Duck and Apple Bloom puffed sadly down the line, and at last arrived at Wellsworth, where Edward was sitting in the bay platform. Applejack had got off the footplate and was having a rest when she saw Duck arrive. "Well, howdy Duck!" she called. "Fancy seein' you here! How are thin's?"
Duck looked sad. "Diesel has been telling lies about us, and made the other engines and Sir Toppham Hatt think we're horrid."
Apple Bloom got onto the platform and stepped nervously toward her sister, who gestured for her to sit on the bench. "Sis," she stammered, "Ah-Ah can explain-"
"There's nothin' to explain," Applejack replied, putting her arm around her. "Yer the victim of a frame job. And when Ah find out who did it, oh boy are they gonna regret messin' with us Apples."
Edward joined in. "I know you both well enough that you wouldn't do such a thing. So does Sir Toppham Hatt, I am certain of that fact. Things will go back to normal eventually, just you wait and see. In the meantime, do you want to help me with these trucks?"
Duck and Apple Bloom enjoyed working with Edward. They would couple to the back of the train going up the hill, and then would help to propel the heavy goods trains up to the top of Gordon's Hill. Then, they would be uncoupled, and run back down the hill to Wellsworth to await another train that needed to go up the hill. Then the procedure would repeat itself, multiple times a day, until the last train went through and all fell silent.
The trucks were rude, silly, and noisy, but to be honest this was not much of a change from the usual. Both engines and their drivers had to work very hard in order to get the trains up the hill to the very top. Eventually, the top was reached, and the points were thrown. Apple Bloom released the brakes on Duck, and they rolled gently over the points to the Up line. They both enjoyed the run down, coasting along, with the wind blowing gently through Apple Bloom's hair and the run being fairly easy. They were almost to the bottom of the slope when suddenly, a frantic whistle could be heard nearby.
It was the whistle of the guard of the goods train they had just banked up the hill. The trucks had broken away from the rest of the train, and were now racing back down the hill towards them. "Hurrah, hurrah!" the called, laughing. "We've broken away! We've broken away!" As they screamed down the hill, one of them worked the others up into a frenzy. "Chase them! Bump them! THROW THEM OFF THE RAILS!"
The sound of clattering wagons and laughing trucks was terrifying, as they continued to race towards them at high speed. Apple Bloom looked back, and saw the brake van of the train getting closer, and closer, AND CLOSER. "Hurry, Duck, hurry!" she cried, and jammed the regulator wide open. Duck flew through the station, with the trucks following just seconds later. They got closer and closer.
"As fast as we can; then they'll catch us gradually!" Duck cried. A few seconds later, the trucks collided with his rear bufferbeam with a bang, causing him to surge forward and gain speed briefly. He was flying along, with out of control trucks, at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour! But Apple Bloom was gaining control of the runaway train. With incredible precision, she applied the brakes. At last, the speedometer began to go down, the needle getting closer and closer to zero.
"Another clear mile and we'll do it!" Apple Bloom called. They had reduced speed to 30 miles an hour when she looked ahead, and yelled in fright.
"Ah glory, look at that!" she yelled. Ahead of them, sitting in the platform, was a passenger train that hadn't been cleared to depart. If it didn't move off soon, there would be a crash! "It's up ta you now, Duck!" Apple Bloom yelled. "At the very least, make sure we don't hit that train!"
Duck put every ounce of steam and power he had into combating the momentum of the trucks. The brake blocks screeched and his wheels thundered round and round in reverse as he tried to slow the trucks down. As he roared past the red signal, the AWS siren sounded in the cab, and he closed in on the brake coach of the passenger train in front. But they wouldn't stop in time. "It's too late!" he cried, and shut his eyes. But suddenly, he felt himself swerving to the left! Upon reopening them, he discovered that he had been turned off onto a siding nearby, out of the way of the passenger train, which was continuing onwards as if nothing had happened. But worse was yet to come. Up ahead was a barber's shop, positioned right at the end of the siding just across the road. "JUMP!" he shouted to Apple Bloom.
She needed absolutely no prompting, and bailed from the cab, rolling onto the ground with a bang as the pannier tank flew away from her, and crashed through the buffers at the end of the siding. He went into the wall of the barber's shop... and through it... and finally came to a stop, then and there.
It was quite a mess, broken bits of wall and wood lying everywhere. But the trucks didn't care. They were very pleased with themselves, laughing in their silly way.
"Beg pardon sir," Duck said, looking very embarrased. "Excuse my intrusion-"
"No! I won't!" the barber boomed, and grabbed his shaving cream. "You've scared my customers! I'll show you!" and he lathered Duck's face all over. Then Apple Bloom entered.
"What in the?" she asked. "Duck, are ya OK?"
"Who are you?" the barber asked. "Shouldn't you be in school?"
"She's called Apple Bloom, and she's my driver," Duck explained. "And, apart from this cream, I feel fine."
Thomas and Twilight arrived to clean up the mess, and brought Sir Toppham Hatt with them. He stepped inside the ruined barber shop, and laughed at the sight in front of him. "I've seen many strange things, but an engine being shaved certainly takes the cake!" he smiled.
"I do not like engines popping through my walls!" the barber fumed.
"Then why did ya build yer shop next to the railroad tracks?" Apple Bloom asked, not unreasonably.
"I appreciate that you are upset," said Sir Toppham Hatt, "but you must understand that this engine, and his driver, have both prevented a serious crash out on the mainline. I would not want a repeat of Quintinshill on my railway, after all. You could say it was... a close shave?"
Apple Bloom and Duck both groaned at the dreadful pun.
"Ah!" said the barber, who filled a basin of water, and delicately removed the shaving cream from Duck's face. "I am sorry, you two. I didn't know you were being a brave engine."
"That's alright sir," Duck replied, as he was hauled out of the structure, which continued to fall apart. "I didn't know I was being brave either."
"Neither did Ah," Apple Bloom added. "Why does trouble always follow me around?"
"You were both very brave," Sir Toppham Hatt assured them. "And when Duck is cleaned and fixed, both of you are going straight back home, to the yard."
Apple Bloom's face fell. "But they hate us," she said sadly.
"Indeed," Duck said sadly. "They don't like me and Apple Bloom. They like Diesel, and that dratted Silver Spoon."
"Not anymore," Sir Toppham Hatt said. "I never believed either of them, and they then tried to tell lies and pin in on Henry. But we caught them them red handed, and sent both of them back to the mainland. That's where they are now, at Bounds Green depot. The other engines and their drivers are very sorry, and want to apologise for how they behaved."
And when they returned home, so rousing was the chorus of whistles and cheers, that you had absolutely no doubt that they adored Duck the Great Western Engine, and his driver, Apple Bloom.
Huh. I always thought Thomas was the first engine to break through a wall.
Goodbye, Diesel and Silver Spoon, and good riddance.
Funnily enough, there are currently some black 08s, leased to RSSL, based at Eastleigh.
Anyway, I'm guessing Yona for Rusty and Smolder for Duncan. Then either Scootaloo's aunts (setting things up for Scootaloo to drive Oliver) or Lyra and Bon Bon for Donald and Douglas.
10096588
Nope. Duck did it three books earlier.
That was a good adaptation.
In my opinion, the book made more sense with the runaway bit, I mean it would make much more sense for Duck to have struggle trying to stop 20 trucks rather than 6.
But one thing I always wonder is, would pushing some reverse thrust on Duck help slow the train down?
Other than that I hope Lyra and Bon Bon are Donald and Douglas' drivers or even Cloudchaser and Flitter.
And I still believe Sandbar will be with Rusty
10096588
Nope.
10096597
One prowls about at Bounds Green, looking most odd amongst the 91s and 801s.
10096880
Unfitted, yes. Putting the engine into reverse could have worked, but it's risky.
10097075
That's what happens in the book.
"His driver leapt to his reverser. Hard over - full steam - whistle."
10097075
I know about the risks.
The other thing I have to say is, I'm surprised you didn't have Apple Bloom try to use the brake in the van. Then again, consider it's just her driving, I guess that's not really an option
10097113
Ah. I'd forgotten that. In TS2020, I sometimes 1st gen diesels into reverse to add braking force.
10097140
Reaching for that brake handle would be hard, given the cab wall in the way.
10097154
Well, I'm not sure what kind of brake van was on the runaway, but it order to have a close enough brake handle, it would've had to been a Toad Brake van. And the only other way to put the brake on in the van would be for Bloom to climb out of Duck's cab and into the van, but that's not an option either.
10097157
Not least if she slipped...
10097182
My point exactly.
10097183
Yes. A very messy Apple indeed.
10097184
Or a very badly bruised one.
10097185
Ouch, nontheless.
10097197
Aye
10097198
And how about the barber?
10097200
What do you mean?
10097203
Lost business an' all.
10097207
Well, I feel sorry his shop was destroyed in the crash, but he was kinda asking for it for having his shop smack dab at the end of the siding.
10097208
Very true. Like those who put houses at the end of tracks.
10097211
Quite right
10097216
Cajon Pass, anybody?
10097224
That wasn't at the end of a siding though, it was next to a sharp bend.
10097250
True.
10096122
I've got a book of 100 rude-sounding place names in Britain and that one's not even listed.
10097390
Is Pratt's Bottom in there?
10097399
Sure is.
Ingenious reference to Quintinshill. NWR's had its fair share of accidents, but one thing Sir Topham Hatt can pride himself on is that there's been no body count on his watch.
If I recall the original, Duck didn't cry 'It's too late' but instead yelled something like 'Horus'.
10097450
Good.
10097452
Horrors!
I think the part when Diesel told lies about Henry came Thomas1Edward2Henry3's video on how Diesel was sent packing the first time.
10097651
I vagurly renember that.
10097662
Me too. Gordon started to believe that Duck was innocent when he knew something wasn't right.
10097832
A nice change of pace.
If the events of this story ever get adapted TAB style, I would love to see that line be added of course. XD
10096597
That would be amazing though if that happened. X3 Although.... Can Lyra and Bon Bon easily pull off Scottish accents? ^^;
10098025
Well, it's hardly something you see every day.
Wait and see.
10098036
Got that right ^^
Okie :3
10098038
Other aspects of this tale?
Thanks AJ.
they*
Wel, that answers my question if aws was gonna appear in this story or not.
She has a point there.
First off, glad to know Sir Topham Hatt knows of Britains worse train disaster, second, terrible pun.
Your question is as good as mine AB.