A Usual Evening

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by 11ty12

by 11ty12

It had been another long day for James the Red Engine. He'd been on back to back goods trains for days since the summer season began, and his usual shiny red paint had been covered in a lot of dirt and grime. He arrived one evening with one such train, an ever present scowl stuck across his face as he stared at the tracks, grumbling to himself.

Just then, Rosie appeared from behind a line of trucks in much the same condition as James, but not looking a quarter his hostility. She whistled happily to him, "Evening James! Looks like you've been hard at work," she looks him up and down as he's uncoupled.

The seething engine looked up at her in annoyance and gritted his teeth, "Hard at work? Hard at work?! I've been 'working hard' for the past three weeks! Goods here, workmen there! It's exhausting! AND, I've not had so much as a soapy rag on me buffer! Can you believe that?"

Rosie could only chuckle at James' outburst as she started disassembling his train, "Its not too hard to imagine, considering the state you're in."

James growled as he stopped at the water column, continuing his tirade, "You're laughing! Laughing! At me! I'm supposed to be the pride of the line, but I look as dirty as a little shunter like you!"

"Well don't you think it's a good thing you're at least in use? Could be worse!"

"It could not be worse, Rosie! I'd prefer being scrapped where I stand over pulling another one of those giggling little demons on wheels a single inch!"

Rosie rolled alongside with a sly smirk across her face, "Funny you should say so James, since your next train's for the Ironworks."

James had had enough. At that very moment, with his face redder than his paint, his safety valve burst off and shot into the air, steam leaking everywhere. Everyone one was shocked, but James only complained even more, "I'M NOT GOING THERE IF I WERE THE LAST ENGINE ON SODOR!"

"Well you won't be," said his driver, shaking his head, "You're gonna need a replacement valve before you can go anywhere."

"That won't do," said the yard manager, who'd left his office after hearing the commotion, "There's no spare engines to take this train."

"I could do it sir!" plucked up Rosie, eager to leave pull a train on the mainline.

The yard manager was hesitant, but eventually agreed after a bit more pleading, "Yes, alright, you may take the train, but take James with you to Killdane. I'll see if an engine from the works can meet take him from there."

And so it was arranged. With an eager Rosie in front, a frustrated James just behind, and a long train of trucks filled with scrap trailing behind, they clattered out of the docks and towards the Ironworks.