Steam engines, Skullgirls, and Universes

Chapter 18: Attractions

A few days had past since the girl's day out and now all of the engines from the North Western ran on Canopy's lines. The smaller engines would still shunt in the yards from time to time, but for the most part they ran on the branches. The people of the regions thought these little trains were a marvel, they ran to time smoothly and all with a positive attitude. Seeing the brightly colored engines seem to brighten up their days.

One morning Thomas was waiting at the terminus station on the Maplecrest line. He had arrived earlier and was resting at the platform. Percy rolled in with a line of vans. 

"Hello Percy, what's with the vans?" Thomas asked.

"A fruit company is trailing the branchline to see if it can't deliver their goods more efficiently." he explained. 

"Well, I'm certain we'll be having more work with that service then wouldn't you say?" he grinned. The two engines laughed. 

They heard the sound of an engine coming through, it was the horrid twins. Thomas and Percy groaned and expected more rude remarks and crude comments. Instead the twins stayed silent and puffed pass them, their train was four flatbeds and a workmen's coach. They chuffed down the line towards the station up the line and disappeared around the bend. 

"Uh, wonder what they're doing?" Percy said. 

"Probably adding new things to their platform." Thomas grumbled, then he puffed out of the station. 

The platform was the platform they built for their railway at Maplecrest's 4th station. The reason was try to provide their services to more people, and try to takeover Canopy's business. Separating the 4th and 5th station was a hill, Canopy Railroad had dug a tunnel through it, however the Medici just built on top of the hill. This made it a tricky climb, and often times delayed them when one would get stuck on it. Thomas steamed through the tunnel, smoke rising out of the portal. He arrived at the fourth station, as he got closer to it he heard the sound of machinery and more disturbingly the sound of the cutter's torch. 

He rounded the bend and stopped at the station. He saw that the Medici platform was being demolished. Cutters were removing the lamp posts, they ripped up the fencings, and loaded them all up on the twins flatbeds. 

The Medici's expansion hadn't worked like they had hoped. Their traffic was smaller than expected thanks to their ever souring reputation, and the line only proved to be a loss maker rather than a money maker. The executives decided to rip up the line and come up with a better plan. They just couldn't compete.  

Thomas didn't say anything, but a small smirk crept across his face. 

"Serves them right! Serves them right!" he thought to himself. Soon enough the guard's whistle blew and Thomas puffed out of the station. 

While he didn't say a word, Arry and Bert glared at him knowing he was loving their less than fortunate situation.  

Thomas chuckled to himself the entire way to the junction. He passed up the Y, then up the incline before steaming into the junction. There were many people there, they were all around James. They asked him questions, and talked to the red engine. Naturally James soaked up the attention he was receiving like a sponge with a cocky smirk. 

"Why yes, I do help with the express back on Sodor. They need a splendid red engine like myself to make it all the more flashy." he said.

Thomas whistled as he puffed into the junction. Soon everyone turned to face the little blue engine, and ran over to him now. They waved hello and swarmed the blue engine with questions. 

"Did you really race that Bertie the bus?"

"How bad was the snow drift you got stuck in?" 

"Did going that fast behind Gordon wear you out that much?"