Tales from the rails

Eddy And The Job Swap

Eddy works as one of the main break down gang members. He saves engines and rolling stock and makes sure the tracks are safe for running. Though, his life is the same old same old, it's quite boring be on this line of work, though he knows it's importance. He sighed as he pulled into the station one day. "What's the matter?" Asked Angelica, she was taking a slow goods. "Ah, you shouldn't worry." He said as he looked as his buffers and shut his eyes. "Come on, I know we aren't that tight, but I mean come on, I'm still your friend!" She pushed as she weashed a little at him. "Well, it's the same old same old for me, it's stressful and boring. I HAVE to do a good job, otherwise everything gets worse." He said finally. Angelica pondered for a moment as a way to solve his problem. "Oh, how about we swap jobs for a day! I can do your work and you can do mine!" Angelica said as she prepared to set off, waiting for the signal to drop. "Really, you'd do that for me?" He asked. "*TWEET!*" The guard blew his whistle, "Oh, that's me, and yes, I will really do that for you!" She said as she whistled a loud, "PAEP PIP!" As she chuffed out of the station.

The next morning, Eddy strolled into the station. He awaited his crew to return with a with a piece of paper that gave him all Angelica's jobs. "So we first have a goods train to Maddox, then a passenger train from Levi, stopping at every station until we get to Blue Station, and then some shunting there, and then a goods train from there to Levi." His fireman said as he handed it to his co-worker. "Uh huh, seems bout right." He replied as he rolled it up and put it in his pocket. "Let's go find those trucks!" Eddy said excitedly as his crew hopped into the cab and they puffed off.

"Man, I haven't had to look for trucks since I was last in London!" The tender engine said as he rolled into the yards. "I know, feels like forever ago." His driver said, looking around for some vans. "Ah! Here they are, though we're gonna still have to find a brake van." Just as they said that, they rolled round a bend, finding a massive brake van! "Look at the size of this thing, I never new they came on bogies!" Said the fireman. "I'm known as a Queen Mary brake van!" Said a male voice on the other said of the brake van. "Though you may call me Charles!" He said after a bit of dramatic pause. "Hello Charles! I'm Eddy!" He introduced as he buffered up. "Hello Eddy and crew. It is a pleasure to meet an engine and crew of such grace unlike the snobby diesels that pulled and pushed me around London." "London? What was your big station?" "Paddington." "I used to work at Paddington too! It's amazing to meet rolling stock from there!" Eddy said as he attached the vans to Charles. "Why, I must ask you though, Eddy. Have you met a brake van named Walter? He's an old friend of mine, I was told he works here now." Eddy was surprised, I just saved him a few days ago! But wait a second, aren't you a Southern Railway design?" "Oh, yes, I am, but you see, after dieselization was over, I was sent around, finally meeting Walter in Paddington being towed by an E2, I think his name was... Rhunty?" "You mean Rhys, he and Walter are close friends indeed!" "Ah yes, he was a splendid engine! They stayed there for a bit before being sent to here." "Wow, I never knew Rhys was at Paddington too! I lived there from 1975 till 1995." Eddy was prepared to start down the line. "Ah, I see, I myself was there from 1970 to about two days ago!" He said. "I'm surprised we never met." "It's a big place with many engines, trucks, coaches, and rolling stock." The guard then hopped into Charles. "TWEEEET" He whistled as the train started down the line. "Piop PIP!" Whistled back Eddy as they started down the line. "Alright, help me keep these guys in order." He Eddy said as they left the yard. "Will do!" Charles said as they sped up.

The trucks came along fine, they tried to go faster, but Charles just pinned his brakes and stopped them from banging into each other. "Thanks for helping me out Charles. Wanna help me with my train later today?" Eddy offered. "Oh, what a splendid idea my friend!" Eddy coupled up to the brake van and they set off to collect some coaches. The coaches were very fancy, and quite snobby as a result. "Oh look at those dirty objects!" Said one as Eddy and Charles back down onto them. "Quite disgusting if you ask me." Said another. "Ought to be put out of service." Said the third. "Indeed, why would the controller have such horrid things on the line?" Asked the brake coach. "Can it!" Said Charles as he was put in front of the first. "Oh!" Yelled the coaches as they heard him. "Disrespectful and disgusting! How-" "Pipe down! The passengers are boarding." Eddy commanded as the doors opened. "We ought to teach these two a lesson for this behavior!" Whispered the coaches to each other. Soon the guards whistle blew, and Eddy released a, "Peep Peep Pip!" As a return and they slowly started. It was a little past noon when Eddy reached Blake's forest, he wasn't able to use the other line as he had to go to a station after the main junction. "Let's do it here!" Said the brake coaches, and the others snickered in agreement. As Eddy started on the slow grade, his wheels began to spin faster and faster. "What the-?" He asked as the coaches then called out, "We'll be late, Faster!" They pushed ferociously and the passengers questioned what was happening? "Woah woah!" Yelled Eddy as they went faster. "I'll have none of that." Charles said as he pinned his brakes hard. They skidded along as the brake van's face began to turn bright red. The coaches were soon tired of it, and Eddy started to gain control, but they rattled around the bend that led to the entrance of Blue Harbour. They went up towards the station, and there were the buffers! "We'll stop, we'll stop!" He groaned as his brakes screeched with Charles's. The station loomed closer and closer, the train entering the platform! Then, Eddy hit the buffers, stopping at the platform, all the coaches fitting perfectly. "Well done Eddy!" Yelled a voice. It was Rhys! He, his coaches, and Walter were preparing for departure. "Rhys! Walter!" Eddy said happily, his face dripping with sweat and red all over. "Walter! It's me, Charles!" He yelled out. "Charles? I haven't seen you since Paddington!" He yelled out happily. "It's sooo good to see you! Where have you been?" "Well, Paddington! I met the famous City of Truro!" "What?! I thought he were a legend!" "I know, I'll tell you all about it when we're not busy." "TWEEEET!" "Oh, that's my train's whistle, by Mr. Eddy! Bye Charles." "Bye Walter!" Called the brake van as the passengers disembarked from their coaches. They suddenly began to yell at Eddy, "What an uncomfortable experience this train was!" And, "You ought to be a shame of yourself!" Eddy then began to feel sad. "Hey! It wasn't Eddy's fault! It was mine for allowing the coaches to get out of hand. If you will yell at anyone, yell at me." Charles said as the crowd looked. "But it wasn't! You ought to be praised for saving this train!" "Eddy, silence! It isn't fair you receive any blame for this." Charles yelled, shutting his eyes. A young boy stepped from the crowd, he held a stuffed teddy bear. He walked onto Charles's running board and smiled at him. "Thank you sir." He said as he hugged his frames. He then walked up to Eddy as the crowd watched on, his mother yelling at him to get back. "Thank you too Eddy, you're both my heroes." He said as he hugged his boiler as best he could. "N-no problem kid." Eddy said, he began to cry. "Gerald, we're going now!" His mom said angrily as she grabbed her son's hand and dragged him away. After they were given the clear to set out, and they shunted the coaches into the carriage shed in the yards. Eddy was still crying. "What a joke! Get a load of this girls!" Laughed the first coach, but the others didn't join in. "We were bad." Said the second. "Yeah, real bad." Said the third. "We're sorry! We didn't mean for anything like that to happen!" Yelled the brake. The coaches then sat in silence as Eddy had his train shunted for him.

A little Pannier tank had done it for him. He was a class 1366 and was painted in a BR green with GWR lining and had some rust on his tanks and cab. "La la la, bum da bu dum!" He hummed as he shunted an entire train behind Eddy, who had stopped crying at that point. "Oh, um, do you think you can add this guy to the back? He asked. "Sure! Let me unhook this brake van for ya!" He said with a smile as he got clipped back up to the brake van. After a minute or two, the train was ready to set off. "TWEEEET!" "Thank you... um..." "The name's Clark! And you are?" "I'm Eddy, and this is my friend, Charles." He said and he whistled a goodbye. "Cya later pal!" Clark whistled in return, and the train set off down the line. The trucks began to scheme. "We can try a break away." Said one. "Look at the size of that brake van! We'll have no shot of that." "We could pin our brakes?" "No, poor Jerry nearly got ripped a part because of that." "I'm still waiting on repairs!" "Then a runaway it is!" The trucks schemed. When they got to The Lickey Incline, they caused no trouble, at first that is. "Now boys!" Yelled Jerry as they bumped into each other fiercely. "AAAHHHHH... WHOO HOO!" Yelled Eddy, he had never been in a runaway, and while he was braking, he was having a lot of fun! "Why is he not terrified?" Asked a truck. "Don't ask me." Said another. Charles began to brake with ease, they rocketed through the station and down the mainline, gaining control as they went along. "H-how did he just do that?!" Yelled a truck. "I don't know! But I just did!" Yelled Eddy as he laughed happily into Levi. "Splendid job today Eddy! Not only did you stop two nasty runaways, but you were on time with every delivery!" Said Sir William V as they cruised on into the platform. "Thank you sir, but I couldn't have done it without Charles." He said. "Then a splendid job with you too Charles, I knew bringing you on would be a great idea." "Thank you sir, though I have a question." The brake van started. "Can I become a part of Eddy's team? Me and him work wonders together." The controller pondered for a minute. "I don't see why not!" He said at last, and the two cheered happily. "I shall have you repaint to fit in with the rest of the brake down gang, and speaking of which, I've also decide that the work is too much for one engine along the mainline and one for the branch lines, so I'm purchasing two more engines, one for the mainlines and the other for the branch lines." Eddy and Charles were happy to hear the news. "Thank you sir! They yelled as a Tom arrived to collect the trucks. "Now then, off to the works you two, you shall both receive a new coat of paint!" He commanded as he walked to his car. "Yes sir!" They said, and Eddy ran around the train to get Charles. "Well Charles, welcome to the break down gang!" "Thank you Eddy." And the two puffed off into the sunset.

About a week later, Hercules was returning with Jerry, his axles had snapped and he needed many repairs. He heard a whistle as the doors began to open. "Well well well! What do we have here?" Asked the crane engine. "Hello Hercules! I want you to meet my new brake van, Charles!" He said as he rolled out of the works. Charles was behind him, and looking quite splendid in his D&D break down gang green. He had the words, "BREAK DOWN GANG." on his sides and two nameplates on his front and back that read"CHARLES" in gold. "Well hellooo there!" Said Hercules. "Hello there Hercules, by any chance, did you work in Paddington?" "Why yes I did!" He said, and all three of them chatted about the stories they had of the station.