//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Race to the North 
// Story: Thomas and Friends: New Frontiers 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

If you had been in Wembley on a Spring morning one day in May, you might have noticed something highly unusual happen had you been looking in the right direction.

Well, when I say Wembley, I technically mean the goods yard at Willesden Junction which is nearby. However, I used the name of Wembley as it will allow international readers to more easily place precisely where this event took place. But onwards we must go with our story, and it shall not disappoint, I hope.

Had you been there on that morning, you would have observed a bright light appearing over one of the sidings, and moments later an engine would emerge from it and roll to a stop. The light then faded from behind it and the lighting levels in the region returned to normal. The engine was, of course, Pendennis Castle.

Hitch leaned out of the cab and looked around. "It's suddenly fallen cold!" he said. "And I have no clue where we are. Any station running in boards at all visible around here?"

Aurora suddenly spotted one. "Well, there's the Underground station for Willesden Junction," she said. "That's near London, I think."

"It's right in the middle of London, not far from Euston," Isaac pointed out. "I'm not entirely sure how, but we're on the opposite side of the planet somehow. And I don't feel upside down anymore, so that's always good."

Misty was equally baffled. "We seem to have violated all known laws of space and time," she said. "How in the world did we get from the Australian Outback to here? Surely we didn't teleport?"

"It seems as though that may have happened," Izzy chimed in. "Warp theory and all that."

Suddenly, Isaac's phone buzzed, informing him of an incoming email. He pulled it out of his pocket and took a look at it. "We have the last clue!" he said.

"What is it?" asked Izzy.

"The coordinates from the document are near Dudley, which is near Birmingham, West Midlands."

"As opposed to where?" Izzy asked.

"Birmingham, Alabama?" Misty suggested.

"Seems that way," Isaac finished, as he glanced out of the cab behind Hitch. "And if we're in Willesden Junction, it means that we're on the West Coast Mainline. And this in turn means that it's a straight shot to Birmingham from here! How very convenient."

"Slight problem," Hitch said. "Steam locomotives are prohibited from running on the West Coast Mainline south of Crewe, so we won't be able to run there under our own power."

Izzy chimed in. "Remember when we were on our quest to find the crystals? You got a tow through the Ordsall Chord as Rebecca had broken down."

"Don't remind me," Hitch replied.

"Why don't we secure another tow to Dudley? Diesels can operate south of Crewe. In fact, there's one right there!"

Hitch nodded, and yawned. "I'll notify the local box that we need a tow," he said. "And I could do with a coffee. I suspect our body clocks are going to be pretty messed up for the next few days."





Meanwhile, the train from Interlarken was just pulling into St. Pancras. Without a moment to spare, Argyle, Goldie, and Sunny all hopped off when the doors opened (after the train had stopped, as getting out whilst the train is still in motion is generally not a good idea). They walked quickly down the platform.

"Where did you say Firelight was meeting with us?" Goldie asked.

"Next to the statue of John Betjeman," Argyle replied. "This way."

He walked quickly across the platform with his luggage, quite refreshed despite getting to bed later than the others. They walked quite quickly, and before long they spotted Firelight standing next to the statue.

"Hello!" he said. "So, the Midlands awaits us! I have to admit a city so close to my place of work being the hiding place of the Lost Engine was hardly what I was expecting, but life has a habit of doing funny things. Besides, I imagine you had fun finding the things, right?"

"Fun is an operative word in that sense," Sunny replied. "Still, that's another country ticked off the list."

"Now we just need to make our way to Euston and get on a train to Dudley," Goldie said. "And that means braving the Tube at this time in the morning. You'd best be on your guard, as things can change suddenly and without warning."

As they went along, they continued to talk. "I wonder how the Havens are getting back?" Argyle wondered. "It may take them a while, seeing as they are the furthest away from our current position."





"Whisky Sierra Delta Two Zero Two One, this is BHX Tower. You are cleared for landing. Use runway approach Four Zulu Eight Seven, over?"

Lord Haven adjusted his radio. "BHX Tower, this is Whisky Sierra Delta Two Zero Two One, instruction understood. I am cleared for landing to use runway approach Four Zulu Eight Seven. Runway is on approach guidance system, over."

"Whisky Sierra Delta Two Zero Two One, this is BHX Tower. Confirmed: have a safe landing. Out."

The plane touched down on the runway and soon rumbled to a stop, before moving towards a hanger for unloading. Lord Haven removed his earpieces and placed them down. "Thank you for flying Air Haven," he said. "Now comes the hard part- getting to the coordinates."

As the four exited the plane, followed by a small security detail, Zipp raised the obvious question. "When did you learn to fly a jet?"

"It was a useful skill to have when I was living in South Africa," Lord Haven replied. "It's a pretty big place."

"We must remember to thank the pilot for flying the plane over for us," Lady Haven added. "That has saved us a lot of journey time, whilst our engines and other equipment are shipped back to Falmouth."

"Buses to various places are this way!" Pipp called. "Next one to Dudley is in 10 minutes!"

"How convenient," Zipp noted.





After a few hours, the three groups were reunited after what felt like years away from each other. Firelight soon took up the lead. "According to my calculations," he said, "the coordinates are within the grounds of the Black Country Museum. So it makes sense to head in there. Onwards to adventure!"

"We've had quite the adventure already!" Pipp complained, as they went off in the direction of the museum. "I haven't showered in days!"

"There'll be plenty of chances to shower later," Hitch said. "Let's focus on completing the mission right now."

The crew soon made their way into the museum (Firelight had used his pass to get them in, claiming they were there for a conference), and down into the property towards the marked location. Eventually, they found a building covered in strange moss.

A bit of pulling soon got the door open, and they stepped inside to find a sight that amazed them.

Within it was a steam engine. It was a large tender locomotive, with four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and a low tender, handy if you ever found yourself driving backwards. Not only that, its paintwork was green with elaborate lining.

The tender bore the legend Great Western Railway.

The engine stirred, and spoke with a female voice. "Excuse me, are you vandals? Driver says vandals break in and smash things."

Firelight spoke up. "We're not here to vandalise anything. We're here to save you! They said I was crazy, but we have done it! We've found the Lost Engine!"

"Well, it has been a while since I last went anywhere," the engine replied. "I'm Lady of Legend if you need a name. Lady for short, I suppose."

"Now, how are we going to move her to safety?" Goldie asked. "It's not exactly the sort of treasure you can stick in a backpack and flee whilst running through a collapsing temple."

"But she can be driven out," Misty suggested. "Let's get these cylinders and axleboxes lubricated, and then we can get on our way!"

It took several minutes of work, after Misty had vanished to get Pendennis Castle, Lady of Legend was fully greased and lubricated in preparation for movement. Hitch was already working on getting Lady of Legend's fire up to temperature, which would take a few hours. But after those few hours had passed, the engine was ready to move. Those still there climbed onboard, and Firelight sounded the whistle.

"Lights are green!" he called. "Green for glory!"

"Green means go," Lady of Legend replied.

Those who had visited the museum that day were rather astonished to see a steam locomotive rolling across the grounds. But what a magnificent sight it was. They eventually joined the mainline, where Pendennis Castle was waiting.

"Never thought I'd see a working saint again," he said. "Welcome back, Lady."

Just then, a swarm of helicopters appeared on the horizon, flying towards them. Jet fighters were with them as well. Opaline looked down. "There it is!" she shouted. "Capture the Lost Engine at any cost!"