The Sudrians: Tales from the Engines

Engines of Versatility (1979)

- June -

Molly had been enjoying her life on the North Western Railway. It was a nice change then the strict nature of the military and she got on well with all the engines. It took her a while to get back into practice with pulling passenger trains too, but she managed. Molly was also been given the role of a utility engine just like James, Donald and Douglas. This meant she can go anywhere on the railway and do all kinds of jobs. Whether being put on the branch lines or the mainline, taking goods and passengers wherever. She was very pleased by this position.

The other engines were very impressed. "You do fine work," said Gordon one morning, "you'll be a great addition to our railway!"

One summer day, a special rail excursion was coming to the railway, all the engines had heard about it and were looking forward to meeting the visiting engine. "I'm guessing it's going to be one of the preserved steam engines," Murdoch said, at Barrow-In-Furness, "why wouldn't it?"

Gordon smirked. "I will gladly hope so," he said, "we haven't had a visiting engine on our railway for a while now and with Connor and Caitlin in their overhaul, we haven't seen many steam engines come here that aren't a part of our railway."

Just then, they heard a shrill, loud whistle coming down the line. "That sounds like them," Murdoch noted, "that was an A4 whistle, correct?"

"Indeed," said Gordon, then his smile dropped, "oh good grief, please do not let it be him. Out of all those A4s let it not be him!"

"Who?" quizzed Murdoch, but before Gordon could plead or explain, a train came storming through Barrow, went over the points and onto the Sudrian mainline, it didn't stop at Barrow and continued on up the line to its destination. Murdoch didn't get a proper glimpse of the engine, too busy cringing at the noise, but it looked like a silver bullet to him.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"That," said Gordon, in a dull, depressed tone, "was Spencer."

"Sir Spencer Crovan?" said Murdoch.

"Yes."

"Well... he certainly likes to be loud."

"My dear Murdoch," said Gordon darkly, "you haven't heard anything yet."

***

Both big engines arrived back at Tidmouth, pulling their respective trains. They came to the depot to find Spencer, sitting next to the water columns with a smug grin on his face. "Hello Gordon, dear cousin," Spencer smirked, "it's been a while, hasn't it? I see the place has changed, other than you, of course, still keeping to the past I see?"

"And I see your smug is still plastered on your face," Gordon retorted, "last time it had a very different expression. I believe it looked like a sad engine on the verge of tears when leaving after being scolded like a little child."

Spencer's smugness left his face and he scowled at the big engine. "The very cheek of you!" he said, "why, I should get... get...."

He trailed off, and Gordon gave him a wry grin back. "Get what? Or who? The duke? I do apologise, Spencer but I don't think he'll believe you over me." Spencer seethed, the Duke of Boxford did in fact like Gordon a lot, gifting him new nameplates and even last year offered to pay for Gordon's new paintwork. This always infuriated the streamlined engine, the others always thought him to be an insecure, spoiled child, which was true.

The cousin's small chat left Spencer in a very bad mood, he grumbled crossly in the roundhouse later that night as the engines all came back. "Not bad," he said when examining the shed, "but I do admit, I should be having a much... nicer shed."