“Then Skarloey began to laugh. ‘I’m the stick-in-the-mud after all,’ he gurgled helplessly, ‘not you!’ I laughed too, I couldn’t help it, he looked so funny. We were laughing when the cleaners came; we were still laughing when they left. ‘Poor engines!’ they said, tapping their foreheads; but we weren’t mad. We’d learned sense, and we’ve been firm friends ever since.’ ”
Aka: Every telling of Henry’s Tunnel is unique (Part I)
Earlier that Week, Railway Board Business Meeting:
…well if that is the last topic to address, I’d like to make a motion to conclude the meeting. All in favor?
Aye.
Aye.
Ay-
The Fat Director: Ehem…Actually gentlemen, I have something.
There was a long pause.
TFD: The Ballahoo Tunnel. As I’m sure you know, the tunnel gauntlet necessitates awkward timetables and imposes an upper limit to the number of services we can run in and out of Vicarstown everyday. I’m sure you can appreciate how this might cause difficulties. Besides it isn’t Wartime any longer, we can afford the upgrade?
…
TFD: …There are also the safety concerns? That gauntlet is an accident waiting to happen, and I don’t know about you, but I want safety to be renowned on my Railway.
-:… Your railway? You may direct the railway, but make no mistake, the NorthWestern is Our railway. You only come to Business Meetings as a formality. Know your station Director.
[You schedule the trains. We finance the trains. You discipline the trains and then we decide the future of the trains. We do this for 40 years, and then we retire comfortably]
The Fat Director silently seethed.
~~~
Later that week:
I won’t spoil my green paint and red stripes for you!
He had never liked these big engines.
Henry hadn’t built up enough steam to take the first morning train, and had sat building pressure all morning; he was only now pulling the midday local because he was the only engine left. Gordon, Edward and James would soon be delayed on their return trip to Vicarstown if Henry didn’t move soon.
Honestly, he couldn’t tell whether Henry had failed again or was if he just being stubborn. He’d been drenched in a cloud of steam, so obviously Henry had plenty of it, but then, Henry did appear particularly fired up at the moment. These big engines are so finicky.
The Fat Director grew more apathetic by the hour. Silly passengers had dithered about Henry but it was no use. The Fat Director had a scheme. Eventually, the signalmen sent for Thomas to come help clear the line, but after an initial try pushing the train, mostly for the benefit of the passengers, he had had Thomas stop; it was no use wearing the poor engine out. Instead, he reached into the inner lining of his top hat (he had had the interior water proofed out of caution) and pulled out some paperwork.
TFD: Oops wrong ones, those are your “legal” documents Thomas. Here you are driver. Have these brought to the Big Station and contact the designer signed on the bottom, tell him I want it double tracked instead of single; there’s been a change of plans.
Recommended Listening: Credit to Nicco’s Trains on SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/7BEWwwaJh9a1kQXt6
Later:
Henry looked on with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, amusement, and dread.
Hey uh, what ya got there??
Random Worker, enjoying a refreshing beverage after having finished re-laying rails: A Smoothie!
Um uh well it’s a Tunnel bore, but did you know a similar bore is going to be used to dig an exploratory tunnel? What do you think that means? I thought that was an interesting change of topic?
Sir, you can’t be serious? It’s been a week, I’ll come out now, this is insanity?
TFD: You’re Staying in the tunnel Henry.
LET ME OUT
You do NoT disrespect my authority. If you keep arguing I’ll have you bricked in, I swear it, you will not be upsetting my arrangements twice!
WHAT ARRANGEMENTS ?!?!
That’s it-
~~~
Further consequences:
With the Main Terminus cut off, the big engines were forced to run trains from Tidmouth to the Works Station, and Edward took goods and Passengers further on down the Ballahoo branch, as well as works trains to Henry’s Tunnel. The city of Ballahoo experienced a brief boon due to this diversion of traffic, which was transferred to horse and cart, and even some of Sodor’s first Busses. Unfortunately, the Tidmouth Sheds wouldn’t start construction for some years, so the engines were forced to take shelter at night in branch line sheds, goods sheds, and on a few occasions, station canopies.
The Next Business Meeting:
…
Also that bit about the Tunnel bore is true, I found schematics for a bore dated the same year as the Tunnel incident
Hardrock Tunnel Boring Machines
Download this stock image: Channel Tunnel - 1922 Whitaker Tunneling Boring Machine - Hythe - G6RJP8 from Alamy's library of millions of high
