Short Story: A Tale of Two Germans

Prologue:

Here's a story I've just randomly thought of about two preserved sister engines I'm quite fond of and what I hope can happen to them in the near future. I trust that  if you're reading this, you know what engines I'm talking about. If not, well, I hope you find it a sweet story that cheers you up ;D.

A Tale of Two German Ladies

Minett is a beautiful tank engine from Germany. While she might be old and rather diminutive by modern standards, she's still beloved amongst enthusiasts and the travelling public of Luxembourg alike as a symbol of her country's engineering excellence. Her crews love her too, keeping her spotless after every run and servicing her after the day's work to keep her in tip top shape.

But although she was surrounded by tourists who came to marvel her and other engines who provided their company in the shed, she felt rather lonely, as if there was something out there that she ought to have. All the other engines on the little tourist railway had lived exciting lives before, usually coming from a much bigger railway, getting the chance to work with their siblings, sometimes even getting a brush of mainline work and rubbing shoulders with the larger engines. 

They would often speak about this as they were winding down from the day's work, to which Minett would listen to with intrigue. "You all have such fascinating tales to tell. I wish I had my own, but alas, I do not." "Why?" they would often ask. "Well, I spent most of my life on a small mining railway not far from here, where I worked rather uneventfully until I was retired from service. Even then, the manager was kind to me and generously donated me to this railway. I mean, I am delighted I never had to fear for my life, or escape scrap, but even so, I will not be lying if I were to say I wasn't at least somewhat envious of all of you." 

But a few months later, Minett had a surprise waiting for her. "503 failed her boiler test earlier this morning but we've already promised Wolsztyn we'll provide a locomotive for their upcoming steam parade. So, we've asked them if they'd like to pick another one, and this time, they've chosen you, Minett." said the manager one evening. "Me sir, but why? I mean, I appreciate it but surely the other engines here are more than qualified?" "Well, they chose you for a reason, they say they've got something waiting for you there." 

Minett was unsure how to feel about this, but the other engines assured her that she would be fine in Poland. So with that, the old German lady agreed to the plan, and soon arrangements were under way to bring her across the continent. 

It took a lot of travelling too, first she had to be taken across the border to her builder's place in Germany, then she had to be marshalled onto a freight train bound for Poland. But after what felt like an eternity, she was finally in Poland, a land she would have never thought she would be in. 

And to add to it, she was dropped off in an old roundhouse shed on her first night there. There were many engines all arranged inside in each berth, with various artifacts surrounding them, so she presumed it to be a museum. As she was shunted in, a voice rang from beside her, not in Polish, but in German. "I was told I would have a visitor arriving, but I didn't know it would be you." 

Minett looked, standing next to her, was a green tank engine that looked exactly like her! "Y-you're one of me?" "I know it's hard to believe, but yes. The name is Breslau." "Minett. T-t-this is incredible. I mean, I didn't know there was another member of my class left." "Neither did I, until I heard about your railway from some visiting enthusiasts. You've caused quite the stir there." Minett blushed, but tried her best to keep the conversation going.

The two shared stories of their lives and were soon chatting like close friends, perhaps even family. Breslau shared his experiences working on the Polish State Railways after the war, Minett sharing about her life at the mine. They would've chatted all through the night, had another engine in the shed interrupted them. 

"You best get some rest, Minett, you'll need it for the engine parade tomorrow." said Breslau, yawning and shutting his eyes. "Make us T7s proud, will you?" "I certainly will!" she said proudly, before happily falling asleep too. 

Epilogue

Thought I'd try my hand writing a somewhat shorter story this time. I don't have as much knowledge on either locomotive or railway to write a full series about them, but if anyone is willing to make it a reality, be my guest! 

Thank you for reading!