Brothers In The Pits: Stories of Industrial Steam

Chapter Seven: Diesel Dilemma

     National Coal Board management was facing an issue. The majority of their fleet consisted of steam engines inherited from the collieries they had worked in. Whilst they had partially solved the issue by buying Hunslet Austerities, either from the Army or straight from the builder, there were still plenty of aging locomotives present throughout the country's colliery lines. Soon, another solution was found; purchasing surplus shunters from British Railways and putting them to work in the coalfields.
     One morning, Mr. Johnson arrived at the sheds with bad news. "Output from the mines has been decreasing lately," he said grimly. "I've received a call from the division heads, and they say they'd like to see if we can reduce operational costs. Therefore, only three engines will be in steam each day from here on out."
     "But sir," asked Mike, "what will happen if one of us breaks down?"
     "The third engine is to be used for standby," Mr. Johnson replied. "As I've said, the mine's output has been falling, so there's no need for two engines to shunt the trains together. The engine that is to be out of service will be rotated daily, so you'll all still see work." He looked at his engines with an obvious nervousness before continuing. "In addition to the reduction of those of you in traffic, the division heads have arranged for a diesel to be brought here on trial. As much as I hate to say this, if the trials go well, the line will be dieselized."
      Everyone gasped. Mr. Johnson sadly looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. All we can do is wait and see how it goes." The colliery manager seemed to slump as he trudged away from the sheds.
     "Oh god," Kent whispered. "This is it." The others looked over at him. The poor Jinty was pale as a sheet, and his eyes were wide with terror. "We're going to be scrapped," he said. "It was a diesel that took me away from my home on the main line, and now they've come back for more!"
     "Calm down Kent," Melissa said, doing her best to soothe the shaking shunter. "It isn't all doom and gloom just yet. We just need to hope for the best." Despite her confident words, the engines who left the sheds that day weren't as optimistic as they looked. Alan, sitting at the back at the shed, watched them leave before sighing. He had a bad feeling that the trials wouldn't go well.
     The diesel that arrived was one of the many Class 14s that British Railways had withdrawn after only a few years of service. His name was Charles, and to say he was stuck up was an understatement. "To think they still keep relics like this in service," he chortled to himself as he shunted about the yard, "what a joke! A newer, more reliable engine like me is just what this place needs."
     Mike and Kent leered angrily at the diesel as he passed. "Thank goodness you aren't like that anymore, eh Kent?" The saddletank said crossly. "At least you learned. I don't think anyone that young could be bothered."
     "How young is he, exactly?" Kent asked. "I know BR was withdrawing a lot of their older shunters, but he doesn't look like he's aged a lot."
     "Only five years old, according to Mr. Johnson," Mike replied. "He and his brothers were built for local and branch line work, but just as they showed up that Beeching twit axed most of those lines. I think the rest of the hydraulics were being withdrawn around the same time."
     "Hydraulic, huh?" Kent frowned. "BR only uses diesel-electrics in these parts. He's a fish out of water, if something goes wrong he's in trouble." Mike agreed, but Charles, who had been eavesdropping, wasn't concerned.
     A few days later, the engines were being readied for the day's work. Mike, Melissa, and Charles were scheduled for service that day, and were sitting outside the sheds as their crews warmed them up. Whilst the two steam engines were waiting comfortably as their fires began to burn, Charles was having trouble. His engine was making a terrible racket, coughing and spluttering angrily at the driver's attempts to start it. "Goodness gracious," Alan yawned from within the shed, "What on earth is all the noise about?"
     Melissa grinned, seeing a chance to pay the diesel out. "Seems Charles is having trouble getting ready," she smirked. "It's such a shame, really. Oh well, I guess we'll have to leave him here and manage the trains on our own. For a reliable engine like him, he certainly doesn't seem keen to work."
     Charles went red, snarling angrily. "Oh shut it!" He snapped. "Just you wait, kettle. I'll show you why you lot were tossed aside from the big railway, and why it was us who replaced you!"
     "Didn't you get tossed aside too?" Mike said, joining in on his sister's teasing. "You don't have much room to talk if you were thrown to the rubbish bin yourself." The diesel seethed with rage before, with one final defiant splutter from his engine, he rolled away to start work.
     The twins were to be used for shunting and standby that day, with Charles handling the trains to the main line. He growled furiously as he went about his work. "I'll show them," he grumbled. "I'll show them!"
     That afternoon, Charles was preparing to take a train of empties back up the hill. He was talking to Abigail, who had brought them in. "Careful with those," she warned. "They were giving me a lot of trouble earlier, and-"
     "Rubbish!" Charles barked. "I know how to handle these horrid things." As he left, the trucks began to chatter to themselves. "Knows how to handle us, does he?" They said to one another. "We'll see about that."
     As the diesel began to climb the hill, the trucks behaved well, and Charles felt more confident. "Wait until they see me," he smirked. "Then they'll see how much better I am!" Unfortunately, he had reckoned with out the trucks.
     "We'll see about that," the leader of the train said. "Hold back boys!" As the trucks held back, Charles tried to keep them in control, but he strained himself too much. With an almighty cough, his engine gave out a quarter of the way up the last hill.
     Eventually, Melissa arrived to collect the stranded train. She said nothing as they arrived back, and Charles said nothing for the rest of the day. As he pulled into the shed that night, everyone was silent. "Such a shame a really reliable engine can't handle trucks up hills," called a voice. Charles wasn't sure, but he thought the voice belonged to Mike.