//------------------------------//
// Quaint My Ride 
// Story: Thomas and Friends: The Caretakers 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

The restoration of Old Slow Coach was proceeding very nicely. The elderly wooden coach was found to be, on a mechanical level, in good order, and the only real challenge was the paintwork.

Rocky looked at the coach in a level of surprise and puzzlement as he closely studied the bodywork. "What type of livery would go well on this type of coach?" he asked himself, more on a rhetorical level than anything else.

Jazz, who had just arrived, had some thoughts of her own. "I was doing some research," she said, "and it turns out Clara here is a former Great Western coach. This would suggest she should be painted in chocolate and cream colours, as that was the livery the company used in that time period."

"I like the sound of that!" Clara said, which caught them by surprise. The concept of a talking coach was still somewhat new to them. To be precise, the entire idea of talking rolling stock and vehicles was still pretty new to everybody, it only having been about a year since the magic had returned to Britain.

Rocky took Jazz to the side. "Well, here were some paint pots I found," he said. "These are different shades of brown and cream respectively. We'll also need some undercoats and heavier layers on top of that, but overall finding the layers and shades we need shouldn't be too complicated."

Jazz sniffed. "What type of paint did you buy?"

"Oh, I got this down at the hardware store. It should be fine, right?"

Jazz leaned down and read the label. "Water based paint. You are aware Clara will be out in the open air most of the time, right?"

"I assume we then need another type of paint," Rocky said.

"Emulsion, to be precise," Jazz replied. "This will probably work if used on something inside, but outside I would advise something else be used."

"Looks like I'm back off to the shops, then," Rocky sighed. "They'll be wondering why we're purchasing so much paint!"





By the time Rocky returned, things had already changed a bit in the shed. Jazz had changed into protective gear and had pulled on a gas mask. She was currently at work removing dirt and old paint from the bodywork. In order to be repainted, they had to try and get back to the original wood. Otherwise, they would be painting over the top of old paint, and this could cause some technical issues going forward.

Once all the old paint was removed and they were back to bare wood, the first of several coats of paint were applied, with the coach looking a very odd shade of yellow at first.

"Looks like a vehicle in a Network Rail formation," Rocky observed.

"This is only the first coat," Jazz replied. "We've covered over the windows so we don't paint those by mistake, and each subsequent layer will help the paintwork really shine and glow."

"Maybe the paint will show us its sparkle?" Rocky asked.

"Sorry, not following you there."

"Oh well. Everybody, unite!"





After close to a day's work, the paintwork was finally ready. Clara gleamed as she hadn't in a long time, with her paint looking as fresh as it did when she first emerged from Swindon carriage works all those decades ago.

This just left another challenge- the interior. Rocky had already thought of this. "I was thinking of this as a proposal," he said. "When either stationary or on the move, the seats provide a nice, homelike atmosphere, and the tables can have things on them like local adverts, flyers, and even a selection of local food."

"The cafe segment will be in the guard's compartment, to be folded away if Clara is needed for passenger service," Jazz pointed out. "But the chairs and tables idea is perfect. The interior design is a good one. Let's get to work!"

"That's the problem. I haven't ordered the furniture yet."





After another day's work, Clara's interior was now ready to go. To say the coach looked marvellous was an understatement. Chocolate and cream paintwork gleamed in the summer sun, and light flooded into the interior, making the coach feel spacious and inviting.

The interior was nicely laid out as well. The pair had taken inspiration from an early 20th Century sitting room, and had placed items suitable to that time period. Rocky had also installed a bathtub, for some reason.

As Salty was attached to the coach, Jazz and Rocky took their seats onboard the coach to test the features. "I'm glad we don't have to do this in period dress!" Jazz said. "Me and a corset do not go well together."

Rocky picked up his radio. "Alright Posey!" he said. "You can begin your pull!"

"Understood," came the reply. Sure enough the train began to move off- and the two passengers were almost immediately launched backwards by the acceleration.

Rocky glanced down as he saw the chair had rocked back. "Bolt chairs to floor," he noted, as he saw plates and cups had also gone flying. "Otherwise we may have injuries."

Once they had sorted that out, it was time to bring the coach up to speed. As Clara rattled along at about twenty five miles an hour, they suddenly ran into a problem- another one.

"Did we secure any furniture to the floor?" Jazz asked.

"No," Rocky said. "I thought it was heavy enough to stay in the same spot!"

Sure enough, the furniture was sliding about. Pots and pans fell off the tops of drawers and landed on the floor. Crockery broke and shattered as it hit the ground. It was a frightful mess.

The furniture and fittings weren't the only things sliding about. Jazz and Rocky were being thrown back and forth as the fittings moved about.

"Regain control of the office!" Rocky shouted as they were thrown against the wall. Moments later he landed in the bath.

"Looks like you fell right into that one," Jazz joked, the ridiculousness of the situation starting to get to her.

When they got to Perranwell, they were glad to get out. Rocky had been keeping a list of all the things that had gone wrong. "Well," he said, "apart from the fact that things weren't nailed to the floor, and we got thrown about a bit, and there were a few design flaws, and the bath I fell in, I would say that was a resounding success."

"It works as an interior for a passenger carriage," Jazz said. "Provided the carriage never actually moves. I'll go get some nails."