|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 2, 2016 13:46:00 GMT -5
Zoo Engines
Written by Diesel 11
Foreword
Dear Friends,
Recently, the Tidmouth Zoo & Aquarium was opened, and found to be a big success amongst the people of Sodor. The zoo also opened up the doors for some new engines to come to Sodor, which initially surprised the other engines...
I hope you will enjoy reading these stories of some different engines in a totally different environment.
The Author
Story Stops: 1. The Zoo 2. Big City Nights 3. Blackout 4. No One Like You
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 2, 2016 13:46:25 GMT -5
The Zoo
The engines were excited. The Fat Controller had arrived with an important announcement. "The town of Tidmouth is going to start expanding their economy and trying to entice more people to come from around Sodor, and even the Mainland. Their first object is to build a zoo and aquarium. The mayor has asked me if I could spare some of you for the building of the zoo, and I told him that I would be honored. Now, Edward and Henry, you two are to collect some supplies from the docks, and bring it over to the building site."
For the next few weeks, the engines were busy helping with the construction. Most engines liked watching the men worked, and felt that the museum would definitely be a great destination on the Island when completed. However, two engines did not think it was such a good idea, and their thoughts were quite out in the open...
"I don't hold with it!" said Gordon. "Too many animals, why, if one escapes, who knows what kind of trouble could happen!" "Exactly," put in James, "and we're being rushed off our wheels. Why should WE be the ones to help out? The zoo ought to get their very own engines." The others said nothing. They just chuckled. Gordon and James were always complaining about one thing or another!
As work progressed, the zoo grew bigger and bigger, and looked better and better. Most of the engines thought it was looking wonderful, but James and Gordon kept getting crosser and crosser. Time and time again, both of them would end up not pulling passengers and instead helping with the construction, while Edward or Henry would pull their trains. "It's disgraceful," they would say, but the others had already decided to take no notice.
Finally, the building of the zoo was complete. There was a lot of outdoor exhibits for animals such as those found in the African safari, and the inside was part zoo and part aquarium. It was now time to bring the animals in. They were arriving by ship, and an engine had to pick them up. The Fat Controller decided to use Gordon and James. "I can't spare any of the others, though," he said, "so you may have to go several times." Gordon and James did not like the sound of that, "Why does it have to be US of all engines?" Gordon groaned. "Thomas or Percy could have gone, they like idling around animals," said James. But both engines knew that orders were orders, and so they set out towards the docks.
When they arrived there, the animals were already on the trucks. The trucks had special cages to keep them in, and in the case of the aquarium animals, glass tanks. Gordon and James started out, going from the docks to Tidmouth. They had to do this a few times before they were finished. Finally, only the giraffe was left. Gordon went to pick it up. He looked at the tall, handsome-looking animal. "What a strange creature," Gordon thought to himself, as he started along his way. No one realized that something was wrong with that truck....
When they arrived at the zoo, the men were waiting. "Good job, Gordon, that's the last of 'em," said the man in charge. Then they heard a door swing open, and when they turned to look what was going on, saw the giraffe running away from them. "Oh no!" cried the men. "We'd better go after it!"
The hopped into the zoo's Landrover, and raced after it. "Is there anything we can do?" Gordon asked his driver. "I'm not sure, but we can see. Be careful though, we don't want to run over it by mistake!"
Gordon rolled away carefully, keeping a good look-out for the giraffe. Soon he saw it. It looked a bit frightened. Gordon came up to it. "Easy, there," he said soothingly. The giraffe just grunted. Gordon wheeshed some steam. Surprisingly, that had something of a soothing effect upon the animal, and it didn't look so frightened as it had before. The landrover soon pulled up, and the men were able to get a rope around the animal and lead it back to the zoo.
The Fat Controller was pleased when he heard. "Excellent job, Gordon," he told the big blue engine. Gordon smiled.
The zoo presented Gordon a medal a few days later. "Thanks for all you've done, Gordon," the zoo manager told him. "The giraffe seems to have taken a liking to you, and I hope you'll come back and visit us every so often." "Thank you, sir," said Gordon, who had by now changed his mind about the zoo.
Gordon still visits the zoo every now and then, and the giraffe - whose exhibit was coincidentally near the railway - is always there to greet him. And even James has taken a liking to the animals, and will sometimes drop by himself. That shows you, doesn't it?
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 2, 2016 13:46:49 GMT -5
Big City Nights
The zoo did prove to be a popular attraction at Tidmouth. Many people that came to Sodor on holiday or those that lived on Sodor would come to the zoo, and see the animals there. The kids and parents both liked it. However, the zoo manager had another idea to help make the zoo an even better place....
One afternoon, the Fat Controller came to the Yard. He walked over to where Edward and Duck were working. "I've got a very special job for you," said the Fat Controller, "There's a special waiting at the Docks. I'd like you two to pick it - er, them - up, and bring it to the zoo. Be quick now!" Then he walked away. "What could he mean by that?" Duck asked, puzzled. "I'm not sure," said Edward thoughtfully, "maybe a new animal? I guess we'll find out soon enough!" And with that, the two engines set off for the Docks.
When they arrived, the manager came up to them. "Right," he said, "your trains are waiting in the siding over yonder. You can go and collect them now." "Thank you, sir," said Duck, and the two engines went over to the siding to see what their special was.
Edward saw them first, "My goodness!" he said, "it's... engines!" Indeed, on some flatbeds were three little engines. They looked just like the steam engines on the Arlesdale Railway. One was yellow with black stripes like a zebra, one was red, and one was white. The red one spoke first, "Yeah, and what's it to you?" Edward was surprised, but before he could reply, the yellow one spoke up. "Oh, do be quiet, Roth!" she said sternly.
Then she turned to the engines. "Hi, I'm Eloise, and this is Roger," indicating the white engine, "and Roth," indicating the red one. Roger spoke up, "We're to help at the Tidmouth Zoo & Aquarium. We'll be carrying guests around the zoo, for safari trips, and just an overall enjoyable train ride." "Hmph," sniffed Roth, "It sounds to simple, too easy. On our old railway, we had long, sophisticated runs... and I pulled the passengers, of course." "It's a big zoo," said Edward, "I'm sure that you'll have some good runs there as well." "Hmm," said Roth doubtfully, "We'll see."
When Duck and Edward arrived at the zoo, the manager was there to greet them. "So good to see you," he said. "We've already laid out the rails for the line, so you can get on it now, and tomorrow morning, you'll be able to start your tours bright and early." Roger and Eloise were excited - though of course, Roth wasn't thrilled. "It looks wonderful," said Eloise, as they were unloaded. "Indeed," said Roger, "I'm sure we'll have a splendid time working here." "Looks a bit small," Roth said, still not very pleased. The truth was, he had gotten attached to his old railway, and when it closed, he felt dejected. He didn't want to change, which was why he was so grumpy now.
The engines all had a good night's sleep in their new shed. Roger and Eloise looked at it in wonder, while Roth just grunted, "I suppose it'll do..." But Roger and Eloise weren't paying any attention to Roth, for they had already fallen asleep. Roth sighed, as he stared up at the stars, wondering what life would be like on this railway....
The next morning, the engines were all working hard on the railway. The people that came to the zoo were intrigued, to say the least, of the engines, and the children loved them straight away. Roger and Eloise were happy to be at work, and the sunshine, the smiles, and the laughter couldn't help but cheer Roth up a bit.
Part of the line runs through the zoo's parking lot. Warning lights will go up when a train is approaching, and cars will wait to pass through. It's safe enough, but it isn't a fool-proof system, as there are people who sometimes are too impatient to wait. Roth realized this early on, "You'd best be careful," he warned the other two engines, "or you could cause an accident." Eloise and Roger just smiled, "Don't worry, Roth," said Eloise, "We'll be careful."
That evening, around 8.50, Roger was bringing his last train to the station. The zoo would close in ten minutes, so he was trying to finish up quickly. He had to cross the parking lot to get to the station, and as he came round the bend, he saw something that he did not want to see.
Mr. Jones and his wife had had an enjoyable day at the zoo, and had started home, when their car broke down - right on the railway tracks, no less! "Oh, bother!" he said, as he and his wife got out of the car. They were just in time. Roger tried to apply his brakes, but there was no time - and he banged into the car.
The passengers felt a bump. Mr. and Mrs. Jones looked at their car. "Oh, blast this thing!" grouched Mr. Jones crossly. Roger had not been going fast enough to suffer serious damages, but as it was, he was a bit dazed, and both he and the car had some dents.
He limped home that evening, and the manager came to see him. "You'll have to go to the works to be mended," he said. "Eloise and Roth, you'll have to work the line alone for a while." "Yes, sir," the two engines said. But Roth couldn't hold back an "I warned you..." after the manager left - to the annoyance of Roger!
Based on an incident at Hermann Park in Houston, Texas
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 2, 2016 13:47:30 GMT -5
Blackout
Roger was mended quickly, and was soon able to go back to work. The other two were pleased to see him again. They had been able to do the work by themselves, but all the same, it was nice to have a third engine helping them.
One evening after a hard days work, the three engines were resting in the shed, when the manager came up to them. "I know it's late," he said, "but I'm afraid we have an emergency. One of our elephants has gotten loose, and we need some help to find him. I need you three to split up to search for him." "Yes sir," said the engines, and the set off on their search party.
It was dark, but the three engines weren't worried. They had the lights from the zoo above them to light up their paths. Eloise was running through the parking lot. There were no cars there, as the zoo had closed a while before. She ran through, when suddenly, the lights went out, and everything was dark. Eloise was surprised. "What on earth is going on?" she cried. "I don't know," said her driver, "but I think we're in the middle of a blackout. Let's make it to the nearest station, and then we'll be able to figure it out."
Eloise crawled slowly and cautiously to the station. The manager was waiting. "What an annoyance!" he grumbled. "The fuse box blew out, and now our lights are off. Of all the times to do it, too!" "Is there anything we can use?" asked the driver. "Well," said the manager, "there is an old headlamp here, but I'm not sure if it works or not." "Tell you what," said the driver, "I'll get a couple of torches, and then we can set off again. We'll put on the headlamp when we near the area where the elephant was last seen." "Good idea," said the manager, and he walked into the station and came back with some torches. "I'll ride with you," he said, "so that we'll have three pairs of eyes looking into the night." He clambered aboard, and Eloise started off again.
The rolled forward, slowly but surely. It was dark, but the light from the torches was just enough for the two men to see. When they arrived at the elephant's cage, where it was last seen, the driver and the manager climbed out, and the driver attached the headlamp to Eloise, and turned it on... but nothing happened. "Oh, botheration!" he said, "It's nothing but a piece of worthless junk!"
Further up the line, Roth was having his own troubles. The darkness was overwhelming, and he couldn't see. His driver was worried. "I wish we had some light, just a little bit of it..." Suddenly, they heard a whistle... and then Eloise plowed into Roth's tender, knocking him off the line! "What on earth...?!"
Eloise was dazed, and so was Roth, but before anyone could say anything, they heard something. The manager said, "That sounds like... yes, it IS... the elephant!" For indeed, there in front of them was the elephant! The zoo employees had soon recaptured it, and brought it back to its cage.
All three engines were back at the shed. It had been a busy evening. Roth had been rerailed, and would need to go to the works to have some slight mendings in the morning, but for now, the engines were just happy that their search was over. The manager was pleased with them. "I'm very proud of you," he said, "Despite this blackout, you persevered, and were eventually able to find the elephant. I'll be looking into giving you each your own headlamp, so that if we do have a blackout again, we'll be prepared. Good work!"
"So what happened to you to?" Roger asked as the manager walked away. "Well..." began Roth. "...Let's just say that our search party was definitely one to remember," finished Eloise, and with that, the three engines went to sleep.
|
|
|
Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Jul 2, 2016 13:47:51 GMT -5
No One Like You
When Roth went in to the works to have his front end mended from the accident during the blackout, he was quite surprised to see an engine that looked just like him. The engine was red, and had the same build that Roth had. The engine looked surprised, "Who are you?" he said. "I'm Roth," said Roth, "but who on earth are you?" "I'm Mike," said the engine, "I work at the Arlesdale Railway." "I work at a zoo," said Roth.
Mike was surprised, "A zoo?" "Yes, the Tidmouth Zoo & Aquarium. I pull passengers with two other engines." "I haven't even heard of you," said Mike. "That's because we're new," explained Roth, "we've only just come." "I remember when I was new to Sodor," said Mike thoughtfully. "Why are you here?" "Well," said Roth, "we were trying to find an escaped elephant during a blackout, and one of the engines crashed into me. Why are you here?"
"I'm getting an overhaul," said Mike. "It's nice to have a good rest, but... I kind of want to get back to work." "It must be pretty boring being here all alone." "Yeah..." Mike and Roth talked on until Roth was fixed, and as he left the works on Wilbur the works diesel's flatbed, Roth thought of what a good friend Mike was...
When he arrived back at the zoo, the manager looked relieved to see him. "Thank goodness you're back!" he said, "Eloise has come off the line, and we need someone to help her. Roger is busy with the passengers, so will you help her, please?" "Don't worry," said Roth, "I'm on it!"
He found the breakdown crane, and set off to find Eloise. He knew how Mike must feel doing nothing but waiting around; it was good to stretch his wheels again. He found Eloise on a sharp curve on the line. She wasn't hurt, but had come off and was now off the rails and in the grass. "I see you've been racing again," said Roth cheekily. Eloise snorted, "It's a sharp curve, might happen to any engine..." Roth laughed. "We'd best get you back on the line!"
With that, the breakdown crane swung into action, and soon, Eloise was back on the track. "Thank you, Roth!" she said, as she started back along the line. "Don't mention it!" said Roth, as he went to put the breakdown crane back.
That night, Roth told them all about his trip to the works. "It was nice talking to Mike," he said, "and indeed, he looks just like me! But still..." Roger laughed, "There's no place like home, and your friends, am I right?" Roth laughed, "Yes indeed." The manager, who had been listening, now said, "I think we can safely say that, though there might be other engines that look like you, you all are special in your own way. There's no one like you!"
|
|