PETER SAM'S "TWIN"

Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Set during Series 20-21

As the sun rose over the Skarloey Railway, the little engines all began to start their work for the day. Peter Sam, ever the early riser, was the first one ready to go.

"See you all later!" he whistled cheerfully, puffing away.

"Mmm… yes," grunted Sir Handel, opening a sleepy eye. "Let me get some sleep, little brother…" Luckily, the dark blue engine's crew wasn't there yet. He could catch up on his beauty sleep until then…

"Hey, come on! Wake up!"

Sir Handel's eyes shot open at once, and he groaned. "Ugh… if my crew aren't here yet–"

"But they are," the other engine pointed out. "You have your passenger train in a few minutes."

"Oh!" gasped Sir Handel; he no longer felt tired, "I must find Gertrude and Millicent right away! Thanks, Peter Sam."

"Okay, who in the Great Railway is Peter Sam?"

Sir Handel stopped mid-puff, staring at his friend with wide eyes. "Th-that's you!" he spluttered. "We… we lived together on the same line for years! Here, the Mid Sodor Railway, the Aluminum project…" He bit his lip as he spat out the last words.

Sir Handel then took a closer look at Peter Sam; gone were his number and nameplates, and instead of his Giesl funnel, he now had a regular funnel like he'd done prior to his accident at the slate quarry years ago. He also appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of green without any lining, but Sir Handel hadn't picked up on that detail. "Did you just come out of the Steamworks?"

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "I couldn't be late for work, could I?"

"Th-that can't be!" exclaimed Sir Handel. "I saw you leaving for work this morning! How could you have had your funnel replaced so quickly?!"

"What do you mean, my funnel got replaced?" Peter Sam blinked. "I've always had this one!"

"No, you didn't!" Sir Handel cried. "Y-you… you got into an accident at the incline and… and you got a Giesl ejector after an icicle knocked it clean off. Also… where are your nameplates and numbers?!"

"There was no time to get them fitted," Peter Sam insisted. "I have to get my train right now!" He headed off in a huff of smoke, leaving Sir Handel gobsmacked.

"He's acting more like my younger self than I did…" he said under his breath as he went to collect Gertrude and Millicent.

"Are you okay, Falcon?" asked Gertrude when they were at the platform.

"No!" He quickly explained what went down. "What if… Peter Sam had a worse accident? Losing all his memories?! Oh, Granpuff will lose his mind if he hears this!"

"Calm down, Sir Handel," assured Millicent. "Maybe try talking to him a bit more. You know Peter Sam the best out of anyone on the island."

"You're… you're right," said Sir Handel, calming down a little. "I think I'm seeing him later at the Blue Mountain Quarry. And if he takes Cora, that will definitely help."

Later that day, at the Blue Mountain Quarry, Sir Handel took a line of trucks.

"Next stop, the quarry floor!" called Owen.

"Owen, Merrick!" Sir Handel called. "Have either of you seen Peter Sam?"

"Hmm…?" yawned Merrick. "Oh, yes. He's with Rusty, collecting trucks."

Perfect! Sir Handel thought, heading over to the top of the terrace. At least that's normal. The little diesel and Peter Sam were arranging trucks together.

"Very efficient work," said Peter Sam. "We should be done in no time!"

"Indeed," smiled Rusty. "This is definitely the best quarry we've had on our railway. Certainly beats the boulder quarry."

"Boulder quarry?" asked Peter Sam. Rusty did a double take, as Sir Handel braked to a halt alongside.

"Don't you remember?" asked Rusty. "We had the boulder quarry open for a while, but the land was left alone after a boulder destroyed the old shed."

"What? Yikes!" cried Peter Sam. "I wouldn't want to be near a quarry like that!"

"Well… you weren't there when the boulder hit the quarry, but–"

"Rusty," hissed Sir Handel, "did you notice something different about Peter Sam this morning?"

"I… I did see his funnel was different," Rusty admitted. "But… I thought he went in for maintenance earlier and had it switched out. And he said the workmen were in a rush and didn't have time to apply the nameplates and numbers."

"That's what I assumed," Sir Handel sighed. "But he can't remember that or the fact he had a Giesl ejector at all!"

"What are you two gossiping about now?!" huffed Peter Sam.

"Er…" Rusty stammered. "Just, er… remembering that I have to get my maintenance work done after this run."

"Oh, yes!" Sir Handel agreed quickly. "I… felt a bump on the track on the way up here. Hmph, ever since those tyres were installed, I've had a much easier time."

"Engines don't have tires," Peter Sam grunted in confusion. "I heard that cars and lorries do!"

"Not that type of tire," explained Sir Handel. "Don't you remember? My rear wheels have these board tyres so that I don't derail as often as I used to when we first arrived here…. And you've got to remember the incident with George, right?"

"Of course I don't!" cried Peter Sam. "I don't even know who George is!"

"You were here when that incident happened!" gasped Rusty. "You were upset when George said some choice words to you, and Sir Handel went to sort him out!"

"Well, if I met him, I would have put him in his place if he said choice words to me!"

Before the trio could debate anymore, Rusty's driver informed him that he had to take one of his maintenance trains, and Sir Handel had to take his trucks.

"This doesn't sound like Peter Sam at all," Rusty was saying. "How can he just… forget all of his life experience?"

"Amnesia due to an accident, if I had to guess…" Sir Handel said quietly. "This is more serious than I thought. I suggest we get the other engines to help him out this evening."

"Good idea," said Rusty. "Oh, I hope he'll be okay…"

Peter Sam left the Blue Mountain Quarry a bit later than the other two, and was taking some trucks back down the line. At Glennock, he was switched onto a siding to allow Skarloey to pass. Also waiting there was Duncan with trucks of his own.

"Great, now there's a delay and I'll be late!" huffed Peter Sam. "Hmm, excuse me, yellow engine! Do you know when we'll be back on schedule?"

"I don't–" Duncan cut himself off in shock; Peter Sam surely would have addressed him by name, not color. "Wait, whit?! Peter Sam, are ye feeling okay?"

"Er… I… why is everyone saying something along those lines?" asked Peter Sam. "And why is everyone calling me that name?"

"Because that is yer name!" Duncan cried. "Ever since ye had it changed from Stuart, that is."

"Why would I change my name?" wondered Peter Sam. "Or anyone change their name, for that matter? That's ridiculous!"

Duncan didn't know what to say there; he and the others all knew the story about his and Sir Handel's name changes, and it was a brutal story at that. Surely he didn't suppress that memory after coming clean about it, Duncan thought. Instead, the yellow engine opted for, "Ye 'n' Sur Handel used tae be called Stuart 'n' Falcon respectively oan yer old line. Remember? Under yer 'Granpuff'."

"…who's Granpuff?"

Oh no… Duncan thought worriedly. Sir Handel's going to mount my funnel on the shed wall for this…

"What. Did. He. SAY?!"

"A… Ah wis trying tae jog his memory," stammered Duncan. "Ah thought that wid dae it!"

"Admittedly, so did I," Sir Handel said quietly. "Oh… the last thing we need is another rift between us and Duke! Thank goodness he's not here at the moment!"

Just then, a frantic whistle sounded in the air. "Sir Handel, what's the matter?! Is Granpuff upset with us again?"

"Who's Granpuff?" asked another voice. "I simply asked and then that Duncan took off in a huff!"

"PETER SAM?!" Sir Handel, Duncan and Rusty all exclaimed at once.

"There… there's two o' thaim?!" cried Duncan.

"Hmm," said Rusty. "I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. Peter Sam, where were you all day?"

"I was helping Millie at Ulfstead Castle," the engine with the Giesl funnel explained. "Luke was in for maintenance and she couldn't do the work on the narrow gauge tracks alone."

"So… if you're the real Peter Sam," said Sir Handel, before turning to the other green engine, "who is that?"

"No. 2! What are you doing outside the Steamworks?!"

The engines looked over to see Mr. Percival, shortly followed by Mr. Hugh. Both men walked over to Peter Sam's lookalike.

"Er… I… I had to get to work as soon as possible," No. 2 explained. "I was up and ready to go, but the nameplates and numbers weren't needed for steaming purposes so… I thought I could leave right then and there."

"But you weren't allowed to leave until we'd given you your final coat of paint!" sighed Mr. Hugh.

"So, the green that No. 2 is wearing is an undercoat?" asked Sir Handel.

"Yes!" said No. 2. "I had my first firing yesterday afternoon, and I heard one of the engines had gone up to the castle… so I had to step up and fill in!"

"In more ways than one, I think," said Mr. Hugh. "After that impromptu shakedown run, we'll need you back in the Steamworks so that we can give you your nameplates and proper coat of paint. I hope that Mr. Sam doesn't have any further problems with you when we ship you off to your new home."

"Yes, Mr. Hugh," sighed No. 2. "I… I'm sorry about all the confusion I caused for everyone."

"No," Sir Handel sighed. "I'm sorry that I mistook you for Peter Sam. Your funnel should have been my first clue that you were another engine entirely!"

Rusty and Duncan also felt equally as embarrassed, and apologized too.

"Well, look on the bright side," said Peter Sam. "At least you'll have a story to tell when you arrive at his new home!"

"Yeah, I suppose so," No. 2 grunted. "I can't believe I was mistaken for someone else! That being said… I am rather curious about all you guys had to say about name switching, George, the funnel, the boulder quarry and 'Granpuff'."

"Oh!" grinned Peter Sam. "Sir Handel and I will tell you all about 'Granpuff'. We've known him – his real name is Duke – all our lives!"

No. 2 fell quiet and listened intently. He wasn't going to miss a single detail for when he was shipped away.

A few days later, No. 2 re-emerged from the Steamworks once again. No longer was he in his green undercoat, for he was now painted a rich purple with yellow lining. After his naming ceremony, he was sent off to his new home, the Spring Lakes Railway, where nine other little engines were there to greet him.

"You've met me old mates at the Skarloey line?" asked Jim excitedly. "That's fantastic!"

"Yes, Peter Sam and Sir Handel did talk about you a lot," replied No. 2. "I heard that Atlas also came from Mid Sodor."

"Yes…" she sighed. "Not very… fond memories on my end."

No. 2 winced, but Elias, an engine from Luke's old line in Ireland, chuckled. "Don't mind her, young lad," he commented. "Atlas is a… bit tricky to get to know."

"She's got tougher walls than Duncan," remarked Sebastian; he had worked with the Scottish engine in his factory. "But don't worry. You're very welcome here on our line."

"Thanks," he replied. "I hope to give everyone a good experience as long as I've got steam in my boiler."

"Come on, young one," said Nirmala, an engine imported from India. "You can lead a double header with me so you can get to know the line."

"That would be very helpful," said No. 2. "I'll run this like clockwork; you'll see."

When the two engines set off, No. 2 found many of them waving at him and greeting him and Nirmala warmly.

"Everyone, meet our newest engine!" smiled Nirmala. Many of the children cheered and started to crowd around him.

"Hey!" he cried. "Don't get too close to the tracks! Get back!" The children, frightened, jumped back.

"Not like that," whispered Nirmala. "I know people getting too close to the line is a safety concern, but they are just children. Go easy on them."

"Oh… sorry." No. 2 turned his attention back to the children he'd just told off. "I'm sorry if I startled you; you must stay away from the tracks as we are very powerful and could hurt you if you get too close."

"Oh…" trailed one of the kids. "We're sorry, Mr. Engine. We'll stay here from now on."

"Could we draw pictures of you and Nirmala?" asked another kid.

Nirmala smiled. "Of course you can, dears." She giggled and whispered to No. 2, "They may be a bit scratchy, but it makes them happy. Plus, it boosts publicity for our line."

"I… I suppose that's a good point," sighed No. 2.

Overtime, No. 2 got used to his new surroundings, and was now happy taking passengers up and down the Spring Lakes Railway. His name is Little Barford, but after hearing the story about his brief time on the Skarloey line, many have taken to calling him "Peter Sam's 'twin'".

THE END

Author's Comments

I swear, it feels like for every set of Between the Lines, we end up doing a Sir Handel story - Sir Handel Spoils the Washing, If the Roller Fits, When Falcons Cry and now this one! This wasn't intentional, honestly. In this case, he is joined by Peter Sam, Duncan and Rusty in a case of mistaken identity involving Little Barford, who made his sole appearance in the magazine story The Cloud Factory in the early 2000s. Our take on this obscure magazine character is based upon the Corris Railway's No. 7, which was based upon Edward Thomas, and from there, the idea took off that Peter Sam somehow developed amnesia following an accident, only to turn out that Little Barford was a newbuild for the Spring Lakes Railway. Something I didn't mention in regards to Goodbye, Burnett Stone is that it provided an insight into the two heritage railways that take place away from Sodor, and is a concept I hope to develop in the near future.

Although I said whatever story came next would be a surprise, in this case, I can reveal what the next will be, having a rough idea of where I want to go with Set 4. Beginning with a flashback story, if Mildred, Billy and Albert had the Wings of an Engine!