Transcript/Slow and Steady Wins the Race

**Narrator:** It was the middle of a very hot April. Lots of visitors came up to Ulfstead Castle to either admire the historical castle, check out the lovely dinosaur models in the park or look at majestic animals and birds along the grounds. Stephen and Millie loved their work as much as the passengers loved seeing the sights.

**Stephen:** “Welp, that’s another successful school trip. They couldn’t get enough of the T-Rex. How’s everything on your end, Millie?”

**Millie:** “Just as successful, thank you, Stephen. I think I saw Luke’s deer friend along the estate this morning. The visitors thought he was so cute.”

**Narrator:** Just then, the two engines felt a slight rumbling beneath their wheels and the sound of two loud whistles.

**Stephen:** “Oh, dear, here comes trouble.”

**Millie:** “And they’re a few minutes early, too.”

**Narrator:** At that second, the two streaks of teal and magenta, Connor and Caitlin, raced into the castle station. But as they braked, they didn’t realise, until it was too late, that they both overran the platforms.

**Caitlin:** “Whoops! Just a few inches off target.”

**Connor:** “Maybe so, but I won the race this time.”

**Caitlin:** “No, you didn’t! I did!”

**Connor:** “I was a few centimetres further than you!”

**Caitlin:** “No, you weren’t! I was.”

**Connor:** “No, I was!”

**Stephen:** “That’s enough, you two! Regardless on who arrived first, your passengers won’t like their engines missing the platform.”

**Narrator:** The two engines blushed with embarrassment.

**Connor:** “Uh, yes, Stephen.”

**Caitlin:** “Sorry, Stephen.”

**Millie:** “Honestly, if you two weren’t going so fast all the time, you would be in a lot less trouble. Maybe you should take things slower every once in a while.”

**Caitlin:** “But, we’re streamlined express engines.”

**Connor:** “We need to be fast to keep up with timetables.”

**Millie:** “Maybe so, but you may need to slow down and watch the rails carefully.”

**Narrator:** The next day, just before the homeward rush, Connor and Caitlin were still thinking about what Millie had said.

**Caitlin:** “Asking a streamlined engine to go slowly? She’s just asking for the impossible.”

**Connor:** “It’s like asking a tortoise to run faster.. It’s just not going to happen.”

**Narrator:** Just then, the guard blew his whistle and signalled for both engines to leave with his green flag.

**Caitlin:** “Readyyy… Set….”

**Connor:** “GO!”

**Caitlin:** “Hey! That’s cheating!”

**Narrator:** Caitlin quickly caught up with Connor on their way down the mountain. Soon, the two engines went along two separate tracks on their way to Vicarstown. Connor thought for sure he was going to win this race, but then there was trouble. There was a level crossing on Connor’s track. Bertie the Bus was trying to cross, but his engine was malfunctioning. It made him start and stop suddenly and made him difficult to move.

**Narrator:** Connor was going so fast, that he didn’t even see Bertie or the closed crossing gates, until it was too late.

**Bertie:** “Watch out! Stop! STOP!”

**Connor:** “Fizzling fireboxes!"

**Narrator:** He braked as hard as he could, but he had been going so fast, his wheels only screeched along the rails. Luckily, Bertie managed to get to the other side of the crossing, just before Connor crashed into the gates. The gates managed to slow him down a little, allowing him to finally come to a stop. Both the engine and the bus breathed a big sigh of relief.

**Bertie:** “Connor! What on earth do you think you’re doing?! My passengers could’ve been seriously injured!”

**Narrator:** Connor soon saw what he meant. He could see that his coaches were just a few inches away from Bertie’s back end.

**Connor:** “Oh my goodness. I’m so, so sorry, Bertie.”

**Narrator:** As he saw Bertie drive away crossly, he felt ever so bad about himself. Meanwhile, Caitlin was racing along a different track. The Duke and Duchess of Boxford’s summer house was just a blur as she sped along the line.

**Caitlin:** “You can cheat all you want, Connor, but I’m going to win this time.”

**Narrator:** A few miles down, Spencer was taking the Duke and Duchess to the Mainland. They were on their way to see an Alicia Botti opera performance. But both he and Caitlin were coming towards a section of track where a big puddle had formed. It had been raining the night before. As Caitlin sped along, she went straight through the puddle like a hot knife in butter. And Spencer was showered from funnel to wheels in muddy rain water.

**Spencer:** “What the-”

**Narrator:** Even though Caitlin was too fast to see Spencer and the puddle, she did notice a red signal up ahead. She finally slowed down.

**Spencer:** “Caitlin?! What do you think you’re doing, splashing me with dirty water like that?!”

**Caitlin:** “I’m so, so sorry, Spencer. I didn’t see you back there.”

**Spencer:** “Oh, this is terrible. Alicia Botti can’t see me like this! She’ll think I’m… unprofessional.”

**Narrator:** When Connor and Caitlin next met, in Barrow-In-Furness, they talked about their recent experiences and were both shocked about the others’.

**Caitlin:** “You were really that close to Bertie’s passengers?”

**Connor:** “Yeah, and instead of taking them to the station, Bertie would have been taking them to the hospital.”

**Caitlin:** “My goodness! You know, Millie was right. We are going much too fast these days.”

**Connor:** “Yeah. None of this would have happened if we had been a lot slower and looked more carefully.”

**Narrator:** So, on their next journey to Ulfstead, instead of racing each other or seeing who was the fastest, they decided to go at half their speed.

**Narrator:** It was half past three and at Ulfstead Castle, Stephen and Millie were still waiting for their passengers. They were growing confused and a little worried.

**Stephen:** “It’ll be dinner time soon. I wonder what’s keeping Connor and Caitlin.”

**Millie:** “They never usually take this long. They’re usually on time, if not, early.”

**Narrator:** At last, they could see the two engines in the distance, but going at a much slower pace, as agreed and their eyes were glued to their tracks. But, there was still trouble once they finally reached the platforms. Instead of overshooting platforms, the engines had to face a mob of angry passengers.

**Passenger:** “This is ridiculous! A tortoise could move faster than that blasted engine!”

**Narrator:** Stephen and Millie were getting confused.

**Stephen:** “What’s going on with you two? Why are you going this slowly?”

**Narrator:** Connor and Caitlin looked at each other.

**Caitlin:** “Well, you see…”

**Narrator:** And they told Stephen all about it. From their acts of carelessness, to their recent agreement.

**Stephen:** “Goodness me! You were really that close to Bertie’s passengers?”

**Connor:** “Yes!”

**Narrator:** He didn’t like being reminded of his near-collision.

**Millie:** “But, when I suggested you two to slow down, I didn’t mean to go that slow. Your passengers don’t like it, as you have seen.”

**Caitlin:** “But, if we go at our normal speed, we could have another accident. If not worse! We could fly off the rails or- or crash into another engine or-”

**Millie:** “Caitlin, you two can be careful and fast at the same time. It is possible and it will please everyone.”

**Narrator:** The two big engines thought about it and they soon realised how silly they had been. From that moment to this very day, Connor and Caitlin still race each other to make their journeys fun and exciting. But, they both always remember to keep a good look out for signals, other engines and things on the line. This makes the Fat Controller and Sir Robert Norramby very pleased with them. As for Millie and Stephen? They’d prefer to stick to a much slower, relaxing speed. The visitors prefer it anyway.