It had turned to night on Sodor, and everyone was tired. All but one of the engines had gone into their sheds for the night. This engine was Henry. He was a big green engine, with three driving wheels, and a large tender. Henry was used for pulling heavy goods trains, and other long trains. Tonight was just like all other nights, so Henry sat awake in his shed for his time. Every week, a shipment of fish arrived at the docks. This shipment was called the Flying Kipper. And every week, Henry was sent down to the docks to fetch it. His driver had arrived back, and they set off towards the docks.
When they arrived at the docks, a small snow was falling, placing snowflakes upon the ground. Henry was coupled to the trucks, and waited for the guard to give them the go ahead. The train was long and heavy, despite only being filled with fish. Smelly fish, to be exact. While waiting, Henry's driver spoke to him.
"If we pull the Kipper nicely, Topham might let us pull the Express." Said his driver to Henry. That made Henry very excited. Suddenly, the guard blew his whistle, and the set of.
Dawn soon arrived as they were puffing through the country. The sun had arisen and was shining dimly over the horizon. The snow had picked up, and had covered the rails ahead of them. The snow made the rails slick and slippery. Plus, Henry's cars were heavy, and they pushed against him. They were having a good time though, and the signal ahead told them they were clear, so they rushed on through. But what they didn't know was that the snow had forced the signal down, as it was supposed to be red.
Up the line, a freight train was sitting on a siding. The Driver, Firemen, and Guard all sat in the breakvan enjoying a hot cup of coco.
"This might just be the best cup of coco I ever had!" Exclaimed the guard.
"Come on," Said the driver to his firemen, "We must get back to our train, the Flying Kipper is due any minute now."
They exited the break-van, and started back to their train. As the Kipper was approaching, the points leading to the siding had been jammed. Henry was coming in fast, and had no time to stop. He veered down the siding and into the break-van. He smashed into the back of the van, smashing it into pieces. The guard screamed as splinters of wood jammed into his body in all different directions. Henry rammed up the van and slid onto his side, sliding through the snowy bank. His crew hadn't managed to get out of his cab in time, and were thrown into Henry's controls. His driver smashed against Henry's break pipe and cracked his head against it. His firemen was thrown out of the cab, and landed on his back against the rails.
Henry came to a sliding halt in a bank, laying on his side. His boiler was bent and had leaks everywhere. Steam hissed out of places, and Henry felt sick. His wheels were bent and his side-rods dug into the ground. The sun had risen, and the snow had stopped. He didn't know how long he sat in that bank before he heard a whistle. He looked up, and out in front of him was the breakdown train. Footsteps were heard alongside him. He looked to his side to see Topham step out in front of him.
"Oh Henry," He spoke, "It wasn't your fault. The points were jammed with ice. But don't worry, we're sending you to Crewe to have a new shape! Soon you'll be a newer engine." Henry was excited. He was going to be rebuilt newer and better. As he was lifted out of the bank, the blood from his crew was all over the ground, covered bodies in snow and ice.
Topham was true to his word, Henry was sent away to Crewe to be rebuilt. As for his crew, they didn't survive. A new crew was ordered for Henry as soon as possible. Henry would soon be back, and he couldn't run without anyone. But his crew wouldn't be the only new thing about Henry. But that's a story for another day.
