Post by Nicholas (Nictrain123) on Feb 20, 2012 8:33:57 GMT -7
I made this story for an English assignment last year and I thought I should show it to you guys, so here it is.
The Great Escape!!
The Untold Side of the Story of Oliver’s Escape
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter #1: How It All Started....
Oliver (GWR #1436) was built in 1937 at Wolverhampton Works in Strattfordshire, England to assist in light railway passenger services across various branch lines serviced by the Great Western Railway. He and two of his brothers (“Stephen” #1450; “Wyatt” #1466) were purchased by the South Devon Railway the following year after trial runs in Swindon for their new branch line express services. Upon arrival, Oliver, Stephen and Wyatt were given their own autocoaches and brake vans for their work in their new home. Oliver named his autocoach “Isabel” because there is a bell on her. Get it? And, his break van was called “Toad” after the name given to his type of break van after an accident a short while ago. Oliver was given the special jobs of running the shuttle services between Bristol and Exeter, while his brothers handled the regular services between Exeter and Plymouth on the regular branch line. The railway wasn’t used very much during the Second World War other than transporting goods to the towns serviced by the line to keep the townsfolk happy during these hard times. When a joint line was built with the nearby Torquay Branch, Stephen was moved there to assist the worn-out prairie tanks while Wyatt and Oliver were left behind at Exeter to handle the regular passenger services that they were built for. Following the war in 1948, all the railways in England were all nationalized into one company called British Railways. This didn’t change the line or its traffic for the first part, other than repainting the Western engines into a grimy black livery and the coaches were being painted into a crimson cream livery. The engines felt sad about losing their precious Great Western green livery to a grimy mixed traffic black livery, but they knew that somehow, the nationalizing plan did some good to the economy of Britain and its railways. But soon by 1967, things began to change forever on British Railways….
Chapter #2 “Things Are Changing”
One miserable evening in 1964, Stephen returned his autocoach to the carriage works in Exeter, and joined his brothers in the main motive power depot (A.K.A. engine shed).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: Good evening Stephen, why so glum?
Stephen: They c-closed the Torquay Branch.
Wyatt: What?! Why?
Stephen: Controller’s orders my driver says. The line isn’t making much profit these days thanks to the buses and lorries taking over all the work now.
Oliver: Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.
Wyatt: So, what are they going to do now?
Stephen: Driver says they’re sending two diesel engines from the Midlands to help remove the railway line. There haven’t been any good things said about these engines. I hear that Driver says they’re coming from up and down the country taking over the work of our fellow steamers. I even heard rumors that the company is bringing in some of these engines to take over our work.
Oliver: They can’t do this to us! We’re valuable assets to the line. What would the villagers do without us?
Stephen: Then again, you never know.
Oliver: What would happen to us if the line did close down?
Wyatt: Driver says that when steam engines are not useful for service anymore, they are scrapped. They tear you apart to pieces and they melt you down for use as something else. It’s the most painful experience you could ever experience.
Oliver: Isn’t there people trying to save steam engines from scrap?
Stephen: I heard there is something going on called “preservation” going on. It’s where people take steam engines that are not used or ones that are due to be scrapped to a short line or a railway that is not run by British Railways where they are given a lot of work to do, and they take good care of you and the best part is, you’ll be safe.
Wyatt: Sounds like…
Oliver: Heaven.
Stephen: Do you think we’ll be preserved?
Oliver: Only if we stay in good service and keep the line running.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three little engines promised to keep the railway going through the hard times for themselves, the railway and their valley. But even they knew that two things they could not control were time and fate. Oliver, Stephen and Wyatt began to see that the line’s traffic was declining. Passenger trains were becoming less scheduled and goods trains began to leave to their destinations half-empty. Even worse, the express locomotives that took their trains to London were starting to disappear and even more diesel engines began to be seen on the main line. One miserable Tuesday evening, the three engines found themselves put together at the sheds next to some gentlemen while their crews were taking things over with the manager. The sad truth was soon revealed. The controller finally decided to close the little valley railway due to strong competition with the buses and the lorries and due to lacks of profit because of this. The controller decided to sell Stephen and Wyatt, whilst Oliver didn’t make it to a sale. The controller sadly decided to sell Oliver to the infamous Barry Scrap Yard to be cut up for scrap. The three engines sung together an English hymn and the three separated to different destinations never to see each other again.
Chapter #3: The Flight For Freedom
Oliver was put away in the shed that night and was scheduled to be picked up by an express goods train the following morning to North Wales for Barry. Whilst Oliver was dreaming the worst, he felt his firebox beginning to warm up and the gentle sound of water being poured into his tanks. Then he heard his Driver running up towards him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: What’s going on here Driver? I’m not scheduled to leave until morning!
Oliver’s Driver: We’re escaping from scrap. There’s a railway west of here that still uses steam engines. We’re going to go there along LMS metals and see if the controller could spare you.
Oliver: Thank you very much Driver for caring for me enough to save me. But what about Isabel and Toad?
Oliver’s Driver: Don’t worry; we’re bringing them along too. The Fireman is loading box-loads of coal into Isabel and milk jugs full of water into Toad so we won’t have to stop often for coal and water. We’re going to travel at night so that nobody suspects us or our whereabouts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soon, everything was ready and Oliver chuffed quietly out of Exeter, down to Bristol, and onto the main line. Oliver’s two headlamps gleamed brightly as he chuffed his hardest for his flight for freedom on the western railway. Soon they reached a signal near Bedminister where a kindly signalman signaled them onto the line to Ashton Gate where they hid in an old shed until the next nightfall. After a big diesel raced past with fast goods at ten o’ clock p.m., they set off again for the nearest station to the safe railway, Barrow.
Chapter #4 “Things Are Getting Riskier….”
At last, Oliver puffed onto Midland railway metals and set off for Barrow. His paintwork was beginning to get very dirty and rusty. When they reached Haworth, the driver realized that the water gauge was getting low and there weren’t very much jugs filled with water left in Toad to help. They saw an old well and stopped there to refill Oliver’s tanks and the milk jugs. The old widow who owned the well offered her help and helped out, and soon they were all done with the water and set off once more. Oliver was about to reach Dalston when a signalman flagged them down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dalston Signalman: They are looking for you.
Oliver: WHAT?!?! WHO?
Dalston Signalman: Control. They sent out a brigade of diesels to capture you and escort you to Barry. They’re coming down this way now.
Oliver’s Driver: What do we do?!
Dalston Signalman: There’s an old branchline that goes to a quarry a little way down the line. Block the entrance with rubbish and remove the rails. It’s the safest way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver and his crew ran down to the old branchline and buried the entrance with rubbish and debris and took the rails away and hid. They dropped Oliver’s fire and tried as much as they could to not make any noise no matter what. Soon enough, three diesels roared past slowly as if they were sniffing about for their prey. Oliver didn’t dare breathe, let alone speak. He heard one of the diesels say: “I’ll make sure I’ll bring that steamer to justice and seal his fate for good.” Oliver shivered quietly. It’d be the last thing he wanted to happen to him. Soon, the diesels moved on and Oliver continued on towards Barrow.
Chapter #5 “The Final Rush”
Oliver was about 30 miles north of Barrow now. He was very happy to finally know he was nearly a step away from being preserved. But soon, the Driver and Fireman realized that their coal supply was getting dangerously low. They stopped for a bit and got some wooden boxes from Isabel and tried to burn them but it couldn’t be done properly because the boxes were sprayed with a fireproof spray before they were used for the escape. Soon, Oliver completely ran out of coal and stalled about 7 miles outside of the goods yard at Barrow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver’s Driver: Well, that’s it old boy. Without the coal, we can’t continue on to Barrow.
Oliver: But Driver, what will happen if we get—
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver was interrupted, when he heard the puttering of three diesels around the bend. The Driver and Fireman hid themselves in Toad and locked themselves in the compartment and feared the worst as the three diesels arrived.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Diesel: AHA!!! We have finally found the rebel steamer. Now, we can--
2nd Diesel: We can’t. It’s too dark out and that coast express is due here any minute.
3rd Diesel: Why don’t we store him at that yard in Barrow until tomorrow?
2nd Diesel: I guess that will be fine. Hopefully the night foreman could keep an eye on him until we get back.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver shuddered in total fear as the three diesels shunted him into the old yard in Barrow. As soon as they left, it was very dark and there was no one looking in the yard. Oliver’s crew sat in his cab pondering as much as they could to try and think of a way to save Oliver and his train. Then, Oliver heard something familiar….
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: Hey Driver, do you hear that?
Oliver’s Driver: Yes I do! There’s a steam engine coming!
Oliver’s Fireman: Do you think he could be from the safe railway? If he is, do you think we should--
Oliver’s Driver: Well, it’s worth a shot. In this moment, anything will.
Oliver: I’m willing to try it!! Go ahead!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END
The Great Escape!!
The Untold Side of the Story of Oliver’s Escape
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter #1: How It All Started....
Oliver (GWR #1436) was built in 1937 at Wolverhampton Works in Strattfordshire, England to assist in light railway passenger services across various branch lines serviced by the Great Western Railway. He and two of his brothers (“Stephen” #1450; “Wyatt” #1466) were purchased by the South Devon Railway the following year after trial runs in Swindon for their new branch line express services. Upon arrival, Oliver, Stephen and Wyatt were given their own autocoaches and brake vans for their work in their new home. Oliver named his autocoach “Isabel” because there is a bell on her. Get it? And, his break van was called “Toad” after the name given to his type of break van after an accident a short while ago. Oliver was given the special jobs of running the shuttle services between Bristol and Exeter, while his brothers handled the regular services between Exeter and Plymouth on the regular branch line. The railway wasn’t used very much during the Second World War other than transporting goods to the towns serviced by the line to keep the townsfolk happy during these hard times. When a joint line was built with the nearby Torquay Branch, Stephen was moved there to assist the worn-out prairie tanks while Wyatt and Oliver were left behind at Exeter to handle the regular passenger services that they were built for. Following the war in 1948, all the railways in England were all nationalized into one company called British Railways. This didn’t change the line or its traffic for the first part, other than repainting the Western engines into a grimy black livery and the coaches were being painted into a crimson cream livery. The engines felt sad about losing their precious Great Western green livery to a grimy mixed traffic black livery, but they knew that somehow, the nationalizing plan did some good to the economy of Britain and its railways. But soon by 1967, things began to change forever on British Railways….
Chapter #2 “Things Are Changing”
One miserable evening in 1964, Stephen returned his autocoach to the carriage works in Exeter, and joined his brothers in the main motive power depot (A.K.A. engine shed).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: Good evening Stephen, why so glum?
Stephen: They c-closed the Torquay Branch.
Wyatt: What?! Why?
Stephen: Controller’s orders my driver says. The line isn’t making much profit these days thanks to the buses and lorries taking over all the work now.
Oliver: Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.
Wyatt: So, what are they going to do now?
Stephen: Driver says they’re sending two diesel engines from the Midlands to help remove the railway line. There haven’t been any good things said about these engines. I hear that Driver says they’re coming from up and down the country taking over the work of our fellow steamers. I even heard rumors that the company is bringing in some of these engines to take over our work.
Oliver: They can’t do this to us! We’re valuable assets to the line. What would the villagers do without us?
Stephen: Then again, you never know.
Oliver: What would happen to us if the line did close down?
Wyatt: Driver says that when steam engines are not useful for service anymore, they are scrapped. They tear you apart to pieces and they melt you down for use as something else. It’s the most painful experience you could ever experience.
Oliver: Isn’t there people trying to save steam engines from scrap?
Stephen: I heard there is something going on called “preservation” going on. It’s where people take steam engines that are not used or ones that are due to be scrapped to a short line or a railway that is not run by British Railways where they are given a lot of work to do, and they take good care of you and the best part is, you’ll be safe.
Wyatt: Sounds like…
Oliver: Heaven.
Stephen: Do you think we’ll be preserved?
Oliver: Only if we stay in good service and keep the line running.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three little engines promised to keep the railway going through the hard times for themselves, the railway and their valley. But even they knew that two things they could not control were time and fate. Oliver, Stephen and Wyatt began to see that the line’s traffic was declining. Passenger trains were becoming less scheduled and goods trains began to leave to their destinations half-empty. Even worse, the express locomotives that took their trains to London were starting to disappear and even more diesel engines began to be seen on the main line. One miserable Tuesday evening, the three engines found themselves put together at the sheds next to some gentlemen while their crews were taking things over with the manager. The sad truth was soon revealed. The controller finally decided to close the little valley railway due to strong competition with the buses and the lorries and due to lacks of profit because of this. The controller decided to sell Stephen and Wyatt, whilst Oliver didn’t make it to a sale. The controller sadly decided to sell Oliver to the infamous Barry Scrap Yard to be cut up for scrap. The three engines sung together an English hymn and the three separated to different destinations never to see each other again.
Chapter #3: The Flight For Freedom
Oliver was put away in the shed that night and was scheduled to be picked up by an express goods train the following morning to North Wales for Barry. Whilst Oliver was dreaming the worst, he felt his firebox beginning to warm up and the gentle sound of water being poured into his tanks. Then he heard his Driver running up towards him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: What’s going on here Driver? I’m not scheduled to leave until morning!
Oliver’s Driver: We’re escaping from scrap. There’s a railway west of here that still uses steam engines. We’re going to go there along LMS metals and see if the controller could spare you.
Oliver: Thank you very much Driver for caring for me enough to save me. But what about Isabel and Toad?
Oliver’s Driver: Don’t worry; we’re bringing them along too. The Fireman is loading box-loads of coal into Isabel and milk jugs full of water into Toad so we won’t have to stop often for coal and water. We’re going to travel at night so that nobody suspects us or our whereabouts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soon, everything was ready and Oliver chuffed quietly out of Exeter, down to Bristol, and onto the main line. Oliver’s two headlamps gleamed brightly as he chuffed his hardest for his flight for freedom on the western railway. Soon they reached a signal near Bedminister where a kindly signalman signaled them onto the line to Ashton Gate where they hid in an old shed until the next nightfall. After a big diesel raced past with fast goods at ten o’ clock p.m., they set off again for the nearest station to the safe railway, Barrow.
Chapter #4 “Things Are Getting Riskier….”
At last, Oliver puffed onto Midland railway metals and set off for Barrow. His paintwork was beginning to get very dirty and rusty. When they reached Haworth, the driver realized that the water gauge was getting low and there weren’t very much jugs filled with water left in Toad to help. They saw an old well and stopped there to refill Oliver’s tanks and the milk jugs. The old widow who owned the well offered her help and helped out, and soon they were all done with the water and set off once more. Oliver was about to reach Dalston when a signalman flagged them down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dalston Signalman: They are looking for you.
Oliver: WHAT?!?! WHO?
Dalston Signalman: Control. They sent out a brigade of diesels to capture you and escort you to Barry. They’re coming down this way now.
Oliver’s Driver: What do we do?!
Dalston Signalman: There’s an old branchline that goes to a quarry a little way down the line. Block the entrance with rubbish and remove the rails. It’s the safest way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver and his crew ran down to the old branchline and buried the entrance with rubbish and debris and took the rails away and hid. They dropped Oliver’s fire and tried as much as they could to not make any noise no matter what. Soon enough, three diesels roared past slowly as if they were sniffing about for their prey. Oliver didn’t dare breathe, let alone speak. He heard one of the diesels say: “I’ll make sure I’ll bring that steamer to justice and seal his fate for good.” Oliver shivered quietly. It’d be the last thing he wanted to happen to him. Soon, the diesels moved on and Oliver continued on towards Barrow.
Chapter #5 “The Final Rush”
Oliver was about 30 miles north of Barrow now. He was very happy to finally know he was nearly a step away from being preserved. But soon, the Driver and Fireman realized that their coal supply was getting dangerously low. They stopped for a bit and got some wooden boxes from Isabel and tried to burn them but it couldn’t be done properly because the boxes were sprayed with a fireproof spray before they were used for the escape. Soon, Oliver completely ran out of coal and stalled about 7 miles outside of the goods yard at Barrow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver’s Driver: Well, that’s it old boy. Without the coal, we can’t continue on to Barrow.
Oliver: But Driver, what will happen if we get—
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver was interrupted, when he heard the puttering of three diesels around the bend. The Driver and Fireman hid themselves in Toad and locked themselves in the compartment and feared the worst as the three diesels arrived.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Diesel: AHA!!! We have finally found the rebel steamer. Now, we can--
2nd Diesel: We can’t. It’s too dark out and that coast express is due here any minute.
3rd Diesel: Why don’t we store him at that yard in Barrow until tomorrow?
2nd Diesel: I guess that will be fine. Hopefully the night foreman could keep an eye on him until we get back.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver shuddered in total fear as the three diesels shunted him into the old yard in Barrow. As soon as they left, it was very dark and there was no one looking in the yard. Oliver’s crew sat in his cab pondering as much as they could to try and think of a way to save Oliver and his train. Then, Oliver heard something familiar….
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver: Hey Driver, do you hear that?
Oliver’s Driver: Yes I do! There’s a steam engine coming!
Oliver’s Fireman: Do you think he could be from the safe railway? If he is, do you think we should--
Oliver’s Driver: Well, it’s worth a shot. In this moment, anything will.
Oliver: I’m willing to try it!! Go ahead!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE END
