Nationalisation

**Nationalisation** is the ninth episode of the third season of the Stories of Sodor and the forty-fourth episode overall.

Nationalisation/Transcript

## Plot

Several months have passed since the formation of British Railways. Every locomotive and piece of rolling stock in Great Britain were overhauled to be brought in line with the new BR standard. This brought in a normalisation of parts which reduced the cost and time to carry out maintenance. In addition, entire sections of track were upgraded. Despite these benefits, there were problems, though on Sodor, now the North Western Region of British Railways, Sir Topham Hatt's management avoided these issues. However, the mainland was where said problems were everywhere.

At the Tirmouth Coal Mine, Oliver had a run-in with Glenn, an Austerity tank engine from the National Coal Board. Glenn tells Oliver that he can't take his coal trucks because his are part of another train he needs to prepare, but Oliver has to take his trucks as Lowfell is running dangerously low on coal. Glenn then tells him he's had a rough morning and progress has been slow. Just then, an LNWR G2, Charles arrives and Glenn tells him he can take his coal trucks, which Oliver then questions Glenn if his story is true. Charles takes out his trucks, but derails over a set of points, blocking Oliver in the Coal Mine, much to his frustration.

At Lowfell, several locomotives are without any coal and at the station, passengers are waiting impatiently for their train to go. A porter comes up to the stationmaster and tells him that an engine has been sent which will be arriving in ten minutes. However, the engine that arrives is a Jinty named Justin, a tank engine, not the engine they need. Justin knows he can't pull the train unless he can take the coaches two or three at a time which seems to be the only option. Presently, Winston arrives and Justin explains him about the predicament. Winston has a goods train to take to High Craggs, though Justin decides to take the goods train for him in small sections while Winston takes the passenger train.

That evening, Winston arrives back late at the sheds where William and Alice are. Winston tells them about the passenger train he took but after hearing criticisms from the passengers, he decides to stay with goods trains. The three engines debate on their thoughts about Nationalisation, with Winston assuming things will get better as time goes on. Alice then reminds Winston that he is supposed to go to Sandsworth tomorrow to help transport the large shipment from the harbour to High Craggs, but Winston has back-to-back coal deliveries all day tomorrow, so William will have to fill in for him, which he doesn't like as Stepney could still be working there. Winston tells Alice about the run-in William had with Stepney the month before, and William was blamed for being late because Stepney put the wrong trucks onto William's train. Winston then reminds William how short-staffed the yard is at High Crags due to the recent cuts. Alice then points out that the constant lay-offs is the one thing she doesn't agree with about the merger and could lead to strikes.

The next day, dozens of workers at High Craggs Station have gone on strike against unemployment after they lost their jobs and are demanding to be rehired to show the importance of the bottom workers. Billy Fraisier, a union activist, is leading the campaign and they plan to continue this strike for as long as it takes British Railways to realise their mistake. Daniel Howard, a reporter of the BBC Radio, reports that due to the strike, hundreds of commuters are left stranded and many trains are cancelled. To compensate, bus services are offered for those wanting to go to the Rosworth Vale.

Stepney and Justin had been listening to this on the radio in the yard at High Craggs and discuss if unions are good. Justin also points out that goods traffic has been hit just as hard as passenger traffic, pointing to the yard as an example. Just then, William arrives with a goods train from Sansworth, but Stepney tells him to take it back because they don't have the space. Stepney angrily orders William to leave, ignoring William's protests that the sidings at Sandsworth are full too.

That night, it rains heavily. William tells Duck about his rough day. Presently, Stepney arrives, explaining that he had to leave High Craggs because the yard was starting to flood. He orders William to move, and he begrudgingly does. William is still angry and Stepney tells him he can't make trucks disappear like Wendell. Infuriated by Stepney bad-mouthing his friend, William forces Stepney out of the shed. Suddenly, Lenny, who is on his night patrol, appears and demands to know what is going on. Stepney decides to tell Lenny they were rough-housing. Lenny then leaves to resume his patrol. Stepney and William reconcile and the former asks William for help to clean up the yard once the flood waters recede and he accepts.

As soon as the flood waters cleared, William and Stepney worked hard to get the trains moving. The strike had ended on favourable terms, with those who didn't get their jobs back still getting redundancy payments. Edward then tells the audience why he chose to focus the majority of this story on the mainland instead of Sodor: Not a great deal happened on the Island during the start of Nationalisation. While there were issues, they were related to the usual happenings of a railway. One specific instance were complaints from the new express coaches they received. Over the years, Edward had been asked about what he thinks on Nationalisation and he always answers that it had its pros and cons. There is also consensus among rail historians that British Railways is considered a failure, which Edward doesn't agree with, as the company would last for almost fifty years.

## Characters

* Duck
* Oliver
* Alice
* Winston
* William
* Stepney
* Glenn
* Charles
* Justin
* Lenny
* The Fat Controller *(does not speak)*
* Edward *(narration only; cameo)*
* Gordon *(cameo)*
* James *(cameo)*
* Percy *(cameo)*
* Donald *(cameo)*
* Reginald *(cameo)*
* Peter *(cameo)*
* Mickey *(cameo)*
* Flying Scotsman *(cameo)*
* Molly *(cameo)*
* Barry *(cameo)*
* Bear *(cameo)*
* D199 *(cameo)*
* Derek *(cameo)*
* Dennis *(cameo)*
* Skarloey *(cameo)*
* Wendell *(mentioned)*

## Trivia

* This is the first episode not to take place on Sodor.
* This is also the first episode where no Sodor engines have a speaking role, although Edward does narrate this episode.