The Sudrians: The Devious Diesel

Keep Your Secrets

1958

As the morning crept through the yards, the bustling of steam engines were oddly not present, instead, the sounds of a purring Diesel engine were heard, as an oily black shape lurked around the trucks.

Diesel was delighted that his plan had worked on Duck, now the yards were all to himself and he took it with pride. However, his experience was lacking and his arrogance didn't help either. There were repetitive delays that could've easily been avoided, making the engines very cross. Even Thomas, who was the least to get along with Duck, found himself sneering at the devious figure.

However, later on, the cool morning, just before lunchtime, Diesel was visited by the Fat Controller. "Since the... absence of Duck," he said carefully, "I can see you aren't handling the work as well as you should be. I will be moving Thomas and Percy to the yards every so often to help you and show you the ropes."

Diesel's expression didn't change. "Yes sir," he replied plainly. The Fat Controller looked back at the diesel, carefully examined him, but only nodded to him and walked off back to his car. But as he, Diesel's neutral and depression became a frustrated growl.

***

Thomas and Percy did try their best but Diesel refused to listen to them. In the end, Thomas would leave grumbling to himself for hours about the diesel. Percy, on the other buffer, was more open about the matter to the big engines.

"He doesn't listen!" he said to the engines that evening, "all he does is glare when I give him advice and goes oiling away to cause more disruption! Duck wouldn't have done this if he was still here! But you three had to cry about some silly names!"

If it wasn't for the last remark, perhaps Gordon and James would've seen Percy's point, but instead, they both scowled crossly at him. "Duck made us a laughing stock," Gordon said, "he needed to be stopped and punished before it escalated, which he has been."

"I wouldn't call going to Edward's branch line a punishment," huffed Percy, "besides, have you ever heard of 'innocent before proven guilty?' All you have to say is that Duck was going around, saying those names to the trucks, who are the only ones who say it was him. What's the first rule when it comes to trucks?"

Gordon and James didn't say anything. "You can never trust trucks," came a slow reply.

The other two engines glared over to a big green engine at the corner of the shed. Henry was thinking thoughtfully about it, but felt two pairs of eyes on him, piercing through his smokebox.

"Thank you, Henry!" Percy said obliviously to James and Gordon's reaction to Henry's response, "at least someone is thinking straight."

"I remember when you and Duck blocked the sheds," snapped James, "that caused havoc for us all! Even to the Fat Controller, he's now understanding that that fuddy-duddy is a cause for delays and disturbances."

Before Percy could say anymore, they all heard a horn and Diesel came backing into the sheds, coming from the yards nearby. He said nothing to any of them and oiled into the other corner of the shed. All the engines silently agreed to leave this debate tonight, now that one of the engines was here. But that did not make it get out of Henry's smokebox, who thought carefully about what z Percy had said.

***

Thankfully for the green engine, Percy was the one who shunted his coaches, and the first train of the day left on time. This allowed Henry to think carefully about what the argument Percy and the other engines had last night about Duck and Diesel. Percy was right on something, when questioning the trucks, all the engines managed to get out of them was that Duck said those names. But that was from them and trucks aren't meant to be trusted.