Transcript/The Trestle Bridge

**Narrator:** It was the beginning of a cold frosty morning. Peter Sam had just returned from pulling the night train. Duncan could see he was a little shaken.

**Duncan:** “What’s gotten you all quivering?”

**Narrator:** Peter Sam felt rather silly to admit so, but he attempted to.

**Peter Sam:** “The night train is a bit more spooky in early spring.” he said. “There was quite a bit of fog, there was a cold breeze blowing across my boiler, and there were wobbly parts of the line the men hadn't mended yet. It frightened me more than it should have.”

**Duncan:** “Pah!” snorted Duncan. “An old engine like you, afraid of some fog? Quite pathetic if yer ask me.”

**Skarloey:** “There’s no need for that!” scolded Skarloey. “Everybody has fears. Even you. Remember the time you saw a ghost engine on the bridge?”

**Narrator:** Peter Sam grinned as he saw Duncan blushing.

**Duncan:** “Y...you’re not one to talk!” he blurted out. “You’re not scared of anything yourself.”

**Narrator:** Skarloey chuckled.

**Skarloey:** “Actually, it may come as a surprise to you, but I too was scared of something once.”

**Peter Sam:** “Really?” asked Peter Sam, “What was it?”

**Narrator:** Skarloey paused for a moment, and this was the story he told them. It all happened nearly 100 years ago, when Skarloey and Rheneas were the only engines on the railway. Back then, they didn’t even have cabs. They were very new at the time. Skarloey himself was very different too. He was young, cocky and reckless. He kept on boasting about how smoothly he can run along the line. This usually made his crew and Rheneas cross. During this time, the two engines were taking materials and equipment up and down the railway, helping the workmen build the many stations and halts. There was an Old Trestle Bridge that crossed one of the many rivers. Skarloey was always thundering loudly across the bridge, thinking there was nothing to fear. It was the day after a big storm had swept across the Island overnight. The manager was sending Skarloey and Rheneas out to mend any damages.

**Mr. Mack:** “Skarloey,” he called, “you must send some workmen over to Glennock station. There have been many branches blown onto the line.”

**Narrator:** Skarloey, eager to prove how brilliant he was, confidently agreed. But Rheneas was worried.

**Rheneas:** “You’d better be careful on the old bridge. It may be damaged for all we know.”

**Skarloey:** “Nonsense.” scoffed Skarloey. “I’ve been over that bridge loads of times, and nothing had happened.” and he puffed away in a cloud of steam.

**Narrator:** Rheneas was right. The storm did damage the Trestle Bridge. The wind and rain had broken some of the support beams. But Skarloey couldn’t see the beams as he puffed confidently across. He looked around and immediately concluded that nothing was wrong.

**Skarloey:** “Silly Rheneas.” he puffed to himself. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

**Narrator:** Suddenly, there was a crack, a crash, and the track underneath him collapsed. Luckily, his driver managed to make him stop in time, but he had been jerked forward, nearly hitting the steam dome and Skarloey had fallen to where he could see the river right in front of him.

**Skarloey:** “HELP!” he cried.

**Narrator:** The workmen from his coaches managed to run back to the yards and warn Rheneas. And a few hours later, he had pulled Skarloey back onto firm rails again. But Mr. Mack was very cross with him. How he had nearly hurt his driver and the workmen because of his carelessness. Rheneas was going to say that “he told him so”, but Skarloey didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk. He was too traumatised to say anything. A few days later, the manager returned.

**Mr. Mack:** “The Trestle Bridge has been mended.” he said. “Now, I’d like you both to continue with maintenance duties down the line.”

**Skarloey and Rheneas:** “Yes, sir.” they answered.

**Narrator:** Soon, it was Skarloey’s turn to take the workmen to the top station. But when he got to the bridge, he suddenly had a scary feeling. His mind was flashing back to when he nearly fell. He slowly started to cross… but then, he stopped. He looked down into the rushing water below. He was so scared, he refused to move. He didn’t want to fall and endanger his crew again.

**Skarloey’s Driver:** “Come on, Skarloey.” soothed his driver. “The bridge is safe now.”

**Narrator:** But he couldn’t cross, he simply couldn’t. There was nothing his driver could do to convince him, so he drove him back to the yards instead.

**Rheneas’ Driver:** “We’ll take the workmen.” sighed Rheneas’ driver.

**Rheneas:** “But you’d better cross the bridge soon,” warned Rheneas, “or Mr. Mack will be cross again.”

**Narrator:** But Skarloey refused to move. His driver and fireman couldn’t make him budge. So that meant Rheneas had to do all the work himself. After a few days, Mr. Mack talked to Skarloey at last. He was cross with him. Since Skarloey refused to go anywhere beyond the bridge, the only thing for him to do was to shunt trucks and coaches in the big station yard. He didn’t like it much. One day, Rheneas had taken some workmen to build the station platforms by the waterfall and was soon on his way home. He had to take the workmen, their tools and the building materials down to the bottom station. But because he had been doing most of the work on the railway, his load felt heavier than it really was. He had only made it a few feet across the Trestle Bridge, when suddenly, one of his side rods snapped. Steam hissed everywhere.

**Rheneas:** “Bother!” huffed Rheneas.

**Narrator:** His driver ran over the bridge and to the big station. Skarloey was grumpily shunting when he saw Rheneas’ driver running up. He was very tired and puffed out, but he had enough puff to say,

**Rheneas’ Driver:** “There’s an emergency. Rheneas, he’s broken down on the bridge. You’re the only one who can help.”

**Skarloey:** “On the bridge?” cried Skarloey. “Oh, no! And I made him carry a heavy load. What if it collapses from the weight, with the workmen onboard?”

**Narrator:** So, he built up a lot of steam and raced off immediately. As soon as he got to the bridge, he could see Rheneas on the other side. He started to cross, but he could hear creaking from underneath. He tried hard to not look down.

**Skarloey:** “I’m not going to risk losing the workmen again.” he whispered. “I must rescue them. I must rescue… my friend.”

**Narrator:** He closed his eyes tight, took a deep breath and he moved slowly and carefully over the bridge. There was groaning and creaking the further he went, but Skarloey kept going and whispered to himself.

**Skarloey:** “I must do it, keep going. I must do it, keep going.”

**Narrator:** Slowly… slowly… slowly… until at last, he opened his eyes to see Rheneas, with his buffers touching his own. He had made it. Once the two engines were coupled up, Skarloey pulled hard but carefully back. He even managed to keep his eyes open this time. He puffed a big sigh of relief.

**Rheneas:** “I knew you could do it.” soothed Rheneas.

**Narrator:** The manager was very pleased with him.

**Mr. Mack:** “Well done, Skarloey. You’ve managed to conquer your fear of the bridge, at last.”

**Skarloey:** “Oh, thank you, sir.”

**Mr. Mack:** “However, while Rheneas is being repaired, I’m afraid you’ll have to do all the work by yourself. Do you think you can manage?”

**Skarloey:** “I think I will, sir. It’s better than being stuck in the yard all day. Besides,” he paused and looked at Rheneas, “it’s only fair for me to, after I made my fears make you do all the work.”

**Rheneas:** “That’s alright.” smiled Rheneas. “At least this mistake has let you become less scared about the bridge.”

**Skarloey:** “And after that day,” Skarloey concluded, “I crossed that bridge every day, until the whole railway was finished and opened, without any further delays.”

**Narrator:** The other engines were amazed, even Duncan.

**Peter Sam:** “You really were a very different engine back, then.” said Peter Sam.

**Skarloey:** “Well, it just goes to show,” smiled Skarloey, “that everyone has fears, but, big or silly, we shouldn’t let them get in the way of our work and our companionship.”