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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 26, 2015 1:48:59 GMT -5
Marvelous, Frank! I myself am curious as to how it'll all end. Keep up the good work!
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Dec 26, 2015 16:35:20 GMT -5
Chapter 8: Fall of the numbered diesels The numbered diesels served British Rail and their private owners for a little over 2 decades. Though Diesel 13 remained locked up in his shed, the other 19 diesels worked really hard and proved to be good engines. Twenty Diesels were built between 1962 and 1965, and to this day, Walkins considers them his greatest accomplishment.
"No one has ever come close to replicating what I have done. Though I do not brag, I will admit that the APS has been an unparalleled accomplishment in engineering. And to have done it 20 times over, and in the era before computers are what they are today, it is simply unbelievable" Walkins said of his diesels.
1988 was the last year all 19 of his diesels were in service. For Walkins, this marked the end of the golden age of the numbered diesels.
In 1989, Diesel 5 was withdrawn from service. Not because he wasn't a hard worker, but because he had become obsolete.
"He never broke down or anything like that; what happened was that in 24 years, technology advanced, so new track maintenance vehicles had been brought in. They were faster, just as efficient, and cheaper to operate. Diesel 5 was relegated to an auxiliary shed, and has been there since" Walkins said of Diesel 5.
Later that year, Diesel 3 had a nasty accident. While shunting, there were points that had been set the wrong way so some boxcars ended up being shunted onto the nearby station platform track. An express came through that had no intention of stopping, and wound up crashing into the boxcars. Diesel 3 panicked, and reversed at full speed... into a few flatbeds of pipes. The pipes came lose, and derailed an incoming freight train on that line.
"No one trusted Diesel 3 after that... it was a total mess. 2 trains derailed, well over 600,000 pounds of damage and more than 120 people injured. It was a miracle no one was killed. Diesel 3 was locked in an auxiliary shed, his APS deactivated, and a pair of regular class 08s were brought in to replace him in the yard." Walkins said, holding back tears thinking back to that day.
"Was it Diesel 3's fault?" I asked him
"the investigation said it was, but if you ask me, I think there may have been something else involved that day." Walkins replied.
Towards the end of the year, things only got worse: Diesel 18 and Diesel 19, the military diesels, were decommissioned.
"The Cold War was coming to an end, and the military was looking to cut spending. The higher ups were no longer interested in "military diesels" so the project was shut down."
"Did you get them back?"
"No; because the project is still classified, they are relegated to sidings on a military railway yard until the day the project is declassified" Walkins explained. In other words, it will be another 20 years or so before Walkins can even see two of his own diesels.
In 1990, further turmoil ruined the numbered diesels. In January Diesel 2 was pulling a passenger train, when he suddenly suffered a catastrophic failure of his cooling system.
"The resulting damage was too much; it would have cost more to repair him than he was worth. So he was sold as a parts engine to the Island of Sodor's then new dieselworks. I tried to stop them, but there was nothing I could do about it; the dieselworks but in a better bid than me for Diesel 2 and there was nothing I could do about it." Walkins said sadly.
Disaster further struck In March. Diesel 14 was pulling a passenger train without a driver, when suddenly lightning struck him. At first he thought nothing of it, but then he began accelerating.
"What ended up happening was the lightning had fried his APS, and he could no longer drive himself. But the electricity kicked his accelerator to the max and he began speeding."
What happened next was a total disaster: Diesel 14 sped right through his intended stop of Barrow-In-Furness. He headed for the Vickerstown bridge. But no trains were supposed to cross the bridge for the time being, so it was in the up position. There was a cargo ship crossing at the time, and it was the worst possible moment. Diesel 14 went flying off the rails and straight into the ship. He hit with such force when he crashed through the deck of the ship, and came out the side before sinking into the sea below. Of the 12 coaches he was pulling, 10 fell into the sea, and the last two stayed on. A quick thinking conductor managed to get most of the passengers into tg last two coaches. He them uncoupled them from the tenth coach, while the other conductor on board activated the emergency brake, bringing the two coaches to a stop. The conductor who acted quickly to get everyone into the last two coaches, Robert Southwick, then decoupled it from the tenth coach. The 11th and 12th coach came to a stop, but Southwick went into the water with the other coaches.
"and the headlines that appeared the next day made me shutter" Walkins said as he showed me a newspaper article:
HERO CONDUCTOR SAVES HUNDREDS AS WHEELED MONSTROSITY PLUMMETS INTO IRISH SEA
The citizens of Exeter mourn one of their own today, at news of the death of 49 year old Robert Southwick, a veteran train conductor of 20 years. Yesterday, the United Kingdom was shocked to hear the news that a passenger train rocketed off the rails near the Vickerstown Bridge to Sodor, and crashed into a cargo ship which nearly sank near the bridge. The Diesel in question, Diesel 14, was supposedly designed to be able to operate without a driver. This incident has many outraged that British Rail would allow such an engine to pull passengers. "It is both outrageous and terrifying that British Rail would allow this engine to operate without a driver present... clearly, something went wrong and the presence of a driver would have prevented this from happening" said survivor Harold Edwards. The Barrow-bound train was carrying 429 people when the accident happened. Witnesses said that the train suddenly picked up speed, jumping from 30 mph to 75 mph in a matter of minutes. When it was realized what was happening, conductor Robert Southwick wasted no time, and began getting passengers to the back of the train. When there was only 3 kilometers separating the train from the raised bridge, Southwick told fellow conductor Donald Hitchcock he was going to uncouple the last two coaches, and told him as soon as they separated to pull the emergency brakes. The last two coaches came to a stop about 1 kilometer from the bridge. Of the 429 people on board, 381 were accounted for in these coaches. "it was very cramped" said many survivors, "but it is better than having ended up in the water." Unfortunately, Southwick was one of 48 people on board the train to end up crashing into the sea. Diesel 14 hit the ship, the S.S. Southampton, with such force that he went straight through the hull and ended up sinking into the sea. The first and second coaches also went through and ended up sinking with Diesel 14. The third through eighth coaches piled up on top of the ship, and the ninth and tenth ended up in shallow water. Captain Arnold Wallace of the Southampton reported 17 injuries among his crew, but thankfully no fatalities, and he was able to beach his ship before it sank. However, of the 48 train passengers that went into the sea, only 14 have so far been found alive, and 32, including conductor Southwick, are dead. Two passengers, 71 year old Carl Winston and 33 year old Daniel Kilden, are missing and presumed dead. Southwick's body has been returned home where he will be laid to rest as a hero later this week. In response to enormous outcry, all automated diesels operated by British rail will be barred from future passenger service.
"Were the two missing passengers ever found?" I asked Walkins.
"I don't know... after hearing about the accident I sank into a depression for two weeks. I was racked with guilt... the thought that my diesel was responsible for the deaths of 32 people... it ate me alive, and I couldn't help but feel responsible" this time, he really was crying. Technically, 30 people died, but since there were two missing passengers, I suppose it was reasonable to assume that they were dead too. I gave him some time to calm down after this, then we continued our conversations. He said that after this accident, no numbered diesels that operated under British Rail were allowed to pull passenger trains, so Diesel 1 was relegated to passenger duties and Diesel 17 was withdrawn from service and replaced. "No one would ride Diesel 17 anymore; they threw rocks at him and called him a "deathtrap on rails" and demanded new, driver controlled rail cars" Walkins said sadly.
1990 continued to get worse for the numbered diesels. In April Snowdon withdrew Diesel 8 from service after finding him operating without a driver present. "A blatant violation and disregard for the rules" they said. They locked him away and wouldn't let him out again. Also that month, Diesel 20 was stolen from his shed. "It was clearly a robbery; but there is no known motive, and they left the boxcars behind. Diesel 20 was a good engine, and loved by everyone... who would do such a thing?!" Walkins asked. To this day, no one knows who stole Diesel 20.
In May, The broad gauge line Diesel 16 operated on shut down. Most of the engines were sent to museums, but Diesel 16 went missing. "No one would tell me anything; it was like he just vanished" Walkins said of Diesel 16. Also that month, the owner of Diesel 7's amusement park died, and since the kids weren't interested it was shut down. Diesel 7 and the other engines were put in their shed, and have not been out since.
"Due to missing paperwork, I have not been able to prove that Diesel 7 is my engine, and since the amusement park is private property, I can't go in to get him because it would be trespassing."
"The park is still standing?"
"Oh yes; the kids aren't interested, but they know it is a money maker, and have listed it for sale. No one is buying yet, so it is just sitting there, decaying away" Walkins explained.
On Diesel 15's line, a flood devastated the railway. Though the steam engines were fine, Diesel 15's APS was water damaged and he can no longer run on his own.
"He still works?"
"technically, he still works for the railway, but at the moment they are focusing on repairing his Diesel engine parts. The APS is considered secondary at this point, and they have decided that they would rather have him run with a driver than fix it." Walkins explained
(Editor's note: In the years since, Diesel 15 has been withdrawn from service; he is believed to now be retired to that railway's shed)
In June 1990, Diesel 9 was sold to another private owner without Walkins' knowledge, and once again, missing paperwork prevented him from taking action to prove that Diesel 9 was his. "And it was an all-cash transaction, so there was no paper trail."
The last straw came later that month. Two incidents sealed the fate of the numbered Diesels. Diesel 4 was operating near a construction yard. He was lifting a load of steel girders when suddenly he tilted over and crashed to the ground. Though no one was killed, 11 people were injured, and of them 4 were put in comas.
The last thing involved the clawed diesels, Diesel 10, Diesel 11 and Diesel 12. No one is quite sure what set them off, but when they heard that "railways were no good, they should be torn up, turned into roads, and trucks should take over" the three of them went beserk. They went to a nearby rail yard, where there were several of those freight cars that are designed to hold automobiles. Diesel 10 and Diesel 11 used their claws to rip apart and devastate the automobiles on those freight cars, while Diesel 12 went to a road bridge that crossed over the rail road and proceeded to rip it apart until it collapsed. Between the bridge, and the freight cars, more than 180 automobiles were destroyed by the diesels. The total damage was estimated to be more than 1.5 million pounds. The price particularly jacked up because two of those freight cars contained 16 brand new Lamborghini's.
This was the last straw for the Public and British Rail. A lawsuit was brought forward to put an end to the numbered diesels.
Walkins was brought in to testify, and swore that the numbered diesels would never cause such accidents; there had to be other factors at work here. But it was all for nothing, and the words of the presiding judge when he gave his ruling still haunt Reginald Walkins.
"After careful consideration of the facts by this court, we find that the numbered diesels... are a danger to public safety and must be withdrawn from service immediately. Furthermore, since their Automated Programming Systems have been shown to be faulty, unreliable and dangerous, they are never allowed to run on British Rail lines again. However, in recognition of Diesel 6's civil service and his roll in averting many disasters over the years, we grant exception of him and will allow him to continue his service as a fire diesel, so long as he never drives himself again. As for the other diesels, in light of Diesel 1's historical significance as a landmark accomplishment of engineering, a 120-day period is granted so that he may be found a home in a museum or private collection. Diesel 10, Diesel 11 and Diesel 12 however, are too dangerous. They are to be seized and scrapped immediately. As for any numbered diesels that have been withdrawn from service and are in auxiliary, they will not be permitted to run again, but we will hold them until they are found homes in museums or private collections."
(editor's note: Diesel 1 subsequently disappeared during the 120 day period; it is believed that he was stolen too)
"I was horrified at the thought of three of my diesels being scrapped, so I raced to the shed where they were to warn them of their fate; at least spend one more time with them. But it was too late; when I got there... Diesel 11 and Diesel 12 were loaded on flatbeds, their APS systems ripped out of them... not even removed properly, they were forced out with crowbars and sledgehammers!! Diesel 10 was no where to be found... before they left, 11 and 12 let me know that Diesel 10 had escaped to the Island of Sodor. I hoped he would be fine... but everything went wrong. My beloved Diesel 10... I loved him as I loved all the others, as if they were my children. But Diesel 10 was now not the engine I knew... he had gone completely nuts! Suddenly he was obsessed about destroying a nonexistent "magic railroad" and engine named "Lady." But neither of these really existed! Next thing I knew, he was attacking and trying to destroy the steam engines on Sodor, trying to "destroy the magic" even though there was none to begin with. The next thing I knew, he had fallen into a sludge barge... which the British army then seized and he has been there since" Walkins finished, now completely in tears. "All I wanted was to show the world that building self driving engines was possible... I never wanted any of this!! Why did this have to happen!? Why!?"
He calmed down about 20 minutes later. This was the end of the story, so I thanked him for all our conversations, and proceeded to write the book which you are now reading.
Coming soon: Chapter 9: A word from Walter Simmons
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 27, 2015 0:31:41 GMT -5
Wow, Frank, you have absolutely outdone yourself! You have given me a lot to work with now, and a do love what you have written. Excellent job!
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Dec 27, 2015 1:16:41 GMT -5
Last Chapter everyone (NOTE: The Publication date is October 1991; the conversations took place between May and July 1991) Chapter 9: A Word from Walter Simmons I look back at the conversations I had with Reginald, and while I never met any of his engines, I could tell from the passion he spoke with in his words that everything he said was genuine. The public may now see the numbered diesels as "monsters" but perhaps they overreacted to the incidents that plagued the numbered diesels. From what I have heard, I highly doubt that any of the numbered diesels were evil. If anything, they were probably just misunderstood, and no one had the chance to hear their side of the story.
With most of the diesels lost or effectively off limits, we may never know the full story, but if the numbered diesels are ever found again, this historian hopes that their new owner will take good care of them, and if given the opportunity, will share their sides of the story. History has many stories, and many viewpoints. Here, I talked about the numbered diesels through the viewpoint of their creator, designer and builder, Reginald Walkins. But in due time, more viewpoints will be discovered, and hopefully someone will take the time to write about them, and share them with the rest of us.
The numbered diesels represented a huge advancement in technology... but no technology is perfect. It was these imperfections that made them flawed, and these flaws were what doomed them.
Though this tree has been cut down, the stump is still planted firmly in the ground, and in due time, perhaps another tree shall grow in its place.
FATES OF THE NUMBERED DIESELS (As of Ocotober 1991)
Diesel 1: Went missing during the 120 day waiting period Diesel 2: Sold to the Sodor Dieselworks as a parts engine Diesel 3: locked away in a shed somewhere in the yard where he once worked Diesel 4: Rotting away in a siding somewhere in Southern England Diesel 5: Stored in an auxiliary shed Diesel 6: Still in service; driver must be in control Diesel 7: sitting in an abandoned amusement park Diesel 8: Tucked away somewhere near the Snowdon railway Diesel 9: Sold to an unknown private owner Diesel 10: Sitting in a sludge barge seized by the military Diesel 11: Seized by the government to be scrapped; APS removed at seizure Diesel 12: Same as Diesel 11 Diesel 13: Problematic Diesel tucked away in a shed somewhere on the Island of Sodor Diesel 14: Sunk at the bottom of the sea under the Vicarstown bridge Diesel 15: Damaged in a flood; no longer capable of self-motion Diesel 16: line shut down, fate unknown, went missing Diesel 17: In an auxiliary shed somewhere in Northern England Diesel 18: In a military train yard Diesel 19: In a military train yard Diesel 20: Stolen, location unknown
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 27, 2015 1:36:59 GMT -5
With most of the diesels lost or effectively off limits, we may never know the full story, but if the numbered diesels are ever found again, this historian hopes that their new owner will take good care of them, and if given the opportunity, will share their sides of the story. History has many stories, and many viewpoints. Here, I talked about the numbered diesels through the viewpoint of their creator, designer and builder, Reginald Walkins. But in due time, more viewpoints will be discovered, and hopefully someone will take the time to write about them, and share them with the rest of us. This just makes me prouder still to be the 'owner' of the Numbered Diesels. We started something wonderful here with the Numbered Diesels, and this book has been the climax. I absolutely loved it. Whilst I prefer stories to history books, I read this book and instantly loved it. You have done an excellent job, Frank. Very well done.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Mar 3, 2016 1:34:39 GMT -5
Given this story's importance, just bumping up so its on top of the thread.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jun 24, 2016 17:06:55 GMT -5
I've been using this book quite often to help out with The Numbered Diesels novel, and I can say that it's still a good read. If you haven't read it yet, I'd encourage you to do so!
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jun 28, 2018 1:48:19 GMT -5
Hi everyone.
It is my immense pleasure to induct The Complete History of Reginald Walkins and His Numbered Diesels into the 3WSR Novels section, replacing "The Numbered Diesels" as Novel #1. The latter has been taken out; I haven't been very pleased with it for quite some time, and it needs a complete re-writing at the least.
Instead, this finished masterpiece will hold its place. I will look over it again for grammar and punctuation, but otherwise it's set here. Kudos to Frank for putting out such an outstanding effort all those years ago!
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 28, 2018 13:26:14 GMT -5
Hopefully we shall see a return of the Numbered Diesels Novel; after all, I'm sure you all would prefer to read stories instead of a documentary
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jun 28, 2018 16:14:16 GMT -5
If I ever feel like it, perhaps. That novel was hard to write and I screwed up most of it anyway.
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