Horsmarlonerpool harbour is always very busy. There are four piers, Pier 1, Pier 2, Pier 3 and a brand new super pier that can handle the biggest ships from all around the world.
Shampoo the engine had chugged down the track from the station ready to pick up a long rake of trucks full of fresh cargo. But when he got to the harbour he found it deserted - no ships, and just a line of empty trucks that weren’t ready to be taken anywhere.
“I don’t know where all the ships are,” said the Harbour Master, scratching his head. “They should have been here by now.”
Standing by Pier 1, Amira and Dylan looked out to sea. They’d come down especially to watch all the ships being unloaded by the huge cranes and their fresh cargo put onto the railway trucks. AND to see Shampoo. Amira and Dylan were friends with all three of Horsmarlonerpool’s engines: Shampoo, Sixwheels and Mersey.
“Look!” Said Amira, pointing out to sea beyond the harbour wall.
There was a plume of smoke on the horizon. A ship was coming!
“But what is all that?” asked Dylan. As they looked at the horizon, they saw not one plume of smoke, but three. And then five! Suddenly, there were eight plumes of smoke!
“Oh my silly aunt!” said the Harbour Master. “They’re all coming at once! Alright! Get ready everyone!”
Soon, the eight ships, all of different sizes, charged towards the harbour wanting to the be the first to get unloaded. They bumped together and spun around but soon all eight ships were safely tied up and the cranes got to work furiously, unloading the goods from all over the world onto the empty railway trucks.
“Oh! Quick, Shampoo!” said the Harbour Master. “Go and get more trucks from the sidings!”
Shampoo steamed off quickly into the sidings where rows of trucks lay waiting, and then his driver coupled up as many as he could find. Shampoo strained under the weight of all these new trucks, even though they were empty, and then pulled them back to get attached to the others.
Almost immediately, the cranes started lowering huge packages into them, and within an hour all the ships were unloaded and over one HUNDRED trucks sat on the tracks fully loaded with fridges, fruit, presents and parcels.
“Umm, Shampoo…” said Amira, as she and Dylan approached the engine, “are you sure you’ll be okay pulling all of these?”
Shampoo was a very proud engine, and tried to disguise the worry in his voice. “Oh. Just these? Yes, yes of course I’ll be okay.”
“But what’s the biggest number of trucks you’ve ever pulled before?” asked Dylan.
“Oh.. Well, um, easily more than these.”
But Shampoo was telling a fib. The most trucks he’d ever pulled was thirty, and now there was over a hundred.
“Come on Shampoo,” said his driver. “We can do it. Full steam. Off we go.”
Shampoo pulled. And nothing happened. He pulled again, this time with all his might, but still nothing happened. The trucks were SO heavy, it was like trying to pull a mountain.
“Oh… Um, yes. Just warming up,” said Shampoo, and pulled again. Not one truck moved a single inch.
“NEED ANY HELP?” called a voice. Everyone turned to see Sixwheels steaming down the track from the station, with Mersey behind her.
Mersey coupled himself to Shampoo at the front, whilst Sixwheels continued around the long train on the second track and then reversed over the points to connect to the very last truck at the back.
All three drivers called to each other: “Is everybody ready?”
“Wait!” called Amira, and ran down the train to jump on Sixwheels’ footplate at the back, whilst Dylan jumped onto Shampoo’s footplate, behind Mersey, at the front.
“Come on” they both whispered. “You’re all strong engines.”
On the count of three, Mersey and Shampoo pulled with all their might, whilst at the back, Sixwheels pushed as hard as she could.
And the train started to move!
“You’re doing it!” shouted Amira.
“Keep going, keep going!” clapped Dylan.
Slowly, the long train snaked along the track and up towards Horsmarlonerpool station.
“Let’s keep going, don’t stop!” called Amira, and they steamed through the station and headed for the hill that led north towards the distant Skylands.
But as the train began to climb the hill, the three little engines found it much, much harder, and they got slower, and slower, and they strained and they strained until their wheels started to slip on the track.
Amira had an idea and jumped down off Sixwheels’ footplate and started grabbing as much dirt as she could from the side of the track and throwing it under Sixwheels’ wheels. The rough dirt gave the wheels more grip, but as the hill got steeper, and as the engines’ wheels slid furiously on the metal tracks, the train came to a halt. Amira jumped back on just before the huge train of trucks began… to slide… to slide… to slide… back down the hill towards the station!
“Oh no!” said Shampoo’s driver. This was extremely dangerous, the whole train was going to slide back towards the town out of control!
At the front of the train, Mersey screwed his eyes shut with the pain and the effort before he heard something… A huge, chugging sound. He opened his eyes to see the enormous bright red shape of SIR BETJEMAN! The powerful express loco from the Skylands!
Sir Betjeman slowed to the same speed as the slipping train as it headed down the hill, coupled himself to Mersey at the front and then spun his wheels into reverse. Sir Betjeman’s strength soon had the train under control and it calmly came to a perfect halt in Horsmarlonerpool station.
“I got word you were going to bring us rather a testing train,” said Sir Betjeman. “I thought I’d come and see if I might be of any help.”
The three engines stared at Sir Betjeman in awe. He was a hero.
“You must have all worked up quite an appetite,” said Sir Betjeman. “How about we all enjoy some lunch?”
All four engines, with Amira and Dylan sat on the platform, ate lunch together.
“Well. I must get these bothersome trucks back over to the Skylands,” said Sir Betjeman. “Thank you all so much for helping me.”
“Oh, you’re welcome, Sir Betjeman,” said Sixwheels. “But, won’t you need us to help you get up over the hill?”
“Oh, I’ll see how I get on,” said the huge red engine, coupling himself to the hundred or more trucks and putting himself in gear.
“I do hope to see you all again soon,” he said, sincerely, and then effortlessly pulled all the trucks out of the station, up over the hill, and out of sight.
“Wow,” said Sixwheels.
“He’s amazing,” said Mersey.
But Shampoo didn’t say anything. The two engines, and Amira and Dylan, looked around and saw him with his eyes closed, sleeping soundly, perfectly, perfectly exhausted.
