Preserved Railway Engines 4 - Snow Job

Snow Job

7 February, 1985

 North Western Railway, Sodor, United Kingdom 

 The Ffarquhar branch was important, providing coal, slate, and transportation to many towns, and a link to the main line. When it snows, engines put on a sort of skirt on their front and rear bufferbeams called a snowplough. This pushes the snow away from the engine and clears the tracks so that it and other engines can pass. It was a freakishly cold day, and so the rainstorm turned into a snowstorm, coating the railway in a 4 foot block of snow. Thomas, having learned the importance of helping the railway as a whole, didn't object to the snowplow being fitted.

 As he left with Annie, Clarabel, and three coaches left unnamed, he felt happy pushing away the snow, as it meant others didn't have to do it anyway. In fact, it was so uncharacteristic, that his driver himself was surprised at how helpful he was being. "Well, Thomas, looks like you've got some good in you after all!" he chuckled out.
 He pushed the snow away whenever he could.

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 The snow blew harder than ever. Thomas couldn't keep up with it, his wheels simply weren't big enough. "Now now, Thomas, if you keep like that you'll burn up all your coal!" his driver reminded him. Wheels spinning, Thomas grunted and stopped, the icy rails making them slip for another hour, but the snow showed no signs of stopping.  Thomas complained, and so did his crew.  It's not fair, they said in unison, that we get to be stuck out here while the other engines got to stay indoors. Percy stayed in because goods couldn't be delivered in this snow, Toby stayed because he couldn't push the snow away if he tried, and Daisy knew a thing or two about her own anatomy and where not to stick snow. Of course, she would soon forget, but that's not today's story.

  Percy was coming the other way with the slate train, and Thomas whistled for help. Percy didn't stop, though. He continued on without so much as a flinch. All Thomas could do was deflate.
 Thomas's boiler went cold. His driver and fireman shivered, the cold overwhelming them. The coaches themselves fell cold too, no longer getting the pleasure of the steam heating.
 All the passengers complained, Annie and Clarabel among them. The passengers complained about many things, like the cold, the railway, and Thomas himself. Annie and Clarabel complained about the poor quality of the snowplough and the snow itself.
 Thomas complained about Percy.

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  Percy heard Thomas whistle, not paying it too much mind. He must get help once he wants to. He passed a frozen river, the ice glistening in the morning sunlight. It was beautiful, and the six-wheeled coach he was pulling in his train was full of people amazed about the lake's wonder. They were tourists from the Mainland that were going home, and hadn't seen something like that for a while.

 When they got to the station, he, while being uncoupled from his train, told the stationmaster about Thomas.

 "Why, that's why he isn't here!" the stationmaster exclaimed. The stationmaster called the Fat Controller, and Terence was sent out.

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  Thomas had ran out of coal. Terence had simply pushed Thomas into a siding, and once his crew was in a coach, pulled them to the station. They grumbled, got out, and left. Terence uncoupled from the train, went to the siding that the green tank engine sat in, and pulled him to the sheds.

  It's best to have friends to help you out of any situation, don't you agree?