George and Jack goes to Tigger's Barn thinking they'll prove Susie's story about a gang meeting there, is right or wrong. And then it turns out to be an adventure!
Peter and Colin arrived at the station just as a train was coming in. They watched it. Two porters were on the platform, and a man stood with them in dirty blue overalls. He had been working on the line, and had hopped up on to the platform when the train came rumbling in.
The boys waited till the train had gone out. Then they went up to one of the porters.
" Are there any goods trains coming through ? " asked Peter. " We like watching them."
" There's one in fifteen minutes' time," said the porter.
" Is it a very long one ? " said Colin. " I once counted forty-seven trucks pulled by a goods engine."
" The longest one comes in here in the evening," said the porter. " How many trucks do you reckon it has as a rule, Zeb ? "
The man in dirty overalls rubbed a black hand over his face, and pushed back his cap. " Well, maybe thirty, maybe forty... it depends."
The boys looked at one another. Zeb! The porter had called the linesman Zeb!\ Could it be ... could it possibly be the same Zeb that had met the other two men at Tigger's Barn ?
They looked at him. He wasn't much to look at, certainly a thin, mean-faced little man, very dirty, and with hair much too long. Zeb! It was such an unusual name that the boys felt sure they must be face to face with the Zeb who had been up at the old tumbledown house.
"Er... what time does this goods train come in the evening ? " asked Peter, rinding his tongue again at last.
"It comes in about six o'clock twice a week," said Zeb. " Six-two, it's supposed to be here, but sometimes it's late."
" Where does it come from ? " asked Colin.
" Plenty of places! " said Zeb. " Turleigh, Idles-ston, Hayley, Garton, Petlington. . . ."
" Petlington! " said Colin, before he could stop himself. That was the place where the firms of Dalling and Hammond were. Peter scowled at him, and Colin hurried to cover up his mistake in calling attention to the town they were so interested in.
"Petlington, yes, go on, where else?" said Colin.
The linesman gave him another string of names, and the boys listened. But they had learnt already a good deal of what they wanted to know.
The 6.2 was a goods train, that came in twice a week, and Petlington was one of the places it came from, probably with a truck or two added there, full of lead goods from Hammond's and Balling's! Lead pipes ? Sheets of lead ? The boys had no idea, and it didn't really matter. It was lead, anyway, valuable lead... they were sure of that! Lead sent off by Cheeky Charlie for his firms.
"We've been playing with my model railway this morning," said Peter, suddenly thinking of a way to ask about points and switches. " It's a fine one... it's got points to switch my trains from one line to another. Jolly good they are too, as good as real points!"
"Ah, you want to ask my mate about them" said Zeb. " He's got plenty to deal with. He uses them to switch the goods trains from one part of the line to another, they often have to go into sidings, you know."
"Does he switch the 6.2 into a siding?" said Peter. "Or does it go straight through on the main-line ? "
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" Straight through," said Zeb. " No, Larry only switches the goods trains that have to be unloaded near here. The 6.2 goes right on to Swindon. You'll see it this evening if you come down."
Peter had given a quick look at Colin to see if he had noticed the name of Zeb's mate, Larry! Zeb and Larry, what an enormous piece of luck! Colin gave a quick wink at Peter. Yes, he had noticed all right! He began to look excited.
" I wish we could see Larry working the points," said Peter. "It must be fun. I expect the switches are quite different from the ones on my railway lines at home."
Zeb laughed. " You bet they are! Ours take some moving! Look, would you like to walk along the line with me, and I'll show you some switches that send a train off into a siding ? It's about a mile up the line."
Peter took a look at his watch. He would be very late for his dinner, but this was really important. Why, he might see the very points that Larry was going to use one dark, foggy night!
" Look out the kids don't get knocked down by a train," the porter warned Zeb, as the linesman took the two boys down on to the track with him.
The boys looked at him with scorn. As if they couldn't tell when a train was coming!
It seemed a very long way up the line. Zeb had a job of work not far from the points. He left his tools by the side of the line he was to repair, and took the boys to where a number of lines crossed one another. He explained how the points worked.
" You pull this lever for that line, see ? Watch how the rails move so that they lead to that other line over there, instead of letting the train keep on this line."
Colin and Peter did a little pulling of levers themselves.
" Does the 6.2 come on this line ? " asked Peter, innocently.
" Yes. But it goes straight on; it doesn't get switched to one side," said Zeb. "It never has goods for this district; it goes on to Swindon. Now don't you ever mess about on the railway by yourselves, or the police will be after you straight away!"
" We won't," promised the two boys.
" Well, I must get on with my job," said Zeb, not sounding as if he wanted to at all. " So long! Hope I've told you what you wanted to know."
He certainly had much, much more than he imagined. Colin and Peter could hardly believe their luck. They made their way to the side of the line, and stood there for a while.
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" We ought really to go and explore the siding," said Peter. " But we're so frightfully late. Blow ... we forgot to ask what evenings the goods train comes in from Petlington!"
" Let's get back, and come again this afternoon," said Colin. " I'm frightfully hungry. We can find out the two days the goods train comes through when we're here this afternoon, and explore the siding too."
They left the railway and went to the road. They were both so excited that they could hardly stop talking. "Fancy bumping into Zeb! Zeb himself! And hearing about Larry in charge of the points! Why, everything's as plain as can be. What a good thing Janet had the brain-wave this morning about points! My goodness, we're in luck's way!"
"We'll be back this afternoon as soon as we can," said Peter. " I vote the whole lot of us go. My word, this is getting exciting! "
