The Railway Series Alternate Universe

Book 4: Part 2: Thomas Goes Fishing

November came sooner than anyone had expected. The horrendous rain was an almost constant force against the island.

"My floors are all soaked!" complained Lennie. Their roof leaking after many years of service.

The wind pushed the rain harder into Eli's boiler. "It's not that I enjoy it much either." he groaned.

The crane swayed back and forth, almost hitting the trees on the side of the line. Eli's wheels rolled over the piles of leaves, slipping as he went up the incline towards Elsbridge.

Construction of the extension to Ffarquhar was still ongoing even during the rain. Workmen wore heavy rain coats and struggled to continue with the wind, but The Fat Controller demanded that they be finished before the next summer.

Under the cover of shelter, the workmen continued to dig through the hill nearby the town of Hackenbeck. The lighting was dark with the cloudy skies, but they continued to push through. Eli was sent with the crane to continue laying down track and moving any debris from the new line.

Thomas took the workmen to and from the work-site. A second line was built to the tunnel, but only one line would pass through.

"Bother this rain!" Thomas mumbled. "It would be so much nicer without the wind!"

"It can't be helped." replied Eli. "Although I do hope that it goes away soon."

Puddles filled the railway, as the rain came down harder and harder. Soon, the three engines on the Elsbridge line were sent to stay at the sheds near the big station.

Thomas was sent back to shunting duty once again, and James was more than delighted. Kyle and Eli kept him company when there was no more work to be done. But some days the wind proved to be too strong for them.

The wind died down after a few days, and the engines were sent back to the branch line. Many trees had fallen and the line had to be closed for repairs.

The bridge across the river Els was recently constructed, and spanned a large gap where fishermen caught their meals, and children went swimming. On each sides of the bridge were two sharp turns in the track. Engines had to slow down to be safe, but generally had no worry.

"Damn these leaves! I just slip on the rails!"

"That's what our job is to do, Thomas. We're getting the line ready for winter so then there aren't as many hazards."

"The snow is arguably worse. Do you have to do this every year?!"

Eli sighed. "This isn't my only job. I'm the one that keeps the line maintained."

"I couldn't imagine doing one job for so long!"

Kyle's whistle pierced the air as he arrived with more wagons for debris.

"Looks like we're all full Thomas. You'll have to take the train back down yourself, our brakes can't hold the weight."

"Finally a nice run again!" chirped Thomas. 

The line ahead of him sloped down into one of the steep corners. Thomas was still unfamiliar with the new extension, and he forgot to slow down.

Before he realized, his driver was already putting his brakes on. His wheels just slid on the rails as more leaves had fallen to the ground.

Slipping off the tracks, Thomas rolled straight into the river. The cold water cascaded around his tanks and through his cab. Both his driver and fireman were unharmed, but soaked by the water.

"We'll need to leave you behind, Thomas! We'll head to the station before we catch a cold, but we'll get Eli and Kyle here to get you out of the river!"

Thomas wanted to groan, but his mouth sat below the top of the river. 

For the rest of the day, Thomas could hear Kyle go back and forth down the line. The two engines continued to work to finish the job. 

Kyle's trains were shorter than Thomas' and the work took much longer. But before dusk, the two engines arrived at the bridge with the cranes, and lifted Thomas out of the river.

"Finally! Couldn't you have done the work any faster!?"

"Our brakes, Thomas." commented Eli. Kyle had moved away to deal with the trucks when Thomas started shouting.

Placing him onto the flatbed, the workmen examined the engine.

"No signs of any damage. He just needs to dry out before he starts up again."

Thomas rolled his eyes. Heading back down the line, Thomas saw his crew still at the station. They were waiting to be picked up by the bus service that had started up.

At Knapford, Thomas was put into a siding out of the way until he was ready to be started up in the morning. 

"See you tomorrow, Thomas!" said Eli. 

"Not like I saw you that much today."

When morning came, Thomas was delighted to see his crew again. But when they neared the engine, a strange smell wafted through the air.

"Is that... fish?"

"Maybe we could stop at the shop and pick up some chips for lunch?"

"Fish!? Where could there be fish!?"

His fireman got in the cab and looked in the firebox. Near the back of the burning firebox, were three fish, getting cooked by the hot coals.

"They must have been there since yesterday. You're pretty good bait, Thomas!"

"Get them out of me!"

"Sorry, bud. The firebox is going good now. It would be a shame to douse it just for a couple of fish. Although they do smell delicious."

For the entire morning, the aroma followed Thomas throughout his work. Passengers could smell burnt fish as they traveled up the line, and trucks complained coming down from the tunnel.

By the end of the day, only piles of ash remained in the firebox, cleaned out by the fireman.