FanFic:Saving Sodor Part 6: Good Diesels

Saving Sodor Part 6: Good Diesels

Characters: (in order of appearance)

• Edward
• Trevor
• Boco
• James
• Toby
• Henrietta
• Percy
• Mavis

Transcript

Further away, on another branch line, Edward was making his way to the station of Wellsworth (often refured to by many as 'Edward's Station', since this was the top station on this branch line, which belonged to Edward), to do some shunting.

As he puffed along the line, he came to a section of the line which ran past a large orchard. Many apple trees were standing here, the apples that were growing on them ripening in the summer sunshine. At the bottom of the orchard was a large wooden shed.

Standing by the wooden fence which protected the line was a traction engine, painted dark green with red wheels and lining.

As Edward was running early, he decided to stop by where the traction engine was standing.

"Hello Trevor," he smiled. "How are things?"

"Hello, Edward. Not much to say really," replied the traction engine. "Only I've been keep busy this summer, giving children rides."

"It isn't tiring you out, is it Trevor?"

"Not at all, Edward," smiled Trevor. "You know how much I love children. So tell me, is there any news from you engines that run on rails."

So Edward told Trevor about the Fat Controller leaving for England. "Diesel will probably see this chance to give us engines more trouble. It will be quite a bother."

I expect he'll give me trouble too," Trevor sighed. "I'm a steam engine too, even if I run on roads instead of rails. Why must the diesels hate us steam engines?"

"Well, not all diesels are bad," remarked Edward. "We have some good friends who are diesels."

"Oh, yes, we do," smiled Trevor. "Just like-"

"Hello there!" called a friendly voice, cutting Trevor off, follow by two friendly toots on a horn. And coming along the line next to Edward, in the opposite direction Edward was facing, was a long green diesel engine, pulling some fuel tankers. He stopped by Edward and Trevor, looking pleased to see them.

"Oh, hello, Boco," said Edward.

"I was just talking about you," put in Trevor. "I was just saying how you're a good Diesel, who's a good friend to us."

"That's very kind of you to say such a nice thing about me," smiled Boco, feeling flattered.

"That's because it's true," exclaimed Edward. "You don't grudge steam engines. So we don't grudge you back."

Boco laughed. "Well, there is one steam engine does; James. I remember him calling me a 'Buzz-box, diesel.' In fact, shortly before that, it was right here when I was warning him and Trevor about how bees string. Of course, he took no notice of me, just because I'm a diesel."

"And we all know what happened after that, don't we?" replied Trevor, unable to keep the chuckles out of his voice. "An incident which involved a bee, its string and a sore nose for James." Then Trevor, Edward and Boco began laughing.

But then, they heard a loud angry voice show to them.

"What's that about me?!"

On the third line, next to the one which Boco was travelling on, James was coming towards them, travelling in the same direction as Edward, pulling a passenger train.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Boco lied, looking innocent.

"You'd better not be laughing at me!" snapped James, as he passed them, and made his way towards the station.

"I'd better be on my way," said Edward. "Lots of shunting to do."

"Yes, I'd better get on with delivering these fuel tankers," agreed Boco. "Goodbye, Edward. Goodbye, Trevor."

"Goodbye, you two," said Trevor, and watched as the wise old steam engine and the friendly diesel engine went on their way.

Back on Thomas' branch line, Toby and his coach, Henrietta were making their way to the quarry. They were taking workmen to work there. Toby then had to take stone from the quarry to the harbour.

"I hope those diesels don't give us any bother while the Fat Controller is away," sighed Henrietta. There's no telling what they do. Especially to you, Toby, since you're old."

"I'm sure there's no reason to worry," smiled Toby. "Besides, we have to remember that not all diesels are bad."

When they arrived at the quarry, Toby stopped, and the workmen got out of Henrietta.

"Now then," said Toby. "Where are my trucks of stone?" He looked around, expecting to find them all ready. But though there were plenty of trucks scattered around the quarry, there was no line of them ready.

Instead, Toby found Percy arguing with a small diesel engine, painted black with yellow and black hazard stripes on her front and rear ends. Like Toby, she had cowcatchers and sideplates covering her six wheels. On each of her side paints, painted in white read; "THE FFARQUHAR QUARRY CO. LTD." On each side of the outside of her cab, also painted in white, read the name; "MAVIS."

"Percy, it's my job to shunt Toby's trucks," she grumbled.

"But I'm sure Toby would want a steam engine to shunt his trucks, instead of a dirty diesel!" Percy argued.

"Look, you silly green fool! The trucks are not ready, and I would have them ready if you didn't decide to pick an argument with me."

"Yes! You should have the trucks ready by now, Mavis!" said Toby crossly. Both Percy and Mavis gasped when they noticed Toby. "Why are they not ready?" asked Toby.

"I would have them ready, but this silly little engine insists that you would rather have him shunt the trucks for him."

"But she's a diesel!" pouted Percy. "We know how bad diesels are!"

"Percy, Mavis may be a diesel, but she's a good diesel," Toby snapped.

"Friend?! After the insults she's spent the past twenty minutes giving me?!"

"Well, you said some rude things to me too," grumbled Mavis.

"That's enough now," said Toby. "Percy, its Mavis' job to shunt the trucks. I don't know what you're even doing here, because you have to take a goods train from lower Tidmouth.

"Bust my buffers! You're right!" gasped Percy, and he steamed out of the quarry as fast as his wheels could carry him."

Mavis laughed. "That'll teach him!"

"Alright Mavis! Less laughing and more shunting!" ordered Toby.

After a lot of shunting, Mavis lined a lot of the trucks full of stone into one line, with a break van added to the back. Toby was uncoupled from Henrietta. He switched lines and backed down into the line of trucks.

"Thanks you, Mavis," he said. "I'll have to hurry now to make up for lost time. Goodbye for now." With that, Toby rang his bye, and steamed out of the quarry with the train of trucks.

Mavis continued to stunt the trucks, but she was still cross with Percy, and also a bit offended by the way he treated her.

"He thinks I'm bad, just because I'm a diesel. Sure, I'm a diesel. But it's not like I have a grudge against steam engines, like Diesel."