"The Flying Kipper" (Loose Change)

Mike’s Soapbox is forming a pressure group to jail, a railway baron facing charges of corruption, industrial and criminal negligence.

I am of course talking of the Island of Sodor’s number one millionaire playboy, Sir Topham Hatt. But as many crime lords in his position he goes by the name of “the Fat Controller".

In the year of 1984 alone there were a total of five recorded derailments of engines. No fatalities were recorded. The Island of Sodor is a small railway but has its own breakdown train, which is only usually utilised on larger rail networks.

Lets use engine number 3 as a case study. The engine's name is Henry.

Henry is a 4-6-0 steam locomotive; which was built a firebox that was too small. so it could not generate the heat and therefore steam needed to pull the excessive loads asked of it.

In 1984 engineers were heavily involved in Henry’s case. Often a side tank engine named Thomas would pull his train when the platform crew remembered to couple Thomas to his train that is.

Henry’s driver and fireman, facing redundancy, pleaded to try a newer better quality coal as the Fat Controller’s railway had a tendency to cut corners, cheap coal was one of his tactics.

He eventually relented stating that “It’s expensive, but Henry must be given a fair chance.”
Welsh coal was imported, to help Henry. Henry seemed to get better.

In the late autumn of 1984 he was asked to pull a train that is normally taken by the larger 4-6-2 tender engine named Gordon. The train was called the “flying kipper it was to take fish from the harbour and deliver them around the island, under the cover of darkness.

On this particular night heavy snow had fell, and due to “faulty” signals a points Henry crashed in a siding off the mainline and was derailed. It was a miracle no one was hurt.

Shortly after the sun rose Sir Topham Hatt appeared and announced that “ Ice and Snow caused the accident.” Really? No need for public inquiry then? The man is clearly a law unto himself.

He then sends Henry away to be mended in Crewe, he would get a new shape a new firebox and he wouldn’t need special/expensive coal anymore.

Henry was clearly a victim of insurance fraud and sabotage, and all because an engine wasn’t efficient enough. lives were put at risk.

The second case study is of a 2-6-0 mixed traffic engine called James. James was derailed on his first day after pulling a goods train. Eyewitnesses saw his brake blocks on fire. James had wooden brake blocks when purchased for the Sodor rail fleet. It was only a matter of time before an accident occurred; again it was a miracle that no one was killed.

This is a case of negligence with the use of substandard, outdated and down right unsafe parts. The driver and fireman of James had always said that “they were no good.” clearly there concerns were ignored. James came to rest in a field and there were reports the cows gave sour milk from stress for years after. The farmer went out business.

Ever since 1984 there has been incident after incident on the Sodor railways.

I believe there should be a public inquiry into the railways on sodor.

Sir Topham Hatt should also be brought to justice before a death occurs.