ERS Volume 104 - Little Branchline Engines

From Sodor Island Forums

Author

Stuart7

Stories

Maggots

Fishermen frequently visit the spot where Thomas went fishing. Thomas notices this, and has an encounter with local fisherman Jim Brown, who, amongst other things, carries a box jam-packed with maggots, for bait. One day, he falls asleep on a train and knocks his maggots over - with most unpleasant results...

Blocks and Tackle

The breakdown cranes are taken out of action for repairs. This concerns the engines on Duck's branchline, and even more so when bad weather damages the trackbed near Haultraugh. This causes Oliver an accident, but Donald, Douglas and Duck have a plan to rescue him from his predicament...

On the Roof

Jinty has to go to the Works for repairs, so the Fat Controller hires Bill from the China Clay Works to help at the Big Station with the shunting. He becomes conceited, making Ben jealous. He soon learns his lesson, however, due to a careless signalman...

Warrior and the Snowdrift

Jinty has to go to the Works for repairs, so the Fat Controller hires Bill from the China Clay Works to help at the Big Station with the shunting. He becomes conceited, making Ben jealous. He soon learns his lesson, however, due to a careless signalman...

Notes

• Featured Characters: Alice, Ben, Bill, Blandford, Clarabel, Daisy, Donald, Douglas, Duck, Gordon, Henrietta, Henry, James, Jinty, Oliver, Mirabel, Percy, Sodor Castle, Thomas, Toby, Warrior, Fat Controller
• Introduced Characters: Jim Hughes the Fisherman/Writer
• Introduced Locations: N/A
• The incident in 'Maggots' is based on an incident which happened in England in 1965, to a fisherman (who carried maggots in the same manner as Jim Hughes) travelling to Windsor on a train from Paddington. With his kit set down beside him, he fell asleep, and the motion of the train toppled the maggot box, with the results shown in the story.
• The incident in 'Blocks and Tackle' is based an incident which occurred at Bedale Back, NER, on 6th December 1901, when a section of track subsided under BTP 0-4-4 tank no. 465, which fell onto its left-hand side, trapping the fireman underneath. The method used to rescue it is exactly as described in the story.
• The incident in 'On the Roof' is based on another NER incident at Heck in 1923, on the Selby - Doncaster line. Not much is said about the crash, except whilst being shunted, a carriage knocked some wagons through the buffer-stops, and, riding on their upturned wheels, mounted the roof of a house.
• The incident in 'Warrior & the Snowdrift' is based on another incident from 'Railways' Strangest Journeys', this time at Whitchurch in the South West. The engine ran into similar trouble, so, after cleaning its ashpan, the driver did just as described in the story.