MORGAN'S MINE

Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Set during Series 13-16

At the west end of Henry's tunnel, there's a junction that splits off to go onto two branch lines; one is the Norramby branch line, run by Arthur and Molly, and the other heads into Great Waterton, an old town right by a forest.

One of the engines running this branch line is Barry; they used to work on the main line as a utility engine before being promoted to run the branch line following the restoration of Great Waterton. But Barry isn't alone, for they are also joined by two of Percy's old friends, Jinty and Pug.

On this particular day, the autumn breeze was gently blowing amongst the trees.

"What a beautiful day this is," smiled Pug as he observed leaves floating to the ground. "Autumn has so many bright colors."

"It is a nice day to take it easy," agreed his driver. "We'll have to make the best of this quiet time, ol' boy. Halloween will be here before we know it."

"Oh yes, spooky season," Pug remarked. "Well, we can be prepared to see all the passengers in their costumes. That will be a sight to see."

"So long as they keep their costumes on them and not us," Barry joked as they pulled up alongside. "I can't stand the idea of someone's hat blowing onto my dome!"

"I don't know," chuckled Pug. "I think a large hat would look cute wired down on me. Maybe a witch's hat or a pumpkin hat."

"Speak for yourself– huh?" Barry glanced up in surprise.

"What is it, Barry?"

"Pug… have you ever noticed that old track before?"

"No, why?" the blue saddle tank engine asked.

"Hmm… I thought Stanley said the whole branch was restored to working order," Barry said quietly. "Apparently, he missed that track." What the two engines didn't know, however, was that Stanley had actually ended up down that line by mistake…

That night at the sheds, Barry and Pug brought up the topic of the abandoned mine with Jinty.

"Ooh, the track that leads to Morgan's Mine?" she asked inquisitively. "My driver's been talking to me about that!"

"Has she now?" asked Barry.

Jinty grinned. "Indeed. She's read up on some of the history surrounding the branch. One such fact is that it was used to mine limestone, and it was this part of the island's main source of income before the North Western Railway existed."

"What did they need limestone for?" asked Pug.

"Some construction, I think," said Jinty, "though it's also used in certain artworks."

"Probably used it to make statues," theorized Barry.

"I wonder why we can't go down that track," said Pug. "If we could get that limestone mined out, then that would be another thing we can contribute to our railway."

"Well, that's… a problem," said Jinty. "There's a tale surrounding that old mine."

"A tale?" asked Pug. "What happened at Morgan's Mine?"

Jinty took a deep breath and began her story…

Long before any of us came to the North Western Railway, or even before the North Western Railway itself, there were several smaller railways on Sodor. One such railway ran between Great Waterton and Vicarstown. It was called the Waterton Railway, and eventually accomplished what the Sodor and Mainland Railway couldn't; reach the mainland at Barrow.

Three engines used to run the line. The first two engines, I unfortunately don't know the names of, but the third was called Morgan. The trio ran an efficient operation, hauling trucks of limestone and their passengers up and down.

One day, the trio were gathered at the sheds, waiting for their crews to get them ready for work.

"It's another beautiful day!" grinned one of them, a tank engine. "I can't wait to get out there and see what the line has to offer."

"Don't get too caught up in sightseeing," joked the other, a tank and tender engine. "We have jobs to do, you know."

"Oh, lighten up a little," giggled the first. "You never know when a friendly face will wave to you or when you see a new baby animal."

"You both have good points," agreed Morgan. "We have to make the most of each day. You never know when there may be an irreversible event…"

Little did any of them know that one such event would take place… but one of them wouldn't live to see the aftermath.

Morgan was heading to the mines with a line of empty trucks. It was a standard routine, one he'd done many times before, and he was humming to himself as he gently braked.

"Alright, old boy," said his driver. "You wait here while we talk to the foreman."

"Righto, driver," Morgan confirmed. "No need to rush."

Morgan patiently waited for his driver and fireman to come back. Usually, it would take about ten minutes to sort out where the shipment of limestone needed to go. But this time, it seemed to take much longer…

"Where are they?" he wondered to himself. Just then, he heard a creaking noise coming from the mine. "Driver! Fireman!" he cried. "Come here! Hurry!"

Morgan's crew quickly ran over to their engine. "What's wrong, Morgan?"

"I think the mine's about to collapse!"

"Blast, you're right!" cried the fireman, throwing the reverser wide open. "Reverse, ol' boy!"

Morgan started doing just that, but it was quite risky going quickly with his tender. "Come on…" he panted. "We can't give up now… please…" Another loud crack was heard, this one right above his smokebox. "Driver, fireman, get clear, now!"

"We aren't leaving you alone!" the fireman exclaimed.

"You two can get new jobs; I can't!" Morgan tried to reason. "Please, run for it!"

Try as he might, Morgan could not convince his crew to leave, and the beam came crashing down. Dust and debris landed everywhere. Both crew members were injured in Morgan's cab… and Morgan himself had a cracked boiler…

Outside, an explosion could be heard from within the mine. Within minutes, the salvage crew had been dispatched to clear away the damage. The tank engine helped in getting the trucks out of the way, and what she and the workmen saw before them was ghastly. The bodies of the driver and fireman were badly burned, no longer moving, and in front of a mostly intact tender were some locomotive frames… and no boiler.

"Rattle my frames…" the engine gasped. "Oh, Morgan!" The poor tank engine sobbed beside her fallen friend. "We will sit vigil for you, my friend…"

"Morgan's remains were scrapped shortly afterward, and the mine closed down as a result of the accident," Jinty continued. "And it wasn't long before traffic on the Waterton Railway began drying up, and people started moving away to other parts of Sodor, eventually leading to the line's closure."

Pug was now looking rather nervous. "Wh-what happened afterward?" he asked. "Why did people leave Great Waterton?"

"They say that Morgan's Mine is haunted," explained Jinty, "and the reason for that is because Morgan himself is looking for a tender that he can steal, so that he can feel 'whole' again. You see, his tender wasn't scrapped, but rather, it was left on a siding to rust, never to be used again." She paused dramatically. "That is, until a couple of years ago, when Great Waterton was rediscovered, and the old tender was finally disposed of."

"Does that mean… Morgan is at peace now?" asked Barry.

"Not exactly, Barry; it's believed that his ghost is still looking for a tender to claim as his own," Jinty admitted. "You heard those rumors about Collet's ghost running wild too, right?"

"Jinty, that's out of line!" scoffed Pug. "You know how upset Duck gets when other engines talk like that about his brother."

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that!" Jinty objected. "I just meant that wandering spirits aren't unheard of around Sodor. You never know; some of them could have unfinished business."

"Do you suppose Morgan has unfinished business too?" asked Barry. "I mean… with Collet, I have no doubt it has to do with Arry and Bert but… what could Morgan's be?"

"You mean, besides his tender?" Jinty remarked.

"Come on; you said it was scrapped too," said Barry. "So, by that logic, if the tender was scrapped, he should be 'whole' again in the afterlife."

No one really had a definitive answer to that mystery, and without another word, the three engines went to sleep.

When Jinty woke up again, however, she realized that she was no longer in the sheds.

"Huh?! Where am I?" she cried. "I can't see a thing in here!"

"Jinty? Is that you?"

"Pug? You're in here too?"

"So am I!" called Barry. "Everyone, turn your headlamps on!"

"I can't turn my lamp on!" cried Pug.

"Neither can I!" added Jinty.

"Botheration!" groaned Barry. "Okay, new plan; let's go slowly and try to find sunlight. There should be an opening right at the front."

So the three engines eased carefully forward, blowing their whistles to warn miners of their presence. Unfortunately, this led to their whistles echoing against the mine walls, followed by an ominous creaking…

"Bust my boiler!" cried Pug. "The mine walls are collapsing! Speed up!"

"We gotta get out here!" exclaimed Jinty. "Oh, I don't like this!"

Beams fell down behind the three engines, just barely missing them.

"Everyone keep going!" called Barry. "I can see the entrance ahead!"

But much to the trio's horror, the entrance seemed to be moving further and further away!

"HELP!" wailed Jinty, as the mine closed in on the three engines. "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

"Jinty! Pug! Barry!"

All three engines panted as the branch line's inspector, Mr. Brosnan, called out to them.

"Oh… M-Mr. Brosnan, s-sir…" stammered Pug. "R-reporting for duty…"

Mr. Brosnan looked up in concern. "Are you sure about that, Pug? Looks like you three just escaped a scrapyard."

"That was years ago, sir!" Barry retorted. "We're fine, really."

Mr. Brosnan, deciding not to further argue with them, gave the engines their jobs for the day. All the same though, he decided to keep an eye on them… and he wasn't the only one.

At Vicarstown, Molly was humming to herself when she saw James come in with the red coaches.

"Hello, my yellow sapphire," James smiled. "Are you excited for this Halloween?"

"I sure am," said Molly. "My driver's daughter is dressing up as Jessie from Toy Story 2."

"Wait, Toy Story has a sequel?" gasped James. "I didn't know they made another film!"

"It came out last year," giggled Molly. "Jessie and the horse Bullseye are already popular. And one such scene made my crew gasp in the theater."

As Molly explained to James about the scene, Barry came in.

"Bust my buffers!" gasped James. "Barry, did you catch that?"

"Huh…" yawned Barry. "Yeah… something about… Randy and boots…"

"Are you alright, Barry?" asked Molly. "You look as though you've had a bad night."

"Ugh… it's nothing, Molly," they lied. "Just… stayed up late telling… ghost stories."

"I get wanting to be in the spirit of Halloween," said James, "but surely you'd at least get some rest?"

"I won't… stay up tonight," Barry insisted. "I promise…" Before long, the guard blew the whistle as the Mickey engine took off. James and Molly exchanged a look.

"There must be something Barry's not telling us," said James. "But what?"

"I don't know, honey…" Molly admitted. "I really don't know."

For the next few days, the work from the Waterton trio wasn't exactly top tier. Small delays were made here and there, and they weren't in tune with the rest of the island's engines either. It became so bad that Neville, one of the engines of the Rolling Hills Railway, had to lend a buffer on the branch.

"Come on, you three!" urged Neville. "We have to work extra hard so we can get things organized in time for Halloween."

"Aah!" cried Jinty. "Right! Right! Got to get my trucks to go to the harbor…" She went so fast, she didn't realize the points were set for an empty siding. "Oh… oops…"

"Jinty, are you sure you're alright?" Neville asked. "This isn't like you, Pug and Barry to be so skittish."

"Just a few… restless nights," Jinty admitted. "That's all."

Neville was quiet. "It wasn't any bad dreams, was it?"

"Er…"

"Let's just say you are not alone in that department…"

A Few Days Ago

"No… no, no, no! Hurry!"

"Quick… before it collapses! Run!"

"Sally, Amy! Wake up!"

It was Neil who had called out to two old engines – a pink saddle tank engine and an orange tank and tender engine – who'd been having a bad dream inside of the Rolling Hills Railway Museum. Their panicked screaming had also awoken the other engines who lived there.

"What's gotten your crank pins in a twist?" asked Jade, a dark green saddle tank.

"It was… just a bad dream we both had…" Sally admitted.

"Sounds too big to be a coincidence, m'lady," remarked Vincent, an old blue tank engine.

"Is there anything you two are not telling us?" asked Jennings. "Come on, girls; you aren't the only former Sudrians to reside here, you know."

Both Sally and Amy sighed, and told the other engines about Morgan's demise in the mine, and how it led to the Waterton Railway's downfall and closure.

"Hmm…" Jennings pondered. "You're not the only ones who've had to deal with such a burden. Duke told me everything about our Grandchuffs, and Jim mentioned some unfavorable stories about my successor. I've obviously never met him, but while I do not judge Stanley – or Smudger, as he was nicknamed – from what I understand, he was a complicated engine deep down."

"But… why is Morgan's ghost surfacing now?" asked Sally. "It's been years since his death!"

"I don't know…" Amy whispered. "But I hope we're the only ones affected…"

Right Now

"As it turns out, they aren't!" gasped Barry. "We're being affected too…"

"Hmm…" pondered Neville. "It could be a combination of sorts. You lot currently run on the rails Morgan used to work on and made his 'sleep' restless; Sally and Amy knew him personally."

"Yes, but how do we stop this?" asked Pug. "Simply wait for these nightmares to go away?"

"But what if they never go away?" Jinty pointed out.

Neville glanced at his buffers worriedly. "Perhaps… you three, Amy and Sally need to go to Morgan's Mine together. Show him that you won't let your fears worry you. And perhaps then, you'll all get closure from this situation. If hauling troop trains during wartime has taught me anything, it's that you don't run away from your problems."

The trio all looked worriedly at Neville, but gave weak smiles.

And so, arrangements were made. A few nights later, the five engines stood before the entrance to Morgan's Mine.

"Okay, everyone," Sally breathed. "We… we have to do this."

"But what if Morgan isn't there?" asked Amy. "Maybe we shouldn't have come here…"

"Neville says that we need this," insisted Barry. "I don't like this any more than you two do, but it has to be done."

There was silence for a few more moments before the ghostly shape of an old six-coupled tender engine appeared before them.

"He's got his tender with him!" Jinty whispered, before quickly being shushed by Pug.

"M-Morgan…" stammered Amy. "I-it's been years…"

Morgan's eyes flashed angrily at Amy and Sally; the two gulped.

"W-we… h-haven't forgotten you, old friend," Sally said quietly. "We just… were too scared and upset to mention you." Morgan's expression hadn't changed, so the two old engines continued.

"We wanted to press on with the future," Amy whimpered, "but we didn't think that not talking about you would have hurt you like this."

"That was no excuse whatsoever," Sally sighed. "We're sorry."

Upon hearing this, Morgan's expression softened before he glanced at the current Great Waterton trio.

"Look, Morgan… about the ghost story…" sighed Jinty. "I didn't realize it affected you that much…"

"Yeah…" added Pug. "Especially since you weren't seen around these parts for years."

"You… don't want us to talk about you anymore?" asked Barry. Morgan looked surprised at this question and let off a bit of steam, as if saying "no."

"I think what he's trying to say is," said Sally, "he does want to be talked about; just not in a way that would make his spirit seem dangerous."

"That… does make a lot of sense," said Jinty. "If you do give us another chance, we'll listen to different stories about you. We promise."

"And we'll look after your old line to the best of our abilities," added Pug. "Cross our fireboxes."

Morgan's frown slowly gave way to a smile, and a cloud of steam blinded the engines' views. When it cleared, no ghost remained. No one said anything for what seemed like eternity.

"Do you think it worked?" asked Amy.

"Well… there's only one way to know for sure," said Sally.

Before long, Amy and Sally were back at the museum, putting their plan into action.

"Morgan was never a scary engine," Amy was saying. "He was the middle ground between Sally and myself."

"He always told us to make the most of every day," added Sally. "And in the end… he put his crew's wellbeing above his own."

The other engines all let out quiet gasps.

"How did he get… such a horrible ghost story?" asked Vincent.

"Who knows?" wondered Sally. "Some people will probably say anything to scare others."

Pretty soon, Morgan's new story, as well as some others, started to spread over to Sodor. Neville was talking to Henry and Arthur at Vicarstown.

"…and so, Morgan helped an injured passenger to the nearest station where a doctor was waiting."

"I wish we could have known Morgan," said Arthur. "Sally and Amy were really lucky."

"Indeed they were," Henry agreed. "Neville, do you think there are… other 'ghost' engines we misjudged over the years too?"

"Perhaps, Henry…" Neville said thoughtfully. "We'll have to look into it at some point…"

Sure enough, the positive reputation of Morgan completely evaporated the nightmares of those involved. Jinty, Pug and Barry were more united than ever, running the Great Waterton branch line in a tight operation.

"Right on time," smiled Jinty's driver. "Good work, ol' girl."

"Thanks, driver!" grinned Jinty. "At this rate, we'll be getting to the Halloween party ahead of schedule." She looked up at the sky. "But no more ghost stories about Morgan! If there is, I may have to leave you two behind!"

"What?!" cried Jinty's driver.

"Only joking!" Jinty chuckled. "Well… partly." She winked at the sky. "Don't worry, I'll keep my crew in line, Morgan."

Unbeknownst to Jinty, Morgan's ghost gave a wink in the sky and smiled.

THE END

Author's Comments

I noticed that I haven't really written up on the Great Waterton branch line all that much, and Barry, Jinty and Pug have made rather sporadic appearances throughout Between the Lines, if at all, so I felt it was high time that they got a bit of spotlight. And just in time for Halloween, it's a story about... well, Morgan's mine, a location which hadn't gotten much backstory following The Great Discovery. It also gave me and Rachel to expand upon the engines from the canon Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, since we'd already used Billy, Mildred and Albert (FR) for the SeventyVerse version of the W&S, we've created a new pre-NWR railway to utilize them called the Waterton Railway. That line replaces Stepney's branch line in the TV series as it never made much sense to have a standard gauge railway running alongside the Skarloey Railway. The characters of Amy and Sally are respectively based upon the W&S No. 1/2 (since they're basically the same class) and No. 3, with the third engine, of course, being Morgan, modeled after the Francis Webb rebuilds of the LNWR DX Goods from the 1870s. We also get a glimpse of the engines who reside at the Rolling Hills Railway Museum; Samson used to be housed there before being put back into service, and he originally had a line of dialogue before it was cut.

For Set 4, the next story will be focused around Veteran's Day (or Remembrance Day, if you're from the United Kingdom), and we've also got another Halloween special in the works, so look out for that!