The Sudrians: The Archive Collection

Samson's Fate

It was year after Gordon had arrived to the railway. And it was a very eventful year, 1924 was. This year was the year where I wouldn't be use for quite a while. But there was a reason why this happened. I will explain it, but I must warn you, what I'm about to tell you, isn't a pleasant one. But then again, some of the future stories aren't either. But this is the story, about Samson.

Samson was based off of a bigger design of the Neilson box tank engine. But he was a very proud engine. He was very confident of himself, and spoke what he thought on the spot. This cause some his relationships with other engines on the railway, to not be good ones. One time, back on the TK&ELR, he accidentally took a train of coaches instead of trucks. He had almost got out on to the mainline before he was flagged down and was told off severely.

When the NWR opened in 1915, Samson was given the Kirk Ronan branch line, not for an award or anything. But so to keep the line running, and since the branch line didn't have much to go on, with only fish and passenger trains, Samson was a near perfect choice.

Samson took pride of being given the branch line all to himself. He didn't see the actual way of why got the branch line, he saw it the other way. One day, I was told to take a train of empty vans to Samson's junction. Eagle was waiting there too. The midland was suppose to leave with a supply of fish trucks placed on to his own goods train. Eagle was waiting patiently and was bothering anyone, but Samson is thought he was. He puffed up next the midland engine and wheeshed steam at him viscously.

"Oy!" exclaimed Eagle, "what was that for?"

"For being a twat," fumed Samson.

"Why am I being what you just called me?" asked Eagle crossly.

"Because you should be going by now," replied Samson, "you're 60 seconds late, leaving. So go and get out of my junction!"

Eagle was hurt, and puffed away to Tidmouth.

"He is so rude that engine," he said to his driver, "I don't know how the coffee-pot engines coped with him back before the NWR was opened."

"Who knows," sighs his driver, "but he must have good in him."

"I hope so," replied Eagle, "next time this happens, I don't know what to do."

The midland engine soon arrived at Tidmouth yard. He left his goods train in siding for Neil to look after and went to the coaling plant. There he saw Alfred and Simon.

"Hello you two," called Eagle to the pair of blue tender engines, as he came to a stop next to a coal bunker.

"What do you want?" sniffed Alfred.

"Woah, I'm just here to fill up with coal," smiled Eagle, "any harm in that?"

"Yes," snapped Simon.

"Simon," scolded Alfred, "he's here for coal. That is an excuse for now."

Simon rolled his eyes. Alfred then looked back at the midland engine.

"Tell me Eagle," he started, "how do you cope with pulling coaches more than trucks?"

"Well," pondered Eagle, "if I don't mind pulling them. So the more I pull trucks. The more you pull coaches, so it's win-win for all of us."

"More like a win for us," smirked Simon, "I mean, you might be scrapped by the end of the month."

"The Fat Director would never approve of that," scoffed Eagle, "he'll more likely send you away for being annoying."

"How dare you!" wheeshed Simon, angrily. "Never mock me, again. You pile of Midland-"

"Just because I worked in the midlands before coming here, doesn't mean I'm actually midland," interrupted Eagle, "I was built by the Furness and-"