well guys, here's the first story in a long time. here, Duncan decides to go crewless one stormy night. this was loosely based on some videos I made with my ipad and my ertl trains during a rainstorm (I no longer have the footage sadly) hope you enjoy.

Missing engine

Duncan is an engine who works on the skarloey railway. He was a plain-speaking engine and could come off as blunt at times, but he did care for his colleagues. One cloudy evening he had been called to take some slate trucks back to the mine. On his way back a storm began. As they passed by glennock the stationmaster flagged them down. “I need you guys to take these wagons back to crovans gate.” he said. Duncan’s crew sighed. “I just want to go home and sleep in.” complained his driver. Duncan knew that his driver and fireman lived at glennock and didn’t want them to have to go all the way to crovan’s gate and back in the rain. “Ya know what,” said duncan “yee can go home tonight, I’ll take the trucks back down.” All non-faceless vehicles had the ability to control themselves, they only had crews in case something went wrong. It was considered dangerous for a non-faceless engine to go crewless and Duncan’s driver and fireman knew this. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked his fireman. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Duncan replied. “Besides I know you’d rather do that than just go all the way back here in the rain.” Duncan’s crew were reluctant, but agreed. After they set the switch to the siding where the trucks were and coupled Duncan to them, they went home. Duncan set off back down the line with the trucks coupled in front of him.

Wind and rain buffeted Duncan from all sides while the thunder and lightning crashed and flashed above him. There is a small stretch of line that run alongside a river. Usually during a storm the trackbed was swept away by the rain leaving the rails unsupported posing a derailment hazard. Duncan hadn’t considered that before he left, and then it happened. One moment he was trying to puff through the storm, the next he felt himself jolt upward. Before he knew it he was tumbling down the bank. His smokebox hit a large rock as he went down and he was knocked unconscious. He soon came to a stop at the bottom of the bank with his wheels in the river. The trucks tumbled down with him and splashed into the river. Duncan lay there as the rain and wind swirled around him.

The next morning the storm had cleared, but the sky was still gray. The engines woke up to find that Duncan hadn’t returned. “Where’s duncan?” asked peter sam. “This isn’t like him, he always comes back to his shed at night, especially during a storm like this one.” Added Sir Handel. Just then Duncan’s driver and fireman came into the sheds. “Where’s duncan?” they asked. “We thought he’d be with you.” Answered atlas. “We stopped at Glennock to take some truck back here, he told us we should go home and that he’d the trucks crewless.” Duncan’s driver explained. “so he decided it’d be alright to go through a storm CREWLESS?’ Said duke who had been listening in. “I doubt it.” Said Andreas. “Knowing him he probably just said that so he could sleep in the sheds at Glennock so he wouldn’t have to come down here.” That made everyone feel better.

Later that day rusty took the maintenance train down the line to inspect the rails for any damage. They soon found the broken riverside track. “This doesn’t look too serious, we can fix this in no time.” Said one of the workmen. And it wasn’t too long before the trackbed and the rails were replaced, rusty rolled away. Not too long after they had left Duncan finally stirred awake. “uuuuughhhh, what happened? Where am I?” asked Duncan to himself. Then he remembered what happened. He looked up and saw that the track was repaired. “Rusty must have just repaired it, maybe he’s still nearby.” He thought to himself. Duncan had no steam left to whistle so he yelled for help, but rusty was too far away to hear him.

That evening rusty came back to the sheds, but Duncan still wasn’t there. “He didn’t come back to the sheds.” Said Sir Handel. “I checked up and down the line, but Duncan wasn’t in any of the sheds or sidings I even checked the slate quarry and still wasn’t there.” Said rusty. “What is going on here?” asked the thin controller as he walked in. “sir, Duncan didn’t come back to the sheds last night, and rusty couldind find him either.” Answered skarloey. “The fool thought it’d be a good idea to run crewless during a storm.” Duke put in. “we can’t go looking for him tonight, it’d be too dark to see, we’ll have to look for him tomorrow.” Said the thin controller. The other engines weren’t sure. As much of a blunt engine Duncan was, he was still a good colleague and they didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

The next day Duncan was still in the ravine along with the trucks. “Oh dear.” He thought “I’ll probably stay here forever.” He though sadly. But he was wrong. Andreas was taking a passenger train down to lakeside, but he was being very difficult indeed. He was sluggish that morning, and wouldn’t steam properly. Even though he had eventually started up, he was still sluggish. He stopped right near where Duncan had derailed. “We’ll keep our passengers waiting.” Complained the driver. “I can’t help it if I can’t steam up.” Andreas retorted. Duncan heard them bickering, and saw his chance. “HELP!” he cried. “Is that who I think it is?” asked Andreas. “DUNCAN IS THAT YOU?” he cried back. “YES, GET HELP!” Duncan replied. “I’M ON MY WAY!” Andreas yelled. Andreas raced down the line as fast as safety permitted, soon he arrived at Glennock where he raised the alarm. Not too long after rusty, and atlas arrived with some workmen and a crane to lift Duncan and the trucks back on the rails, he was glad to not be lying in the mud anymore.

That evening the thin controller came to see Duncan, who was at crovans gate works being repaired. “Duncan, what is the meaning of this.” He asked sternly. “The stationmaster at glennock asked us to take the trucks back here. I didn’t want my crew to walk home in the rain, so I told them they could go home and that I’d take the trucks back crewless.” Explained Duncan. The thin controller thought about what Duncan said. “I understand you had good intentions.” He stated at last “however, there is a reason why all non-faceless engines have their crews with them, to prevent incidents like these from happening. But I can safely say that lying in a ravine for 2 days is punishment enough, but don’t let this happen again.” “I won’t sir.” Said Duncan. And ever since that stormy night Duncan has never gone anywhere crewless again. After all, lots could happen without them.