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Intro83 words
Charles and the Suspicious Squeak2,650 words
Porter and the Old Organ1,533 words
Chop and Change1,519 words
Salty and the Treasure1,072 words
Zipp and Keith1,483 words
Bellerophon's Promise1,108 words
Izzy and the Painter1,888 words
Blast from the Past1,289 words
Pipp and the Queen of Yorkshire1,627 words
Bad Day at Rannoch Moor1,162 words
Care of Cloudpuff1,533 words
Sunny-Day Dinners1,218 words
Sophie Runs Dry1,373 words
Ray's Discovery1,019 words
Credits118 words

Zipp and Keith

It was a sunny day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and the engines were all at work. Even though it was only six in the morning, the sun continued to blaze high in the sky, and the railway was already on the move.

Charles was one such engine. He moved out of the depot at Grosmont and into the tunnel, sounding his horn cheerfully as a Black 5 puffed past with empty stock for Pickering on the other line. "Good morning! Lovely day for it, isn't it?"

"Going for a run?" the Black 5 replied. "Certainly! You'd have to be mad to stay indoors. It's a good thing all that rain happened, as it means us steam engines can run without diesel support!"

Charles came to a stop in the platform and saw a red signal above them. "It's at danger," he said. "And we're booked to arrive at Whitby at 7 in order to take the first train out. What could be delaying us?"

"Main line traffic?" Zipp suggested. "The line to Whitby is still part of the national network, even if the traffic is a bit sparse so to speak."

A tank engine puffed past with some more coaches. "Come on! We've got plenty of work to do, you know! All this hot air you're producing is hardly helping the weather!"

Charles blinked. "If you were an important engine, you would understand the importance of sometimes stopping. But you are not an important engine and therefore do not understand. Do you see the signal up there?"

"No. I'm facing the other way and my face is looking at a carriage."

"It is red," Charles explained. "It means I cannot go."

A few minutes passed, and still they didn't have clearance to depart. "Whatever is that signalman playing at?" Charles grumbled. "We're going to be late!"

Just then, a three cylinder beat could be heard in the distance. "Whatever is that?" another engine asked.

Zipp listened closely. "I recognise that exhaust beat," she said. "Bulleid Light Pacific. But I wasn't aware of the North Yorkshire Moors having any."

Suddenly, a large pacific appeared from the left. At the speed it was going they could only tell it was painted green before it rocketed away into the distance.

"Whatever was that?" Charles asked.

"Whatever it was, it was a Bulleid Light Pacific of some description," Zipp replied. "I guess we'll find out more when we get to Whitby."

A few minutes later the signal changed, and they were cleared to proceed to Whitby. Once they arrived in the platform and were attached to the train they saw who the special engine was.

He was an enormous locomotive with thick set frames, a slab sided boiler with tapering and a belpaire firebox, a streamlined cab, two smoke deflectors, and a wide chimney. His cabsides bore the numbers 34053, and he had a blue nameplate with the text Sir Keith Park. Above the nameplate was the crest of the Royal Air Force.

"Good morning, old bean!" he said, in an upper class voice which reminded everybody around him that he was very British. "Lovely weather, isn't it! Excellent for a good potter through the countryside, what what?"

Charles scowled. "Did anybody understand a word he said?" he said.

"I have a friend who talks like that," Zipp answered. "And oddly enough he's American. Also remember mom and dad have pretty posh accents too." She looked to Keith. "Good morning, Keith."

"Ah!" Keith said. "The heir to the Duchy of Dorset is here! Tell me, what fine ablutions bring you out parambulating through the lands of York?"

"Excuse me?"

"What are you doing in Yorkshire?"

"We have a holiday home here and are helping out during the summer season. Bussman's holiday."

"You don't drive a bus!" Charles said.

"I know."

Keith noted this. "Ah well. Good to see a helpful face, what what? Still, be careful with the hill up there beyond Grosmont. It's quite slippery with all this rain we're having. I'll probably need a banking engine!"

"I'm not surprised," Charles said. "You look like a slice of cheese with wheels on." And before anybody could say anything else the guard blew his whistle and waved his red flag.

Keith sighed as Charles pulled out. "I was only trying to be helpful. He doesn't seem like a pleasant chap at all." He smiled. "Oh well. I'm told most people around here are friendly."

Charles rattled down the line with his train. "What does that engine think he knows?" he said, to nobody in particular. "I can get up any gradient just fine. All it takes is speed and power!"

"Is that your solution to every problem?" Zipp aske, driving from the other cab.

"Yes. More problems have been solved by speed and power than have been solved by slowness and underpoweredness."

Zipp rubbed her neck. Charles could be fun to work with, but sometimes he could be a right pain in the neck.

After a bit of time they arrived at Grosmont, and passengers got on and off. After the train from Pickering arrived, the signals changed and the guard sounded his whistle once again.

"Here we go!" Charles said, as his wheels dug into the rails. The train moved off and into the tunnel, the sound of a Crompton engine reverberating through the tunnel and surrounding area.

At last the hit the one in fourty nine climb up to Goathland. Unfortunately, Charles was so focused on reaching the top he'd forgotten about the wet rails, and his wheels began to slip. "More power!" he shouted.

Zipp increased the throttle, but it seemed to be having little effect. Charles' wheels simply span more and more as the train slowed down.

The wheelslip indicators lit up, alongside a warning to reduce power. Charles' engine continued to roar as the train ground to a halt.

"Got an engine temperature warning!" Zipp shouted. "I'll have to shut off power!" So she did, and applied the brakes to hold them in place.

"Why did you take off the power?" Charles asked.

"You'd have overheated otherwise," Zipp replied. She picked up the radio. "Grosmont Box, this is 33021, over?"

"Grosmont Box to 33021, state your message, over?"

33021 to Grosmont Box, we have stalled on bank. Repeat, we have stalled on bank. Request permission to reverse and restart from Grosmont station, over."

"Grosmont Box to 33021, request denied, both platforms are occupied. We are dispatching a banking engine to assist you, out."

Zipp sat back. "I guess we wait here then."

Just then, a familiar whistle sounded behind them. "Oh no, it's the posh twit!" said Charles.

"Do you want to be stuck on this hill or not?" Zipp asked, before hopping out of the cab.

Donning a safety vest, she walked back down the train and stopped at the bottom, where Keith was waiting. "Good morning again!" the big engine said. "I must admit I wasn't expecting to see you two so soon, but we can't help stalling, can we?"

"You're gonna help?" Zipp asked. "Even after Charles was rude to you?"

"Of course!" Keith replied. "The alternative is being stuck on this hill, and besides we shouldn't hold petty grudges towards one another. Will Charles be supplying any power?"

"Can't risk it," Zipp replied. "His engine's too hot."

"Well, you can ride with me and my driver," Keith replied. "We'll have this lot moving with two turns of a greased watermelon."

"Uh, say what now?"

"We'll have it moving in no time!"

Zipp coupled Keith to the train, and then hopped into the cab with the Light Pacific's driver. With a series of powerful puffs, the engine got the entire train moving up the slope, producing plenty of smoke and steam as he did so. The passengers onboard the train cheered as they made their way up the gradient, the train moving with reasonable speed despite all the weight.

After a long and difficult climb, they reached the top. Keith dropped back down the line to reconnect to his train, and Charles waited for the next train to arrive so that he could continue on his way.

That night, at the shed, Charles was glum. "What's the matter, old chap?" Keith asked, as he rolled in. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Sorry I was rude to you," Charles said. "You got me out of a complete mess there. Turns out speed and power doesn't solve everything."

"Apology accepted," Keith replied, as he looked out towards the hill. "You know, they're forecasting more sunny weather tomorrow. This means the rails will be a lot dryer than they were today. You should have some better luck on the hill tomorrow."

"Even so," Charles replied, "it's nice to know that there are engines who have my back, so to speak."

Both engines laughed as the sun set in the evening sky.

Author's Note:

This story combines elements from Gordon and Spencer and Edward Strikes Out, conversely some of the best and worst episodes in terms of character development. Still, it was a fun challenge to try and blend the two.

34053 Sir Keith Park is another real locomotive, and a close relative of Rebecca. He belongs to the Battle of Britain Class, and is also one of the rebuilt examples that was modified in an effort to cure the classes' numerous technical problems. Today, the engine can be found at the Spa Valley Railway, although it is stopped for overhaul at time of writing.

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Thomlight Sparkle 1

Thomlight Sparkle 1 #1 · Jul 7th, 2023 · · ·

11630946
That is true. And hopefully a certain pirate isn't gonna try and steal it.

Thomlight Sparkle 1

Thomlight Sparkle 1 #2 · Jul 7th, 2023 · · ·

A very good chapter here.
Good combination of a nice episode and bad one.

ScisetShimmerEvan

ScisetShimmerEvan #3 · Jul 7th, 2023 · · ·

"Yes. More problems have been solved by speed and power than have been solved by slowness and underpoweredness."

Yeah, that's a terrible idea imo. Speed can't fix everything.

Zipp rubbed her neck. Charles could be fun to work with, but sometimes he could be a right pain in the neck.

Agreed.

At last the hit the one in fourty nine climb up to Goathland. Unfortunately, Charles was so focused on reaching the top he'd forgotten about the wet rails, and his wheels began to slip. "More power!" he shouted.

last they hit*

33021 to Grosmont Box, we have stalled on bank. Repeat, we have stalled on bank. Request permission to reverse and restart from Grosmont station, over."

"33021*