Although the two major settlements at either end of the line are heavily urbanised, the bulk of the Maritime Line runs through very rural terrain, with rolling fields so stunning you can see them rolling away from you for miles. The landscape is very pastoral, which is part of the reason it is so popular with tourists.
And it was now planting season in Cornwall. Farmers who grew crops were busy planting various crops into the ground, and large machines were rolling across the terrain dispensing seeds and fertiliser. It was an unusual moment for many to witness, and an important reminder of how farming has changed in the last 100 years alone. Long gone are the days of planting by horse and hand. In many ways, the entire process is reminiscent of a factory production line. But all of it would be worth it in harvest time, when (hopefully) plenty of food would be gathered from the fields and safely gathered away in barns, ready to be turned into important things for people to use.
One morning, the weather was foul once again. The sky was full of clouds, and rain was pouring. Fog hung in the air, making it hard to see very far. This morning, Ray was making his way up the line with a mixed goods train. One of the vans was filled with tomato seeds, to be delivered to Farmer Copley at Perranwell.
"Good thing we have plenty of spare capacity with engines, isn't it?" he said, as they rumbled along.
"Agreed," Lady Haven replied. "With both Charles and Sophie out of traffic it makes keeping the line running quite difficult. And the weather is not helping- I'm not surprised they introduced a reduced speed noticen with all this fog about."
As the train reached the summit just south of Perranwell, the track suddenly lurched. "Did you feel that?" Ray asked.
"I did," Lady Haven replied. "It felt like some unstable embankment underneath the track."
"How is that possible in a cutting?" Ray asked.
"Or was it something on the line?" Lady Haven queried. "Either way, we must warn the others! We shall do it when we get to Perranwell."
Ray came to a stop at the next station, and Lady Haven went into the station to use the telephone and warn the railway staff. Whilst this was going on, Rebecca arrived with a passenger train. "Hello Ray!" she said. "Miserable day, isn't it?"
"You tell me," Ray replied. "Anyway, we need to be careful. Something's wrong with the track near the summit back there. Be careful."
"If we go there," Hitch pointed out. "The signal's red." And it was.
Lady Haven then emerged from the office, looking a bit hot under the collar. "Well, just our luck!" she said. "The maintenance train cannot be here until tomorrow, so they've told us to continue operating that section of line until then. They said, and I quote, 'the line is safe enough'. I'll be sure to keep that line in mind if anything happens."
"The tomatoes were unloaded," Ray informed her. "We should be clear to go now."
Lady Haven smiled. "Thank you, Ray." She reboarded his footplate and they were on their way once more.
Back at Perranwell, the signals had now moved to green. Perranwell is unusual on the Down side in that the yard is connected to the rest of the line by a long spur, and as a result there are two sets of home signals. The first set controls access to the yard and prevents trains from accidentally colliding with an engine that is shunting. The second set holds trains in position and keeps them in place on the single line.
Rebecca set off with her train up the line, keeping to the reduced speed limit as specified in the morning briefing. "I haven't seen fogs like this in a little while," she admitted. "We did once have one with bad on Honiton Incline, which made getting passenger trains over it rather difficult."
"Didn't banking engines and lead engines communicate via whistle codes?" Hitch asked.
"They did indeed, but that's of limited use until you suddenly see the banker board suddenly racing towards you," Rebecca replied.
But just as they crested the hill, there was trouble to be had. "Look out!" Hitch called. "Landslide!"
He slammed the brakes hard on, but with the short distance and the wet weather it was hopeless. Rebecca's wheels simply skidded on the wet rails, and she slammed into the landslide tender first and was derailed.
"We've stopped!" she said. "Brilliant."
"At least you're still upright," Hitch said. "Now we just need to wait for a rescue train."
A few minutes later, the guard arrived. "I've just finished checking through the coaches," he said. "And luckily, nobody was hurt. I'll head back down the line and inform the station of the incident."
"Understood," Hitch replied. "We'll keep supplying steam heat to keep the passengers warm."
Ray had just finished putting his train away in the sidings when suddenly there was a commotion on the platform.
"That's the third landslip in a few days!" complained a passenger. "Why aren't they maintaining things properly?"
"I need to get down to Falmouth, and fast!" complained another. "This is a bad railway!"
Lady Haven walked over to find out what was going on. "I say, what seems to be the commotion?"
"There's been a landslip on the line!" complained the first passenger. "Nothing around here seems to be maintained properly! Not that a person like you would understand."
Lady Haven blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
"This mess wouldn't have happened if there was proper repair standards. So perhaps people like you should get out of their homes and stop drinking tea and instead fix the problems we face!"
Lady Haven's eyes went narrow. "I will not be spoken to in that manner!" she snapped. "Although I may be legally entitled to stick a title on the front of my name, we work just as hard as the rest of you!"
The passenger was suspiciously silent after that.
Lady Haven made her way back over to Ray, shrugging her shoulders. "I believe the idiom is walk a mile in somebody else's shoes," she mused to herself.
Ray then spoke up. "Should we investigate the accident sight ourselves?"
"Well, obviously," Lady Haven replied, as she released his brakes. "What if a train gets caught in it?"
Upon returning to Perranwell, both engine and driver found the signals set to danger. A railway worker was standing at the end of the platform, holding a red flag. "There's been a derailment higher up the line," he said. "We're currently awaiting the arrival of the brakedown train from Exeter."
"What about Rocky?" Ray offered.
"Wrong side of the landslip, I'm afraid," the railway workers replied. "Could you dig the coaches out for us? It'll make the recovery operation a lot simpler."
"Of course," Lady Haven replied, and sounded the whistle twice. Sure enough, the signals dropped, and they were on their way.
The run to the crash site was nerve wracking. The line climbs through a tunnel and onto the summit, and the landscape could possibly be washed away at any moment. They were most of the way up when they spotted the back of a coach at last.
"Over here!" Hitch called. "Could you help us?"
"It's what we're here to do!" Ray said. He backed into the coaches, and was shortly coupled to them. He then set off on his way back down the line with the short rake in town, and pulled into the platform with the train. The passengers were glad to be away from the accident, and thanked Ray for his help.
Later on, the brakedown train arrived, and a rather officious looking man looked over. "What's going on here?" he asked. "Heritage week?"
Lady Haven recognised the voice as the man who she had spoken to on the telephone. "In Cornwall we say good morning," she replied.
"Something about an accident, I heard," said the man again. "Not surprised around here. This line is old."
Lady Haven pointed in the direction of the landslip. "It's that way. But I imagine you won't have too much trouble. After all, it is, and I quote, 'safe enough'."
The man looked annoyed, but otherwise said nothing as the brakedown train continued on its way.
A few hours passed, and Ray returned the coaches to the carriage sidings before heading back to Perranwell. By the time he returned Rebecca had been pulled out of the landslip, and was safely parked in the platform.
"Thanks for the help!" she said, as the brakedown train pulled away towards Truro.
"Always glad to help a mate," Ray replied.
"As indeed we all should do," Lady Haven noted. "No matter our position or social station, what truly marks us is our willingness to help others in need."
And that, dear reader, was a sentiment those at the station heartily agreed with.