Tales from the rails

Rhys and The Boulder

Ashley Stone Quarry was a new project made by Ashley Quartz. She was a very rich person in the town of Maddox. She started the project with lorries, but the workers started to go on strike because she was underpaying them. So she started to build a rail link. It took around a month to complete the entire rail line, and they hired a nearby railway to help work there as well. There is a standard gauge line and then a narrow gauge line as well. The railway is called the Tallylyn Railway. They only have a few engines, so an engine or two work on the line for a week before they swap out with two other engines.

The engines liked working there as they were given a chance to finally be free from passenger duty and finally get dirty and not have to worry so much about timetables. Or so they thought. "I don't understand why Mrs. Ashley is such a hard-ass!" Said Douglas one morning. "I'm late by a few seconds and she tears into me!" He was very grumpy this day, which was like him, but he had been in a good mood for the past day or two. "Oh, well, that's no good. I'll have a word with her about it this evening." Said Midlander, wanting Douglas to go back to the happy self he was earlier that day.

One evening, Rhys arrived with some workmen and trucks that needed to be loaded with stone. "Hey there, I don't think I have ever seen you little lads before. I'm Rhys, what are your names?" Asked the now curious engine. "I'm Midlander, and this is Douglas. I'm a maintenance diesel, so it's hard come up here for other work. And Douglas here is an express goods engine." He said as he was shunting a stone train behind Douglas. "Ye better be off to work!" Warned the little blue tank engine. "The manager who runs the place is a real hard ass." Douglas then said his goodbyes before setting off. "He's a wee bit cranky today." Said Midlander as he rolled into a siding. "I presume you'll be working here for a while. So this is the sheds." He said as he backed into a makeshift shed. It had no walls nor any doors. Rhys then rolled into the sheds. "And Rhys, you MUST get to safety when they say 'Blasting'. That's when they are using dynamite, it's dangerous." Warned Midlander as he went to sleep.

The next day, Rhys was setting off up high into the mountains, he had to collect some rocks. His firewoman, Emma, had to take a sick leave due to some unforeseen events with her health. Rhys, the driver, had to work alone with Rhys, the engine. "Come on driver, what's taking so long?" He asked as he waited for a proper fire. "It's hard building up steam, I'm not used to doing this!" Said the driver. But soon, all be it still early, they made their way up the hill into the quarry with their trucks.

"Well lady and gentleman, we're here, the Ashley Stone Quarry!" Yelled Z from behind a boulder. No one had arrived yet so they could be loud. "Z, you're going crazy if you think this plan will work!" "You're damn right I am!" He yelled as he began to grab a few sticks of Dynamite out of his duffle bay. Serena, the woman who decide to work alongside Z to get back at Emma, was fuming. "That'sss not gonna work!" She yelled as she then ran over to the quarry site where they had begun to dig into the mountain side. She tampered with the site, turning tools and powerful equipment towards the area of the boulder. She then ran back cackling, "This is sssure to get that girl, the girl with blue hair, and that nassty boy DD asss well!" She said as she grabbed the other man's hand. "Indeed! I'm still surprised a serpent like you would wanna kill a monster like her." He said as he pulled her up. "Remember who is else is a monster before you say stuff like that, idiot!" She said as she smacked him. "You're a mean one, Serena." Said Z as he began to giggle. Suddenly, a worker popped into view, and the three quieted down. "Huh, did it always point that way?" He said as he began to turn on the rock softener.

A rock softener is a machine that hits rock at rapid speed, but it doesn't break it because it's not sharp at the contact point. It doesn't really soften rock, it loosens rock, but it basically is the same thing. More workers filled into the mountain side as Rhys puffed slowly due to the speed limit. He shunted the trucks into a siding just beyond the boulder. Suddenly, a bomb went off! And another! Suddenly, Rhys's driver looked up. "It's the boulder! Rhys, RUN!!" He screamed as he threw open the regulator and reversed down the line. The rails were bumpy, that's why the speed limit was there. "Woah, woah, woah!" Rhys screamed as he fell out of the cab. The boulder thundered after the engine. "Oh no, Rhys!" Screamed Serena as she went to go save the boy. She did so, and before Rhys could think, she took him away.  Rhys then raced down the line, screaming in fear, he wanted to stop, he wanted to hide, but he couldn't! "Oh no, oh no! Leave me alone!" He was sent into a siding, Rhys was then stopped by some dirt and buffers. "I've stopped! It's left me alone! Aha!" The boulder then thundered past him! "HOLY SH-"

Midlander was on his way up the line, then he heard a rumbling in the distance grow louder and louder! "What's that?!" Screamed his driver. The boulder rolled into view and Midlander began to roll backwards. "It's after me!!!" He screamed as he rolled over a bridge. But then he was thrown down another siding. The boulder sped by, throwing pebbles at the little diesel, scratching his paint.

Dan entered the yards. Talyllyn entered from the other way, he had to reverse because there wasn't a way to turn around. "Hello there, I'm Talyllyn, who are you?" Asked the kind red engine. "Hello, I'm Dan! It's a pleasure to meet you." Said the Clever little engine. Suddenly, an alarm blared, "CLEAR THE AREA, BOULDER INCOMING!" Screamed the Forman, running for cover. The two engines were startled. "What was- OH MY GOD!" Screamed Dan as his eyes darted to the big boulder of Schist and granite thundering towards them. "Dan, lookout!" Yelled Talyllyn as the boulder ran through the sheds. The sheds was holding some Dynamite that had not been there before, and the whole shed exploded! "DAN!" Screamed Talyllyn as he rolled over to the curve. Dan was perfectly fine, a little scared, but fine.

"WHO THE HELL PUT THIS DYNAMITE IN HERE?!" Yelled the yard manager, he was angered by the fact someone had even thought to have put the explosives in an area where sparks occured often. "Sorry sir, I did." Said a man. He was wearing an orange hat with a white tank top and black overalls. "You sir, are fired!" Yelled the Forman. "I'll leave my tools at the shed sir." Said the odd man with a smirk as he walked away. His name tag read Bert. He muttered under his breath, "Damn it, I didn't kill that DD, or that Mia. At least we got that Rhys." He said as he walked away. Dan puffed to Rhys, Rhys was crying. "Rhys, what's wrong?" Asked Dan, he was very curious to seeing his very strong, soft hearted friend crying. "T-t-t-they sniff took h-h-h-h-him a-away!" He stuttered through tears. Dan buffered up to his friend, he had a serious but content look on his face. "We'll get him back, I'll make sure of it." He said as he was coupled up to him and they rolled back down the line to go home.

Midlander watched the two leave. He was sad for Rhys, he felt bad for what happened to him. He oiled away as Talyllyn watched the diesel roll away, then he looked at Douglas. "So, what now? Those tracks are too damaged for loco use." "Aye, ye right. I think they might send us up with a special type of engine. I heard it's called a stationary steam engine. It's just a winch though, it's somewhat stupid." He said as he rolled off. "I wonder who will be forced to bring that up." Said Talyllyn as he followed the other engines home.