Letters to a Friend

Chapter 1 To Pass the Time

1.

Old, worn out pistons could barely be heard, working hard in one of the most severe downpours the island has ever seen.

Creaking and groaning sounded as a train roared around a particularly harsh turn, the sound could be heard through the harsh thrashing sounds of the rain hitting the ground.

The constant moving parts of the locomotive ground against each other, this engine probably needed its joints oiled. The engine disappeared into a tunnel the sounds echoing off of the stone walls.

The skies above the island were covered in clouds, with very little to no sunlight being able to pierce them. The sound of the heavy rain almost drowned out the sounds of the never ending work being done.

While some businesses like flower shops or clothing stores closed some time ago, farmers still tended to their livestock, teachers taught their children in the safety of their classrooms, factories were still busy, and buses along with lorrys and trains still ran like clockwork to make sure people and materials make it from A to B.

A little thing like rain would hardly be enough to bring a vital industry like a railway to a standstill.

The people on this island depend on the trains running even in less than ideal weather. Trains brought food to stores, they helped deliver construction materials, and so on.

On Sodor the NWR is considered one of the most important lifelines on the island, being responsible for the most person and goods travel around the island, which means that the island's engines are also kept extremely busy.

The locomotives of Sir Topham Hatt's fleet enjoyed working in this type of weather as much as anyone forced to complete their work outside in this weather. To put it in their words, the engines find this downpour to be extremely bothersome and one engine in particular was having a pretty bad day.

Near the island's shore on the way to the busy harbour, the train exited the tunnel and rumbled slowly through the countryside. The sound of the rain pouring down onto the rails was interrupted by the sound of hissing steam and the sound of complaints coming from a long line of trucks.

The rumbling of the train was louder than usual, this was probably because it was being pulled by the Railway's number 5 engine.

Smoke was billowing through his funnel in thick grey clouds as he was fighting the storm. His wheels occasionally slipped on the wet rails irritating the already aggravated engine further.

Rain pelted his boiler, the sound reverberating through his chassis and making him uncomfortable. The trucks behind him groaned and whined further, they were not happy about their wood getting wet and the water getting in their eyes among other protests.

James was hardly in a better condition, being at the front of the train he was going head first into the elements.

"I'm staring to understand where Henry is coming from" grumbled the red engine. He squinted trying to see through the watery cascade. At this point he was relying on his crew to keep a good lookout. He could barely keep his eyes open with the constant stream of water assaulting his face.

"Well it's the last train, afterwards we are getting you home" His driver called out through the storm, patting his engine's side affectionately.

Even James's crew couldn't avoid getting soaked in this weather, they had raincoats crudely hung over their usual work uniforms.

They wore gloves and rain boots, basically anything that would help them work in an engine cab that unfortunately for them was not completely closed off. While they didn't feel the brunt of the rain, they were still plenty soaked.