Chapter 10 - Lady Carlisle

All the engines of the Fat Controller’s railway love new engines arriving. One wet day, a 4-6-0 Castle class steam engine and tender named Lady Carlisle had been unloaded from the ship. The Fat Controller had come to the docks and told Lady Carlisle to take some trucks of lumber to Farmer McColl. The trucks were coupled up behind her and she set off. A signalman a ways a way up the line had left the “Home” signal “Clear” and the points changed and on the siding was a train of bricks, coal, ore, steel, rock, slate, cars, tar, scrap, china clay, fuel, paint, ink, iron, printing presses, crates of tools and paper on several flat trucks, hoppers, box wagons, tankers, and low loaders. Lad Carlisle was making great time until her driver saw that the points lead down the wrong line. The rails were wetter down here due to more heavy rains and it being in the valley. She slid along the tracks and then it happened. One minute the trucks were all on the rails, next minute the crew had jumped clear and the trains had derailed. Gordon brought Rocky the crane and Thomas brought the Fat Controller and Thomas took the lumber trucks to Farmer McColl and Gordon put Lady Carlisle on the tracks. Henry brought the breakdown train and the works coach and then he took Lady Carlisle and the now upright trucks back to the big station. The Fat Controller was cross. “Lady Carlisle, what happened,” he thundered. “It was the signalman up the line near Farmer McColl’s,” Henry roared to The Fat Controller. The Fat Controller apologized and he went to see the signalman and the signalman was sorry and he told him that the points were jammed and that the signal was broken. When the signal and points were inspected and they were jammed. The Fat Controller had to close the line down while it was maintained . The trains took even more care when coming down the line from the hills and mountain village.

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