Branch Line Blunders

Douglas and the Mountain Train

Donald and Douglas were returning with a goods train from The Other Railway as they arrived at The Works Station.

"Alright there Dougie, go shunt yon truck for the yard while I go and fetch young Culdee from where I left 'im." Douglas complied as Donald gaily collected Culdee from the siding.

Dawn had not yet broken the dark of the night and so Culdee was still asleep. Donald's gentle bump awoke the sleeping engine. He looked at Donald who returned this examination with an assuring wink as not to wake the small engines nearby. Donald then shunted a brake van in front of Culdee's wagon before finding his place behind the train at the station. By now, Douglas had shunted the trucks for the station and had returned to the front of the train. Donald's crew gave a whistle and the train set off once again.

An electric train purred into the transfer station where its trucks were shunted. Donald and Douglas arrived around the same time too.

"Alrighty Dougie, I've got to take yon Culdee up to his railway," Donald called from the back of their good train as the pair stopped. He was uncoupled and shunted Culdee's well-wagon towards the junction while Douglas went to add the scrap train from Peel Godred to his own train.

"Ga' mornin'," Douglas said to the electric engine. The electric engine rolled his eyes and snorted in a lordly way. "Oh aye! Ya' don'ne have to be like tha'!" But the engine fidgeted with his pantograph causing an electric arc. Douglas jolted in shock! The electric engine gave a mischievous and pitying laugh before rolling away from his train leaving Douglas to shunt it alone. Douglas, insulted, hastily took the electric engine's train to add to his own. He had reassembled the train when he heard a loud and sudden honk from the sheds.

While Douglas had confronted the rude engine, Donald had taken Culdee into the yard and left the brake van attached to the back of the goods train. Donald then pushed his flatbed into a crane wagon before hearing a nasty laugh and a furious Douglas. Because his trucks now straddled the points, Donald had to reverse out of the yard and on to the branch line. This brought him back to where the electric engine now smugly sat. Donald came right next to the electric engine, wheeshing steam as he stopped. This frightened the engine who honked furiously while Douglas made a daring escape

"That was splendid!" laughed Culdee, "You showed him up."

"Aye," blushed Donald, "nothin' to it. Now to tackle yon slope."

"Save yourself some steam," advised Culdee, "this slope gets much worse before it gets any better. Try keeping an eye on the view, that usually keeps the mind off the strain."

And he was right. Donald found it more challenging than he expected at first, but he kept himself steady throughout the journey by looking around. As he rumbled over a sleepy village on a bridge, he was able to see the majesty of the nearby mountains.

"Gosh sakes," he trailed off.

Culdee laughed, "that's nothing compared to the mountain I climb."

"And such a brave soul ya're for doing so."

"It's just what I was made for, and I'm happy to do what I was made for."

"Aye but still."

"Oh it's nothing really," Culdee said sincerely, "I marvel that you engines can carry loads like this, but for you I'm sure it's a breeze."

"Well that's only because it's what I wa- I understand you now."

"Exactly," Culdee said assuringly, "Nothing to scoff at but just what we were made for."

It was a long way to the next station after the small village but at last Donald arrived and brought the train to a siding. The crane was quickly fitted to Culdee and it began to lift. Suddenly, a breeze picked up and wobbled Culdee and the crane violently. Culdee had been spun around but was quickly placed back on the flatbed.

"I didn't cross an ocean and return home just to play roundabouts," he laughed.

A worker soon realized that the error was that the crane's leg had not been set properly so set about piling slabs of stone to stabilize the crane. This time when Culdee was lifted and the wind blew, the crane remained stable.

"Goodbye Donald," Culdee called from his cab end, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Nay, it was a pleasure meeting you. Too bad this line is for yon electric engines. But say 'hi' to ol' Godred for me."

"For sure! And tell everyone about our little railway. I'm sure the passengers would like it very much."

And with that, the crane safely placed Culdee back on his own rails again.

Donald chunked, "Yon Culdee, may be the mountain engine, but it's me who was pulling a mountain train today."