It was remarkably noisy at Crystal City station one afternoon in summer 2014. A large crowd had gathered at the station, as this year saw the start of the California Science Convention, held in Crystal City this year. Many people from all across the state had submitted weird and wonderful machines, which varied between a machine designed to make muffins automatically, entered by a girl called 'Ditzy', a self cleaning shirt created by Bulk Biceps, a jet propelled scooter, and even a machine meant to contact alien civilisations. But one invention seemed set to trump all the others in terms of wonder and perfection. An idea so mad, only an Englishman could have come up with it.
In the depot, Cozy Glow kept looking at her watch. The hubbub outside was making her a little nervous, and the situation they were in left her uneasy. What if it didn't work? What if something went wrong? She really hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Cozy Glow, are you feeling alright?" Sweetie Belle asked, brushing her hair for the fifth time. Or was it the fiftieth? Nobody was entirely sure at this point in time.
"Nerves get to me before big events," Cozy Glow replied, shaking slightly. "I've never been hugely good with crowds, not to mention this machine we are working on has never been tested."
"Wow," Sweetie Belle sighed. "You make me look fearless. The Professor says the machine works fine. He's tested it many times, and says it works."
"I hope so," Cozy Glow sighed. "Or else things could end badly for us." She looked around inside the depot, the turntable sitting idle, the place filled with old and new engines from throughout history, all of them long serving and dependable. The very machines which kept the California Coast Railroad on the move day and night, and the state running. Just then, a member of station staff entered, a look of concern on his face also.
"Excuse me?" he called. "Sweetie Belle? Cozy Glow?"
"Yes?" both girls asked, looking over to him with a look of surprise.
"I hate to bother you both, but the Professor's invention is next. He's requested both of you up on the platform." He then disappeared back through a door by the edge of the shed and went to the station.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "No time like the present. Come on Cozy, let's go!"
Cozy Glow stood up, and quickly adjusted her shoes and dress. Then she joined her friend, walking forward and stepping through the door through which the member of railway staff had disappeared. They then found themselves walking up a flight of stairs, until they emerged through a trapdoor and found themselves on the platform of Crystal City Station. In the distance, a great crowd had gathered, many of them standing on the platforms, with even more stood by the side of the line behind specially assembled posts and fences, the local police helping to keep the crowd under control. Before them sat a machine with a white tarpaulin upon it, which made it hard to see what it was.
Over at the back of the station, next to the booking office, was President Firefly, head of the California Coast Railroad, and with her were all the directos of the company. Firefly stepped up to the podium and tapped the microphone. "And next, for the 2014 California Science Convention, we proudly present Professor Botchitt, and his assistants Sweetie Belle and Cozy Glow!"
A man dressed in a grey suit and waistcoast, with a monocle as well as an incredible moustache, and a bowler hat upon his head. He stepped up to the podium. "Thank you President Firefly," he said, with a smile on his face. "I am Professor Bochey, although it is spelt Botchitt, and I am proud to present an invention that will change the fate of railway operations in the state of California!"
"Like how the Advanced Passenger Train did?" asked Director Puddinghead.
Firefly facepalmed. "Never remind me of that fiasco again." Since a unit had failed on an early passenger run, the entire fleet had been rebuilt, and had only recently entered service again. However, passengers were somewhat reluctant to use the trains, and as a result the sets often ran fairly quiet.
Professor Botchitt spoke up once again. "This invention is truly remarkable and incredible, and has never been seen before, or anything like it." The crowds suddenly fell silent. This raised their attention. "Remove the tarpaulin!"
Just then, two members of engine crew removed the tarpaulin covering the engine, and people gasped as it fell away and revealed the engine underneath. It was long and modern, with the appearance of a steam engine, with four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels. The engine had a tender, a cab at one end, and a long bonnet, which terminated in a sharp front end with a rotating fan at the front, which at the moment was not spinning, and the entire machine was painted brown with gold lining. A numberplate, bearing the legend GT4, sat proudly affixed upon the cab sides.
"It's a steam engine!" cried somebody in the crowd.
"It's a diesel!" cried another.
"It's incredible!" cried yet another.
Professor Botchitt smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he said with pride, "I am proud to present my masterpiece. This... is Gas Turbine 4!"
Silence fell. The Professor continued. "This revolutionary new locomotive is unlike any other ever seen on this railway. It does not use steam power, or diesel fuel, or even overhead power taken from wires. This locomotive uses a gas turbine as its primary power source, which gives it incredible fuel efficiency, as well as remarkable speed pulling any load. And even better, it can be safely run backwards as well as forwards."
He indicated to Sweetie Belle and Cozy Glow. "And my two assistants will assist in demonstrating the engine in action," he continued. "If you wouldn't mind, go and fire her up!"
Sweetie Belle and Cozy Glow crossed over the great footbridge that spanned the station, partly to ensure maximum visibility to the crowd and the news cameras. To go through the subway would probably have been faster, but that wouldn't have been quite as artful, and in addition to that the camera lacked the abilities to see through the ground. They may have been good, but they weren't Superman!
Anyway, they walked down the platform on which the locomotive was sitting, and climbed into the cab, having opened the door first. Cozy Glow got in first, stepping over to the left hand side. That was the fireman's (or should I say firewoman's) position, where she had to control the flow of fuel into the turbine. Sweetie Belle hopped into the cab afterward, closing the door behind her and sitting down in the driver's seat. In front of her sat the various switches, levers, and handles that operated the engine. She glanced over to Cozy Glow.
"Hey, the Professor said he left the instructions in here, right?" she asked.
Cozy Glow said nothing, but simply pointed to a piece of paper that had been attached to the control panel on the driver's side. She read out the first bit of text. "Put on ear defenders before starting the locomotive up, as it is very loud. They can be found in the locker behind you." She looked behind her, and sure enough there was the locker. This was opened a moment later, and the girls soon had their ears thoroughly defended.
Sweetie Belle looked closer at the list. "Step 1: ensure that the reverser is at neutral and that the regulator is closed." She checked both levers, and sure enough they were set correctly. "Step 2: set the Starter Sequence rotary switch to 'off'." Mounted at the top of the console was a dial currently set to 'off', so there was no need to adjust the switch.
Cozy Glow then took over the startup process. "Step 3: turn the battery isolater lever to 'on'." Sure enough, the lever in question was currently set to 'off'. She took hold of it and, with a small effort, brought it across to the 'on' position. "Step 4: turn the master switch lever to 'on'; the power light will show green." She moved that lever from 'off' to 'on', and the power light then switched to green, having previously been set at red.
Sweetie Belle reached up for the dial again. "Step 5: Turn the starter sequence rotary switch to 'starter'." This dial, previously set to 'off', was rotated around to 'starter'. "Step 6: Push the starter button; the starter motor will begin to turn and the starter light will then turn amber, followed by green. It will then engage with the compressor turbine and raise it to 1000RPM." She shook her head. "Sounds needlessly complicated, but here goes." She glanced over to Cozy Glow. "Want to do the honours?"
Cozy Glow nodded. "Sure thing!" She pushed in a button marked 'start'. The motor slowly began to whine as lights lit up, up and down the control board. First the starter light turned to amber, then it just as quickly switched to green. The whine got louder and louder as the motor reached 1000RPM.
"Step 7," Sweetie Belle continued. "When the ignition light shows amber, turn the starter sequence rotary switch to 'fuel'." The light changed colour, and the dial was once more rotated, reaching its new position in moments. She spoke again. "Step 8: push the ignition button. This must be done within 15 seconds to avoid flooding the turbine with fuel? Eep!" she reached down and pushed the button in as quickly as she could. "Ah, here we were! After a moment, the ignition light will show green." Sure enough, the light changed colour from amber to green.
Cozy Glow took over once more. "Step 9: turn the starter sequence rotary switch to 'run'." Sure enough, she moved the dial around once again. "The starter motor will continue to raise the compressor RPM whilst the fuel is automatically increased, switching off at 2500RPM, whilst the compressor turbine will raise itself to idle speed." As she was saying this, the turbine continued to get louder and louder, the noise absolutely deafening. "Oh! The idle/run light will show amber as the turbine warms up to operating temperatures; this takes approximately 30 seconds from cold." She checked her watch, as the noise continued to increase all around. Just then the run light switched to green, and an audible clunk could be heard.
"Step 10," Sweetie Belle finished, satisfied the engine had started up correctly. "When the idle/run light shows green, the locomotive is ready for use; the reverser and regulator will be unlocked." She sat down in the cab, and picked up the radio. "Professor, the engine is fully set up and ready to go."
Very fine work, you two," the Professor replied. "Await further instructions."
Over at the podium, Firefly came over to speak to the Professor. "It's certainly the noisiest engine I've ever seen!" she shouted. "And I've ridden on the footplate of a Deltic!"
"Ah, yes, the Class 55s," Professor Botchitt replied. "I remember those from the old days of the East Coast Main Line. But this machine shall mark the future of the railways here. I think you will be very impressed when you see what Gas Turbine 4 can do."
"I have a question," Director Hurricane asked.
"Yes?" replied Professor Botchitt.
"This is your fourth Gas Turbine locomotive, right?"
"Yes. I wouldn't call the fourth engine Gas Turbine 5, would I?" the Professor answered, somewhat rhetorically.
"If that is indeed the case, then I venture to ask; what happened to Gas Turbines 1, 2, and 3?" Hurricane enquired.
The Professor looked around for a moment, seeing the crowd was impatient. "Now then, to demonstrate how reliable and efficient this engine is. Sweetie Belle, Cozy Glow, commence yard maneuvres on my instruction."
In the cab, Sweetie Belle tweaked the radio to make it easier to reach. "Yes sir," she replied. She glanced over to Cozy Glow. "Ready to make history?"
"You bet!" her friend replied. "It seems to be working fine. But we haven't attempted to move the engine yet, and boy is it noisy!"
"Sorry?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I can't hear you, the turbine is too noisy!"
"I SAID THE TURBINE IS NOISY!" Cozy Glow shouted.
"Gas Turbine 4, are you there, over?" the radio asked, or rather the voice of Professor Botchitt speaking on the other end asked them. Sweetie Belle leaned over to the radio and pressed the button down.
"Professor, we are ready to commence maneuvres," she replied.
"Excellent," Professor Botchitt replied. "Back the engine up to the stop board at the other end of the station, and then stop it smoothly."
"Message received and understood," Sweetie Belle replied. She sat down, pulled the reverser lever into the reverse position, and moved the regulator into the open position, moving the locomotive brake into the off position. The turbine growled as it engaged, and there was a brief clunk as the tender coupler impacted with the main body of the engine. The brakes released fully, and the engine began to back up.
Cozy Glow stuck her head out of the cab window on her side, having remembered to open it first, and looked out in amazement. "It works!" she called. The reversing lights had switched on, and a loud beeping noise echoed as the engine continued to reverse. It moved with power and grace, which was exceptionally difficult for this engine to do, given it looked like an A4 Pacific before somebody took a cheesegrater to it. [1]
Sweetie Belle checked behind her in the tender window, as the board approached them, and smiled. "This machine runs pretty smoothly!" she observed, stating the obvious somewhat, and as the board rolled toward the tender, she took the regulator off and applied the brakes. There was a brief shuddering as the turbine slowed down to its idle speed, and a clunk as the brake shoes moved into place onto the wheels as the locomotive rolled next to the board, and came to a neat and steady stop, barely a wobble or judder felt on the footplate.
The Professor spoke again. "As you can see, the engine is a smooth runner, and can stop very smoothly and accurately over short distances. But of course, the engine will not be working backwards in day to day running. The next key part of the demonstration will showcase the engine's capabilites to run forwards and stop well at higher speeds." He reached to the radio. "Start procedures to move the engine forwards to the stop board at the other end of the station."
Director Hurricane leaned over to speak to President Firefly. "I don't know what you think ma'am, but I'm already quite impressed with this locomotive and the crew."
"I wouldn't count my chickens before they are hatched," Firefly replied. "That engine has only gone a short distance backwards, and most engines can do that."
Sweetie Belle looked around at the cheering crowds from inside the cab, when suddenly the radio in the cab buzzed. "Start procedures to move the engine forwards to the stop board at the other end of the station."
Sweetie Belle pressed down the call button to respond. "Engine crew here, we copy, over." She reached forward to the reverser handle, shifting it into the forward position, and proceeding to take the brakes off, which released with a rattle and a clunk. Her next act was to open the regulator slightly higher, and the turbine began to whine once more as the engine moved off, this time with a jolt.
"Ow!" Cozy Glow exclaimed. "Sweetie Belle, please do be careful with the application of the regulator!"
"Sorry!" Sweetie Belle replied, as the engine continued to rumble forward, this time moving forward at the perilous speed of 5 miles an hour along the platform. The crowds continued to look on at the most strange of engines, with the wheels and profile of a steam engine, the drive controls of a diesel, and the sound of a jet engine.
Professor Botchitt looked on at his creation, smiling as it rolled effortlessly up the platform. He had always known his creation would work properly, even if he had taken a lot of inspiration for its design from a less than successful British locomotive. Nontheless, he felt that the design in question had always deserved a second chance, and here the same concept was being applied once more, this time he hoped with a greater degree of success.
"How many of these things have been built?" Director Puddinghead asked Professor Botchitt.
"This is the only one we have built so far," the Professor replied. "However, I do intend to manufacture more of the same basic design. This is a prototype, after all, and there may be design faults that will be uncovered in the testing process."
"Testing process?" asked Director Hurricane. "Are you saying you haven't tested it before this point?"
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!" Professor Botchitt exclaimed. "I have run the engine as a complete assembly, but only on the testing line at my laboratory. This is the first time I have run the engine on the main line, but so far it seems to be going very well."
"We'll hold you to that," Firefly sighed, not exactly filled with confidence by the Professor's manner and tone.
But that was not her concern for the moment. She had to admit the engine and design were good, although it looked very odd indeed. Elsewhere, the Professor picked up the radio again.
"Engine crew, prepare to bring the engine to a stop," he said.
"Copy, applying brakes now." In the distance, the brakes could be heard coming on, but to his surprise the turbine didn't slow down. The engine rolled to the stop board, but it didn't stop, instead rolling straight past it and keeing on going.
The smile faded from Professor Botchitt's face as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. "Engine crew, what is going on?" he asked over the radio.
"We've applied the brakes as you said, but the regulator lever is stuck and won't close," the voice replied.
"What position is the regulator set to?" the Professor asked. "That will help me judge a suitable response to fixing this problem."
"Setting 1," the voice replied, suddenly sounding a little more concerned than it had done before, before the line clicked shut and stopped altogether.
Firefely overheard this, and was concerned. "You said it would stop at the stop board, didn't you?" she asked. "Has something gone wrong with the demonstration?"
The Professor sighed. "In a word; yes. The brakes are applied but somehow the turbine is still running, and that turbine can produce enough power to keep the engine moving even with the brakes applied. But the engine is moving slowly enough that it should stop at the next set of points, or switches as I believe they are called over here in the USA." He looked on, seeing the engine had rolled out of the station canopy, and was starting to rumble over some diamond crossings as it approached the station limits. He held his breathe as the engine rolled towards the next set of points, the next key threshold on the engine's journey, and he hoped it would stop.
It didn't. The engine casually rolled straight over the points and onto the main line. It was obvious to all that something had gone wrong. But the worst was yet to come that day. There was a very loud clunk from the engine as something or other got stuck, and then the turbine began to whine louder than before. It got louder, and louder, before developing into a roar. The wheels on Gas Turbine 4 began to turn more quickly, going faster and faster as it picked up speed, before rolling onto the main line itself and vanishing into the distance.
Firefly went up onto the podium and spoke directly to Professor Botchitt. "What in the world has gone wrong?" she asked. "Explain."
The Professor glanced down at his notes. "Judging from the noise the motors were making, or turbines, or whatever, it appears as though the turbine is running at full power, which will mean that the locomotive brakes will be unable to slow the engine down at all. It's like trying to halt a jet plane by attaching Blu-tak to the wheels!"
"So," Director Hurricane added, "if the brakes are innefective and the turbine is stuck at full power, how fast can it go?"
The Professor looked uneasy. "By my estimates, 90 miles an hour."
"Your estimates?!" Firefly thundered. "What do you mean, your estimates?!"
"I hadn't intended to run it at full power until after today's demonstration!" the Professor replied. "It would not have been safe to have the turbines going at full whilst in a station platform in case of the turbine flooding!"
"How much fuel is left in the tank?" Hurricane demanded,
"The fuel tank is about 30% full," the Professor replied. Just then, a member of station staff appeared.
"Erm, I'm afraid not," he said awkwardly.
"What do you mean?" the Professor asked, taking the opportunity to ask a question of his own rather than being constantly questioned.
"The depot crew completely refuelled the engine before the test run. There was some sort of mixup with a freight loco which is being refuelled now."
Firefly looked furious. "You blithering idiots! Do you have any idea how much damage you may have done?" She turned away from the somewhat shellshocked employee to speak to the Professor again. "How much fuel can the tender take?"
"The same as a British Railways BR1A, 4,000 gallons. That means the turbine could keep running at full power for several hours."
"And with innefective brakes and a stuck regulator," Director Puddinghead suddenly intervened, wading into the conversation the way a person would wade into a lake full of ducks, "it would have no way of slowing down and stopping before hitting the points at Canterlot station! It would derail!"
"Yes, indeed," the Professor sighed, putting his head in his hands.
Just then, Hurricane had an idea. "Professor, you said the locomotive brakes were not enough to hold the turbine back, right?"
"That is correct," the Professor replied. "Why, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Locomotive brakes are just one of two ways an engine can be stopped," Hurricane explained. "A locomotive is also fitted with train brakes, which act on all the rail vehicles it is coupled to at that time, including itself. Does the locomotive have a train brake?"
"Yes," the Professor replied to him once again. "There's just one slight problem."
"Namely?"
"It's disengaged. The train brake is inoperative when the locomotive is running light engine, as it is only meant to move about slowly whilst in yards and shunting rolling stock. But if we were to couple something to the back of the train, that could activate the braking system and stop the train. Then we could just sit there, and let the turbine run out of fuel whilst an engineering team come up and fix the regulator!"
"Do we have any engines that could catch up with it?" Puddinghead asked, looking at several members of station crew whilst he did so. Several heads were shaken in sequence, until Firefly had an idea.
"Say, is that engine you didn't refuel still here?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am," the depot worker replied. "73145, British Railways Standard 5 4-6-0. We also have a single vacuum braked coach on the depot if it is needed for work."
"Oh, it'll be needed alright," Firefly said, who started barking out orders. "Get that engine started up, and move the carriage in front of it. I have a train to catch."
Gas Turbine 4 screamed along the line, the turbine roaring at maximum power and the speedometer dial reading 90 miles an hour. Not only that, the brake blocks glowed white hot as it flew along, as despite the amount of friction they were putting down, they seemed to have no effect on the locomotive's speed whatsoever as it raced down the track toward Canterlot.
Sweetie Belle looked to be in a visible state of panic, her face having gone white. This was quite the incredible achievement given that her skin was white anyway, just like her older sister, but nontheless it was white, no colour being present at all. "SOMEBODY HELP US!" she shrieked over the noise of the turbine.
"CAN YOU PLEASE TRY AND STAY CALM?" Cozy Glow shouted at the top of her lungs.
"SAYS THE HYSTERICAL ONE!" Sweetie Belle shouted back, equally loudly. "WE ARE FLYING ALONG THE LINE AT UNCONTROLLED SPEEDS, WITH A STUCK REGULATOR, AND BRAKES THAT DON'T WORK! SO NO, I CANNOT STAY CALM!"
"YOU'RE CALLING ME HYSTERICAL?" Cozy Glow asked again. She looked at the fuel gauge in concern. They still had 70 percernt of the tank left to burn through, which was an obvious problem as the engine could keep on going for a very long time on that quantity of fuel. "I HOPE WE DON'T DERAIL IN CANTERLOT!"
"THAT WOULD MAKE A BIT OF A MESS!" Sweetie Belle shouted back, trying the regulator handle once again. During the maneuvres earlier, namely the one where the engine had been moving forward, the regulator handle had slipped to maximum power and got stuck there. The brakes had been moved to the full position in an attempt to slow the engine down, but this had had little effect, and the locomotive was now out of control on the main line.
Nope. The regulator was still stuck on full open. No matter how much she shifted it, the regulator would not move. There was the train brake, but for some reason the train brake would not move and seemed to be locked. This left Sweetie Belle somewhat panicked. No. To say she was panicked would constitute something of an understatement, as she was zooming toward certain death on the points of Canterlot station, which was not entirely how she had planned to go out. Life was cruel sometimes, a fact she had accepted.
Just then, a whistle echoed behind them. Cozy Glow put her head out of the cab to be presented with a bizarre sight. Racing behind them was a coach, seemingly a vacuum brakes one. Cozy Glow quickly identified it as a British Railways MK1 coach. Leaning out slightly further, she could see the engine pushing it was a BR Standard 5 4-6-0 tender engine, going full pelt. The head of the driver leaned out, and Cozy Glow immediately saw who it was. "It's President Firefly at the controls!" she shouted.
Firefly was giving 73145 her all, and them some. The engine was hard pressed to sustain 90 miles an hour whilst pushing a 57 foot coach, but then again some compromises had to be made. In the fireman's position was Director Hurricane, continously stoking the fire and working the injectors. Steam poured from cylinders and the funnel as the engine continued to pursue the runaway gas turbine. Firefly reached for the radio.
"Professor, are you ready to go?" she asked.
"Give me the word and I'll open the doors. I'll hook up the chain link and the air hoses, and that'll unlock the brakes on Gas Turbine 4."
Firefly nodded.
"20 feet to impact!" called Hurricane.
"Steady now!" Firefly shouted, as the gap got smaller and smaller by the second. The crew braced for impact, and suddenly a loud bang echoed throughout the cab, the floor rocking as it did so. Firefly steadied herself, and grabbed the radio once more. "Are we in contact with the engine?" she radioed to the Professor.
"We have made contact, I repeat; we have made contact. We are linked to Gas Turbine 4." There was a brief pause. "I am getting out now to couple the engine up."
"Roger that, be careful," Firefly told him, clicking the line shut.
Professor Botchitt opened the carriage door and stepped out onto the running board of the MK1 coach which he was currently in. Steadying himself with his hand, he climbed along the side and positioned himself on a buffer, the other foot remaining on the running board and a wire running from a harness he was wearing linking back onto the coach to hold him in place so he didn't fall. He reached forward with the shunter's pole, and picked up the end of the chain link coupling on the coach. Then, in one swift motion, he moved it onto the drawbar hook on the back of the tender, securing the two together. "Chain link coupling is connected!" he shouted down the radio.
"Excellent, now tie the vacuum hoses on," Firefly replied.
Botchitt climbed down into the area where the hoses were kept, and lifted one up from the carriage. In another quick, deft motion, he picked up the other with the shunter's pole, and then linked them together, a loud clunk audible as the vacuum pressure stabilised. "BRAKES!" he shouted.
Firefly slammed the brakes on at her end, and Sweetie Belle, hearing a voice shout the same words, closed the brake handle for the train brakes, which to her absolute astonishment, worked perfectly. Gradually the train began to slow down, which accelerated as the turbine finally ran out of fuel and stopped. They rolled to a gentle halt outside Canterlot station, stopping moments before the points. Sweetie Belle hopped out of the cab, and dropped down the steps to the ground, looking at the engine before her.
"Well, that was quite the adventure!" she said.
"You can say that again!" Cozy Glow added.
Professor Botchitt sighed. "I daresay it's back to the drawing board for Gas Turbine 4..."
Author's Note
Gas Turbine 3 was a real life prototype engine designed to test whether gas turbine power was better than diesel traction. The experiment was not a success, and the sole engine built was scrapped.
This story combines incidents from several test logs, although taken to ridiculous extremes for comic effect.
- Moleman productions described Gas Turbine 3 in this manner when previewing the Train Simulator version.
