(NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER, THIS STORY WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATED)
The Midland Railway was the biggest railway in the UK; tracks stretched from the Border by Northwest Junction all the way up north to Scotland. The Midland Railway (MR) was a subsidiary of the LMS, London, Midland Scotrail. The Railway's board of directors, the LMS, was very fond of the Midland Railway, much fonder of them compared to the other railways. However, that would have started some tensions between them and the other railways, specifically referring to the ones over the border, starting at Northwest Junction.
The railway was big and had many branches of track, making it hard to have a "definitive" end of the line. The tracks came and went over tall hills and calm stretches of clearing, but to run a big line such as this required many engines.
Most would think a big railway to show their proud image would have a large-profile engine to reflect this, but the Midland Railway's engines were quite small actually; it was very hard to ever find a "truly" big engine on the Midland Railway, and unique ones too, even, for that matter.
However, our story is from an engine numbered 23 568, or by his name, Johnson, and his brother, 23 834, soon to be named David. They weren't young engines, nor were they so old. But they weren't new either, and recently, the Big Midland Railway returned them to the factory at the LMS for an overhaul along with a couple of new builds and new engines too.
One bright day, David and Johnson, or how the crews before their naming called them by their numbers: 23 568 for Johnson and 23 834 for David. David was the last engine built of their order in 1908. The shunter had packed up 23 834's things, and Johnson, at the time known as 23 568, came to the factory to pick David up.
David/23 834, who was a quiet engine, very silent & reserved, and sometimes, it was eerily unresponsive. David hardly reacted to anything and was very pale, looking more like a blank slate. Johnson/23 568, on the other hand, was a more vivid engine. However, he still has some of those characteristics that he shares with David.
As the 2 engines rolled across the line through the hills, David started making some observations. All he remembered was the massive machines used to create him, and absolutely nothing else at all.
Then as 23 834 came about to 23 568 (Johnson), they started speaking:
"Where are we going? " asked 23 834.
"To d'Midlands," hissed 23 568.
23 568's load wasn't particularly heavy; the factory owned by the LMS wasn't that close to the city but more over by the outskirts, far off in the hills.
23 834 wasn't any bigger than 23 568, but the parts made to build him were different, but 23 568 was sure he could carry 23 834 up the hills and was confident enough in themselves to not call a banker (if there even was one).
They continued until the factory was out of sight and was now just a shadow in the distance, then they were on their way to London. London was a big city, and there were massive towers and loud bells. And smoke everywhere; they coughed their way through the city streets, over the bridge and out into open country until they met the overhead signal box and watchtower of Northwest Junction, also surrounded by industry.
After checking in, they approached the gates, heavily guarded by military, Barritus, guards, and artillery. The unfriendly-looking border opened, and 23 568 were free to enter. For 10 minutes, they've passed short stone ruins, castle ruins and derelict churches.
Now, they were in Scotland. 23 568 then pulled 23 834 into the yard for a rest. On the right side of the yard was a long old brick engine shed, and in it were many engines of varying shapes, but they were all miniscule in size at best. Most are no bigger than 23 568. The engines were all painted in a black colour and were all dirty, save for some red engines with beautiful glimmering gold stripes and fancy features.
23 834 was in his dull factory colours, missing none of the assortment of greys, blacks and sometimes whites even. This was called "Photographic Grey", and the builders took photos of their engines in these colours to make them print well in camera, since cameras only see grey anyways.
Another engine came out of the sheds; they were black and really sooty, covered in dirt and gravel dust, about the same size and of the same type of engine as 23 568. Their numbers are barely readable, and their initials are hard to distinguish. A man dressed in white with an orange hat with dark blue overalls and vest, a foreman, was ordering around the engines. He had asked for 2 saddle tanks to be escorted to the works, Derby Works, with another engine of 23 568's size to bring a brown coach, clearly filled with workmen and staff, to the works.
Soon, the lot made it to Derby Works. In the distance, more engines were given similar orders; some were carrying more containers than others, and some were asked to come themselves. Derby Works, the building itself, was a rotund brownstone structure, surrounded with various sheds, clearly facilities for the engines.
2 engines, numbers 1 525 and 1 325, arrived; 23 834 looked about and saw a few other engines in the sheds. All of them were no bigger than him, with varying sizes of wheels and funnels.
Eventually, 23 568 had to leave; there was work to do, and engines No. 1 525 and 1 325 stayed. Then 2 other engines entered; they were the same type of engine as No. 1 325, except their numbers were 1 327 and 1 329. They were shunting and pulling more engines into the sheds; some were larger than him (which was rare), and some were smaller than him. These 4 engines were tiny compared to him and had no cabs nor a bunker to store coal. Just a sack or a barrel stashed away in the cab. And over their boilers they carried a curve-ended trapezoidal shape with a water hatch, clearly used to store water in them.
Eventually, some time had passed and the work had been done. All were given new parts and paint, most of them painted in dull dark colours and some with a bloody red sort of colour, while some were privileged and given pale blues or bright greens. But (mostly) everyone was in uniform with a blank livery with the initials "M.R." painted on their sides; others were given "S.D.J.R." on their sides or long numbers.
Eventually everyone was painted and given their appropriate parts; 23 834 had been given a new funnel and domes along with a new smokebox saddle and were shining and ready to go. But work hadn't started yet; there was a special announcement to make:
The shunters soon pulled as many engines as they could, one by one, into a large room fit for many engines; others were taken into other rooms. The room was dark, and the many engines that filled the room started chattering before 4 engines entered the room from a door over a raised platform. 2 engines carried a distinctive yet similar shape, both carrying a similar boiler with rectangular boxes on their sides; one was cabless and had a single bogie consisting of 6 wheels, while the other had a cab and roof with 2 bogies of differently sized wheels.
The other 2 were different; one was longer than him and had the same bogey pattern, 4 wheels in front and 4 wheels in back, but this engine had 4 larger wheels under the furnace and cab and 4 smaller wheels under the boiler and smokebox. And the other engine looked just like 23 834, but with the numbers 23 208.
"Is everyone here?" asked one of the engines.
"Yes, sir!" steamed 1 329. "Nobody left behind, sir!" he hissed.
"Good!" smoked one of the engines. "Then we should be prepared!"
"Hi there!" steamed 23 208. "We're happy to meet everyone here! So give ourselves a moment to introduce ourselves to each other," they streamed.
The engines started turning to face one another and started greeting each other awkwardly. Beside 23 834 were 2 other engines; one was bigger than him but close to his size but was very tall, and the other engine next to him was very long and had distinctive cutouts on their side, with the odd structure on their sides reaching the ends of their smokebox plate. The long engine introduced himself first to 23 834 after greeting the other engine next to them.
"Hullo!" he introduced proudly and happily. "Mah' no. is 2 002!" "What's yours?" he asked. 23 834 weren't sure, nor did they even know how to respond, but nervously attempted to issue a response.
"23 834", they started dryly. "I don't know what my numbers're, but 'dats what dey' call m'! " 23 834 wheashed paley, "Oh it's fine!" steamed 2 002 in a friendly manner, "I don't know mine either, but from what I've heard… "Numbers" are what these "people" called "crews" give us before we're "named". I'm excited for when I get named! "I wonder what'll be?" he said excitedly.
"Well, why wait?" asked another engine fancily. It was the taller engine, speaking rather fancily; however, their locality had slipped as they spoke. "As for me, I had already received one!"
Their cab board had the numbers 3 835; however, 23 834 couldn't tell because they hadn't yet learnt how to read.
The tall engine boasted, "The crews call me Fowler, after the grand designer!" he spoke proudly; however, 2 002 didn't seem any more impressed. "Fowler? 'Dat mann? He's all wrong; Richard Deeley is the grandest designer! I'm a big tank engine, and Deeley did good on me for his part!" boasted 2 002 mockingly.
They quarrelled for a bit, whilst 23 834 just stared at the elevated platform, clearly annoyed. However, they made up for it temporarily.
23 834 and the others were shown the basics of work and communication. And we were briefed on the situation: work would be rough and plentiful, maintenance was irregular and parts were scarce. And jobs and trains must arrive quickly, ahead of schedule ideally.
23 834 was taken back to the sheds, and surrounding him were numerous other engines, the same livery as him, and similar shapes and sizes. 2 002 headed towards the tunnels, and Fowler went to the same sheds with them but said nothing.
"So… 23 834," said one of the engines. "How was it?"
"T'first impressions fine is it?" asked another.
"Alright Mates, settle down! Slow down," smoked 23 568, "We're all interested in our New Arrival, but he's thee' last of our kind. Fowler[1]'s new engines will start production."
They chatted a bit, learning the ins and outs of how they worked, then 23 834 spoke up a bit:
"I heard an engine 2 002 arguing with an engine Fowler about who's the "Grand Designer", anyone heard of him?" asked 23 834.
"Oh!" splashed one of the engines, " 'Deyr both wrong, Johnson's the grand designer, however Matthew Kirtley is d'Father of all" he smoked.
"Kirtley designed thee' Railway's first engines, Johnson was d'1 that began… began…" the engine started and paused at a loss of words.
"Oh! Yes! Johnson was the Grand Designer, 'denn came Richard Deeley, and thenn' Fowler came and took the privilege of rebuild'in 'em all! So now 'dat makes Fowler thee' Grand Designer, 'thou now I'm ain't sure 'bout 'dat…" he spoke.
"Fowler wasn't a fan of the 'derivatives'." started another engine of 23 834's type, "We preferred to scrap 'em all and start making his own designs, and 'dats where that Fowler, his first engine came along. Also, he went around t'touch'in Johnson's older designs and rebuild'in em all, mak'in 'em young again".
"Well, y'caint argue that lad wasn't worse than Deeley! He killed Paget's Daughter[2]!"
[1] They're reffering to the Engineer,
not the engine
[2] They were more so, reffering to Paget's Engine.
,an experimental 2-6-2 type.