water tower and controlled the water flow.

"Okay, we're all full!" the fireman called, and the driver turned off the water valve, stopping the flow of water into the tender. As the driver swung the water tower arm back over the platform, the fireman closed the lid to the water tank and then climbed down the ladder on the back of the tender before stepping back onto the platform.

As the driver and fireman stepped back onto the footplate, No.43100 was dozing away while the passengers boarded the train, but then he heard the sounds of another approaching train coming from the direction of Gordon's Hill. Opening his eyes to see who it was, he saw L.N.E.R. V2 Class 2-6-2 No.4800 approaching the station on the down line with a fast freight train, which mostly consisted of various box vans, conflats with containers, and a few flat beds that were covered with canvas tarpaulins as well.

As he went on through Maron Station with his long and fast train, No.4800 blew his whistle in greeting to No.43100 while calling out "Hello!" In return, No.43100 whistled back while he watched the fast freight head on past him heading on along the line towards Vicarstown. A few moments after the brake van had gone past him, there came sounds from back along the platform as the porters closed the last of the doors to the coaches. At the same time, the signalman in the signal box quite close to the station set the signal to show the line ahead of them was clear.

Then, with a loud whistling sound, the guard blew his whistle loudly and waved his green flag before quickly clambering back into his compartment in the front coach of the train.

"Okay, let's get going!" No.43100 said, as his driver blew his whistle and then opened the regulator, and slowly he moved forwards out of Maron Station, taking up the weight of his heavier train behind him. His wheels slipped a little on the icy rails as he moved out, but his driver activated the sanding gear and fresh dry sand was sprayed onto the rails in front of the driving wheels, allowing them to get a much better grip. From inside the coaches, many of the passengers looked out the windows as the train moved off, slowly at first and then picking up some more speed as they went along the line.

(Back at the Christmas Market)

Carrie and her friends, as well as her classmates, were still sitting at the table within the German-style bar area and chatting with each other while other people went on by to and from the bar, or away from the other tables on their way out to go around the Christmas market. From outside the entrance, a lot of people could still be seen going about from one stall to another, many of them with bags in their hands, evidence of the Christmas shopping that they had been doing over the course of the day. But at the same time, it was late in the afternoon, and it was starting to get dark outside as the sun began to set. The street lights were already turned on, and there seemed to be more people about, which wasn't surprising as many people were out of work or school by now.

After finishing off her hot chocolate, Sue Snell looked at her watch to check the time; it was 4:05pm. Then she turned round and looked outside to see what was going on.

"Hmm…it's starting to get a bit dark outside there now." Sue said, as she turned back to look at the others at the table.

"Yeah, and as it gets a bit later, the market will get a bit busier as people come here after their day of work or school." Sophie said, as she turned to look as well.

"Considering that it's starting to get a bit dark out now, do you think we should all head off back to the hotel or home?" Heather suggested.

"You know…" Alice said, as she looked at her own watch, "…I think that's probably not too bad of an idea. After all, the six of us have to be up early tomorrow morning to start our shifts, and so we'll need to be in bed early this evening."

"Yes, and I told my dad that I'd be out to meet him at the front gates in a bit." Carrie said, remembering the text message her father had sent to her a few minutes before, to which she had replied back.

"And with the crowds starting to build up here…I think that the rest of us better get out of here and back to the hotel. I think that all our folks and everyone else who came over from Chamberlain is gonna be waiting for us there right now." Jessica said, as she stood up, along with everyone else around the table. Gathering the things that they had with them, as well as quickly finishing off whatever snacks or drinks they had, they left and headed towards the main doors, with the table quickly being occupied by a few people by a few people who had been standing around and waiting for vacant seats to pop up.

Outside in the cold, Gale's cameraman, with a cup of hot coffee in one hand, watched the entrance to the covered seating area. He, the soundman, and Gale had been taking turns over the past while on watching on whether or not Carrie would step out from the building, either alone or with her friends. Despite the cup of hot coffee that he had with him, he was still shivering somewhat from the intense cold, and he was looking forwards to getting back on his feet and moving again. On the feet and sitting in between his feet were the bags for his camera and the sound gear, with them staying here with him so that they could be all in one place where he and the soundman could grab them if and when they were needed.

Then, looking to his right, the soundman saw Gale and the soundman coming towards him, and the two of them had hot drinks in their hands.

"Any sign of Carrie yet?" the soundman asked, as he sat down on the bench beside the cameraman.

"No…nothing as of…wait…" the cameraman said, as he turned his attention back towards the covered seating area.

"What is it?" Gale asked, suddenly noticing the change in her cameraman's tone as she looked in the direction that he was looking.

"There she is! There she is!" the cameraman said, sounding a lot more certain as he reached for his camera bag and opened it up. Looking towards the covered seating area, Gale could see Carrie White as she stepped out with her Sodor friends and classmates. From what Gale could see of the look on Carrie's face, Carrie seemed to be in a very good mood, judging from the clear smile and positive appearance. Her friends and classmates around her also seemed to be a good mood as well, judging from the fact that they were all smiling and laughing too.

"You're right there! Now…let's keep a sharp eye on her and follow her discreetly and wait for the chance where there's very few people around…and then we'll try and move in to interview her. And both of you make sure that your gear is in order for when that takes place!" Gale said, as she reached into her own bag and reached for her microphone and cord.

"Yes, ma'am!" her crew said, as they quickly checked over their gear to make sure that it was still working. Once everything was in order and they were ready to go, the three of them set off, with Gale leading the way, and with the three of them keeping Carrie in their sights.

Carrie, her friends, and classmates stepped along together in one group and slowly made their way along among the many people going through the Christmas market and enjoying the late afternoon. From a reasonably respectable distance behind them, Gale and her team followed along, keeping a sharp eye on them and always keeping Carrie in sight. Gale was determined to be the first one to interview Carrie so as to get a bit more of her side of the story of why she ran away from home the year before, as well as what she was doing with her life here on the Island of Sodor.

Once the large group had stepped out of the main gates to the Christmas market, all of the teenagers paused before they turned to go in the directions that they were going to be going in. Looking to her left, Carrie saw her father, Ralph, standing along the pavement not too far from them, and looking towards the teens as they stepped out from the market.

"Ah, Carrie…there you are." Ralph said, as he stepped over towards the group of teenagers.

"Hey dad…I got your message a few minutes ago." Carrie said. From behind Carrie, a few of her classmates from Ewen High School looked towards Ralph with some apprehension; they remembered some of the stories that they had heard about him over the last few years. And though they all knew now that none of the stories about Carrie White's father were true, they were still a little bit anxious to see a man that they had all thought had been dead for many years standing alive and well before them.

"And did you all have a good time here this afternoon?" Ralph asked, as he looked at the other teens, whether they were those from Sodor who Carrie was friends with, or her former classmates from Ewen High School in Chamberlain.

"Yes!" all the teens said together, with those from Chamberlain speaking a bit more hesitantly to a man who no doubt by this time had heard everything about what they might have done to Carrie back in Maine over the years.

"Simon, I think that you and the other four girls had better back home soon if you're starting early tomorrow morning. And the rest of you had better get back to the hotel as well…and as soon as you can, as there's very heavy snow forecast to fall this evening." Ralph said, as he looked towards the Ewen High teens.

"Yes, sir." many of the Ewen High teens said, as some of them were about to turn away and head back towards the hotel. But then, all of a sudden, Ralph chuckled for a few moments before he composed himself.

"What's wrong, Ralph?" Simon asked, curious as to why Ralph was chuckling in that way.

"You heard what happened to Chris Hargensen today you lot?" Ralph said, as he looked at the teens before him.

"Yeah, we all heard about that, Ralph. And Henry seemed to be quite pleased about it too after it happened." Olivia said, as she felt herself smile from the story. At the same time, the Ewen High teens who had seen Chris, Tina, and Donna all walk into the hotel earlier that afternoon covered from head to toe in ash and soot couldn't help but laugh as well. Seeing Ewen High's three main bullies in that state, as well as how angry the three of them were, stirred up the memories in all of them and they laughed and laughed for several long moments. Once they had all finished after a few moments, they all composed themselves and then wished each other a "good night" or "see you tomorrow afternoon", before then heading off in the separate directions; all the Ewen High teens went off back to the hotel which wasn't too far away, while Carrie and her father, along with Simon and the four girls, made their way to the car park not too far away where Simon had parked Caroline and where Alice had parked her own car, as well as where Ralph had parked.

Yet, what Carrie, Simon, the four girls, and Ralph were unaware of was the fact that Gale the reporter and her two crewmen were following along behind them from a reasonably respectable distance. Before the entrance gates, the three of them had watched from a distance before the group dispersed into different directions. Gale had been closely watching Carrie like a hawk, and when she saw her move off with her father and small group of Sodor friends up the street, she and her two men followed along behind them, with Gale eager to get something from Carrie about her experiences, anything that she could use to try and improve her position in the eyes of the media.

As Carrie, her father, and friends went along up the pathway towards the car park, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Dad, did you see any sign of the media here on Sodor yet? I've heard that quite a lot have arrived, but I just haven't seen them yet." Carrie said.

"Yes, I'm afraid that quite a lot of media people and news reporters have arrived on the island over the last day and a half. And I know because I saw quite a few of them at Knapford Station earlier on today before I could leave on board Holland-Afrika Line with the early afternoon passenger train down the Brendam Docks. There were quite a lot of photographers and other media people standing on Platform 2, and they were all shouting questions at Holland-Afrika Line, taking pictures with bright flashes, and generally getting in the way and making a public nuisance of themselves. And all they want to know is where you are…" Ralph said to Carrie. On hearing that news, Carrie's face fell and she suddenly started getting very worried about what the immediate future might bring.

"Oh, my goodness." Sophie said, as she also began to feel somewhat concerned.

"I can't help but feel sorry for the engines if they have to go through something like having members of the press shout at them when they have to go about their work." Alice said, as she began feeling sorry for the engines who had to be harassed by the press while they were trying to do what they needed to do out on the railway.

Then, turning round to see behind her, Saoirse's gasped a bit, and she turned back to the others.

"Ah, guys…don't look now…but here comes a news crew." she said, as the others turned to her before looking behind them to see Gale and her cameraman and soundman coming towards them at a quick pace. The bright light that was fitted on top of the camera was shining brightly at the cameraman shouldered the camera while looking through the eye piece, ready to record everything that was to happen, while the soundman, with headphones on over his head, held onto the sound-pole with the microphone fitted on the end of it. Before them, Gale had her microphone in her hand, ready to catch anything that Carrie or anyone of the group around her might have to say.

"Oh, no…that's the one thing that I really don't want to have to face." Carrie said, as she contemplated on what she would say when she had to face the camera.

"We'll be there for you, Carrie. Just remember to stay calm." Simon said, as he reassured her.

"Thanks, Simon." Carrie said, as she, her father, and friends all watched the news crew approach them, and braced themselves for what to come.

"There she is! Carrie!" Gale called, as they approached them before coming to a stop right in front of them.

"Here we go…here we go…" Olivia murmured quietly, as the news crew came up to and stopped in front of them.

"Carrie…we've been looking around town for you all day! We've been wanting to interview you for our news station ever since we heard that you made come over here to Sodor! Could we take the chance to do that now while there's no other news people around here?" Gale asked, as she pushed her microphone towards Carrie's face while eagerly waiting for some sort of answer from her.

For several moments, Carrie was quiet and utterly unsure of what to say to this news team who had suddenly come upon them without any warning, and she turned to look at her father and friends to see what they had to say about that.

"W-w-what shall I do?" Carrie asked, almost in a slight panic, but managing to keep herself calm and keep her telekinetic powers under control.

"I'd say you should just give them what they want, Carrie. And then they'll leave you alone." Sophie said, as she sighed heavily.

"I agree…though I really don't know about the idea of the press leaving you alone after this." Saoirse said with some concern.

Looking at Simon and her father, Carrie only saw her father nodding rather anxiously at her, while Simon leaned in a little closer to her.

"I'd advise telling them the truth, Carrie…but be wary for any trick questions that they might have, as well as say that you're making an effort to try and make-up with your classmates." Simon said, as he whispered into Carrie's ear.

Letting out a deep breath slowly, Carrie nodded at Simon, and then she turned her head to look at Gale and her two crewmen.

"Okay…I guess that I could spare you a few minutes." Carrie said, but being cautious in case the three of them did anything unexpected. But right at that moment, Carrie wished that Ms Desjardin was here to give her some support.

"That's great, Carrie. First of all…tell me what you've been doing over here in all this time since you left Chamberlain?" Gale asked.

And taking in a deep breath to keep herself calm, and with the support of her father, her boyfriend and friends, Carrie answered her question honestly and truthfully about what she had been doing here on Sodor since she ran away from home, and how she had been working with the engines of the Sodor railway, and how much it had changed her life since she started working on the railway.

Feeling satisfied with the answer that she had received, another question that Gale brought up for Carrie to answer was how her life had been back in Chamberlain before she ran away and what she was doing to try and mend things with many of the people who had bullied and harassed her now that they were here on Sodor. And again, with the support of her father and friends, Carrie truthfully answered that her life had been very difficult back in Chamberlain when she had been there, due to what her mother had been doing to her in the house that they had lived in over the years, as well as some of the horrible things that some of her worst bullies had done to her, though Carrie didn't mention any names. However, she also mentioned that as most of her fellow classmates regretted what they had all done after she left behind her notebook in her school locker with everything that she had written down in it before she ran away, they regretted their actions for what they had done to her and many of them had come over to Sodor to try and put things right. Carrie also mentioned that she was feeling somewhat better now that many of her classmates were here on Sodor and showing that they were in fact sorry for the trouble that they had put her through, and that things had been gradually improving between her and them within the last few days.

Once that was done, Gale then thrust a question towards Ralph White, asking him how he could have left Chamberlain when Margaret was pregnant with Carrie. In response to that, Ralph, who was never really that comfortable in front of a camera, said that he couldn't take any more of his ex-wife's abuse or religious ranting nonsense and that he reassured Gale that he didn't know that Margaret was pregnant when he left Chamberlain after the horrendous accident at the construction site that he worked at that.

"I can reassure you, miss…that if I had known that Margaret was pregnant with Carrie…then obviously things in Carrie's life would've turned out very differently." Ralph said.

Satisfied with that answer from Ralph, Gale then turned her attention back to Carrie again.

"And finally, one more question for you, Carrie; do you have any plans to return back home to Chamberlain anytime in the future?"

"Well…to be honest, no I don't, actually. I really like living here on the Island of Sodor, and I also like doing the work that I'm doing here. And the people who live here, as well as the engines who I work with every day, are great to be around…and so, I think that I'll be staying on Sodor for the foreseeable future." Carrie said.

"All right, I think that'll be all for now. Carrie, thank you very much for taking some time for this interview. And best of luck with the work that you and your friends have to do out on the railway with the engines tomorrow." Gale said, as a smile crossed her face. It was the smile of success, and one that she usually showed when she and her team had managed a job well done on any news story.

"You're welcome there. Now if you'll excuse us, we're all tired after our day, and we all need to get back home and someplace warm." Carrie said, as she, her friends, and father turned away and headed on back up the street to the car park.

"Good luck on getting home!" Gale called, as she and her two crewmen watched as the group headed on up the street.

After a few moments of silence between the three of them, the cameraman cleared his throat and spoke to Gale.

"Well…now that we've gotten what we set out to get after we left the hotel this morning…can we please go back to the hotel now? I'm freezing!" he said.

"Yeah, and I want to go and get something hot to eat after being out in this cold more or less all day." added the soundman.

"Sounds like a good idea to me, you two! Come on. Let's get back to the hotel. After all, we've gotten what we set out to get." Gale said. And with them all grateful that such a long day was finally over, the three of them turned round and headed back along the footpath towards where the hotel was, eager to enjoy a good hot meal and hot drinks after their long day of walking around the town of Knapford.

(With Carrie, her father, and friends)

Finally arriving into the car park, Carrie felt a bit better to see the cars there, including Caroline, Simon's car, as well as Alice's car, and her father's car. By now, she was really keen to get back home and get her things together before going over to the depot to spend the night in the crew building there before starting work early the following morning. At the same time, Carrie was feeling somewhat better than she had been for a while, with things with her former classmates going well so far and with a sort of friendship between her and almost all of them forming. It may have been a few years later than she would have wanted, but then again it was a case of better late than never.

"Well then…I guess we'll either see you guys over at the crew building at Tidmouth Sheds later on this evening, or else first thing in the morning." Alice said, as she pulled out her keys and opened her car.

"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, we'll see you guys later on." Simon said, as he opened the door to the driver's side of Caroline.

"And I'll be glad to get to the depot later on. As it'll make getting to work much quicker than just driving there from the house." Carrie added, feeling keen to get down to the crew building at the depot as soon as possible.

"Yeah, well…I think that we'd better get home as soon as we can, and we get everything in order before we all head on down there." Sophie said, as she, Olivia, and Saoirse got into Alice's car.

"Okay, we'll see you there later." Simon said, as he watched Alice climb into the driver's seat of her car, closed the door, started the engine, and turned on the lights, before then slowly driving out of the car park and heading away to their respective homes.

"I'll see you in a little bit, Carrie." Simon said, as he and Carrie gave each other a big hug and shared a kiss.

"All right, Simon. And good luck." Carrie said with a smile, as Simon climbed in behind Caroline's driving wheel and close the door behind him before starting the engine. As she felt the heat slowly go through her engine, Caroline felt herself smile a bit. It felt so much better to have some heat back after having sat idle for so long.

Giving Carrie a wave and a smile, Simon carefully drove Caroline out from the car park and then off to his home.

"Come on, Carrie. We'd better be off home now. After all, we both need to be up very early tomorrow morning." Ralph said, as he pulled out his car keys and opened the car.

"Okay, dad. Let's get home then." Carrie said, as she and her father got into the car, sat down on the seats, and closed the doors firmly behind them. As she put on her seatbelt, Carrie felt deeply relieved that her first encounter with the press had been a single reporter and her two crewmen who were assisting her, instead of a whole mob of photographers who would be shouting questions at her, with very bright flashes from countless cameras filling the air and blinding her and her friends. Carrie had no idea how she might have reacted in such a situation, and realised that her telekinetic powers might have been exposed in such an event. But deciding now to worry about that now, Carrie settled down for the ride back home as her father turned on the lights, started the engine, and then started to drive slowly out from the car park.

(At the hotel)

Meanwhile, and feeling pleased with having gotten an interview from Carrie after having been running about in the cold for almost all day, Gale had changed clothes in her room to something a bit more comfortable for her to relax in for the evening. Her cameraman and soundman were already upstairs in their own rooms and were having hot showers before changing into fresh clothes. After changing in her own room, Gale made her way downstairs in one of the elevators before stepping out into the main foyer and making her way towards the hotel's main bar, as she was feeling keen to have a cup of hot coffee as a celebratory job-well-done drink. As she entered the main bar, she was pleased to see that it wasn't too busy in there right now, judging from the number of spare tables that she could see all around the space. Looking over towards the bar area, there were two bartenders working away there keeping the bar looking spic and span as well as serving drinks and snacks to hungry hotel guests.

Going over to the bar, where only a few guests could be seen chatting away over drinks at the high stools, Gale stood and waited for one of the bartenders to attend to her. She didn't have to wait for very long, for one of them soon came up to her.

"Can I get you anything, miss?" he asked.

"Yes, could I have a large cappuccino please?" Gale asked.

"Certainly, miss. Coming right up." said the bartender, as he set about preparing the drink that Gale wanted. While she waited, Gale looked over the bar to see what was going on; she saw a few other hotel guests sitting around at the tables and enjoying hot drinks like tea or coffee, or even alcoholic drinks like glasses of beer. Those guests who were enjoying tea or coffee were also enjoying their drinks with platters of sandwiches, with servers from the kitchen coming in every now and then and serving sandwiches to people who wanted food. Gale also saw a few people who were sitting around with drinks sitting on the tables before them and reading books, copies of the daily paper, or magazines to while away the time.

"And here's your cappuccino, miss." said the bartender, as he placed the coffee on the counter before her. After paying for her drink and thanking the bartender, Gale picked up her coffee and went over to one of the spare tables in the bar to relax and enjoy her coffee.

Elsewhere in the hotel, the teens from Ewen High School who had been out with Carrie that afternoon were in their rooms and changing into more comfortable clothing. In her room, Sue was feeling happy that things this afternoon with Carrie had gone well, and even more pleased that nothing had spoiled their outing with Carrie. Yet at the same time, Sue couldn't help but chuckle for a bit at the memory of Chris Hargensen, along with Tina Blake and Donne Kellogg coming back into the hotel earlier that afternoon, covered from head to toe in ash, coal dust, and soot, having been blasted with the stuff from Henry's funnel when they had tried to dump water on top of him earlier on that day. And from what Sue had heard within the last few minutes, the three of them had left a trail of ash and soot on the floor, which the hotel staff then had to clean up, while their ruined clothes had to be taken away to a professional cleaner nearby to be properly cleaned, and that would take a little time to do.

"Well, I guess it serves them right for whatever it was that they were trying to do." Sue said quietly, as she finished getting changed into fresh clothes. Right now, from what she had been told by one of the teachers who had come over to Sodor with them, Chris, Tina, and Donna were in their rooms and sulking over what had happened. Thinking about it made Sue laugh again, just like the sight of them earlier in the day.

She soon finished, and then went over to the window to have a look outside; right now, with the sun having fully set, it was dark outside, with the only lights to be seen being those from street lights, cars passing by on the road, as well as lights from inside the many buildings that Sue could see from her hotel room.

Just then, there was a knock on her room door. Turning round and smiling, Sue knew who it was and she went over to answer it. Taking a quick peek through the peephole in the door, she saw that it was her boyfriend Tommy Ross, as she had expected it to be. Still with a smile on her face, Sue opened the door.

"Hey there, Sue. Hey, you look beautiful this evening." Tommy said, as he admired the outfit that his girlfriend was wearing.

"Thanks, Tommy. And you look quite smart for this evening as well." Sue said, as she took a moment to admire her boyfriend in his smart clothes.

"Thank you, babe. I'm hoping that we can have a nice dinner together downstairs. Are you nearly ready to go?" Tommy asked.

"Almost, Tommy. I just to get one or two little things, and then I'll be ready to go." Sue said.

"All right, Sue. I'll wait here, and then you step out when you're ready." Tommy said, as he smiled at her.

"I'll be out in just a minute." Sue said, as she closed the door and then went to get the last things that she needed, including her room cardkeys, her phone, her purse, and one or two other little things. Now feeling ready, she turned and went back to the door, opened it and stepped out into the corridor, while turning off the lights in her room behind her.

"Ready to go, Tommy." Sue said, as she smiled at Tommy.

"Well, let's go down and get dinner then, babe." Tommy said, as he and Tommy put their arms around each other and then headed on down the corridor towards the elevators.

(Meanwhile, at Tidmouth Sheds)

Having finished up their work for the day, quite a few of the engines were standing in the sheds and over the inspection pits and being disposed of after the end of their day, with fires being dropped from the fireboxes and ashpans being emptied out of all the ash that had built up there over the course of the day. Other men of the depot were looking over some of the engines and searching for wherever areas needed any repairs, major or minor, would need to be made, as well as rubbing the engines down after their long day.

Over at the sheds, Henry was telling some of the other engines about how he sneezed a lot of soot and ashes at three of Carrie's most notorious bullies who were trying to drop water on top of him from the footbridge. And all the engines couldn't help but laugh out loudly when they were told the story. To all of them, it certainly reminded them all of the time all those years ago when the boys with the stones had been similarly blasted by Henry with ash and soot at the other bridge.

"Well, let's hope that blast those three girls with hot ashes will teach those three a lesson that they'll never forget!" James said, as he couldn't help but chuckle at how horrified the three girls must have been when they were blasted by Henry.

"Yes, and let's all hope that we won't have any more trouble from them in their time here on Sodor!" added Gordon, as he chortled over how angry the three girls must have been when their clothes were ruined by the ash and soot.

"I hope so too! And I hope that Carrie was pleased when it happened!" added Percy in excitement, as he and a few of the other engines laughed.

"And let's hope that Carrie's also gotten some sense of justice against those three girls. After all, if they were constantly bullying her, then the three of them certainly deserved that." added Edward, as he also smiled and chuckled over what Henry had told them all.

"And I hope that the three of them will also be sulking in their hotel rooms tonight after that!" James added.

"And let's also hope that Carrie will be able to sleep easily tonight. I think that she's earned it after getting some payback against her bullies." Toby said, as he smiled, and all the engines agreed with that statement.

"Anyway…" said Thomas, as the others turned his attention to him, "…have any of you heard the rumours that's been going round there's going to be one or two special visitors coming over to the island for Christmas?"

"Yes, I've heard about that." Duck said.

"Me too!" chimed in Percy.

"And I've been wondering who they're going to be." added Oliver, as he thought about who the two special visitors might be.

"Well, I don't know if any of those stories are true or not…" said Henry, "…but I guess that we'll all just need to wait and see what happens."

"I agree…" said Edward, "…we'll all have to wait and see. After all, if anything like that we've heard about special visitors coming to the island is true, then it's probably only the Fat Controller and a few others who know about it."

"Yes, maybe…but we'll need to wait and see for it to happen." said Douglas, as he looked towards the other engines around the turntable.

"Oh aye, Dougie!" added Donald.

"Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep now. After all, I'm very tired after today and I need to be up very early tomorrow morning to start work." Henry said.

"All right, I think that we could all get some rest now. I think that we'll need it for tomorrow morning." added Edward, as he began to doze off. Slowly, one by one, each of the engines began to fall asleep, with each of them exhausted after a long day of hard work in moving lots of heavily-laden trains that were full of passengers, freight, and mail around the railway.

There was going to be another day of very hard work around the railway starting first thing in the morning, with a lot of things that still needed to be done so that there would be a good Christmas for the people who were living on the Island of Sodor.

At the same time, many more of Sodor's fleet of engines were already starting the night shift, with the jobs of moving around the coal, stone, timber, aggregates, steel, oil, and many other things that needed to be moved around when the Sodor railway system was much quieter than it was during the daytime. As the night went on, a lot of freight would be moved around the system, being moved from one station to another, and one yard to another, with some being taken from the different harbours around the island to the main land. Not only that, but the mail trains would be run as well, to ensure that as much of the Christmas post would be delivered to the homes around Sodor before Christmas. Despite the heavy snowfall that was expected for tonight, all the scheduled work had to go ahead, in order for as much as possible to be done before Christmas.

And that's a wrap for this chapter, everyone! This is going to be the final chapter to be uploaded for 2024! And what a year it's been for the progress of this story! With this chapter, it makes a grand total of 29 chapters that I've uploaded this year! And the fact that this story has been the very first one within the Thomas and Carrie categories on this website to reach the figure of a million words is just the icing on the cake really!

For the new year, the next chapter to be uploaded will have the first of the special visitors that I mentioned earlier on in this chapter make his appearance. I can't tell you who this special visitor is yet, but I think that you'll be surprised to see who it is. But for now, I want to take a good rest for a while over the Christmas holidays and work on another project that I've been working on for a good few years, though it won't be put up on this website.

In the meantime, I'd like to wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the readers of this story!