Gordon's Hill

"**Gordon's Hill**" is a hill on the Main Line, located between Wellsworth and Maron, named after an incident where Gordon got stuck while pulling a goods train.

## History

Over a distance of five miles (eight kilometres), the line climbs around 280 feet (hundred metres) from Suddery Junction to reach Maron, with a gradient of 1:75 from uphill to downhill it certainly presents a challenge for the engines.

Thomas once went downhill here when he was learning how to handle troublesome trucks for the first time and almost crashed into Maron. A similar accident would happen to him in 1968 and 1970.

The trucks also pushed James down the hill towards Maron into a train of tar tankers in 1951, which is an incident he's willing to forget. Percy once climbed the entire hill when he tried running away from Gordon.

Bankers are often required to help trains up the hill. However, they run the risk of being chased by a runaway train or rear ending the train they are helping - something Duck found out the hard way twice, once with Edward in 1954, and again with Henry in 1959.

When the railway was first built, this stretch was made even more difficult by strong winds blown in by the sea. This was attempted to be countered by the planting of trees on either side of the line, but in autumn there can be the additional risk of slippery leaves on the line, as James soon discovered in 1953 and again in 1960.

Toad slid down the hill with runaway trucks twice. Once in 1960, where the trucks uncoupled from Oliver to "make Toad's wish come true" and again in 1968, when James wasn't being careful, hit a branch on the line and lost his trucks on the hill. Similar to how he lost his trucks on the hill in 1925.

In 1962, Arthur lost control of his train of fruit vans here, crashing into Duck at Maron Crossing. That same year, Spencer had to be rescued by Gordon after he got stuck on the hill due to not having enough water to make it through. In 1965, Rosie tried climbing the hill with heavy stone trucks, trying to demonstrate she was stronger than Spencer, but all she did was slid back to the bottom of the hill and realise her mistake.

In 1967, Harvey lost control of some flatbeds here. On summer of that year, Stephen used the hill to his advantage, making engines push him so that he could go fast while making deliveries of jam to Ulfstead Castle. In 1970, Samson and Thomas managed to push a long line of stone trucks from the Blue Mountain Quarry across the hill. In 1971, Hugo tried to go up the hill into the air, trying to fly similarly to an airship that looked like him. On Boxing Day, 1972, Stephen and Glynn "raced" over the hill, helding up Gordon and James in the process. In 1973, Percy tried to pull the Express up the hill, due to Dowager Hatt schedueling Gordon with Emily's jobs. Later that day, Gordon came to take the Express back, as it was too heavy for Percy. That same year, James took Hannah too fast on the hill, breaking Hannah's frames without realising.

In 1975, Dennis rolled down the hill with his heavy flatbeds and couldn't stop due to his controls being wet. That same year, Rebecca struggled up the hill with flatbeds of heavy steel, something that was a challenge for her, but Murdoch, who was delivering the steel with her, had no trouble doing.

Gordon defintly makes it "his" hill, as he's the engine that got stuck in it the most. The hill was named after him due to the first time he got stuck here in 1923, he got stuck here again, while pulling the Express and trying to help BoCo uphill in 1961, and would stuck here with the Express again in 1967. All three times, Edward had to go and help him. Though, it wasn't his fault, he got covered in tar at the bottom of the hill, from wagons that Percy lost control over in 1963.

## Trivia

* Whilst it is probably a coincidence, there is a real place in London called "Gordon Hill".