Railways must always be ready to adapt to any weather conditions, no matter how suddenly they arrive. In autumn, the usual threat is from leaves. In winter, it used to be snow, but increasingly the main problem is rain. In spring, all sorts of things crop up, such as animals that don't understand the concept of level crossings or fences.
But this spring, well... things were 'hotting up', if you know what I mean. Porter and Izzy certainly knew this one well, as they were currently fighting a fire. A hosepipe had been attached to Porter's tanks, and Izzy was directing the jet at a lineside fire.
"Why are there so many fires?" Izzy said, as she held the jet on the blaze.
"It's all this dry weather we've been having," Porter replied. "There's been no rain for ages, and it's unusually warm for this time of year. Combine that with sparks and ash from our chimneys and there's lots of fires."
"Yikes. Hopefully the diesels won't have this much trouble."
After a few minutes, the fire was put out, and the duo began on their way up to Newham. But just as they reached the points at Penwithers Junction, they began rolling up and down like a ship on choppy waves.
"HeEy!" Izzy said. "ThIs MaKeS mY vOiCe SoUnD sIlLy!"
"Never mind your silly voice!" Porter replied. "The track has warped in the heat! It's not safe to run on this line!"
"We probably need to tell the maintenance crew at Truro and get it fixed!" Izzy said. "I'll get down there right away!"
"But what about our trucks?"
Down at Falmouth, Argyle was overlooking the yards, trying to see if anybody could find his supplies. The weather was taking its toll on him. Sweat was dripping off his forehead and collecting in his beard, and his clothing didn't help.
"If this weather gets any worse my clothes will go see through," he complained, as he wandered into town in search of a drink. "Hopefully somewhere's serving something cold."
As he stumbled on his way, he passed Sunny's stand. "Hey Sunny. Coping with the heat?"
"I think so," Sunny replied. "I set up in some shade today, and left my hoodie at home. Shorts and a white shirt also worked. Why don't you try the same dad?"
Argyle thought for a moment. "That's not a bad idea, actually. And maybe have a milkshake whilst I'm at it. How's the new machine working for you?"
"Excellently," Sunny smiled. "It runs very well, and the customers seem to like it. They seem to be especially taken with the blue flavour."
"How much does one cost?"
"Dad, I don't really feel I can charge you, seeing as... well..."
"Just because I'm your father doesn't mean I get preferential treatment."
Sunny nodded. "£3.50."
"That's reasonable."
After having gotten changed and headed back to the yard, Argyle was feeling a lot better- although he could have done without fogged up glasses. As he looked into the yard, he could see Rebecca being backed onto a ballast train. The new quarry down near his home was certainly producing plenty of ballast for the local railway lines, and not only that was keeping people employed.
"Hello Rebecca!" he called. "Where's that lot going?"
"Ballast going to Truro Yard. From there to where I don't know," Rebecca replied. "Should be an easy run."
"For you, maybe," Hitch said, having stuck his head out of the cab in the meantime. "But this is heavier than most loads I've worked."
"This is light compared to what used to be shifted out of Meldon Quarry back in the day."
Just then, the light changed. "Gotta go!" Hitch called, and with that the train set off for the mainline.
Argyle stroked his beard. "Mainline, eh? Maybe a bit of trainspotting is in order."
Rebecca soon discovered that the ballast trucks she was working were rather more tempramental than most.
"Pull back, me hearties! Pull back!" shouted one.
There was a tremendous jerk on the couplings as this happened.
"What's going on?" Hitch said, as he tried to make adjustments.
"These trucks are up to tricks," Rebecca sighed. "I'll need to make some changes to their attitude."
As they reached the first drop, Hitch applied the brakes. It was then he had a brainwave as they began to descend. "I know! Back in the old days, my parents found a very effective way to keep animals in line was with music. Maybe we could try something similar?"
"And Salty taught me a new song only yesterday! Here we go!" Rebecca seemed to be in exceptionally fine voice. "Now then, you trucks seem very lively. Fancy a sea shanty?"
"Yes! Yes!" the trucks replied.
"Oh Santiana gained the day!" Rebecca called.
"Away Santianna!" the trucks replied.
"Now pull the yan up the west they say!" Rebecca called.
"Along the plains of Mexico!" the trucks replied.
"Now the chorus!" Hitch called.
"Well heave her up and away we'll go/
Away Santiana!
Heave her up and away we'll go/
Along the plains of Mexico!"
This seemed to work. The trucks stopped bumping the duo, and the singing helped to keep the movement of the train in line.
Rebecca rattled down the final hill towards Truro. "Almost there, and nothing went wrong!" she said.
Unfortunately, she was wrong. She hit the section of bumpy track that had warped in the heat, and bounced back and forth as she rattled over it.
"Hey! What is this? I didn't sign up for a rollercoaster!" Hitch said.
Rebecca managed to stay on the rails, but the trucks behind her were not so lucky. Several of them bounced up and down and sent their cargo of gravel flying through the air. Several others derailed and fell onto their side, spilling their cargoes over the main line from Penzance.
The worst was yet to come. Sparks from Rebecca's chimney ignited dry vegetation nearby, causing a fire.
Argyle had taken up position to do some spotting when he had witnessed the entire accident. His immediate response was to get on the phone.
"Operator here, how can I help you?"
"Connect me to the fire brigade, and pronto!" Argyle replied.
"Understood sir, transferring you now."
There was some brief beeping, before the dial tone ended and the call connected. "Truro Fire Brigade, what seems to be the issue?"
"A large fire has just broken out near Truro station, where the line from Falmouth joins. You may also need some rescue vehicles, as there's a derailed train nearby,"
"Understood sir. Dispatching appliances now."
Rebecca and Hitch had already gotten to work moving the undamaged stock away from the fire, and the fire brigade were on scene within a few minutes. Before long, the fire was out, and cranes were busy lifting the damaged stock back onto the rails.
"Sorry about causing the accident," Rebecca said to a firefighter.
"You're not to blame," the firefighter replied. "It's this heatwave we're having. The track over there always buckles and bends in this weather, and we have to respond to a lot of fires in this weather."
"Now," said a railway worker, "if only there was a way to cool the track down. We can't spray it with water as that will cause the metal to warp. The solution is ensuring it doesn't get hot in future."
Suddenly, something Sunny had mentioned returned to Argyle. "Why not paint the track white?" he suggested. "That way, the track heats up slower."
"What a good idea!" said the firefighter.
Once the rails were replaced, they were coated with white paint to reflect the heat. Safe to say, they don't get as hot anymore!
Santana is one my brother's favorite sea shanties!
And I think combining these 2 episodes from different era's definitely made for a better one all together.
Imo, I sometimes wish the people of the U.K. should try experimenting with oil burners again as I heard this same thing happened a lot last year. As great as it is for steam to continue be fueled by coal, it's become more hard to find and expensive and I already know a few places that have decided to do oil firing for that reason and to prevent fires.
I doubt that'll work Hitch, they're freight cars not animals.
I take it back, it worked somehow.
Just what we needed, a derailment and another fire.
11491033
That's pretty neat to hear. One musician to another, I guess.
The main issue with the Bwuhba episode used as one half of the story was that there's no real sense of threat or consequence, partly stemming from the fact Rebecca is a pretty dull character all things considered. Combining the two provided the actual consequences needed for a compelling story.
And removing that silly hat business. Railway regulations in the UK do permit railway staff to take their jackets and ties off in extreme weather.
11491156
1. An potential source is biocoal, which is a carbon neutral fuel. Early experiments have been promising, with the stuff being able to produce consistent temperatures in fires. The only downside is that it produces a lot of clinker.
2 and 3. Troublesome Trucks work in mysterious ways...
4. At one event I went to in July, the locomotives were regularly involved in putting fires out.
11491191
Yeah, on here, Rebecca has much more character development. And she doesn’t need to be an express passenger engine to prove it.
And personally, (even though I had no idea about those regulations) I know the hat business was more for comedy. Still, in all seriousness, I don’t understand why Dowager decided to get Sir T. Hatt a safari hat instead of getting him a white top hat. I’ve seen plenty of businessmen who have worn gray, white, brown, and even light gray tophats or bowler hats. How hard can it be to find one?
11491337
I heard about that same fire problem from 2 youtubers I know off. 1 was from "The Unlucky Tug," and the other was from an american railfan/YouTuber I've been watching since 2018 who was making his first visit to the UK. In one of his video descriptions, he mentioned the fires.
11491468
Or, if Topham wanted to go a bit American, why not a fedora? Also, the white safari hat wouldn't have been of much use given his suit is predominantly black. Grey or white would be a better fit in those weather conditions.
11491644
If that's the video in which Unlucky Tug visits the Bluebell for the Terrier gala, I can briefly be seen in one of the shots.
11491685
Really?!?!
11491684
Even a stetson would've been nice.
And that is a valid point there. I mean, I could see him sporting a light Grey suit.
11491687
At about 15:15, look across to the platform the two Terriers are on. The two figures standing under the station canopy are myself and my dad.
11491688
It would certainly fit the vibe of his character. White, however, would probably not be advisable thanks to all the soot flying about.
11491690
Well, he already wears gray trousers, so having a gray suit would be the more fitting.
11491691
And STH II usually wore grey anyway.
Argyle's situation is based on my experiences of having a beard in summer. It can get quite unpleasant!
11491696
That is a good point.
Ooh, I know how that feels, I once sported a beard and it got cumbersome for me after 3 weeks of having one. Most of my time, I sport a simple mustache.
11491698
I shaved mine off not long after that experience.
11491689
Got it.
11491699
I still have my mustache. As for other experience in heated environments, one of my jobs involves me dressing up as an old west Marshall.
11491712
Cheers.
11491779
You sure are a busy guy.