Tales from the rails

Blake, Jayden, and The Foxes

Jayden was going down his branch line with his coaches, running smoothly along the East Coast of the Drabton and Deltic Isle. "Pip Peep!" Came a whistle. It was Winter, a 2-8-0 light pink tender engine. She was Great Western Engine too, being a 30xx class. "Hello! Welcome to the East Coast Branch!" Jayden smiled as the two passed. "PWEEEEP PIP!" She whistled again as she went along with a brake van. The tank engine pondered where he had seen her before, but he couldn't put his buffer on it. He stopped at the top station and the passengers disembarked, and new ones got onboard. Sir William V was one of the passengers who got on. The guard's whistle blew as Jayden's driver entered the auto coach cab. Jayden whistled and set off going backwards. For the rest of the day, Jayden kept going back and forth on the line, there were only five stations along the line, so he was happy when he went back to his shed at the end of the day. There was Winter and Marvin, a new shed for winter was being constructed and the frame was the only thing up, and the project would take a few weeks before she could call it home. "Hey everyone." Said Jayden as he reversed into his berth. He was looking forwards to a good rest and another engine on his branch. "So, you served in The War too?" Asked Marvin. "Yeah, that's where I got this scar." Winter answered. "How did you get it?" "I was saving a passenger train when they were dropping bombs on Paddington. Some scrap flew at me and cut my eyelid." Wait, Winter? Is that you?" Asked Jayden, the pieces clicked for him suddenly. "You two know each other?" "Yeah, he helped me to the works after the metal cut me. If the metal went even an inch deeper than it did, I would have blown up. So my crew dropped my fire and only let Jayden here move me when my boiler was cold." "Uh huh. Oh, why are you here?" Marvin inquired. "Your line is being expanded to a coal and slate quarry. So I'm going to be added as a new member of the team!" "Nice to see another Great Westerner in the team." "Yep, and while I'm constructing this line, it's going to be done The Great Western Way." "For the love of God, I don't need you babbling in my ear about, 'The Great Western Way,' for the millionth time. We ought to do things the Drabtic and Deltic Way." Marvin said, his mood changed almost immediately after Winter started praising GWR. "What? It's not a bad way of doing things. "Uh huh? Well why would they scrap their own if they're so good? That's what happened to me and your brother Oliver, Jayden!" "Listen, it was BR! The GWR had no choice in the matter." The two began mindlessly arguing to each other when someone cleared his throat. "Sir!" Jayden and Marvin quickly stopped arguing. "Now then, Jayden, now that Winter has filled you in on the line expansion, I wanted to let you know that for the first week, I need you on an older line to help Blake repair it. It's going to be a bit of a tourist attraction called, 'Blake's Forest.' His choice in picking the name for it of course. But nevertheless, the track needs maintenance and some of the trees must be removed as they are a bit unsafe for the engines." "Yes sir, I'll do it the Great Western Way!" "There you go again! With the Great Western Way!" "It's the only way of doing things, it's either that or the wrong way!" The two argued as the controller sighed and left. Winter was starting to get annoyed with the two idiots who were trying to see who was right. "You guys are going this the wrong way! Arguing solves nothing!" Winter finally cut in, the two snapped out of their ignorance and suddenly apologized to each other. "You guys are weird, I'm going to bed." Winter said, and she soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Jayden was ready for the tasks he had. He grabbed a brake van from the yards and set off for Levi Station. On the way he passed Sally of all engines. "Hey Sally, are you covering me?" He asked as he slowed down a bit. "Yes, I am. Don't worry, your coaches are in good care." Said Sally as she hurried by. The two whistled goodbyes to each other. Jayden reached Levi a half hour later, and the little tank engines asked the stationmaster where his trucks were. "That's something you wanna ask the yard manager, I just know when you're meant to come in, and you are... a minute early." He said, looking at his watch. Jayden thanked him for the info and hurried into the yards. He found the yard manager and asked where his trucks were. "Oh, they're at the harbour at track two. They were meant to be at the station for you but we've just been so busy with these passenger trains lately we have almost no time or room to take the goods to the station like we used to." He said as he looked at Jayden. "Alright, thank you." Said Jayden. He set off again and went to the harbour where he found his trucks, he coupled up the brake van up to the back of the train and took off. As they went along the line, Jayden began to hum a tune. The tank engine puffed down the line when he saw the old line. He saw a tender sitting on the points, it was Blake and he was sleeping soundly. "Pip Peep!" Whistled Jayden as he came to a stop. "Oh, right! Come right this way!" Said Blake as he moved forwards. Jayden followed him to down the line and the workmen began to set up work. "Jayden, come here. I want to show you the true beauty of my forest." Blake said. Jayden was uncoupled from the trucks. Then Blake stopped and looked over at a tree. "These are my foxes. The mother is called Debra. Her kids are Clay, because he rolls around in mud and clay. Then there's Rose because one time she brought me a rose. And then there is Spot, he's got a spot on his left eye so I call him Spot." Said Blake, he rolled along silently as to not disturb them. "Wow, they're all so cute!" Said Jayden as he rolled along silently. The two engines then set to work. Blake had a crane and was using it to rip up rails and Jayden with the ballast layers began to reballast the rails. The rails had been full ripped up by the time they were done for the day, with only a few rails were laid down and firmly set in place. "I'll be at the harbour in one of the few vacant sheds they usually have, if you want to come down, do so. The four are always welcoming to guests!" Blake called up from the forest as he reversed back down the line. "See you there." Jayden said as he took the trucks back down the line. He dropped the workers off at the station where a bus came to pick them up and they were on their way home, while Jayden took the rolling stock to the harbour.