Skip to content 10589 to Gatestown – Chapter One
Stretches of darkness gave way to a pale glow of light from 10589 – a massive and powerful steam locomotive that was the largest ever built. Near silence of faint cricket chirps and an occasional owl hoot was drowned out by hissing of steam and clacking of metal against metal as 10589 thundered along the tracks towards its destination at Gatestown, Maryland. In the engineers seat of the mighty train, Jonathon Winston yawned using his dark tan paws to wipe his fox eyes from the final stretch of the cross country passenger service. At his side, leaning against the locomotives railing, Paul Elding wiped his bear face with a red and white dotted handkerchief that he normally kept around his neck.
“We’re starting to lose pressure, throw more tender into the fire will’ya?” Jonathon called out to Paul whom nodded and knelt down for a shovel laying on the floor. With great finesse, Paul picked up the shovel holding it tightly in his large paws then drove the scoop into a pile of coal behind them.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad when this trip is done.” Paul grunted as he used the shovel to transfer scoop after scoop of coal into the locomotives fire box.
As Paul worked, Jonathon kept his focus divided between him and the darkness beyond the glow of the headlamp. “Once we hit Gates-Junction, it’ll only be another mile or so until our Gatestown.” Jonathon grinned and leaned back in his seat. “We can finally get some well deserved vacation time.”
“And you’ll hopefully retire for good….you’re furs turning a nice shade of gray.” Paul retorted with a smirk. “How did you work the last fifty years doing this job and not have a single severe accident?”
“Simple. I know my trains in and out. I know what they can and can’t do, and I treat ’em well. In return they treat me well. When you take over 10589 as my successor, I hope you treat ‘er as well as I did, she’s a remarkable piece of machinery and with a little love, she’ll take good care of you.”
“Yeah.” Paul grinned. “And while I’m taking your place, I’ll also be breaking in a new coal-flinger.”
“Just like I did with you.” Jonathon chuckled and gave Paul and over the shoulder glare. “I just hope they got all those kinks worked out of those new fangled automated switches.”
“In twenty years there’ll be no more steam engines, everything will be automatic and guys like us will be out of work for good.”
“Never.”
Mile by mile flew by as Jonathon and Paul continued chatting amongst themselves, yet their attentions were focused when signs for Gates-Junction came into view. Even though neither spoke it, both were relieved that their trip was almost over. Giving his trip books a once over, Jonathon smiled seeing that everything was on time, as it always was with him at the controls. Paul straightened up and glanced around feeling a sudden jolt then shuddering through the locomotives floor.
“What was that?” He asked as he looked around then leaned over the hand rails. “Did something just break?”
Hearing this, Jonathon placed his hand on the panel before him then shook his head. “No, that’s from the tracks.”
“The tracks!?!” Paul looked around again, this time though, noticing something very much out of place. “Wait a minute. The trees are supposed to be on our left…” He picked up a lantern and hung it over the hand rails on the right side of the train. “…but they’re on the right side!”
“Stations on the wrong side too!” Jonathon shouted back. “This bad…very very bad…”
“So we’ll just stop and back up, reset the switch and hit the correct track.”
“No! Junction North is headed towards the station; Junction South is being worked on…”
It was when they both realized the situation that everything came to a completely frozen moment in time – a moment that felt as long as an eternity and as short as a millisecond. Before either of them could do anything, the locomotive jarred to the left then rolled onto its side only to be pushed further along by countless passenger cars slamming full force into its coal unit and into the space where Jonathon and Paul previously occupied. Screeching metal, sharp banging and thumping, and the hiss of a shattered steam engine were the only sounds for miles in the silence of the night.
The End of 10589 to Gatestown – Chapter One.
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