Tales from the rails

Lickey the Ghost Engine

One night, the engines at Drenk were returning to their sheds. Lydia had been invite to spend the night because all the berths on the line were occupied. She had to sit by the door. All the other engines settled in. "Do you know what?" Asked Rhys. "What?" Asked Lydia "Do you know what?" He asked again. "Rhys dear, we aren't going to know what what is until you tell us." Said Sally. "I think we should tell scary stories, but they have to be realistic." He said, "So that way we can really be scared. "Okay," Said Edward, "Then you start." "Alright, I will!" And he began his story. "Long ago, on an old line, there was a small engine. He had a mine on his line that had the engine could fit into the cave tunnels. The engine one night went into the tunnels to get some of the stone. Then kaboom! The tunnel began to collapse as a load of dynamite exploded, leaving the engine to be crushed. They never recovered the engine, and the line closed. But to this day, the engine goes from railway to railway, searching for the ones who left him to die!" The engines sat in silence, then Edward chuckled. The whole shed burst into laughter and Rhys even joined in. "Alright alright, next engine, next engine." He said laughing. So Lydia started, then Edward, then Sally, Hanna went, then Tatum. Then everyone looked at Dan. He had no emotion in his face. "Well, go on Dan." Said Tatum, "It's your turn." Dan took a deep breath. 

"The year was 1946. The war was over and I was allowed to return to normal service. Many engines were also on the line. Both new and old were on the line. None stayed after, but one was on the verge of leaving. His name was Lickey. He was the banker at the Lickey incline and was named after it. He thought he was invincible, saying, 'You all need me, or else you would never get up the hill.' I was a very passive and when I was pulling a goods train, I'd whistle, he'd bump me and we would start. He road roughly, and would bounce at high speeds. One time, I pushed the train he was pulling. Going down the hill, rocketing and the train just kept going. That was the day. I-I tried to stop, but my brakes were powerless. The trucks just screamed 'on, on, on.' Then we reached The Grand Gap, they were working on the rails, no rough riding was allowed at the time. He screamed in terror as he bounced off the rails. He crashed into some scaffolding, striking a pipe." He paused. "It went through his face, right through his eye. All I could do was stare. My driver reversed and we alerted to the station master and I went back to retrieve the trucks." He finished the story. He still had his emotionless face that had not moved. "W-w-well that stor-r-ry isn't real, no way!" Said Rhys, stuttering in what sounded like fear. "Y-yeah!" Stuttered Tatum. "Oh, but I'm not finished. Take a train of ten trucks and two vans with a toad brake van to the bottom of Lickey hill at the dead of night. Then sit at the back of the train and wait. Suddenly, the train will begin to move on its own all the way to the top of the hill, it will go l the way to The Grand Gap before it jerks to a stop. And you can see suspended in midair the ghostly shell of the engine we once called Lickey."  The engines were all silent. Fine then! I'll go and do it!" Said Rhys, trying to show off for Sally. "Come on Sally, let's go." Said Rhys as he puffed off. "Okay." She said, with a look of worry in her eyes. Lydia followed as well as she was curious. "Good night everyone." Said Dan as he began to roll along the track. "Where ye going?" Asked Tatum. "You think that story was bogus? Every word I spoke was true. I should've known not to do this." He was almost out when said something, "Oh, I did leave one part out, if you fail to stop the train, you come off the rails, and you can meet a worse fate than him." He whistled loudly as he followed.

Rhys had gotten Walter and some trucks into a line. They were all empty. A late night shunter fastened the coupling. "What's going on Mr. Rhys?" Asked the groggy brake van. "We're proving someone wrong." He said in an angry manor. He waited. And waited. And waited. "See, nothi- woah!" The train began moving. "Woah woah woah! Hey, who's doing this?!" Screamed Rhys. No response but an old loud whistle, saying "hooop pohop hoooooooop!" Rhys began to reverse, holding the train back. But then he slid forwards, and a "Pip Pip peeeeep!" Was heard behind him. Dan knocked Rhys off the rails, taking his place. "Dan, no!" He screamed as Dan puffed off. Dan pushed the train, picking up speed. "Get ready Walter!" Yelled Dan as he began to shut off steam. "Yes Mr. Dan," said Walter as he began to brake. Dan's brakes screeched as he held the train back. The train came to a stop. Walter was tired, "We... phew, we did it, Mr. Dan!" He smiled at the engine, and the engine smiled back. "Come on, let's go." He said as he began to pull the train back.

He returned and Rhys was back on the rails thanks to Sally and Lydia using the branch line breakdown train. "What the hell did you do that for Dan?!" Said Rhys, he had a temper. "Now you'll tell them that you got hit by a runaway truck to explain the scratches and you'll be much careful when I tell you this kind of stuff." Said Dan sternly. "Now there is no need for that, I've seen everything." Boomed a voice. "Rhys, you should have been warned to not do this. I am very-" "Sir, it was my fault! I told him the story." Said Dan. "And then I challenged him to do it." The controller and all the engines stared "You did this Dan? Well then, I am taking the branch line away from you until you learn your less in the yards shunting for the next month." Said the controller. He walked to his car and drove away. "Why did you cover for me?" Asked Rhys. "Because you shouldn't be punished, I told you the story and in a way, I did challenge you to do it." Said Dan. "Now back to your sheds everyone, it has been a very, very long night." The engines did so, "Oh, Lydia, can you come here for a moment?" "Oh, uh, sure." She puffed backwards next to him. "You can have my berth when I'm not here, so you have a spot to sleep in and not in the carriage shed." "Oh, thanks Dan." She said as she began to puff away. "It wasn't your fault, I don't blame you for what happened." Said Dan as she puffed away. "O-oh, um... okay." She said as she puffed away. "But it was the sparks from my funnel, it is Dan, and I'll accept the fact you're mad about it." She thought as she slowly puffed away. A teardrop fell from her eye as she remembered that day, and the man that had talked to her.