//------------------------------// // Chop and Change // Story: Thomas and Friends: Fun in the Sun // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// At the top end of Britain lies a wild and beautiful land called Scotland. A country known for its incredible landscapes, bustling cities, and remarkable food, Scotland is a nation many across the globe feel an affinity for, with many in North America able to trace their ancestry to Scotland. It is also a land with many railway lines, although most of them are clustered into an area between Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Perth. Some of these lines run across wild terrain and feature difficult routes, but are a vital lifeline for their communities as road access to them is quite poor in many cases. One of these railways is the West Highland Line. A spindly main line of over 100 miles, it runs from Glasgow to the highland town of Fort William, with an extension that takes passengers onwards to the port town of Mallaig, not far from where Bonnie Prince Charlie made his escape after the Jacobite Uprisings fell apart. And one of his descendants was now causing trouble in Britain, but is neither here nor there. The legacy of the Jacobites had led to British Railways permitting steam operations over the extension every summer, operating under the Jacobite name. This is the only regular timetabled steam in the United Kingdom, and people flock from all over the world to see this remarkable sight every single year. The fact that many landmarks along the route are closely associated with the Harry Potter franchise only helps to boost tourism numbers in the area. And it is here that our story takes place. Hitch and his family had travelled up to Scotland to visit the highland sights. And they had even taken Rebecca with them, who had been stabled at the same shed where the engines for the Jacobite were kept. Hitch woke up one morning and stepped out onto the balcony of the home his family had rented for the time being, which looked out over a lake. "I wonder if the monster is out yet," he joked, as he looked out over the water. "Wrong loch, my dear," said a voice. Hitch turned back to see a pink skinned woman with white hair and red glasses joining him. She was seemingly already dressed in her trademark brown slacks and red cardigan. "That's Loch Ness. That's a fair way northwest of us." "Just goes to show I don't know this place very well," Hitch replied. "Still, good to see you up, Grandma Figgy. I can go ahead and start preparing breakfast if you'd like." "Let's let the others rest in for a bit," his grandmother replied. "Besides, I would think we should do it together. I'm only 70, you know. That's basically middle aged these days!" Hitch nodded. "Of course." Later on, the family had gathered around the dining table for a Highland breakfast (they had sourced the ingredients from the local butcher the previous night). The other two figures of note were a blue skinned man with greenish hair (cut exceptionally short) and grey eyes, dressed semi formally. Semi formal did not describe the clothing of the woman sat next to him, which currently consisted of a T shirt and jeans. She had exceptionally frizzy red hair and orange skin, coupled with piercing green eyes. At the current moment they were looking over a map. "Right!" the man said. "We should be able to fit a climb up the nearby hill in before we have to catch the train. In that incident, we should have worked off all the food we're currently eating and then ready for something light on the train." "Must we run everything like a military campaign?" the woman said. "You know my schedule, Marigold," the man replied. "You can take the man out of the army, but you can never take the army out of the man. Isn't that right, Hitch?" "I'm technically not in the army, so I wouldn't know," Hitch replied. "But the Cadets have something similar, and I imagine law enforcement is the same." "Well, yes, same principle," the man noted. "Do remember that this is a holiday, not a boot camp, Trick," Grandma Figgy replied. "Not all of us can keep up with you as easily anymore." "Well, I suppose we could delay departure by 15 minutes and five seconds-" There was a sudden ringing from another room. Hitch recognised it as his ringtone. "Excuse me guys, but I should probably check who that was." He exited the room and saw it was the number he had swapped with the owner of the depot he had stabled Rebecca at. He swiped the icon to green and answered the call. "Mr Riley?" "Hello there," said the voice on the other end. "You guy the chap who owns the light pacific?" "Yes, I am," Hitch replied. "Have I parked her incorrectly?" "It's not an issue with your engine. It's an issue with ours." There was a pause. "Both the Black 5s failed on shed and need to be fixed, and we can't get them ready in time. I've already allocated our backup steam locomotive to the morning departure, but I don't want to use a diesel for the other as there'll be a riot if we do- it is the Jacobite steam train, after all, and you know how particular the public gets about a ride behind a steam engine, even if Class 37s are authentic traction for the route." "Trust me, I do," Hitch replied. "I'll get down there as quickly as I can and get Rebecca fired up. I would suggest keeping the diesel on standby just in case something does go wrong." "Of course. Have a pleasant day." Hitch nodded as the line closed. "This puts a spanner in our plans, but needs must." He walked out of the room and back to the table. "Who was it?" Trick asked. "Guys, could you drop me off at the Fort William locomotive depot? It looks like I won't be riding on the Jacobite. I'll be driving it." A few hours later, Rebecca was up to temperature. "Well, this is quite exciting!" she said, as Hitch moved her off the shed and towards the station. "I haven't done a working like this before. I hope the passengers understand." "I mean, they did test run a Spam Can over the route a few years ago, so it should work," Hitch replied. The long journey began at exactly half past two in the afternoon, and the formation steamed away into the Highlands. It climbed over the local hills and mountains, through tunnels, and off down the line towards the coasts of northern Scotland. They crossed with the other train at Arisaig, and soon coasted into Mallaig after a long journey. It was then a commotion broke out on the platform. A DMU was parked in a nearby platform, and had seemingly broken down. The driver stood out the front, trying to calm the passengers. "You'll have to seek alternate transport, I'm afraid," he said. "The DMU is broken down and will need fixing elsewhere." "How are we meant to get home?" asked one person. "There's no bus for hours!" "Blooming ScotRail Rubbish," grumbled another. "Just trust our line to get dodgy DMUs!" Hitch overheard the commotion, and walked down the platform. "We could take them," he said. "Take who?" asked the driver. "The passengers from your train," Hitch explained. "We've got an entire empty carriage as a tour group never turned up, and that should be able to house your passengers." "Thank you for your help," the driver said. "Not every day a steam engine rescues a diesel. Usually it's the other way around!" After running Rebecca round the train, Hitch prepared the formation for departure and let the passengers board. As the sun hung high in the sky, he blasted the whistle and moved the entire train into reverse. "I hope those extra passengers don't contribute too much weight!" Rebecca said. "Some of those hills were pretty steep." "That depends on how much haggis they've eaten!" Hitch joked as the train rumbled along. Seeing all the scenery going by in reverse was a rather bizarre experience, but they made such good time that they even had time to pause on Glenfinnan Viaduct to let the passengers look down on the terrain below them. Once this was done, it was a relatively easy run back to Fort William. The train stayed in the platform for a few minutes to let the public look at the train and photograph the engine. Many had kind words to say to Hitch, although one child asked why a diesel was working the train, and another was surprised at seeing a Southern engine so far north. Trick was the proudest father there could be that day. "Excellent work, Hitch!" he said. "You've done the family proud. Now, to celebrate, I suggest we find the nicest establishment in town and have a hearty meal!" "I'll need to put this lot away first, but that's a fantastic idea!" Hitch replied. After all, he had done his part, hand to heart.