Steam of Britain

Chapter 44: The unfriendly coaches

It was a bright day in King's Cross. The local engines were all doing their jobs, and British Railways had just made some new coaches and were brought to the station. They were large, metal coaches that were used for express runs. Soon, Tornado was sent to take them, and when she backed down on them, she was greeted with rude comments. "Steam? I thought they were out of service. So old, and noisy, and very useless." Tornado was taken back. "It's not your fault, but British Railways should just scrap you all, and get electric diesels." Tornado was not happy with what she was told. She took them down the line, with the the new western midland express, called the Midland Rush. All along the way, the coaches complained, were rude, and said that they deserve first class only, and nothing less.

The next day, Mallard's coaches were to be repainted, so he had to use the new coaches. Max and Perry were busy in the yard, so Alex helped with the shunting in the yard. Alex pulled, and pulled the coaches, but they had slipped their brakes on, so Alex would have trouble. Soon, Alex had burst his safety valve, and Rattle took him to the works. Now, Mallard had to fetch the coaches himself, and was not happy that they had made him late. "Slow coach." "EXCUSE ME!?!" snapped Mallard, "WHO ARE THE ONES NOT MOVING AT ALL?!" That shut them up. Mallard then raced down the line, and the coaches said, "You call this fast? Compared to a modern engine, you're a snail!" Mallard was loosing his patience fast.

Soon, the coaches had driven every steam engine off the deep end. City of Truro decided to teach them a lesson. "OUT OF DATE?!?" he snapped, waking them up, "OLD!? TIN KETTLES?! YES, WE MAYBE THAT, BUT WE ARE STILL REALLY USEFUL!! IF WE HAD OUR WAY, WE'D LEAVE YOU ALL BEHIND!!!" "You can't," said the first coach, with a snooty attitude, "WE are needed to carry passengers." "SPITE MY FRIENDS WILL YOU!?! TAKE THAT!!!" And City of Truro bumped the coaches hard, and said, "THERE'S PLENTY MORE OF THAT IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!!!"

But they did keep it up. And every time they did, City of Truro would bump them like trucks! Soon, they decided to misbehave once more. Soon, Steve was taking them out, and the coaches were having a plan. So, when the guard blew his whistle, they slipped their brakes on, and Steve struggled up the line. Sparks flew from his wheels, and he soon came to a stand still. His wheels spun, and he was close to a patch of oil, which had leaked from a nearby fuel pump. One of the sparks hit the oil, and caught fire! Soon, the pump combusted, and exploded!!! Soon, fire was everywhere!! And Steve and the passengers were trapped! "QUICK, SAVE US!?!" cried the coaches. "WHAT ABOUT THE PASSENGERS!?!" "DISPOSABLE!! THEY CAN'T MAKE MORE OF US!!!!" Soon, the fire was put out, and the station master wanted to hear everything. But the coaches told fibs, and said sparks flew from Steve's funnel. "Now Steve, I know that this was an accident, but please, be more careful in the future." "But sir-" "No buts. Now, go to the works to be checked." "Yes sir." Steve then headed off. 

Soon, the coaches were back at the platform, and Barrow was to pull them. He buffered up to them, and said, "Now, I want you all on your best behavior today!" The coaches were cross. "We act as we see fit!" And they were rude, and delayed the train at any point they could. Soon, the station master had gotten all sorts of complaints, and when he looked at them, it was all trains that had the new coaches. "Hmmmmm," he said.

He found them in a sighting, and Rattler was not happy with their behavior. "YOU KEEP THIS UP, AND YOU WILL BE THE ONE DISPOSED OF, AND NOT US!!" The coaches laughed, and Rattler rattled away. The station master then said, "May I speak with you please?" He then asked a series of questions, and they all answered, "No. We've been behaving well." "Well, the staff, passengers, and engines would say otherwise." "Lies, all lies." They then batted their eyes, and said, "You poor station master, all this work has gotten to you. You must rest." "Oh I see it now," said the station master. The coaches smiled, "I ordered new coaches, but all I got were troublesome trucks!!" The coaches were shocked! "It seems I owe Steve an apology. And I know now what you said about the passengers. The factories build tens of hundreds of you all in a single week, when a human can take up to many months!! I will speak with the railway board about this!!"

So the coaches were taken off the rails, and turned into beach shacks, restaurant dinners, and houses for the crews. Trooper pulled up beside one, and said, "Actions come with consequences. Be careful of how you choose your ways." He then puffed off with Amilia.