The Railway Series Alternate Universe

Book 3: Part 3: Troublesome Trucks

The hill blocked out the sun as it lowered over the horizon. A bright line hit James's eye as he grew nearer. Edward passed by on his way to Crosby to bring materials for new telephone lines.

James grew nervous as they entered Wellsworth. The trucks behind him laughed harder than they had all day.

"Shut up.." growled James. He was tired of the noise.

The trucks paid him no mind. Most were laughing at him, and some were cracking jokes.

"James got tripped up without his bootlaces tied up!"

Trying to focus, he continued steadily to the base of the incline. Edward whistled to him from the station, but James blocked him out of his mind.

"Too tired to say hello to your friend?" the trucks taunted.

"F**k off!"

His wheels started to slip as the slope grew steeper. Halfway up he could feel the train coming to a crawl. The bootlace had loosened, causing the brake pipe to leak again.

"Damn it. I told you it wouldn't hold!"

Laughter erupted behind him. James's face turned a deep shade of red.

"That's it! I'm done! You can get someone else to pull this train!" James pouted as he shut his eyes.

"James you can't be serious." said his driver. "You were so excited about taking it just this morning."

"Well my expectations went way above what it really was."

John stepped out of the cab and headed down the line towards Wellsworth. James didn't look back and continued to whine.

A few minutes later, Edward came back up the line with John. He was laughing as he approached James.

"Fancy seeing you so soon again. I heard you were having some trouble?"

James paused. "I'm not giving you the satisfaction of responding."

"That's a bit childish. But that's alright. We can get this train started together and hopefully make it on time."

James stayed silent. He wanted to refuse but there was no other choice. Edward reversed down the hill and got ready to push James up the hill.

The train once again was underway. Having been delayed twice, it was unlikely that it would arrive any time soon. James grew more impatient as the duo gained more speed.

Nearing the crest, James heard Edward yell from behind.

"Apply your brakes!" he shouted.

Before he knew what was happening, James began to speed up. Edward's buffers left the brakevan as the train became uncontrollable.

Thinking fast, James did apply his brakes, and with help from the guard they almost regained control.

Far behind, Edward was racing after them. Maron loomed ahead as the weight of the trucks pushed them down the hill.

"Come on! We can do it!" panted James.

"No you can't! You'll have a chance to stop at Cronk!" cried Edward.

The line between Maron and Cronk was a slow incline headed west. At such a high speed, James would need to use as much weight as he could to slow his train enough to make it through the tight bend.

The trucks, however, surged ahead as the guard was knocked off the footplate. The wind pulling at the tarp on the pipe shook it in the wind.

Then the brakes slammed hard on. The tarp was whisked away and the train slid down the hill. Trucks bounced into each other and James could feel his wheels grinding on the rails from such a high speed.

Finally the train slowed enough to stop on the incline. James felt worn out as Edward reached the accident.

A few of the trucks had derailed, and James's brakes were jammed. He winced when he could finally feel them loosen.

James's driver fell out of his cab. Groaning as he landed on the ballast with a thump.
"Head to the station to call for another engine.." he wheezed.

Edward and his crew rushed towards Cronk to signal an emergency on the telephone.

Taking the rest of the train, Edward left James and the derailed trucks to Crovan's Gate. By now his brakes had been released and he helped the workmen with the crane.

"Good for nothing.." he grumbled.

"Lighten up James. At least nobody was hurt seriously."

"Nobody was hurt- My entire reputation was hurt!"

"What does that matter?"

"Gordon's going to think I'm a joke! Maybe he's right, I shouldn't be on the main line taking any train. Shunting is the only thing I'm remotely good at."

"That's not true. This wasn't even your fault James!" consoled his driver. "I bet if Thomas were here he'd be in the exact same situation."

"Well Thomas isn't here right now is he? I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?"

"Maybe Henry will show you some compassion."

James looked at his driver and rolled his eyes. He huffed as they moved the crane to clear the rest of the line.

It was late before the train reached Crovan's Gate. Edward took the train slowly and darkness consumed the line. The town looked beautiful with the candlelit houses surrounding the works.

Rheneas was resting in the shed while Skarloey was up the line. Edward took care to make sure he stayed well rested for the night.

His driver filled out an incident form for the manager. James's accident was avoidable and should be looked into for further safety.

James's crew booked an inn at Cronk. He was left on the new branch towards the north during the night. Nervousness grew over him the more he thought about Gordon.

"Good evening sir."

"Evening."

"What did you call me here for sir?"

"Would you mind telling my about this incident report?"

"Oh- yes. That's our incident this week from James. He had a brake failure outside of Cronk."

"And why would James have any brake issues? It's mandatory for all shunters to check the brake lines for any faults."

"Well, you see sir, someone must have ignored their duty."

"Have you done any research as to who did this?"

"No sir. It was not necessary as it was just a single incident."

"Yes, Mr. Mill. But this could happen again. Don't let these minor incidents fall through the cracks and cause our railway to topple."

The manager gulped and nodded his head.

"Yes sir. I-I'll get on that immediately."

Sir Topham Hatt glared at him.

"Good."