One day the Fat Controller was sitting in his office and he was feeling restless, the hot bright summer sun was shining in his window and he was feeling he wanted to be outside today.
He reached for his hat and strolled out into the sun and smiled, and even hummed a happy song to himself as he walked down to the station platform, He stood a while feeling important as he watched his trains coming and going,
No it’s not good enough he said, I want more today……….. “I want to go on a train”
So he waited on the platform with the wicked idea that the next train that arrives, He was going on an adventure.
Very soon Daisy arrived, she was on the “Triangle of Doom” and was due to leave Exeter for Exmouth, He jumped on board and very soon they were off rocking and rolling along the avocet line in the bright sun.
At Exmouth he got off and looked at the station, I need to get out more he said to himself, this has been an excellent idea to see how his railway makes all the people happy.
He waited at the station just enjoying the day when he felt a plop plop plop of rain, how can this be, today of all days, it was so nice, he looked up and big dark clouds were in the sky, it looked like thunder.
He was now worried, he should be back in Exeter, he will be missed.
Just then Sidney with a works train pulled in and he decided to see the Guard and return.
As the little train started back to Exeter the rain hammered down the river looked angry and the heavens opened like it had never rained before.
When the Fat controller returned to Exeter, it was chaos the station was full of trains, that was wrong, so wrong!!, he looked outside, the car park was full of Buses, Beartie and all his friends were there lined up.
“OH NO” what has happened to my beautiful railway said the Fat Controller, then Flynn with his friends arrived.
Looking up, there was Harold who was shouting to him, Hurry up and get in he said there is a big problem with all the rain on the Main Line to London…………”HURRY”
Very soon Harold and the Fat controller were high in the sky passing over the railway to Cowley Bridge. Caroline, Bulgy and the other cars and Lorries were also stuck.
What a shock the Fat Controlled has when he arrived, his beloved railway had gone!!!!!!!! It was flooded, wash away, in fact missing under a sea of dirty muddy water, and the rain kept coming, indeed what had started out being a wonderful day had ended in such a shambles it would take all the effort of Alfie, Kevin, Byron, Butch, Buster, Diesel 10, Hector, S.C. Ruffey, Oliver, Cranky, Patrick and all the others to fix the broken railway.
During the coming weeks the Fat Controlled used to borrow Winston and go up the line to see how the work progressed,
This must never happen again he sighed, I shall never have a day out. And so a year later all has been repaired and the Fat controller Stays at Exeter Station………….. Just in case it ever happens again.
the real story teller:
Bradfordgull aka Simon or Southerntrekker
Found it 08/16/2013
Well I wonder who this amazing story was written about......you would not think that it could be true the events that happened this time last year but it was certainly very true and a complete nightmare. Working in Control for First Great Western at the time, on one day alone we had 10 Lines closed due to flooding and over 200 train cancellations by the mid afternoon. It was certainly an event I would never like to repeat. Now I am a conductor on the train and go past and around Cowley Bridge Junction on a regular basis. It's amazing how Network Rail re-built the railway twice there!
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