Southern Island Railway

Chapter 15: Jasmine

Belle had been doing well on the Josephine Railway. She helped with shunting, passengers and goods. Some rails had been set up for Talyllyn to ride on for a demonstration train. She didn't mind it. Although she did miss Dolgoch. However, today would bring a surprised.

That night, Braedey had taken a goods train to the other railway, and was just getting ready to leave, when he heard a noise.

"That sounds like a steam engine," he said.

The GWR 4900 looked at the old shed, and found an engine inside. She was a GWR 4000, or Star Class, with faded BR Green on her, three non-corridor Deen coaches, two first class, and one brake at the rear, and a 20 ton LNER Goods Brake Van.

"Are you a Fat Controller's Engine?" she asked.

"No," said Braedey, "I'm from the Josephine Railway, just a bit away from here. It's similar what Sodor was. And the Paradise Railway."

"Oh thank goodness!" said the engine, "My name is Jasmine, and I'm here with my three GWR Dean Coaches, Libby, Stella and Elsa, along with an LNER Brake van named Fredrick. We're escapees from the D.G.S.S.E, and a BR Class 04 helped us escape. We've been hidden here for years thanks to a kind engineer. Is there a chance you could take us with you?"

"If it's from scrap you're running from," said Braedey, "I can help. We all know what it's like to be put up for scrap."

"How do we get out of here?" asked Fredrick.

Braedey then remembered the story of how Douglas escaped with Oliver and Toad. They had transcripts seeming like Oliver and Toad were purchased, and Braedey's crew quickly got to work doing the same with the help of the engineer who protected Jasmine. The two humans worked about, taking off Jasmine's side rods, and wrote, 'scrap' all over where they could.

"No time to turn around!" said Braedey, "I'm gonna run tender first!"

Braedey quickly shunted Jasmine, the coaches and Brake Van to the front of his train, and quickly headed backwards.

As they passed, a diesel nearby, who awoke with a startle, with him saying, "Oh, evening you two."

He then fell back asleep, and his eyes shot open, noticing the scrap words written on Jasmine, and he said, "Hey, HEY!! A STEAMER'S ESCAPING!!! A STEAMER'S ESCAPING!!!"

Just before Braedey could make it past the signal box, he was flagged down.

"Ah-ha!" said the yardmaster, "A Great Western Railway Star Class, Three Dean Coaches, and an LNER Brake Van. I'm sorry, you can't take these."

"But it's all for us," said Braedey's driver, handing the papers over, "See for yourself."

The yardmaster looked at the papers, and at the scrap train.

"Hmmm....," he said, "Seems in order. Right, away guard."

The yardmaster waved his lantern, and the guard blew the whistle. Braedey then rolled down the line, towards the Josephine Railway.

"That was a close one!" said Braedey.

"We've had worse," said Jasmine, "Like when I was kidnapped by that D.G.S.S.E. I was just minding my own business, collecting passengers, when my crew was asked to help with something, and some diesels came up, and took me away. I spend days at their headquarters, and I heard the screams of other engines. Thankfully, a kind diesel shunter known as Mavis helped me, my coaches, and a spare brake van get away. We were going to Sodor, but they only needed one engine at the time. So, with the help of the family of a kind engineer, they kept us hidden away from the public eye. We sat there for a few years, listening as the sound of chuffing and puffing steam engines was replaced by the growling and purring of diesels. One Class 28 Metrovic Diesel actually helped keep me hidden, by helping hid the tracks to my shed. But since then, I haven't heard from either of them."