TEDDY MAC, CLAUDINE 

AND THE ALL NIGHT RUN

“We’re going to have an All Night Run for Charity tomorrow.” said Grandad.

   The next evening, Grandad made sure that Teddy Mac had a glow-in-the dark armband before it was their turn to drive Claudine. As they set off, Teddy Mac admired all the candles that had been lit around the track.

   Steaming through the tunnel, they clattered towards Wildway, where they had to stop because the signal was red. Claudine blew off lots of steam, but just as they began to pick up speed, Claudine’s brakes locked.  Grandad peered down at the firebox. Teddy Mac looked ahead. Hopping up and down on either side of the track were the Bunny Brothers. As soon as Claudine began to edge ahead, the Bunny Brothers dashed backwards and forwards in front of them. Claudine’s brakes jammed  again. “What ARE the Bunny Brothers doing?” wondered Teddy Mac. Looking back at the signal box, he saw a huge banner hanging down which read,            

 NO NIGHT RUNS  and underneath was written   A NIGHT RUN RUINS BUNNY FUN.

   Teddy Mac’s eyes grew large, but by the time he’d blinked, the Bunny Brothers had disappeared. Claudine blew off a cloud of steam and began to pick up speed. A little further on, Teddy Mac noticed a scruffy piece of  paper stuck to a tree. :

Train journeys at night means it’s time for a fight!” Underneath was a very messy paw print. “That smells like fox,“  thought Teddy Mac, wrinkling his nose.

    By now they were steaming towards Deep Water Halt where two moles popped out of a mole hill. “Well, THEY won’t mind a Night Run!“ thought Teddy Mac, but as he turned his head he saw posters on each side of the platform. On one side it said NO NIGHT and on the other side it read TIME TRAINS.

Teddy Mac repeated it to himself.  NO NIGHT TIME TRAINS “Oh! Oh dear! Something is very wrong. Doesn’t anybody want an All Night Run?” Claudine slowed to a stop. “What’s happening now?”  muttered Grandad.

Looking up, Teddy Mac saw three sheep grazing on the track.”  Grandad climbed out of the Engine. “Shoo,” he said, “Whatever next?”   

  Just before the tunnel the signal was set at red. Claudine had to stop again. After a while, when the signal didn’t change, Grandad clambered out to have a look. “Oh no!“ he said. “Look at all those wet twigs and grassy bits stuck between the rails AND if I’m not mistaken, that is BADGER hair! No wonder the signal won’t change.” Grandad kneeled down to clear it up. “You’d think someone was doing this on purpose, wouldn‘t you?” said Grandad under his breath.

   While Grandad was clearing the track, Teddy Mac jumped out of the tender and popped down into the nearest mole hill. He found Humphrey, puffing and out of breath, leaning back against a full truck of orange marbles. “What’s happening?”  asked Teddy Mac.  “It’s no good!” panted Humphrey shaking his head. “You can’t have trains running all night. It upsets everything. We’ve got dozens of  marble trucks whizzing up and down the marble runs. We’re all exhausted from trying to rescue them. Night time is when the marble trucks should be still!”  “Don’t worry, I’ll help you!” said Teddy Mac and after helping Humphrey  to catch as many marble trucks as possible, they put spare marbles underneath the wheels to stop them running away. “That’s better,“ sighed Humphrey. “You can go now, I‘ll see you tomorrow!”

Teddy Mac hauled himself out of the nearest mole hill to the Tunnel and popped back into Claudine’s tender, just as Grandad finished tidying up. The signal changed to green and they set off back to Much Natter Station   “We’ve raised lots of money for Charity,” said John Mac, “but we won’t be running another Night Time Run until next year!” Back at Grandad’s Railway Station, Teddy Mac heaved a sigh of relief.  Smiling to himself, he looked at the Gold Star Marble that Ambrose had given him and fell asleep counting sheep.

Margaret Edmonds © 2010