Running of a Locomotive 137 



We came back with a semi-fast to C , 



which means that we stopped at only two 

 stations in the nineteen miles instead of 

 seven, and we did some splendid running 

 we wanted to lean over the boiler of " No. 

 600 " to pat her, but remembered in time 

 that the boiler was hot and the driver 

 practical he would have thought us 

 lunatics ! 



At C we had forty minutes to our- 

 selves and our friends of the iron steed 

 fetched out their tea bottles, cold bacon and 

 bread. 



Then came a morning of shunting coal 

 trucks to and fro, with a little run out to 

 a neighbouring colliery to fetch a train 

 along for sorting the trucks in the sidings 

 at this big junction. The trucks were 

 handed over to the tender mercies of some 

 squat-looking saddle-tanks, who puffed 

 about with an air of " watch me hit this 

 truck as far as you can see." And generally 

 the tank did, the truck groaning at the blow, 

 spilling some of its coal, in what seemed tears 

 of protest. 



