//------------------------------// // Uphill Battle // Story: Unstoppable // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// Wind Rider looked in concern at the shipping manifest for 76076. The cargo load was given as 30 tankers, 20 of which were loaded with gasoline. However, the remaining 10 cars were loaded with a substance called molten phenol. He had never heard of it before, but just as he was about to speak to somebody about it, a man stepped into the office. He had light blue skin and dark blue hair, green eyes, and wore a grey business suit. “Excuse me, are you Wind Rider?” he asked. He spoke with a mild British accent. “Yes. And you would be?” “My name is Starry Night,” the man replied. “I’m an inspector for the FRA, I’m supposed to be giving the kids a talk-” “Yeah, thanks.” Wind Rider interrupted. “I’m a little busy here, go talk to Spitfire.” Spitfire raised her hand. “Over here sir!” she called. “We currently have a runaway train out on the mainline.” A loud buzz sounded. “Director Tirek on the line for you sir.” “Patch him through, on speaker.” Wind Rider was suitably blunt. There was another buzz, then the call came on. “How in God’s name did this happen?” “One of our engineers got jumped, and the attackers made off with the train.” Wind Rider told it as it was. “Really?” Tirek sounded cross. “I was a yard manager for 20 years, and I can tell you for a fact that people don’t just nick trains. This isn’t the fucking wild west!” “Do we have a plan to bring the train to a halt?” “We have a strategy meeting in 5 minutes or so. Higher-ups in CCR are to be contacted.” “I’m on standby for the call.” “You are not part of the meeting.” Wind Rider was surprised. “What?” “You will be advised as to what course of action to take. What is the cargo?” “The train came from my yard, I have the-” “WHAT IS THE CARGO?” Wind Rider shook slightly. “20 cars loaded with gasoline. The remaining 10 are loaded with something called ‘molten phenol’. We don’t know what that is, but-” “It’s used in the manufacture of glue,” Starry Night interrupted. Wind Rider turned around to him. “I’ll put you on the line.” Starry Night stepped forward. “I’m Starry Night, FRA inspector and-” “Just tell me what you know about Molten Phenol!” Starry Night nodded. “It’s extremely toxic. Exposure to the contents of just one tanker would be fatal for an entire town. Mixed with gasoline were the train to derail, it would produce an explosion rivalling a nuke.” There was a brief pause. Wind Rider took up the conversation. “Sir, we have a good chance to derail the train in the open, before it hits the Gauntlet.” “What good would that do?” Wind Rider lifted up the phone. “Sir, I am aware that the explosion and the damage resulting would cost the company a lot of money, but if it were to derail in a town-” “You think?” Tirek shot back. "We are not going to derail one of our own trains, not whilst we can still stop it! Now let us do our jobs, and stop interfering. I don’t believe you want to be canned again.” The line went dead. Wind Rider put the phone down. “Bastard thinks I’m worried about my job,” he growled. Elaina and the Mash family jumped out of the car, and wrenched open the horsebox door. The owner of the horse tried to pull the horse out, but it wouldn’t co-operate. It had been spooked by the noise of the oncoming train. “Come on!” Button shouted. “We need to get off the line!” Gibson pulled again. “It won’t move!” 76076 was now dangerously close. Gibson gave the horse one last tug, and at last it cleared the line. It was only just in time. The EM1 smashed into the horsebox and sent it flying through the air, where it landed in a muddy field. At the same time, Gilda and Upper Crust were racing up the line in the Class 77. Crust had pushed the engine to maximum, the locomotive whining as it was pushed to the breaking point. “What’s our speed?” Gilda asked. “We’re doing well over 80 miles an hour!” came the reply. “What are you planning?” “I’ll try to jump aboard via one of the grab rails!” Gilda answered. They raced forward, slowly getting closer to the front of the train. At long last, the cab of 76077 was level with them, and they began to outpace the electric locomotives. They moved into position alongside 76076, and Gilda opened the door. She reached out, and got the grab handle in her reach...only for Crust to overshoot. “Back it up!” Gilda shouted, her voice barely audible over the combined roar of 3 locomotives. Upon backing up slightly, Gilda tried again. But luck was not on her side. “HOLY SHIT, LOOK OUT!” Crust screamed. Up ahead was a signal! Gilda pulled herself back in and shut the door just in time. It was their last chance. Up ahead, the tracks narrowed from four lines, to just two. Crust slammed the brakes on, and the engine came to a swift halt as 76076 roared into the distance. Gilda grabbed the radio. “Control, the train has just entered the Gauntlet. What the hell do we do now?” At CCR HQ in Canterlot, Tirek and company bosses were gathered to discuss the situation. “What are we looking at?” asked Director Hurricane. “A massive disaster,” replied Firefly, President of the company. “The entire line is electrified, and if those cars broke apart on derailment, which they almost certainly would, sparks from the overhead power lines would ignite the gasoline.” “Blast radius?” Hurricane asked again. “At least 10.7 kilometres, on our most conservative estimates. If the train were to derail in Canterlot, we’d be looking at over 100,000 people dead.” “Cost of cleanup, and stock market damage?” “Cleanup would run into at least $20 million, and we’d be looking at a 40% stock market fall.” Hurricane thought for a moment. “I’d say we go with Director Tirek’s solution.” “Agreed,” Firefly replied. Tirek stood up. “Let’s get to work!” he said. Wind Rider stood exasperated. Still nothing from higher-ups about the runaway train. The local news had already started reporting on the incident, and had put a helicopter over the train. “...And more on that runaway train in California. The locomotive, number 76076, left San Fernando yard this morning, but nobody was on board the engine.” The picture shifted to a reporter walking through a railyard. "The company has refused to state precisely what has caused the incident, only that plans are in place to stop the runaway.” Wind Rider sighed. If only they would tell him what those plans were! But what did it matter? The train was probably going to derail and explode. His attention was raised by a new piece of footage on the TV. It was an interview with a boy in Canterlot, by the name of Pipsqueak. “I hope they can stop it before it arrives here,” he said. "The railroad runs through the centre of the town.” The display switched to show the train smashing through a horsebox. “If it can break through that,” Wind Rider whispered, “what can stop it?” His thoughts were stalled by Starry Night speaking. “What do all the red lights mean?” “Trouble on the mainline,” Spitfire told him. “Every red light on the board indicates where 76076 passed a signal.” “That’s a lot of red.” Wind Rider stepped forward. “We need to monitor the situation, that train has just entered the Gauntlet.” Elsewhere, 611 was approaching Halfway Siding. Lightning Dust looked out and picked up the radio. “Dispatch, you there, over?” “611, go ahead, over.” “We’re at the siding, but we’re not gonna fit, over.” “611, that train has just reached the Gauntlet, and it's under power. You need to get off the mainline, pronto.” “But we can’t without fouling the line. We simply won’t fit.” Sunset looked puzzled. “That siding’s at least 1500 feet.” “Signal to signal,” Dust corrected. “In reality, it’s closer to 1200 feet, which we would fit in had you not tagged in the extra cars. As it is, we stand at around 1309 feet.” “611, we need a decision, now.” “Realign the switch, over.” Sunset ran over to the brake controls, and grabbed the Independent. “Are you trying to kill us?” Lightning swung round and shoved her back. “Hands off! This is my engine!” “611, are we realigning or not?” “Realign the switch, over.” The points swung back onto the mainline. 611 powered into the distance, belching smoke and steam. “We’re routing you to a loop just north of Crystal City. How fast are you going?” Lightning glanced at the speedometer. “About 50 miles an hour, why?” “611, you are cleared to run at 100. Dispatch out.” Lightning cracked open the regulator, and the train sped into the distance, steam pouring from the funnel and the boxcars groaning at the increased speed. There is one particular section of the route that is especially treacherous. It starts at the south end of the Needles mountain range, near Johnsondale, and emerges from the other end at Crystal City. The railwaymen call it ‘the Gauntlet’, and with good reason. Many trains and crews were lost there in the old days, before the line was converted to electric power. In fact, the steep gradients were the reason DC was adopted over AC. At one of the sidings, a pair of Black 5 4-6-0s had been readied for action, and a helicopter was being loaded. Nearby, the media had prepared a van and a news reporter was already on the ground. “Behind me,” she said, "efforts to halt the runaway train are underway. The plan is to put a pair of engines onto the front of the train, and then to lower a man onto the train, who will then climb into the cab and stop the train.” The camera zoomed in to show a man being strapped into a harness. “US Army veteran and former Marine Iron Will has volunteered to be lowered onto the train.” On the lead Black 5, a girl stuck her head out of the cab. She had black skin and red hair and eyes, and teeth that looked vaguely like vampire fangs. She wore purple boots and gloves, as well as a dark purple shirt and pink, white, and blue skirt. Her name was Jimmy Hook (short for Jemima), a 3-year veteran of the company. “Support locos, are we ready?” she asked over the radio. “Yes ma’am, we are ready,” replied the driver of the second Black 5. Meanwhile, Discord had got himself caught in traffic. He killed the engine on his bike, and walked up to the policemen. “What’s the cause of the holdup?” he asked. “We’ve been ordered to seal off the Interstate between here and Crystal City,” the policeman replied. “I need to get through, pronto,” he explained. “Swift Order’s instructions, I’m afraid.” Discord sighed. “I’m trailing the runaway train. You can contact my boss, Wind Rider.” Another, more senior, policeman, walked over. “Wind Rider sent you?” “Yes sir, he did.” The officer nodded. “C’mon boys! This man needs an escort!” The convoy of four police cars and a motorbike set off into the distance, following the runaway train. Back in the Gauntlet, 76076 thundered forwards. The radio went in the Black 5s cab. “Get moving, that’s an order!” “Roger that!” Hook replied. “Let’s get it moving, boys!” The two 4-6-0s rumbled forward, clattering over the points and onto the mainline. They were just enough ahead to avoid being caught by the oncoming electric, but the gap was closing fast. The helicopter took this as its cue to take off. Back at San Fernando, Wind Rider looked shocked. “This is Tirek’s strategy?” The two 5s were doing about 70 miles an hour by now, when Hook received her first orders. "Start slowing her down, over.” “On it, over.” Hook applied the brakes, and slowed the two engines down. “Keep getting that speed down!” she shouted. The two engines complied, the two-cylinder beat gradually slowing as 76076 approached. Within a minute, the two engines collided. Hook was knocked forward as the collision occurred. Warning lights came on in the cab. Warning: Wheelslip. Warning: Brake Blocks overheating. Hook took the brakes off, and let the engine speed up slightly. Both engines were knocked forward, only to slam back onto the electric engine with a bang. Iron Will waved his hand. “Send me down!” he shouted. The winch on the crane began to lower as he dropped toward the engine. It was only then that a fatal flaw in the plan became apparent. The couplers slammed back together again, knocking Iron Will sideways-straight into the overhead power lines. The helicopter pulled back from the scene, with Iron Will hanging limp. “It looks like Iron Will is injured.” “Shit!” Spitfire growled. The radio started up again. "Hook, you are to get that train off the mainline. Derail it.” “Understood sir,” Hook replied. The engines collided for the fourth time, and rounded a bend where a siding became visible. But the brakes were having no visible effect. “Slow down, goddamnit!” Hook exclaimed. The train careered onto the points. “They can’t go into the siding, they’re going too fast!” cried Starry Night. He was right. 76076 forced the switch back, and collided with the tender of the rear Black 5. The locomotive was thrown into the air, and the coupling on the front engine snapped. “Bail, bail!” cried Spitfire. It was too late. The rear engine flew through the air and smashed into the ground, rolling until it collided with a tree and exploded. The lead engine was derailed due to the force of the crash, and toppled onto one side, sliding through the dirt until it came to a stop. 76076 thundered past, straight into a downhill section, and onwards toward Canterlot.