Chapter Text
Molly and Andrew’s trip to their new home was a long one. They were very carefully wheeled off of the old military branch and pushed up onto flatbeds.
Douglas left them in a siding out of the way while he collected the rest of his train, not wanting either engine to see their rusted colleagues. He puffed up beside one, then growled.
“What’re ye doin’ here?” he demanded.
“I’m here to collect this scrap,” oiled Arry, backing down on the rusted engines. “You got a problem with that?”
“I gotta problem with ye,” snapped Douglas. “Try an’ be courteous – yer in the presence of te dead.” Arry rolled his eyes and heaved away the scrap.
The rest of Douglas’ train included old blueprints, spare parts and machinery for Crovan’s Gate Works – Stephen Hatt and Bridget Hatt were rebuilding it to enable it to look after any issue the engines may have.
Douglas grinned to himself – he knew Molly would be a great surprise!
The trip took some time, and it was already late when Douglas rolled over the Vicarstown bridge and onto Sodor. He passed by Gordon, and then arrived at the Works. He dropped off his trucks, then carefully shunted Molly and Andrew into the main shed.
“Molly? It’s impossible…” a voice murmured. Molly looked over in astonishment.
“Neil?!” she gasped. “You’re alive!” Neil’s eyes widened in shock.
“Molly! You… you’re here! I can’t believe it! This is wonderful – who’s your new friend?”
Molly smiled.
“This is Andrew – we were shut up together. He’s a lovely engine – and he’s a Standard Five.”
“I have no clue what that means,” admitted Neil. Molly gaped. Andrew chuckled.
“It’s my design – part of the Standard scheme British Railways did back in the fifties.” Soon all three were happily chatting, and Douglas left them to go head home.
Molly would be fine.
***
Neil was finished first – he had arrived in the Works some time before Molly and Andrew, and his shed hadn’t leaked as badly as the tunnel had. He was repainted in his old Sodor and Mainland livery, however instead of the letters S&M on his tank, he had NWR in its place, with the number fifteen underneath. Molly and Andrew watched as he was steamed. They built up his boiler pressure slowly, carefully.
Neil sighed happily as he felt warmth fill his boiler.
“This is nice,” he grinned. “I can’t wait to be back in service.”
“You’ll be happy to hear you passed all your tests then,” chuckled the Works Manager. “Emily’s coming to take you on a shakedown run soon, and if you pass all your trials then you’ll be good to go!”
“Did you say… Emily?” asked Molly.
“I did,” replied the Works Manager. And he winked.
A half hour later, Emily rumbled into the Works. She grinned at Neil, then stopped dead.
“Molly?!”
“Emily?!”
“You two know each other?” Neil asked.
“This is the Stirling Single you knew?” Andrew exclaimed. Everyone gaped at each other, then burst out laughing.
“I can’t believe it’s you!” Molly said. “How did you survive?”
“Another time,” the Works Manager said. “Emily, your trucks are in the siding.”
“Trucks?!” gasped Molly. “When did this happen? We need to catch up.”
Emily agreed, and steamed out of the Works with Neil following happily behind. Molly cheered them on, and Andrew could only laugh.
Stephen Hatt, Bridget Hatt and their father Sir Charles watched on.
“You made an excellent find there,” grinned Sir Charles. “I’m still in shock we found either of them honestly. This railway sure has grown since we first met Toby, hasn’t it?”
“It has,” chuckled Stephen. “Can you believe it?”
“I really can’t,” chuckled Sir Charles. “I was sure British Railways would win – and yet here we are. And we somehow found a jumble of engines to help us too.”
“We did well for our engines, didn’t we?”
And you know what? They did, and they continued to. And will continue to. Forever, and always.