One morning, Flying Scotsman was being filled up with coal at Tidmouth. He had worked a railtour to Sodor the previous day, and was being prepared for his return trip. As he was waiting for refuelling to be completed, he saw Stepney steam past with a rather odd looking, low slung bogie wagon. He instantly knew what it was.
"Great Scott!" he said. "That's a brake tender! I had no idea any of those had survived."
"Beats me," Stepney said. "I didn't know what it was either."
"A brake tender," explained Flying Scotsman, "is a device that has weights in it, which is used to help a heavy train slow down. They were frequently paired with diesels, who often had weaker brakes than steam engines. But who is it for?"
"Me, of course," said a voice. With that, BoCo rolled into the yard and gently into the tender. He was pulling a long train of unfitted wagons. Filthy Rich hopped out of the cab and hooked BoCo up to it.
"It doesn't look like a tender," Sweetie Belle pondered. "It has no coal or water in it!"
"Diesel engines don't need either," Filthy Rich laughed. "But I think this is one of only a handful left in the world."
"One of only two," BoCo replied. "The other's somewhere in the Midlands. But seeing this again certainly brings back memories. I remember when I was given mine, not long after I was built."
"Could you tell us the story?" Spitfire asked.
"Of course!" BoCo replied, and the story began...
1957
An inspector had come to the Midland Region to investigate the success of the BR Modernisation Program. Many designs of diesels had been built to see which practices worked best and which didn't, and in one case query whether it was money well spent. As he observed, D5705, then newly built and entered into traffic, rattled through with a rake of loaded wagons, smoke belching from his engines.
"Were those unfitted wagons?" he asked the manager.
"Yes, they were," the manager said. "But he was only doing 35 miles per hour."
"That's unsafe railway practice," said the inspector. "Trains hauled by Type 2 diesels must have brake tenders fitted, as they have far lower braking force than steam engines."
"I am sorry," the manager replied. "I was not aware."
"I have a solution, though," said the inspector. "The Eastern Region is experimenting with brake tenders. These are rail vehicles filled with loose metal that help a diesel slow down. That'd work perfectly for your lower rated diesels. I'll call Doncaster and ask if they can send you one. Apart from that, modernisation is proceeding on time and on budget."
"I'll alert the diesels to this new innovation," the manager said. The next morning, he spoke to D5705, and told him what the inspector had said. "From now on," he said, "until we can replace our unfitted wagons with fitted wagons, we will be pairing you with a brake tender."
"A what?" D5705 asked. A small, odd, green and yellow wagon sat in front of him.
"A brake tender is a rail vehicle filled with loose metal that help a diesel slow down," the manager replied, repeating what the inspector had told him yesterday. "Here at Barrow, we have lots of unfitted wagons, so equipment like this will be absolutely vital. I want you to give it a test on an unfitted goods to Carnforth later today."
"Yes sir," D5705 replied. He was later attached to classmate D5701, and both diesels were coupled into the goods, which was long and heavy. Then another diesel shunted the brake tender into place in front of him. "Why is it at the front? I thought they were normally at the back!"
"I thought likewise," said the diesel, a Brush Type 4. "But the yard manager told me to put it in front."
"How will I see where I'm going?" asked BoCo, confused.
"Easy!" said the driver. "Leave that to me." And so, the long, heavy goods train set off, both diesels roaring and belching smoke. At first, nothing went wrong. But then, as he waited to enter Carnforth Yard, a Jinty flew past laughing.
"Doesn't he look silly!" said the Jinty. "Tenders go at the back, not the front!"
More and more engines kept giving the two diesels nonsense, until D5705 had had enough. "That's it," he said. "We'll leave it here. We handled those trucks fine without it, and we'll do it again."
Later, a foreman arrived to tell them something. "There's been a track issue on the Cumbrian Coast," he said. "We're routing all trains up to Oxenholme, and sending them back via Hincaster Junction. You'll have to run round your train at Oxenholme yard and proceed back down the line."
D5705 didn't like the sound of that. "Can't we just top and tail, with one diesel on each end?" he suggested.
"Good idea!" said the foreman. "D5701, stay where you are. D5705, work to the other end!"
A Duchess, watching from nearby, looked concerned as the two diesels departed, sans brake tender. "That's not good," she said. "If they're going via Hincaster, they'll have difficulty controlling speed with that lot."
The lines climbs sharply from Carnforth to Oxenholme, and the extra weight, even with two diesels supplying power, made the run slow going. At last, they reached Oxenholme, and reversed direction to access the junction. But as they rolled away, the trucks all slammed into each other. "Faster! Faster! As fast as you want!"
"What the?" said D5705. Both drivers slammed on their brakes as they tried to control the weight of the train, but it was no use. Speed continued to climb as they roared towards Hincaster Junction, and when they hit the speed restricted curve, it was too late. Engines and trucks tipped over and derailed, with the wagons being scattered all over the West Coast Mainline, and both diesels being deposited in a nearby field. "Oh dear."
The manager was not happy. When he arrived at the scene with the breakdown train, he had much to say. "Now both of the major rail lines in the area are blocked," he said. "Where is your brake tender?"
"Back in Carnforth," D5705 replied. "I left it there after a Jinty mocked me over it."
"I'll give him an earful," said the manager.
"Sir, railway locomotives don't have ea-"
"Yes, thank you Bernard."
D5705 was soon back in working order, and always took his brake tender with him. As for the Jinty, well... let's just say he had several long weeks of nothing but shunting.
10787902
And many different cutoff designs.
Huh, would you look at that; a complex issue, with a simple solution
Though, I would like to know why diesels had (still have?) lower breaking power to a steam engine
Heh.... I assume said fan created episode would happen to be a certain NWR1991? :3
Wow! This was really cool! I love how you based this on NWR1991's video!
10787924
The earlier machines, particularly the Type 2s and leighweight DMUs, were not as heavy as steam engines. This is why they had lower braking force.
10788065
Correct.
10788082
I quite liked it, given the focus on a neglected character and the inclusion of an interesting story based on a forgotten piece of railway practice.
10788466
Indeed. I mean, I didn't even know what a brake tender even was
10788524
A lot of British people don't. Heck, a lot know very little about basic railway procedure.
10788529
Well, I guess it comes with not having much physical evidence of it.
It's like how I learned there was another kind of Revolver used in the Old West besides Colts, Remingtons, and Smith & Wessons.
But in hindsight, had I but known of brake tenders I would've added one to my fictional railway. Several infact.
10788531
I assume your rail system has several first generation BR diesels then?
10788547
Yeah. But they work in a different location along side a few older US diesel locomotives.
But they aren't named yet. I haven't even figured which class of diesels they are.
However, on the main railway, one branch line has 2 Class 04 tramway diesels on it.
10788553
10788574
That individual's live music covers of Thomas themes are always sweet. And I'm not gonna lie, I always hear Mavis' theme in my head everything I think of a tramway diesel
10788462
Ahh, okay. Thanks
10788606
Np.
10788579
Probably because she's the most well known Drury manufactured loco.
10788637
Yeah, totally.
10788638
Though Class 03s are pretty common too.
10788639
Yes.
And if memory fairs me well, the diesel from the Over the Hills fan series was a Class 03
10788640
Leslie is indeed a Class 03.
10788680
That's what I thought
10788685
And continues the fine trope of the 'nice diesel'.
10788712
Aye.
10789338
It's telling the negativity that surrounds diesels. One rant about a DOWT event complained about diesel locos, demanding to know why there were not more 'Thomas friends'.
10789344
I have no comment
10789352
Likewise. Or this garbage;
10789359
Okay, how do you people think of these crazy theories?!
10789382
God only knows. This channel is characterised by a lack of research.
10789385
Indeed. Not to mention they completely ignore the books!
10789386
Apart from quoting Stepney the Bluebell Engine once.
10789413
True
10789417
Then there's the people who compare TTTE to Saw.
10789432
10789514
Let me decode this...
10789669
If need a hand, just let me know.
10789676
Horror, then glumness, then confusion, then fury?
10789679
You got the 1st, 3rd, and 4th right. But the second one was more on the lines of speechlessness
10789682
My bad.
10789690
No biggie. I mean in anyone's defense that Twilight emoji could have several different meanings to it
10789691
And often is used in many different contexts.
10789702
Aye
10789704
Alas, this silliness of Thomas misinterpretationnm must end.
10789710
Absolutely.
And part me believes it will begin when the reboot airs and everyone sees how ugly and degrading it really is.
10789711
Alas, poor Thomad.
Your gonna regret doing that later.
Should have kept the tender you two.