Chapter 5 - Winter

It was winter on Sodor, blankets of snow lay across the tracks like blankets over a little boy or girl. Drifts as big as a house covered the line. The Skarloey Railway’s tracks were soon cleaned off. Fearless Freddie was taking friends and other family members from all over Sodor to visit relatives for the holidays, Skarloey was taking heavy trucks of slate to the wharf, Duncan took coal to the station, Bertram was taking gunpowder to the rock quarry, Duke was taking a tree to the transfer yard, Rusty took workmen up and down the line, Sir Handel collected decorations from the harbour, Peter Sam, Ivo Hugh, Smudger and Stanley helped with the passengers. Percy, Edward, Rosie and Gladstone were taking parcels, Thomas, Emily, Molly, Neville, Dennis, Diesel and Fergus took coal to all the stations, Travis the traction engine collected the tree from the wharf, Gordon, Henry and James took heavy coaches. The next day the Fat Controller came to see the engines at the sheds. “The National Railway Museum is closing and so I’m buying all the engines and they might need some repairs. We are also getting their coaches and trucks,” he said. All the engines cheered and whistled. It was soon six days before Christmas when all the trains arrived. Rocket arrived with three hundred of all six hundred coaches by himself. Green Arrow, Flying Scotsman and Mallard arrived with all the trucks and brake vans. Duchess of Hamilton arrived with the last three hundred coaches. Boxhill arrived with a special train of Christmas dinners, City of Truro arrived with a lowmac truck with crates of ordainments, Polly pulled in with some dogfish hoppers of hats, scarves and mittens. Bill and ben were shunting two trains of presents into place. Green Arrow coupled up to one, City of Truro coupled up to the other. Emily buffered up behind Green Arrow’s train and Polly buffered up behind City of Truro’s train. Duck and oliver got four little GWR coaches to add to their trains. The trucks were on their best behavior and didn’t misbehave. Then trouble hit. Green Arrow’s safety valve burst and Emily had to push the long train into the Big Station. “What happened,” asked the Fat Controller. “my safety valve burst,” gasped Green Arrow. He was blue in the face and ready to burst. Emily pulled him to the works and Green Arrow thought, “this is no way to spend Christmas.” He left the next day for the huge Christmas celebration at the Big Station.

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