//------------------------------//
// Wired Up 
// Story: Thomas and Friends: More Tales from Sodor 
// by The Blue EM2 
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The very next morning, Sir Toppham Hatt came to visit Wilbert. "Hello Wilbert!" said Sir Toppham Hatt. "I hope you're feeling better after drinking all that milk!"

"Well, sir, Pickle and Barley did compresensively scrub my tanks out, so I feel OK now," Wilbert replied.

"You've done a superb job these last few days," Sir Toppham Hatt smiled. "But the workload here has decreased, and only the usual complement of engines are required now. I want you to help out on the Little Western, alongside Duck, Oliver, and Stepney. I imagine you'll find them most friendly and helpful."

"OK sir," Wilbert replied. Truth be told, he was sad to leave the Ffarquhar Branch, and so were the others, but orders were orders, and they must be followed. So, he set off for Arlesburgh West, with his coaches clattering behind him. "I wonder what we'll find when we get there?" he asked.

"Beats me," Torque Wrench replied, as they rattled along the main line. "I imagine it'll be more of the same. Pull trucks, shunt trucks, drink milk from a stand pipe-"

"Alright, alright, don't pile it on," Wilbert replied.

Soon, the flat fields gave way to spectacular cliffs and towering sea walls, and tunnels carved straight into the rockface and through hills. This new line was absolutely spectacular, and Wilbert liked it. "This reminds me of a line I ran on whilst in service with the War Department!" he said, as he rattled along. "It was somewhere in the south west, and one of the places was named after a religious figure."

"Are you talking about Newton Abbot?" asked a voice, as Wilbert pulled into Arlesburgh West. "Because I used to be based there."

Wilbert smiled. "It's good to see you again, Montague," he said. "Of course, I didn't have a nameplate back then, but they called me G B Keeling eventually! It's Wilbert now."

Apple Bloom looked out of Duck's cab in confusion. "Are ya related to the Apples?" she asked Torque Wrench.

"Not that I know of," Torque Wrench replied. "Why?"

"Because we look very similar, that's all."

"People can look similar and be unrelated," Wilbert said. "It's partly why I had such difficulty telling the drivers apart at the colliery where I worked. They all looked so similar with those boilersuits and flat caps!"

Naturally, Wilbert wanted to get to work, but they had to wait for a ballast shipment to come down from Arlesdale End first. The wagons were shunted onto the loading stage, and Wilbert pushed the mainline ballast wagons under the hopper to be loaded. The wagons were then filled.

"Impressive, isn't it!" said Mike, with a grin. "We're proud of our useful railway."

"I can see," Wilbert smiled. "This is an incredibly impressive operation. Do you know an engine called River Mite?"

"Can't say I do," Mike replied. "What about you, Twist?"

"Doethn't ring a bell," Twist replied. "In fact, there are no riverth called Mite around here!"

The trucks, mercifully, stayed in order. Donald and Douglas made sure to keep them in order, and Wilbert was soon to remind them he would tolerate no nonsense. But then something happened that would cement Wilbert's place in the history books.

Wilbert had just moved some empties under the hopper to be loaded, and looked over to see Rex puffing away with a passenger train. Once another wagon was loaded, he began to pull back to allow the next one to be loaded. He pulled hard, as the trucks were heavy, but suddenly there was a loud crash!

"What the?" Wilbert cried, as he shot backwards. He flew through the yard, but Torque Wrench was able to stop him safely. She secured his brakes, and walked back along the line to where the trucks were.

"Well, that's torn it," she said, holding up a snapped coupling and some other parts. "The bolts holding the coupling gear onto the truck body have given way, and the entire coupling housing has torn loose, making it impossible to hold the train together. Brilliant."

"How are we supposed to move the trucks now?" Wilbert asked. "Oh, this is a disaster!"

Just then, the Barley Twins appeared, as they always seemed to when things went wrong. "I have an idea!" said Pickle. "I once read in a magazine about a train where the couplers snapped, and the train was held together using some lengths of old wire."

Barley elbowed him. "This is not the time for stupid suggestions!"

Wilbert looked over. "No. I think Pickle's onto something. I'm not convinced we could move an entire train moving wire, but could we try with one truck?"

Torque Wrench suddenly noticed a coil of signal wire sitting nearby. "Perfect!" she said. "We'll use that!" She picked up the wire, and connected it to the truck, winding it round the bufferbeams and tightening it into a rope. She looped the other end through Wilbert's coupling hook, and then ran around the other end and uncoupled the truck from the rest of the train, before hopping back into the cab of Wilbert. "Right, away we go!" she said.

Wilbert slowly puffed backwards, shifting the damaged truck backwards as well. The wire tightened, stretched- and held. Wilbert dumped it on another siding, and then went back to shunting the other ballast trucks.

The rest of Wilbert's stay passed without incident. When the time came for him to leave, Sir Toppham Hatt came to speak to him. "Well done, all of you," he said. "Sunny Skies, I wish to thank you for your help with managing the railway. Your eye for operations has given me new insight into how to run my railway. Miss-"

"Phoebe Pentrich," Petunia replied. "I prefer Petunia Petals, though." She pushed her glasses back up her face.

"You have been of great help to the archives. Torque Wrench and Wilbert, you kept my railway moving during its hour of darkest need, and for that I am forever greatful. Kerfuffle, the track maintenance team thank you for your help, and finally, Pickle and Barley. As much as you two have caused some trouble, you have equally gotten my engines out of it, and your heroics are appreciated."

Sunny Skies had his own thing to do. He handed his top hat to Torque Wrench, and then produced a box, dropped to one knee, and opened said box. "Petunia, you are the sunshine in my life. Will you marry me?"

There was a short pause. Then came a reply that nobody would ever forget. "Of course, ya silly goose!"

The station erupted with cheers and whistles, and Wilbert set off on his way. "Thank you!" he called. "I've had a wonderful time here, and I will miss you all!" And with that, he vanished into the tunnel, smoke rising into the air until he was out of sight.

If you enjoyed these stories, you will probably enjoy a visit to the Dean Forest Railway at Lydney, in Gloucestershire.