Tales from the rails

Trials and Trinkets

Two new engines had joined the Breakdown gang. One was a Blue GER J69 and the other was a Red SECR N class. Their names are Dexter, the number 68, and Jonathan, the number 67. The two were just joining the Breakdown gang. "Alright, pick up this truck." Said Eddy. They had lowered a truck off the rails. "Okay." Said Dexter. He got his cranes into position and the workmen began to set up the cranes. Dexter remained coupled to them as they worked hard lifting the truck off the ground and onto the rails. "Splendid job on your final test Dexter! Now you are officially part of the Breakdown Gang!" Said Eddy as he prepared to derail the truck again. "Awesome! I can't believe I did it!" Dexter cheered as the workers got back into the coach. "Alright, you can start work on the branch lines next week, enjoy your time off, champ!" The tender engine smiled as he got to his cranes. "Alrighty!" The tank engine began to shunt the cranes and coach to the platform and let the workers prepare for the next final.

"Alright Jonathan, you ready for your final?" Asked Eddy. The truck sitting on its side once again. "Hold on, I need my lucky spike on." Jonathan replied. "Your lucky what?" Asked Eddy, puzzled. "My lucky spike! It's a railway spike that I found. I needed a new lamp iron for my lamp to help a Royal train, and then I found this! I've kept it with me ever since and I've never gotten into trouble." He explained. "Oh, well that's the first I've ever heard of a lucky rail spike. But once you're ready, we can begin." Eddy said. "Eddy! There's been a little mishap at Vale station! We need you there right away!" Yelled the manager. "Oh dear! We're going to need to postpone your test Jonathan! I'm sorry about this." Said Eddy as he ran to his cranes and raced off with a, "PEEP PEOP!" Of his whistle. "Ah well, I guess I can go and rest." Said the red tender engine as he puffed into the engine sheds. "So how did you do?" Asked Hercules. "I don't know yet, we didn't start you see." Jonathan replied as puffed onto the turntable. "Must've been serious." Dexter said. "I know, they said it was just a mishap at Vale, so it could just be a simple derailment." "Yeah, well you ought to rest up before this test. Dexter's is a little more simple you see. The cranes you and Eddy have are a lot more complex. They have require more care and need to be watched every second." Said Hercules. "Yeah, and they're really heavy too." Yawned Jonathan as he fell asleep.

Eddy had just made it to the station where he saw Josh's tender. The engine had hit a large branch that had come across the line and while he had crushed it under his wheels, the branch had won. "Don't worry Josh, we'll soon have you back on the rails!" "Oh thank heavens." He said as he looked up and away from his buffers. "So were you traveling alone?" "No, I had a freight train, that's why I didn't stop in time." "I see, who took your trucks?" "I think it was Micheal." "Hmm, so this yard is without a shunter." "I feel fine, it just popped me off the rails you see. I think I can take up the work until he gets back." Josh said as he was slowly lifted up into the air. "I agree you can too, just come back by the end of the day so we can look you over." Eddy said as he got Josh back onto the rails. "Alright, see you then." Josh said as he went over to the station to see if they would have a list of trains coming in and out of the station. "Alright, let's head back." Eddy said as he got to the back of the cranes and began to set off. "Wait!" Yelled the station master. "What is it?" Asked Eddy as he looked back and stopped. "Your manager is on the phone, your crew needs to come here!" He puffed over and let his crew enter the station. "Well, seems Jonathan ain't gonna get tested today. We got track inspection." Said his driver. "Aww man! Track inspection sucks!" Eddy said as he began to shunt his cranes into one of the empty siding. They then set off slowly down the mainline to inspect the track.

Eddy had just made it over some points at The Grand Gap. He and his crew were crawling at 1 mile per hour and honestly bored out of their minds. "Oh my god, I hate this so much." Said Eddy's Fireman. "We all do, these tracks are perfect until you find something warped or cracked. That's the only time when it's fun, but even that's not fun!" Said his driver. "Wait... do you hear that?" "I do!" Said the driver. "It sounds like... trucks!" Exclaimed the fireman. The three looked on ahead as they watched in horror the trucks hurtling down the line. "On! On! Faster! Faster!" They laughed as rattled down the line. "Oh no!" Eddy yelled as he heard the switch behind him change into the runaway line, which if the buffers didn't stop him, The Grand Gap would! "Get out of here!" He yelled at his crew, though they needed no encouragement to leave. They ran to the sides and watched as the guard jumped out of the brake van just before slamming into Eddy. But instead of the trucks crashing, Eddy and the trucks charged at the buffers, with a shrieking CRACK! The buffer were demolished and Eddy rolled down into the gap with the trucks, breaking his side rods in every which way. The trucks themselves just laughed and laughed, all except a few. Jarrid and Ava had been on the train. They only wanted to cause a runaway to get back at Micheal for bumping them with no reason to boot, not get someone hurt. "Are you alright Eddy?" Asked Jarrid as he lay on his side. "I don't think so..." he groaned as he looked around. "We're sorry about this, we were just getting back at Micheal for bumping us." Ava explained as she shut her eyes. "Oh I don't like being upside down." She complained. "So were you guys on Josh's train?" Eddy asked. "Yeah, and things were going smoothly until he hit something big." Explained Jarrid. "Then Micheal took us, saying something like, 'This'll impress the controller and Lydia, come along!' As he bumped us hard." Said Ava. "Then Ava and I came up with a plan for how to pay him out after he bumped us a lot." "We didn't want him to derail, just something to make him look silly." "And then we decided on what was supposed to be a controlled runaway." "The signalman put us on the express line, and then we crashed into you." They explained as the sun rose to high noon, and then a voice called down. "Eddy!? Are ye alright?" Came a call. It was Josh! "Umm, no! I kinda don't feel good really." He called back. "I'll get to the station and call for he- DAMNIT!" He yelled as he came off the rails again. "What happened up there?" Eddy asked. "I came off the rails tender first! Why does this always happen to me?!" He yelled. "You boys alright?" Came a voice. It was Sir Haydn! He was taking a slate train to the next station. "Sir Haydn! Oh thank goodness you're here! We need you to get us some help, I, very obviously, am off the rails and so is Josh!" "Oh my! I'll hurry and get there as fast as I can! I bet I can do it under two minutes!" He said as he began to weash steam and started to move. "Pip Peep!" He whistled as he hurried down the line. "No no! We want to go slower!" Clattered the trucks as they followed behind. "I don't think he'll make it in two minutes." Said Josh as he looked down the line. "You're probably right, that station's at least a 15 minute drive by car, a engine making it there in that time frame is impossible."

Sir Haydn thundered down the line, he passed green signals and other engines too! "Oh my Sir Haydn! Do slow down!" Yelled Talyllyn. "I can't, emergency at The Grand Gap!" He called back as he rocketed passed. "Then all the speed you need!" Sir Hayden reached the station in three minutes and was very pleased with himself. "My my, you must have been doing 40 to get here in such a timeframe." Said the stationmaster. "Sir, there's been an accident at The Grand Gap! We need the standard gauge breakdown gang at once!" Sir Haydn said quickly as his crew explained what they saw. The three men walked into the station and dialed the Breakdown emergency number and got them into action quickly. "EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY!" A siren blared. "Hurry on you two! Said Hercules. "But I didn't do my final!" Said Jonathan. Hercules looked him in the eyes, "Trust me man, you're going to be great." Jonathan whistled loudly as he rolled onto the turntable. He then went to his cranes and coach and made sure everyone boarded. "We're off!" He said as he quickly rolled onto the mainline, Dexter was soon to follow. When they got to the sight, Josh was sitting tender first in a trap points, unable to move. "Oh thank heavens! He's down there!" Josh said, completely off the rails and barely out of the way. "Jonathan, you get Eddy and those trucks, I'll get Josh." "B-" "Dude, just like training." Jonathan slowly rolled along the bridge to pick up some trucks. The wind blew fiercely and the engine shook. "Oh boy. I-I-I can't do this!" He said. "Start simple!" Eddy yelled up. Jonathan looked around suddenly, he saw a few trucks that were sitting in the siding. He took them and moved them forwards. Then he got the cranes into position to lift some trucks out. They were just a bunch of empties, so really the only loss of profit would be the repairs for these trucks and Eddy. Jonathan worked hard lifting trucks out of the viaduct. After that was done, Eddy was next to be lifted out. But before they could start, some bad gusts of winds blew, the cranes swayed from side to side. And just before they could be stabilized, Jonathan's Rail spike flew off into the viaduct! "No no no!" He yelled, though he didn't see where it had fall, that being Eddy's empty tender. "It's okay Jonathan, you got this!" Yelled Eddy. "B-b-b-b-!" "I believe in you!" Jonathan stared at the now stable cranes, the sun had set and there was barely any light. The crane arms lowered their hooks and the workers had gotten Eddy ready to be hoisted up. "Just keep it stable." The crew began to lift up Eddy. "Oh boy, oh boy!" Jonathan said as he felt the cranes trying to leave the rails. He used his own weight to force them down. After a few minutes, Eddy was secured on a flatbed, and they went down for his tender. The tender was much easier to get as it was way less heavy. Soon, they were ready to leave.

At the sheds it was very apparent that Eddy and Josh needed repairs, and new paint. "Well done Jonathan! Well done Dexter!" Said the head of the breakdown gang. "You two really proved yourselves with today's surprise mission." "Indeed you did!" Boomed the Controller. "Sir?! What are you doing here?" Asked Dexter. "I'm here to give you two these to hang up in your cab." He said as he revealed two plaques that read: "THE BREAKDOWN GANG" in gold. "Oh thank you sir!" Said Jonathan. "Thank you two! You saved your fellow engines in their most difficult moments. I am proud you are on my railway!" "Three cheers for Dexter and Jonathan!" Yelled Hercules. "HIP HIP, HOORAY!" The yard erupted in cheers from engines, rolling stock, and workers. The two engines went into their spots in the shed. "I hope you guys are ready for tomorrow, because until Eddy is ready, it's going to be one hell of a month." Said Hercules as he yawned and went to sleep. "You bet we are." Said Dexter. "Yeah, we're the breakdown gang, ready for anything." Jonathan yawned as he drifted off to sleep. "Hello? Will someone help me? When is the test going to resume?" The truck called into the night, still on his side. Though the others were fast asleep.