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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:15:18 GMT -5
The New Railway Series Novels - No.1 The Mid Sodor Railway Written by Diesel 11 and Frank
Part One: The Early Years Dear Friends,
I’m sure you’ve all heard of Duke. He is an old engine who lives on the Skarloey Railway with, among others, two other engines he used to work with, Sir Handel and Peter Sam. A long time ago, however, these three engines worked together on a railway nestled deep in the heart of the Island of Sodor. You’ve all heard the story – when the railway closed, Sir Handel and Peter Sam (known as Falcon and Stuart at the time) were bought, while Duke, deemed too old, was left alone in his shed. Years later, some people became interested in Duke, and set out to find him, which they did, and brought him to the Skarloey Railway, where Sir Handel and Peter Sam now lived.
However, what you may not know, is that the railway’s history wasn’t just like that. No, the Mid Sodor Railway had a much broader history – in fact, it started with Duke and it ended with Duke.
This book is written to show you the history of the Mid Sodor Railway, from start to finish. It wasn’t all dry rails and smooth running, however – there were a few particularly dark times in it. However, it definitely makes quite an interesting read, and we hope that you will enjoy it.
This first part will detail how everything started – how Duke came to Sodor, and became the engine we all know, a “Granpuff” to the younger engines.
The Authors
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:15:48 GMT -5
The New Prince Once upon a time, in a workshop in Wales, a little engine opened his eyes for the first time. He looked around himself. He was in a moderate-sized workshop, and he saw men bustle about. There were unfinished engines like himself there, chatting about what they would do once they were bought, and brought to a railway. Then, right next to him, he saw a complete engine, smiling at him. “Hello,” said the engine. “My name is Prince.” “Hello…” said the new engine. “I don’t suppose I have a name yet.” Prince laughed. “No, not yet. Not yet you don’t! But one day, one day I’m sure you’ll have a name. A wonderful name. A name fit for an engine like yourself.” The engine smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “I hope I will.” “I’m sure you will. After all, you and I are almost exactly alike, and when you have a name like ‘Prince’, it’s quite probable your brother will have a fine name, too.” “Are we twins?” asked the engine. “Bless you, no!” laughed Prince, “We aren’t twins. I was built in 1863, and it’s ’79 now! No, I’m here because they wanted an engine exactly like me, and though they had all the designs, there was a problem – the workmen were confused by them!” He laughed loudly. “So, they brought me here, to study me, and build you.” Prince and the engine smiled to each other. “No,” continued Prince, “no, we’re not twins… but I’d be more than happy to call you my twin if you want to.” “Thank you,” said the engine, “I’d like that.”
Some workmen came over. “He’s alive!” joked one. “Why don’t you just shut your mouth?” laughed another. “It’s good to see you’re awake now,” said the foreman, “You’re not quite finished, though. It’ll be a few days before that, but you are looking mighty fine already!” The engine smiled. “As for you, Prince,” continued the man, “you’re all done here, so you’ll be brought back home tomorrow.” The new engine’s face fell. Prince noticed this. “Excuse me,” he whispered, “but perhaps I should stay for awhile, until the young fella gets his bearings.” “Hmm,” said the foreman, “It’s kind of last minute… but I’ll see what I can do.” Prince smiled, and after a little while, the foreman returned. “Well, Prince, I explained, and your manager agreed that you could stay for a little while longer.” “Thank you, sir,” said Prince. The new engine smiled. He wouldn’t be so lonesome after all!
The two engines talked long into the night. Prince told the new engine stories from the 16 years he’d already been around, and gave him some tips, too. “Don’t be rash,” he told him. “Make sure you respect your manager’s decisions, and be careful! Always keep your eyes on the track; the scenery can wait. I’ve known a few engines that didn’t believe that, and they paid the price.” “Thank you,” said the engine, “I’ll remember.” They talked on some more, but neither of them knew that these few tips and stories would set the little engine up for a lifetime of success and wisdom…
A few days later, the engine was finally ready, and Prince had to leave. The engine was much more confident now, after all that Prince had taught him, though he felt that it was a sort of sad goodbye when Prince did leave. “Remember what I’ve told you, young fella,” said Prince. “Make sure you listen to your manager, and be careful!” “Thank you, Prince,” said the engine, “I’ll remember it as long as I live.” “Goodbye!” they called together. As the new engine saw Prince being taken away, a tear slid down his face. He wouldn’t know it, but it would be over a century before he ever saw Prince again…
Elsewhere, two men where being shown around the workshop. “These are our engines,” the foreman explained, “What do you think of them?” “Hmm,” said one. “I don’t know. What do you think, Mike?” “I’m not sure, John. None of them really stand out.” At this moment, the new engine had been brought back in after saying goodbye to Prince. The two men took one look at him, and realized that this was the kind of engine they’d been looked for. “That’s it!” cried John. “What’s it?” asked the foreman. “That little tender engine,” said Mike. “Him? Alright, I’ll take you to him.”
The new engine had just shut his eyes to think on the past few days, when suddenly– “Wake up!” said the foreman. The engine’s eyes opened. “These two men are looking at all the engines,” explained the foreman. “This is John Stuart, manager of a new railway on the Island of Sodor, and this is Mike Douglas, the Chief Mechanical Engineer, or CME, of the railway. They wanted to meet you.” The engine looked up at the men. “Hello,” he said. “Hello,” said the manager. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the CME. The engine warmed to the two men at once, and the men warmed to the engine as well. They took him out, and drove him around, and they knew that he was the right one. “He’s perfect,” said the Manager. “When can we have him?” “Right now, if you like,” said the foreman.
So the engine was sold then and there, and plans were made to ship him to the Island of Sodor – and to a new life in a new home.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:16:26 GMT -5
The Duke’s Engine When the Sodor and Mainland Railway was founded in 1853, the men in charge of it promised to build a branch line from Cronk to connect the town of Peel Godred. The villagers waited for years and years, but nothing was begun, and nothing more was said about it. Finally, in 1870, the townsfolk had enough, and decided that if the Railway wasn’t going to do anything, they’d have to do it themselves. Thus, they started planning a railway all their own. From the start, the people of Peel Godred wanted to have a line that would run through the valley and reach the town of Cronk, however, while it would have been the cheapest and simplest way to build it, the Sodor and Mainland Railway was slowly becoming bankrupt, and as the Cronk idea would mean they’d need a junction connecting the two, it was decided against for being too risky. Thus, they decided to take a different route.
The Peel Godred Committee, which were in charge of finding out how to build the railway, approached several mining companies from Cas-ny-Hawin. They had made a tramway to the town of Arlesdale decades ago, and were able to see the advantages of connecting with Peel Godred, and several meeting later at Ulfstead, the Mid Sodor Railway Company was formed in 1872. Work began, and the tramway was remade, opening in 1874 with four station: Arlesburgh, Arlesdale, Marthwaite, and Ffarquhar Road. There was more to it, however. At Ulfstead Road, a site was selected for the station. The group consulted the surveyor C. E. Spooner to take a survey of the land, but he was unfortunately preoccupied with the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway. However, his son, Edwin, was able to do it, and thus everything started to take shape. Unfortunately, with many different plans on how it should be, the cost had gone sky-high, and some ideas for the new railway had to be scrapped, including plans for an elegant central station.
Finally, the railway was finished, and it was then that the Manager, John Stuart, and the CME, Mike Douglas, went in search for an engine that would be fitting for the opening of the railway. As you have already read, they found him in Wales. The engine was taken on a goods train to the docks. It was a bumpy ride for him, and although the engine carrying him was friendly, the new little engine was very glad to get off! The Manager and CME had come with him from the workshop. When they arrived at the Docks, they came to see him unloaded. “As you start,” said the CME, “you might feel a bit sea-sick. Don’t worry about it, though; many engines get sea-sick when they’re in ships.” “Thank you, Sir,” said the little engine. A crane picked him up, and set him in the ship, and sometime later, they were off. Luckily, the little engine did not get sea-sick, and actually somewhat enjoyed the feeling of being on a ship.
When they finally arrived, another crane lifted him up and placed him on a flatbed. Pushing the flatbed was a little, boxy-type engine. He looked strange, but the little engine wasn’t prejudiced. “Hello,” said the engine, “my name is Ethel. What’s yours?” “Well… I don’t have a name yet,” replied the engine. “What? No name? Surely all engines should have a name.” “So they should, but I haven’t been given a name yet.” “Well, I hope you will be given a name sometime.
The two were soon on their way. “What’s your railway like?” inquired the engines. “Well,” replied Ethel, “I run it with two other engines like me, Neil and George. It’s a nice line, really, although sometimes George gets too big for his buffers, if you get my meaning.” The little engine laughed. He enjoyed talking to Ethel, and it was all too soon that they had arrived at the transfer yards. “Best of luck to you, little fellow!” called Ethel as she puffed away. The engine called back, “Thank you!” and went to his new sheds, where the Manager, CME, and a few other important people were. “You know how to pick ‘em, John!” laughed one. They looked all over the engine, and, satisfied, went away to make the finishing touches for the Grand Opening scheduled for the next day. Meanwhile, the engine met his new Driver and Fireman. “Hello,” they said. “I’m Charles Worksart, and this is James Madis.” “It’s nice to meet you,” said the engine. They warmed to each other immediately.
The engine went to sleep, and the next morning, the celebrations could begin. “Are you ready?” asked the Manager, who had come to see the engine that morning. “Oh, yes,” replied the engine. “I’m ready.” “Good, now I just have one little surprise for you…” and he placed something on either side of the engine. “What’s that?” asked the engine. “You’ll see,” replied the Manager.
The day was a huge success. Many people, including villagers and townsfolk of Peel Godred and the surrounding towns were there, and there was even a special guest – Sir Henry John Norramby, the Duke of Sodor himself! He was enjoying the openings as much as everyone. Finally, near the end of the day, the Manager made an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “thank you very much for joining us today for the Grand Opening of the Mid Sodor Railway. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have. However, there is one more thing – this little engine hasn’t been properly named yet! We’ve picked out a name for him, and we would like if the Duke of Sodor himself would do the honors.” “Thank you, gentlemen.” “Now, just remove this cover from his nameplate, please.” “Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to officially name this new little engine…” and he took off the cover. “Oh my! ‘The Duke of Sodor’! “Well, Duke, it is an honor to have you named after me. I hope that you will carry the name with pride and honor.” “Thank you, Your Grace, I will!” replied Duke happily.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:17:02 GMT -5
Mind The Rails! During the first week of his being on the railway, Duke was the only engine working there. He enjoyed himself, and the passengers loved the little engine. No mishaps happened during that first week, either. While it wasn’t bad, there were some limitations to having only one engine. Luckily, the Manager had been looking into other engines since before the opening. One evening during the second week, he came to see Duke. “Two new engines will be arriving tomorrow,” he told him. “Please make them feel welcome.” “Yes, Sir,” said Duke.
As the Manager had said, two new engines did arrive the next day. They looked a lot alike, the main difference being their color – both were red, but one of their coats was darker than the other. The darker one introduced himself, “Hello, my name is John.” The other one said, “And my name is Jennings.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” said Duke. The Manager came to see them. “John, Jennings, for your first train, I’d like you to double-head a ‘passenger’.” “Right away then!” said John, and they set off.
When they arrived at the station, the passengers were excited. “Such smart red engines,” they said. John and Jennings started to get a bit puffed up. It might have been better if they hadn’t. The passengers got in, and they set off. The two engines enjoyed themselves. It was a lovely line, and the passengers were happy. The track started to climb. John and Jennings started looking more at the scenery, and less at the track.
There was a section of track that was a bit out of shape. Duke had noticed this once when he took a train there one day. He could feel that it was a bit too wide – an engine that was being careful could still go along it, but an engine that was being careless or going too fast could find himself off the rails. Duke had notified the Manager, and workmen were to fix that stretch of track in due course – but no one had told John and Jennings about it, and as they weren’t being very good luck-outs, you can guess what happened next.
The two engines went up the line, admiring the scenery, when suddenly – CLUNK! – John was off! “Oh, bother,” he moaned. His driver and fireman, and Jennings’s driver and fireman got out to inspect it. The passengers were worried; so were John and Jennings. At last they finished. “Do we have any able-bodied men here?” they asked. A few stepped forward. “Good. Please come out and help; we will repay you for your trouble.”
The passengers looked out the window to see what was going on. The Guard had a lever onboard the train – he was always telling everyone that when you need something, it’s never there, so he had stored a good bit of emergency things onboard – and the men had put it under John. Then they all pushed down, and he started to lift up; then, they set him back down on the rails. The two engines started up again, and this time kept there eyes on the track.
It was late when they returned. Unfortunately for them, the Manager was waiting for them. “I’ve heard all about what happened,” he said sternly, “and I must say, you weren’t very wise. Make sure you always keep your eyes on the track – there’s less of a chance of accidents when you do that. If such things happen again, I will take a more serious course of action.” The two engines looked glum. “However,” the Manager continued, “I will say this – you made for quite a day for the passengers. We offered to repay them for their wait, but they refused. ‘It was interesting to see how you took care of a situation like this,’ they said. ‘It was worth it.’ Thus, I’m not too fussed about today, the passengers obviously liked it, but I would like it if you didn’t do such things next time.”
And they didn’t. John and Jennings became very useful engines after this. They had obviously become much wiser after this incident, and as such, the passengers liked them, and so did the Manager. They also became good friends with Duke, and for some years, the three engines ran the line well – the passengers loved the three little engines, and, most important of all, the three little engines loved their work.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:17:37 GMT -5
Locked in the Coach Back before the line was opened, and indeed, before the Manager and CME had gotten Duke, an inspector for the Board of Trade had checked over the line. He looked over every nook and cranny before he was done. “Well, sir, what do you think of our line?” asked the Manager that evening. “Overall, I think you do have a fine railway,” replied the Inspector, “except for one problem, and it is a big one.” “What is it?” “There are a few clearances in the mountains which could pose a hazard to the safety of the passengers. I’m sorry, but the risk with them is too high; I am going to have to fail this line.”
The Spooners (who, if you remember, were the surveyors of the line) pointed out that the clearances were actually relatively safe when compared to the Ffestinog Railway’s, and so a few months later, the Inspector returned to check it over again. “Well,” he said, “I suppose it’s all right. I’ll let it pass – on condition.” “What sort of condition?” “That you implement some safety precautions, mainly that all doors are to be locked between Arlesdale and Ulfstead Road.” “Don’t worry, we’ll certainly do that!”
And so the line was opened a few months later, and the safety precautions were implemented. This created no problems whatsoever – for the upward journey, water-stops were needed at both stations, and for the downward journey, brake tests were required before descending, giving ample time to lock carriage doors for both ways. The locals accepted the routine, and were fine with it. Visitors were a different story, however. They complained about it, and whilst the Company took notice of them, nothing changed.
One particular hot day, John had been bringing the ‘down’ train along. He was feeling quite hot and bothered, indeed, his driver and firemen were doing a great deal of mopping there foreheads. “Few!” said his driver. “What a very hot day!” “I feel almost ill, what with working this fire,” said the fireman. The passengers were feeling it, too. They swarmed around the train, waiting to get in, and start. John was very glad that this was to be the last train for the day. He could hardly stand it!
Unfortunately, there was a delay. The Signalman had taken ill due to the hot weather, and a replacement wasn’t to be found. At last they got one, but he was new, and thus, he still needed to figure things out. “Oh, will we ever start?” moaned John.
At last, they could go. John started along the line, and made good time, despite the circumstances. They reached the station before the ascent, and arrived at the station. There, they did the brake-checks, and the Guard went around to lock all the doors before the started again.
One of the passengers on board was a tourist. He had gotten on at the previous station, which did not require the doors to be locked, and thus he didn’t know of the routine. The weather and the lateness of the train’s starting all added together to make him more nervous and agitated. The locking of the doors made him feel somewhat trapped; indeed, when the Guard entered again, he sprang up. “This is unacceptable!” he exclaimed. The Guard turned at looked at him. “What is?” he asked. “The locking of the doors!” cried the passenger. “I don’t like being imprisoned without a trial! It’s wrong!” The Guard stared at him for a bit. Then, he started to laugh. So did the passengers. The poor tourist was surprised.
Finally the laughter subsided. “Sorry about that,” said the Guard, wiping his eye. “The reason for the locking of the doors is that they are safety precautions. Certain clearances could pose some danger, though that will most likely never happen, but we lock the doors just to be safe.” “Oh,” said the man sheepishly, and he sat down again.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, though the story soon spread. That evening, John told it to Duke and Jennings. The three engines laughed about it. “Well,” said John, “I suppose tourists are decent enough, but some are not quite right in the head!”
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jan 19, 2016 14:18:10 GMT -5
The Black Dog of Mid Sodor “…and on dark nights, when the moon is full, you may here the Black Dog of Mid Sodor howl. And you may be sure that when it howls, it brings a curse upon its listeners…” “Stuff and nonsense!” guffawed Duke. “Really, John, that was very good,” said Jennings, “and I must say, I’m quite spooked!” “Ha-ha,” laughed John, “It’s not true at all. I made it up. There is no such thing as the Black Dog of Mid Sodor… or is there?” Jennings gulped, while John and Duke just laughed.
Next day, Jennings was taking the ‘passenger’. As he waited, he started to think about John’s story. “It must be made up…” he thought. Suddenly, out of nowhere– “Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” –something howled. Jennings looked up with a start. There, on a hill some distance away, stood a huge, black dog. “It’s the Black Dog of Mid Sodor!” cried Jennings, frightened. “What is?” asked his driver. “That is!” cried Jennings. His driver looked, but he didn’t see anything. “Come on, boy,” he said, “it’s probably just a neighboring dog.” But Jennings wasn’t convinced.
As he went along the line, he kept thinking of the dog… and that’s when it happened. Jennings driver says that Jennings didn’t have his mind on the line. Jennings said that he did; but whatever the case, Jennings suddenly lurched, and came off. “That’s done it!” said the driver. “Can you get me back up like we did John on our first day?” “We can try,” replied the driver. The Guard got a pole, and some of the passengers helped, too. With some levering, Jennings was back on the track, and continued with his journey.
That night, he told the other engines of the dog, and the subsequent accident. John was surprised. “You mean… my story… real?!” Duke rolled his eyes. “It’s probably just a coincidence.” “I don’t know,” said Jennings. “It’s a bit too coincidental for a coincident.” The engines said nothing for the rest of the night.
Next morning, the Manager came to the Sheds. “Jennings,” he said, “You’re on shunting duties today.” “Yes, sir,” replied Jennings, and he went away to do his work.
As he pushed the cars along, Jennings thought back on events from the day before. Suddenly– “Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” cried a voice. Jennings looked up. “It’s the Black Dog again!” he cried, and jerked forward. He crashed into a car, which came off the line. “It’s the curse!” he cried. “Curse, my foot!” cried the driver. “It’s you, Jennings, not some stupid old legend!”
They cleaned up the mess, and Jennings finished his work. That night, he told the other engines about it. “Now I know that it’s true!” said Jennings. “It’s not true!” insisted Duke. “Yesterday you were a bad look-out, and today you ran into your car. It was NOT a curse. It’s your own stupidity that’s causing this.” “I don’t know,” said John. “It seems too…” “Coincidental, I know,” grumbled Duke.
Jennings was still worried next morning. He took his train, and luckily for him, did not see the Black Dog at all that day. However, in the afternoon, he saw it. “There it is!” he cried. “It’s the Black Dog!” “Let’s get to the bottom of this once and for all!” said his driver, and he and the fireman chased after the dog.
When Jennings saw them return, he shut his eyes tight. However, his driver and fireman were laughing! “Why, Jennings!” said his driver, “This is Lacy, the Stationmaster’s dog! I knew she ran away, but I didn’t think of her at all.” Then, Jennings started to laugh. “So the accidents were coincidence after all!” he said. “I think you’ve learned something today,” said the Manager who walked up. “I’ve heard all about this, and I think you’ve been quite silly. Don’t believe legends and things like that, Jennings, and you’ll be a lot better off.” “Yes, sir,” he said.
He told the others later that night. “I told you!” said Duke, with a smirk. John and Jennings looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and went to sleep.
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