Tales from the rails

Sabotage

Rhys awoke in his bed one morning and was quite tired. But he had to get up and catch the bus to work. He dressed himself in his railway attire, a dark blue suit with a white undershirt with a black tie with black shoes and gilded buttons on the vest. He put on his hat and walked out of the door. He ate some breakfast, brushed his teeth, and left the house. He met up with Emma at the bus stop. "Where's DD and Delilah?" Asked Rhys. "Delilah said everyone was sick besides DD and herself, so they're already there. They slept at the sheds last night." She explained as Brian pulled up. They boarded and Brian raced off. As the little bus raced along the road, Rhys fell asleep on Emma's shoulder. He awoke at their stop, Emma had nudged him with her shoulder. Dan was outside getting George so they could get to work. Dan had just returned from the works after the little rescue mission and he wanted to get right back to work. Rhys and Emma said hello to their three friends and walked into the sheds. Rhys was still asleep, so Emma lit his fire and woke the engine up slowly. "Is it morning already?" He asked as the fire grew. "Yep buddy." His driver said as began to open the regulator. Rhys slowly rolled onto the turntable. He began to shake, he was cold. "Oh, we should get a stove in here!" He said as he was turned to face the shed doors. He slowly puffed out and left the sheds and went to pick up his coaches. He rolled into the carriage shed and his buffers lightly tapped his coaches. Rhys was fitted with a head code for a stopping passenger train and he went down to the station to pick up his passengers and let his fire warm him up. Dan puffed through the station with George as he was headed to work at Lickey to take over banking duties, Bertha needed repairs. Dan hurried down the line, he didn't want to be late to work. When he made it to the station, he could see a goods train waiting for him, and was ready to bank. It was a train of vans that had been waiting for him. "Let's go! We're going to be late!" Yelled the engine. He looked like Tracey but was painted in British Railways Blue with an 81 on his tenders. He also had a big brown beard and looked very tired. Dan buffered up to the brake van and whistled loud an, "I'm ready!" "Just get me past the curve!" He called out as he looked on ahead. The two started off and the trucks groaned, they didn't want to move. The train made their way up the hill and Dan stopped at the end of the curve. The trucks grumble as they went down the other side of the hill with Nathan, he whistled a, "Thank You!" As he went down the other side.

Rhys thundered down the line with his coaches. They were acting unlike themselves, instead of being energetic and cheerful, they were tired, Rose was even sleeping. Though it wasn't their fault, it was like everyone was extra tired that day. The passengers were sleeping, Rhys was tired, and his driver was tired. The only person not tired was Emma, who was really taking over driving while she made Rhys shovel coal. Rhys finally came to a stop at Deedburg where the stationmaster was late. "Hello Rhys, we got a coal train waiting for you at the colliery." "Huh? But I got passengers to take, who'll take my coaches?" Asked a tired Rhys. "The next train isn't due to leave for an hour. The branch manager is making new rules for our engines, no idling around when you could be working." "Yes sir, where's it headed?" Said Rhys glumly as he was uncoupled from the coaches. "Vale Station, just drop off the trucks and come back, there's going to be a brake van waiting for you to use there so Walter can take a break." Rhys puffed away and headed down the colliery. He rolled down the slope and continued on until he saw the sign to the entrance. He rolled in and the grass became more sooty and black as he continued on. He went to the small turntable where he was turned round and facing the right way. Rhys saw the line of trucks and backed down onto them. A shunter came and coupled him up to the train. "PEOP!" He whistled as he began to leave the colliery. Meanwhile down the mainline Dan was banking trains that came in. George was sleeping in a siding as Dan began to bank a passenger train up the incline. The coaches road up smoothly. Kevin, the yellow A4 pacific, had major wheel slips all the way up, his puffs saying, "I can't do it, I can't do it!" "I will do it, I will do it!" Dan responded and he gripped the rails with ease. Kevin finally reached the top and wheezed, "We've done it, swheshhh! We've done it, swheshhh!" He gave a whistle a thank you as he went down the other side of incline. Dan sat and rested in the siding with George.

Rhys then rolled into the station, still half asleep. Emma gave a whistle for him and Dan got ready. "Wait." Rhys said, look back at the 15 trucks or so. He could then see another engine approaching with a longer train. "I can do it." He said with a smile. "You sure?" "Yep, I'm not that weak after all." "Okay." Dan said as he too looked back and saw the train approaching. Rhys went off with the trucks. He trundled along, climbing the hill. Dan sat at the signal box waiting for the points to change. The signalman threw the lever, but the points didn't change! "Hmmmm." He hummed as he fiddled with the switch. He went down to the basement of the signal box and checked the wires. But before he could even look, a shadow darted out of the door and down the road. That's when the signalman saw the annoyance of the wires he had cut. "Oh, come on! Kids these days." He muttered as he looked at the wires. "The points won't be switching for a while!" He called out to the engine and crew. "Bother." Delilah said. "I can shunt you into the siding, and then you can get behind the trains that way." "That would be nice, thank you." Dan said. The he looked ahead in horror. Dan saw a tiny shadowy figure by the trucks as the train suddenly rolled back down. "HORRORS!" Cried Dan as he shot backwards. The engine, Tracey, saw him beginning to puff back towards her. She tried to stop with the heavy goods train but skidded along the line. Dan looked along the line and saw the shrubs. "DRIVER, FIREWOMAN, JUMP!" He yelled out as he continued back down the line, his whistle blaring and his eyes then shutting. His crew gave a worried glance to each other and then jumped. Dan was then hit by the brake van and it smashed to bits. The trucks followed suit, covering Dan in coal and dust and wood planks. Tracey's crew jumped out of her cab with the brakes slammed on before it was too late. Tracey then popped off the rails, pushing Dan forwards as another truck was crushed by him. DD and Delilah looked up and around, dazed and surprised. Rhys came rushing back down the hill, coming to a stop with the last few trucks that didn't fall back. "Oh..." Tracey groaned. "Everything hurts." Dan whined as he suddenly began sneezing heavily. "ACHOO! ACHOO!" The little tank engine spewed the coal dust in the air out farther. Rhys went back to the station where his crew, both now fully awake, went to call for help. Though the stationmaster had already called for help.

The controller was called, along with the police to see what had happened. Sam, a police engine, was brought along with JD, some ambulances, and investigators. They went around the scene, the signal box, the signals, and all the way up to the top of the incline. After the wreckage was cleared off the line and Dan, Tracey, and the slightly damaged trucks were put onto flatbeds and the train was set up so Sam could take away the trucks. "Sir, the evidence is clear, the chain we found part of the chain up on the incline, we also found the other piece and both sides were a clean cut, like someone took a blade to cut it in half." "So it was certainly sabotage?" "Yes sir, especially the wires in the signal box is, but we can say with a lot of confidence that this was an act of sabotage." The officer finished, "Gramps! I have more information." Said JD, he had just gotten off the phone with the stationmaster at Vale, there was never meant to be a coal train delivered!" "So someone faked an order?" "Yep." JD answered as he held documents and such that proved the point. "Well, this is intriguing. If another incident happens again, I want you on full duty with Sam. You'll have free access to all parts of the railway I own to investigate at any point in time." He said to JD. "Yes sir!" JD said with a salute. JD and Sam were then sent off along with the police. DD, Delilah, and Tracey's crew were all seated by the ambulances that were parked and checking them out. Tracey's driver had a broken arm from the impact of the fall, Delilah had some scratches on her legs from the bush's thorns, DD had a bruise on his head from where her landed on the ground, and Tracey's Fireman was unscathed. Dan and Tracey were taken away to the works while Tracey's driver was taken to the hospital to be properly evaluated. The other four got into George, Rhys took them away to the sheds.