Day 16-Shadow: A New Legend
Maindy Hall sat safely at Didcot Railway Center center, but the volunteers were beginning to fear they had been too late. Several times a day, his face would flicker. He was dangerously close to fading. While they spent as much time as they could with the hall class, nothing truly seemed to reach him. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was often disjointed. The shadow of the scrapyard still plagued his mind, trapping him within.
That changed in the early 70s. A pair of young volunteers were clearing the engine.While they weren't able to restore him yet, they hoped the care would prevent more damage than was already there. Plus the attention seemed to bring the engine closer to awareness.
"How's the saint project going?"
The woman groaned, "Not well. Building a new locomotive from scratch is insanely expensive, even with Crovan's Gate offering to do it at cost."
"Couldn't you use parts from other engines?" The man asked, "Great Western engines often share similar parts."
"That's actually the problem. It's too close."
The young woman placed her hand on 4942's buffer beam. "The first Hall class was actually a voluntary rebuild of a Saint class. Swindon had to work very hard to ensure the rebuild wouldn't change the engine's personality, and even with their skill it was a minor miracle it worked."
Neither volunteer noticed that Maindy Hall's eyes had focused on them, clearer then they had been in years.
"So if you use existing parts..."
"It would almost certainly be a former Hall class that woke up. Scared and confused in a new body, with their last memory being scrapped." She shook her head. "Midlothian has been on Sodor for nearly thirty years now, and she still has nightmares. It was only days later and she was put together exactly as before! Add on the changes of being a completely different class decades later..."
"Use me." A soft voice interrupted them. Both youths turned in shock to see the 4942, weary but clear minded for the first time in years. "Use me for the rebuild."
Soon the Great Western society board met with Maindy Hall, but the engine was resolute. Hoping to talk sense into the engine, the other surviving Hall class were brought to Didcot to speak to their sibling.
Number 4900 Saint Martin had left the North Western for the first time since her transfer in 59.
"Are you certain lad? There will be no going back. Even if you were returned to your original state, there would be no guarantee you'd return to your old self.
As the humans around them groaned in frustration. 4900 tilted her head. Before her eyes widened in realization, "that's why you volunteered. You want to be changed."
As the humans and engines around him gasped, 4942 looked down.
"I can feel it sometimes, the clouds in my mind. I know what I'm missing and it's almost worse than being numb."
Tears slipped down the engine's cheeks, "and I'm not getting better...despite their best efforts. When I can see clearly enough to understand, I know I'm surrounded by loving crews...and it's not enough."
He glanced at the young volunteers who'd he overheard. "Hearing them, it gave me hope. That hope cleared my mind, but even now I can feel the fog creeping back, clouding my thoughts again."
"And if you are replaced by a new engine in your frames."
"Then I would hope you would treat them with the same love you held for me." He hesitated then pressed on, "Repairing me won't fix me sister, no matter how dearly I wish it could. I'd rather be new and whole, than a broken shadow of my former self."
Saint Martin glanced around at the assembled Halls, who all slowly nodded one by one.
She rolled forward gently and pressed her buffers against Maindy's, "Then If Caomhnóir agrees, you have our blessing. One way or the other, one of us will be with you till the end."
"Are you sure Caomhnóir?"
"The Lady is clear Saint Martin, this 4942's best chance at being whole again."
"Will it work out? Will I still recognize my sibling?"
"All we can do is trust in the Lady, and she has never led us astray."
"Will you watch over him during the rebuild?"
The Didcot staff teamed up with the Crovan's Gates engineers. The planning took several weeks, and during that time 4942 slipped back into his clouded mind.
The question was raised if the rebuild should wait till he woke back up, but it was reluctantly agreed that it could be years before the engine became lucid again, and that it was probably better for the rebuild to happen while the engine was under.
The rebuild took several months, during which time there was always a Hall class nearby. The North Western's number one was also brought in for overhaul early, and helped watch over the rebuilt engine.
Finally, early one spring morning it was time. The Hall's gathered together again, waiting anxiously outside Crovan's Gate together with several North Western engines as 4942 was resteamed.
It was quiet for a long time, then they heard puffing. Saint Martin and Thomas rolled out of the works, brilliant smiles on their faces. A shrill whistle was heard and a third engine rolled out between them.
Her fresh paint gleamed in the sunlight and she rolled as smoothly as a newly built engine.
"Brothers and sisters," Saint Martin called, "allow me to reintroduce our sibling, no.2999 Lady of Legend!"
The hills range out with the joyous whistles of the engines, none louder than Legend's.
