Tales from the rails

The Electrification Act

DD woke up one morning, alone in the house. He had woken up very late and needed to get to work. Delilah left him a note on their drawer. It read: "Dear Sleepyhead, I have walked Ghost and Fed her. Remember we have practice with the band tonight and we have WORK TODAY!!! Love your one and only, Delilah." DD went to get changed and then was ready for work. He got on his bike, and sped off. He didn't have to actually pedal as he found a way to control the bike with his powers, so he sped down the road to Drenk. As he got to a road crossing with his bike, he looked left, nothing coming, right, nothing coming. He began to cross the road. "HOOOOONK! Out of the way!" Yelled a voice, a diesel was thundering towards DD. DD got out of the way just in time as the Diesel shot past. DD was terrified! "Why couldn't I hear it?" He thought to himself as he kept going to the sheds. There was Dan with his three faithful coaches, waiting in the cab was Delilah. "You know, I thought you weren't going to wake up." Said Delilah as DD put his bike next to the sheds. DD said nothing as he climbed into the cab. "What's wrong?" She asked him, getting serious. "I almost got hit by an oncoming train, but... I couldn't hear it until it blasted its horn." DD said finally, everyone gasped. "It's those new electrics!" Dan said finally. "The guys were talking about them on The Grand Tour." There was a long silence. "How was it running?" Asked Delilah. "I mean, there's no way it could have without catenary wires." "They're using solar panels to get the electricity into the engine, which reduces costs." The train stopped at Bluebell Station where passengers got on and off. They continued down the line in silence.

At Levi, the electric engine arrived, and he was very full of himself. "No chance of a steamer getting to that speed." He said to himself as he looked around for a shunter. He spotted Jojo who was about to leave with the express. "You there, engine, come take these carriages and place them in a fine siding. And be quick about it!" The Express Engine wasn't listening to him, his guard's whistle blew, and he set off, his wheels spinning as sparks flew from them. The coaches gave him a small push and the express set off. "How rude." Said the electric engine, not seeing the irony in his comment as the controller walked up. "Ah, welcome to The Drabtic and Deltic Railway! I'm Sir William V. O'mare, controller of the railway!" "Ah, thank you for allowing me to trial on your railway." Said the electric. "So, where is the express? perhaps I can show off my strength and speed to show my keep!" "I like your eagerness to work, however Jojo has just departed from the station, you might have seen him before he did." "Ah, so what shall I do?" Asked the diesel, his passengers got off their coaches, taking their luggage and leaving. The doors were shut by a porter and were ready to be put in the carriage shed. "Well, take those coaches to the carriage shed and we can go from there." The controller said as he walked away. The electric engine grumbled and rolled away with the coaches. When he found the carriage shed, he pushed the coaches into place, smoothly and carefully. "There." He said as he was uncoupled. The electric engine went back to the station, where the controller had a list of jobs and times he had to deliver the trains by, and he handed it to his driver. "This list is part of the trial, if you do well, then you can join the railway. Oh, and before I go, what is your name?" "Bryce, sir." "Well, Bryce, I hope you get on well with your work." Said the controller, and then he went back to his office. "So we have to collect a stone train from KQC, drop that off at Blue Harbour. Then we have to take an empty train to the D&D Steelworks, and then pick up a scrap train to the D&D scrap yard." Bryce's eyes widened, "TRUCKS?!" His voice screamed inside his mind, he went into the yards silently to go fetch a brake van.

As Bryce was taking his brake van, he thundered down the line and rattled around bends. He was silent as he did so, so silent he scared Josh as he flew by! "LORD SAY!" Josh yelled, Bryce just yelled out a quick, "Sorry!" As he continued towards the Kyanite Quarry. He raced over the Lickey Incline and thundered over The Grand Gap. "There it is." He said as he saw a big sign, he slowed down as he approached the switch. The electric engine stopped to see two engines hard at work, his train waiting for him. Bryce didn't say anything to them, he just put his brake van at the end of the train and ran around to the other end, he honked his horn and left the quarry with the train of about 20 or so trucks. The train thundered down the line, Blake and Gregory were double heading a train, and they were headed for Blue Harbour via the Forest Route. "That's a lovely Forest you have there, Blake." Said Gregory as the two engines rolled down a small hill. "Thank you Gregory, I tribute it to a tree that fell on my boiler and the foxes of the forest." The two chuckled as they were about to go over the points. "HOHONK!" Bryce honked his horn as he rolled up to them. "Hello!" He said as he stopped at a red signal. "Oh, I've never see you before! Or maybe my old age is getting to me. I'm Gregory." "And I'm Blake!" They said as they went over the points, taking a long train of tourists to the station. Bryce began to think to himself. "You know, these steamers ain't too bad." He then began to feel bad about what he said to Jojo. "I should apologize to him the next time I see him." He said as he dropped off his trucks. He saw the empty trucks, so he grabbed his brake van from the stone train and put it at the end of the empty train bound for the D&D Steelworks. The trucks clattered along, the only noise coming from the train. Bryce thundered along, and caught up to Jojo. "Hey! Excuse me! I'm sorry about earlier, the demand I made!" Called Bryce over the steam engine's puffing. "Huh? Oh yeah, well it's fine." Said Jojo as his pistons pounded the rails. Jojo picked up speed as Bryce slowed down, he was switched down the line towards the Steelworks. Ryan and Jack, an engine owned by the steelworks, were sitting in the yard, waiting for the train. "Oh, look at what we have here." Said Ryan, "Fresh metal on the rails. So you're one of the new electric engines, right?" "Yes, I am." Said Bryce. "I'm going to be trialed along with another electric engine for express freights on this island. I've been on time for all my jobs today, so I mustn't dilly dally." "Right, well Jack here will take your trucks away and I will go fetch your Scrap train." Said Ryan, and he rushed off. "Hello, I'm Bryce." Said the engine as he watched Jack puff around him and the train. The guard uncoupled the brake van so Jack could move it, and then Jack got the empty flatbeds. Ryan came by with a train of rusty trucks, filled with random things that were also covered in rust, like axles, wheels, damaged engine parts, truck frames, dented or otherwise broken barrels, and other things. "We'd melt them down here but we're already backed up with work, and I can't find the time to take them down myself." Ryan explained. "Now the smelters isn't to far from here. Take a right and it's the next switch that goes off to the left." "Thank you, uh, Ryan." "Just doing my job. Alright Jack, I'm going to get some tipping cars that were loaded up earlier, you give him his brake van and then come help me." Ryan puffed away into the steelworks. Jack did as he was told without a word, and then he followed after Ryan when the brake van was coupled up and the train ready to go. "Thank you, Jack!" Called Bryce, and Jack gave a whistle as Bryce reversed back down to the junction. At the junction, the signal was red. Tracey was thundering down the line with a small goods train and saw the brake van creeping out. It had stopped and wasn't in her way, but it startled her, she thought it was a runaway! "PEIP POIP!" She whistled loudly as she thundered by. "Out of my way!" She yelled as she thundered past the brake van, her brakes were slammed on. The signal turned green as Tracey raced by. Bryce rolled out as Tracey came to a stop. "Are you mad?!" She yelled at him. "What?!" Bryce yelled. "Are you daft? Crazy? Why, oh why, are you reversing out onto the mainline past the signal?!" She yelled. "I saw the red signal, and I did come to a complete stop, the brake van was out of your way!" Bryce tried to defend himself. "Stupid electric." She mumbled, she began to start up again and then there was a loud, "POP!" And she came to another stop. "Bother, stupid tire!" She yelled as she weashed. Bryce didn't say anything, he buffered up to Tracey and started moving. "Where are you taking me?" She asked. "Where does this train need to go?" He asked as he was coupled to the brake van. "Uh... Pleasantville. "I'll drop my train off at the smelters, and then I'll take you there." Said Bryce, and the two engines began to move, Tracey's wheels clicked as the two went along. As they entered the smelters yard, they met a big diesel, the number 40 was on her side. "A fine train of scrap." She said as Bryce stopped. He was uncoupled from Tracey and her train. He pushed his brake van back and crossed a points with his trucks. He put them in the yards, went back to Tracey and backed down on her, he pushed everything together, Tracey with her trucks, along Bryce's brake van. Everything was coupled together, and the two engines set off.

As Bryce and Tracey stopped at the platform at the station, the stationmaster walked up to them. "Leave the trucks here. We'll have a shunter separate them and put them onto different trains later." He said, and he walked away. "Yes sir." Said Bryce as he was uncoupled from Tracey. The guards came out of their brake van. The one in Bryce's brake van uncoupled it from the rest of the train, then he coupled Bryce to his brake van. Bryce ran the loop and came back. Then Tracey was uncoupled from her train. Bryce was uncoupled from his brake van once again, took Tracey, put her in front of the brake van, and the two were coupled together, along with the brake van, and silently rolled away, the only noise being the clinking sound from Tracey's flat wheel. They hurried to the works where some wagons were being fitted with new brakes. Bryce put Tracey in the sheds and left, going to Levi Station to see the controller. He made it to Drenk before being waved down by the stationmaster. He came to a stop, "What is it sir?" He asked, and then the controller walked from the Stationmaster's office. "The controller wishes to see you." "Well done Bryce! Not only did you get all your jobs done today, but you helped out a fellow engine in need. You have proven yourself worthy of being one of my really useful engines!" "Thank you sir! I won't let you down!" He smiled as he honked his horn. "Now then, ought to get to the works to get that number of yours. Welcome to the D&D Railway!" "Thank you sir!" Said the electric engine as he went back the line. A bike with two people on it sped across the rails, Bryce saw the glowing blue spectacle, and gave a light honk of his horn. "Hon hooonk!" He honked, and the bike gave a, "Din ding!" As it crossed the rails. "We ought to make some signs that get engines to whistle their whistles or honk their horns a mile or two before they enter a crossing." Said Delilah as she and DD crossed over the rails and sped along the road. She held tight around the boy's waist as they went to Deedburg, going to practice for a few hours before heading home. "Do you remember the crossings in America? What if we had something like that, where it makes a noise and shuts the gates as an engine approaches?" DD suggested. "That's a good idea." The werewolf said as the two hurried along. Meanwhile, the engines were discussing The Electric Revolution. "They're too quiet, I think something ought to be done about the noise problem." Said Dan. "Indeed, I heard they have several layers of mufflers or something so their engines aren't loud, it's appealing for passengers." Tatum added. "It's a lawsuit against all railways, just waiting to happen." Rhys sneered. "The chap seems nice, I heard he helped Tracey to the works when one of her tires went flat." Edward said. "And Ryan of all engines took a liking to him. I went to the steelworks to pick up those flatbeds and all Ryan was talking about was how, 'I barely know him, but he seems like a chill guy.'" Sally added. "I think we should focus on the main problem with his motor, maybe suggesting it to the controller tomorrow if you see him, not whether or not he's cool." Hanna suggested. "We can argue about that tomorrow." And she went to sleep quickly. The others followed the coach's lead, and soon went to sleep. "We ought to remove a few of those mufflers on your engine." Said one of the workmen when Bryce rolled into the sheds. "What for?" Asked Bryce. "Well, none of us could hear you enter the works until you honked your horn." Said another. "I really wonder what's going through BR's head to put 10 mufflers around an engine to silence it, it's literally going to harm someone one of these days." Said a third. "If it's a safety risk, then do as you must." Said the electric engine as he rolled over to some buffers. The workers quickly opened him up to his engine block to see it covered in foam padding, this was a major surprise. "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, were they trying to start a fire?!" Said one. Another began removing the foam and placed his hand on the engine. "The engine's cold, thank god, I'm surprised that a fire hasn't started already though." "Well, let's do a proper job with these mufflers, it's a stupid idea to begin with." Said the third, and the began working on the doors so the muffler wouldn't be sitting on the engine block, and once that was done, they went home for the night.