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T WAS SPRING 1939 AND, AS IT DID EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING, THE CRACK FLYING YORKSHIREMAN EXPRESS PULLED OUT OF BRADFIELD CITY STATION TO BEGIN ITS NON-STOP RUN TO LONDON. AT THE CONTROLS OF THE MIGHTY A4 PACIFIC STREAMLINER “QUEEN ELEANOR” — OR ELLIE AS SHE WAS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN — WAS YORKSHIRE’S PROUDEST ENGINE DRIVER, SENIOR LOCOMOTIVE MAN ARTHUR BECKINSHAW.

I

ALL SIGNALS CLEAR THROUGH THE STATION APPROACHES. IT’S FULL STEAM AHEAD, ELLIE!

STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART JOHN RIDGWAY COVER JOHN RIDGWAY

4 ON THIS TRIP ARTHUR WAS BREAKING IN A NEW FIREMAN, YOUNG ERNIE ENTWISTLE, WHO SHOVELLED COAL ENERGETICALLY INTO ELLIE’S SEEMINGLY INSATIABLE FIREBOX. THAT’S THE WAY, LAD. LET’S BUILD UP A REALLY STRONG HEAD OF STEAM.

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LAST FIREMAN, MISTER BECKINSHAW? HOW COME HE UPPED AN’ WENT?

IT WAS A REASONABLE QUESTION. BEING A FIREMAN ON AN EXPRESS LIKE THIS WAS A BIG STEP TOWARDS BECOMING A DRIVER OF ONE IN DUE COURSE. ARTHUR EXPLAINED WHY HIS PREVIOUS MAN HAD LEFT THE JOB. HE WAS SURE THAT WAR WAS COMING SO HE JOINED THE ARMY NOW TO AVOID BEING TRAPPED IN A RESERVED OCCUPATION, LIKE THE RAILWAYS, BEFORE IT STARTED.

WAR COMING SOON? I CAN’T SEE THAT HAPPENING, NOT FOR YEARS AT ANY RATE!

5 ERNIE’S ENTHUSIASTIC SHOVELLING EARNED HIM A BREAK, BUT WHEN HE OPENED HIS SANDWICH BOX HIS FACE FELL. OH NO, ME AUNT EDNA’S PACKED SPAM SANDWICHES. SHE KNOWS I CAN’T ABIDE SPAM!

NO NEED TO FRET, LAD. WE’LL BE PASSING INGLETHORPE IN A MINUTE FROM NOW. THEN IT’LL BE TIME FOR SOME REAL GRUB!

A MINUTE LATER ERNIE WAS STARTLED AS A SMALL DOOR IN THE FRONT OF THE TENDER OPENED. FROM A NARROW PASSAGE BEYOND EMERGED DINING CAR COOK PERCY THROGMORTON CARRYING A TRAY. WHAT THE…?

MORNING, ARTHUR. THIS IS YOUR NEW LAD, IS IT?

GOOD OLD PERCY, BRINGER OF HOT BACON BUTTIES AND THE STRONGEST TEA THIS SIDE OF DARJEELING!

6 ARTHUR EXPLAINED THAT THE LOCOMOTIVE HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN BUILT FOR NON-STOP LONDON TO SCOTLAND TRAINS, TOO FAR FOR A SINGLE CREW TO MANAGE. BY PUTTING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE TENDER, A RELIEF CREW TRAVELLING IN THE FIRST CARRIAGE COULD COME THROUGH AND TAKE OVER HALF-WAY. OF COURSE, WE DON’T CHANGE CREWS ON THIS RUN, BUT THE PASSAGE COMES IN RIGHT USEFUL FOR HAVING HOT MEALS DELIVERED DIRECT TO THE FOOTPLATE.

MMM, YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN. THESE BUTTIES ARE GRAND, MISTER THROGMORTON.

I AIM TO PLEASE, LAD. THERE’LL BE STEAK ‘N’ KIDNEY PUDDING AND ALL THE MUSHY PEAS YOU CAN EAT ON THE RETURN TRIP!

IN LONDON LATER THAT DAY THE FLYING YORKSHIREMAN WAS PREPARING TO DEPART ON ITS EARLY EVENING RETURN RUN TO BRADFIELD. LOOKING BACK ARTHUR SAW THAT A LIMOUSINE HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO DRIVE ON TO THE PLATFORM. FROM IT TWO MEN BOARDED THE FIRST CLASS SECTION OF THE TRAIN.

MUST BE A COUPLE OF V.I.P.s.

7 AS THE TRAIN REACHED THE MIDLANDS, PERCY ARRIVED WITH THE PROMISED STEAK AND KIDNEY PUDDINGS AND MUSHY PEAS. HE ALSO BROUGHT NEWS OF THE V.I.P.s, OR RATHER JUST THE ONE V.I.P. T’OTHER FELLA’S A GERMAN, A PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE V.I.P. — A YOUNG PERSIAN OIL MAGNATE CALLED SHAH ALI ON A BUSINESS TRIP. JUST INHERITED HIS FATHER’S FORTUNE. SEEMS NICE ENOUGH FOR A FOREIGNER, AND HE LIKES HIS MUSHY PEAS.

A MAN WHO LIKES HIS MUSHY PEAS CAN’T BE ALL BAD.

ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY’RE AS TASTY AS THESE!

AFTER THE TRAIN REACHED BRADFIELD THE YOUNG MAGNATE AND HIS TOUGH-LOOKING GERMAN ASSISTANT PAUSED BY THE ENGINE. AS ALI INTRODUCED HIM, THE GERMAN CLICKED HIS HEELS AND BARKED A GREETING AT THE NONPLUSSED ARTHUR. GUTEN AHBEN, HERR DRIVER!

ER, AYE, GOOD EVENING TO YOU, MISTER ASSISTANT.

I WAS HOPING YOU MIGHT GIVE ME A GUIDED TOUR OF THIS LOCOMOTIVE. SHE REALLY IS MAGNIFICENT.

8 SUCH HEARTFELT PRAISE FOR ELLIE WAS GUARANTEED TO WIN ARTHUR OVER. HE GAVE ALI THE GUIDED TOUR SAVING THE TENDER PASSAGE FOR LAST. BUT JUST BEFORE HE COULD SHOW IT SCHNEIDER CALLED FROM THE PLATFORM. I’M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT SHAH ALI WILL BE LATE FOR A PRESSING ENGAGEMENT IF WE DON’T LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.

…AND WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

AH YES, BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE, I’M AFRAID. THANK YOU FOR THE TOUR, MISTER BECKINSHAW.

ALI JUMPED DOWN TO THE PLATFORM THEN PAUSED FOR A MOMENT, SMILING AS HE REACHED A SUDDEN DECISION. I INHERITED MY FATHER’S PRIVATE TRAIN AT HOME. IT NEEDS A FITTING LOCOMOTIVE. SCHNEIDER, PLACE AN IMMEDIATE ORDER FOR ONE OF THESE MAGNIFICENT STREAMLINERS!

WELL, FANCY THAT.

JAWOHL, MEIN HERR!

9 MOMENTS LATER THE YOUNG MAGNATE WAS BEING WHISKED OFF BY A WAITING LIMOUSINE. WITH A LAUGH, ERNIE SLAPPED ARTHUR ON THE BACK. BY ‘ECK, MISTER BECKINSHAW, YOU OUGHT TO GET A BONUS FOR THAT! AYE, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD. I’VE NEVER SOLD A LOCO BEFORE!

WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, THE WAR ERNIE DIDN’T THINK WAS COMING ARRIVED. THE GOVERNMENT TOOK CONTROL OF THE RAILWAYS AND EXPRESSES LIKE THE FLYING YORKSHIREMAN WERE CANCELLED FOR THE DURATION. ELLIE HAD OTHER WORK, LIKE RUNNING EVACUATION SPECIALS TAKING CHILDREN OUT OF CITIES THAT MIGHT BE BOMBED.

ANOTHER PRESSING NEED WAS TO TRANSPORT TROOPS OF THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE BOUND FOR FRANCE TO THEIR PORTS OF EMBARKATION. WATCHING THEM GO, ERNIE FELT A TWINGE OF ENVY. I ALMOST WISH I WERE GOING WITH ‘EM.

NO CHANCE OF THAT, LAD. YOU’RE OFFICIALLY IN A RESERVED OCCUPATION, AND THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO STAY!

10 PETROL RATIONING TOOK PRIVATE CARS AND MANY BUSES OFF THE ROAD, FORCING PEOPLE TO FLOCK TO THE RAILWAYS WHERE LENGTHY TRAINS MOVED SLUGGISHLY THROUGH THE CONGESTED SYSTEM. DELAYS WERE COMMONPLACE, AND OFTEN VERY LONG.

BY ‘ECK, WE’LL BE LUCKY TO REACH TADCASTER BEFORE DARK AT THIS RATE!

DINING CARS TOO WERE DISCONTINUED SO PERCY AND THE OTHER COOKS, WHO WEREN’T IN A RESERVED OCCUPATION, DISAPPEARED INTO THE ARMY. THIS LEFT THE LIKES OF ARTHUR AND ERNIE TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD JOB.

SPAM SANDWICHES AGAIN! WHAT’S THE RAILWAYS WORKERS’ CANTEEN SERVING TONIGHT, ERNIE?

SPAM AND CHIPS, I THINK!