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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:48:23 GMT -5
The Three Word Story Revolution Novels - No.2 The Life & Times of Diesel 15 Part Three: Australian Beginnings
Dear Friends,
It came as a surprise to Diesel 15 and Iron Mike that they were going to Australia, but despite being sorry to leave their old home, they both set off towards the 'Land Down Under' full of hope for the adventures that were in store for them.
Diesel 15 was not initially thought highly of by the other engines on the line, but because of his hard work and determination, he became popular with everyone who met him.
The Author
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:48:45 GMT -5
Heaven Can Wait
It was a busy time for those on the Garratt Railway. In one week, the two remaining engines would be heading off to another corner of the world to begin a new life. Both Diesel 15 and Iron Mike had been very surprised to find out that they would be going to Australia - it had come right out of the blue. "Australia!" Iron Mike had said. "Can you believe it?" "I know I can't," said Diesel 15, "It feels like only yesterday that I first came here, and it's been some sixteen years already." "I feel the same," said Iron Mike, "and I've been here longer than you have! I sure will miss this place, it's been my home longer than any other place else." "It's my first home," quipped Diesel 15. Then he sighed. "I only hope that our new home will be just as great as this one has been."
Soon, the week was over, and the time came for Diesel 15 and Iron Mike to board the ship that would take them to Australia. All of their friends came to see them, including those that enjoyed riding on their trains when the line had been open, those that worked on the railway, including stationmasters, signalmen, and drivers and firemen, and of course, Sir Alan and Reginald Walkins themselves. The last two came up to the two engines and wished them the very best of luck in their new home, telling them that they were proud of everything they had done for the railway and reiterating that they would go far as engines. Then everyone gave a big cheer as the cranes loading the engines into the ship.
The two engines found themselves in the ship's hull alongside some other engines of all different shapes and sizes. Some men put ropes around the engines, and then they left. It was dark inside the hull, though the engines could still see thanks to a couple of lights in the hull. Presently the engines could feel themselves begin to move. Nobody said a word; the engines all just eyed each other with curiosity. Diesel 15 himself wondered what these engines' stories were. Would they too be going to Australia, or would they end up somewhere completely different? Would some of them end up being on the same railway he and Iron Mike were going to live? He could only guess. The trip seemed to last forever to the little diesel. Finally, at long last, some men came down into the hull. "We're docking," they said. "Some of you will getting out here."
Diesel 15 became rather excited as the cranes lifted him off of the ship and onto a lorry below. Iron Mike was placed behind them. The two engines looked around at they saw before them. "Wow," said Diesel 15, "this looks like it'll be a great place to live!" The lorry chuckled, "Oh, you're not going to live here, mate," he said. "We're not?" Diesel 15 asked, surprised. "No, you've still got another trip ahead of you - on road!" "How long will that take?" asked Iron Mike, who was not much for long rides. "Oh, 'bout two hours, give or take," replied the lorry nonchalantly. Iron Mike sighed. "Oh well then."
Everything was put in place, the engines were secured to the lorry, and then the next part of their journey began. Iron Mike decided to pass the time by sleeping, but Diesel 15 kept his eyes open the whole trip, taking in everything he saw with wonder. It was much different from England, and a much different trip than that first lorry ride he took sixteen years ago. The little diesel enjoyed all the little twists and turn of the back roads, but when the lorry got onto the highway, that's when he began to start worrying. "Woah! Slow down!" he called. The lorry laughed. "Don'tcha worry mate, I got this!" Diesel 15 sincerely hoped so!
Finally, the lorry got off of the highway and onto another road. "We're nearly there," he said. Iron Mike woke up just then. "What? Who? Where? When?" The lorry chuckled. "We're almost at your new home," he repeated. "Oh," said Iron Mike. Diesel 15 was still excited. "I can't wait to see what it's like," he said.
Just then, the lorry climbed over a hill, and there it was. A large city built right by the sea. They could see ships docking and unloading their cargo, lots of houses and other buildings, and a railway running through and around the city. Diesel 15 and Iron Mike gasped. This was bigger than they had anticipated. The lorry heard them and chuckled. "Gentlemen, welcome to Southport!"
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:49:06 GMT -5
Inside The Fire
Diesel 15 and Iron Mike looked all around in amazement as they drove down the hill towards the city. It was like nothing they'd ever seen before, and they were speechless. "Amazing, isn't it?" said the lorry. "It was built in 1801 as a small town, and is now a bustling city of activity. It's one of the most prominent sea ports in the world as well." "Very interesting," said Iron Mike. "How big is the railway itself?" "Well, you can see some of it from here. It only begins in Southport, the rest of it runs through a few smaller towns and cities before it ends. It's pretty busy though, so you're going to be just the thing for it. I warn you though, you might not get a chance to rest very often, so enjoy your time right now while you still can!"
The lorry arrived at the railway, where some men were waiting for them. "Ah! You've finally arrived," said one man. "Good." Then turning to some men, he said, "Unload these engines and set them on the rails." The men did so, and once Diesel 15 and Iron Mike were on firm rails again, the men looked them over. Feeling satisfied, the man who seemed to be in charge said to the engines, "Well, this is it. Welcome to the Southport Railway!" Then the two Garratts were sent on their way to get straight to work. They would learn that this man was in fact the manager of the railway.
Diesel 15 and Iron Mike soon met the other engines. There was a small little engine named Pike who looked as though he couldn't do much, but could hold his weight in the yard. There were two large tank engines - Bertha and Gordy. These two engines seemed to think of themselves higher than the rest, and looked down upon the smaller engines. And finally there was an electric engine named Kyle who never seemed to say much, he just did his job silently and efficiently and that was good enough for him. It might have seemed like a small number of engines for such a large railway, but they did their jobs so well they didn't need extra help until just recently, hence why Diesel 15 and Iron Mike had come.
Bertha and Gordy didn't initially warm to the newcomers, especially Diesel 15. "Look at him!" said Gordy. "No driver! Whoever heard of such a thing?" "And he's a diesel Garratt," said Bertha, "That has to be the most preposterous combination of all time." Pike on the other hand, warmed to them right away. "Don't mind them two," he said. "They're all full of boloney anyhow." Kyle just said nothing.
At first, things seemed to go well Iron Mike and Diesel 15. They brought their trains in on time and always tried to be as careful as possible with the passengers, and already had received some very nice complements. However, one morning, Diesel 15 made a mistake that did not go down well with the other engines and those and those in charge themselves.
One morning, Diesel 15 was up earlier than usual trying to shunt some passenger coaches to the station. He was still tired and thus was not focusing properly. If he had been it would have been better. Diesel 15 suddenly heard a shout from the station and quickly saw what was the matter - two of the coaches had derailed. He quickly applied his brakes and came to a stop before anything of much worth could happen. Luckily for him, no one was hurt and coaches were undamaged. However, the derailment did delay the trains, not for very long, but for enough time that they had to go faster to make up for lost time.
The manager came to the sheds that evening and spoke to Diesel 15. "I know you're still new here," he said, "but you have to be more careful. The next time someone might actually get hurt." "I'm sorry, sir," said the diesel sadly. "It's not really your fault," said the manager, "there was in fact a rock on the line that caused the derailment, but please be more careful next time." "If I might make a suggestion," interjected Gordy, "perhaps it would be best to have a driver aboard young diesel here until-" here he gave a cough "-such times as he can be trusted." "Hmm," said the manager, "there might be something in that. All right, Diesel 15, here's what we'll do: You'll still be able to move by yourself, but will have a driver on board you to make sure nothing happens. If nothing goes wrong, you'll be able to run by yourself again after that. It's for the safety of everyone that we do this for now." "Yes, sir," said Diesel 15, who himself agreed that it was a good plan.
When the manager left, Gordy snorted. "Hmph! He let him off too lightly," he said. "Oh be quiet and go to sleep," said Pike. Diesel 15 said nothing, but he did think about how long it took for him to make friends on his old railway. He wondered how long it would take to win the two tank engines over this time.
The idea for the derailment came from the 1908 derailment at Blandford in New South Wales, Australia, where some carriages from a mail train became derailed. The incident was heavily alterred here.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:49:29 GMT -5
Straight To Hell
Diesel 15 got along well with his driver, and everything ran like clockwork. His trains ran to time, the passengers all told the management what a great engine he was, and he made no more mistakes. After some weeks with his driver, the manager allowed him to work without one once again. Bertha and Gordy still looked down on him, however, and made snide comments about him constantly. "Look at him!" said Gordy. "Without a driver that diesel is a danger to society! The manager may trust him, but you can bet that I won't. If he gets into trouble it'll be a sorry day for all of us." "Agreed," said Bertha, "who knows what that diesel engine can do to this railway if he messes up." Pike was quick to retort, "And this is coming from the two engines that got stuck inside the tunnel some time ago!" Gordy and Bertha both went a deep red. Gordy began spluttering, and turned to Iron Mike. "What do you think? We can't trust young diesel can we? He was on your railway and it closed down. It was probably because of something he did, was it not? He can't handle any type of job can he?" Iron Mike, who had been resting, didn't even open his eyes; he just smiled and said, "Diesel 15 can handle his own."
As the year went on and the days became colder, the engines began to long for the summer to return. Fall brought along great times of change for the scenery, but no one cared much because they were too busy shivering and trying to stay warm. "Y'can imagine what it's loik in winter times," said Pike. "If ye think it's cold now, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Diesel 15 just shivered. He wished he had a fire like the other engines so he could keep warm better. That was the one problem of being a diesel!
Then for a stretch of about a week, a terrible fog came upon the railway. It was off and on, but most readily apparent in the evening and late at night. Trains weren't scheduled later than 10.00, but that were scheduled before then had to be extra careful. Fog can make everything look confusing, and engines always must keep a good look-out in case anything happens. If one train is running at the same time as another train, then both engines most proceed with extreme caution. Gordy boasted that he was the only engine that could truly run through fog. "You smaller engines wouldn't know how to properly drive in fog," he said. "I can, I've never had an accident in it and never will." The others chuckled; they took whatever Gordy and Bertha said with a pinch of salt. "Just remember not to have your lights on at full power," said Iron Mike. "It sounds weird, but it's best to keep it lower than usual during fog." Gordy just snorted and rolled away to collect his train. "The cheek! Telling me how to take my trains! Me of all engines! Pah!"
Gordy had to take the late-night passenger from Southport to Orville, another stop on the line. He was running well, it was all smooth running until they suddenly hit a thick patch of fog. Gordy couldn't make out anything at all. "Where am I at?" he wondered. His driver slowed him down, and then suddenly there was a clang! The driver applied the brakes, and they came to a stop.
The driver, fireman, and the guard all went round to try to find out what had happened. They soon found out. "There's a loose wheel on you," said the driver. "The guard will have to go back to get some help, while we try to calm the passengers. Just hold tight." That was all that Gordy could do, and he waited impatiently for the guard to return with help. It grew colder and colder, and the tank engine did not like it one bit.
The fog did not get clearer at all; rather, it seemed to only grow in thickness. The passengers were worried, but the driver and fireman managed to calm them down, and were entertaining them by telling stories of their work on the railway. Presently Gordy thought he heard something. He listened again. "It sounds like a horn," he thought. Then he realized. "Oh no! That's Diesel 15's train! He was supposed to come after me! The warning must not have gone through in time!"
Diesel 15 had been making good time, and was pulling another passenger train from Southport bound for Orville. However, the fog was becoming almost too thick, and he began to slow down. Gordy was frantic. If Diesel 15 didn't stop there could be a serious accident. His driver realized it too, and slipping out of the coach he ran to the cab of his engine and blew the whistle a good number of times. Diesel 15 heard a whistle. "Hmm, that sounds like an engine, I'd better slow down more." Diesel 15 applied his brakes slowly and carefully, and was glad he did so when he saw Gordy sitting like a duck in front of him. "Phew!" said Gordy. "I thought for sure you would have hit me!" Just then, they heard another engine approaching. "Who could that be now?" said Gordy's driver, blowing the whistle again. This time it was Bertha, who had come to help Gordy. She brought him home while Diesel 15 took care of both Gordy's passengers and his own, bringing them safely to Orville.
Later that night, when Diesel 15 came home from his work, Gordy was already there waiting for him. "You did well to stop in time," he said to the diesel. "You avoided what could have been a nasty accident." "Thank you," said Diesel 15. The two engines were silent for awhile. Finally Gordy spoke. "Look, I'm sorry about the way I've been acting towards you. What say we be friends from now on?" Diesel 15 smiled. "I'd like that more than anything," he replied. Then the two new friends went to sleep, ready for the next day's work.
Inspired by the Berala train collision of 1952, in which a fully laden passenger train crashed into the back of a stationary passenger train, resulting in telescoping and the deaths of several people... it was of course altered here...
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:49:53 GMT -5
Raise A Little Hell
When Pike learned about the previous night's happenings, he wouldn't stop ragging Gordy on about it. However, Diesel 15 soon put a stop to this - much to the surprise of the other engines! After winning over Gordy, only Bertha remained prejudiced against the little diesel, however, even she was won over in the end. At last all of the engines on the railway were friends. Although of course, Kyle always remained his standard serious, efficient, and silent.
As Southport was a major seafaring city, with one of the most popular ports in the world, naturally the engines were often kept busy down by the docks. They had many trains to take from the port to other places along the line, and they enjoyed the cool sea air that always seemed to hang around the port. One of the most popular trains that came from the port was the local fish train, which was filled with fish from all across the world from the wide variety of ships that came to the harbour. Some of the engines, Diesel 15 and Iron Mike especially, enjoyed the fish train, however Gordy and Bertha did not. "Such a smelly thing!" Gordy said of it. "I just can't stand pulling that thing!" "It reminds me of the fish train we sometimes pulled on Diesel 15 and my own old line," said Iron Mike, "I enjoy the train for that reason." Diesel 15 smiled and thought back to that moment so many years ago when he and Iron Mike had put aside their differences and become friends after an incident with the fish train. Gordy snorted. "Well, I'll take your word for it."
One morning, Pike had been scheduled to take the fish train. When he was down at the harbour, he enjoyed talking to Serenity, a pleasure yacht owned by a rich business man living in Southport. There was always some story that either Serenity could tell Pike, or Pike could tell Serenity, that they hadn't yet heard elsewhere. Today, as Pike was waiting for his train to be loaded up, the yacht had some pretty big news to tell him. "There's been some trouble," she told the little engine, "apparently there's a thief that's been going around stealing things throughout the town." "Oh really?" Pike said, intrigued. "Yes," replied Serenity, "some of the farmer's animals have gone missing, and several have reported missing jewelry. The police seem to be baffled; no one knows who the thief is. Best be sure to keep on the look-out." "I will," said Pike.
At that moment, the last of the cars was loaded up, and Pike was coupled on to his train. He was just about to start when he heard a banging noise, or at least he thought he did. "That's strange," he thought, "it sounds like it's coming from one of the cars." He waited for the sound to repeat itself, but when it didn't he decided that his ears were playing tricks on him and set off with his train.
Pike, like Diesel 15 and Iron Mike, enjoyed taking the fish train. He liked running along the line with the boxcars rattling behind him. Though if you saw him you would have been surprised to see a little mite like himself pulling a long line of trucks filled with boxes upon boxes of fish - it boggled the mind, but Pike could always hold his own weight against the other engines. Despite his small size, he was by far an asset to the railway.
Pike reached the first station feeling very much enthused. The run had been a good one, and he was ready for the next part of the run. As the men unloaded some of the boxes, he closed his eyes and took in the sun which was shining for the first time that spring. Just then, he heard the banging sound again. "I can't be imagining this!" he thought. When his driver came back, he told him what he thought. "I think something's banging around in one of the vans," he said. His driver listened. "I don't hear anything," he said. "Maybe you just thought you heard something." "I don't know," said Pike, and as they set off again he wondered what the sound could have been.
The same thing happened at the next station - Pike heard a banging noise but no one else seemed to. At the third station however, he heard it again. This time his driver said, "You know what, I think I hear something too. We'd best have a look inside the cars in case something is wrong." So the men all went to the vans and opened up the doors one by one. There was nothing the matter with any of them until they came to the last one. Whatever they had expected, it was most certainly not what they found!
When they opened the door of the last van, the driver gave a gasp. "Well if that doesn't take the biscuit!" he said in amazement. Inside the van, amongst the fish, was a man. When he saw the door open he bounded out and dropped down on the ground, breathing furiously. "I thought I was going to pass out from that stench!" he said. "I will never eat, touch, or go near another fish in my life, so help me!" The stationmaster then said, "Now, suppose you tell us how you end up inside the van in the first place?" The man looked around at the other people on the platform. "Well, you see... my, er, hat got blown away and landed inside of the van, so I, er, went inside to retrieve it." "Um-hmm," said the stationmaster, "let's see if the police agree with that story." Pike finished the last part of the train chuckling about the incident.
The man was soon proven to be the thief that had been stealing from people throughout the town. He went inside the van to take some fish while no one was looking, but had inadvertantly gotten trapped inside when the doors were closed. The judge ended up giving him a lighter sentence because everyone agreed that he had already been duly punished trapped inside of the van with nothing but boxes of fish and the pungent odor all around him! Needless to say, Pike had quite the story to tell Serenity next time he saw her!
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Dec 1, 2016 17:50:14 GMT -5
Give 'Em Hell, Kid!
Besides shipping, another major industry of Southport was grain. The grain grown at the farm just outside of the city was used to make breads and other foods, not to mention it also helped to feed the animals. Whenever the grain was harvested, the farmer sent it along by train. As such, those on the Southport Railway always had to haul the grain to the city where it could be bought at the marketplace. This was Gordy and Bertha's favorite train. They enjoyed pulling the grain because it reminded them of a baker who used to live in Southport, who had sadly passed on some years before. "You wouldn't understand it," said Bertha. "There's just something about pulling that train that makes me feel so... nostalgic and overwhelmed with emotion. It's a wonderful feeling, though it makes me sad all the same." "I can understand that," said Iron Mike, "it's one reason I enjoy the fish train so much. On our old line, there was always a special fish train pulled every Friday at around 8.00. It reminds me of the wonderful times I had on the Garratt Railway..." Despite the fact that they still believed quite firmly that the fish train was a nasty piece of work, they could respect Iron Mike's liking of it for this reason.
One morning, Diesel 15 had to take some empty trucks to the farm. He arrived at the yard in a cheerful mood; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the trucks were all lined up for him to take. It was days like these that the little diesel lived for. Diesel 15 buffered up to the trucks and was coupled up. He started to leave when he heard a loud CLANK! He stopped quickly. "What was that?" he said, surprised. The yard manager saw instantly what had happened, "The coupling gear on the first truck has come off," he said. "It's not your fault, this should have been seen to by the railway." "Oh bother," said Diesel 15. Then he had an idea. "I once heard of an engine who had the same thing happen to him. They were able to make a temporary fix to the situation by tying some wire around the engine's coupling and the hole on the truck where the coupling came off." "Hmm," said the yard manager, "you might just have something there. I'll run inside and get some wire."
Meanwhile, Gordy and Bertha had to pull some grain from the farm to the city. The farmer saw them off as they started, puffing next to each other side-by-side. They were both remembering the baker. He had always had a soft spot for engines and waved every time they went past. Pulling the grain cars made it feel like he was almost there himself with them.
They were running nicely, when they came to some points. It was supposed to be set straight, however the signalman had falling asleep from overworking and it was not putting in the right direction. Bertha suddenly collided with Gordy's train, bringing them both to a stop. The drivers and firemen inspected the damage. "You two certainly have had some luck," said Gordy's driver. "Not much damage has been done, the only thing being that one of the trucks now has gotten bent a bit. We'll just back you up and switch the points ourselves, and continue to Southport. You better be glad it was nothing more serious!" Gordy and Bertha were!
Meanwhile, Diesel 15 had delivered the cars to the farmer, and when he came back to the sheds that night, he said, "Well, I've had an eventful day. You guys don't know how lucky you are." Gordy and Bertha exchanged amused glances with each other as the little diesel fell asleep.
Diesel 15 worked on the Southport Railway for about five years. During that time, the railway slowly became used less and less. While there were still loyal customers wishing to send their products by rail, and plenty of passengers who wished to ride on an engine, businesses had begun to use lorries instead of engines. As such, the railway found it had one engine too many. The manager came to the sheds one evening and spoke to Diesel 15. "Diesel 15," he said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but we have no use for you here on this railway anymore." The little diesel was shocked. "But... but sir... I..." The manager raised his hand for silence. "It's nothing you did wrong, Diesel 15. We just don't need a sixth engine anymore. However," he continued, "we have found another railway for you to work on." Diesel 15 perked up. "Really, sir?" "Yes," replied the manager. "There's a new railway being built that spans across part of the Outback. They are interesting in buying you. It's going to be harder work but you've more than proven that you can handle pretty much anything. How about?" Diesel 15 pondered. "Well sir, I'm going to miss my friends here, but I'll go where I'm needed." "That's the spirit," the manager smiled.
The transaction went through without any problems, and soon the time came for everyone to say goodbye to the little diesel. "I'll miss you," said Diesel 15 as he was loaded onto the lorry, "but I'm sure my new home will be a great place to live and work as well." "You take care of yourself," Iron Mike told him. "I will," smiled Diesel 15. "Goodbye!" called out all the engines as they watched Diesel 15 depart. "I'll miss you," the little diesel said as he watched them grow smaller and smaller in the distance. He knew that he would miss his second home, but was nonetheless excited to see what the new railway would be like, what friends he would make there, and what adventures were in store for him in days to come...
Gordy and Bertha's incident with the grain cars was based on the Yass Junction collision in 2010, where two trains, both pulling a loaded grain train, ended up colliding with each other while they were supposed to wait and let another train pass.
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