The Phantom of D297

The Summer season had returned once again and the big holidays for families and friends on the Island of Sodor were to start. The locomotives were going to have a might task since there were more visitors than ever. Percy was still way being overhauled at the East Lancashire Railway's workshops in Bury but news had come through that his overhaul would be completed slightly early than expected. A new boiler, fitted with an copper inner firebox was made for him and was currently undergoing a hydraulic test, which was to be followed by a boiler steam test. The hydraulic test assessed the strength of the boiler ensuring that it would hold water at high pressure and the out-of-frames steam test would proved the boiler fit for purpose before it was to fitted to Percy's chassis.

The Fat Controller was very pleased to hear this as were Thomas, Toby, Emily and the other engines who had missed Percy. Plans for his return to Sodor were being made and excitement was already floating around the Island. One night, Gordon was taking the late night express. He stopped at a junction where the signal was red. The junction has a two lines that met in a crossed shape, which had trains coming from the other line. Gordon looked left and right to see if there was any other trains coming. Nothing was coming from either way. As he waited, he heard an unfamiliar sound of a diesel's horn.

"That's odd," Gordon said. "There's no one around except me and yet a diesel's horn sounds."

The horn was so unfamiliar that he couldn't tell whether it was BoCo, Mavis or even Diesel. After Gordon dropped off his passengers, he returned home, running light. As he approached the same junction, he grew confused and thought he could hear the sound of an engines pistons, which wasn't his own. The sound was getting louder and louder and then... it was gone... Gordon looked bewildered.

"Good heavens!" he cried. "What was that?"

"I've got no idea," said his driver. "But didn't sound good."

Gordon made it back to the sheds around 11:17 pm and he told Henry and James about his strange experience.

"Since when was the last time you encountered anything out of the supernatural, Gordon?" James said, surprisingly.

"Yeah, it's not likely of you to experience something like that." added Henry.

"I know, I know," Gordon replied. "But I swear down that I heard what was the sound of a diesel engine... but there was no sign of it..."

The big blue engine had a troubling sleep in the sheds that night and still felt confused when he woke up and went to take on coal and water. His driver and fireman could see he was feeling and decided to talk to him.

"You seem very quite today," said the driver. "It's not like you to be this way."

"Is something on your mind?" asked the fireman.

"Yes," Gordon said. "It's about last night."

"You mean when we heard the sounding of the unknown diesel horn?" the driver asked.

"That's it," replied Gordon. "It's really bothering me so much that I can't shake it off."

The fireman, however, seemed to know what it was.

"I think I know what it was that we heard. It was the spirit of D297."

"Who's D297?" Gordon asked, showing interest. The fireman gave a broad smile.

"D297 was one of the diesels that worked for British Rail at time when steam was coming to ending. He was a British Rail Class 55 and a hard worker and unlike the other diesels who hated steam engines, he was kind and well mannered. D297 was built in 1961 by English Electric at Vulcan Foundry. My father was one of his firemen and the two were old friends. Over the years, they had lots of great times together but wouldn't last forever. In 1968, D297 became ill. Maintenance work was carried out but that didn't solve anything. So he was sent over to Sodor to see if their works could help out and in June 1969, he was fully repaired and in better shape. The Fat Controller took some interest in him and gave him a series of trial runs. If he succeeded, he would be come a new member for the railway. But unfortunately the trials would not end in the way he foresaw them... D297 had completed three trials and was now on his fourth. While he was pulling a short train, he was approaching the junction. All of a sudden, his DC generator overheated and blew a fuse, causing him to break down. The Fat Controller was disappointed but soon became sad when he had no choice but to send D297 back to the Other Railway to be scrapped due money problems. D297 was upset and horrified by this and wasn't ready to accept his fate. The day of his scrapping came in October 1969. My father was his last driver and he took him to the scrapyard and said goodbye to him. A week later, my father retired from the railway and soon suffered illness and passed away in 1981 at the age of 67. After the scrapping of D297, many workmen, porters and station staff had been reporting of a ghost sight of a Class 55 diesel engine purring down the junction on many occasions. I believe it's the spirit of D297 trying to get past that very same place where he broke down on his trial run but never makes it."

Gordon stood silently as his fireman finished his story. He showed a mix reaction to it but mostly found it to be quiet interesting.

"But why would the Fat Controller ever scrap another engine?" he asked.

"He had no choice but too," replied the fireman. "He deeply regretted it and wished that he hadn't sent D297 away and had him preserved at one of the heritage railways. He rarely speaks about it for it made him feel very embarrassed."

Gordon spent most of the day thinking about the story. It plague his mind so much that he became somewhat concerned for himself and the other engines if they were to suffer a similar fate but deep down the Fat Controller would never do that for he loved his engines and his railway. Later that afternoon, Gordon was taking on water in a siding when James puffed in.

"That's the third load of water you've had today," he said. "Some might say you're being rather greedy."

"I've been working my boiler off," replied Gordon. "However engines like me, need plenty of water. But I doubt that you would understand that."

James snorted and went about his work. At the yards, Gordon was collecting coal from a coal bunker because the coaling plant was under repairs. Thomas was nearby shunting some trucks.

"I wouldn't take that too much of that coal if I were you Gordon," said he. "I might make your boiler feel funny."  

"Pah!" said Gordon. "What's this? Educating Gordon Day? First James and now you Thomas. Big engines have big needs. Little engines are just a pain in the tender!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." laughed Thomas.

Gordon was annoyed at this. Then when he remembered about the story about D297 he decided to use that to get payback. When he at arrived at Knapford Station, James and Thomas were there preparing to double head a heavy goods train. Gordon saw his chance and took it.

"I must advice you to watch out for the ghost of Diesel D297," he said. "He's out there hoping to cross the crossing at the junction."

Thomas and James raised their eye brows, not understand what he was talking about.

"Who's this D297?" asked James.

"Yeah and what's with you acting this way?" Thomas added. "It's not like you to tell us about spooky stories."

Gordon grinned slightly.

"D297 was a diesel that was on trails, hoping to become a new member of our railway after he was repaired at the works. But during this, his DC generator failed and he broke down. The Fat Controller was disappointed and sent him away to be scrapped. Fireman says D297 only appears on the date of his scrapping."

Thomas and James did not believe him and thought it was just rubbish and they set off together. Gordon decided to continue with his plan. He was going to follow James and Thomas. His fireman had got a horn that had a deep tone and when James and Thomas arrived at the crossing, he would give a ghostly blow of it so that he could frighten the two engines.

Thomas and James puffed along the line, making good timing. They could see the crossing coming into view but suddenly as they were about cross it the sounding of a engine's pistons could heard, accompanied by an unfamiliar sound of a diesel's horn. Thomas and James were both caught by surprise as they crossed the crossing. Then they heard the sound of what sounded like a big blast.

"Holy smoke!" cried James.

"Bust my boiler what was that?!" Thomas said in alarm.

Both their drivers and firemen heard it too and they were confused. After delivering the heavy goods train. Thomas and James returned to the Knapford Station as Gordon arrived. The big engine was surprised to see the look on their faces.

"You two looked like you've seen a ghost." he said.

Soon Thomas and James' crew spoke to Gordon's driver and fireman about what had happened but the two engines overheard and glared at Gordon.

"You did this to try and get back at us!" Thomas exclaimed.

Gordon was confused.

"Well... that's what I had originally planned but I was switched off the main line onto the loop. I had to all around and back again." he said.

"Then... who was at the crossing when we heard the sounding of a diesel's horn and then that big blast?" James asked.

"It could not have been BoCo," Gordon said. "He was working on Edward's Branch Line."

Gordon paused for a minute.

"You don't think that..."

The three engines went silent and for a long time afterwards there was nothing said of the subject of ghosts...