Nightmares From The Workshops

Whistle In The Wind

"GET CLEAR!! THE MINES COLLAPSING!!"
"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!!"
"AAAAHHHH!! MY SAFETY VALVE!! IT'S BURST!!"
"WE WON'T LEAVE YOU HERE CHESNEY!!"
"RUN FOR IT!! SAVE YOURSELF!!"

The Wasteland, once a pretty little minors village served by a small halt, aptly named "Ulfstead Minors Halt", built to serve the old coal mine that was once connected to the Ffarquhar branch, but after the disaster of 1955, the mine closed and the tracks, whatever they could find, were ripped up, melted down and reused to reroute the branch to Ulfstead Castle, where those that did survive, moved to the adjacent village.

Life moved on swiftly after the disaster, those that did survive never spoke about it and the engines on the Ffarquhar line didn't either, but, though the mine had been long gone, it would be forgotten that easily.

Stephen: "SSSHHH!!"

Glynn: "What Stephen?"

Stephen: "Can you hear something?"

Glynn: "Like what?"

Stephen: "A whistle, I've heard it over the past few nights now."

Millie: "Oh please Stephen, it's just the wind, your just hearing things! There's nothing to worry about."

The wind whipped up again, the sound of very faint whistle being carried on it.

Stephen: "There! There it is again! Tell me you can't here that."

Millie: "SACRE BLEU!! STEPHEN!! GIVE IT A REST!! IT'S JUST THE WIND!! THERE'S NOTHING SPOOKY GOING ON!!"

Glynn: "And how do you know that?"

Millie: "Because I know everything and anything!!"

Stephen: "Really?"

Millie: "Look just because I know everything, it doesn't mean I KNOW everything! So good night!"

Glynn: "Well that doesn't make any sense."

Stephen: "She's hiding something, I know it."

With much on both their minds, Glynn and Stephen went to sleep, not noticing a small green box tank, staring into the night.

Neil was the newest member of the Ulfstead team, he often did the dirty work while Stephen and Glynn carried all the passengers, he didn't mind this job so much, as he preferred to be out of the spotlight, even so, he seemed to be a huge hit with the visitors.

While Glynn was collecting supplies from the harbour, Neil was given a passenger turn, although people were only too happy to ride behind him, the weather was exactly perfect for a train ride. Heavy drizzle engulfed the castle as Daisy pulled up with Annie and Clarabel in tow, Neil was waiting at the platform, a little suprised.

Neil: "I thought Thomas always pulled the first morning train?"

Daisy: "Thomas and Percy are working at the quarry after being so horrible to Henry, it serves them right for not believing he had problems! Though it is nice to see Mavis out and about, it must be so terrible being cooped up in once place all the time, day in, day out."

Neil: "AT LEAST SHE HAS THE FREEDOM TO GO EVERYWAY!! SHE WOULD HAVE SOMETHINF TO FEEL TERRINLE ABOUT IF SHE WAS BURIED ALIVE UNDER A ROCKSLIDE!!"

Daisy: "Whoa Neil! I was only...."

Neil: "I... so... sorry.... I... eeerrr.... uuummm... must...."

Neil shot quickly away, leaving everyone dumbfounded, they couldn't nor wouldn't believe it, it was very uncharacteristical to Neil to snap like that, though no-one knew why, the only engine that did was hiding round the corner with the groundskeepers train.

The wind picked up that evening as all the engines were in their sheds, they were all talking about the events that happen that day, then the whistle sounded again, it was louder this time.

Stephen: "SEE!! I TOLD YOU!! I KNEW THERE WAS A WHISTLE!!"

Glynn: "My goodness! Your right!"

Millie: "Are you sure it's not me? The wind does get into my whistle at times."

Glynn: "Well? Is it?"

Millie: "No! Cause not!"

Stephen: "Then who is it?"

The sheds went quiet for a moment, Stephen, Glynn and Millie all lost in their own thoughts, it was then that Glynn looked over at Neil, a sad expression on his face said it all.

Stephen: "Neil? Where do you work before you came here?"

Millie: "Sodor & Mainland railway duh?!"

Neil: "Oh that's enough Millie, I might as well spill the beans, you know the old coal mine that uses to run? Well I was the first engine that they ever purchased."

Stephen/Glynn: "You were?"

Neil: "Aye."

Neil's gaze soon focused in on the night as the old memories came flooding back into him.

When the coal mine first opened, the North Western railway had only been a few months into nationalisation, while the majority of the pre-company engines still helped the railway out, others were sold off, Neil was one of these engines.

Thankfully not long after he was withdrawn, a friendly mine owner bought him and put him straight to work, over the coming decades, Neil saw many changes to his working environment, a new livery, deep red with yellow letters reading NCB on his side tanks, new machinery, health and safety and even the precession of managers, all willing to follow others legacy, however, like most things in life, Neil was becoming a bit too old for this work and in the end, the recent manager decided to retire him.

Manager: "We are all going to miss you old friend but I think even you know your beginning to struggle."

Neil: "Yes sir. So what's going to happen to me now sir?"

Manager: "Thankfully, Sir Robert Norramby has bought you for his museum collection, you'll be on display at the nearby castle, hopefully to be overhauled and pull trains again."

Neil: "Oh sir! Thank you sir! That will be wonderful sir!"

Manager: "I knew you would like that, the company is also buying a new locomotive, one of them 15 inch Hunslet machines named Chesney, he'll be arriving tomorrow, I said to Sir Robert that I'll keep you here for a week to teach the newby the proper way to do things."

Neil chuckled, he knew the manager liked things to be done just so, when Chesney arrived, the two got in like a house on fire, they loved each other company and Chesney was a fast learner, once the week was up, Neil was sad to go, he looked back at Chesney and gave him a cheerful whistle as he left the mines for the last time, though he didn't want to admit, he had a very strange feeling in his firebox, a feeling that this was the final time he was going to see Chesney alive.

Neil: "And as you obviously know, when the accident happened, we lost the mine and the line leading to it, I also lost a friend that day as well, his crew, thankfully survived."

Stephen: "I'm so sorry Neil... we didn't..."

Millie: "I knew. Neil confided in me to tell no-one."

Glynn: "And you did a good job of it."

Neil: "I miss Chesney ever day, though I knew him for a brief while, I knew he was a good engine."

The engines fell silent as Neil began to sob quietly to himself, they didn't want to upset Neil any further, one by one they retreated into their sheds to let Neil have some peace, though through his quiet sobbing, Neil could the voice of his old friend whisper in his smokebox door: "Thank you old friend."