The Sudrians: The Archive Collection

Ditches & Mines

~1953~

The tweets of the birds.

The sound of the wind, rustling through the trees.

Don't you just love that peaceful sound?

But then you get interrupted by that big engine, named Gordon.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Gordon! Watch your speed!"

"Nobody cares Toby!"

"Ugh, arrogant engine," sighed Toby, as he wheeshed steam crossly at the platform.

Gordon came into the station, early as per usual. James was nearby with a goods train. He was waiting for his path to clear and was grumbling as usual.

"Heh, whining again James?" asked the big blue engine.

"I am not!" whistled the red engine, "I'm just... taking to myself."

"Hmmm, indeed," Gordon smirked, as he was uncoupled from the train and ran around it. Passing Percy, who came off the siding where he usually stood.

"Thank you little Percy!" he called, "Keep yo the good work!"

Percy was stunned, so was James, as Gordon rushed past him to the yards behind the big station.

"Telling me to keep up the good work?" repeated Percy, "he's in a good mood!"

James only rolled his eyes as he pulled away, and onto the mainline.

***

Gordon decided to doze in an empty siding, it wasn't like his old siding back at Vicarstown. But it did serve him well when the sun was out.

"Sometimes," he yawned, "it's really hard to be a large and splendid engine, such as myself, to keep up grand appearances. After all, I do deserve the respect I get around here."

A shrill of a whistle, and the loud, strong puffs of an engine, and Henry popped out of know where behind Gordon.

"Peep peeeeep! Hello fat face!" called the green engine rudely.

Gordon's eyes opened wide, he glared at Henry, as the he puffed by laughing his smokebox off. His face, almost red.

"The bloody cheek of an engine!" he bursted out furiously. "Fancy speaking to me like that! Me, who has never! BLOODY NEVER! Had a bloody accident!"

"Are you ever going to stop saying the b word?" Gordon looked to see Percy the small engine stopping besides him.

"Well-I-I...err..." spluttered Gordon, "err...m-my excuses are clear, Henry said fat face to me and we are technically out of public boundaries to say pronounce words for us to not be heard from the station."

Percy smirked. "Whatever, and also, isn't burst safety valves or blown off whistle accidents?"

Gordon growled. "Those are just mere faults," he replied, "accidents are when an engine comes off the rails."