The Sudrians: The Salvation Collection

Bear South

The Twelfth Engine - Part 3

All three of the blue engines were still at the works being mended, so the inspectors had to change a few things on the lines they would've run on. Thomas' branch line manage to cope without it's main engine, and Douglas, who was going to work on the mainline after bank-holiday, was kept on Edward's branch line to do the blue engine's duties. As for the mainline itself, since no other engine could be able to pull the express, with permission by the Fat Controller who was still in London looking for an engine, they had loaned a diesel engine from the mainland to pull the express. He was a BR class 55 and only had a number, the engines couldn't properly remember it but his number began with 55, and that was what he was called, because Eagle didn't bother saying his full number and the other mainline engines heard it and it stuck with the class 55.

Henry said to me it reminded him of two engines back when the railway was beginning and what I've heard of him, I couldn't agree more. 55 was a pompous and rude, one of those stereotypical diesels who wanted to degrade steam engines no matter what. And would cause countless arguments in the night. The engines were glad when he would leave the sheds. One morning, 55 had made the engines very cross, Oliver spend the night at the sheds and 55 had heard about his 'escape'. I would leave it there myself but it was one of the worse arguments with James being brutal as possible and Bear ordering him to shut up.

The hydraulic diesel was being fuelled up nearby, when Oliver pulled up alongside with already picking up his coaches. "Thanks for trying to shut up 55," he said.

Bear grinned. "Don't worry about it," he said, "happy to help!"

Just then, the inspector arrived. "I've been sent a letter from Sir Charles Hatt," he said, "he has found an engine."

"Oh," said Oliver curiously, "what class is it?"

"I don't know," replied the inspector, "all I know that it's actually in London in storage and an engine is needing to go there with the Wild Nor' Wester today."

"Today?" exclaimed Bear, "but who'll take it?"

"You will Bear," replied the inspector, "controller's orders."

"M-Me? But why?"

"You're the fastest diesel on the island," said the inspector, "and BoCo is needed here, I'm sorry, but Sir Charles Hatt did specifically asked you to go."

He left, leaving Bear quite perplexed, Oliver smiled encouragingly. "Go on Bear," he said, "you can do it, "the Fat Controller chose you specifically to go to London."

Bear knew orders from the Fat Controller means that he would have to do it with no other options unless the stout gentleman said so. So he revved his engine and growled away towards the station.

55 was fuming when he saw Bear backing down onto his coaches.

"Don't know why they have a dirty diesel pull coaches for the highest class," he said snootily, "it's uneconomical."

"I don't think you understand what 'uneconomical' means," Bear replied crossly, "besides I need to go to London, you don't, that is all."

55 said no more, as Bear headed out of the station towards Barrow-In-Furness.

He rattled down the line, making quick progress. He stopped at the works station and then carried on to Barrow, he was quickly refuelled with a tanker sitting next to him on the platform with either Splatter or Dodge.

He rolled out of the station and headed towards new, foreign territory. He hadn't gone Barrow ever since joining the railway and was a little nervous, his driver reassured him as he went past the station buildings and travelled through the British countryside. A sense of nostalgia came flooding into him, but he wasn't all too frilled by it. He stopped at a few stations along the way. Stopping at Manchester first, travel another few miles until reaching the city of Leicester, then finally stopping at Nottingham, the last stop until St. Pancreas. Bear then remembered the time Gordon told him he wanted to go to King's Cross to prove an engine wrong about the station being changed, but then realised he had gone to St. Pancreas and had a long talk with the Fat Controller about it with the engine who tricked Gordon into thinking they demolished King's Cross and replaced it for St. Pancreas.