The Sudrians: Tales from the Engines

James and Ross (1926)

January 1926

James sat in the station for a while, he was at Killdane with a passenger train. He was pretty pleased with that. But what he was not pleased with, is that he had been taken off the express. Gordon had now returned from the works after his yearly inspection and even though he knew it wouldn't last long, James still felt rather annoyed that he didn't have the express for that long.

Now, he was sitting at this newly built station, waiting for a guaranteed connection with one of the new engines on this new branch line. It had only opened at the end of last year and was only a few weeks in. But James hadn't really seen any engines on it, but the others had and said it was nothing like they had ever seen.

James did notice the weird power lines over the lines of the branch line and the yards, he found it most peculiar to have power lines going over the track instead alongside them like they usually do. At last, he heard a strange sound coming from behind him, then another, louder sound that sounded like it was a whistle, but wasn't. It had more of an echo and metallic sound from it.

At last, the engine came into the platform. "Don't worry yourself to bits," the engine said as it came to a stop on the platform, "I'm 'ere. I'm 'ere."

James' jaw dropped in surprise, Gordon and Henry were right, this was an engine he had never seen before. This engine was a weird box on wheels, with wires and pipes standing up to hit the power lines and no smoke bellowed out of it like any normal engine. Bogies were on them instead of the usual configuration engines had too.

The face looked gruff and very annoyed about the whole situation, and the engine's expression changed to a low growl when noticing James was staring. "Seen somethin'?"

James regained himself. "What are you?" he said.

"I'm an electric engine," sneered the engine, "technology amirite?"

"But... I thought electric engines were only a thing to occur in at least twenty years," said James.

"Well guess what you naive little brat," said the engine, "the future always comes quicker than you expect."

James glared at the engine. "Oh does it?" scowled James, "because I think they rushed 'the future'. What time do you call this?"

"Oi, it's not my fault!" snapped the engine, "Peel Godred it a busy place right now and my sister got held up doing somethin'. So I had to step in and do her work whilst she does mine."

"Oh, so you're putting the blame on your sister now?"

"Just shut up you red tomato."

"Says you--"

James cut himself off as he looked at the engine's livery. He was painted in a bright red livery just like himself. "Copycat," James muttered.

"Oh, so am I a copycat cause we share the same livery?" scoffed the electric engine, "please, grow up will ya?"

"I need to grow up?" said James, wheeshing steam in frustration, "you're the one whining about how you're the future, but you can barely get here on time."

"Go to the nearest scrapyard and get turned into a pumping engine!"

"Why don't you go back into the works and stay there for the next twenty years, you might be useful then!"

"BE QUIET, THE PAIR OF YOU!"

Both engines stopped to look at the stationmaster looking at the pair of them angrily. "You are causing a disturbance," he snapped, "Ross, you can go and move off to shunt the coaches. James, pay attention to the guard when it's time to leave."

Without saying anything, Ross set off to move around the coaches. James scowled as he watched the red electric engine. The stationmaster walked up to him. "I prefer you don't argue too much with him in the near future," he said, more calmly than before, "Ross always likes to stir them up, I don't know why, but he just likes to argue and get annoyed at the littlest of things."

James sniffed. "Well..." he said, "he won't be enjoying life here if he doesn't change his act up. Because he's on his way to being the number one twat on the railway!"

A/N: If you'd like to see any more of these short conversations with other engines, just ask in the comments and I can do so!