STEY: Locomotives and Legends Part 2

Smoke & Dagger

Along the tunnel, lights mounted on the roof flicked into life, revealing a rusty, grimy Stanier 8F steam locomotive at the far end.  Engine and humans stared at each other, all three surprised by what they saw.

"Who are you?" asked the engine.

"I'm Emily Hatt, and this is my brother, Charlie."

The engine looked closely at the two of them.

"You're not what I was expecting," he commented.  Emily frowned.

"What were you expecting?"

The engine's face fell.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure.  But I must ask, what is the date?"

"June eighth, 1996."

The engine frowned.

"Then I can't tell you anything, not just yet.  Come back on the sixteenth.  I'll be free to tell you everything then."

Charlie frowned.

"Can you at least tell us your name?"

"It's Peter."

Emily looked closely at Peter.

"Are you sure you can't tell us any more?"

"Not until then.  I'm bound by the Official Secrets Act."

Emily and Charlie exchanged a look.

"Very well, we'll be back," Emily replied.  After stopping the generator, she and Charles exited the tunnel and headed back to the landcruiser.

****

The Fat Controller strode into his office at Knapford Station.  He'd just had a rather tense meeting with the railway's newly-appointed board of directors.  A new engine was needed, to help with Patrick's heavy goods trains.  While the directors were in favour of purchasing a brand-new engine, he was hoping to obtain an experienced one from another railway.  Unfortunately, he hadn't had much success, and that wasn't going down too well.  His phone rang a moment later, and he answered it.

"Stephen Topham Hatt speaking," he answered.  He frowned a moment later.

"You went where, Emily?...I see...no, leave it with me.  You're right, we can't leave Peter there.  But we need to know how he got there...see you tonight."

The Fat Controller hung up, lost in thought once more.  His daughter's phone call raised a few questions, and he knew exactly where to get answers.  An engine couldn't have been hidden like that without his father, Sir Charles Topham Hatt, knowing about it.  He quickly made another phone call.

"Dad, it's Stephen here.  We've found an engine in the tunnel on the Ballahoo Cutoff."

His words were greeted with a moment of silence, before Sir Topham replied.

"I can't say anything right now, Stephen.  Can I call you back?"

"By all means."

The Fat Controller hung up a moment later, then stared thoughtfully at the phone.  He couldn't help feeling surprised.  It was unlike his father to be evasive.

****

Peter had gone back to sleep, following his brief encounter with Charlie and Emily that morning.  But just after lunchtime, his slumber was interrupted again as the lights flicked on once more.  This time his visitors were two older gentlemen, one familiar and one not.

"Hello Peter.  It's good to see you again," said the one on the right, as they strode down the tunnel.

"Hello, Sergeant Stewart," Peter replied.  Stewart chuckled as he and his guest reached the engine.

"It's Brigadier Stewart now, Peter.  I retired a couple of years ago."

Stewart gestured to his guest.

"Peter, I'd like you to meet Sir Charles Topham Hatt.  He was the controller of the North West Railway when you were put here."

Peter smiled at the well-dressed, slightly portly gentleman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter," replied Sir Topham.  He glanced around the tunnel again.  At the far end of the tunnel, a pair of large steel plates held a wall of fallen rocks at bay.  Sir Topham frowned.

"Am I to take it that rather convenient rockslide was your work?" he asked the Brigadier.  Despite the Ministry of Defense paying the NWR for use of the tunnel, Sir Topham hadn't been told any of the details.  Despite this, he'd still been asked to sign the Official Secrets Act.  Stewart nodded.

"We needed a reason for the tunnel to be closed off at one end.  It was handled as a training exercise for some sappers."

"I see."

Sir Topham replied, and he looked closely at Peter.  About a third of his paint had been replaced by rust, and the rest was streaked with decades of grime and dirt.

"So you just left Peter here, Brigadier?"

Stewart glanced down, for a moment.

"This was a pilot site, set up to examine the viability of having a reserve of steam engines. They were to be used in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack.  After six months, the Ministry of Defense found that the ongoing locomotive maintenance requirements were not viable, and decided to abandon the project."

"I decided to stay here, Sir Topham," Peter said, "after all, my other choice was to be scrapped."

Sir Topham nodded.

"Well, the Ministry of Defense has decided you can join the North-West Railway.  Would you like to?"

Peter grinned.  He hadn't expected to see active service again.

"I'd love to, Sir!"

He glanced down.

"Although I don't think I'm ready for service."

"You'll be restored at the NWR's works.  We have two low-loader lorries outside to take you there," Stewart said.  Before Peter could reply, the Brigadier spun on his heels.

"Engineers!  Commence work!"

He bellowed, in his best parade ground voice.  A moment later, a crack sounded out, as the dozen Royal Engineers waiting outside started breaking down the boards across the front of the tunnel.

****

"Any idea what's going on, Geoff?" Emily asked, as the works diesel pulled up next to where she and Charlie were waiting outside the works.  Geoff frowned.

"Sir Topham's told my manager to expect a big delivery, but that's it."

Charlie frowned.

"You mean Dad, right?"

"No, he means your grandfather," said The Fat Controller, as he joined his two children.  He gestured over his shoulder.

"We're not the only ones who were invited."

Emily glanced back, spotting the crew from 'Conspiracy Factor' at the edge of the staff parking lot, their camera ready and waiting.  Then, another movement caught her attention.  Two low-loader lorries were approaching the works.

"Surely that can't be Peter?"

Charlie squinted at the engine perched on the lorries.

"I'd say it is, Em."

A few minutes later, the low-loaders pulled up in front of the works.  From the cab of the first one, Brigadier Stewart and Sir Topham climbed down.  The former joined the Conspiracy Factor reporter & cameraman, the latter joined his family next to Geoff.

"Dad, what's going on?" asked the Fat Controller.  Sir Topham smiled.

"Stephen, I seem to recall you telling me you needed another heavy goods locomotive?"

"Well, yes, but..."

Sir Topham explained about how the Ministry of Defense had approached him in 1966, to use the old Ballahoo Tunnel as the steam reserve pilot site.

"That explains a lot, Grandad," Emily said when he'd finished.  Sir Topham nodded, and glanced from her to Charlie.

"You two caused quite a stir this morning.  This whole project was due to be declassified on the sixteenth anyway.  In the light of your discovery, the  Ministry decided to declassify it today."

"That's a bit of a coincidence," Charlie commented.  Sir Topham glanced over at Stewart, engrossed in discussion with the reporter, then drew an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Emily.  Reaching inside, she found a familiar photo.

"This is the photo those reporters had!"

The Fat Controller frowned.

"You sent it to them, Dad?"

"Anonymously, yes.  I wanted to make sure Peter wouldn't be forgotten, but my hands were tied by the Official Secrets Act.  I did tell them when the project would be declassified," Sir Topham said, and he glanced over at the reporters.

"I wasn't expecting them to act on it so quickly."

The younger Hatts chuckled, and the Fat Controller frowned.

"We'll be happy to give Peter a home, Dad, but we'll have to find funding..."

"You won't, Stephen.  Brigadier Stewart and I convinced the Ministry of Defense to look after that."

Sir Topham looked over at the dilapidated engine, now being unloaded.

"He volunteered to help his country.  It was the least they could do."

"Indeed," replied the Fat Controller, and the others could only agree.

A few hours later, Peter had been unloaded and moved into the works.  He couldn't help grinning as the workmen began inspecting him for his restoration.  It would be good to be back on his wheels again.