Thomas and Friends: More Tales from Sodor

by The Blue EM2

Fire Escape

"Sir Toppham Hatt's coming home today!" said James, one morning, as the engines woke up. "They say he was very busy, and that cleaning up the smokescreen was quite challenging."

Gordon was in no hurry to see Sir Toppham Hatt after that incident. He looked down at the ground and sighed. "Oh dear," he said. "I must do well today, or else Sir Toppham Hatt will be cross!"

"I'm certain he'll understand it was an accident," Rainbow Dash replied, as she readied him for work, putting some extra lubricant into the lubricators. "Stuff like this happens all the time!"

"Especially on a steam powered railway," Gordon said, remembering Lightning Dust's story about a mother who got angry at her for the steam engines making noise. "It's like people these days don't seem to understand we are meant to be working engines, not toys in museums!"

"It frustrates me too, but there's not much we can do about it," Rainbow Dash replied. "Now then, let's go and get the coaches. We've got the usual run ahead of us."

Gordon was backed onto the train and simmered in the platform. The last door banged, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag- the Wild Nor'Wester was ready to go!

Gordon whistled triumphantly as his driving wheels gripped the rails, and steam shot forth from his cylinder cocks. "Express comi-"

"STOP!"

Rainbow Dash slammed on the brakes and brought the train to a stop. "What's going on?" she asked.

Just then, she saw a passenger dash onto the platform and dive into a compartment. "Late passenger," she fumed. "We'll be late now. I remember when we departed on time, and if you missed the train, well tough luck!"'

"We'll be late now," Gordon sighed. "Oh, the indignity."

Gordon's late departure from Tidmouth had a knock on effect further down the line. The late departure meant that he missed his path through Knapford Junction, where he was held to let a goods train cross the line from the Ffarquhar Branch to the main line, making him later still. Once the signal dropped, Gordon was determined to make up any lost time, and he dug furiously into the rails as he accelerated away.

He thundered through Wellsworth, already up to 60 miles an hour, and soon began the ascent of Gordon's Hill, his cab pitching and rocking and the coaches swaying from side to side. Luckily, there was no bathwater splishing and splashing inside, as there were no sleeper cars on the train. Gordon was halfway up the hill when suddenly there was a loud bang underneath his cab.

Moments later, Gordon felt cold air rushing into his frames, as if there was a gaping hole between his firebox and boiler. "Ouch!" he said. "What's happened?"

Rainbow Dash cranked open the firehole doors and peered inside. There was a giant, gaping hole in the fire, and right at the bottom she could see where the firebars had once been. They had fallen out completely!

"Your firebars are gone!" she shouted. "Part of the fire has fallen out. This is 20% less cool than I'd hoped this run would be!"

"Less fanservice, more driving!" Gordon shouted. He was already feeling weaker. With a large portion of his fire missing, his steam pressure, and thus his speed, continued to drop rapidly. Rainbow Dash had to react quickly, or else the train would stall on the hill. If it did, it would be almost impossible to get moving again. She saw it. She grabbed a massive lump of coal from the tender and dumped it into the gap. This acted as a seal, preventing most of the cold air from getting in. As the fire temperature increased, the pressure gauge slowly crept upwards. She then dropped some smaller lumps around the side to increase the temperature.

"Ready, Gordon?" she shouted.

"Ready for what?" Gordon replied.

Rainbow Dash slammed the firehole door shut, and activated the blower. A jet of air roared across the fire, increasing the temperature to white hot, and she cranked his regulator open to full. "NOW!"

Gordon suddenly sprung into life. He roared like a possessed dragon, steam being blasted high into the air as he continued to fight his way up the hill. His speed began to slowly increase, rising from 25 miles per hour slowly towards 30. He was exhausted, and even worse the exertion was starting to cause him pain. But Gordon refused to give up. "I am not stalling here!" he shouted, and he closed his eyes, thinking it would help. The grade was still fierce. Gordon's exhaust boomed even louder, and soot and ash shot high into the sky as he cleared the summit. With a roar, he was up and over.

"I've done it! I've done it! I've done it!" he called triumphantly. "It's a straight shot to Vicarstown now!"

"Not without those firebars, you're not," Rainbow Dash said sternly. "We need to be routed off to get some more. That means contacting control." She reached for the radio. "Marron Box, this is NWR 4, are you reading me, over?"

"NWR 4, this is Marron Box, please state your message, over?"

"Marron Box, this is NWR 4, locomotive is missing firebars after partial fire collapse. Requesting to be looped at Marron goods loop, over?"

"NWR 4. this is Marron Box, understand that locomotive is missing firebars after partial fire collapse. Request to be looped at Marron goods loop confirmed. Please hold speed at below 25 for loop entry, over?"

"Marron Box, this is NWR 4, understood. Holding speed at below 25 for loop entry, out."

Gordon was stopped in the loop, in readiness for a pilot engine to be coupled to him to take the train onwards. BoCo soon arrived to tow him to Vicarstown, where Sir Toppham Hatt was waiting. He looked very happy indeed.

"Well done Gordon!" he called. "That was a spectacular run, and you got the passengers to safety. You were determined, and refused to give up. And some stellar driving, Rainbow Dash! However, some... ahem, other things still need to ad-"

Just then, a whistle blew, and Sir Toppham Hatt had to rush to his carriage. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it would have to wait until later.

Author's Note:

This story is loosely based on an incident that occurred on the Lickey Incline near Birmingham, where an engine's fire fell out and the train managed to clear the bank. It probably helped it had several banking engines too...

I witnessed a similar incident on a visit to the Mid Hants Railway in Hampshire, when a train stalled on the bank out of Alton towards Meadstead and Four Marks. The driver did an amazing job of getting the train going again, and even managed to get the train into the next station on time-with no wheelslip!

Comments

[Sudrian Engineer]

I know this is the last set for this collection, but will there be more collections?

[JimmyHook19]

Luckily, there was no bathwater splishing and splashing inside,

Heh.... reference to one of the lyrics from the Season 5 song Come for the Ride I assume? :3

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

This was one of my favorite stories of this book. I even love how the way the hole in Gordon's firebox was plugged up.
And I figured this was based on a real event, but I'm surprised you witnessed something similar!

[The Blue EM2]

10823700
There will be more details soon.

[The Blue EM2]

10823845
Yes.

[The Blue EM2]

10823856
Steam services stall a surprising amount on preserved lines.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824078
I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose.

[The Blue EM2]

10824086
Heavy loads, slow speeds, and steep gradients.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824123
All common difficulties for any engine pulling any train of any kind.

[The Blue EM2]

10824126
Especially a vintage one.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824128
Aye

[The Blue EM2]

10824130
Cause gradients are tough.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824240
Indeed. And not just for trains but also for lorries

[The Blue EM2]

10824556
And cars too.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824566
Even a bike could have troubles

[The Blue EM2]

10824570
Especially if you don't pedal hard enouth!

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

10824650
Or have any experience on expert trails

[JimmyHook19]

10824077
Heh.... that song is just so upbeat though, especially to jam out too. X3

Heck..... Headmaster Hastings did a great job of doing his own cover to the song! :D

[The Blue EM2]

10824797
Indeed.

[The Blue EM2]

10824830

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"Especially on a steam powered railway," Gordon said, remembering Lightning Dust's story about a mother who got angry at her for the steam engines making noise. "It's like people these days don't seem to understand we are meant to be working engines, not toys in museums!"

Well some people in this world don't know how to respect steam engines, and my dad was one of them.

Rainbow Dash cranked open the firehole doors and peered inside. There was a giant, gaping hole in the fire, and right at the bottom she could see where the firebars had once been. They had fallen out completely!

Uh oh!