A few days had passed since Hitch and Rebecca had saved the Jacobite and a group of passengers from having to be cancelled, and in the case of the passengers from having to wait a very long time for another train. For this, both of them were praised for their work, and have since become something of a local hero in that section of the Highlands.
One day, Hitch was tending to Rebecca. The existance of such an unusual engine uncharacteristic of the Scottish Highlands was certain to draw crowds, and people watched through the ages as the light pacific was prepared for duty. The plan was to take the morning Jacobite out to Fort William, then hand over to another engine and crew and work back light engine to Fort William. Hitch took this duty very seriously.
"We've got a lot of work to do well today," he said as he checked the pressure gauge. The boiler pressure, though rising, was a bit sluggish. "This is not good. We need to be away in about an hour and a half if we're going to get to Mallaig on time."
"We have been known to be a bit tempramental," Rebecca said.
"You're telling me." Hitch tapped the gauge to see if that had any effect. It didn't. "We'll be here for a while, then."
Just then, Mr Riley arrived in his car. "Morning, Hitch!" he called.
"Morning, Mr Riley!" Hitch replied. "I'm getting Rebecca ready to go. We should be good to make the booked departure."
"I'm afraid not," Mr Riley said. "There's been a change of plans. You two are needed elsewhere."
"What's happened?" Hitch asked.
"A service train from Oban has stalled at Crianlarich, and ScotRail has no extra capacity to get a replacement unit there- something about broken springs or something like that. They've asked us to help, so if you wouldn't mind assisting that would be fantastic."
"We'll do our best," Hitch said.
"Isn't the line steep?" Rebecca asked. "You know about my wheelslip and all that."
"We should be fine," Hitch answered. "What are we taking with us?"
Five MK1s, the spares. Marquess will handle your duties until you get back. Best of luck!"
Hitch nodded. "What else can go wrong today?"
As the Mk1s were loaded with supplies the passengers of the stricken train might need, a person went to speak to Hitch. "You'll want to be careful about Rannoch Moor," he said, as the wind threatened to blow his hat off. "The wind is very fierce up there. It can knock a train off the rails!"
"Us? Fall over? You're pulling my wheel!" Rebecca said.
Hitch was less certain, however. "There aren't any trees up there, and the coaches are lighter than normal. We may need to exercise caution."
"Scared the monster will get you?" Rebecca teased.
"That's Loch Ness, not Rannoch Moor," Hitch replied, and went back to checking the signals.
As they sat there, a mogul finished backing the coaches for the morning Jacobite into the platform. "Good luck on Rannoch Moor!" he said. "I knew an engine get his dome blown off there once!"
"Good thing Rebecca's a domeless engine!" Hitch replied, as the signal switched to green. With a blast of the whistle, they were on their way.
The climb to Rannoch Moor is long and difficult, characterised by fierce gradients combined with narrow cuttings. This means that careful management of the firebox is essential to avoid blowback in the tunnels. This would be a rather premature end to a driver's day, so Hitch was keen to avoid this.
Rebecca more than had the boiler pressure to maintain speed, but as she rolled along there was a detonation. "What was that?" she asked.
Hitch looked ahead. "Oh, great," he said. "Maintenance works. Reduced speed limit of 15 miles per hour for the next mile. Here's hoping we don't stall." He put the sanding gear on anyway to increase their chances of making it.
At last, they completed the climb, after a long and tortorous ascent, and arrived at Rannoch Station to pick up extra supplies. The moors were lonely and mysterious. There were few trees as Hitch had predicted, and the wind was howling. Not only that, the weather was awful, with fog closing in.
Then came more bad news. "A tree's fallen on the line further down!" said the station master. "You'll have to hold here until we can get it cleared out of the way!"
Hitch facepalmed. "What else can go wrong today?"
Still no news came. The hours ticked by, and Rebecca waited at the station. The fog had enveloped the Moor, and visibility was so poor that you could barely see an inch in front of you. Hitch was growing worried. "The passengers on the stuck train need their supplies," he told the station master. "Is there still no news?"
"The tree is apparently not cooperating," the station master replied. "With their equipment it should have only taken a few minutes."
Just then, they heard voices over Rebecca's cab radio. Hitch grabbed it and began to listen. "Hello?"
Mayday! Mayday! We are a rafting party! We are stranded on the stream near the steel bridge at Rannoch. Require urgent assistance, over!"
Hitch acknowledged. "Message received and understood. On our way. Out." He hopped out of the cab, adjusting his clothing to try and keep warm. "Somebody's stuck in the stream just down there," he explained. "I'm going to go and take a look. Can you keep an eye on Rebecca for me?"
"Sure thing," the station master replied.
Hitch was soon down below the bridge, and saw the stranded raft. It was stuck on some rocks, and the riders were struggling to shift it.
"I can help!" Hitch said. "I'm with a railtour, and we can keep you warm on the train!" He radioed to the other train staff. "Come down to the stream with me! I could do with a hand!"
Before long, they had formed a human chain, pulling the passengers of the raft out and up onto the bank. They were escourted up to the train, where they found warm coaches and plenty of tea and coffee.
And then more good news. "The line is clear!" called the station master. "You can set off for Crianlarich now!"
So they did. The run down to Crianlarich was much easier as the gradient was on their side, and the train arrived only a few hours late. The passengers of the failed train weren't too annoyed, and happily boarded as Rebecca was run round the formation to return to Fort William.
Although it was very dark when they got back, the platform was packed with people. "Three cheers for Hitch and Rebecca!" called Mr Riley. "They have saved the day once more!"
And nobody was more proud than the pair who, although the day had not gone perfectly, had managed to save it and produce something positive.